Reviews

Latest Review Magic Fish Dreaming

| June

Beyond the title page is the dedication page, and the following words stopped me in my tracks …

Dedicated to:

All my ancestors
who sing and
dance the stories

And the ones
who listen

 

“When you read a dedication that gives you goose-bumps, you know you are in for a treat, and the fact that Magic Fish Dreaming won several Royal Dragonfly Book Awards, only reinforces the feeling that this stunning book of poetry is one that will capture your heart.

Magic Fish Dreaming is written by talented and compassionate author, Dr June Perkins. Her PhD was on the subject of writing empowerment.

When you open the book, you’ll discover that Magic Fish Dreaming is in two parts.

Part 1 – Hunting for Giggle Poems

Hunting for Giggle Poems is touching, spiritual, and enjoyable. The poetic words will reach out and wrap their words around you, creating a special bond to the earth, making you feel like you must be a protector of all that we have been given. You’ll also find yourself smiling and trailing after the children with their net as they go to capture poems full of giggles.

Part 2 – Magic Fish Dreaming

It’s flowing, soothing, and caressing, with people and spirituality. There’s chats between a father and son, a mother and children, a cassowary and children. There’s magic and wishes and the wonder of creation. There’s fun with the storm dancers, a bottle lost at sea, and a geckos dance, plus many more.

June Perkins has teamed up with talented artist, Helene Magisson, who imbues June’s poetic words with the gift of visual art. Besides enjoying the words of the poems, the reader will spend an age meandering in each of the illustrations, lost in the magical colours, the action, and the flowing peace that leaps off the pages. Helene’s art style is enchanting, making your heart sing.

If you are fishing for a beautifully written and inspiring book of poetry, Magic Fish Dreaming must be on your ‘to purchase list’. If you could ever fall in love with a poetry book, it would be this one.

I highly recommend Magic Fish Dreaming. It will make you feel like the world is a beautiful, wondrous place as the author weaves her gift of words on the page. When you finally close the book, you will be left with a feeling of peacefulness.

June Perkins is right. Writing is empowering: for the author, and the reader.

Purchase a copy: Magic Fish Dreaming

Title: Magic Fish Dreaming
by: June Perkins
illustrated by: Helene Magisson
ISBN: 9780980731187
Category: Poetry
Publisher: Gumbootspearlz Press
17 poems, 48 pages

 

By Julieann Wallace

To see the review with more images in its original location head to Books Tea and Cupcakes Blog

Junior Book Reviews

| June
With new reader in Eumundi

It is always a treasure to hear back from the junior readers who this book is written for.

This month we have  had three junior reviews and one class review in for Magic Fish Dreaming.

We would love to hear from any of our readers, but particularly our younger readers.

Thanks so much to:

Rochelle 5 stars, loved learning about the people and animals and  ‘gecko’s dance’ and ‘discovering magic’

Barry  5 stars, magic and fun, liked ‘giggle poems’ and ‘pond pests’

Class 5 who overall gave the book a 4 stars rating.

Matilda  My favourite poem in the collection is called ‘Rain song,’ about the rain moving across the land and affecting banana towns, cassowaries, and fields of sugar cane. I liked the sense of movement. Read her review in full at   Alphabet Soup

Thank you to the bloggers of  Junior Book Worms Review and  Alphabet Soup  for encouraging children to read and reflect on their reading experiences.  Thanks so much for sharing your views so honesty and to Junior Book Worms Review for taking the books out to children to discover and enjoy.

**

Magic Fish Dreaming can be found at several town libraries now, including: several libraries in Moreton Bay, Brisbane, Tasmania and Cairns as well as the state library of Queensland, and the national library.

It is still available at all our listed shops or directly from June.  If you want your library to stock it put a request into the library and they may just buy it.

We know the book is also making its way to many schools.  If you want your school to purchase it send them to our website, Wheelers Books, or one of the listed shops.

Freedom For Every Child

| June
From the Perkins Family Archive

I wish for every child in the world, freedom from war, freedom from hunger, free education, and someone who cares for them and loves to read them poetry.

Thanks so much to the following people for their much valued and precious feedback on Magic Fish Dreaming.

Thank you to the Children’s Book Academy for their recent interview.

Thank you to the Sandcliffe Writers Festival for giving me a voice. And everyone who stopped to look at my book and those of other presenters on the table at the Bracken Ridge Library.

All the people who helped make this book delight in knowing how young readers are responding to the art and the stories and I do pass your messages on to Helene Magisson our illustrator as well.

It gives me hope!

I have begun work in earnest on a sequel to Magic Fish Dreaming.   Will keep you posted.

**

Just read your book to my kids and they loved it, June. I am going to take a copy to their school library tomorrow. What beautiful book. My daughter is 5 and loves to dance, so ‘Storm Dancers’ is her favourite. My boy loves the tawny frogmouth. His favourite. I hope it lands in every library. It’s a gorgeous read.

Lauren Elise Daniels, Brisbane Writers Workshop and Professional Editor

Read your book to a child in detention on Nauru.  He just loved it and wanted it read to him again and again, especially the funny one, ‘Discovering Magic.’

Worker on Nauru

Absolutely gorgeous book…I purchased one for my grandson Fletcher…we sit together and read its our special book xxx

Tracey, Grandmother from Tasmania

We are  .. .  grateful that this beautiful book exists because of its beauty, its diversity, and the environmental caring it subtly weaves through inspiration.

Magic Fish Dreaming: Review

| June

Our latest review.

Australian Children’s Poetry Website

Magic Fish Dreaming by June Perkins, illustrated by Helene Magisson (Gumbootspearlz Press)

ISBN 9780980731187 PB RRP $17.99

Review: Teena Raffa-Mulligan

Words and pictures dance a joyful duet throughout the pages of this beautifully presented illustrated collection of poems.

Magic Fish Dreaming invites young readers to seek out and appreciate the wonders of this world we share and recognise the poetry in the natural and urban environment.

June Perkins’ poetry is evocative and whimsical and their spirit is reflected in Helene Magisson’s exquisite full colour illustrations.

The collection opens with the delightful Hunting for a Poem, my personal favourite.

We can hear the waves

Yes, we can be like waves

Find simile in sky

Clouds whispering ‘goodbye’.

Readers are then led on a journey of the imagination to explore secret places, chat with a cassowary, do a storm dance, sing a rain song and let their imaginations roam free in…

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Our Latest Good Reads Review

| June

cropped-cropped-bookcover.jpgMagic Fish Dreaming
by June Perkins (Goodreads Author), Helene Magisson (Illustrator)

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Vacen Taylor‘s review

Mar 08, 2017

Magic Fish Dreaming is one of those books destined for parents who understand the importance of reading a book to their children, a book that discovers magic in the country and its creatures. The words are joyful and magical. The illustrations are lovable, alive with shape, imagery and spirit.

This book is filled with poems that draw you into the peacefulness of the Australian bush. Poems that celebrate the creatures like Geckos’ Dance, Beyond Caterpillar Days, Tawny and Wishing for a Fish invite readers on a rhythmic journey with images to help them along the way.

Poems that feature the power of our environment like Storm Dancers and Lost at Sea gather readers up and ask them to explore the heart of far north Queensland.

This is a book for everyone, to read quietly under a tree or to snuggle on the side of the bed and read aloud to the ones they love. It will certainly enrich the lives of those who read it.

Vacen Taylor

From America

| June

americanfan

“Thank you  for sending your beautiful new children’s book “Magic Fish Dreaming” all the way from Australia, signed by you and the illustrator. She said “oooooh,” which means five star review from her.  This book was lovely. The poems and the illustrations were beautiful. She was ooohing at the picture where the children are sitting under the moon and at the Tawny Frogmouth especially.”

*Thanks for permission from this little one’s mum to share this picture.

Reviews

| June

cropped-bookcover.jpg

Our latest review went up at Reading Time the Children’s Book Council Association Blog (CBCA) on January 11th.

“Helene Magisson’s gentle, whimsical water colour illustrations cleverly capture the essence and magic at the heart of this collection of poetry by June Perkins. Drawing from the natural world of northern Queensland, Perkins explores such topics as the spirit of the cassowary, the dance of the geckos, night hunting of the tawny owl, a child’s dislike of cane toads and the power of the elements using a variety of poetic styles.

Although Perkin’s language and analogies may be a little sophisticated for the younger reader her ability to bring to life the spirit of northern Australia is compelling.

Recommended for readers 6+.

Reviewed by Mem Capp”

Diversity in Magic Fish Dreaming

| June

MAgicFishDreamingblogheaderRGBrevIn Magic Fish Dreaming diversity comes in many forms. There’s the diversity of wildlife and landscape and the diversity of author June Perkins’ Papua New Guinea/Aussie heritage and her European descent Aussie illustrator, Helene Magisson.

Together they have created something truly exquisite that shares the wondrous Far North Queensland, Australian Environment in playful, lyrical, and inspiring ways.

Meet all sorts of wonderful characters as Magic Fish Dreaming encourages children and families everywhere to hunt for their own nature-based or urban poems.

Mira Reisberg Ph.D.  Director of the Children’s Book Academy

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