The Fantabulous Animal Orchestra by Donovan Bixley

What happens at the bottom of the garden when all sorts of creatures begin to assemble and make their own special kind of sounds? Bixley has imagined a most fantabulous orchestra, with animals from across the planet, including those who dwell on land, in the air and deep down in the oceans, making beautiful music together. But something is happening. The conductor is not paying attention, becoming ever more self-absorbed and less and less concerned with the loss of those providing the rich contributions essential to the overall composition. As more and more animals disappear, the sound becomes more and more compromised and we begin to understand what’s at stake – because this story has an important message. It’s a plea, a call, for animal protection and conservation:

‘Each creature featured their own special part, Each played a fantabulous tune. We can still play along, in a wild harmony. All’s not lost … if we do something soon.’

There’s a lot of clever word play with repetitions and inversions, circular rhythms and rhymes. Some of the words might be a bit challenging for younger readers who might need a little assistance but this will make a wonderful read aloud. As always, Bixley’s illustrations are rich, lively, detailed and engaging, with a gloriously vivid and appealing colour palette. In particular, the inside back cover and facing page highlight all the endangered animals Bixley has included in his Fantabulous Orchestra. We just need to make sure we avoid being like the conductor and take up the baton to ensure the glorious chorus continues!

Flit the Fantail and the Christmas Crash by Kat Quin

This is another in the Flit the Fantail series, written and illustrated by Kat Quin, and published by Scholastic. This time it is a seasonal tale, opening with the charming wee novice flyer Flit crash-landing in Santa’s beard.

We follow Flit as he covertly accompanies Santa on his Christmas eve gift-giving journey across Aotearoa. He quickly gets the hang of Santa’s purpose, and embarks on some gift giving of his own, finding diet appropriate treats for different native New Zealand birds at each stop along the way. Meanwhile Santa is secretly working on an unexpected gift of his own.

This is a lovely story of Christmas cheer, generosity and kindness. Flit gives without any expectations of a reward, but Santa has been watching and has created the perfect present for our generous little Fantail.

There is an abundance of alliteration on display here and I was a bit unsure about the sheer quantity, but the text reads pretty well with a nice rhythm and will enrich a young reader’s vocabulary. The charming illustrations are in Christmas colour accented primaries.

A nice festive addition to the Flit stable.

Lisa Carrington Chases a Champion by Lisa Carrington and Scott Pearson

Olympic Gold medallist Lisa Carrington is an exceptional individual whose success on the international canoeing stage has been astounding – she really is the GOAT. Her attitude and commitment to excellence are a great example for our tamariki and here Carrington tells an inspiring story from her own past, following her own journey as she prepares to compete for the first time ever at the Ōhope Surf Carnival. There is training on the water as well as runs, squats and push ups to build muscle strength and stamina. There are setbacks as fears and self-doubt rear their heads.

This is a terrific message for young people whether they are competing or not. Self-belief, a good game plan and hard work will take you a long way no matter what your goals are. It’s great to see many te reo Māori words appearing throughout the book, a nod to Lisa’s own whakapapa as well as a reflection of the growing use and understanding of te reo Māori for today’s young readers. The realistic illustrations are warm and dynamic with plenty of energy.

There are a few words which might confuse young readers – ‘bulging biceps’ and ‘beefy quads’ for example, and when first mentioned I couldn’t figure out who Colin was, but overall I think this is a great read about an outstanding role model, with a positive encouraging message and some sensible, age-appropriate advice.

The Witch of Maketu and the Bleating Lambs by Anika Moa and Rebecca Ter Borg

When her lambs bleat all night long, the Witch of Maketu can’t sleep, making her seriously out of sorts. She seeks the advice of an ancient taniwha she knows, but the Taniwha’s advice is most unexpected. He’s turned over a new leaf and instead of recommending she teach the lambs a harsh witchy lesson, he wonders if there might be a reason for the bleating, and suggests a crafty potential solution for this problem. Will it work? You’ll have to read the book to find out.

Here is another text which successfully utilises te reo Māori throughout. Unexpectedly there are also footnotes here and there in support of English words or ideas that might be tricky and/or confusing for any readers. The illustrations have a slightly Seussian, fairy story kind of vibe, with lovely soft organic shapes and a pastel palette. The taniwha is very zen, the witch is giving great side eye and there is plenty of detail for an observant young audience.

The tone is light and jaunty which suits this fun text well, and I could definitely hear Ms Moa’s voice as I was reading. I can just imagine the ‘magic’ QR code for an ‘evil readalong’ at the front of the book is going to be getting a very good workout.

A Lot of Silly by Joy Cowley and David Barrow

Gecko always make books that are so nice to touch and read. The paper stock is lush and the hard-backed book sturdy enough to be handed down to the next generation by the child that grows up reading it. And they’re going to do this because this delightful collection of poems and prose by the much-loved children’s writer, Joy Cowley, is a real treat. There are old familiar pieces like My Tiger, Major Jump and excerpts from Snake and Lizard, but there are also poems and excerpts I’ve not seen before. Some feel like old traditional poems our mothers told us. Some are slight and silly like a lolly when you’re peckish, and some substantial like a balanced meal when you are particularly hungry. Some are funny (Business Lunch) and some have larger meanings like The Circus. Many of the pieces have animals at their centre, with the elephant in particular making repeat appearances which made me happy as elephants are a personal favourite. And there’s plenty of delicious word play, clever rhymes and sing-songiness to get readers joining in and perhaps creating their own poems. The illustrations, in a rich range of what look to be water colours, are charming, witty and wry and a great match for the text. This one’s a keeper.

Reviewed by Melinda Syzmanik