Selected Books

Michael Bauer and Ursula Dubosarsky with the
winner of a prize at the National Reading Day stand
during the AATE/ALEA National Conference in Canberra in July.

Diary of a Wombat
Jackie French, Illustrated by Bruce Whatley
HarperCollins 2002

The depiction of a week in the life of Mothball the wombat, from her own point of view makes very funny reading. Mothball’s phlegmatic and single-minded personality is strongly indicated in both text and paintings. The ostensibly simple diary format presents the interaction of Mothball and her long-suffering humans with great charm. Visually attractive in layout and colour, with varied use of white spaces, placement of pictures and perspectives, the simple shapes, stances and subtle facial expressions bring Mothball to life as the ramifications of her actions are explored with humour and insight.



Truckdogs: a novel in four bites
Graeme Base
Viking (Penguin) 2003

This creative and original work offers a glimpse into a Mad Max world where authentic trucks and dogs are merged within the setting of outback Australia. The narrative is bizarre, comical, full of puns, loaded with Australian icons and colloquialisms and it contains just the right measure of suspense. The themes of loyalty, friendship, teamwork, acceptance, group dynamics and bullying are light subtexts beneath the fast flowing, clever, imaginative plot. Each of the 16 full-page coloured illustrations is a work of art – intricate, detailed, fantastic and annotated.



Someone Like Me
Elaine Forrestal
Puffin (Penguin) 1997

Characters and relationships in this story of Tas and his family are well portrayed and his love of music is convincingly presented, but there is the merest hint of something else about him, unelaborated, to tantalise the reader. Themes include friendship, fairness and fear of change, bullying and a lethal legacy from Northern Ireland, but the emphasis is on Tas tenacity, substantiated throughout the book and underlined by its final revelation.



The Red Shoe
Ursula Dubosarsky
Allen & Unwin 2006

From one of Australia's finest writers for young people comes this evocative novel juxtaposing the inner life of three girls, the undercurrents of their parents' marriage and the political dramas of the adult world.

Funny, tough-minded and tender, this is the story of Matilda and her two sisters growing up in Sydney in the 1950s at the time of the Petrov Affair. Punctuated by the headlines of the time, it shows with unsettling clarity how the large events of the world can impinge on ordinary lives.



The Running Man
Michael Gerard Bauer
Omnibus Books 2004

This is a formidable debut novel. Beautifully realised and tightly crafted, it offers much in the way of deepening our understandings about the internal struggle that accompanies a tragedy. Through a shared interest in silkworms, a man and a boy grow as they face their demons, and the minor characters cushion the harshness with kindness. The story is spun around a single but powerful metaphor in the form of the metamorphosis of silkworms. The characterisation is quite brilliant. A haunting, literary narrative – masterful and poetic, with rich themes to explore.

We acknowledge the contribution of the Children’s Book Council of Australia which supplied these descriptions.