Archive | July 2023

A Very Dinosaur Birthday

Jul31
A Very Dinosaur Birthday

A Very Dinosaur Birthday

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Very Dinosaur Birthday

Adam Wallace

Christopher Nielsen

Thomas Nelson, 2023

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

9781400242054

Dinosaurs are big, and strong, and scary, and farty,

So do you really want them coming to your birthday party

So many little people are fascinated by dinosaurs and can think of nothing better than having them come to their birthday party.  But even though it might be the most amazing party in the neighbourhood that year, there could well be unexpected consequences. Using colourful, cartoon-like illustrations of actual species (which the informed will have delight in identifying) this is an hilarious romp of what-if that will amuse young readers from start to finish.

Some light-hearted fun to inspire the imagination.

Dads and Dogs

Jul30
Dads and Dogs

Dads and Dogs

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dads and Dogs

Mick Elliot

Walker Books, 2023

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

9781760655044

For every dog there is a dad and for every dad there is a dog and together they romp through this hilarious celebration of the companionship they offer each other.  

With its clear illustrations and simple text this is an excellent book for empowering young people to believe that they can not only read, but they can write. 

A peek inside...

A peek inside…

By looking at the pictures the child can work out what is happening and predict the text. But the final page shows the child, his dad and his dog so why not ask the child to add their own picture and caption.  But wait – there is a challenge.  Take a closer look at the author’s caption and look for the alliteration (as well as the upper and lower case versions of each letter) and see if they can follow that same pattern making the adjectives align.  An opportunity to not only write but to extend their skills and vocabulary. 

My page would be easy – Snoozy dad with a sooky dog.  What would yours be? 

The Wheelbarrow Express

Jul29
The Wheelbarrow Express

The Wheelbarrow Express

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Wheelbarrow Express

Sue Whiting

Cate James

Walker Books, 2023

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

9781760654627

It’s Tommy’s last day at Pa’s farm and it’s time to say goodbye. Tommy doesn’t want to go. Not yet. He loves the farm and its playful pigs and clucking chickens and galloping goats and the dam that is deep and blue and perfect for skimming stones. And he loves Pa.

But Pa has a plan: there’s time for one last run on the Wheelbarrow Express. Toot! Toot! All aboard!

The best stories for little people are those that involve familiar settings, situations and people and this is one of those.  Who hasn’t had a holiday with their grandparents that they want to last a little bit longer? And who wouldn’t like a ride in the wheelbarrow express?  Even if the farm setting is not familiar, it will be after sharing this story as a remarkably fit but rapidly tiring grandfather pushes Tommy around all the animals to say goodbye, making sure there is time for one last special time at the dam.

This is a charming story celebrating the special bond between grandparent and grandchild that is destined to become a family favourite. 

Last-Place Lin

Jul28
Last-Place Lin

Last-Place Lin

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Last-Place Lin

Wai Chim

Freda Chiu

Allen & Unwin, 2023

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

9781761067754

It’s Sports Day! Everyone has a different House colour.
I’m in the Red House. Go Red!
It’s time for the sack race. On your marks, get set, go!
But not everyone can come first.

The scenario for this story from  Australian Survivor contestant, Wai Chim, of the annual horror of school sports day will be familiar for many young readers, as will be the feeling of being Last-Place Lin. Coupled with the accurate, sometimes amusing illustrations, it will resonate with so many who will be able to put themselves in the place of any of the characters – except the winner’s.

With Australia awash with elite sports news at the moment from Victoria’s  cancellation of the 2026 Commonwealth Games to the FIFA Women’s World Cup, the Ashes series between Australia and England, the World Swimming Championships in Japan, and the looming finals series in the football codes, it could seem to many that the only people valued in this country are the elite sports competitors. And despite Australia’s reputation for cutting down its tall poppies, that doesn’t seem to apply to sport.  It couldn’t be a worse time for all the Last-Place Lins so this is a timely release to share to show that winning is fleeting and developing resilience, perseverance and endurance – even courage to try – are the values that will stand our young people in greatest stead.

As well as celebrating Lin’s persistence and that of her friend for running alongside her,  doing some simple maths that shows the proportion of how many will feel the euphoria of wining in a race of eight contestants can put things in perspective.  In a television interview with a young lad who had scored 80+ tries for his rugby league team this season, former Brisbane Broncos player Sam Thaiday reminded him of that euphoria of crossing the line and suggested that he might like to share it with his team mates by passing the ball to them too rather than focusing on the statistics.  What an important lesson for winners to learn!!!  

Earlier this year we were sharing real-life stories of those who tried and endured until they finished in conjunction with the National Simultaneous Storytime book, The Speedy Sloth as we encouraged students to identify and celebrate those things that they were good at if sport was not their forté and this is another worthy addition to that collection.  

 

A Boy, His Dog and the Sea

Jul27
A Boy, His Dog and the Sea

A Boy, His Dog and the Sea

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Boy, His Dog and the Sea

Anthony Browne

Walker Books, 2023

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

9781529507058

Danny is bored. He would have liked to have been playing with his brother Mick but he’s off with his mates so, instead, he takes his dog Scruff for a walk on the beach.  Even though Danny thinks it’s a vast, boring nothingness, especially on a cool wintry day. Scruff loves it and it’s not too long before they are having a game of fetch as Scruff continually chases a stick into the water and brings it back.  But it’s when they see a crowd of people shouting and laughing and waving to someone in the water, that Danny’s afternoon takes a remarkable turn…

As usual, master storyteller Browne offers a visual feast as he combines fairly straight-forward text with his rich illustrations and, just as Danny’ mother suggests he use his eyes closely because “you never know what you might see”, so too should the reader.  But, for me, as much as I love the sea in all its changing moods and colours, and the treasures found along its shore, it is the dedication that underpins this story.  “In loving memory of my big brother Michael” suggests there is a poignant undertone of loss and longing that there could have been a different ending to his brother’s real-life story and this is echoed in the muted palette and flat, almost featureless seascape with just the odd break on the horizon.

So, as well as offering young readers the opportunity to think about what Danny’s mother suggests about finding hidden treasures and sharing their stories of seaside adventures, it is also an opportunity to think about friends and things lost forever and the emotions attached to this.  Given this is the third book about loss and  grief that I have read and reviewed in the last three days, perhaps I am overthinking what might seem a simple story but my experience of Browne’s writing is that like, the beach, there are always hidden treasures to discover. You just have to look. 

 

I am Lupe

Jul26
I am Lupe

I am Lupe

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am Lupe

Sela Ahosivi-Atiola

Yani Agustina

Lothian, 2023

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

9780734422538

Unlike her classmates, Lupe has curly black hair just like her dad, deep brown eyes just like her mum and the coconut oil her mum lathers into her brown skin each day makes it glisten in the sunlight.  And her friends ask about those differences, making Lupe feel awkward because she doesn’t know what to say.  And her mother’s answer shows that in reality, Lupe is just like every other kid – she is a daughter, a big sister, a friend, fearless and funny… she is who she is and that is enough.

This theme of a child being physically different from their peers is common  among picture books for young children such as the magnificent Eyes that Kiss in the Corners as is the revelation that despite our appearances, we share more similarities than differences.  Written by a Tongan-Australian writer this story opens up a different part of the world for many because Lupe is of Tongan descent – “I was born in … the first place on earth to see the sunrise each day” – and stories that have children from the Pacific Islands as their lead characters are rare. From the teachers notes we learn that the fish dish her mother is preparing is ota ika, a raw fish salad, offering the opportunities to not only investigate the traditional foods of Tonga, but also the traditional ways that fish is prepared in other cultures – it’s not always fried and served with chips.  And that can lead to all sorts of investigations about our Pacific neighbours allowing our students from those countries to share their stories and have their heritage acknowledged.

Over my 50+ years of working with children, I have never worked in a classroom where there were only “white Anglo-Saxon” children as Lupe’s class appears to be,  and there would be few nationalities I haven’t encountered, and the greatest joy has been not only seeing the children all meld together as one getting on with the business of being a child and learning and playing together, but all that they have taught me over the years.  And while I’ve not directly experienced the sort of open conversation that Lupe has with her peers, I do know that often kids see their own differences as being bigger than they really are and that this can lead to self-consciousness and anxiety, so the more we share these sorts of books and reassure them that regardless of red hair, wheelchairs, purple skin or knobbly knees, who they are is enough and welcome, the better. To have one in which our Pacific nations kids can see themselves, is a bonus. 

 

A Bear Called Blue

Jul25
A Bear Called Blue

A Bear Called Blue

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Bear Called Blue

Frances Stickley

Lucy Fleming

Andersen Press, 2023

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

9781839131523

He sat in the shop window by himself all summer – the last teddy left until Harriet falls in love with him. Harriet never goes anywhere without her beloved  Blue, so when they become separated because he gets left at the beach, he knows that Harriet must be searching for him. Blue might be lost, but he never loses hope. Days, months and years pass, until one day Blue finds himself on a stall at a summer fete. He catches sight of a little girl who looks just like Harriet… but it can’t be, wouldn’t she be grown up by now? And why does the little girl’s mum look so familiar to him? 

Told in rhyme from Blue’s perspective, this is a story that will touch the heart of any young child who has ever been separated from a favourite toy that will give them hope that one day they will be reunited.  That there can be happy endings. 

Meet Me at the Moon Tree

Jul24
Meet Me at the Moon Tree

Meet Me at the Moon Tree

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Meet Me at the Moon Tree

Shivaun Plozza

UQP, 2023

252pp., pbk., RRP $A16.99

9780702266171

“On the thirty-first of January, 1971, Colonel Stuart Roosa flew into space aboard the Apollo 14 mission to the moon, carrying hundreds of tree seeds for an experiment to see if being in space made trees grow differently…and then he took them home and germinated them and planted them all over the world and they grew up and now they’re called moon trees.”

And on the same day that Colonel Roosa took those seeds into space. Carina’s dad was born and he always told Carina that they would find a moon tree together – they would travel the world and visit every moon tree on earth. Because the trees were magic.  Apart from being the only trees on Earth whose seeds had been to the moon and back, because they had they were bursting with stardust which made them extra magical.  And, according to Carina’s dad, science is about learning how the magic works.

But before they could make their round-the-world journey, even before they could move to their new home in the forests of the Otway Ranges where he was sure there would be a moon tree, her dad was stricken with acute myeloid  leukaemia and died. Carina is almost crippled with grief and is determined to keep the memories of her dad alive by finding the moon tree. But, despite her scientific plan to search for it, it is not easy and is made even less so because of the attitudes of her mum and her older brother, Jack, both of whom are also grieving but expressing it in ways that a 10 year old doesn’t really only understand. As her mum pours her heart and soul into renovating their new home, Carina is convinced she is unloved now, and it’s the last straw when Jack breaks the gift she got her dad for the Christmas her mum seems determined not to celebrate.  Only Gramps, who loves gardening and birds, and is desperately trying to hold the fragile family together, seems to understand but even then, he has his moments… The only highlights in this miserable, sad new life are her friendship with Betty who believes in the moon tree and Colin, a black cockatoo who seems to understand her need to reconnect with her dad somehow. 

When you’re reading a book and you can either hear yourself reading it aloud to a class or you’re composing your review as you go, you know you are on to a winner that will keep you hooked till the end  And so it was with this one.  As an adult you can understand that each of the characters is expressing their grief in their own way, and sometimes they don’t realise the impact of their actions on those around them, but if you’re only 10 it is hard to see that bigger picture. But it is not all gloom and doom- there are elements of humour and insight as everyone is forced to adapt to this new situation, with each having to travel their own path towards healing.  

As well as being a thoroughly engaging read for independent readers. it demonstrates that that path is an individual one, different for each person who travels it, and there is neither a right or wrong way or a timeline or time limit – something that will assuage the feelings of those who are also on the journey as they cope with their own loss, whatever that might be.  Teachers’ notes suggest ways to explore the story in greater depth, including its use of figurative language, but it is definitely a story that could have triggers for some readers so it needs to be used judiciously by someone who knows the audience well.  

Amazing Dad

Jul23
Amazing Dad

Amazing Dad

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Amazing Dad

Alison Brown

Farshore, 2023

32pp., hbk., RRP $A 19.99

9780008555474

Dads can be busy, whizzy, caring, sharing . . . and so much more. But there’s just ONE dad who gives the best hugs of all. Can you guess who it is?

This is a companion to Amazing Mum and like that, it features all sorts of anthropomorphic dads  doing all sorts of things with their little ones with rhyming captions that really encourage young readers to examine the pictures so they can predict the text. Often these sorts of books focus on actual activities that kids and dads can do together but this one is more diverse and includes acknowledgement of dads who have taken on others’ children, dads who live apart and may only be weekend dads, and even dads who can  only live on in the child’s heart.  So there is something for almost every child to relate to and to share about their own dad.

As well as being a tribute to dads and helping the young reader focus on all the things their dad does, it encourages the development of a lot of essential foundation literacy skills not the least of which is that print is fun.  

The Lucky Shack

Jul22
The Lucky Shack

The Lucky Shack

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Lucky Shack

Apsana Baldovino

Jennifer Falkner

Working Title, 2023

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

9781922033154

Having grown up in a harbour town at the very south of the South Island of New Zealand, where the next stop is literally Antarctica, and my childhood days were bordered by either daylight fading or the tide turning, it is neither secret nor surprise that my favourite place to be is by the sea.  Or that I escape there whenever I can, particularly to the more remote places. But remoteness is becoming a luxury as grand McMansions swallow all those little beach shacks that used to be the escape for city-dwellers, although every now and then you see one tucked in amongst its imposing neighbours.  Yet even though the land value puts it out of reach of the bank balance of mere teachers and teacher librarians, nevertheless, we can dream and think about the stories it must have to tell as generations have passed through it, usually since the time at the end of World War II when many were constructed as safe havens for returning soldiers.

In this beautifully illustrated debut title for both author and illustrator, one little shack tells its story. Perched on the shore it watches the boats on the water and the colours of the landscape shine and blur throughout the days and seasons, lovingly cared for by the old fisherman. But dark, monochromatic times come as it slips into loneliness and abandonment as he no longer visits, until one day there is a new glimmer of hope…

As well as being a completely original concept, this a story of  the timelessness of the sea and the seasons, of the cycle and circle of life and of enduring hope for a better future.  Because even at its darkest moments, when it is starting to crumble and fall into the sea,  the little shack believes that all is not lost and indeed, the ending shows that not only can it be restored but its future is assured.  A bit like a person, really.

By telling the story from the perspective of the shack itself, rather than an observant narrator, the reader becomes invested in its tale, feeling its joy when the fisherman brings it to life with warm fires and music, its desolation as it is battered by the elements,  its happiness when a new owner comes and then its delight when children come too.  So even though, on the surface, this would seem like a story for young readers, older readers can explore the concepts of perspective and personification and the impact of those on both the writing and the reading experience.  Teaching notes explore these concepts really well, and readers might even like to try their hand at telling their own story of a tree passing through the seasons from the tree’s perspective, with groups of four each taking a particular season.  As this winter seems endless with its fog and frosts (at least here in the mountains) it is the new buds appearing that offer hope that the world will turn – but, then, is that the same in tropical regions?  Perhaps there is the opportunity for a whole integrated STEM unit!