Month: August 2019

Support and solidarity – Australian Biographies

Linda J

Want to be inspired by others? have you ever wondered where ideas and action start? Then, maybe you need to look at some of the short but inspirational biographies found in these books:

 

These books provide words of advice, inspiration and explanation of how the Australians included have succeeded in making a difference in their world.

Examples include people in the world of:

  • sport – Mick Fanning, Kurt Fearnley, Adam Goode, Johnathan Thurston
  • art (music, dance, theatre, film) – Hugh Jackman, David McAllister
  • designers – Akira Isogawa, Harry Seidler,
  • politics – Jack Mundey, Bob Brown, Deng Thiak Adut
  • science – Howard Florey, Victor Chang, Dr Karl
  • conservation – Tim Flannery, Steve Irwin
  • social commentators – Waleed Aly, Chris Riley
  • and many more such as Eddie Woo!

Lesser known names are found in ‘Stand Up for the Future’, which celebrates inspirational young Australians. Those who are:

using their voices and talents to build a brighter tomorrow. (Those) who have taken their first steps towards being a game changer, and others who are firmly established as youth leaders, advocates and role models.

These are all great examples for youth to follow – people like Dylan Alcott, Ellyse Perry, Bindi Irwin and Jess Mauboy (names we know), as well as young achievers making a difference, perhaps yet to be household names?

Each of the bio’s features fabulous illustrative interpretations of the person highlighted. Good news too that the proceeds from the sales of these books will be donated to the Smith Family to help disadvantaged young Australians. Great acknowledgement of people making a difference – and a charity supporting others who could with a little bit of help.

Have a look at these titles – an easy read, accessible to younger readers, but equally inspiring to the YA audience.

Illustrations include these – do you recognise them? Hopefully, you will be inspired by their stories, no matter what your age! (Great for a quick read, too.)

Short stories anyone? That Stubborn Seed of Hope

Linda J

In the busyness of life, it’s sometimes hard to find the time to dedicate to a whole novel. With schoolwork, sport and other activities, time to read has fallen aside. And if you find reading hard, keeping track of a storyline can be difficult. Why not try a short story or two?

Always on the lookout for short stories to add to the library collection? This collection, ‘That Stubborn Seed of Hope’, will “take you on a nail-biting journey through your worst nightmares” – or so the blurb tells you. Indeed, it is a great collection, which you can dip in and out of, choose which ones you want to read, and then spend some time pondering how you are feeling afterwards…

  • What does it feel like to think you are a 17-year-old mistakenly trapped in an 80-year old’s body?
  • What if you lived in a world where physical contact was prohibited due to a virus (would you risk a kiss?)?
  • How do you cope with a brother’s vegetative existence after a major accident, for which you have some aspect of guilt?

These are a few of the issues which author, Brian Falkner, tackles in his collection of 10 short stories:

…stories of fear, heartbreak and tragedy, but also… stories of endurance, of coping and overcoming.

Brian Falkner also encourages the writer. At the end of this book, he includes a section outlining what inspired/directed each story. Thoughts for aspiring writers, if you wish to look beyond the stories. There is also advice for young writers on his website.

What other short story collections have you enjoyed? Any you would recommend?

Will well-written short stories help to engage time-poor readers?

CBCA awards 2019 announced…

Linda J

So while I am away, the CBCA awards for 2019 have been announced – here’s the link for those who wish to follow results – https://www.cbca.org.au/winners-2019

Congrats to Emily Rodda for her continued success in writing award winning books for young children (‘His Name was Walter’ winning the Younger Readers category) and, also to  Claire Atkins in the Older Readers category for ‘Between Us’ (this is one I am yet to read…).

Of course, it is also hard to beat the prolific Shaun Tan (with Cicada).

The collection selected this year is well summarised at the CBCA website, which reflects the gammit of issues and topics now well expressed in Australian Children’s Literature.

But very much like the Archibald Prize, I never manage to pick the actual winners – did you?

Discovery: dyslexicbooks.com

Linda J

In an earlier post, my discovery of dyslexic-friendly books was introduced (search post on Letter to my Teenage Self). These books have been published to help overcome some of the difficulties experienced by people with dyslexia This was a discovery in my local BMCC library.

Visiting the Dyslexicbooks.com website reveals a great array of choices, ranging from:

  • wonderful stories like Butterflies by Suzanne Gervay (2001), Simple Gift by Steven Herrick (2000)
  • classic fairy tales (like the Ugly Duckling and Three Little Pigs),
  • series fiction (think John Flanagan, Jack Heath, Andy Griffith) and,
  • latest releases (including CBCA 2019 titles and new adult fiction, e.g. Allegra in Three Parts and Boy Swallows the Universe).

Dyslexic Books are specially formatted books for people with dyslexia. Our books use a dyslexic font that is designed to alleviate some of the difficulties typically reported by readers with dyslexia, such as swapping or flipping letters and skipping lines without noticing.

Additional advice is given about dyslexia – identifying the symptoms, early signs in children and signs in adults. Other support services are also collated on the site.

It is also worth taking note of this encouraging quote from the site:

Nevertheless, there are many dyslexics who have overcome their difficulties and lead successful and happy lives. Examples of famous and successful people with dyslexia include Orlando Bloom, Richard Branson, Tom Cruise, Leonardo da Vinci, Walt Disney, Albert Einstein, Whoopi Goldberg, John F Kennedy, George Washington, George W Bush, John Lennon, Jamie Oliver, Pablo Picasso and Steven Spielberg.

While these books do not claim to have all the answers to dyslexia, some problems may be alleviated. It would certainly be worth looking for such titles at your own public library, as many are trialling their popularity.

# Have you found any yet?

## An interesting side-note. In a discussion with an adult friend with dyslexia, she said that reading was easier for her on a Kindle. I assume a dyslexic-friendly font may well be part of the reason for the difference??

### I also acknowledge that there are other publishers like Barrington Stoke who provide a range of dyslexic friendly titles. However, Dyslexicbooks has a great range of Australian titles.

Discovery: Letter to my Teenage Self

Linda J

Subtitle: Outstanding Australians share the advice they wish they’d been given growing up. (2016)

This book was pulled together (i.e. edited and published) by Grace Halpen when she was 15 and in year 10 at a school in Melbourne. Having written her own ‘Letter to my Teenage Self’, she was then inspired to gather letters from well-known adult Australians in various fields of experience.

Writers include sportspeople, performers, writers, politicians, researchers, entrepreneurs and more.

Adam Gilchrist advises his younger self to learn a musical instrument; Josh Frydenberg sends the  message that persistence pays off; Layne Beachley warns against comparing yourself to others – “Always believe you are deserving of love and you are enough, just the way you are.”

Many of the contributors point out that we all make mistakes – but this is how we learn. Respect for others is also a common theme. Recognising the support you can get from parents and friends, who have your best interest at heart, is not always obvious to teenagers – another common idea expressed by many.

Some try to help their younger self understand and get through bullying episodes – reflecting back and now being able to raise their heads triumphantly in a successful career – and wondering how their bully fared in life. (e.g. Missy Higgins, Judith Lucy). Others suggest that teens not take themselves too seriously (“Guess what? No one is watching your every move” – James O’Loghlin), and “try to be a little less arrogant” (Sir Gustav Nossal).

As well as these sentiments, there is a lot of encouragement to ‘be yourself and be courageous in following your dreams’. This is in spite of the angst many remember – angst about fitting in, body changes and all that is involved in the journey through the teenage years.

Discovering who you are in the teenage years is a challenging time. Many of these letters will speak to the heart of both teenagers and adults alike. Thank you to Grace and her willing mentors – this is a fantastic collection well worth dipping into.

Read about Grace’s editorial journey here.

Other contributors include Guy Sebastian, Peter Alexander, Jackie French, Dannii Minogue, Shaun Tan, Stephanie Rice, Maggie Beer and many more. (I only wish there was an index or table of contents which listed the letters of the 53 prominent Australians!)

# The edition I read was a Dyslexia Friendly book – obtained from Blue Mountains Council Library. These books have a special font and layout to help alleviate some of the issues experienced by readers with dyslexia.

## It is also available as an ebook from various sources.

### Another bonus from this book, is the fact that all profits from the sale of the book go to the Reach Foundation, which works to “inspire young people to believe in themselves and get the most out of life.”

What would you like to tell your younger self?