Wombat Books
By on
Book title: Clara Capybara by Aleesah Darlison and Ruth-Mary Smith
Reviewer: Neen Ramos
This story’s premise is instantly relatable. Clara Capybara is always a reliable helper for everyone. She is the most considerate cavy, helping tie shoelaces, carrying gift boxes, and cleaning up after her friends, always quick with another ‘yes’. It makes her popular, but it also leaves her drained. Eventually, Clara has nothing left to give, and Mama steps in to remind her that kindness isn’t only about helping others – it has to include yourself as well.
Many children know what it’s like to want to please, and many adults will recognise themselves in Clara too. The tone never scolds her for being helpful. Instead, it shows that boundaries can be...
WestWords Books
By on
Book title: The Drone by Pete Shmigel
Reviewer: Lee McKerracher
It is a sad fact of life that countries are invaded, people are attacked, and violence becomes normalised. Every day, we see media reports about war, predominantly the war in Gaza and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. These reports tend to focus on an umbrella view of the war; the number of missiles launched; the number of drone attacks; the number of military and civilian deaths and wounded; the number of buildings destroyed; and how much territory has been won or lost during the battles. War is reduced to statistics. This is why Pete Shmigel’s book, The Drone, is so important, as it takes the war in Ukraine down to a granular level.
The Drone is a collection of 17 short stories...