Archive | August 2016

The Kid with the Amazing Head

Aug31
The Kid with the Amazing Head

The Kid with the Amazing Head

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Kid with the Amazing Head

Andrew Weldon

Puffin, 2016

100 pp.,pbk., RRP $A9.99

9780143309161

Steven wakes up one morning to find that he can make his head do anything he wants.  He can look like other people,  He can shove a piano up his nose. He could have a hundred eyes or look like other people.  He could even turn his ears into sails to make travel faster!  

But will he use this unique ability for good or for evil?  Will be and his friends Clever Trevor and  Small Paul catch bank robbers or be bank robbers?  

Mostly, Steven uses his power to amuse and amaze but one day the friends see a Missing Persons poster for Claire Blairey, daughter of Mary Blairey who was the inventor of the very popular Hairy Mary’s Scary Fairies and that give the three boys an idea…

Andrew Weldon is a cartoonists whose work has been in many well-known newspapers and is now carried over into this new book that is going to appeal to newly-independent readers who like stories about weird and wacky characters that are an integral mix of text and illustration.  If the concept alone isn’t funny enough there is a lot more humour embedded in the cartoons as the story unfolds and this encourages the reader to pay close attention to both.

I think this will be one of those books that takes off with the Year 1-4 boys and will be in hot demand (along with Clever Trevor’s Stupendous Inventions).

There is an interview with the creator about his cartooning career on ABC Rollercoaster which may be inspirational and aspirational for those who are constantly doodling.

My Feelings

Aug30
My Feelings

My Feelings

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My Feelings

Sarah Jennings

Bloomsbury 2016

14pp., board book, RRP $A12.99

9781408869048

Helping children understand and cope with their feelings in an appropriate way is such an important part of helping them grow and be able to socialise effectively.  So this deceptively simple book is such a gift for the early childhood teacher or the parents of little ones.

It explores the feelings of happiness, sadness, anxiety, grumpiness, excitement, fear and shyness in a way that will really help the reader come to grips with all the emotions that fill their day.  Each page has a tab that shows its focus feeling and starts with “When you feel…” so it talks directly to the child.  Each page validates the feeling  (so it’s OK to be shy) and then offers some suggestions for managing it. So if you are excited you can jump up and down or tell a friend; while if you’re grumpy you can do something you love, huff and puff or imagine a jelly bath!! Several times “Tell someone” is the suggestion which is great advice but it’s balanced with actions that the child can do not only to overcome the immediate situation but also build their strategies and resilience. 

John Joseph  has written much about how our emotions colour and shape our responses to a given situation, particularly the effect that the chemicals that are whizzing around our brains at the time have on us…”Depending on the extent of the situation, the capacity of sensory information and rational thinking to get processed is weakened, severely in extreme cases. Each particular emotion activates a series of memories and physical responses, inhibiting the flow of some chemicals and creating surges with others.”  He talks about the “emotional rooms’ – blue, green, orange and red – what happens in each and how how we manage that not only shapes the moment but also the ultimate effect on our personality. “Those who spend hours on end in a negative Orange Room find it difficult to break depressing thought patters. Those who move into Red with little provocation are unpredictable, prone to violence and struggle to make and sustain relationships with others.”

While that may seem a bit deep and meaningful for a board book written for toddlers, it demonstrates the importance of helping little ones learn about their emotions – positive and negative – and how they can manage them, self-soothe and self-calm healthily and move on.  This book is a first-step in that process and an integral part of any investigation about ‘Being Me” and “Being a Friend’. Let them talk and illustrate about when they feel happy, excited, scared or what they worry about and then brainstorm the sorts of things they can do to help them manage those feelings appropriately.  Help them learn that different situations often require different responses. It could even serve as a lead-in to your Protective Behaviours / or other personal safety program you use in your school.

Deceptively simple but highly effective.

Frankie the Blankie

Aug29
Frankie the Blankie

Frankie the Blankie

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Frankie the Blankie

Jennifer Sattler

Bloomsbury, 2016

32pp., board book, RRP $A11.99

9781619636750

 

Doris the Gorilla carried her bright purple blankie Frankie everywhere.  She loved it dearly and it was always with her giving her comfort and keeping her from being lonely. But one day  Rhinoceros tells her that only babies have blankies and Doris feels really embarrassed.  So she devises all sorts of ways that she can keep it with her so it is anything but a blankie – it’s a bandage, a hankie, a hat… But each solution has its downfalls until Lemur makes a suggestion and suddenly not only are Doris and Frankie reunited but they are the talk of the jungle!

Blankies are such important accessories for so many of our youngest listeners that this story will resonate with them.  The solid storyline will keep them engaged as they make suggestions about what Doris can to to keep her blankie without seeming to still be a baby (very important for toddlers) and the vibrant animation-like illustrations will attract their attention, taking them right into the jungle with Doris and at her level. How do they think she felt when Rhinoceros bullied her and why did she listen to him. What could she have done? Some food for thought as they start to interact with children beyond their siblings.  They might even re-think what they do with their own blankie.

This is one to share with the parents of preschoolers who are looking for something new to share with their littlies and encourage a love of reading.  

Butterfly and Oscar

Aug28

Butterfly and Oscar

Butterfly and Oscar

Butterfly and Oscar

Tricia Oktober

Ford Street, 2014

32pp., hbk., RRP $A24.95

9781925000511

Old Dog, Mousie, Polly, Isa Blue and Oscar are five dachshunds who live in a beautiful garden owned by a lady who collects plants and dogs.  Theirs is a peaceful, placid life with each having its own personality and spending their days literally living a dog’s life.  Even the magpies are not afraid to come and look for worms as the dogs snooze in the sun.  

But one day, the owner brings another dog home – one called Butterfly, one who is not like the long, low, smooth dachshunds.  Rather this one has longer legs, short ears and a squashed in face. And she isn’t even the same gingery colour – she is white with black bits here and there.  But this doesn’t bother Oscar who is very affectionate – to him this newcomer is just another puppy who needs to be kept warm and safe at night; who needs her face washed after dinner because she is such a messy eater; and who needs to learn that shredding teddies and pulling plants out of the garden are not the right things to do.

Everything is fine in the household until one night Butterfly sees another dog outside, one that barks when she does and growls right back at her.  The other dogs come to her rescue and make enough noise to scare anything away but the new dog just stands there barking right back at them. Night after night the new dog comes to the window and nothing Butterfly can do scares it away.  She gets more and more scared until something has to be done – so the owner puts a mirror where Butterfly can see her reflection, but suddenly it seems that outside dog had come inside and Butterfly is even more terrified.  When she finally realises that she is seeing herself for the first time, she calms down a little – until she realises that she isn’t long and sleek like Old Dog, Mousie, Polly, Isa Blue and Oscar.  She is very different  so instead of being scared, she is now unhappy and feels very alone and isolated. Nothing cheers her up until…

Tricia Oktober always writes the most charming stories that are illustrated with her exquisite, lifelike drawings and Butterfly and Oscar is no exception.  Given that it is dedicated to her dogs, all eight of them, suggests that this story might be based on real life and it is the mark of a true storyteller that they can take an ordinary event like a dog seeing its reflection for the first time and turn it into a book that enchants and teaches through its gentle message that each of us is different but it’s not what we look like that counts but what we do.  However, while we are loved for who we are, sometimes being the newcomer can make us feel like an outsider and that no one will accept us.  There are excellent teaching notes  which will help students not only empathise with these feelings if they haven’t experienced them but also help them understand that difference is not always negative and how they can reach out to someone and bring them into the circle.

Miss 5 is going through a “dog phase”  – she is going to love having this in her collection if I overcome my love of Tricia Oktober’s work and actually let her have it!

Blue the Builder’s Dog

Aug27
Blue the Builder's Dog

Blue the Builder’s Dog

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Blue the Builder’s Dog

Jen Storer

Andrew Joyner

Penguin, 2016

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

9780670077809

 

Blue is a builder’s dog – an ordinary builder’s dog that can be found on almost any building site in this country.  He rides in the ute to work, guards the tools, greets the subbies and signs the concrete slabs.  (Oops!)  He samples sausage rolls at smoko, cleans up the lunchtime pies and pasties and does all the things a builder’s dog is supposed to do.  He is mates with the whole team.  

But Blue does not have a hard hat, he is not allowed up high (even though he liked to go there) and the Big Boss does not take his advice.

He is also not allowed to sleep in the house with the builder.  He is consigned to the shed – which is NO place for a Working Dog of his stature and importance-and this makes him cranky.  All he wants was his own kennel – not even a flash one, just one with a hidey-hole for old bones, a swinging door with his name and maybe a periscope. So he decides to build his own and quits the building team. Instead of going to work, he stays home to build his own kennel. The result is not quite like the plan he had in his head and probably wouldn’t meet the Big Boss’s standards, but nevertheless it is a grand home worthy of a Working Dog.  That night he snuggles in happily content and unconcerned that the builder has gone out.  Until a huge storm comes…

Jen Storer and Andrew Joyner have created a funny but touching story that will appeal to readers of all ages.  Everyone will recognise Blue (some may even know him) and empathise with his need to have a place of his own.  They will laugh at his building skills but be sad as he huddles on the doormat in the rain waiting for the builder to come home.  And they will delight in the ending which so clearly demonstrates how important it is to be part of a team.  They might even like to try their hand at designing the perfect kennel for Blue and maybe even build it if you have a makerspace.

It is an uplifting story that needs to be read just for the fun of it with the perfect pictures emphasising the quality of the text.  Andrew Joyner has drawn the iconic Blue and captured the personalities and conditions on the building site with great detail and humour so well while Jen Storer has taken a situation  that is played out across Australia everywhere every day and turned it into an engaging tale that is just delightful.  One of those true picture books where the marriage between text and illustration is so synergistic that it touches something within and becomes a read-it-again-and-again favourite.

My Encyclopedia of Very Important Things

Aug26
My Encyclopedia of Very Important Things

My Encyclopedia of Very Important Things

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My Encyclopedia of Very Important Things

Dorling Kindersley, 2016

224pp., hbk., RRP $A29.99

9780241224939

The sub-title for this new publication from Dorling Kindersley is “for little learners who want to know everything” and that is very apt.  This is the perfect introduction to non fiction and the purpose of encyclopedias for our youngest readers.

There are sections devoted to the planet, places, animals, people, themselves and “other very important things”.  Each topic within each section has a double page spread that is a mix of clear, colourful pictures, text and “white space” that presents the basic information in a way that speaks directly to the child and in language that they can understand.  For example, they can learn that if they were to drive a car straight up it would only take about an hour to reach space and on the way they would pass through five layers of air called the atmosphere.  Accompanying the car is a kid-friendly diagram that shows the different layers with a sentence about each and pictures of the things that ascend to each layer.  

There is such a body of research now that clearly shows the importance of print in the development of research skills and those who have a solid foundation of skills in that medium are better able to use online sources much more effectively and efficiently later so it is no surprise that I am a fan of this book.  When Miss 4 asks, “Where does the sun go at night?” it’s so easy to say, “Let’s have a look in our book to see if we can find out.”  It reinforces the ideas that we can get information from books and with the index at the back, it is a quick and easy exercise.  The structure mimics that of encyclopedia for older readers (although it is not in alphabetical order) so right from get-go they are learning to locate information using contents, an index, page numbers, headings and captions.

It is also perfect for those who prefer non fiction – and in this one the text is accessible so they can do more than just look at the pictures – and even suits those who like to be seen with the heaviest, thickest books (although its size is just fine for Miss 5 to manage independently).  

For a few years, voluminous encyclopedias went out of fashion – and often out of home and school libraries because of the wonder and speed of the Internet.  But thankfully, print versions are making a comeback as we now understand that technology does not provide all the answers; that connectivity and accessibility can be an issue; that what is available is not necessarily at the child’s level of understanding; and that print comes free of advertisements and other distractions.  And a one-off cost can be cheaper than an annual subscription, particularly for basic information that doesn’t change.  

In 2015 I gave a presentation at SLANZA in Christchurch called Information Literacy for Littlies (building on the theme of “From the ground up”) .  Many were surprised that we can help very young children begin to develop their information literacy skills from preschool. My Encyclopedia of Very Important Things is a perfect resource to support this.

Parents and grandparents will love to pop this into the Christmas stocking.

A peek inside...

A peek inside…

Ten Little Owls

Aug25
Ten Little Owls

Ten Little Owls

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ten Little Owls

Renée Treml

Random House, 2016

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

9780143782537

 

The little wombat from One Very Tired Wombat is back in a new counting book adventure!  But this time, instead of being kept awake by all the daytime creatures, it is his nighttime friends who are coming out to play.  Hopping mice, quolls, Tasmanian devils, sugar gliders and fruit bats are all there in their nocturnal romp from dusk till dawn until the ten little owls hoot a goodnight tune and signal that the sun is rising and it’s bedtime.

So many baby animals exploring their nighttime surrounds under the cover and care of darkness show the very young reader that this is not a time of rest for everyone and that for many creatures once the sun goes down is a time of safety and security.  They can speculate about why some animals feel safer at night and learn new words like ‘nocturnal’ and ‘diurnal’, perhaps even seeking to find out more about the creature that most appeals to them.  Anticipating how many creatures might feature on the next page is always fun as counting skills are consolidated and confirmed is a bonus.

Slightly older children might even do a compare and contrast with One Very Tired Wombat or use this as a model for a class book as they explore what other creatures prefer night to day, where they live and what they find on their nocturnal wanderings.

Renée’s exquisite scratchboard illustrations bring each creature to life in great detail and the rhyming texts provides a rhythm that’s going to ensure the little listener will be joining in enthusiastically.

For those of you in Melbourne, the book will be launched at The Little Bookroom at 759 Nicholson Street at 3.00pm, this Saturday August 27.  More details here. 

Wild Pa

Aug24
Wild Pa

Wild Pa

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wild Pa

Claire Saxby

Connah Brecon

Random House Australia, 2016

32pp. hbk., RRP $A24.99

9780857988003

 

My Pa is not a quiet Pa,
a sit-and-read-the-news Pa.
My Pa is a Wild Pa –
and Wild Pas are lots of fun.

Indeed they are as they chase their grandsons through the dunes in full pirate garb; grow peas in crazy shapes; cook up spectacular meals; and even indulge in a full-on food fight.  Not for this grandfather the conventional “comb-his-three-long-strands” pa; the “trim-and-tidy-roses” pa; or even the traditional baked beans or sausages,  But for all his fun and games, this pa is nevertheless responsible and knows “when enough is quite enough”.

This is an hilarious romp written in rhyme that leaps off the pages with its actions and colourful illustrations. Right from the front cover which depicts Pa and grandson swinging Tarzan-like across the crocodile-infested pond you know this will be a story of fun and frolics that will engage young readers from the get-go.  Pa is cleverly depicted as just an adult version of his younger relative, distinguished only by a somewhat dodgy moustache and beard, emphasising the role model he is offering not only as a grandfather but also a caring family member. The endpapers are delightful – from swinging on a somewhat worse-for-wear clothesline to the suggestion that perhaps they are now in the doghouse!!  

Many schools now celebrate Grandparents Day and this and titles like Miss Mae’s Saturday would be perfect as part of a display about grandparents that could be shared on this day – or as part of a special selection in a Book Fair. Young children will delight in telling their own stories about their own grandfathers (who are no more the stereotypical white-haired chap in a cardigan and slippers than the grey-haired, bun wearing grandmother sitting in her chair knitting) and will begin to understand the family structure as they do.  Sometimes they are a whole lot of fun with a lot of wild ideas!!!

wild_pa2 wild_pa3

 

One Photo

Aug23
One Photo

One Photo

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One Photo

Ross Watkins

Liz Anelli

Penguin, 2016

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

9780670077977

One day dad came home with an old camera – the type that used film and you took it to get developed and you had real photos in your hand to keep.  Then he spends his time taking photos of things around the house.  Not the usual things that people photograph but odd everyday things like his cereal bowl and coffee cup.  Things that he didn’t want to forget as though he thought he was in danger that he would.

He got the photos developed and stuck them on the window in his study.  He used more and more rolls and took more and more photos, but he didn’t seem to want to take any of his family.  This upset them terribly.  “Aren’t we worth remembering?” they asked.

And then the camera was gone.  And so was Dad. For ever.  But one day the camera turns up in the post.  There is still a film in it and when they get it developed, there is just one photo. And finally his family understands the purpose and significance of all those other photos.

This is a most poignant story, one of the most unusual I’ve read in a long time.  And yet it is a story of many of our students, one that may be hard for them to articulate.  In the gentle drawings and soft palette it traces a father’s way of dealing with a terminal illness, one which affects his mind and memory but in a way that is filled with love and tenderness.  The endpapers are intriguing as they juxtapose two different types of photos – one set full of people shots, the other not.  Those of us old enough to remember “real” photos will be taken back to the days of  photo albums and the pleasure they give as they are dragged out so memories can be revisited and recalled, where only one or two photos were taken for posterity rather than the plethora taken today as though we live through the photo rather than the event, even though we might not look at the photo again. Photos were private memories not public trophies  And we will understand what Dad was trying to do and why the old-fashioned camera was so important.  It could open up a whole new world for students who may be scrambling to find such memories in a few years as technology moves inexorably onwards.

One Photo is different.  It’s sad and moving and yet offers hope for those who might be left behind – memories don’t have to fade.

 

Friday Barnes: The Plot Thickens

Aug22
Friday Barnes: The Plot Thickens

Friday Barnes: The Plot Thickens

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Friday Barnes: The Plot Thickens

R. A. Spratt

Random House, 2016

240pp., pbk., RRP $A15.99

9780857989932

Friday Barnes is the daughter of two highly-intelligent, eccentric physicists who are so disconnected from her upbringing that they called her Friday even though she was born on a Thursday.  She did have four siblings, all much older than her being born during the four-and-a-half years their mother had allocated for the task.  Friday was not scheduled and her birth was fitted in around a lecture her mother had to give in Switzerland.  Eleven years later, Friday had largely raised herself and she was happy with that.  Her greatest wish was to be unnoticed because you could do so much more that way like eating a whole block of chocolate at once without it being taken off you.    Unfortunately, it also means that you do not develop very good social skills particularly if you spend your time reading scientific tomes and educating yourself beyond the realms of anything a school could offer.

However, as well as the non-fiction her parents library consisted of, Friday had a penchant for detective novels because “being a detective allowed a person a licence to behave very eccentrically indeed” and she had honed her powers of observation and logical thought over the years.  But the time has now come for Friday to go to high school and given her parents haven’t even realised she is no longer in preschool, it was up to her to sort it.  She would have preferred not to go at all because she saw it as being all about “bullying, dodge ball and having to find a date for the prom” but the government was insistent that she do.  She tried to compromise by applying for university and passed the exam to study medicine but was knocked back on her age. 

So rejecting the idea of the Foreign Legion, the Peace Corps and being smuggled out of the country by people traffickers, after helping her ex-cop, private investigator Uncle Bernie solve a case she finds herself with the means to send herself to Highcrest Academy the best and most expensive boarding school in the whole country.  Her intention is to stay under the radar, do what she has to do and leave.  But things do not work out that way.  But right from the start, her nondescript self-imposed uniform of brown cardigans, grey t-shirts and blue jeans makes her stand out among the fashion parade that is the elite, wealthy students who also attend the school.

And so, in this the fifth episode in the series, Friday is well-known to all at the school , either having got them into trouble or out of it at some stage.  

Unfortunately, things do not start well for our heroine as she is immediately suspicious when the father of Ian Wainscott, best described as her frenemy arrives, declares he has been cleared of all charges and wants to whisk Ian off to the Cayman Islands.  Using her knowledge of remarkable things, Friday not only proves the papers he is waving are frauds but she works out why he wants Ian so desperately.  Thus Ian is not only once again reminded of his father’s lack of love for him but it’s done in front of his friends.  So he sets out to get revenge and Friday becomes the butt of numerous pranks that actually put her in danger.

Throw in a decidedly dodgy art teacher who has a huge tax debt and no income, someone mysteriously defacing the school’s artworks with graffiti, a new PE teacher who thinks he can break Friday’s will and the ever-present Melanie whose droll comments add so much humour to the situation and here is another great tale for those who are independent readers and who are looking for an out-of-the-ordinary heroine.  Throughout the story Friday finds herself embroiled in a number of incidents, all of which she solves with her incredible knowledge and logic, and all of which eventually contribute to the big picture in some way.

This is a series that is best read in sequence as one book leads to another and the last few pages of this one set the scene for Danger Ahead which will be released in January 2017. Independent readers from Yr 3+ will love it.