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Millie Mak Makes Her Mark

Oct1
Millie Mak Makes Her Mark

Millie Mak Makes Her Mark

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Millie Mak Makes Her Mark

Alice Pung

Sher Rill Ng

HarperCollins, 2025

240pp., hbk., RRP $A24.99

9781460767009

Millie Mak is back in the final instalment of this series for younger independent readers who enjoy contemporary realistic fiction that reflects both their lives and their relationships. 

Now she has settled into her new life in a new school,  her family having moved to a new neighbourhood to be closer to her mother’s parents, and made new friends, each as individual as she is yet sharing a love for creating, particularly with fabric, the Fru-Gals are trying to start their own online business.  But, even though it’s school holidays,  it’s tricky when you have to take care of younger siblings who seem intent on squabbling all the time.  But a chance encounter with a family who are on a temporary visit to town shows them that not only can you have fun with your brothers and sisters but you can have your own adventures too, and the girls discover the magic of dyeing plain fabric with natural materials and then creating something really special with the squares. 

In the second story, Veesa is caught in a dilemma.  While the Fru-Gals pride themselves on recycling, repurposing and upcycling,  Veesa’s mother earns her living by sewing “fast fashion” –  cheap, mass-produced clothing which replicates  current trends, encouraging frequent purchasing and discarding of items due to their low cost and rapid obsolescence – and this is in direct contrast to what the Fru-Gals believe, particularly the impact on the environment.   Not only does the issue give Veesa food for thought, but it could spark conversations amongst the readers. 

As usual, each story is followed by instructions to make some of the things that the girls do, encouraging both creativity and problem-solving as well as trying something new.

In this series, Alice Pung nails the issues of young girls straddling being the “little girl” and the one finding her identity as independence and the double-digit years loom, complicated by the physical differences and expectations as puberty kicks in.  Millie expresses a lot of those inner thoughts and concerns that most have while trying to negotiate the ups and downs of relationships that involve others with similar insecurities, particularly those who might not as confident in standing up for themselves, but by realising that their feelings are not unique, might gain the courage to keep following their own path. But one of its strengths is that from that shy, new-girl-in-school, Millie has grown and matured – as have her friends, each having found their niche in both the group and the community – just as the regular readers will also have developed. 

Interestingly, when I reviewed Millie Mak the Maker in 2023, my friend had just offered school-holiday sewing classes for young children and had been swamped by the response; and once again, she is finding the same thing.  There is definitely an interest in these traditional crafts and a demand for those who can pass them on.  Who knows where this series might take the reader… 

Weaving Country

Jul28
Weaving Country

Weaving Country

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Weaving Country

Chris Joy & Aunty Kim Wandin

Ashleigh Pugh

Walker Books, 2025

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

9781760657628

When Walert (Possum) sees her Gugung (grandmother) gathering djirra (reeds) by the river, the susurrus through the rushes invites her to follow her home, little knowing that she is going to learn one of those precious lessons that generations share between each other as they pass the knowledge of their culture to each other. 

In Walert’s case, she not only learns about the physical construction of a woven binak  (basket), but also how the sun, land, water and wind all play their part in the growing and the preparation of the djirra so they are ready to weave, strengthening her understanding of her connection to Country that is so integral of First Nations culture and life.  And when a boroin (blue wren) builds its tiny nest in the drying djirra, and lays three little eggs, Walert also learns patience.  This is not the time to disturb the circle of life that has endured for so long.

This  is a story set on Wurundjeri Country in the Yarra Valley, Victoria and based on the work of author Aunty Kim Wandin who is a master weaver and Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung Elder, whose traditional basket making has been handed down to her by direct lineage, so Walert’s lessons have authenticity and authority. The teachers’ notes which accompany it specifically focus on encouraging “students to
slow down, listen deeply, and build respectful relationships with place, themselves, and each other, honouring the wisdom of intergenerational learning and the living stories carried by land and water. ” offering opportunities to engage with the land, its harvest, its inhabitants and each other that they might not otherwise consider.

But as well as connecting both Walert and the students to their natural environment, the story itself has a strong focus on the passing of knowledge, skills and understandings between Gugung and Walert making it an ideal springboard for helping young readers develop their understanding of the outcomes embedded in the early years of the Australian HASS curriculum . What stories and skills have their grandparents shared with them, such as  favourite books, or music, or crafts or how to mend a bike or….???  Is there something that their family always does at a particular commemoration or celebration because that’s the way it has always been done? For older students, what stories, traditions and skills will they pass on to their own children?

From 2027 in New South Wales, the Human Society and its Environment K−6 Syllabus (2024) requires students in Stage 1 (years 1 and 2) to understand that “People use stories, images, objects and sites to understand the ancient past” with a specific focus on the ancient cultures of China, Egypt, Greece and Rome, and those in Stage 2 (Years 3 and 4) to focus on the ancient cultures of Mesoamerica which include  the Maya, Aztecs and Incas so although their grandparents are not that old, this could be a bridge that helps them understand that much of what they know and do today is built on what those who have gone before have known and done beginning within their own family and their own experience. 

While there seems to be an upsurge in the writing and publishing of books that explore First Nations’ connections to Country, helping non-Indigenous children understand and appreciate the Welcome to Country and Acknowledgement of Country that are part of their daily lives, this one, through its story and indeed, its literal and metaphorical focus on weaving, is a stand out. 

Good Housekeeping The Ultimate Kids Christmas Book: Crafts, Recipes, & Fun!

Dec1

 

 

 

Good Housekeeping The Ultimate Kids Christmas Book

Good Housekeeping The Ultimate Kids Christmas Book

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Good Housekeeping The Ultimate Kids Christmas Book

Hearst Home Kids, 2023

192pp., hbk., RRP $A49.99

9781958395998

What makes Christmas, Christmas for kids?  That was the question that the authors of this book asked themselves to kickstart their thinking and they came up with three key elements – festivities. decorations and food. 

Created by the editors and Test Kitchen chefs at Good Housekeeping, it begins with a quick trip around the world to discover the ways kids in different countries celebrate the time, including Australia, offering an opportunity for students to share the traditions that make celebrations in their households unique and then this is followed by an advent calendar with 24 suggestions of different activities that could be done each day from taking a walk outside and enjoying what Nature has to offer to creating a Christmas time capsule using memories of the family’s favourite moments to be opened in 12 months’ time.  

There are further chapters that focus on the origins and development of the Christmas tree, hosting a gift swap and many more practical ideas that mean this is the ideal starter resource for Christmas celebrations in the classroom, especially for those students in the 8-12 age range who are a little more independent and demanding something new.  Even though many of the activities and recipes are winter-based,  even they are an opportunity to explore why so much of what we continue to do here in Australia reflects those northern hemisphere traditions.

This is an excellent way to begin the 2024 Christmas Countdown as it offers ideas that can be planned in advance to make the most of this time and for years to come.

 

 

How To Draw a Dragon

Oct10
How To Draw a Dragon

How To Draw a Dragon

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How To Draw a Dragon

Kate Talbot

Albert Street, 2024

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

9781761180606

Everybody knows what a dragon looks like.
Don’t they?
Dragons have wings.
Dragons breathe fire.

Especially they breathe fire!

On the surface this is a lively conversation between a father and child as they lie on the floor together and Dad draws a dragon. But it does not look like the little one’s mental image of what a dragon should be like and so the story is carried along via their exchange as they make various versions and changes and then let their imaginations really go wild. Until a third party intervenes… 

Dragons appear in so many storybooks for young readers that each will probably have a mental image of what they look like and so a simple activity would be to have them draw their version of one before reading the story, and then compare their drawings after sharing the book. As well as starting conversations about the similarities and differences, and making comparisons of the role dragons take in the stories they have read (‘text-to-text’ for the curriculum buffs – start with There is No Dragon in this Story; search this blog for “dragon” for many more or this blog post from A Mighty Girl) there could also be those who want to compare dragons of different cultures because the children of Asian origin will likely have a different perspective from those of the child in the story, and it will be more than just its physical looks, so lots of opportunities to compare and contrast and present findings.. And then there are the offshoots like the Komodo dragon and the weedy sea-dragon both appearing in the story and blurring the image even further.

But, delve a little deeper and it opens up all sorts of possibilities like the concept of stereotypes and the validity of the judgements we make based on what we imagine someone or somebody being or doing.  Do all dragons have wings? Do they all breathe fire? Do all scientists wear white coats? Do all kings wear crowns?

It can also offer scope to investigate perception and perspective – how what we see is based on what we already know and believe.  Depending on the age of those you are working with, share The King’s Breakfast, a poem by A. A. Milne; the initial description of the giant moving down the street in Roald Dahl’s The BFG; or the first meeting between Gandalf and Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit. Then have them draw the scene they see in their head, without reference to other illustrations, and once complete, share their images.  Why, when given exactly the same information, is every drawing so different? What did they already know/believe that influenced their pictures?  It has been my experience that this is an activity that will generate a lot of learning whether done with Year 1 or Year 6 and beyond.

Different interpretations of Bilbo Baggins meeting Gandalf

Different interpretations of Bilbo Baggins meeting Gandalf

The publisher’s blurb says this is one that is “perfect to share with children who love drawing … or having opinions.” but, using humour in the illustrations and presenting the story entirely in dialogue with each speaker identified by a particular font echoing the voice of an opinionated child who is adamant that they are right and which we can all hear, Talbot has created a story that  it has the potential to be so much more. 

 

It’s Boba Time For Pearl Li!

Jul4
It's Boba Time For Pearl Li!

It’s Boba Time For Pearl Li!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It’s Boba Time For Pearl Li!

Nicole Chen

HarperCollins US, 2024

368pp., pbk., RRP $A19..99

9780063228627

School’s out for the summer and Pearl Li is planning to spend the time hanging out with her best friends, Cindy and Priya, and going to her favourite boba café to visit the wise Auntie Cha who Pearl believes is the only adult who understands her and her need to create her traditional Taiwanese amigurumi dolls,  Both her parents and big sister are immersed in the world of technology, computing and coding and at a recent science fair her mother openly scoffed at her model while praising one made by rival Kendall on a 3D printer.  Pearl fells like an outsider in her own family, and all she really wants is for her mother, particularly, to understand and value physical things made by hand as much as she values those made by machines and mechanics.

So when Pearl discovers that Boba Time is facing closure because Auntie Cha doesn’t have the money to fix its fridge, she decides she will raise the money by selling her dolls.  But the business world can be a tricky place for a 12-year-old to navigate especially when you have to lie about your age and keep things secret and even with the best intentions, secrecy can have all sorts of unforeseen consequences including risking your relationships with those you love most.

This is an original story that has all sorts of real-life twists and turns that will make the reader think about their own family dynamics and friendships.  With characters of Taiwanese, Chinese, Indian and American descent each bringing their personal perspectives to the narrative and each of them having that perspective challenged as events unfold, it has a depth and complexity that can be appreciated at the adult level but is also an absorbing read for younger independent readers who not only enjoy a good story but also understand the simple joy of creating something from virtually nothing, and the joy that the something can give to others. Whether it’s considering how we might unwittingly leave someone feeling isolated because they don’t have the same language or experiences that we take for granted, or discovering that our classmates have talents we have not discovered, or navigating the tricky path of being a tweenager, this book has something for so many.  Maybe it’s even time to plan a Kids’ Creativity Fair of your own!

Where’s Bluey? At Christmas

Dec18

 

 

 

Where’s Bluey? At Christmas

Where’s Bluey? At Christmas

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Where’s Bluey? At Christmas

Bluey

Puffin, 2023

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

9781761046278

Bluey and Christmas – can there be a better combination to put together into an interactive book for a surefire winner for a Christmas gift that will not only entertain but will educate at the same time?

Christmas in Australia is very different to the Christmas so often featured in children’s books and other entertainment at this time of the year, and so all the things that are familiar to our kids are featured in double-paged interactive spreads that encourage the young reader to engage with them.  Time in the pool, putting up the tree, playing backyard cricket, relaxing at the beach – each has its place with items to find in the pictures ensuring little ones continue to develop their visual acuity as they look at the details in the illustrations.

 

A peek inside

A peek inside

Then if the days to wait seem too long. offer them Bluey’s Christmas Craft  so brains and fingers are engaged in making and doing all sorts of Christmassy things that can become their contribution to the celebrations. Step-by=step guides offer all sorts of things that can be made from candy cane bunting to designing their own Christmas rashie to building an entire gnome village.

 

Combined with Bluey’s Advent Calendar, this could indeed by a Blue-y, Blue-y Christmas!

 

 

Millie Mak the Maker

Sep26
Millie Mak the Maker

Millie Mak the Maker

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Millie Mak the Maker

Alice Pung

Sher Rill Ng

HarperCollins, 2023

288pp., hbk., RRP $A22.99

9781460763773

Life has been pretty tricky lately for nine-year-old Millie Mak. As well as her family moving to a new neighbourhood to be closer to her mother’s parents, she has started a new school and being quiet and somewhat shy, she has found it hard to make friends, not made easier by being Scottish-Chinese with Asian features and flaming red hair.  Things come to a head when she and her Granny find an old dolls house put out on the street for Hard Rubbish Day collection, perfect for them to renovate, but which is also seen by the young sister of one of the mean girls who throws a tantrum when she does not get it.  

But Millie and her grandmother have been revitalising and renewing old stuff  together for a long time and now it’s in Millie’s nature to look for new ways to use old things, turning them into something beautiful and useful.  So when she sees her other Chinese grandmother who lives with them and takes care of the household, including two year old Rosie, making sleeve savers from an old pillowcase, she has an even better idea using her dad’s broken umbrella. She learns even more when she goes to the holiday program at the local community centre – not the expensive Awesome Kids workshops she was hoping for – and meets Veesa and Glee whose mums actually make the popular brand-name clothes that everyone, including those mean girls, are paying so much money for.  Who knew you could make a trendy skirt from some tea towels?

The second story also focuses on making something from almost nothing, as a new girl, Amrita, starts at the school and being Sikh, experiences the same isolation that Millie did.  But the two girls strike up a friendship that not only opens new doors for both of them but has them having the most popular stall at the school fete.

All the familiar themes and feelings of starting a new school are threaded through this story – isolation, bullying, racism, stereotyping – as well as having to grapple with issues at home like the rivalry between her grandmothers and her dad unable to work because of an accident, so it will resonate with many readers but its focus on recycling and upcycling will really appeal to those who love to do the same, particularly those learning to sew – made even moreso because there are clear instructions given for some of the projects at the end of each story as well as some other avenues to explore.  Who knew that fabric could come from animals, minerals and plants and we could be wearing all at the same time?

Both Millie’s family and the situations she and Rita, particularly, face will not only be familiar to those who have walked that path, but there are also lessons to be learned by those on the other side, particularly about making assumptions about how someone might feel or react.   Teaching notes offer other ideas for exploring the issues in greater depth – there is so much but a book review can only be so long.

When a friend recently offered sewing classes for children, she was so overwhelmed with the responses that she had to add extra sessions, and so there are many boys and girls who have an interest in this sort of creativity and this is the ideal book for feeding that interest as well as sparking inspiration for others.  Being one of those who sews every day and knits each night, I read it in one sitting and kept thinking of how I could share it with one of the little ones in Jane’s sewing classes because I know they would love it.  

 Luckily for those budding creators, this is just the first in the series and Children’s Books Daily has an interview with the author to share.

 

 

The Crayons’ Christmas

Dec2

 

 

 

 

The Crayons' Christmas

The Crayons’ Christmas

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Crayons’ Christmas

Drew Daywalt

Oliver Jeffers

HarperCollins, 2019

32pp., hbk., RRP $27.99

9780008180362

Tis the season for all of us to write our Christmas wish lists. But everyone knows – even the Crayons – that the best presents are the ones that you give. In this unique book, readers join in as Duncan, the Crayons and their families celebrate the festive season. However, come Christmas Eve, Duncan is sad because while everyone else has something special all he has are letters telling him his friends wouldn’t be home for Christmas.  Until…

This is one of those magical books that is likely to become a family heirloom. With real, folded letters to pull from their envelopes and read, games, press-out ornaments, a poster and a pop-up tree, it comes specially wrapped like a gift increasing the anticipation and just asking to be opened and explored. Perhaps not one for the general library collection but definitely one to be put aside for that special Christmas Countdown.

Tatty Mouse Rockstar

Sep16
Tatty Mouse Rockstar

Tatty Mouse Rockstar

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tatty Mouse Rockstar

Hilary Robinson

Mandy Stanley

Catch A Star, 2022

16pp., board book., RRP $A14.99

 9781922326553

Tatty Mouse wants to play in her brother’s band, but given they already have a guitarist, a saxophonist and a singer, she has to find a place.  Known as the ‘mend-it, make-it mouse”, and so, after consulting a book she decides on maracas and drums and sets using everyday objects from her home to make her own musical instruments.

The board book format lends itself perfectly to a lift-the-flap experience for our youngest readers as they follow Tatty Mouse’s instructions, perhaps making their own versions as they do because everything she uses is readily available.  

Catch A Star continues to recognise the need for even our youngest readers to have engaging stories that are sturdy enough in their own hands so they can mimic the reading of those who read to them, a critical step in becoming a reader, and this is no exception. The text is simple but the story can be followed without being able to read it because the pictures are colourful and clearly amplify what the words say, while the lift-the-flap and the invitation to do so adds to the engagement.  Above all, this format shows little ones the value of the constancy of print – rather than being a fleeting image on a screen, it is one they can return to again and again, not just to enjoy Tatty’s inventiveness but also to explore their own. 

 

Terry Denton’s Bumper Book of Holiday Stuff to do!

Jan14
Terry Denton's Bumper Book of Holiday Stuff to do!

Terry Denton’s Bumper Book of Holiday Stuff to do!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Terry Denton’s Bumper Book of Holiday Stuff to do!

Terry Denton

Puffin, 2022

304pp., pbk., RRP $A16.99

9780143777809

It’s approaching that part of the summer holidays when the excitement of Christmas has worn off, the anticipation of the new year is over, the fun of a holiday away is almost forgotten and the familiar “I’m bored” starts to creep in.  Perhaps even moreso these holidays with COVID leaving its mark across so many families.

So this is a timely release which is packed full of ideas that will entertain as readers are encouraged to share their ideas by expressing them in drawings and words, and requiring some everyday items – pens, ideas. senses, time and a desire for fun – to participate. From finding things in a line drawing of the school concert; to imagining your octopus outfit to scavenger hunts, Denton provides the impetus and the reader just supplies their imagination. 

Whether it is used by just the reader as a starter or by the family as the inspiration for their evening’s entertainment, Denton demonstrates that there are so many ways to entertain and be entertained using just paper and pencil – there really is no limit to the imagination.

While it is a must-have for families, it is also a grand addition to the teacher toolbox as the ideas can be used throughout the year as tension-breakers or early finishers. I could write more but I have an urge to draw acrobatic sheep!