Blue Wolf Reviews

Tag: ABC

  • Happy Little Vegemite’s Book Series

    Happy Little Vegemite’s Book Series

    In a new venture New Holland Publishers and the iconic brand Vegemite and Bega Cheese have joined forces to create a Children’s Publishing Program with the star of the show, not always but often, Vegemite a lovable, often very excited little brown dog, who it is safe to say could be a long distant relative of Fred, the man who first developed the company and the brand name.

    Fred, along with Rosie and other ‘Happy Little Vegemite’s’ will become firm friends as the books unfold into the differing series for a wide range of readers and ages.

    Each of the books in the series featured are full of bright, bold colours making them immediately attractive to little people who are beginning to learn their first words, but love the shapes and vibrant colours. 

    First Words has simple pictures with one word on each page, with Fred trying to get the apple off the tree, driving a car and then at the end of a very busy day with learning First Words, asleep on the end of the bed.

    Shapes is a little more complex with the shape named and the accompanying picture showing the shape in the form of a window for rectangle, or a tent for a triangle. Each word is related to something that is familiar, with a spiral and a snail’s shell completing the once again brightly illustrated words.

    Transport moves the level up a little more, to more complex words beginning with bike and car before moving to boat and submarine, then concluding with helicopter and plane. Once again the colours are bright and bold with the illustrations spanning the page, two to a page. to show size and comparison.

    T. Rex and Friends moves into a new sphere as it looks at dinosaurs, beloved of young children who seem to have a strong fascination with these very huge creatures with very long names. Fred somehow was in the age of these massive creatures and while he is making sure he is keeping out of way of their huge feet, seems to be having fun.

    Designed to encourage young and beginning readers into the world of words and books, the Vegemite series will make perfect gifts and are set out in such a way that reading them and helping children learn the word shapes and word association, can be filled with lots and lots of fun.

  • Old Days, Old Ways Stories from my radio days in the bush

    Old Days, Old Ways Stories from my radio days in the bush

    The front cover photos for Old Days, Old Ways show us the period in Australian history that it encapsulates. Alex Nicol began his career as a trainee rural reporter in 1967, at 2CR which was one of five huge transmitters. They were designed to cover an enormous area of Australia. He eventually became manager, after working and presenting for many years. His story is told in a typical Australian layback style, with local characters featuring strongly in his retelling. A tragedy struck his family soon after he began working and he was given time and money to attend to personal issues. From then on, he settled happily to work.

    To begin the book, the author outlines some of the people he worked under. This was a time when journalism was a respected art, and on a slow day, Alex would announce, “Following last week’s rain, green shoots of new life spike the rich earth of the wheat country.” This came from his journalist boss Laurie Mulhall, who listened to correspondents far away and crafted his own story from their news.

    One of the earlier interviews the author taped, to write up later, was with a wine maker. Alex checked his tape and was set to record how this particular wine maker made rummy port. Mr Roth, the wine maker, was anxious to explain his technique, and was careful to give the journalist a glass from each barrel they tested. An hour- long interview had to be condensed into a five- minute broadcast, and slowly as Alex arrived home and listened to the tape, he realised that the voices on the tape had become blurred and indistinguishable. What a disaster!

    Much later, when the author was working in Albury presenting the program from the ABC, he found out that the last Cobb &Co coach driver was in hospital, but happy to tell his story. Arthur Robinson began work with horses at age 13. To move the passengers at the fastest pace, changing horses frequently was a must. Each horse had its own harness and had to be fed and groomed before the next trip. The coaches would often travel at night with a large lamp for light. Arthur painted a detailed picture of a slice of history.

    As Alex’s career progresses, he discovers more stories from the many characters he has met. He is invited to play a dead villain in a cowboy film, and he learns so much about Australian indomitable spirit, with each chapter a mini slice of history: the history of farmers, gold panners and outback adventurers. A wonderful collection of past times.