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My First Elmer Christmas

Dec15

 

 

 

 

My First Elmer Christmas

My First Elmer Christmas

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My First Elmer Christmas

David McKee

Andersen Press, 2021

10pp., board book, RRP $A18.99

9781839130540

It’s two days before Christmas Eve, the night Papa Red visits, and the young elephants are very excited. This year Elmer has a special treat in store for the young elephants, if they can keep quiet and out of sight… 

Elmer the patchwork elephant is an enduring favourite with our youngest readers and this  specially abridged version of the original is shaped like a Christmas tree and designed for little fingers that will add to the anticipation of THE night!  Who knew that elephants and their friends celebrated this special time just like we do?

A classic for the Christmas Countdown collection that will open up a whole world of Elmer stories, activities and fun for a new generation. 

 

Rosie the Rhinoceros

Nov6
Rosie the Rhinoceros

Rosie the Rhinoceros

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rosie the Rhinoceros

Jimmy Barnes

Matt Shanks

Angus & Robertson, 2021

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

9781460758854

Rosie is a rhinoceros But she’s not one of those fierce, scary, armour-plated monsters that amble across the African plains always ready to charge unwary travellers.  She’s charming and pleasant and always sees the beauty in her surroundings, including her reflection in the river’s water which tells her she is a unicorn.  She has a pretty horn and dainty hooves, beautiful, sleek skin and most of all she was magical.

But as she greets all the other animals each morning, her favourite time of the day, they all return her greeting by calling her Little Rhinoceros.  And she can’t understand it.  So how was she going to let them know the truth?

It is hard to reconcile that the gravel-voiced rocker who belted out Khe Sanh is the same person who has crafted this beautiful, delicate story about believing in who you are and spreading your joy in that. No one who reads it would ever doubt that Rosie is anything but a unicorn. Unicorns spread joy and happiness and that’s what she does every morning, and the shape of her body has nothing to do with it.  What a powerful message conveyed in such an enchanting way, and all wrapped up with delightful illustrations, that we will never view rhinoceroses in the same way again.  Because we know that inside every one of them, there is a unicorn trying to come out.  

Ernest the Elephant

May16
Ernest the Elephant

Ernest the Elephant

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ernest the Elephant

Anthony Browne

Walker, 2021

32pp., hbk., RRP $A27.99

9781406395099

Ernest the elephant lives with his mum and the rest of the herd and most of the time he is happy to follow them, and eat and drink, then sleep at night.  But when they wander past a jungle, his curiosity gets the better of him and he wanders off.  Soon he is lost and has no idea how to find his mother again. But, when he asks the jungle’s residents – the gorilla, the lion, the hippo and the crocodile – none of them is interested in helping him.

However, a little mouse says he knows the way and even though Ernest is not sure that a little mouse can help a big elephant, it’s better to be lost with someone than lost alone.

There is something about baby elephants that draws us all in and, combined with our imaginations, this charming story comes to life as we picture Ernest wandering off as though he were real.  Maybe you’re even old enough to also “hear” that iconic tune by Henry Mancini. So as well as being an engaging story, it lends itself to all sorts of dramatic activities – moving like Ernest; moving in time to the music; moving like the adult elephants; observing the differences between children and adults moving; being the gorilla, the lion, the hippo, the crocodile and the mouse and imitating their voices and actions – all bringing the story to life in a way that will show children how one print text can open up a world of entertainment. 

 

The Sloth and the Dinglewot

Jul15
The Sloth and the Dinglewot

The Sloth and the Dinglewot

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Sloth and the Dinglewot

Nicole Prust

Amanda Enright

New Frontier, 2020

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

9781925594966

Down near the banks of the lazy lagoon,

Where the trees slowly swayed in the light of the moon,

A family of sloths slept soundly asleep

As the birds of the sunrise started to cheep.

And as the rest of the world awakened, they stretched, yawned and rolled over and went back to sleep. Except for Samuel who found keeping still and patient all day tough when he really wanted to explore beyond the tree he lived in, much to the amazement of his family. So, Samuel makes his way to the top of the tree but, as he does so, he is startled by something -something that darted and dashed between the trees, the bells on its feet dingling and jingling as it did. When Samuel challenges it, it introduces itself asthe Dinglewot Jinglewot Dingledum Dee and invites Samuel  to come on an adventure to meet a furry old friend. But now, faced with reality, will Samuel have the courage to actually leave his tree and have the adventures he yearns for?

Told in rhyme with a rhythm that echoes the movement of the Dinglewot and carries the story faster than even Samuel can move, this is a charming story about facing your fears and having the courage to go new places, try new things and reap the rewards of doing so.  Illustrated in a palette as bright as the Dinglewot itself, Samuel (and the reader) go to extraordinary places as he dances with the baboons, listens to the bat band and meets all the Dinglewot’s sprightly relatives.

Apart from sloths being the new unicorns with young readers, the choice of a sloth as a main character is inspired because if there is anything generally portrayed as being unadventurous, lazy and sedentary it is the sloth – and what child wants to be tagged with that label?  So this would be a great opportunity to start discussions about what our children are afraid of, what they might be missing because of that fear and to support them in leaving their “worries and fears at the door.” 

Monkey’s Tail

May26
Monkey's Tail

Monkey’s Tail

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Monkey’s Tail

Alex Rance

Shane McG

Allen & Unwin, 2020

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

9781760524487

Howler Monkey loved to climb.  He learned as a baby from his father and he practised and practised until he got so good at it that animals from all over the world would watch him.  But one day he fell and damaged his tail so badly that he could not climb any more. He hid his injury because he was ashamed and scared that his family and friends would not like him because he couldn’t do the one thing that gave them pleasure.  He became so sad that he sought the advice of Oldest Monkey who asked some really pertinent questions that helped Howler Monkey understand that he still had family and friends who loved him, he could still be the role model he was – just in a different way – and that what he did did not define who he was.

Rance, the author, was an elite Australian Rules player for the Richmond Tigers and was a member of the team that won the premiership in 2017, a feat that they hadn’t achieved since 1980. But in 2019 he ruptured his ACL in the first game of the season, ending his playing days for the year, and most likely for ever. These life-changing events have been the inspiration for this series of stories including Tiger’s Roar and Rabbit’s Hop, to help young children deal with the highs and lows of life and understand that why they do things is much more important that what it is they do.  If they understand their motivation, then their actions (whether positive or negative) can be chosen, challenged and changed to suit the circumstances and it is the whole of who they are that defines them, not just one aspect.

Even without knowing the author’s personal story, young readers will appreciate this book and Howler Monkey’s predicament, particularly as they return to school and even to team sports where their lives may have changed considerably post-pandemic. The playing field might now be closer to level.

 

The Dingle Dangle Jungle

Feb24
The Dingle Dangle Jungle

The Dingle Dangle Jungle

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Dingle Dangle Jungle

Mark Carthew

Dave Atze

Ford St, 2020

32pp., pbk., RRP $A16.95

9781925804416

In the Amazonian jungle,
you’ll find monkeys, rats and shrews . . .
pumas, sloths and marmosets.

Which ones would you choose?

Two children go for a walk in the dingly dangly maze of the Dingle Dangle Jungle and encounter a whole variety of creatures with an amazing range of characteristics.  There are those that are short, long, speckled, stripy, diurnal, nocturnal, with fangs or talons or both… and the fascinating thing is that they are all actual creatures.  (Each one is identified in the notes at the back,) 

With its clever rhyme and rhythm and engaging, detailed illustrations that reveal something new each read, this is a get-to-know-your-animals book with a difference, and not least because of its setting in the Amazon rather than the more familiar Africa so the young reader becomes aware of the diversity of creatures on this planet.  Because the emphasis is on how each type of creature is unique, it is a great introduction for little ones to think about why they are all different.  How and why have they adapted to meet the needs of their environment and circumstances? Why do “some have funny noses, and some have curly tails, [while] some have long or sticky tongues or strong, sharp claws or nails”?  In addition, the teachers’ notes are very comprehensive with suggestions and resources to explore all sorts of environmental issues , making this one of those perfect picture books that spans the age groups.  

 

Elmer: A Classic Collection/ Elmer’s Birthday

Sep28
Elmer: A Classic Collection

Elmer: A Classic Collection

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Elmer: A Classic Collection

David McKee

Andersen Press, 2019

152pp., hbk., RRP $29.99

9781783448678

Thirty years ago I discovered a lovable character that has been an integral part of the lives of the very young students I’ve taught and my grandchildren – a patchwork elephant called Elmer. Every time his creator David McKee offered a new story, it was in my hands and in the ears of the nearest children.  So now, to have a collection of the five earliest stories in one volume is heaven on a stick for such a fan.

Featuring Elmer, Elmer and the Rainbow, Elmer and the Lost Teddy, Elmer in the Snow, and Elmer’s Special Day, just five of the 27 stories in the series, the little patchwork elephant who likes to play jokes on his friends but is always compassionate and helpful, is set to make a whole new generation of fans as parents discover this childhood favourite all over again.

Elmer's Birthday

Elmer’s Birthday

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Elmer’s Birthday

David McKee

Andersen Press, 2019

32pp., hbk., RRP $24.99

9781783447947

And to celebrate his 30th birthday, there is a new story called, appropriately, Elmer’s Birthday. Hoping to get their own back on him, the elephants decide to play a joke on Elmer on his birthday and spend the day getting all the other animals on board.  But who has the last laugh? 

Great for teaching children about elephants, the animals of the jungle, colour and patterns, as well as the themes of each story, I believe little ones have not had a real education if they don’t meet Elmer. These two are going straight to my version of the pool room!

 

Monkey Time

Jul25
Monkey Time

Monkey Time

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Monkey Time

Michael Hall

Greenwillow Books, 2019

48pp., hbk., RRP $A29.99

9780062383020

It takes time to spin a web.

It takes time to climb a tree.

It takes time to hatch from an egg.

It takes time to eat a meal.

It takes time to bloom.

Monkey is trying to catch time.

Up, down, and all around Monkey goes.

Can Monkey catch a minute

Can you?

From the creator of  both Little i  and  Red, A Crayon’s Story  comes a new story that explores time, this time. Asleep in a tree with branches remarkably like a clock face, Monkey is taunted by Minute who challenges him to catch him as he races around the “clock”. And when, despite Monkey’s frantic effort, Minute beats him another Minute pops up with the same challenge. 

“We are lightning fast, and you are a slowpoke, Monkey.”

Fifty-nine times, Monkey chases the minutes until…

Time is a very abstract concept for young children and while they constantly hear about “Just a minute” and “Wait a minute” and so on, it is hard for them to know just how long a minute is. For anyone, even an adult, who is watching the clock a minute can whiz by or it can drag like a gammy leg, so it’s no wonder it’s a tricky concept for a little one to grasp.   However, by having fun with the book and challenging the child to see what can be accomplished in a minute using a one-minute egg-timer as a visual reference, it will start them on the journey towards understanding.  The addition of the strategy for breaking an hour up into blocks and the counting endpapers enhance  the power of the book, as do the descriptions of the rainforest creatures that appear in Monkey’s story. 

Once Upon a Small Rhinoceros

Sep18
Once Upon a Small Rhinoceros

Once Upon a Small Rhinoceros

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Once Upon a Small Rhinoceros

Meg McKinlay

Leila Rudge

Walker Books, Australia, 2017

3299., hbk., RRP $A24.99

9781925126709

 

While her family and friends wallowed in the mud and bathed in the sun and did all the other things that rhinoceroses do, the little rhinoceros gazed at the boats sailing past on the nearby river and dreamed…

“Don’t you wish that you could see the world?” she asked the others.

But they were not dreamers  or adventurers – they had everything that a rhinoceros needs right there and told the little rhinoceros so.  “You belong here”, they told her. 

However that didn’t stop the little rhinoceros dreaming and one day she began to put her plans in action.  First, she gathered the things she needed to make a boat blocking out the negative comments of the older rhinoceroses, and one day all the mud-wallowing, grass-grazing, tree-scratching, sun-bathing rhinoceroses gathered in alarm as they watched her sail out of sight…

As soon as I picked up this story it resonated with me.  It could have been the story of my mum who watched the ships leave Bluff, her home town at the very south of the South Island of New Zealand, headed not just for the vast oceans of the world but also the Antarctic.  And her heart was captured, her hope stirred and her determination to follow in their wake cemented.  Despite all the comments about where she belonged, what she as a child of the 1940s should be doing, the belief that Antarctica was a men-only domain, she “built her own boat” and in 1968 she sailed south too – the first female journalist to do so, a trailblazer for women in both Antarctic exploration and journalism.  Its publication on the 3rd  anniversary of her death is particularly poignant.

Cape Hallett Station, Antarctica, February 1968. The first woman to set foot there.

Cape Hallett Station, Antarctica, February 1968. The first woman to set foot there.

Others will write about the literary and artistic merits of this book – I just adore it because of its power to show that stick-in-the-muds can stay stuck; nay-sayers can be ignored and that dreams can come true.  This is one I will be sharing over and over with my grandchildren who were privileged to know their great-gran and to be inspired by her.

 

Tiger, Tiger

Jun22
Tiger, Tiger

Tiger, Tiger

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tiger, Tiger

Jonny Lambert

Little Tiger, 2017

32pp., pbk., RRP $A16.99

9781848694446

Mother Tiger has somewhere she needs to be so she leaves her cub in the care of Old Tiger.  But while Little Cub wants to play and explore, Old Tiger thinks he is too old to babysit and just wants to sleep.  But he consents to a “very slow stroll”  through country he has seen so many times that he believes “There’s nothing to see around her any more.”  But he doesn’t factor in the joy and enthusiasm and fresh eyes of the very young and gradually his grey, tired world takes on new colours and new life.

With plenty of action words that young readers will love and relate to as well as text that sometimes rhymes, this is a story that moves from shadow to light as Old Tiger rediscovers the sights of his youth and even begins to take the lead in the play.  Sometimes, as we age and life seems to weigh heavily at times, we forget to take delight in the everyday things that surround us so this story is a reminder that we need to make time for the simple and that there is fun to be had without always having to be entertained by external things.

Lambert is first and foremost an illustrator and that’s evident not just in the detail in the pictures but in the way he has used colour to reflect Tiger’s perception of the world.  At first the jungle is dull and grey but as the adventure continues the colours brighten and the details are more intense and lush.  The reader sees more and more just as Old Tiger does.

A great book for little ones and older ones alike.