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Ravi’s Roar

Sep8
Ravi's Roar

Ravi’s Roar

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ravi’s Roar

Tom Percival

Bloomsbury, 2019

32pp., pbk., RRP $A14.99

9781408892183

Ravi is the smallest one in his family – smaller and younger than Kiran, Jaya and Anil – and most of the time, he is OK with that.  But sometimes it wasn’t the best thing – being last to get a seat on the train, too small to find the others during hide-and-seek; too little for the giant slide… After a most frustrating day at the park, Ravi’s frustration gets the better of him and he lets out the loudest roar.  A roar so loud that he turns into a tiger!!!

At first, Ravi likes his tiger-power and makes the most of it but soon, the novelty wears off as he discovers its consequences…

A companion to Perfectly Norman and Ruby’s Worry , Percival has once again hit the nail on the head by focusing on real issues that are common to his readers and turning them into a story which helps them to deal with the emotions and understand and manage their feelings. It’s a great discussion starter for letting little ones talk about what makes them really angry and, while learning that anger and frustration are normal human emotions, how they can express their feelings without giving into full-blown temper tantrums that only upset them and everyone else, and don’t get them what they want. They can learn that anger is usually born from frustration and that perhaps rather than roaring like a tiger, they might be able to find a way through the frustration. One for the mindfulness collection.

Boo!

Sep7
Boo!

Boo!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Boo!

Margaret Wild

Andrew Joyner

Puffin, 2019

24pp, hbk., RRP $A19.99

9780670078073

‘Boo!’ said the baby to the monkey in the cot.

‘Boo!’ said the baby to the penguin in the yacht . . .

Babies love to play peek-a-boo and these ones have a lovely time playing with their toys. But…

What happens next?

Turn the page and see…

Ready, steady, count- 

One, two three!

This is a delightful book for the very young who are learning the fun that can be had in picture books.  The constant repetition of the word BOO will encourage them to join in as it is shared with them, and they will just ROFL at the ending.  Maybe not one for bedtime because it encourages raucous rollicking fun, but nevertheless, one for building up that unique relationship between reader, child, stories and books!

 

Noodle Bear

Sep6
Noodle Bear

Noodle Bear

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Noodle Bear

Mark Gravas

Walker Books, 2019

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

9781760651022

Throughout the winter, instead of sleeping like other bears, Bear has been watching Noodle Knockout, a television game show that now has him addicted to noodles.  When Fox has a Welcome Spring party, and Bear finally turns up he is not interested in the food the other animals have brought – all he wants is noodles, particularly as he has eaten his entire supply.

When no one can help him he decides to travel to the city to be on the game show himself in the hope of winning a lifetime’s supply but ends up beginning to understand that too much of a good thing isn’t always a good thing.

Written and illustrated by the creator/director of television favourites such as Yakkity Yak, Here Comes Peter Cottontail: The Movie  and Caspar’s Scare School, this is an engaging read for young children that explores what we gradually understand to be the most important things in life – family, friends and home.

While young readers might like to share their favourite foods that they would like to eat for a lifetime (offering an opportunity for data collection and mapping), others might like to look at the way the cover has been designed and explore what they can do with the various noodles and other pastas available.  Cooking might also be an option so they start to be able to prepare themselves a simple meal and there is also the not-so-simple task of learning how to eat noodles in public! There are lots of ways to make this fun story come alive!

 

Argh! There’s a Skeleton Inside You!

Sep3
Argh! There's a Skeleton Inside You!

Argh! There’s a Skeleton Inside You!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Argh! There’s a Skeleton Inside You!

Idan Ben-Barak

Julian Frost

A & U Children’s, 2019

32pp., hbk.,  RRP $A19.99

9781760631635

Quog the armless blob and Oort the gas cloud are on their way to Kevin’s party in their spaceship but they have run into some strife which they are having trouble fixing.  Being amorphous, neither of them have the means to open the spaceship door and so the reader is invited to help them.  Quog is fascinated by the reader’s hands which are first used to open the spaceship door, and then examines them more closely as other tasks are complete, discovering bones, muscles and nerves. As she investigates the purpose of each through the simple explanations offered, she grows her own so that she and Oort can get on their way to the party, once again.

This is another ingenious story from the creators of Do not lick this book to help our youngest readers understand how their body works.  Rather than examining the whole skeleton, just focusing on the hand, the body part that is helping repair the spaceship, the reader can interact with the text very easily without being overwhelmed.  By placing their hand on the picture and allowing Oort to look at it through x-ray type eyes, the bones, muscles and nerves are revealed and their function explained making it very interactive and engaging.  There is a more in-depth explanation about how to grow hands at the end of the book, but it’s what Quog does with her new hands that is the most appealing.

The original concept,  bright illustrations,  and cartoon-like format make this a book that will draw young readers back to it again and again as they learn more and want to know even more than that, perhaps taking them to other body books about their body parts and how they work. Non fiction for littlies at its best. (And just for fun, check out the origins of Oort‘s name! What about Quog?)

Frost, the illustrator, says  he uses his hands to “draw and write and make silly sculptures” while Ben-Barak uses his “to write, hug, scratch itchy bits and poke things to see what happens.”  What do you do with yours?

 

Wibble Wobble

Aug31
Wibble Wobble

Wibble Wobble

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wibble Wobble

Jen Storer

Lisa Stewart

HarperCollins, 2019 

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

9780733339196

Wibble wobble, walking tall.

Wibble wobble, tumble fall.

Baby milestones are always greeted with such delight, but perhaps none moreso than Baby’s first steps.  So this delightful book, told in rhyme and softly illustrated is a celebration of twins taking those first tentative steps into independence. 

Great for new parents or even sharing with older children looking back and wanting to hear the stories of their babyhood, this is just charming.

 

Daddy Cuddle

Aug24
Daddy Cuddle

Daddy Cuddle

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Daddy Cuddle

Kate Mayes

Sara Acton

ABC Kids. 2019

32pp., pbk., RRP$ A14.99

9780733338021

Very early in the morning and as Little Bunny’s eyes goes ping, his brain thinks of only one thing! And he sets to work to achieve it. As Little Bunny does all that he can to rouse his sleeping daddy and get him to play, there is no response. But eventually, Daddy wakes up and despite all the plans that Little Bunny has suggested there is just one thing that they both want… and Daddy gets to stay in bed just that little bit longer!

Celebrating the special relationship between father and child, with its gentle illustrations, this is one that despite its sparse but repetitive and predictable text builds tension and anticipation as the reader wonders whether Daddy will ever wake up – and just how he will react when he does. This is a charming story that will resonate with both parent and young child because it tells a tale that we are all familiar with.

 

 

 

Sea Monsters

Aug22
Sea Monsters

Sea Monsters

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sea Monsters

Sharon J. Yaxley

Forty South Publishing, 2019

46pp., hbk., $25.00

9780648168881

A walk along the beach is often characterised by the sound of the waves, the fresh air and the sheer exuberance of being able to move with such freedom as we pass rocks, seaweed and other detritus washed up by the tides. Being king of the castle, drawing pictures in the sand with sticks, feeling the texture of the sand and shells under our feet and the delight of beating the waves as they try to soak our clothes are just a few joys of this most pleasurable experience.

But what if we slowed down and took the time to look at what is there, to examine the shapes and colours and textures of the landscape? Where might our imaginations take us? Into a world of monsters or somewhere different?

Environmental activist David Suzuki says

Unless we are willing to encourage our children to reconnect with and appreciate the natural world, we can’t expect them to help protect and care for it.

Author/photographer of this new book for young readers, Sharon Yaxley has used this quote to describe the concept of this remarkable book for young readers, to encourage them to look more closely at the things in their world and let those things talk to their imaginations.  Tails, tusks, dark eyes, sharp noses and jaws with jagged teeth are all there in the seaweed, driftwood, rocks, sand… and when the tide crashes in and the wind does its work, they change into something different.  Looking closely, thinking about the object’s story and the story it could inspire all help to slow the child down in this breakneck world, to be curious and spark their wonder.

Even if your students live nowhere near a beach, this can still be the inspiration to take them outside and let them immerse themselves in what is there and imagine… Let’s take the opportunity to connect our kids to the real world so they want to protect it too. Extensive teaching notes aligned to many strands of the Australian Curriculum are available. 

 

 

Ten Minutes to Bed (series)

Aug21
Ten Minutes to Bed

Ten Minutes to Bed

Ten Minutes to Bed (series)

Little Mermaid

9780241372678

Little Monster

9780241348918

The Little Unicorn

9780241348925

Rhiannon Fielding

Christ Chatterton

Ladybird, 2018

32pp., pbk., $A14.99

Magical creatures live in the Land of Nod, but each of them is not keen on going to bed because they are having too much fun.  But sleep they must if they are to be ready for more fun tomorrow and so using rhyme and enchanting illustrations, author and artist take both the characters and the young reader on a calming countdown to bedtime leading them gently to the land of sleep.

Beginning and ending with maps of The Land of Nod which are subtly different, and the appearance of a tiny creature on each page to encourage attention to detail, each story becomes a gentle lullaby to help draw the curtains on the day and help even the most rambunctious little one understand that everything needs to sleep at some time.

Even though the stories are available on the screen, there is nothing as precious as the bond established between parent and child through sharing stories during those ten minutes to bedtime so this is perfect for parents starting the bedtime story routine and wanting to complete it with the same story each night, this series would be an ideal gift for them or their child to encourage a love for stories and the magic they hold.

 

Little Kids First Board Book: Space

Aug20
Little Kids First Board Book: Space

Little Kids First Board Book: Space

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Little Kids First Board Book: Space

National Geographic Kids, 2019

24pp., board book,RRP $A14.99

9781426333149

Little people have endless questions about their world, once they begin to explore it, and the world of the night sky is particularly fascinating.  So this latest publication from Nat Geo Kids which explores the basics of the solar system with amazing photographs, super-simple facts, and lively, age-appropriate language is perfect to introduce the very youngest to what is out there and spark both  their curiosity and imagination.

So often the board book format is restricted to learning the alphabet, colours and counting or to simple stories, so to have non fiction available in a way that it will stand up to little hands is a bonus. Let them learn that they can learn from books as well as the screen.

That’s Not My Koala

Aug16
That's Not My Koala

That’s Not My Koala

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That’s Not My Koala

Fiona Watt

Rachel Wells

Usborne, 2019

10pp., board book., RRP $A14.99

9781474945561

For 20 years Usborne have been supporting the literacy development of the very young with their series of touchy-feely books , That’s Not My… in which familiar, and not-so, objects are explored through a series of cutouts filled with textural surfaces, with the final page offering confirmation that this is indeed the object. 

That’s Not My Koala is the latest in the collection, celebrating this milestone birthday. Shiny noses, fuzzy tummies and rough tongues are designed to help develop sensory and language awareness, by engaging the youngest reader in the reading experience and encouraging them to predict and retell the sequences for themselves. Being about an Australian animal they are probably familiar with is an added bonus.

The perfect counterpoint to handing the toddler a screen device to keep them amused, and help them discover the joy of books. Let them catch the reading bug early!

A peek inside...

A peek inside…