Sage Cookson’s Stormy Weather by Sally Murphy
Illustrated by Celeste Hulme
Published by New Frontier
Date: 1 September 2018
R.R.P. $9.99
The Sage Cookson series is one that I will be talking about a lot. This book designed for 7+ years is a true celebration of Australia people and culture and takes one little girls adventures and wows us with landscapes (and food) of Australia.
Sage Cookson is a ten-year-old whose parents are television chefs that travel across Australia, and sometimes other parts of the world, eating and cooking food. This means that Sage gets to travel and have many adventures, some are fun but other experiences make her feel uncertain. No matter where her adventures take her Sage is always learning and discovering new things.
In this book Stormy Weather, what is meant to be a fun trip to Townsville in Queensland for Sage’s parents to tape their show, turns into a very windy and stormy trip. Cyclone Riley is headed their way and there isn’t anything they can do about it. In true Sage form, she takes the devastation of the destructive Cyclone into something positive as she comes up with a good idea to feed those affected by or working on cleaning up after the storm.
This adventure celebrates family, helping others, friendship and learning to stay safe and calm in the face of uncertainty. What I love about this book is that it celebrates Australia and in turn will encourage children to appreciate this beautiful country that we live in. It recognises that children have so many varied interests. Food and cooking is celebrated in this book and the recipe for Yummy Mango Dessert is a fun added touch at the end that enables the reader to interact further with the book. I like that Sage doesn’t have superpowers, or use magic, it is in a sense real life that is made into a fun and interesting adventure.
What also makes this book successful is the tie in with the website based around Sage Cookson, with further recipes, activities and information on the other books in the series. The chef’s hat and Cheat’s chocolate Fondant look fun to make and would make for perfect activities for your aspiring junior chef.
Just like Sage herself, the book and website are both full of bright colour, are bold, and the addition of sketches at the beginning of each chapter gives the read additional insight into what’s coming next.
This easy to read book is perfect for the newly confident reader or for those children that are wanting to start reading chapter books. The language flows naturally, and is well-paced and while it is a book of fiction there are facts that have been slotted seamlessly into the story that gives a fascinating look into Sage’s adventures. What I find refreshing is that if you haven’t read any other of the series it doesn’t matter, I was able to read the story and didn’t feel like I had missed anything previously.
I highly recommend this series and see it becoming a favourite of many 7-year-olds. Congratulations Sally Murphy on creating a unique and enjoyable book.
Thank you New Frontier Publishing for the opportunity to read and honestly review this book.
Want to visit Sage Cookson’s websites and cook some of her delicious recipes, then follow the link below:
https://www.sagecookson.com.au/
Little Big Reads 