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One Very Tired Wombat

Jan4

 

One Very Tired Wombat

One Very Tired Wombat

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One Very Tired Wombat

Renée Treml

Random House, 2012

hbk., RRP $A$19.95

9781742755786

Ebook 9781742749013

“1 very tired wombat, settles down to sleep.  The morning is calm and silent; wombat doesn’t hear a peep.”  Until … 2 curious curlews, 3 furtive frogmouths, and a host of other birds come by and disturb the peace.  Until there is one feather too many…

Written and illustrated by an artist with an amazing eye for detail and the ability to be accurate yet quirky at the same time, the unique illustrations are what set this book apart from others about creatures trying to sleep; from others about wombats; and from others that have a counting pattern embedded in them.  The illustrations are “created using a scratchboards covered in white clay. The shape of each animal is then blocked out in black ink and, when this is dry, Renée uses a craft knife to scratch in features such as faces, fur and feathers”.  It’s very much the grown-up version of scratching illustrations into a coloured card covered in thick, black wax crayon.

The result is a unique picture book that works on every level, including offering tidbits of information about all the native birds featured in the story.  Something different for your new year’s book display.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

Nov29
The Very Hungry Caterpillar

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The  Very Hungry Caterpillar

Eric Carle

Penguin 2002

9780140569322

“In the light of the moon a little egg lay on a leaf”.

Who doesn’t know this classic story of the hatching of that little egg, and the caterpillar’s journey through a an orchard of fruits throughout the week, a un-caterpillar feast on Saturday and culminating in a massive stomach ache?  So big, in fact, that the little caterpillar has to eat through a nice green leaf to ease it and then goes to sleep for another week, snug in a cocoon until he emerges as a beautiful butterfly.

First published in 1969, this story has endured for 45 years because it has all the things that young readers like – an engaging character, bright pictures created in Carle’s signature collage style, cut and cutout pages that promise new things when they are turned, counting and prediciting and reading along, and a most satisfying ending.

Over the years, Carle has written many stories for the very young and whether its The Very Busy Spider, The Tiny Seed or Does a Kangaroo have a mother, too? each has a place on the bottom shelf, your read-aloud basket and your teaching toolkit.

Now, at the age of 84, Carle has released Friends a new story inspired by an old snapshot and a long-ago memory.

A peek inside...

A peek inside…

The House of 12 Bunnies

Nov17
The House of 12 Bunnies

The House of 12 Bunnies

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The House of 12 Bunnies

Caroline Stills $ Sarcia Stills-Blott

Judith Rossell

Little Hare, 2011

hbk., RRP $A24.95

9781921714405

 

In the house of 12 bunnies, it is nearly bedtime but Sophia has lost something.  Unfortunately, this is not an orderly, organised household and Sophia has a difficult time finding what she is looking for.  But Sophia needs it if the bunnies are ever to get to bed to sleep peacefully so she perseveres.

And the young reader perseveres with her, having the most delightful time finding all the other items mentioned in the text, and, at the same time, trying to work out what it is that Sophia is looking for.

Miss 5-on-Sunday and I had a great time with this book, not only finding the items but also thinking about the sorts of places we could look in the kitchen, the dining room, and even outside as well as the sorts of things we might find there. (This sort of classifying and categorising is the very beginning of information literacy – putting like with like to be organised.) We did get distracted when we searched the piano though, because maybe the item was inside it and the only way to find that out is to sit down and play a few notes!  But, because Grandma had had a sneak peek at the last page, eventually we were able to find just what we (and Sophia) were looking for, right where we left it.

This book works on so many levels.  Its storyline is engaging and intriguing because the readers doesn’t know what Sophia has lost so has to predict; its illustrations are rich and detailed and as well as finding all the items, they have to be counted to ensure they are all there; there’s scope to explore colours, patterns and designs; and each page has a different preposition of position (maths and mapping) to explore.   It’s very clever and reflects a sound understanding of the needs of this age group, so while it entertains it subtly educates.  It can be read over and over with something new to focus on each time, and just cries out for all sorts of follow-up activities, both at home and at school.

Linking literacy, numeracy and information literacy can be a challenge but this book nails it.  It’s a great opportunity to show our classroom-based colleagues that information literacy is integral to everything and that teacher librarians  can offer more than literature appreciation.

A peek inside

A peek inside