by Sally
by Sally
Enjoy the new offerings – there is a real range of books there.
by Sally
Have been up since 5 o’clock this morning, having struggled out of bed to attend the ANZAC day dawn service on the hill behind my house. Worth the struggle, to spend the time reflecting on what the brave soldiers from our past (and present) have done.
Back at home, my beloved cooked me bacon and eggs and we spent a lazy couple of hours before it was my turn to cook and I whipped up a batch of ANZAC biscuits, one of my favourite treats on any day of the year.
After lunch we watched the broadcast of the service from Villers-Bretonneux and were rewarded with a glimpse of Murphlet 3 laying a wreath. Tonight we saw him again in news footage. He seemed suddenly grown up, especially when he was being interviewed by the reporter from GWN.
Proud mum moments aside, I also did a little work today. I finished adding a stack of new reviews to Aussiereviews, including reviews of two picture books especially relevant to the day – Simpson and His Donkey, by West Aussies Mark Greenwood & Frane Lesac, and Lofty’s Mission, by Krista Bell & David Miller.
And, quite unplanned in my list of things to do today, I wrote the first draft of a new picture book which has been niggling at me the past few days. The idea had been there, but as I tried to get to sleep last night the words started to come, and I knew I had to give it priority. Only a first draft, but I’m pleased with where it’s going.
Quite a day.
by Sally
How lovely. Two nice blogger colleagues have given Aussiereviews a mention in the past two days. First, a writer friend alerted me that Judith Ridge had included my site in a list of recommended review sites in her Misrule blog. High praise indeed from someone like Judith who is so knowledgeable and passionate about children’s literature.
Then, a Google alert alerted me to a mention in another blog, this time Dale Harcombe’s Orangedale blog telling readers that it’s time they visit Aussiereviews if they haven’t already done so.
I’m grinning. It’s always nice to get unsolicited praise.
by Sally
I’ve added ten new reviews to Aussiereviews. Three of the ten cover themes and content focussing on Australia’s experiences in the two world wars and/or the celebration of ANZAC Day, which is very timely given that ANZAC Day is coming up later in the month.
It was interesting to read two books for young adults – one (A Rose for the ANZAC Boys, by Jackie French) which tells the tale of a sixteen year old girl’s experiences in World War 1, and the other (Heroes of Tobruk, by David Mulligan) which tells the story of a sixteen year old boy’s experiences in World War II, It would be interesting to be able to share these two books in the classroom setting, with the use of teenage protagonists making the wartime experiences more real for teenage readers.
Anyway, enjoy the reviews.
by Sally