Archive | March 6, 2022

Don’t Forget

Mar6
Don't Forget

Don’t Forget

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Don’t Forget

Jane Godwin

Anna Walker

Puffin, 2021

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

9781761040955

Sometimes being a kid can be overwhelming – there are so many things to remember to do, to say, to be… Particularly with all the busyness and chaos in the lives of our children, these days.  

Don’t forget to make your bed, and wear socks that fit your feet.

Don’t forget to brush your teeth, and don’t forget your homework!

In this charming book for young readers, acknowledged in the CBCA Picture Book of the Year Notables , little ones are reminded that as well as all that actual stuff, in the whirlwind of the day it is easy to forget the other things that are just as important…

Don’t forget to wonder, to be brave, to share.

Don’t forget to imagine, and to feel the touch of each season

For while we have to do that ordinary, everyday stuff, it is the long-term, intangible things that create memories, build dreams and shape us as we grow.  While celebrating the joy of childhood, Godwin has carefully chosen events that will resonate widely but all the while it is the connections with nature, the  being with and  caring for others that are the most enduring – the things that cause us to wonder, to imagine, to share and to reflect that are both the building blocks and the stepping stones.

Alongside Godwin’s superficially simple text are Anna Walker’s exquisite illustrations which bring both them and the child’s life to life.  The reader becomes part of the neighbourhood, rather than an observer, again reinforcing that connectedness on which families and communities are built. As we move out of such a long period of enforced isolation, books like this which celebrate the simple, that literally remind us to smell the roses, that ground us in the here-and-now rather than the what’s-next and the what-might-be that will help us realise that which really matters.  It’s not about the extravaganza birthday party that was missed but the community street party that was shared by all. 

And for those who want to explore the concepts further, there is a unit of work available through PETAA but for members only.

Some Dinosaurs Are Small

Mar6
Some Dinosaurs Are Small

Some Dinosaurs Are Small

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some Dinosaurs Are Small

Charlotte Voake

Walker, 2022

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

9781406394207

Some dinosaurs are small with tiny teeth for munching leaves, and some dinosaurs are BIG with  pointy teeth for munching  OTHER dinosaurs!  Some dinosaurs need to RUN! But some dinosaurs have a secret weapon…

In pure pantomime spirit, children will want to cry out, “He’s behind you!” and they will hold their breath until the outcome is revealed – and then they will LOL!  This is a joyous story for little ones who like dinosaurs and who can no doubt, tell you the names of those featured in it.  But as well as being entertaining with its delightful twist, it also explores opposites like  big and small, fast and slow, carnivore and herbivore that will add to the child’s knowledge. There is also the need to look closely at the pictures to understand its ending, reinforcing the integration between text and picture in a subtle way.

Sheer delight that reinforces the value of a simple story told well, and, being in print, one that can be revisited time and again, even reading it for yourself.