My First First Chapter, First Paragraph!

Diane at Bibliophile by the Sea hosts First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesdays.

I'm also very excited about getting Tess of the D'Urbervilles as my Classics Club spin #2 book.

So I thought I would combine the two.

Chapter 1:

"On an evening in the latter part of May (how perfect!!!!) a middle-aged man was walking homeward from Shaston to the village of Marlott, in the adjoining Vale of Blakemore or Blackmoor. The pair of legs that carried him were rickety, and there was a bias in his gait which inclined him somewhat to the left of a straight line. He occasionally gave a smart nod, as if in confirmation of some opinion, though he was not thinking of anything in particular. An empty egg-basket was slung upon his arm, the nap of his hat was ruffled, a patch being quite worn away at its brim where his thumb came in taking it off. Presently he was met by an elderly person astride on a gray mare, who, as he rode, hummed a wandering tune."

Ahhhhhhh.

The Burgess Boys by Elizabeth Strout

I've been wanting to read Olive Kitteridge for some time now.

It's still sitting in my TBR pile, but it's moved up to the top now that I've finished The Burgess Boys.

A tale of two brothers, a sister, a small country town in Maine and a pig's head. Relationships explored, exposed and analysed in the style of Anne Tyler or Alice Munro.

Issues of belonging, responsibility, truth and lies wrapped up in such a personal, compassionate package that you find yourself connecting to characters that initially repelled you.

Strout highlights how prejudice, love and duty affects individual, families and communities.

I really enjoyed the relationship between the three siblings in the end. Naturally, I had a favourite, but the other two were drawn with such empathy that I eventually came around to seeing their perspectives.

I think what appealed to me most though, was Strout's ability to see the good side of people and situations. She didn't ignore or gloss over the bad stuff, she simply chose to see everything and everyone with kindness and goodwill. It was a heartening experience.

Classics Club Spin #2

It's on again - the Classic Spin.

It's a fun way to tick off another classic from our lists. It also encourages those of us who want to interact more to visit each others blogs and leave a friendly comment or two.

Click on the link above to check out what the spin is all about and how to join in.

I've spent a little time checking out everyone's lists to cross-match titles and authors as I like to read my book with someone else:-)

Last spin I read The Magnificent Amberson's with Cat.

Below is my list and a link to the clubbers sharing the book or author with me. If I've missed anyone, please let me know and I'll add your link too.

1. Possession by A.S. Byatt   -   Cat
2. The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck   -   Tiny Library
3. Germinal by Emile Zola  -  Book Rhapsody, Cat, Several Four Many      (other Zola books - Books and Chocolate)
4. My Cousin Rachel by Daphne du Maurier   -   Lakeside Musing
5. Silent Spring by Rachel Carson  -  Wandering in the Stacks
6. Tess of the D'urbervilles by Thomas Hardy  -   Lakeside Musing, Several Four Many
7. Ulysses by James Joyce  - The Club     (other Joyce books - Bibliographic Manifestations)
8. Agnes Grey by Anne Bronte   -   Jayne's Books, Cat   (other Bronte books - Readinpleasure, Lakeside Musing, My Porch Blog)
9. Slaughterhouse 5 by Kurt Vonnegut   -    Howling Frog, From Isi     (other Vonnegut - Avid Reader's Musings)
10. Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe  -  Under a Gray Sky, Several Four Many   (other Defoe books - Unscripted35)
11. Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliffe    -   Lost Generation Reader  
12. Beloved by Toni Morrison   -   Classic Vasilly
13. Out of Africa by Isak Dinesen   -  Books Please
14. To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf  -  From Isi
15. The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath   -  Jackie Mania, What I Have in Mind Blog
16. The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov   -   Wandering in the Stacks
17. Complete Poems of T.S. Eliot   -   Aquatique
18. Diary of Anne Frank  -  The Club, Surgabukuku
19. Vile Bodies by Evelyn Waugh   -  Roofbeam Reader
20. Parade's End by Ford Maddox Ford  -  Books Please

Needless to say, I'm dreading #7 coming up, but everything else I'm ready to tackle right here and now.

If you're on Instagram share your spinning winner with the hashtag #ccspin

Come in spinner!



Early Tuesday morning Australian EST - It's official!

The spin number is #6.

Tess of the D'Urbervilles is coming my way and I get to enjoy the company of Joann from Lakeside Musing and Several Four Many as we read it together. 

Tess is a reread for me. I first read it in my mid 20's and I loved all the bucolic angst and melancholy. I'm curious to see how I respond twenty years later.

Raven Flight by Juliet Marillier and Friday Memes

This week for Book Beginnings on Fridays and The Friday 56 I've selected Raven Flight by Juliet Marillier.

This is the second book in her YA Shadowfell series. I was pleasantly surprised by my love for the first book (although very disappointed in the cover choice). Raven Flight has been given a much better cover - far more suitable for its intended audience, so we're off to a good start!

Book Beginnings:
As the lone traveller approached, the five Enforcers spread out in a line across the path.

Page 56:
The five tiny folk came forward, bearing their wreath. It was about the size of a woman's wristlet. They stopped in front of Regan and held it up. 

Classics Club Catch-up

Except for my new-found love affair with Their Eyes Were Watching God, I haven't been focused on classics at all the past couple of months.

But I see a few clever clubbers have combined the April and May memes in one post. Great idea!

It's a chilly, overcast autumnal evening here, I'm trying hard not to develop a head cold and a night thinking cosy thoughts about books is just what the doctor ordered!

April - “Who is hands-down the best literary hero, in your opinion? Likewise, who is the best heroine?”

May - "Tell us about the classic book(s) you’re reading this month. You can post about what you’re looking forward to reading in May, or post thoughts-in-progress on your current read(s)."

I suspect the easiest way for me to answer April's question is with a list and sub-categories as I cannot settle on a hands-down winner!

Best Literary Parent Hero/ine: Atticus Finch and Marmee March (I feel like a better person just imagining them as my parents - enough said.)

Best Literary Romantic Hero/ine: Mr Knightley (he loves Emma unreservedly. He guides her to reflect on her behaviour and allows her to make mistakes and learn from them. He is gentle, forgiving and honourable.)

Jane Eyre and Elinor Dashwood (they both have strong inner compasses, they make tough decisions for honourable reasons, they curb their strong emotions in public and they hold out for a true love they can respect and trust.)

Best Literary Children's Hero/ine: Huck Finn and Anne Shirley (for staying true to themselves at all times.)

Best Literary Action Hero/ine: Frodo Baggins (for continuing on against all hope, in the face of unbelievable danger and with little chance of success.) 

Lisbeth Salander (you may dispute her literary credentials, but it is impossible to deny her kick-ass attitude, her strength and determination.)

Best Literary Animal Hero/ine: Hazel from Watership Down (for shouldering the role of leader in times of trouble with intelligence, sensitivity and strength.)

Lassie (for loyalty and for always finding her way home!)

As for the May meme (insert a shoulder shrug here) "I don't know".

I don't plan my reading.

The only exceptions are holidays where I try to find a book or two set in the country or area that I'm visiting.

Usually my reading flows from the mood I'm in as I finish one book and move to the next.

If I've just finished something 'heavy', I might choose something 'lighter' next. Sometimes it's because of a review I've read or a suggestion from a friend.
Sometimes I get hooked on a genre or theme and read several things at once about France, the holocaust, New York, WW1 etc. Sometimes I feel compelled to read something specific for work (a new release or an award winning book so I can discuss it with customers).
Sometimes I need a comfort read and sometimes I want to be challenged.

If this cold develops, I suspect some comfort in the shape of Maisie Dobbs will be required to see me through.

Book Beginnings Friday and The Friday 56

This week for Book Beginnings on Fridays and The Friday 56 I've selected The Childhood of Jesus by J. M. Coetzee

Beginning:
The man at the gate points them towards a low, sprawling building in the middle distance. 'If you hurry,' he says, 'you can check in before they close their doors for the day.'

Page 56:
'He didn't steal the money. He didn't steal the bicycle. Stealing means taking what doesn't belong to you while no one is looking. We were all looking while he took the money. We could have stopped him, but we didn't. We chose not to fight with him. We chose to let him go. Surely you approve. You are the one who says we shouldn't fight.'

This book is getting some fabulous reviews and I can't wait to get into it.
Coetzee received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2003 and has won the Booker Prize twice.

Pure by Andrew Miller

I'm trying to work out what I think and feel about this book.

I've been left feeling somewhat perplexed - what was the purpose? What was pure? Why were we left with the elephant in the room?

I subconsciously picked this book up from my TBR pile because I needed the title to weave some magic. I wanted to be purified by this story.

Instead I was submerged into a world of death and decay. Putrid was the word that stayed with the whole time I read this book (and as I think about it again now!) - certainly not pure!

Murky, chaotic, dark, unsettling images ran through my mind.
The pits full of decomposing bones, Jean-Baptiste's head wound, the procession of bones to their new resting place, Dr Guillotin's fascination with the mummified Charlotte.

The smells caused me to wrinkle my nose in disgust - the pit full of decomposing bones, the residents bad breath, the market stall selling cheese the old priests lair.

Reading this book was such a visceral experience that I didn't have time to think "but what is it about" until I got to the elephant at the end.

I still don't know "why the elephant" and I may never understand what made Ziguette attempt to kill the engineer or why Lecoeur suddenly went mad or why Jean-Baptiste had so little control of events.

But the historical stuff was fascinating. The streets of old Paris, the markets, the build up to the Revolution, the walk through Versailles, the mines of Valenciennes, the destruction of the cemetery, the politics and socio-economic observations.

Maybe, like me, Andrew Miller and Jean-Baptiste were looking for 'pure' too. And all we need to do is crawl through some more muck to get there!

Sarah Thornhill by Kate Grenville

I loved The Secret River.

The combination of family history, fiction, culture and historical revisionism was mesmorising. I enjoyed Grenville's blending of Aboriginal and colonial perspectives. She did so without judging or taking sides. She exposed the flaws and virtues of the various players equally.

One of the most memorable characters though was the Hawkesbury River itself. Grenville brought this area to life and I finished the book with this crazy urge to kayak the length of the river from mouth to source one day!

Sarah's story didn't capture me as completely as did The Secret River, however it was a marvellous and engaging read from start to finish.

Sarah Thornhill attempted to resolve the horror enacted in the first book as well as such horrors can ever be resolved. Grenville showed us how these horrors continue to reverberate through to modern times.

Sarah Thornhill shows us how the knowledge of what happened changes everything. Although Sarah had no involvement in the earlier horrors, her ignorance didn't spare her from the festering after effects. But with knowledge came the opportunity to repair, resolve and move forward.

Regardless of personal participation or knowledge we all share the history of what happened (and continues to happen) in our country. In light of the ongoing reconciliation process in our country and the current refugee debate, these are important ideas we should explore in our politics, our media and in our literature.

Pamela Allen - Bertie and Mr McGee

Bertie is the latest offering from Pamela Allen.

Bertie is a 2-sided book; one side shows a happy Bertie. Flip the book over to see a grumpy Bertie.
Bertie's mood influences that of his family and dog in a simple story about the impact our emotions have on those around us.

The illustrations and family of Bertie will be familiar to those fans of 'A Lion in the Night' and 'Bertie and the Bear'. (As an aside, I wonder if 'Ordinary Albert' is the story of grown-up Bertie, or if Allen just has a thing for the name?)

Mr McGee was first published in 1989 and is a fine example of Allen's fun, rhyming style that has the won over the hearts and minds of so many Australian children.

This book demands to be read aloud. It delights young children from start to finish. I've had groups shriek out loud as Mr McGee floats away. Then clap their hands with joy when he lands on his head in his bed!

I mentioned in an earlier post about this year's CBCA shortlist how books can change and blossom in a way not predicted as soon as you read them out loud to a group of young children.

All of Pamela Allen's books fall into this category.

Perhaps it's her trademark cause and effect device that is so powerful.
Combined with her dance-like language, it's difficult not to add your own sound effects and actions, to create a storytelling experience that is highly personal and individual.
I guess that is why so many of her stories have been converted into stage productions and plays.

Mr McGee has been such a popular character, that he has spawned another 7 picture books.

Friday Flashback hosted by Bookshelf Fantasies is a new meme that encourages us to remember a book we read over 5 years ago that is still in print and that we haven't blogged about previously.

Wondrous Words Wednesday - Pure by Andrew Miller

Wondrous Words Wednesday is a lovely meme hosted by Bermuda Onion each week to highlight new (to us) words that we come across in our daily reading.

This week I'm reading the winner of the 2011 Costa Novel Award, Pure by Andrew Miller.

It's set in Paris just prior to the Revolution and I have a number of new words to check out.


Definitions come from the free dictionary.





Escritoire - "He glides to the gleaming walnut of the escritoire, removes from one of its drawers a little picture in a frame..."
 
 

Obviously it's a piece of furniture, but I like to have a picture in my mind.

1. A writing table; a desk.

2. A desk with a top section for books.


A WILLIAM AND MARY WALNUT ESCRITOIRE ON STAND  CIRCA 1700



Charnel - "They start with the south charnel, a gallery of blackened stone adjacent to the rue de la Ferronnerie." 

n.

A repository for the bones or bodies of the dead; a charnel house.

adj.

Resembling, suggesting, or suitable for receiving the dead.

 

Baroques - "What baroques even a mind like his is capable of."

 

I know this word from it's art, music and architecture usage, but I've never seen it used like this before.

 

n.

1. Anything extravagantly ornamented, especially something so ornate as to be in bad taste.

2. Characterized by grotesqueness, extravagance, complexity, or flamboyance.

 

Lucency - "The cloak, the height, that steady gaze lit by the mist's own odd lucency, a faint blue-like light radiating from everywhere and nowhere."

 

The sentence basically gives us the definition in context and I'm assuming a relationship with translucent...

 

1. Giving off light; luminous.

2. Translucent; clear.

Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

I have to confess that until 2 months ago I had never heard of Their Eyes Were Watching God or Zora Neale Hurston. But the love gushing forth on the Classics Club page plus other on-line forums had me intrigued. So I decided to join in the sync reading experience to see what all the fuss was about.

Firstly, I was fortunate to discover that I could get a gorgeous edition of the book thanks to the Virago Modern Classics designer collection.

Secondly, this edition came with a heartfelt introduction from Zadie Smith.

And, finally, the story just rolled through my heart, grabbed my attention and demanded to be read, enjoyed and savoured as quickly and as soulfully as possible.

Zadie mentions in the Introduction that she usually dislikes books that use "accurately rendered folk speech". I don't usually have a problem with this device, in fact, I have a lot of love for some books famous for it (i.e. Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer, The Colour Purple). Zadie also changed her mind whilst reading this book.
 

Zora Neale Hurston by Berto Ortega

From the start, Janie's voice is inside you. It has character, depth and personality. It's like peeling an onion in reverse; Janie's flesh and blood life is built up layer by layer through her voice. She grows on you from the inside out.
Hurston is the master of turning a phrase that stops you in your tracks. And I suspect each time you read this story, the various phrases will work their magic differently.

For me, this time around, I loved,
"Her hair is not what you might call straight. It's negro hair, but it's got a kind of white flavour. Like the piece of string out of a ham. It's not ham at all, but it's been around ham and got the flavour." (I loved this because I could picture exactly what her hair looked like even as I had a hammy taste in my mouth!)

"He looked like the love thoughts of women."

"He kin take most any lil thing and make summertime out of it when times is dull." (This is one of the qualities I love about my husband. I instantly felt kinship with Janie for loving and appreciating such a good man. Even though many of Tea Cake's other qualities did not seem so lovable to me.)

"They seemed to be staring at the dark, but their eyes were watching God." (the whole way through the book I was trying to work out the title. It was a lovely ah-ha moment.)

I could gush so much more about this book, but I like to keep my reviews short and sweet.

Simply put - if you loved To Kill A Mockingbird, The Colour Purple, Mark Twain or Jane Austen you should get yourself a copy of this book right now!

Montebello and Shark Net by Robert Drewe

I started reading Montebello back in November last year with great expectations.

I had read Shark Net (2000) when it first came out and adored it from start to finish. It was a memoir of Drewe's childhood in Western Australian during the time that Perth was terrorised by a serial killer, Eric Cooke.

The lives of these two men crisscrossed at various times which allowed Drewe artistic licence to weave his life story with that of Cooke's. The story was told with that dry, Aussie humour we're all familiar with. And although, a lot of the stories were highly personal, they contained the universal themes of love and belonging and identity that we all connect to.

I remember at the time being particular taken by Drewe's stories of his father as the 'company man'. His dad was a Dunlop man. My dad was a Commonwealth Bank man; like Drewe, we also had a houseful of company product. From 'get with the strength' money boxes, pens and books to t-towels and soft cloths for dad's bowls bag.
We participated in festival parades with blow up elephants and helped to fill school fete show bags with rulers, pencils and notepaper all emblazoned with the company logo. Drewe's stories of Dunlop shoes, ashtrays, pens etc decorating his childhood home made me laugh out loud.

Drewe also painted a picture of suburban West Australia that was just as evocative, visceral and familiar as Tim Winton's WA.

The ABC TV drama that evolved from this book a few years later focused more heavily on Cooke's story than Drewe's, but reminded me again just how much I enjoyed Drewe's telling of this story.

I was expecting a similar treatment in Montebello, with the obvious exception being this time his personal narrative would be wrapped around the detonating of three bombs by the British in the 1950's off the WA coast.

There were moments when this book grabbed my attention.

Drewe's stories of early Byron Bay whaling triggered a conversation with my dad who grew up in that area and his memories of the whaling. And I enjoyed hearing about Montebello, where it is, what it looks like, what's happening there now etc, but there wasn't enough of this stuff to keep me truly engaged.

Drewe kept meandering off into personal territory that read like a diary entry. By the time we got to his third marriage I wasn't sure if this simply wasn't an exercise that he was doing at the behest of a marriage guidance counsellor!

In Montebello, the remembering seemed too personal somehow. Perhaps it was all still too raw and unprocessed for Drewe which made it hard for a universal message to shine through. And the dry humour I remembered from Shark Net also seemed to be missing.

Friday Flashback hosted by Bookshelf Fantasies is a new meme that encourages us to remember a book we read over 5 years ago that is still in print and that we haven't blogged about previously. Shark Net is published by Penguin Australia and I highly recommend you hunt down a copy.

Wondrous Words Wednesday

Wondrous Words Wednesday is a lovely meme hosted by Bermuda Onion each week to highlight new (to us) words that we come across in our daily reading.

My gorgeous copy of Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston is one of the Virago Modern Classics Designer collection.

It has an introduction by Zadie Smith that I saved for the end in case it had plot reveals. It did.

It also had several literary words that I was unsure of.

Today I used the free dictionary for my definitions.


1. Aphoristic
It was a category that did not include aphoristic or overtly 'lyrical' language.

adj

1. of, relating to, or resembling an aphorism

2. tending to write or speak in aphorisms

aphorism

n.

1. A tersely phrased statement of a truth or opinion; an adage.

2. A brief statement of a principle.

2. Quotidian
In the mouths of unlettered people she finds the bliss of quotidian metaphor.

adj.

1. Everyday; commonplace.

2. Recurring daily.

3. Neologisms
We all deserve to savour her neologisms (sankled, monstropous, rawbony).

n.

1. A new word, expression, or usage.

2. The creation or use of new words or senses.

3. Psychology

a. The invention of new words regarded as a symptom of certain psychotic disorders, such as schizophrenia.

b. A word so invented.

4. Theology A new doctrine or a new interpretation of scripture.

 

I'm delighted to now have a big word to throw back at my husband whenever I accidentally create a new word!!

Children's Book Council Shortlist for Early Childhood Books 2013

The CBCA Early Childhood Shortlist for 2013 is:
The Terrible Suitcase by Emma Allen
With Nan by Tania Cox
The Pros & Cons of Being a Frog by Sue DeGennaro,
Too Many Elephants in this House by Andrew Joyner
It's a Miroocool! by Christine Harris
Peggy by Anna Walker

 

I have to confess that my response to this year's CBCA shortlist was a little on the ho-hum side.

I do like The Terrible Suitcase, but mainly because of Freya Blackwood's whimsical illustrations. I feel that the first day of school story has been recycled so many times that something different or special needs to be added to make it stand out from the crowd (that's where Blackwood's illustrations come into it I guess.)
 

With Nan is a simple story about a boy walking through the bush with his nan looking at how things can be disguised or camouflaged.

 

The Pros and Cons of Being a Frog took a humorous look at friendship and being different.
I loved the illustrations and font choices too. This is a quirky tale that fits in to the school curriculum themes of belonging and identity. This is probably may favourite book from the list.

 

Too Many Elephants is a fun read aloud story for younger readers (and the only one I've had a chance to read aloud to a group so far).
They enjoyed the visual impossibilities and the simple text. But Andrew Joyner's illustrations didn't really capture my imagination (or the group of young children I read the book to.)

 

It's a Miroocool introduces younger readers to a version of Audrey from Audrey of the Outback (an early reader chapter book that has been available for a number of years now.) Audrey is making all sorts of plans for the tooth fairy's visit in this picture book. There was something about the grinning Audrey that put me off this book from the start.



Peggy is a sweet chicken story about wet, windy weather and the adventures that can happen to a chicken along the way. Being lost in the big city and finding one's way home again - are important themes and fears in the life of a young child. The lovely water colour illustrations add a calmness to this adventure story that makes for a perfect bedtime story.

(15 May 2013 - I have now read this book to a couple of groups of children to great success. Peggy's quirky habits were thoroughly enjoyed by young and old alike. The illustrations were praised and poured over. Now that I've spent more time with the list, Peggy has become my favourite nominee.)

I realise that I've been a little down on all the nominees this year. The list seems to lack a little sparkle to my mind.

I've only had the chance to read one of the stories to a small group of children therefore my opinion may change.

It always amazes me how some books can suddenly blossom as soon as you read it out loud to an audience. Like the secret, hidden ingredient missing from it all along was...children!

 

                                                                                                                                                               

Picture Books for Older Readers

This is a list of picture books to read with children aged 5 to 12.

The themes and content are more complex, layered and diverse than those books for younger readers. Many schools choose to use picture books to cover many of the topics required from the curriculum (ie belonging, identity, fear, social awareness). The illustrations can often be quite dark and detailed. The stories can be read aloud, in small groups or independently.

This list is by no means complete.
Please let me know of any glaring omissions.


The Adventures of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst
Animalia by Graeme Base (Australian)
Are We There Yet? by Alison Lester (Australian)
The Arrival by Shaun Tan (Australian)

Blueback by Tim Winton (Australian)

Charlotte's Web by E. B. White

The Deep by Tim Winton
Dust by Colin Thompson

Fantastic Mr Fox by Roald Dahl
Flat Stanley by Jeff Brown
Free to a Good Home by Colin Thompson

The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein

Herbert the Brave Sea Dog by Robyn Belton
Herman and Rosie by Gus Gordon (Australian)
Home and Away by John Marsden (Australian)

Into the Forest by Anthony Browne
The Island by Armin Greder

John Brown, Rose and the Midnight Cat by Jenny Wagner (Australian)

The Library Lion by Michelle Knudson
The Littlest Refugee by Ahn Do (Australian)
The Lost Thing by Shaun Tan (Australian)
Luke's Way of Looking by Nadia Wheatley (Australian)

Memorial by Gary Crew (Australian)
Mirror by Jeannie Baker (Australian)
My Mother's Eyes by Mark Wilson
My Place by Nadia Wheatley (Australian)

Ned Kelly and the Green Sash by Mark Greenwood (Australian)
Nobody Owns the Moon by Tobhy Riddle (Australian)

Oh, The Places You Will Go by Dr Seuss
Once There Was a Boy by Duf Leffler (Australian)
One Small Island by Alison Lester (Australian)

Perry Angel's Suitcase by Glenda Millard (Australian)
Piggybook by Anthony Browne

The Rabbit Problem by Emily Gravett
The Rabbits by John Marsden (Australian)
The Red Tree by Shaun Tan (Australian)

The Silver Sword by Ian Serralier
Simpson and His Donkey by Mark Greenwood (Australian)
Sophie Scott Goes South by Alison Lester (Australian)

Tales From Outer Suburbia by Shaun Tan (Australian)

Wanted: The Perfect Pet by Fiona Robertson
The Watertower by Gary Crew (Australian)
The Wave by Suzy Lee
When the Wind Blows by Raymond Briggs
Where the Forest Meets the Sea by Jeannie Baker (Australian)
Willy the Wimp by Anthony Browne
Winnie the Pooh by A.A. Milne