Corinne FentonReseñas

BOB THE RAILWAY DOG by Corinne Fenton tells the story of the early days of the Australian railroad.

When a railway worker adopts a homeless dog named Bob, they become fast friends. However, Bob is a wanderer and soon finds himself riding the rails and exploring stations across the country. Based on a real dog, this story immerses readers in nineteenth century Australia.

Librarians will find a large audience among children who enjoy both dogs and trains.

To learn more about the author, got to http://corinnefenton.com/.

Published by Candlewick on November 8, 2016. ARC courtesy of the publisher.

This book's setting takes place in South Australia in 1884. The main character is a dog, named Bob, who loves to travel and ride the trains to new places. His adventurous spirit captures the readers attention and brings them on his journey. The fact that this is based on a true story made this book more interesting for me. I thought it was somewhat of a slower read, but would still be a good book to read to my students. I could ask questions about the setting and how it is set in a part of the world that many kids probably have not been able to see. I also enjoyed the illustrations and how it really painted the scene.

Richie's Picks: QUEENIE: ONE ELEPHANT'S STORY by Corinne Fenton and Peter
Gouldthorpe, ill, Candlewick, June 2013, 24p., ISBN: 978-0-7636-6375-9


"'We were looking for food,' Ruby says, 'my family and I. But I wandered
off and got lost and went too close to the village.' Ruby looks at me,
eyes wide. 'I was so scared when I fell into that hole.'
"'Of course you were,' I say. 'I would have been scared too.'
"'Me too,' Bob admits. 'And I like holes.'
"'The hole was huge.' Ruby pokes her trunk through the bars and makes a
circle in the air. 'And guess what?' She doesn't wait for an answer. 'The
water was all the way up to my neck and I was sure I was going to die.'
"I shudder. 'What happened then?' I ask.
"'I'll tell you what happened,' Bob says darkly. 'They captured her and
put her in a box and shipped her off and here she is. Just like they did
with Stella.' He pauses to scratch an ear. 'Humans. Rats have bigger
hearts. Roaches have kinder souls. Flies have--'
"'No, Bob!' Ruby interrupts. 'You're wrong. These humans helped me.
When they saw I was trapped, they grabbed ropes and they made loops around my
neck and my tummy. The whole entire village helped, even little kids and
grandmas and grandpas, and they all pulled and pulled and...'
"Ruby stops. Her lashes are wet, and I know she must be remembering all
the terrible feelings from that day.
"'...and they saved me,' she finishes in a whisper.
"Bob blinks. 'They saved you?' he repeats.
"'When I was finally out, everyone cheered,' Ruby says. 'And the children
fed me fruit. And then all those humans led me back to my family. It
took the whole day to find them.'
"'No way,' Bob says, still doubtful.
"'It's true,' Ruby says. 'Every word.'
"'I've heard rescue stories like that before.' It's Stella's voice. She
sounds weary. Slowly she makes her way over to Ruby. 'Humans can surprise
you sometimes. An unpredictable species, Homo sapiens.'
"Bob still looks unconvinced. 'But Ruby's here now.' he points out. 'If
humans are so swell, who did this to her?'
"I send Bob a grumpy look. Sometimes he doesn't know when to keep quiet."

In my opinion this was a good book for students. It is factual and true to history, which makes it a good informational book. Students will engage in this book because it also tells a story, in addition to giving real glimpses into this point in history. The laying of railroads was a huge turning point in human connection making it important for students to learn about. Through a funny plot, and a dogs POV, students will learn about railroad workers. It is also a good book because it has life-like illustrations. The detail in the pictures match to the words very accurately. This helps children who aren't particularly strong readers yet. At one point in the book, the dog was riding on top of the train car. The illustration clearly depicted this action that the author was writing about. In the words he used strong adjectives like "wind-blown fur" and "freeing ability", these actions are depicted by the dogs fur blowing back and his strong stance atop the train car. The message this book relays is to follow your dreams and anything is possible.

A moving, true story about a beloved zoo elephant in Melbourne, Australia that met a terrible, tragic end. A good book for prompting discussions on animal rights and the humane treatment of those held in captivity.

(On behalf of my 8 year old: humouress)

It's about an elephant. It's a bit sad near the end but it is quite a nice story as well. I liked it because it's interesting and it made me really want to keep reading.½

In this story twins Amy and Grace go to visit their grandfather. During their visit they go walk to a nearby creek to go fishing. Here the girls are surrounded by nature and spot a turtle that has recently laid eggs. The girls become very concerned for the safety of the turtle eggs: a highway is being built nearby, and they spot a hungry looking fox nearby. The girls decide to keep an extra close eye on the turtle eggs. But one day they come and find only broken shells where the turtle eggs were located. What has happened to the baby turtles?

This story is about two twin girls who go fishing and turtle searching with their poppa by the creek. The girls discover that a new highway is going to be built by the creek and they are worried about the animals and the turtle who laid her eggs away from the water! Over the next couple months the girls discover all of these new things by the creek with the wildlife and everything going on around it! When the eggs finally hatch the girls get to see what happens with baby turtles.

My mother told me stories about going to the Melbourne Zoo when she was a child and riding Queenie, the elephant, was always the highlight of the visit. This is a beautiful and sad story with real connections to my own family history. I love Peter Gouldthorpe's illustrations too. See more info and reviews @
http://www.bdb.com.au/books/index.php?book_id=queenie