Karen Foxlee’s ability to create characters with whom the reader can bond completely has become evident with the success of her earlier books and this new one does not disappoint. Just as Little Fella’s strength improves and he grows to a point where he will survive, thanks to the combined efforts of the three friends, so too does Pip’s resolve and encouragement for her mother to make the move that will save them both. As the days go by and Little Fella begins to slowly recover, Pip discovers a growing bond, born of conspiracy and curiosity, between herself and Laura and Archie, school friends she has never realised are friends. However, she’s not as alone as she thinks. She can hear Mika’s suggestions in her head but they come and go so she can’t depend on them. How and why, it has come to be almost dead, half-buried in the mud of a lonely waterhole Pip has no idea, just as she has no real idea how to save the little creature. It’s not a lizard, it’s not a fish – it has wings and scaly skin and little nubs on the top of its little head – so it can only be a baby dragon. All she does know is that she is going to save it, no matter what it takes. The day she finds the almost-dead little creature is the day her whole life changes, though she doesn’t yet know it. Since Mika’s been gone and Matt’s influence has permeated every moment of her life the waterhole has become Pip’s only refuge, even though her mum doesn’t like her spending so much time there alone. Pip spends a lot of time at the waterhole, where she and Mika used to sit and dream, talk and plan, even as the river dried up and the cracks in the mud widened. While her mother seems to have lost almost all her own free will, Pip’s resentment, both of Matt’s invasion, and the loss of her best friend, Mika, fuels her determination to get herself and her mum out of this ugly situation. Matt, the epitome of domestic bully, has reduced the previously happy life Pip and her mother had together to a frightened shadow where both are diminished. Pip is always reluctant to go home since her mother’s boyfriend moved in. Water, Weet-Bix, sugar, syringe, sticky tape, scissors. One wouldn’t normally associate the outback mining town of Mt Isa with magic or dragons but Karen Foxlee’s newest novel for middle school readers makes this eminently plausible.ġ) Assemble equipment. Recommended for happy reading with little ones from teeny to around Year 2. We had quite the conversation about dragons and other imaginary creatures. This is another one I’ve shared recently with Prep children, all of whom loved it. How exciting to be on a huge dragon, way above the ground! For the children it is every bit as good as flying on one in their dreams. It’s a robot dragon which Miss Rabbit sometimes uses in her tours of the castle and she is very happy to offer Peppa and George a ride. ![]() ![]() To their great surprise, the trail leads to a castle and, in front of the castle, a huge dragon with their friend Miss Rabbit sitting on top of its head! Regardless of their opinions, the Pig parents gladly join the children in following a set of tracks that do, indeed, look very like those a dragon might make. Peppa and George enjoy the story so much, they want their own dragon! And when they see one the next day, they are certain that dragons are real – no matter what Daddy and Mummy Pig say. When George Pig doesn’t want to go to sleep, fearful of bad dreams, Daddy Pig tells a wonderful story about a dragon. We can always depend on Peppa and her family to provide us with warm fuzzies, plus imagination combined with happy reality.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |