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Wartime childhood sensitively portrayed

30/8/2022

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Picture
Johnathan
by Richard Brooke
​with Elise Brooke


Johnathan is written from the perspective of a young boy, 4-16 years old, growing up in Yorkshire England during the 1940’s. It is based on the life of the author and published posthumously by his daughter Elise as a tribute to him. She notes that she didn’t know her father as her parents divorced when she was four years old, so the book was a revelation for her.
    Johnathan lives with his father, mother and older brother (4 or 5 years his senior), in Manchester. When WWII breaks out, his father enlists with the Navy and his mother struggles to raise the two boys on her own. Johnathan describes his confusion and lack of understanding, but soon the excitement of starting school eclipses his worries. He is close to his mother, and notices that her health starts to deteriorate. 
    His brother is sent to boarding school, Johnathan sees his father when he is on leave and notes the arrival of refugee children from London. He is, however, largely concerned, as small children are, with their own world. As the realities of war move closer to his home, trips to bomb shelters and landing of an undetonated bomb behind his aunt’s house are described with excitement.
    Then the Barton Docks are bombed and his house is destroyed. Fortunately he and his mother escape with minor injuries and receive overwhelming support from their local community and family. They move to Manchester to live with his aunt, however his mother’s poor health means that she is admitted to a hospital for a long period of time. 
    Johnathan is close to his aunt and uncle and has good friends at school. When his uncle becomes sick, his aunt arranges for him to be cared for by a Lord and Lady who support naval officers in need. He lives in relative luxury, but a couple of boyish mishaps, or perhaps rebellious acts, mean that he is sent away to “the Institute”. Johnathan struggles to adjust with the constant change and separation from his family.
    Finally, the war is over. His mother buys a cottage and they eagerly await the return of his father. Tragically, events conspire against him and Johnathan is sent back to the Institute. Johnathan again struggles to adapt and cope with School Certificate. The book ends as he contemplates a future career. 
    “Johnathan” is written in conversational style in a large font and almost double spacing, and at 170 pages is an engaging read, suitable for young adults. On the downside, grammatical, spelling, capitalisation and formatting errors on every page are a distraction. Exclamation marks are overused. An editor would have quickly spotted that a whole section is repeated at the beginning and end and provided some context such as a description of the social and geographical setting. 
    Overall, the first-person perspective, emotional upheavals, powerful family bonds, sense of loss and phases of grief are sensitively portrayed. How children are protected, perhaps unnecessarily, from reality is revealed as he discovers the cause of his mother’s mystery illness. 

Review by Bee Greenfield
Title: Johnathan 
Authors: Richard Brooke with Elise Brooke
Publisher: Elise Brooke
ISBN: 9798541054927
RRP: $28.00
Available: As paperback, and ebook. Amazon, Book depository and direct from author [email protected]
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New Zealand legend revived

24/8/2022

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Picture
Pelorus Jack the Dolphin Guide
by Susan Brocker
​& Raymond McGrath

 
There’s been much written about Pelorus Jack over the 130 plus years since the first appearance of the dolphin that was to become part of New Zealand folklore for many years, spanning the turn of the centuries 1800s to 1900s.
    All grandparents and many parents will most likely be aware of the name, and this picture book, just published, will introduce it to a further generation and help preserve the legend.
    The story as it is told in prose by Susan Brocker, creatively mixes fact with lines designed to add character to the animal –
                Once, he found a spiny crayfish hiding beneath a rock. He tried to tempt it
             out by nudging it with his nose….
             One morning the dolphin felt the pulse and vibration of a huge creature
             moving
 through the sea. Excited, he dashed off to investigate.

    Such additions that anthropomorphize the subject seem acceptable in this case since Pelorus Jack was named by humans who came to attribute to him guardian status as he was believed to guide rather than merely accompany ships through the Marlborough Sounds.
    The inclusion of snippets of history, dolphin facts, and Maori lore add greatly to the story’s appeal.
    As with all Scholastic’s books, this one is attractively produced. Raymond McGrath’s illustrations are perfect, capturing the majesty of the Sounds, the sea and birdlife, and the human interaction.

Review by Emily R
Title: Pelorus Jack the Dolphin Guide
Author: Susan Brocker & Raymond McGrath
Publisher: Scholastic
ISBN: 9781775437475
RRP: $19.99
Available: bookshops
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Perceptive detective work on fascinating character

10/8/2022

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Picture
Thief, Convict, Pirate, Wife – The Many Histories of Charlotte Badger
by Jennifer Ashton


The author of Thief, Convict, Pirate, Wife is a technical writer and editor with a degree in history.
    It's not surprising then that the back 30 pages of the book contain notes citing sources, a 13-page bibliography, acknowledgements and an index. This is a serious and well-researched work.
    The subject, Charlotte Badger, has been written about extensively, sung about, even portrayed on stage numerous times before. Convicted deportee to Australia, escaped convict, pirate – the legend has been gold-plated inspiration for novelists, balladeers, and creative writers of several genres.
    But how much of it is fact? Jennifer Ashton talks about the intersection of fiction and non-fiction in her thoughtful introduction. It is a subject she returns to in the final part where she puts the story, fact and fiction, into fuller perspective.
    Overall, this work sets out to establish the facts which it does, as much as is now possible, in six chapters.
    After covering the background of the social conditions in 18th century England and the justice system of which Charlotte Badger was a detainee for years, comes details of the 7-month long voyage to Australia. Crowding, the dark and damp of below decks, the pitching and rolling of the small ship, inadequate food, all contributed to illness and 35 deaths – a 12% mortality rate among the prisoners.
    In chapter 3 the author seeks to discover the truth of Charlotte’s life from then on – not a straightforward task because of the need to unravel fact from much fiction. The following part, which deals with Charlotte Badger’s association with Aotearoa is the result of perceptive detective work by Jennifer Ashton who has examined all available sources and pieced together details to produce the most likely scenario.
    Broad indications of the latter stages of Charlotte’s life can be made as she is traceable through official records, but a deal of supposition is still necessary in order to fill in gaps.
    Together, the chapters give a good summary of life as it was over the time in England, east coast Australia, and Aotearoa. Ten illustrations help add detail.
    For those readers who fancy the thought of a cut-throat female wielding a cutlass and wearing a skull and crossbones decorated hat, the findings may come as a disappointment regarding Charlotte herself, but there’s still plenty in this well-researched work to inspire and inform a good deal of further fiction.

Review by Bronwyn Elsmore
Title: Thief, Convict, Pirate, Wife – The Many Histories of Charlotte Badger
Author:  Jennifer Ashton
Publisher: Auckland University Press
ISBN: 9781869409579
RRP: $35
Available: bookshops
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