Piano Rock: A 1950s Childhood
By Gavin Bishop · Reviewed by Anne Mortimer
With a “to be read” queue that will take me easily into retirement, Piano Rock immediately drew me in thanks to the beautiful silhouettes, line drawings and watercolour illustrations that pepper the bite-sized chapters. However more importantly, this was 1950s spelt correctly, with no superfluous apostrophes thank you very much.
Our native birds may not have exotic, brightly coloured, plumage but they are uniquely distinctive. Does our lack of native mammals make our native birds an even more important source of visual inspiration in our creativity? Or, is it simply that the delightful silhouette and fluttering flight of a fantail makes it such a compelling resource for artists?
Crafty Girls’ Road Trip
By Ann Packer · Reviewed by Anne Mortimer
In 2004, my copy of Ann Packer’s Crafty Girls’ Road Trip was well thumbed and had its own permanent place on my dashboard as I travelled the length and breadth of the country. It encouraged many a small diversion and certainly helped me to spend my way around New Zealand, single handedly boosting the economy. The guide proved to be indispensable – wherever we went, the guide went too, as my craft oracle (or crutch).
Milly-Molly-Mandy’s Things to Make and Do By Sam Hay · Reviewed by Anne Mortimer
Milly-Molly-Mandy’s Things to Make and Do by Sam Hay is illustrated with Joyce Lankester Brisley’s beautiful drawings and excerpts from the Milly-Molly-Mandy stories are scattered throughout the book. I distinctly remember Milly-Molly-Mandy being very busy and creative. Now I have a Little Miss of my own and need to find lots of fun, creative things that she can do. This book provides this and more.