Archive | June 2014

Our Island

Jun28
Our Island

Our Island

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our Island

The children of Gununa, Alison Lester and Elizabeth Honey

Penguin 2014

hbk., 32pp., RRP $A24.99

9780670077687

Our island lies beneath a big blue sky,

surrounded by the turquoise sea.

Turtles glide through the clear salt water.

And dugongs graze on the banks of seagrass…

And so begins the text of a most stunning pictorial book about Mornington Island, the largest of the Wellesley group in the Gulf of Carpentaria, the result of a collaboration by the children of Gununa – the main township- and Alison Lester and Elizabeth Honey. Focusing on the stunning wildlife that inhabits both land and sea, the illustrations have been done by the children of Mornington Island State School using wax crayons and food dye wash.  This makes the focal point of the pictures stand out against the background which blurs and blends as dyes do and the landscape does. Beginning with the sunrise and following through the day until the ghost crabs make patterns on the sand, the local dogs sing to the moon and the island finally sleeps, this is a celebration of life in a unique environment where the connection between the land and life is almost indivisible.  Even though the text is kept to a minimum, the choice of words has been carefully selected to match the pictures giving the whole thing a poetic quality that echoes the rhythm of the day, emphasising the gentle passage of time. Overall, a sense of peace and pride just exudes from this book.

The stories of both the island and how this book came about are fascinating in themselves –all royalties and a dollar from each sale are going back to the school to fund community art projects – and provide another layer to what is already an amazing book.

Each of us lives in a unique community, whatever its geographical setting, that has its own special undercurrent of life that goes on and on providing a continuity that might be interrupted by humans but not destroyed.  How fascinating it would be to have students look beneath the surface of their everyday lives to discover what is there, how it is sustained, how it is impacted by us and then use Our Island as a model to share the findings.  Students would have to draw on all their senses and cross all curriculum boundaries to discover and portray the daily, unchanging routines of nature that cycle on through their lives.

A wonderful work that will probably make the reader want to book a trip to an island paradise immediately!   

A peek inside...

A peek inside…

Laika the Astronaut

Jun28
Laika the Astronaut

Laika the Astronaut

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Laika the Astronaut

Owen Davey

Allen & Unwin, 2014

hbk., 32pp., RRP $A19.99

9781743318935

On November 3, 1957, after the success of Sputnik 1 which put the Russians at the head of the space race and sparked the development of science and technology in a way not previously experienced, Sputnik 2 was launched to coincide with the 40th anniversary of the Bolshevik Revolution.  Aboard the craft was a stray dog from the streets of Moscow who had been named Laika (meaning Barker in English) whose sole purpose was to test the viability of putting a living creature into space, test its ability to survive weightlessness and thus pave the way for human spaceflight.

“Laika the Astronaut” is a gentle retelling of the start of Laika’s adventure.  From being alone in the streets of Moscow, wishing on the stars for a family to love her, to her rigorous training and testing regime and finally blast off, it introduces the reader to this embedded-in-history creature.  But even though everyone in the world knew Laika’s name as she circled the Earth, she felt more alone than ever.

Official records show that Laika actually died very soon into the flight from heat exhaustion, but Owen Davey has provided a much happier ending – one that he chooses to believe and one that will appeal to the reader and perhaps spark some speculation about her new life might have been like. “This poor little pooch plucked at my heartstrings, and I wanted to explore this idea of a soul living on through your imagination.”

Davey has rejected the claims that the ending is sugar-coated and that is has avoided the issue of death.  He says, “My intention was to put a positive spin on how we remember our loved ones when they’re gone. The main theme of the book is about finding love and finding a family, but the deeper undercurrent revolves around the way we deal with loss.”  You can read more of the background story at http://owendaveydraws.tumblr.com/post/59479947181 and with this knowledge in mind it might also be appropriate to begin introducing students to the notion of authors doing more than just telling a story to entertain, that many of the stories they enjoy have a deeper, more subtle meaning than appears on the surface and both the writer and reader are the richer for exploring it. In this case, the starting point could be questioning why Davey chose to change history in this way.

With its stylised illustrations in very muted colours which reach back to the style of the times, this is a wonderful picture book that could be used to introduce younger children to the history of space flight but which also has a place with older children who might be considering the ethical treatment of animals – scientists involved in the mission have even stated that they don’t think they learned enough from the mission to justify what they did – or even the ramifications of the Mars 1 project http://www.mars-one.com/ which proposes to have humans inhabiting Mars by 2023 and for which 28 Australians are still in the running. Does the means ever justify the ends?

A peek inside...

A peek inside…

Max

Jun14

Max

Max

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Max

Marc Martin

Penguin, 2014

hbk., 32pp., RRP $A24.99

9780670077434

Max and Bob are great mates.  They live by the sea and during the day, Max keeps Bob company in his fish and chip shop (Max loves both fish and chips so it’s a perfect partnership) and in the evening they go fishing together.

How can that scenario make for a most enchanting story that kept 9 and 10 year-olds engaged for over an hour and wanting more?

Well, Max is a seagull, who’s a little bit cheeky and a little bit mischievous, and this is the story of a friendship that endures even after Bob has to close his shop because of a lack of business.  When Max comes to the shop one morning, Bob has gone, and even though he waits and waits and waits, his friend does not return.  Without Bob there is no attraction for Max and so he decides to leave – but as he flies high over the city looking for another home he smells a familiar smell…

Marc Martin won the 2013 Crichton Award for Australia’s best new illustrator and the illustrations for ‘Max’ add so much to its message and its charm.  Using a variety of techniques, vignettes and full-page spreads, (the class laughed out loud at Max sitting on top of the No Seagulls sign) they are rich and exquisite, providing so many more layers to the story than just the text alone.  For example, while there is no written explanation for the downturn in business, the picture of cranes soaring high above the funfair, the main drawcard of the area, tells its own story and opened up a discussion about the impact of tourism on local economies (particularly pertinent where I live).  Later, the reason for the dismantling for the funfair is also evident and sparked a debate about “you can’t stop progress”. What seems like a simple tale for a preschooler to enjoy is so much more.

As well as an enthusiastic discussion that ranged from personal stories of feeding seagulls hot chips, recalling other seagull stories we’ve read such as ‘The Lighthouse Keeper’s Lunch” and “Samantha Seagull’s Sandals” to the importance of the snow-oriented industry on our region, to country versus city living, the students also embraced the task of imagining what Max would have seen as he flew over our town and then drawing a birds-eye view map of it.  Suddenly that concept made sense to them! What started as a story to share because I loved it became a rich and rewarding experience for all of us that went far beyond the focus and timeframe I’d allocated.  But when you’re on a good thing…

A peek inside...

A peek inside…

Another look...

Another look…

One Red Shoe

Jun12
One Red Shoe

One Red Shoe

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One Red Shoe

Karin Gruss

Tobias Krejtschi

Wilkins Farago, 2014

hbk, 28pp., RRP $A24.95

9780987109965

 

To the international photo journalist it’s just another call about another attack on a school bus, part of day-to-day life on the Gaza Strip as the conflict between the Israelis and Palestinians continues …”Strange, how ordinary the message sounded.”  Little does he know that it will change his perspective forever.  As he runs past children who are so used to violence, carnage and death that they continue their game of hopscotch uninterrupted and play basketball against a backdrop of bombed out buildings, he doesn’t realise how the impact of doing his job – following the victims and the paramedics into the hospital trauma ward to give “the people at home the most accurate information possible” – will change him this time.  For this time the victims are children, and one in particular who keeps saying his name over and over … “Maybe children in wartime learned early on to repeat their names even if they are unconscious, so relatives can find them” … and this one touches a nerve.  Through his camera lens he sees that the boy is wearing one red basketball boot, the same as he had given his nephew safe at home.  But there is only one – where was the other?  His nephew loved his pair so surely this boy would too, and hadn’t just lost it.  While its whereabouts might not be known, it’s not hard to work out what’s happened to it.  Little boys’ legs and grenades are not a good combination.

As he continues to shoot his pictures and the medics continue to fight to save Kenan, something strange happens … something that causes the photographer to make an important phone call and a promise. Suddenly, this conflict just got personal.

This is one of the most powerful picture books I’ve read for some time.  Told in a minimalist style, almost like a photo essay would be, the imagery is so striking that the minds connects the dots without the need for superfluous words.  Monochromatic with just the splash of the red shoe, their style and perspective, angles and lighting not only reinforce the idea of the narrator seeing the events through a lens but also add to the drama and emotion of what is being experienced.  From endpaper to endpaper there is nothing extraneous, but the astute eye will pick up tiny details that offer so much insight into who this man is, his thoughts and emotions.

This is a picture book for older students, right through to the senior years of secondary school.  It has so many places in the Australian Curriculum and Ian McLean’s teachers’ notes   offer many suggestions that demonstrate how it could be used across all levels from about Year 5 up.  An exceptional book that has so much for so many.

The Bear Said Please

Jun6
The Bear Said Please

The Bear Said Please

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Bear Said Please

Jacque Duffy

Wombat Books, 2014

hbk., RRP $A18.99

9781921632945

“’Growl,’ said the bear. “Growl,’ said his tummy. ‘Hmmmm,’ thought the bear.  I need some honey.” And so he sets out to find some through a series of rhymes whose meaning is made clear through clever text positioning and delightful watercolour pictures.  Eventually he finds what he is looking for, but it is guarded by angry bees for Bear has forgotten his manners.

Getting little ones to say “please” and “thank you” is a struggle known to all parents and this sweet story is a great way to demonstrate what might happen if you forget.  You certainly don’t get what you want!  But apart from that, it’s also a great book to engage our youngest readers because the rhymes make it a predictable text which makes it so easy for them to join in in a shared reading session, and then, together with the clear, engaging pictures encourage them to try reading it to themselves.   Even the size of the book (23omm x 200mm) is just right for their hands as they start to learn about the joy of story, concepts about print, and early reading behaviours. 

I can’t wait to share it with Miss 3.

The ABC Book of Seasons

Jun6
Seasons

Seasons

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The ABC Book of Seasons

Helen Martin

Judith Simpson

Cheryl Orsini

ABC Books/ HarperCollins, 2014

hbk., RRP $A19.99

9780733331954

“Seasons come…seasons go…sun shines …winds blow…rain falls …plants grow”.  As winter starts to take its grip on Australia once again, this is a great book to help our youngest readers learn about the seasons.  Each season has its own group of pages that show a range of familiar sights, colours and activities and concludes with a question that draws the child into sharing their own ideas and experiences. 

It is also Australian with words and illustrations that are familiar to our children. “Autumn” is used rather than “fall” and there are beaches, barbecues, picnics and parks which will help the reader connect with the story.  Even though the winter snow scenes might be new to many, the children that I shared this with were quite tickled that here was a picture that they could really relate to, given where we live. While many of them could describe just what it feels like to be on a chairlift, it also started a conversation about what winter was like in other parts of Australia.  They were fascinated that there were places where beaches and barbecues were everyday things all year round!

While nonfiction books about the seasons abound, there are very few that are as charming and appealing as this one for this age group.  The authors and illustrators have got it just right for their target audience, and it is one that can be read and reread throughout the year as the calendar and the planet turn.

A peek inside...

A peek inside…

 

Howler

Jun6
Howler

Howler

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Howler

Michael Rosen

Neal Layton

Bloomsbury, 2014

pbk., $RRP $A14.99

9781408846179

Have you ever considered what it must be like to follow a pregnancy through the eyes of the family pet?  In this very funny take on a common situation, Dog introduces us to his pet girl, Rover and her family and provides a running commentary of the changes he notices in Rover’s mum as her tummy gets bigger and bigger.  It takes him a while to realise it’s not just because she’s swallowed a big dinner and he doesn’t understand why he can’t sleep in the big new basket Rover’s dad brings home or gets into strife for trying to catch the animals hanging from the mobile on the ceiling.  Finally, it becomes clear when a very small human appears on the scene although he is puzzled when Rover tries to eat it and it tries to eat Rover’s mum.  He calls the baby Howler because that what it does, yet no matter what he does he is ignored or in BIG trouble.

So he starts to spend time with the dog next door, Ruff-Ruff and it’s not long before she starts to get bigger and bigger… and gradually his understanding of the phenomenon develops.

This new edition of this story by the author of We’re Going on a Bear Hunt is very funny and gives a totally new take on that classic pre-school theme of a new baby joining the family.  Neal Layton’s illustrations appear to be quite simple but they convey so much meaning and expression that they are the perfect accompaniment, creating a fresh, lively and entertaining story. As well as showing the young child who is also awaiting a new brother or sister that “someone’ empathises with their bewilderment, if can also that can be used to help them understand the concept of perspective and our view of an event depends on our position within it. Discussing the book from the point of view of rover, her mum her dad, even Ruff-Ruff’s owners, would all enrich and enhance the experience.

A peek inside...

A peek inside…