Archives

Turtle Bubbles

Jan31
Turtle Bubbles

Turtle Bubbles

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Turtle Bubbles

Diane Schaffer

Georgina Hart

Little Steps, 2024

32pp., pbk., RRP $A16.95

97811922833068

Along the river, the creatures are waking up to a new day.  Business as usual really, until Frog spots Mrs Turtle blowing bubbles out her bum!

Written in rhyme with eye-catching illustrations for younger readers, this is a light-hearted revelation that many species of turtles like the punk turtle of the Mary River in Queensland,  breathe through their cloaca enabling them to stay underwater much longer, not only to search for food but to keep safe from predators.  

A peek inside...

A peek inside…

While it is bound to evoke giggles, nevertheless it can lead those readers to other stories  as it is another in a growing collection which includes not only Poppy’s story but also The Turtle and the Flood, Yoshi and the Ocean. and Turtle Moon (for independent readers) that helps young readers understand more about these intriguing creatures and thus, book their own adventure using stories to grow their knowledge.  It might even lead to an exploration of other adaptations that the natural world makes to stay safe and survive. 

 

 

Look Inside Night Time

Jan25
Look Inside Night Time

Look Inside Night Time

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Look Inside Night Time

Emily Bone 

Brian Lambert

Usborne, 2024

14pp., board book. RRP $A19.99

 9781803701264

As the sun sets and night falls, most little ones are getting ready for bed thinking that it is the end of the day for everyone.

However, for many, the day is just beginning and this beautiful, interactive lift-the flap book explores the “day” of shift workers who keep the city ticking, travellers and transport workers who deliver the things we need,  and the animals in various parts of the world, including under the ocean waves.  Suddenly. the night is as busy as the day.

This is a great opportunity to not only share the busy-ness of the night, but for those who don’t understand the concept, a chance to explore why their world goes dark so regularly, perhaps alleviating any fears of the phenomenon.  Others will like learning grown-up words like ‘nocturnal’ and ‘diurnal’ and using these, maybe even finding pictures of things that fit each category to do some basic classification, or sharing their own stories of their family members who work at night. As usual there are Quicklinks covering a range of activities to explore further such as investigating whether children sleep longer than koalas, and playing the moon maze game but my favourite has always been to be outside and listen to the sounds of night falling.  

Another quality book from Usborne that can be used across a range of age groups.  

 

 

Hooray! It’s Our First Day

Jan24
Hooray! It's Our First Day

Hooray! It’s Our First Day

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hooray! It’s Our First Day

Martha Mumford

Cherie Zamazing

Bloomsbury, 2024

24pp., pbk., RRP $A16.99

9781526660435

It’s the first day of school and the bunnies are rushing around getting themselves ready. 

We’re going to a new school.
Come and join the fun!

But first, there are things to find and friends to say hello to on their way and they need the help of our youngest readers to find them.  

As with its predecessors, this is another charming book in this series that allows our youngest readers to not only engage with familiar characters doing familiar things, but encourages them to interact with the text through repetitive phrases and predictable rhyme and the illustrations as they lift-the-flaps to help the bunnies find their things.

And even though the bunnies’ new school might be a little different from that to which they are going, nevertheless the fun and excitement are the same and catching!

A peek inside...

A peek inside…

Fifi and Friends: The Super Car Race

Jan23
Fifi and Friends: The Super Car Race

Fifi and Friends: The Super Car Race

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fifi and Friends: The Super Car Race

Tamara Ecclestone Rutland

Amy Zhing

New Frontier, 2024

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

9781923145078

Fifi is a little girl who LOVES nothing more than tinkering about in her go-kart, whether it’s fitting a new engine, inflating the tyres or painting it a shiny new pink. She’s been really busy lately because there is a super-car race this afternoon and all her friends have put in a special effort to decorate their cars… hers is like a pink cloud while Zac ‘s resembles a triceratops, Hope’s a unicorn and Mario’s is a cheetah.  Only Nathan, who is compelled to win at everything keeps is covered till the start.  Fifi’s little sister prefers dogs so she is going to watch.

There is great excitement and anticipation as race time draws near, but will it be a fair race – or does Nathan’s competitiveness overpower the fun and friendship?

This is a colourful, action-packed picture book for young readers that has characters that they will recognise among their own friendship group, and focuses on the bonds of cooperation, inclusivity and mutual support that keep them strong.  The illustrations are eye-catching, rich in detail and distinctive in style, offering lots of scope to help the child connect them to the story particularly in the race scenes where they can not only connect the characters to their cars but also learn ordinal words like first, last, next, after and so on.   They could also talk about Nathan’s perspective, perhaps what underpins it,  as well as what they would do if they saw a friend in trouble but helping might prevent them realising a dream.

These days, there should be no surprise that Fifi’s dream is to be a mechanic so there is scope for the perennial “when-you-grow-up” discussion but personally, I think children will derive a lot of fun looking at the features of each car and working out they were made, then drawing what their dream go-kart would look like.

 

Tatty Mouse Birthday

Jan22
Tatty Mouse Birthday

Tatty Mouse Birthday

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tatty Mouse Birthday

Hilary Robinson

Mandy Stanley

Catch A Star, 2024

12pp., board book, RRP $A14.99

9781922326980

Tatty Mouse’s birthday is almost here and she is getting ready to celebrate with her friends.  She’s making cards and cakes, treats and decorations.   But she is not known as the ‘make-it-mend-it mouse’ without reason so with everything she does she uses her precious toolkit to reuse, recycle and repurpose discarded items.  So as little ones share her preparations for a surprise for her friends, they get to lift flaps and search for hidden objects so they become as engrossed with the story as Tatty.

This is another in this new series from this publisher who understands the value of our youngest readers having quality stories that not only engage them but also empower them as they are actively involved in revealing the plot as well as being able to retell it to themselves independently.  And because Tatty’s tools are common and she uses readily-available equipment so they can start to think about how they could do the same for their own celebration.  Imagine the fun in creating your own cards and table decorations and the sense of satisfaction that knowing you have done it yourself. Even just making a list of what needs to be done and then figuring out how it can be is great learning. 

A great series for encouraging our little ones  to be creative and individual and that the best fun does not have to be bought. 

Not Scary, Jonathan!

Jan20
Not Scary, Jonathan!

Not Scary, Jonathan!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Not Scary, Jonathan!

Peter Carnavas

Amanda Francey

New Frontier, 2024

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

9781923145320

Jonathan’s favourite activity is to dress up and scare his family as they go about their daily lives. But, sadly for him, they always seem to know who it is and take little notice.  Down, but not out, Jonathan has one last surprise- but does he go too far?

 A re-release of a popular story from 10 years ago, this is a simple rhyming tale that will appeal to young readers who are practising to be pranksters.  They might even like to copy Jonathan’s costumes which are all made from easy-to-find objects.

But fun aside, it’s also an opportunity for little ones to share what scares them – what could Jonathan dress up as to make them scared?  They may well find that others share the same fears and perhaps find comfort in that.  

Boss of Your Own Mind

Jan18
Boss of Your Own Mind

Boss of Your Own Mind

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Boss of Your Own Mind

Byll & Beth Stephen

Simon Howe

ABC Books, 2024

24pp., hbk., RRP $A24.99

9780733342769

You’re not the boss of what other people think,
what they say and how they exist.
You’re not the boss of how someone else behaves —
the positions they take and the decisions they make.
But you ARE the boss of one thing …

In this sequel to the very important and powerful Boss of Your Own Body , our youngest readers are reminded that while they might not be in charge of many things because they are still young and learning, nevertheless they are in charge of how they feel and how they respond to particular situations. While they can’t be in control of things like the weather or deciding family holiday plans, or who is in their class at school or even who likes them or not, they can be responsible for how they cope with the inevitable disappointment, frustration, sadness and other not-so-fun feelings they are going to encounter as they become more independent.

Within the list of things they can’t be expected to be the main decision-makers, there is the constant affirmation that they are the arbiters of their thoughts as well as some simple strategies to deal with situations and these are reinforced by the appealing illustrations.  For example, while they might be surrounded by activity and busy-ness, if not chaos, they can still calm their thinking to restore peace of mind; they can disagree with a friend’s thinking but still treat each other with respect; and they can take themselves to their happy place when they are feeling unsure or overwhelmed.

There are many mindfulness programs that are now an essential part of the health and wellbeing curriculum as the anxiety levels and mental health concerns of students are at such a high level and so this book, with its target audience of our youngest students, is an essential tool if we are to try to empower them to be in control of their emotions, responses and actions early.                                                                                                                                              

Kind Little Hands

Jan15
Kind Little Hands

Kind Little Hands

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kind Little Hands

Kathy Urban

Sally Garland

Little Steps, 2024

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

9781922678423

When a tired, hungry and lost little bee falls into Noah’s hands as he walks through the city with his grandfather, it is a chance encounter that becomes a learning journey for Noah.  His wise grandfather knows just how important bees are, and how to revive this one even though they live in an apartment.  Because while they might not have a garden, they do have a window box of flowers and it’s amazing how restorative a syrup of water and sugar can be.

As they wait for the bee to recover, Noah and his grandfather share books about bees so Noah learns more and more about the importance of these creatures as well as other insects. so that when the bee does eventually fly away, Noah’s efforts continue…

This is another story to add to the collection about bees and pollination so that our youngest readers are aware of the critical contribution bees make to the ecosystem, and with its suggestions of how they, themselves, can be pro-active and help in their protection and preservation.  

Find Spot at Christmas

Dec19

 

 

 

Find Spot at Christmas

Find Spot at Christmas

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Find Spot at Christmas

Eric Hill

Puffin, 2023

16pp., board book, RRP $A16.99

9780241610329

It’s Christmas and it’s time to decorate the tree. But where is the star for the tip-top ?  As they search, Spot himself goes missing.  Where can he be?

It’s over 45 years since English author Eric Hill noticed his toddler son was fascinated by lifting up a paper and peeking at the picture underneath and thus conceived this series of stories about a puppy in a lift-the -flap format, first published in 1980.  Even though it is 10 years since his death in 2014, his stories are still being published and republished as their simplicity and interactivity continue to fascinate new waves of little people, because just as I introduced my little one to the stories way back then, so he did for his girls and now it won’t be long before they share it with their children. Such is the power of stories that invite the reader to not only be an active participant in their reading but also be able to retell themselves the story without adult help.

If we draw on our knowledge of Cambourne’s Conditions of Learning, then we know that one of the prime motivators of being a reader is the expectation that we will succeed and thus being able to tell yourself a story without adult intervention is very powerful.  So as our little ones draw on what they already know about Christmas and put it together with the simple text, clear illustrations and the fun of discovery this one is a winner for sharing in these days as the anticipation grows.   

 

Goodnight, Joeys

Nov29
Goodnight, Joeys

Goodnight, Joeys

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Goodnight, Joeys

Renée Treml

Puffin, 2024

24pp., hbk., RRP $A14.99

9781761349096

Whisper goodnight to the land,
where joeys race on cool, soft sand.

Australia is a land with unique fauna, perhaps the most recognisable for our little ones being the kangaroo, and they soon learn that a baby is called a joey.

Yet, all baby marsupials are known as joeys and in this little book, another exquisitely illustrated by Renée Treml, they learn this and to recognise some of those unique creatures.  With gentle, repetitive rhyming text they say goodnight to wombats, numbats,  bandicoots, and many more as they draw the curtains on the day.  

Treml’s name is becoming synonymous with these lullaby-like stories that feature her iconic style, pastel colours and calming verse, and this is yet another gift to our smallest readers.