Blue Wolf Reviews

Tag: celebration

  • A Class Full of Lizards: The Grade Six Survival Guide 2

    A Class Full of Lizards: The Grade Six Survival Guide 2

    Enfant Terrible Jesse is back and it is Term 4, the last term of Year 6, the final year of Primary School before he and his friends move into High School and things are not going as well as expected. Not only is his family being forced by his mother to go on a heath diet, Yuk, but there is change happening at school as the classes have to prepare for the end of year celebrations and ceremonies.

    Ian who was a student teacher last term is now the new Wellbeing Officer, which Jesse finds out when he gets called up to the Principals Office to offer Alex, his best friend, moral support, but what for is beyond Jesse’s understanding. It seems that Alex is being considered for a scholarship at St Bennett’s college and he has to go there every Wednesday for the rest of term!

    That piece of news was very disturbing as he and Jesse had been friends since forever and he had always thought they would go to the same High School together. But things only get worse when Mrs Leeman sets the task of studying ‘our closest neighbours’ as a project to be used to display for the end of term assembly. And if that is not bad enough, he realises the only way he may be able to get a decent breakfast, seeing as Mum is not changing her mind about the ‘healthy diet’, is to join the school cross country running group, something that Jesse has always considered as nothing to do with him.

    Add getting talked into adopting a fish tank full of fish, his prep buddy Thomas Moore, who also seems to have adopted Jesse and his friends at recess and lunch, going on and on about the shingle back lizard that lives in the wall Jesse and his mates consider as theirs and you have term full of madness, mayhem and a few life lessons to be learned.

    A Class Full of Lizards from Alison Hart is a riotous romp through the last term of school when change begins to be felt in a big way, life does not always go as thought and learning often arrives in mysterious ways, all adding up to that weird thing called ‘growing up’!

  • An Aussie Year: Twelve Months in the Life of Australian Kids

    An Aussie Year: Twelve Months in the Life of Australian Kids

    In a time of much cultural discussion, it is charming to find a series of books that deal with who and what make up the very interesting mix of cultures, now an integral component so many countries of the modern world.

    An Aussie Year takes five children from five different cultures who live in Australia celebrating their cultures and differences, all the while looking at how these differences have now become an accepted component of life in Australia.

    Ned’s family go back five generations to the early days of white settlement in Australia, Zoe’s family originally came from Greece, Lily’s parents are from China and Vietnam, Kirra’s family are first people, having family roots back thousands of years and Matilda was born in Ireland, arriving in Australia with her parents when she was still a baby: they all call themselves Australian.

    Broken up into months of the year, each month is filled with the many celebrations and traditions of the different cultural backgrounds that are now absolutely a part of modern Australia.

    Cartoon style illustration and cleverly constructed sentences from Tania McCartney and Tina Stirling weave across the seasons and the months of celebration, with a lovely understory saying no mater what your cultural background, somehow everyone really is the same: Australian.

    Hours of fun discovering much about other aspects of life and people in Australia can be discovered within the pages, as the five children take readers on a fantastic adventure into their cultures and how they, as a family, celebrate seasonal events.

    There is also the very real opportunity to go on an adventure of your own, as you discover much more about Ned, Zoe, Lily, Kira and Matilda’s cultures and how all they fit so well into everyday life here in Australia.

     

     

  • Journey For Mankind

    Journey For Mankind

    Anyone who has ever flown long haul, looking out into the endless blue sky as dawn is breaking or night is drawing in will relate to this latest, very peaceful album from the talented duo of Tom Moore and Sherry Finzer, as they have once again collaborated to create a tribute to Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin and the Apollo Lunar Module Eagle landing on the moon.

    On 21 July 1969, history was made when Armstrong became the first person to set foot on the moon with Aldrin joining him a little later. Fifty years on the fascination with that incredible event is still palpable, with countries worldwide celebrating in so many ways, spending time reflecting back to a time when space travel was very, very, new, almost unbelievable to the man on the street. A time when new horizons were being discovered, challenged, in the race into space.

    So many people can remember to the very second where they were when this event was taking place, many still marvelling at the awe in which they held being able to view these men, doing something unimaginable, walking on the surface of the mood.

    In their significant style Moore and Finzer have, with the blending rich notes of the of flute and intimate electronic range, followed the journey from the dawn at Merritt Island to the eventual and safe return to earth of Armstrong and Aldrin, whose lives had been changed in so many ways, forever.

    There is a small booklet that accompanies the album which sets out the inspiration behind the pieces. Words from the men are also included which provided the inspiration for Shadow of the Moon and Blue Pearl in a Black Sky.

    Once again, Tom Moore and Sherry Finzer have simply merged their music into a seamless whole, allowing the evolution of an absolutely beautiful work full of peace, beauty, serenity, awe and reflection to be born.

    A Journey for Mankind is outstanding tribute to those who dared to venture forth and make history in the everchanging, mysterious, unknown universe, Space.

  • Making Gingerbread Houses

    Making Gingerbread Houses

    Each year before Christmas, there is a frenzy of activities in kitchens and halls around this state. Tables are set up in large halls, with many lollies, cellophane, bags of icing and gingerbread. For the uninitiated in Gingerbread House making, it is all a bit overwhelming.  Candice Clayton has demystified, and simplified the process, providing every possible assistance anyone could need to create a gingerbread house.

     This is a true step by step guide, covering every aspect that the beginner or professional might need. The book begins with recipes for the gingerbread walls and roof of the house. There is a huge variety of gingerbread recipes listed. You may choose “Light, crispy, and subtle gingerbread for your base, or soft and fluffy, rich and dark”. There is also Tropicana for the adventurous, or Ginger Apple – Cinnamon, for the more experienced cook. Once you have chosen which base you wish to make, the recipe for it is given with careful details and tips. For those who have become a little carried away with adding juice, there are suggestions on how to rectify the problem.

     Following these very careful directions is a table showing various types of sugar, the colour, taste, texture, how it bakes, and if it is suitable for house construction. This is followed by more hints and tips after you have baked the structure. Candice suggests what can be done if your recipe is not as golden as you wished, how to save time when separating eggs, and catering for fussy eaters.

     The next pages look at techniques for rolling and cutting your shapes, again with tips to cover all emergencies. We learn about surfaces, food colouring, construction and oven temperatures, along with many other details such as Roman blinds for the windows, we see cake lace, and read about how to use on lay silicon molds.

     The next segment deals with the houses themselves. There are choices of a button house, a   Church, a Beach house, or a beautiful bird house, to name a few. Each house has a list of ingredients and tools you will need to begin. At no stage will you have to stop and look for a piece of equipment as everything is listed.

     Once you have gathered all ingredients and tools, you are given the method. It is set out in bullet points, making for ease of use. The directions explain where to begin and how to construct the gingerbread for the house you have chosen. Next the details cover things such as flowers, branches, and birds. There are many choices of houses to make and even a caravan. The finished product is shown, with suggestions for decorations.

     To complete the package, all the houses shown have templates to copy for exact measurements. This is a well-organized book for the novice or professional. No need to cover the house in a swathe of lollies to hide mistakes, every detail has been covered, and presented in a clear manner, supported by many photographs.