Julie gave 4 stars to The Duck Song (Hardcover) by Bryant Oden
Okay, I'm giving this book 4 stars even though I don't like the illustration style very much, and even though I know after the 100th reading/listening to the CD I may well regret it. This is a very funny repetitive story for children (based on a You-tube video/song).
I picked this up in the library and showed my daughter (11) who immediately grinned from ear to ear and ran off with it to read in a private corner. THAT is what this song/story does to people!

author: Bryant Oden
name: Julie
average rating: 4.48
book published: 2010
rating: 4
read at: 2015/03/07
date added: 2015/03/06
shelves:
review:
Okay, I'm giving this book 4 stars even though I don't like the illustration style very much, and even though I know after the 100th reading/listening to the CD I may well regret it. This is a very funny repetitive story for children (based on a You-tube video/song).
I picked this up in the library and showed my daughter (11) who immediately grinned from ear to ear and ran off with it to read in a private corner. THAT is what this song/story does to people!

Julie gave 4 stars to The Ice Bear (Hardcover) by Jackie Morris
A stunningly beautiful Picture Story Book, telling a fable-like story that reads like a retelling of a traditional inuit tale. (I don't know if it is.) Lovely.

author: Jackie Morris
name: Julie
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2010
rating: 4
read at: 2015/03/07
date added: 2015/03/06
shelves:
review:
A stunningly beautiful Picture Story Book, telling a fable-like story that reads like a retelling of a traditional inuit tale. (I don't know if it is.) Lovely.

Julie gave 4 stars to Downpour (Hardcover) by Emily Martin
A beautiful, artistic and imaginative Picture Book. In a world that looks like ours, the world acts quite differently from what we expect. Just go with it, and you'll be carried away in this enchanting story.
From Sky Pony Press, 2013

author: Emily Martin
name: Julie
average rating: 3.21
book published: 2013
rating: 4
read at: 2015/03/07
date added: 2015/03/06
shelves:
review:
A beautiful, artistic and imaginative Picture Book. In a world that looks like ours, the world acts quite differently from what we expect. Just go with it, and you'll be carried away in this enchanting story.
From Sky Pony Press, 2013

Julie gave 4 stars to Penguin on Vacation (Hardcover) by Salina Yoon
A well crafted story with gorgeous illustrations. Again, Salina emphasises the importance of relationships in our lives. A lovely message; a lovely book. Bring on lots more Penguin books - he is awesome (and a keen knitter too!).

author: Salina Yoon
name: Julie
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2013
rating: 4
read at: 2015/03/07
date added: 2015/03/06
shelves:
review:
A well crafted story with gorgeous illustrations. Again, Salina emphasises the importance of relationships in our lives. A lovely message; a lovely book. Bring on lots more Penguin books - he is awesome (and a keen knitter too!).

author: Mo Willems
name: Julie
average rating: 4.37
book published: 2012
rating: 4
read at: 2015/03/07
date added: 2015/03/06
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Another LOL Picture Book by the hugely talented Mo Willems. Pigeon chucks another tantrum - this time at cute little duckling. But it's all okay. Duckling handles it right, and everyone's happy. If only life could really be like that! LOL

author: J.K. Rowling
name: Julie
average rating: 4.30
book published: 1998
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2015/02/27
shelves: currently-reading
review:

author: J.K. Rowling
name: Julie
average rating: 4.39
book published: 1997
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2015/02/22
shelves: currently-reading
review:

author: Michael Parker
name: Julie
average rating: 3.21
book published: 2012
rating: 3
read at: 2015/02/23
date added: 2015/02/22
shelves:
review:
An ambitious book, describing to young readers that are made up of atoms, and that those atoms were first formed when distant stars exploded. See? Ambitious. I want to write a similarly amitious Picture Book, and this has been a good guide on how it may be done. This story is fun and a bit poetic, with lovely illustrations. I just had one problem with this book. It is that the atoms don't just get into the reader by eating food that contains these "star" atoms (as the story tells). The whole earth is formed from them - plants, animals, rocks, clouds, air...us. We are truly stars, and this is a nice introduction to kids on the topic albeit (I think) a little inaccurate.

author: Alan Robinson
name: Julie
average rating: 3.00
book published: 2011
rating: 3
read at: 2015/02/23
date added: 2015/02/22
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Nice story written in rhyme, telling about a boy's visit to his Grandpa's farm in the summertime. Being an Australian setting, a bushfire is involved, but the ending is happy.

author: Luke Edwards
name: Julie
average rating: 4.40
book published: 2010
rating: 4
read at: 2015/02/18
date added: 2015/02/18
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review:
This is such a funny, quirky book. Even its size is not the standard for a Picture Book. Lots of humour will go over little ones' heads, but adults will enjoy reading this to their children again and again. Illustrations are grey scale, except for all the big, yellow, staring eyes, but the pics convey heaps of personality. Children should be thoroughly entertained by them and this fun tale about finding your place in the world...and helping others to find theirs.

author: Colin Thompson
name: Julie
average rating: 3.75
book published: 2011
rating: 5
read at: 2015/02/18
date added: 2015/02/18
shelves:
review:
I love this cheeky book! The words are so funny; the pics are even funnier. Together they are wonderful. Note the dedication at the back though: "For Alice - this is NOT an instruction book". This backs up my feeling that there are some children I would not read this story to - it would only encourage them to go WAY over the top with naughtiness. (I HATE cleaning honey off toilet seats!) However, as most kids these days can't even feed ducks, get dirty knees or climb a tree without being told off, I think the moral that a BIT of naughtiness is creative and interesting and, yes, even FUN, is justified. A guilty pleasure!

author: Blake Snyder
name: Julie
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2005
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2015/02/17
shelves: currently-reading
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author: Maggie Stiefvater
name: Julie
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2014
rating: 3
read at: 2015/02/18
date added: 2015/02/17
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As the author states at the start, "this one's for the readers" (i.e. fans of the characters).

author: Sue Whiting
name: Julie
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2013
rating: 4
read at: 2015/01/30
date added: 2015/01/29
shelves:
review:
This is one of those Picture Books that I found myself feeling the pages of as I read. It is beautiful in all ways; the glossy pages, the colourful, expansive illustrations and the poetic text. A simple story about learning not to be afraid of the sea (but a healthy respect for it is a great thing!). Very Australian content too - I loved the sizzling sand.

author: Louise Yates
name: Julie
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2012
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2015/01/29
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author: Susanna Gretz
name: Julie
average rating: 3.67
book published: 2005
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2015/01/29
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author: Jeanne Willis
name: Julie
average rating: 3.75
book published: 1999
rating: 4
read at: 2015/01/30
date added: 2015/01/29
shelves:
review:
Deceptively simple Picture Book text with glowing illustrations. The twist at the end gives the story a depth you probably were not expecting. A lovely book.

author: Salina Yoon
name: Julie
average rating: 3.72
book published: 2013
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2015/01/28
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author: Karin Littlewood
name: Julie
average rating: 3.29
book published: 2013
rating: 3
read at: 2015/01/29
date added: 2015/01/28
shelves:
review:
I haven't seen any Picture Books about a parent going to prison so, when I saw this one at the library, I wanted to read it. I don't know much about the topic, but it seemed to be handled well and with sensitivity. I wonder if there really are prison Christmas parties with Santa for inmates and their families?

I think it is a good idea to have Picture Books about "difficult" subjects, because not all kids have ideal lives, and a book can be a great friend to a sad child.

author: Jeanne Willis
name: Julie
average rating: 4.57
book published: 2006
rating: 4
read at: 2015/01/29
date added: 2015/01/28
shelves:
review:
Gorgeous illustrations and a lovely poetic text. (e.g. "She dances to the music of the universe".) I chose to read this book because I wanted to see how the topic of a very short life (1 day) was handled - it was done very well. The story was uplifting and beautiful; not at all dreary or depressing.

author: Amnesty International
name: Julie
average rating: 4.32
book published: 2008
rating: 3
read at: 2015/01/29
date added: 2015/01/28
shelves:
review:
A wonderful document, but I'm not sure how many children would love this book. IMHO, I think parents will be more attracted to this book because of its content, which I hope we all aspire to. Different illustrations by different artists is great for reminding us of a community spirit, but it doesn't really give a cohesiveness to the book. And I felt offended by the "bloody doll" illustration too. Maybe I'm too sensitive?