Snark David Elliot

Snark  David Elliot

Snark: Being a true history of the expedition that discovered the Snark and the Jabberwock…and its tragic aftermath

University of Otago Press (2016)
Hardback, 220 pages
ISBN 978 1 877578 94 6

David Elliot is a skilled artist and well-read , witty writer. Had he wished, he could have simply illustrated Lewis Carroll’s poem, The Hunting of the Snark. Equally, he could have simply written a scholarly essay analysing that curious poem’s meanings, origins and interpretations. Fortunately for us, he has done something quite different and instead created a modern masterpiece.

Using all the skills of a master forger, Elliot has constructed a plausible and compelling document, an illustrated journal of a strange voyage, a Victorian quest for a legendary creature. The journal – allegedly in its 42nd edition – was written by “The Boots,” the youngest member of a band of explorers known only by their occupation titles. The leader is the sinister obsessed Bellman and his other followers are a Barrister, a Broker, a Bonnet-maker, a Banker, a Billiard-marker and a lace-making beaver.

The Boots not only kept a journal of the expedition’s quirky and ill-fated voyage but also drew a range of sketches which combine sharp observation with great beauty. All of these illustrations are reproduced along with a remarkable range of charts, maps, diagrams. There are also scholarly footnotes assembled over the previous 41 editions casting light on everything from Boojums to bugles. The full text of Jabberwocky and The Hunting of the Snark are included, proving clearly that Charles Dodson knew about the horrifying outcome of the ill-fated expedition and used his Lewis Carroll persona to pen a pair of puzzle poems that use nonsense, word-play and riddles to conceal a genuine quest.

The result is enormously enjoyable in several ways.  Snark is an enjoyable adventure in itself, a cheerful concordance to Carroll’s writing and a thoroughly enjoyable exercise in fantasy-world-building. The footnotes are mad excursions into the wilder realms of Victorian exploration, which add to the feeling that everything Carroll described really happened. Or at least, Elliot carries us along on his powerful locomotive of imagination to a full enjoyment of the whimsical but heroic quest. David Elliot has done it again.

 P.S. With its authentic-seeming preface, tide-charts, and engravings of thimbles, skeletons, steamships, sundials, and sea-creatures, not to mention Tasmanian tigers and Moa, Snark seems likely to be taken seriously by some naïve reader. Watch out for the first to fall for this glorious literary spoof.

Trevor Agnew

14 Feb 2017

The Genius of Bugs

The Killer Brain Surgeon and the Zombie

The Genius of Bugs (2016)

Simon Pollard
Te Papa Press
32 pages, paperback, NZ$25

 Review by Trevor Agnew

The Genius of Bugs is a tribute to the infinitely amazing behaviour to be found in the insect world. The richest joy of this book, however, is reading Simon Pollard’s prose.

“Could you resist a giant praying mantis that looked as if it was made of jellybeans the size of balloons?” asks Pollard. He’s describing the orchid mantis, which captures pollinating insects by impersonating a large pink flower.

Moss piglets are microscopic critters that can survive thirty years without food or water. “To bring a moss piglet back to life, just add water.” (Moss piglets can also survive radiation and exposure to space.)

Then there’s the wasp that’s also a brain surgeon. “By injecting venom very carefully into two parts of the cockroach’s brain, the jewel wasp turns the cockroach into a zombie.” The wasp lays its eggs inside the compliant cockroach’s still-functioning body, thus providing the larva with a ready food supply. “Good for the jewel wasp; not so good for the cockroach.”  It’s probably a bit insensitive to mention the quality of the colour photographs at this point but there is a striking illustration of the jewel wasp leading its cockroach victim off to its fate.

The Genius of Bugs is one of those special books which young readers carry around to read bits aloud from. “Some female fireflies are tricky cannibals.” Weaver ants can lift 100 times their own weight, while hanging upside down. “The toxic spray fired by the bombardier beetle is…as hot as boiling water.” Why does our familiar harvestman have legs that are twenty times the length of its body? Prof Pollard knows. (The index, glossary and identification table all help young readers to share in his knowledge.)

 One of the key roles of our national museum, Te Papa, is to make the results of research available to the general public.  Te Papa Press has carried out this mission superbly with a line of award-winning publications. The bean-counters, naturally, want to shut down the publishing operation for four years. The success of titles like The Genius of Bugs is proof of how short-sighted their policy is.

Pollard and his bugs are a dead cert to win the non-fiction prize in next year’s NZ Children’s Book Awards.  And do pop in to the Bug Lab exhibition at Te Papa in Wellington.   They’ve even produced a companion puzzle and game book for younger enthusiasts, The Genius of Bugs Activity Book, illustrated by Kieran Rynhart.

 

Trevor Agnew (Dec 2016)

 

Full details:

The Genius of Bugs (2016)

Simon Pollard
Te Papa Press
32 pages, paperback, NZ$25
ISBN 978-0-9941362-1-3

 

The Genius of Bugs Activity Book (2016)

Illustrated by Kieran Rynhart

Te Papa Press, 24 pages

ISBN 978 0 9941362 0 6  NZ$15

 

Shooting Stars Brian Falkner

Shooting Stars
The Private Diary of Egan (Bush) Tucker
(2016)
Brian Falkner
Ill. Vida Kelly
Scholastic NZ
351 pages, paperback
ISBN 978 1 77543 360 6

“You’re Moana’s boy…You know that the police – and your father – have been looking for you for years.”

Brian Falkner’s novels are always unpredictable and exciting. Shooting Stars is his best work so far. It takes a classic theme that dates back to Swift and Voltaire – an idealistic innocent thrust into a society that is less than innocent – then gives it a modern New Zealand setting. The result is intriguing,  exciting and amusing.

We first meet Egan as a Candide figure, raised by his mother, Moana, in the isolation of a miner’s cottage deep in the Coromandel Peninsula bush. His diary records his daily life in the bush, along with his aspirations and enthusiasms. He not only enjoys a range of authors but also imitates their style of writing with amusing effect.

Egan is a lively and cheerful narrator. Woven like a thread through his account is Moana’s Code, a set of 30 ethical guidelines she has inculcated into Egan. “#7 Do not allow other people to get hurt…All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing.” Egan hasn’t read Edmund Burke but he does realise that Moana has drawn widely for her list. “I think she borrowed this from someone else.”

While out hunting the wild pig that has damaged their vegetable garden, Egan encounters a hunter, J.T. Hunter, who saves his life. J.T. and Egan develop a friendship.  “He took my hand and lifted it up and down a few times. I think it is called shaking hands, I have read about this.” This friendship will prove vital to both of them later in the story.

A tragic event leaves Egan alone and forces him to come out of the bush earlier than Moana had planned.  His quest for information about his origins takes him into the grim underbelly of Auckland. A gang of street kids promptly rob him but ,after several bruising encounters, Egan finds that his bush skills enable him not only to survive but to achieve a level of understanding with Reggie, Mohawk, Junior and little Allan. The depiction of street life is grim and convincing.

Then Egan’s father discovers him and he is swept into a world of press interviews, TV fame and Facebook celebrity. Life in the Coatesville mansion of the famous Ray Tucker, well-known former rugby star, might sound like a happy ending but, all through Egan’s diary, there have been reminders of his father’s violent, controlling personality. The conclusion sees the moral conflict between father and son becoming a physical confrontation.

Various documents included with Egan’s diary entries help the reader to draw their own conclusions about the events which follow and create their own conclusion to the story.  

 This is an excellent novel, bursting with vitality, deeply moving and full of ideas. The characters are all interesting and their reaction to Egan’s philosophy is both amusing and thought-provoking. Vida Kelly’s illustrations show another facet of Egan’s personality.

Shooting Stars is my pick for the Best Young Adult Novel of the year.

Trevor Agnew

17 Nov 2016

The Houdini Effect (2016)

The Houdini Effect (2016)

The Houdini Effect (2016)

Bill Nagelkerke

Print version:
Bill Nagelkerke
196 pages
ISBN 978 1 53049862 8

Electronic version:
238 pages
Smashwords US$5.00
https://www.smashwords.com/

With the world of publishing changing so rapidly, novels for young New Zealanders are becoming an endangered species. Publish-your-own and electronic publishing are two ways being used to keep the genre alive.

The Houdini Effect (2016) is both an electronic novel and a self- published novel by Bill Nagelkerke, an experienced and skilful New Zealand writer.  It is based on the continuing appeal of the intriguing career of Harry Houdini (1874-1926), who achieved world fame as a magician, illusionist and escape artist.

The narrator of the story is Athens, who is doubly burdened by her odd Christian name and the antics of her irritating young brother, Harry. Inspired by Houdini, young Harry works hard to emulate his hero, performing his magic tricks and illusions. Because their parents are pre-occupied with their own activities, Athens and Harry have plenty of scope for their own activities.

“I am an aspiring writer and writers are as bad, if not worse, liars than magicians,” complains Athens, who narrates this story. She keeps seeing odd visions in the many mirrors that hang in the old house that her family have just moved into. Images of the previous owner of the house appear and vanish, as though someone is flicking through a photo album. At first, Athens blames Harry, who often talks of ‘smoke and mirrors,’ but his interest has now moved to escapology.

“Houdini could escape from anything,” Harry declares, although his efforts with a borrowed strait-jacket always end ignominiously with Athens having to release him. To her surprise Harry enters a TV talent show, where he proposes to perform ‘the Houdini Effect, which is an escape from a chained and padlocked chest. Again, he needs Athens’ assistance. Athens is mortified to find that her role will be to ‘wave and point,’ in order to distract their audience at the crucial moment.

Even as Athens helps Harry to prepare for their public performance of the chest-escape, the strange visions in the mirrors continue to worry her. The tension is carefully maintained even as Athens frets about her relations with her friends, a possible romantic interest and

Athens is a delightful but controlling narrator, who keeps adding explanations in brackets. (‘I’m not only a word freak but also a words-in-parentheses freak.’) Through Athens' exasperated account, Bill Nagelkerke creates an amusing picture of an odd family of slightly obsessive enthusiasts, which is reminiscent of Margaret Mahy’s novels.

 There are plenty of quirky characters and witty comments as well as a satisfyingly dramatic conclusion, which brings together the television performance and the explanation of the images in the mirror. Athens waves and points with great skill, and so her readers are intrigued, delighted, and entertained by an amusing and skilfully-written novel.

Trevor Agnew
(Oct 2016)

 

Note: Both Bill Nagelkerke and Harry recommend the biography Escape!: The Story of The Great Houdini (2006) by Sid Fleischman.

The Little Drummer Boy

The Little Drummer Boy (2016)
Marlene Bennetts
Ill. Trish Bowles
Emjay Publishing
32 pages, paperback
ISBN 978 0 473 37300 9

At a time when Christmas books seem to involve greedy children and farting reindeer, it is a real pleasure to come across a book, The Little Drummer Boy, that has the celebration of Christ’s birthday as a central theme.

Young Liam is feeling homesick and isolated. He is living with his Aunt Cheryl and Uncle Ron on their farm, because his mother and new-born brother are still in hospital. The approach of Christmas adds to his worries; Liam wants to be home for Christmas because “It’s nearly time to decorate our tree. Dad always lifts me up so I can put the angel on the top.”

Aunt Cheryl tries to cheer Liam up by playing her CD of The Little Drummer Boy so Liam can march around singing, “Pa rum pum pum pum.” She then has Liam’s teacher offer him the part of the Little Drummer Boy in the Christmas Eve nativity play in the church. This kind action backfires. Liam is close to tears because he realises he won’t be home for Christmas.

Uncle Ron takes Liam out to select a Christmas tree, and he is the one who lifts Liam up to put an angel on the top. Liam continues to pray for his mother and brother and in a wonderful ending, his prayers are answered. His parents arrive with his new brother. “Was Jesus this tiny?” asks Liam. They also have a gift for Liam – a drum, which he duly uses in his performance as the Little Drummer Boy. Liam is delighted with everything and remembers to thank Jesus before he goes to sleep.

“Thank you, Jesus, for hearing my prayers, even when I talk loud or quiet.”

Trish Bowles has often collaborated with Marlene Bennetts in creating picture books. Her colour illustrations are skilfully matched to the story, adding to the appeal of Liam’s quest to have his family together for Christmas. The picture of Liam being reunited with his family is particularly charming. (It is also nice to see that Liam sometimes wears odd socks.)

This is a lovely picture book for everyone who cares about the real meaning of Christmas.

[The official launch of this book was held at South Library, 66 Colombo St, Beckenham, on Thursday 27 October 2016 at 10.30am, with Hon. Ruth Dyson MP doing the honours.]

 

Trevor Agnew

October 2016

Kiwi Corkers Bag of Books

                                         
A Cute Kete
of Kiwi Books

Kiwi Corkers
Bag of Books

Scholastic NZ

ISBN 978-1-77543-426-9

NZ$25


The Kiwi Corkers series, published by Scholastic NZ, have always been handsome hardbacks, retellings in verse of classic fairy stories with Kiwi characters and settings. Now, in a crafty pre-Christmas marketing ploy, Scholastic is offering five of the best Kiwi Corkers as small (200mm x 191mm) paperbacks which come in their own stylish cloth book-bag. At NZ$25, that’s only $5 a book, a real bargain.

The titles are:

The Ugly Hatchling (2009) by Yvonne Morrison, ill. Dave Gunson (What if a Kiwi was raised by Pukekos?)

The Frog Footie Player (2012) by Chris Gurney, ill. John Bennett (All Black fans turn up in the most unexpected places. )

The Little Blue Duck (2009) by Chris Gurney, ill. Stevie Mahardhika  (What happens when a duck gets hold of the Edmonds Cookbook?)  

The Three Cattle Dogs Gruff (2015) by Chris Gurney, ill. Myles Lawford (Is that a taniwha under the bridge?)

The Tuatara and the Skink (2009) by Yvonne Morrison, ill. Donovan Bixley (We all know how this race will turn out but Bixley’s lovingly-detailed pictures make every page a delight.)

This is a cute kete.

 

Trevor Agnew

8 October 2016

Muddle and Mo’s Worm Surprise Nikki Slade Robinson

Muddle and Mo’s Worm Surprise (2016)

Nikki Slade Robinson,

Duck Creek Press

32pp
Hb 978-1-927305-17-1  NZ$30
Pb  978-1-927305-18-8  NZ$20

This charming picture book is a sequel to the author-artist’s equally charming Muddle and Mo (2015) which introduced young readers to Muddle the slightly confused duckling, who is ever keen to please, and Mo the placid and patient goat, who puts up with his enthusiasm. In Muddle and Mo’s Worm Surprise Muddle suddenly announces that he’s planning a picnic for them both. “We will have worm surprise,” The change in Mo’s expression is a delight; clearly she fears the worst.

In the stylised double-page colour illustrations, we see Muddle using all his energy to capture worms, while poor Mo watches on nervously. Muddle catches some bugs as well and soon has a full bucket.

“We are going to the top of that hill,” Muddle commands, waddling vigorously and towing the bucket behind. Doleful but unwilling to offend her friend, Mo follows.

On the hilltop, Muddle produces two plates of food. His has worms and bugs but Mo’s plate is…well, it’s a surprise.

This is a lovely little fable, simply told, of friends caring for each other and making allowances for differences. Nikki Slade Robinson has based both the stories and the illustrations on two of her family pets, and her affection for them shows through.

The design standard is high and I was intrigued to see that each of the characters has a different font when they speak. It is good to see Duck Creek Press continuing to maintain such a fine standard in their picture books.

 Trevor Agnew

Bicycling to the Moon

Bicycling to the Moon

Timo Parvela, illustrated by Virpi Talvitic
Gecko, paperback, NZ$20
ISBN 978 1 776570 32 4
Reviewd by Trevor Agnew

 

 

Friendship is a treasure but sometimes friends can be infuriating. This witty chapter book takes a wry look at the friendly clash between two different personalities. Purdy is a cat; self-centred, ungrateful, and comfort-loving. Barker is a dog; loyal, devoted and uncomplaining.

Finnish author Timo Parvela has written twenty amusing tales chronicling the domestic disasters caused by the mismatch between these two friends. The title story sets the mood. Purdy wants a bicycle to ride to the moon. Barker gives him a bike, and is amused when Purdy plans to ride it on the reflection of a moonbeam, across a lake and up to the moon. Barker likes the idea of Purdy getting wet. Then, just at the crucial moment, Barker realises that the lake is very deep and Purdy can’t swim.

Barker offers to ride with Purdy.

 “Why?”

“Because we’re friends.”

It’s a touching moment. Off they ride, down the moonbeam and deep into the lake. Of course Loyal Barker saves Purdy, who remains cheerfully unconcerned,

“Good thing you wanted to come along, or I’m sure I would have drowned,”

The engagingly irritating Purdy carries on, in this fun-loving thoughtless way, while the long-suffering Barker picks up the pieces. When Barker digs the garden, Purdy stays in bed. While Barker sets up their campsite, Purdy eats all their food. “Some people keep things in order and others create chaos,” says Barker, philosophically. Sometimes things do boil over – as in the Great tomato War – but Barker’s kindness often saves the day.. When Purdy dreams of flying, Barker builds him wings. When Purdy sings (terribly), only Barker remains in the audience. Friends are like that.

Virpi Talvitic’s coloured illustrations add another subtle dimension to the stories. Her final picture shows the pair relaxing under a tree. Purdy’s upraised tail, combined with a flower and butterfly, turns the setting sun into a yin-yang symbol. These oddly-matched friends complement each other, producing a sense of amused contentment – just as this book does.

Trevor Agnew 

This review appeared in Your Weekend magazine (Fairfax), 11 Jun 2016.

The Family with Two Front Doors Anna Ciddor

The Family with Two Front Doors (2016)

Anna Ciddor
Allen & Unwin, $17

Charming is a word that can only rarely be applied to a novel but in re-creating the childhood of her late grandmother, Nomi, Anna Ciddor (author of Runestone) has produced an endearing picture of 1920s Jewish family life. There are two front doors in the title because Rabbi Rabinovitch and his wife have nine children and therefore rent two apartments in the historic Polish city of Lublin. The story gives us a children’s-eye view of the ceremonies and customs of everyday life during the exciting time between the first contact with the go-between and the marriage of eldest sister, Adina. Nomi (10) is excited at being allowed to make gefilte fish and plait the challah bread dough, while mischievous Yakov (8) is constantly on the brink of domestic disaster.

It is a blessing to have an account that celebrates the spiritual warmth, simple joys, and ancient traditions that were swept away by the Holocaust. The author’s illustrations add to the charm.

Trevor Agnew

Note: this review originally appeared in Fairfax Newspapers on 21 March 2016.

Anzac Heroes Maria Gill Marco Ivancic

Anzac Heroes            (2016)

30 Courageous Anzacs from WWI and WWII
Maria Gill; ill. Marco Ivancic           
Scholastic
Hardback, NZ$30
ISBN 978 1 77543 363 7

In an interesting example of trans-Tasman cooperation, Maria Gill has written brief biographies of thirty inspiring military figures from Australia and New Zealand history. The period chosen includes both world wars, so Gill was able to select a lively and interesting mix of the famous and less well known. From New Zealand, we have the likes of Bernard Freyberg, Nancy Wake, Richard ‘Dick’ Travis and Keith Park, while the Australians include Reginald Saunders, Albert Jacka, Olive King and Albert Knight.

While some of the thirty have world reputations, Gill has made sure that some of the less famous are represented, such as Dr Jessie Scott and Matron Evelyn Brooke. While the emphasis is on achievement, there is no attempt to gloss over the cost of warfare. Hugo Throssell, who won a VC at Gallipoli, suffered from nervous strain. In debt during the Depression of the 1930s, “he made the harrowing decision to end his life, thinking his family would be better off without him. He wasn’t the only returned soldier who would do so.”

 Each of the thirty heroes gets a double-page spread, which packs in an amazing amount of information. As well as the short biography and account of the subject’s military career, there is also a range of illustrations, an individual timeline, images of their decorations, and Flash Fact-boxes describing particular exploits in detail. (Aussie flyer Frank McNamara, for example, won the V.C. for landing and rescuing a downed pilot from Ottoman cavalry, a feat that reads like an Indiana Jones adventure) Some of the details are simply breath-taking. Leon Goldsworthy, having been rejected for the navy because of hammer toes, had his little toes amputated.  He passed next time, and went on to become the Australian Navy’s most decorated officer.

 Marco Ivancic has provided colour portraits of each subject and, thanks to the co-operation of WWII Re-enactment Group, he has managed to show them in the correct uniform and using appropriate equipment. This is a major improvement on the usual method of colouring up old photos. (Only a pedant would point out that the Bren Gun on the cover has its drum-sight on the wrong side.)  Anzac Heroes has many extra features that add to its value in the classroom and library. There are timelines for World War I and World War II, while coloured maps show the main theatres of operations in both world wars. As well as the usual Glossary and Index, there is also a set of coloured pictures of all the medals awarded to the thirty. Special sections describe and compare the Australian and New Zealand military organisation over the years, along with a rundown of military ranks. There is even a double page spread, “The Medics,” describing the work of the stretcher-bearers, surgeons, drivers and nurses.

Anzac Heroes is a well-researched and inspiring record of the achievements of our two nations in two world wars. The quality of its writing, the high standard of its illustrations, as well as its handsome presentation and solid cover, ensure that this book will have a long and useful life in homes and libraries.

Trevor Agnew

17 May 2016