Archive | November 2020

Esmeralda’s Nest

Nov6
Esmeralda's Nest

Esmeralda’s Nest

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Esmeralda’s Nest

Robert Moore

Mandy Foot

MidnightSun, 2020

32pp., hbk., RRP $A29.99

 9781925227666

Esmeralda, the saddleback sow, is acting quite strangely. Each day, regardless of the weather she roots around the farm collecting a variety of objects that she takes back to deposit under the cattle ramp. What is causing this strange nest-building behaviour?

From the engaging endpapers that offer interesting information about pigs and piglets this is a charming story for young readers about a week in the life of a pig as she prepares to give birth.  Like the farmer and his children, the reader wonders what Esmeralda is doing with all the treasure she is collecting but it all makes sense at the end. Young readers can learn the days of the week, and perhaps predict what the next day will be, what its weather will be because that changes daily, and what Esmeralda might find that day.  And all the while the endless round of farm chores carries on in the pictures which are packed with detail for the sharp-eyed reader. City students can get a glimpse of rural life that they might be unaware of – particularly the role the children play!

For anyone teaching an introductory unit about farms and farming, this is a perfect accompaniment to exploring what is, to many, an unfamiliar environment with something new to explore on each page. 

Timeline Science and Technology

Nov5
Timeline Science and Technology

Timeline Science and Technology

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Timeline Science and Technology

Peter Goes

Gecko Press, 2020

80pp., hbk., RRP $A34.99

9781776573004

There is no doubt that the technology and tools available to us on a daily basis shape the way we live – it’s only 10 years since the iPad was introduced – and this large format book with it easy text and whimsical illustrations takes us on a journey from the Old Stone Age to the present day sharing how man changed his way of life.  Luckily, in early times change wasn’t so fast and so each double spread has been devoted to an era but as things evolve, the spreads are reduced to covering  a decade. So the tools of wood and bone of the Paleolithic Age gradually evolve to the tools that will probe the universe in the future.

This is a succinct timeline of development that will whet the appetite of the young historian, the young scientist and the young computer enthusiast or anyone with an interest in how we got to where we are. It is a dip-and-delve book that probably raises more questions than it answers, but that’s a good thing because it will send readers off on new paths of investigation and exploration as they seek to know more about whatever catches their interest.

More than worth the purchase price. 

Piper Picks the Perfect Pet

Nov4
Piper Picks the Perfect Pet

Piper Picks the Perfect Pet

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Piper Picks the Perfect Pet

Caroline Tuohey

Nicky Johnson

Ford Street, 2020

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

9781925804591

Piper is going to choose a pet, but just which one should she get?  There are the usual choices of a dog or a cat but then, there are so many options within those two choices. A cuddly dog or a puddly dog? A tabby curled up in a ball? A Burmese that’s not fussed at all?

Or should she get something altogether different so she can win the prize at the school pet show? A long one? A thin one? A fussy one?

Choosing a pet is a dream for so many kids and when the reality strikes, it can be an overwhelming decision.  This is a fun book for young readers that has rhyme and rhythm (although not the alliteration that the title suggests), enhanced by illustrations that capture the text perfectly. But it is also a discussion starter as children examine the reasons for having an animal in the home and the sorts of things they have to consider before they choose.  It would be an excellent story to tie to this year’s CBCA Picture Book of the Year winner,  I NEED a Parrot, as they consider not just what they need but what the animal needs and what is involved in its care.  For example, if she chooses the python or the lizard, most states will require her to have a special licence.

There are teachers’ notes and activity sheets available from the publisher’s website.

I NEED a Parrot

Nov2
I NEED a Parrot

I NEED a Parrot

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I NEED a Parrot

Chris McKimmie

Ford Street, 2020 

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

9781925804287

Like so many little people, this little boy decides he needs a pet.  Not just any pet – he needs a parrot in particular. But while he feels ne needs a parrot, and is prepared to take care of it, what does the parrot need?

Apart from the enduring argument about whether birds of any kind should be kept in cages, the story opens up discussions about wants versus needs and whether the two concepts are interchangeable.  

McKimmie has a unique artistic style that makes his illustrations very childlike in appearance and this really speaks to his audience underlining the message in his text.  Not only does he use the first person to talk to his audience but the words are backed up with images that look like they have been drawn by the narrator offering a double-whammy to pay attention. Starting the book with the image of a cage and ending it with a big blue sky is a powerful mechanism that will remain imprinted in the child’s mind, another technique that reinforces the message. There are many layers to this book that, on the surface, seems quite simple – a case of how less can indeed be more.

This book won the 2020 CBCA Picture Book of the Year Award , a worthy winner if the criteria is a story’s ability to open the minds of readers and challenge or change their thinking.

Teachers’ notes are available, and if it is sold out in your bookstore, contact the publisher. 

 

 

 

The Tindims of Rubbish Island

Nov1
The Tindims of Rubbish Island

The Tindims of Rubbish Island

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Tindims of Rubbish Island

Sally Gardner

Lydia Carry

Zephyr, 2020

128pp., pbk., RRP $A12.99

9781838935672

Since the days of the Vikings, the Tindims have lived on Rubbish Island, recycling debris salvaged from sunken pirate ships and galleons. They have always lived in secret, caring for the creatures of the sea and helping messages in bottles to find the right tides. But now as plastic threatens to overwhelm their island home, the Tindims make contact with children for the first time ever to show them how to turn rubbish into treasure…

Join Skittle, her furry pet Pinch, her parents, Admiral Bonnet, Mug, Jug, Brew, Captain Spoons,  Granny Gull and Barnacle Bow on  Rubbish Island where they seem to find a use for every piece of rubbish that the ‘Long Legs’ throw into the water. For years they have lived by their motto: ‘Rubbish today is treasure tomorrow’.  Wander through its warren of underwater rooms, including a toothbrush library and a hospital for sick fish, climb its terraces overlooking the sea and scale Rubbish Mountain. Set sail with them on their first ocean adventure as they show keen young human ecologists how to help protect our planet for the future.

There was recently a discussion on an education forum about teachers having younger readers who are newly independent and who have outgrown the levelled basal readers that are usually offered the age group.  The consensus was that these readers should not have their opportunities stifled by stories with controlled vocabulary and contrived sentence structure just because of their age and a convenient label, and that while they still needed some support with shorter chapters, larger fonts and illustrations which not only broke up the text but also helped clarify it, there were plenty of these sorts of books that offered such a platform, built on a solid, quality storyline. This series, is one of those.

It is modern in appearance and focuses on a theme that is close to the heart and minds of its target audience, that of making this world a better place by thinking globally and acting locally. There are not a lot of things that our youngest readers have the power to improve or change, but being environmentally conscious is one of them so this book which inspires them to be more aware is certainly within their realm. Reminiscent of the classic series The Borrowers by Mary Norton, it may even inspire them to expand their horizons and read that collection.

The first in this series, it is one that should appeal to those who are ready to test the next stepping stones of their reading journey.