Search Results for: tiny wonders

Tiny Wonders

Feb1
Tiny Wonders

Tiny Wonders

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tiny Wonders

Sally Soweol Han

UQP, 2022

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

9780702263477

When we were kids, if you held a dandelion under your chin and the yellow was reflected it meant you liked butter, and if you blew on the fluffy seeds, the number of breaths it took to clear it represented the time in Fairyland.  But for April, they represent something much more…

She thinks if her town was a colour, it would be grey. Everyone is too busy to stop and look around. How can she help them slow down?

When she remembers the happiness that dandelions brought her grandmother, April comes up with a plan … what if she were able to plant dandelions so their bright yellow flowers brought joy and colour back to the town. But it’s not as easy as she thinks, but then she has the determination and tenacity to persist…

Even though recent global events have meant that many have slowed down and are appreciating the natural world more, the easing of restrictions has shown that it won’t take much for towns and cities to become grey and blind again so this is a build-on book that could inspire all sorts of plans and preparations to make our homes and schools more cheerful and friendly, and, in doing so, give Mother Nature a helping hand.  As well as allowing young children to investigate how they could beautify their neighbourhood and the life cycle of plants, there is scope to discover what grows where and when and why as well as having to take on the long-term responsibility of nurturing a garden.  There are all sorts of biology investigations about the colour of flowers and the insects they attract and their value to the bigger picture as well as the language of flowers that both April and the author focus on.  

While there are many picture books focusing on the environment, this one that brings it right back to the child and their own back yard is a charmer and offers much scope for change – perhaps there will be many pockets of colour amongst the grey in the months ahead. 

 

Our World of Wild Wonders

Feb25
Our World of Wild Wonders

Our World of Wild Wonders

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our World of Wild Wonders

Jevita Nilson

Jess Racklyeft

CSIRO Publishing, 2025

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

9781486318667 

Just as our world is full of natural wonder, those landscapes and landshapes provide protection for hundreds of species, “some mighty, some meek” and in this companion volume to Our World Full of Wonder,  author and artist take the reader on another intriguing journey to introduce them to some of them.

Whether its the alpine ibex clinging to the almost vertical slopes of the European Alps, thousands upon thousands of starlings over the UK, rare dolphins sliding through the waves of New Zealand’s coast or an echidna hiding from the bushfire in a burrow, each demonstrates the diversity of creatures that share this planet, raising awareness that there is something seeking shelter no matter where we go.  Each creature is introduced through a tantalising fact that makes you want to find out more – and more is provided in the final pages, although just enough to inspire further exploration.  Who knew that the tiny dolphins splashing in the waves that we took for granted as  kids in the 50s were the smallest in the world and are now endangered because of the threats in the very environment that made them so endearing? 

Teachers’ notes are available to explore it in greater depth, including looking at the language used in the descriptions, such as examining how the words “cloak” and “blanket” are used to help the reader visualise the scene, and these, in turn, could be used as a model by students to add an extra page of their favourite creature. 

Time and again, CSIRO Publishing produces the most entertaining and intriguing books for young readers, even taking this seasoned reviewer on new journeys, and with a range of new ones coming in 2025, I look forward to booking my own adventure of discovery. 

Look for these to add to your non fiction collection this year…

The Tiny Woman’s Coat

Nov15
The Tiny Woman's Coat

The Tiny Woman’s Coat

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Tiny Woman’s Coat

Joy Cowley

Giselle Clarkson

Walker Books, 2021

28pp., hbk., RRP $A24.99

9781776573424

A storm is brewing and the tiny woman realises she will need a coat to stay dry and warm.  But where will she get the cloth, the scissors, the thread, the needle, the buttons?

On the surface this is a lovely story about friendship and co-operation in the tiny woman’s community but to those who understand how little children learn to read it is so much more than that.

When I started my initial teacher ed course in New Zealand in 1970, Joy Cowley was the leading author behind the Ready to Read series, a collection of basal readers that was used in junior classrooms in every school in New Zealand for reading instruction.  In the 70s there would have been few Kiwi children who were unfamiliar with Early in the Morning , Grandma Comes to Stay and The Fire Engine, and the thrill of moving from red to yellow, blue and green levels before starting on ‘chapter books” like The Donkey’s Egg or The Hungry Lambs.  The series was revolutionary in its approach to teaching children to read because it used natural language rather than phonics or controlled vocabulary, drawing on the research on world leaders in early literacy like Sylvia Ashton-Warner and Dr Marie Clay. She then went on to be the talent behind the Storybox Library series with titles like Mrs Wishy Washy and The Kick-a-Lot Shoes.

And it is her knowledge and experience of how children learn that underpins this story so that they can experience “real reading” and consolidate their belief that they can be “real” readers. To start with the tiny woman wonders where she will get the cloth for her coat, focusing the reader’s attention of the sorts of things that will be needed to construct it so they can draw on their own experience to suggest the items that will be required.  Then each “chapter” starts with the repeated statement and question… “The tiny woman wanted a coat. “Where will I get some…” leaving the reader to suggest what the next word might be and possible solutions. All the while the sky is changing building the anticipation of whether she will get her coat completed before the storm hits.  

While there are hundreds of stories written and published for our youngest readers every year, there are few that are so deeply rooted in understanding those early reading behaviours and which consolidate our children’s expectations of being readers as well as those by this author.  While the world has clearly moved on from the scenario of Grandma arriving in a Vickers Viscount  (after 50+ years I still remember the theme of the stories) , the process of learning to read remains the same, and this is the perfect support to that. 

The Colours of Home

May4
The Colours of Home

The Colours of Home

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Colours of Home

Sally Soweol Han

Thames & Hudson, 2025

32pp., hbk., RRP $A26.99

9781760764654

Moving to a new neighbourhood is, in itself, a testing experience for many children, but moving to a new country is something else again.  So when Bomi moves from Australia to Korea, there are bound to be some dramatic changes.  Yet she finds comfort in seeing familiar colours in new places, and they bring her a sense of calm and comfort as she see the grey of the bark of the ancient gum tree at the end of her old street in the grey bark of the silver birch in her new park, and purple hydrangeas dance in the sun here, just as the jacarandas did at home.  But no matter which country she is in, the same silver moon watches over her while she sleeps and the same yellow sun greets her as she wakes…

Once again, as she did in Tiny Wonders, Korean-Australian creator Sally Soweol Han encourages the reader to observe and appreciate the colours around them to connect them to their surroundings. Whenever we are in a new situation, we look for the familiar so we can connect to what we already know, do, understand, appreciate and value so we can put the unfamiliar into context and so linking colours of the landscape offers a simple way to ground ourselves. This is visual storytelling at its best and offers so many opportunities for the reader to see their own world through new eyes.

Given the number of children in our schools for whom Australia is a new country, and particularly as a new term gets under way, this is a valuable addition to the collection to share with them as they adapt and adjust to so much that is confusing, confronting and challenging.   

Rosie’s Garden

Apr18
Rosie’s Garden

Rosie’s Garden

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rosie’s Garden

Olivia Coates

Samantha McLelland

EK Books, 2025

32pp., hbk.,  RRP $A27.99

9781921497056

Unless you took the time to look, few knew there was a garden on Lot 33.  Most people just hurried past, too engrossed in their own lives and thoughts to notice it, but to Rosie it was a sanctuary – one that she tended daily so that Mr Dellagatti can collects seeds, Annika can play her violin, Chad can chase rainbows and even Esmeralda the chicken can scratch for worms for breakfast!

So no one really notices when the lot is sold and instead of a little community garden, another towering skyscraper swallows the space.  But Rosie does – and she also sees the changes in the lives of those who enjoyed it as she did.   So when she has an idea that she is determined to put to the Big Boss even if that means going all the way to the top of the building, it could be a turning point.  But will the Big Boss listen?  And what will their reaction be?

This is not the first story book for young readers about a child’s determination to nurture their local green space – others include Orlando’s Garden, Butterfly Girl, The Concrete Garden, Let’s Build a Backyard, The Secret of Sapling Green, Tiny Wonders, andHarriet’s Hungry Worms among others,  – but it is yet another one to encourage young readers that, even though they are ‘just’ young readers, they can make a difference.  Whether it’s something as simple as placing a flowering plant on a balcony so that the insects have nectar to find, or starting with a spontaneous but transient chalk drawing, with determination, perseverance and resilience even children can have an impact on the environment.

Teachers’ notes  not only help explore the story in greater depth, but help students consider the vital question of, “Now that I know this, what can I do with my new knowledge?” perhaps becoming the impetus for a local project.  Even though, in many parts of Australia, cooler weather means the natural world is taking a rest, nevertheless it is the ideal time to begin planning… particularly at this time when we are surrounded by symbols and images of rebirth.  Even in the southern hemisphere, Spring will be here soon. 

 

Nightsong

Oct21
Nightsong

Nightsong

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nightsong

Sally Soweol Han

UQP, 2023

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

9780702266188

Lewis has been in the noise of the city all day and he is really looking forward to the peace and quiet of his country home.  But on the way home, the bus gets a puncture and they are stranded.  Straight away the adults start to chatter-chatter-chatter so Lewis moves away and as he climbs into a field a whole new world of sound and songs opens up to him…

Anyone who, like me, lives in the country, will empathise with Lewis in his desire to escape the noise and busyness of the city.  Han has used a clever technique of using speech bubbles and words in the illustrations to convey all the sounds in this story, and this emphasises the continual and constant cacophony that we are surrounded by every day, particularly if you live in the city.  So not only is the peace of the countryside so different, it is very welcoming and restful.  And sometimes, even then, it is not until we are forced to listen do we actually hear, as Lewis does.

In her book,  Tiny Wonders, the focus was on the greyness of the city where everybody is too busy to stop and look at the colours in the cracks and crevices, and this is similar as we seem to be so busy making our own noise we don’t hear the songs that nature provides us with. 

Mem Fox once said that reading a story at bedtime is like “drawing the curtains on the day” and this story offers an additional element to that.  By taking the time and having our children listen to the sounds of night falling – the natural sounds of Mother Nature closing some things down while others awake to start their new day – can be very calming and soporific.  What sounds can be heard? What is making the noise?  Why are some creatures waking up when others are going to sleep?  All questions that can be explored in the morning…

 

Every Rock Has A Story

Feb1
Every Rock Has A Story

Every Rock Has A Story

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Every Rock Has A Story: An A to Z of Australian Geology

Kitty van Cuylenburg

Cher Hart

CSIRO Publishing, 2025

64pp., hbk., RRP $A32.99

9781486316731

Drive a short way out of the city, any city or town, and it’s not long before you see rocks pushing their way out of the ground, remnants of some ancient hill or mountain.  Or head to the coast and watch the waves pound against the rocks, scurry into some hidden cave and emerge again in a plume of spray.  Perhaps you have been to Uluru, the distinctive monolith that seems to rise from nowhere in Central Australia, or maybe the limestone stacks on Victoria’s southern coast known as the Twelve Apostles .

 

Whichever landscape or landshape has caught your eye, it is hard not to wonder at the how and the what of each.  

So this new book from CSIRO Publishing is the ideal introduction to the land beneath our feet (or in front of us), the Country we walk on as it is a comprehensive A-Z of the rocks of this ancient land, their formation and timeline, the factors that make and shape them and some of those that aren’t as familiar. 

For independent readers who want information and explanation rather than just fun facts, but offered in a way that they can relate to,  this is a journey through Australia’s geological wonders with illustrations, diagrams and maps that not only spans the continent but also the 4.4 billion years of the planet’s history with the final entry being about the tiny zircon fragment found in Western Australia in 2001 and which radiometric dating showed to be “the oldest known mineral yet found on Earth – in one of the oldest existing pieces of the earth’s crust.”

While our students are becoming more and more aware of what’s around them and to observe this, giving them a basic understanding of what is beneath them through geology can only give them a deeper appreciation of not only the planet but also Country as it continually acknowledges Traditional Owners as being the first scientists and storytellers and request that their beliefs be respected, such as not taking boats though Ganbadba (the Horizontal Falls in remote WA) when the tide is running because the water is the Woonguss (creator snake) itself.

If you are beginning the new school year with an investigation into the ancient history of either the planer of this country, this is an important addition to that collection, but it is also an ideal companion for Rocks, Fossils and Formations, Giinagay Juluum, Hello Mountains, Our Country: Ancient Wonders,  and The Book of Stone, perhaps even Rockhopping.

 

 

Who Makes an Ocean?

Jan21
Who Makes an Ocean?

Who Makes an Ocean?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Who Makes an Ocean?

Sally Nicholls

Carolina Rabei

Andersen Press, 2024

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

9781839131318

Take a young child to the beach for the first time and they are almost certain to ask, “Who made the ocean?”  Could it have been an ancient god? A magic spell? A billion firefighters and all their hoses?

No. It was none of these, and in this fascinating book the young reader is taken through the journey of the Earth’s formation and how “it was worlds upon worlds of tiny creatures. It was good luck and bad luck and uncountable shifts and changes…”  Using a father and his children visiting the Sea Museum to connect the story, this makes a very accessible explanation to a complex question.  As well as the timeline thread, there are also pages that focus on ecosystems, the impact of humans and how we can protect them so the ocean and its inhabitants becomes as important as the land and its in our quest to protect and preserve the planet. 

Even for those who have different beliefs about the planet’s and life’s first beginnings, this is a must-have in the school library’s collection if we are to provide students with a variety of viewpoints, and adds to the collection of previously reviewed books that help explain  the origins of this planet and its inhabitants, as well as being a companion to Who Makes a Forest? …

Our Country: Ancient Wonders

BANG! The Story of How Life on Earth Began

Australian Backyard Naturalist 

Earth is Big

We are One: How the World Adds Up

Australian Backyard Explorer

The History of Everywhere

The Amazing Meals of Martha Maloney

A Hundred Thousand Welcomes

Atlas of Amazing Migrations

Ouch! Tales of Gravity

The Same But Different

Evolution

How We Came to Be: Surprising Sea Creatures

On the Origin of the Species

 

Desert Jungle

May27
Desert Jungle

Desert Jungle

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Desert Jungle

Jeannie Baker

Walker Books, 2023

40pp., hbk., RRP $A27.99

9781406387872

Despite being surrounded by mountains of rock and cacti, the boy prefers to sit inside and experience the world through the screen of his tablet.  He fears going far from his home because he has heard the coyotes howling at night and the village dogs barking.

But then he goes to stay with his grandpa in a place far away, much more isolated than even his tiny village,  but it still has internet coverage and so his tablet remains his friend.  Until the night a coyote steals the bag with it inside, and in his search for it Chico’s life changes in ways he will never imagine…

Set in the Valle de los Sirios in the Sonoran Desert in Baja California, Mexico, Jeannie Baker’s magnificent and magical collage artwork brings to life an environment that shows that the desert is not necessarily the barren, desolate, lifeless place we envisage but one which is rich in flora and fauna and history.  While the landscape she portrays is a specific part of the Mexican  desert, nevertheless she raises the possibility that this could be a desert anywhere, just as rich in biodiversity if only we took the time to look and appreciate.

In her notes, she refers to “nature-deficit disorder,” where children are indifferent to their natural surroundings because they are isolated from it and ignorant about it, and  thus they are likely to fear what they don’t know, and what they fear, they will destroy. so this book has a much wider application than just introducing the reader to the wonders of a particular piece of this planet.  Even the juxtaposition of the words in the title is significant as it evokes two totally different images in the mind at the same time, neither necessarily as compatible as the title suggests, and those who are familiar with the author’s work know that there will be many layers to explore in both text and illustration.  For while it is the story of the boy’s individual growth as he learns to love the environment and those feelings of wonder and protectiveness follow him home – the lizard unseen on the rock at the beginning becomes a thing of fascination at the end – it could also be the stories of many who are given the chance to experience Nature at her best in the raw and in the wild first-hand.  How many city kids have never seen a dark sky glistening with stars because the city lights keep them in permanent twilight?  How many country kids have never felt the sea foam tickle their toes or been in awe of the power of the waves crashing on the rocks?

There are so many books for young readers that focus on sustainability and the need to protect the environment, but this is a masterpiece that shows them just what it is they are protecting.  And if not here, then where? 

It is nearly seven years since we were gifted Circle, and the wonder and beauty of Desert Jungle has been worth the wait. 

 

Who Makes a Forest?

Mar21
Who Makes a Forest?

Who Makes a Forest?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Who Makes a Forest?

Sally Nicholls

Carolina Rabei

Andersen Press, 2021

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

 9781783449200

Who makes a forest? A wizard, a giant, a business corporation or an emperor and all  his armies?

With its very English orientation this has been sitting on my to-review pile for some time, patiently waiting its turn as I pondered whether it was appropriate for young Australian readers, But as other reviews unfolded, particularly the series about the development of the planet from the Big Bang , the formation of land shapes and landscapes that we view in awe today, and the birth of animal life  its place in the scheme of things began to evolve.  For if this planet was formed by a mighty explosion that left us with scalding molten rock that eventually cooled, how did it become covered in all the plant life we know today?  

Compounded by watching what, for decades, has been a sharp, clay bank where the earth was cut out for a building turn to a moss-covered haven for tiny creatures as this year’s rain has seeped through the ground from the hills above us, and lichen grew on tree stumps that have been dead for just as long, the book found its way to the top of the pile.  So even though the plants and creatures that the children meet as they walk through the woods with Grandpa, nevertheless it is the concept of how  a thousand tiny things can come together to change the face of the earth. And so just as the children find moss and algae and lichen on the rocks, so I too, am finding it in my very Australian bush landscape.  And just as they see the tiny plants emerging from the soil created as those mosses and lichen break down, so am I seeing the shoot of a grass.  And as they see the butterflies and bees followed by the birds whose droppings not only nourish the fledgling soil but leave seeds that will sprout, so am I seeing clumps of wattle trees and other wildflowers starting to carpet what has been barren clay and shale. 

So from what was a book that didn’t really speak to me loudly, it has now taken its place in that collection that will help our young readers better understand the world around them and how it works.  And regardless of what evolves in the middle of the story, the start and the end of forests are the same – and there are even tips on what we can do to help them last longer.