Archives

Where Is the Cat?

Apr8
Where Is the Cat?

Where Is the Cat?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Where Is the Cat?

Eva Eland

Andersen Press, 2024

32pp., hbk., RRP $A25.99

9781839131837

Whenever Suzy visits Auntie, all she wants to do is play with the cat.  But Cat is nowhere to be found, or is he?  No matter where Suzy looks, she can’t find Cat, but is she looking hard enough?

This is a joyous story for very young readers who will enjoy spotting Cat even though Suzy can’t.  They will love joining in to point him out, much like the audience in a pantomime, as well as learning and understanding prepositions like “behind”, “under” and so forth. There is also the opportunity to talk about how the cat, used to a quiet, good life, might feel when confronted by the boisterous, effervescent Suzy.

While it’s a familiar theme, nevertheless these sorts of stories are always enjoyable for our younger readers who like the feelings they have as they engage with the print and pictures, all helping them to enjoy the power of story believe that they can be readers themselves.

The Easter Bunny Hunt

Mar3
The Easter Bunny Hunt

The Easter Bunny Hunt

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Easter Bunny Hunt

Stacy Gregg

Sarah Jennings

HarperCollins, 2024

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

9780008623043

Easter is here and Cat and Dog find the bunny’s basket but there are no eggs in it.  

So Cat goes in search of the Easter Bunny, following Dog’s somewhat meagre and misleading clues,  meaning a lot of creatures with long ears and floppy tails come to celebrate Easter, but none of the is the Easter Bunny. Will Cat ever find who he is looking for?

Little ones will delight in this new story for the Easter season, and once they realise the pattern, will have fun predicting just which creature Cat might have brought to the party this time, as they apply their existing knowledge of creature features to match the illustrations, while learning the importance of trying to be as precise as they can.

 

Pepper Masalah (series)

Nov9
Pepper Masalah (series)

Pepper Masalah (series)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pepper Masalah (series)

Pepper Masalah and the Flying Carpet

9781761111105

Pepper Masalah and the Temple of Cats 

9781761111143

Pepper Masalah and the Giant Bird

9781761111204

80pp., pbk., RRP $A11.99

 Nine year old Zamir lives with his father and grandmother on an olive farm in Australia with his cat Pepper Masalah (who looks like a mini panther).  Although Pepper Masalah prefers to spend her days sleeping in front of the fire on a red and blue carpet, one that Zam’s grandmother brought with her from Kashmir and which she believes can fly even though it hasn’t done so for many years.  But one night during a storm, Sam and his cat discover  discovered that the rug does have magical powers and they find themselves flying off on all sorts of adventures that take them to all sorts of places, particularly those in the mysterious Middle East.

Inspired by her own circumstances, this is a new series for newly independent readers sharpening their skills, particularly those who love cats and adventures and have dreams of flying off on their own magic carpet. But underlying this, the books also introduce the reader to various cultures, stories and beliefs that they may be unfamiliar with and, in an age-appropriate way, some real world issues, particularly those relating to children.

As well as taking the reader to a region that is in the news but of which little is generally known by the target audience, the series offers the opportunity for the reader to think about where they might go if they had their own magic carpet, perhaps even sparking a way to celebrate all the nationalities represented in the classroom.  Students could design their own magic carpet and then create a display of the important things about their country of birth or ancestry.  

While there are many series written for this age group, this one combines the fantasy of a magic carpet ride, the friendship between a boy and his pet, and the familiarity of the personalities of cats in situations that may offer cause for consideration.  Each story has some information pages at the end as well as a glossary of local words and their pronunciation, grounding the stories in reality.

Something out of the ordinary that will open readers’ eyes to new places and introduce them to children who live different lives from them. 

George and Tao

Sep11
George and Tao

George and Tao

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

George and Tao

Claude K. Dubois

Gecko Press, 2023

48pp., hbk., RRP $A22.99

9781776575251

When George the puppy is introduced to Tao the kitten, The two of them “look at each other and wag their tails,”  and it is not long before they are best friends. playing and together all day long. But when George chases him up the curtain in the living room, and Tao falls, George is bereft. While the kitten is scooped up and taken to the vet, George has no idea where his friend is.  He searches in all the usual spots but Tao is nowhere, and so he sits at the door and waits and waits, and waits…

This is a tiny book just made for little hands and being shared with a little one, that focuses on friendship and fun and what happens when things get out of hand -as they often do when little ones play together.  The text is simple, but the watercolour artwork carries so much making George’s loss when Tai disappears, palpable.  

Exquisite. 

Being a Cat

Aug24
Being a Cat

Being a Cat/ Being a Dog

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Being a Cat: A Tail of Curiosity

9780063067929

Being a Dog: A Tail of Mindfulness

9780063067912

Maria Gianferrari

Pete Oswald

HarperCollins, 2023

40pp., hbk., RRP $A24.99

Little people, like big people, love their pets and often try to be like them, so these two books are perfect for encouraging them to examine their cats and dogs to really get to know them.

With minimal text and quirky, funny illustrations, they can get up close and personal and then, explore the traits in more detail in the final pages.

Something very different for the animal lovers in your domain. 

Hats Are Not for Cats!

Jun1
Hats Are Not for Cats!

Hats Are Not for Cats!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hats Are Not for Cats!

Jacqueline K. Rayner

HarperCollins, 2023

30pp., board book., RRP $A16.99

9780358731085

Who hasn’t heard of the cat in the hat – the Dr Seuss story that is a staple for all little people?  But what if hats are not for cats?

In this fun rhyming book for our youngest readers, a bossy dog in a very fancy hat is laying down the law to the cat that hats are not for them.  But the cat disagrees.  Who wins the argument? Or can there be a compromise?

Young readers can learn a lot about peaceful conflict resolution in this simple, silly story as they put themselves in the shoes of both the cat and the dog.  Perhaps they can figure out a win-win solution.  And then have fun designing a hat for a dog and a hat for a cat!

 

 

Robodog

May8
Robodog

Robodog

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robodog

David Walliams

Adam Stower

HarperCollins, 2023

320pp., pbk., RRP $A19.99

9780008581435

Bedlam is one of the most dangerous places on Earth – home to a host of wicked villains, it has a huge crime problem. Nothing and nobody is safe from these evil criminals. The Chief of Police is stressed because she can’t  get ahead of it, and the entire city is now suffering. There is rubbish everywhere, smog in the air and pollution in the rivers.  Usually  the city Police Dog Training school trains excellent crime-fighting dogs to help her and the police force to keep the crims in check but even this isn’t working any more. She needs MORE. What could possibly help the city of Bedlam? And then she gets an idea!

At home, she asks her clever wife who is a Professor to build her the perfect dog. A dog than can do all the things the Police Dogs can, but even better! At first the Professor isn’t sure about building such a thing – a Robot Dog and their cat Velma is horrified at the idea. until now, she has had the Chief and Professor to herself and that’s how she likes it. Why on earth would they introduce a dog of all things to her happy household? She goes completely mad when the Professor presents Robodog!

The bedlam in Bedlam really steps up. There is a billion dollar robbery to be foiled, where only a rat who swears he’s a mouse can save the day. Velma is determined to wipe not only Robodog off the planet but every other dog in Bedlam, and suddenly every villain has escaped from Bedlam Prison. What is a Robodog to do?

Thoroughly modern, action-packed and easy to read with all sorts of illustrations that enhance and explain the text throughout, this is one for all Walliams fans, those who enjoy fast-moving slapstick humour and those who may be reluctant to tackle such a thick book, thinking they don’t have the skills to master it.  David Walliams is such a prolific author that this could become an opportunity to create a display of his works with your older, not-so-able readers taking the lead in providing a review or synopsis of each one to entice others to read them.  Not only does it give them a purpose for reading, but provides an opportunity to read at their level without stigma.  

 

 

In or Out: A Tale of Cat Versus Dog

Mar23
In or Out: A Tale of Cat Versus Dog

In or Out: A Tale of Cat Versus Dog

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In or Out: A Tale of Cat Versus Dog

Stacy Gregg

Sarah Jennings

HarperCollins, 2023

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

9780008549237

Dog wants in. He’s trying to build blocks, play with his cars and finish his painting masterpiece.  Cat wants in. No, Cat wants out. In. Out. In. Out. It’s enough to drive Dog crazy!

Any child with a cat or a dog is going to relate to this hilarious story as they recognise the familiar situation of their pet not being able to make up its mind about being in or out.  Whether they have the patience of Dog is another matter.

But the power in this story for our youngest readers is that they can tell the story for themselves just by looking at the picture and thus predicting the simple, large text that accompanies it. They can be “real readers”, strengthening their belief that they will master those squiggles on the page by looking at the context and drawing on their existing knowledge to make sense of what is going on. That, in itself, makes this book worthwhile and the underlying themes of friendship and understanding wrapped up in an hilarious, familiar circumstance  just add to the fun. 

Cats in Chaos

Nov18
Cats in Chaos

Cats in Chaos

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cats in Chaos

Peter Bentley

John Bond

HarperCollins, 2022

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

 9780008469184

In the dark of night, as their owners sleep, the cats of the city are all headed to one place: Catsby’s Great Circus! Step this way and see conjuring cats, felines that fly, Siamese that swing from above, and don’t miss the mighty PURRCULES CLAW. But with so much activity, it only takes one little mouse in the wrong place to put the whole circus in chaos…

I have to confess to not being  a “cat person”  although I have always loved T. S. Eliot’s Macavity’s Not Therethat lingers in the back of my childhood memories as one of the few poems I truly loved from my schooldays.  But this rhyming, tumbling jumble of cats would be up there too, now, as one to share with students just for the fun of the language, let alone the storyline.  Bright, eye-catching pictures capture the chaos as the story hums along with humour and madness – all the qualities that are going to engage young readers who are going to wonder what their cats do at night.  Are they cunning criminals in league with Macavity, the Hidden Paw, or are they secret circus artists with talents hidden from their owners? 

Floof

Jul13
Floof

Floof

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Floof

Heidi McKinnon

Albert Street Books, 2022

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

9781761180088

This is Floof.
Floof is floofy.
Floof is VERY floofy.
Floof is the FLOOFIEST!
Floof is going to have a very busy day…

This is a story for our youngest readers, particularly those who have big, fluffy cats because they will recognise their pet immediately.  From breakfast in the morning till the final evening snooze, Floof is busy, often creating havoc unintentionally as he just goes about his day.  

The text is simple and little ones will need to connect it with the illustrations to fully appreciate McKinnon’s tale, an essential part of those early reading behaviours as they learn to read beyond the lines.  In fact, the astute adult will skip the words initially, and have the child suggest what is going on, getting them to retell Floof’s adventures in their own words. 

While we are familiar with those who over-write, who share every detail in words as though their audience cannot see or draw their own connections, this is a case of less is more, and in that, lies it appeal and brilliance.