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Hats Are Not for Cats!

Jun1
Hats Are Not for Cats!

Hats Are Not for Cats!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hats Are Not for Cats!

Jacqueline K. Rayner

HarperCollins, 2023

30pp., board book., RRP $A16.99

9780358731085

Who hasn’t heard of the cat in the hat – the Dr Seuss story that is a staple for all little people?  But what if hats are not for cats?

In this fun rhyming book for our youngest readers, a bossy dog in a very fancy hat is laying down the law to the cat that hats are not for them.  But the cat disagrees.  Who wins the argument? Or can there be a compromise?

Young readers can learn a lot about peaceful conflict resolution in this simple, silly story as they put themselves in the shoes of both the cat and the dog.  Perhaps they can figure out a win-win solution.  And then have fun designing a hat for a dog and a hat for a cat!

 

 

Poo Face

May31
Poo Face

Poo Face

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Poo Face

Andrew Daddo

Jonathan Bentley

Puffin, 2023

24pp., hbk., RRP $A17.99

9781761045776

We’ve all got one because we all do one. Every day.
Somedays twice a day. Somedays more.
Everyone has a poo face!

Whether it’s a dog or cat, a lion, an elephant, wombat, fish, giraffe or frog, they’ve all got a poo face – even you! 

Written to encourage little ones who are being toilet trained, this book with hilarious illustrations from Jonathan Bentley also has an important job of showing the little person that this is a normal and necessary bodily function for every creature on earth. It shows that going to the toilet is an everyday occurrence for everybody and everything and is a necessary part of being healthy, sparking conversations about the digestive system and how it works. It also shows that even though the little one may have been met with cries and faces of shock and horror when they produce a dirty nappy, that is not condemnation (as some seem to think and thus feel ashamed) but just something that is essential for our health and well-being.   By normalising it in this way, the stigma that has been attached to getting rid of body waste for centuries as though it is something nasty and naughty may be diminished so that if there is a change in the habit or the product, it can be addressed without embarrassment. 

Often what seems to be a simple picture book can have a far-reaching impact – and this is one of those.  

Grandads are the Greatest

May30
Grandads are the Greatest

Grandads are the Greatest

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Grandads are the Greatest

Ben Faulkes

Nia Tudor

Bloomsbury, 2023

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

9781408867570

It is the summer picnic especially for grandads and their grandchildren and a chance to celebrate their relationship.  But being a grandad is about the only thing the men have in common . For each one has a different career or interest – baker, barber, explorer, inventor, magician… But they all share one passion – their love for their grandchildren.

Written in rhyme this is a joyful  picture book that honours these special men and the wonder and happiness they bring to the lives of their young ones.  As well as helping the child to understand the structure of the family tree, it also offers them the opportunity to share what is special about their own grandfather and would be the perfect companion to What do you call your Grandpa?

One to set aside for Grandparents’ Day in your school. 

The Secret Boat

May25
The Secret Boat

The Secret Boat

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Secret Boat

Mark Macleod

Hélène Magisson

Dirt Lane Press, 2023

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

 9780648899679

 

The child’s literacy development and mastery is underpinned by a rich, imaginative and informed vocabulary and the poems in this beautifully illustrated book certainly contribute to this.  Using a variety of familiar situations which “take the reader from beachside to countryside, from revolting to delicious, from realism to fantasy, and end with a suite of bedtime meditations” the clever, creative use of words paints pictures that little ones will love to here and visualise over and over again. 

Who doesn’t have a smile as they picture this…

It’s soft inside

my mother’s pouch.

I can hardly feel her hopping.

But on the way

back home again,

I’m squashed in with the shopping. OUCH. 

And who is not taken back to the beach when they hear this…

The bubbles giggle

up the sand, 

tickle our toes

on the shore.

They take a breath,

they run away

and then come back for more. 

Just listening to the rhythm and rhyme of language teaches children so much about how they, themselves, can and will express themselves, but taking a few moments to explore what is being said in these short, often whimsical, poems empowers them to be more observant of their world and try to describe it for themselves.  Next time they let the waves just tickle their toes they will think of the bubbles giggling as they make those toes curl up and jump.

While the Australian Curriculum has a strong strand that includes a focus on vocabulary, the NSW syllabus is more explicit requiring students from Kindergarten to use  “Tier 2 vocabulary to extend and elaborate ideas” with Tier 2 words being defined as “high utility for mature language users and are found across a variety of domains” which “add power and precision to written and spoken language” and this collection has all that is necessary to support that outcome.  Even if it is not used in the classroom formally, the images that are built as the words roll so naturally off the tongue to make the ordinary extraordinary make this just the best introduction to the poetry genre for young people and while the illustrations are exquisite, the words themselves are enough to just shut your eyes, listen and imagine.  

The Little Fear

May22
The Little Fear

The Little Fear

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Little Fear

Luke Scriven

HarperCollins, 2023

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

9780008559168

When Sam lets in a little fear one night, he’s sure it won’t be any bother. But before he knows it, the fear has grown and grown and grown. Until even the sunniest of sunny days doesn’t feel very sunny any more. There’s only one thing for it. Sam must try and be a little bit brave …

It’s not so long ago that if we wanted books that addressed the mental health of our youngest readers we would be searching the shelves, possibly in vain.  But with the growing recognition and understanding that the well-being of our teens and young adults begins with their ability to cope with their earliest fears – fears that all children have as they start to navigate the road to independence – then books like this are not only becoming more common but, sadly, more necessary.

Sam’s particular fear is not identified but it is given shape, form and colour so that it seems real, and that in itself is important because it acknowledges that for Sam , and other children, whatever it is is a real concern so the story has wider applicability. In Sam’s case, the fear grows so large it follows him around like a big black cloud until he decides that to be brave, he just has to put one foot in front of the other.  There is no indication that he tells anyone about it or  seeks adult help, so if this book is used in a class program perhaps those steps should form part of any ensuing discussion.  To give the impression that something that has grown as large as it has is something the child could/should deal with alone is perhaps instilling even more anxiety especially if using Sam’s strategy doesn’t work . So while facing our own individual demons, regardless of their size, shape and colour, all of which can keep changing, is something we ultimately have to do ourselves, there needs to be a strong message that we don’t have to do it alone.  So while I’d recommend it as part of your mental health collection, it is one that should be shared in the first reading.       

Shadow Catchers

May21
Shadow Catchers

Shadow Catchers

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shadow Catchers

Kirsty Murray

Karen Blair

A & U Children’s, 2023

32pp., hbk., $A24.99

9781760526955

In the early morning they make shadows on the bedroom wall that are tall enough to touch the ceiling.

At lunchtime their shadows disappear altogether!

And in the evening, they can look scary and fearsome!

As with its predecessor Puddle Hunters, it is the everyday, take-for-granted things that give two children the greatest delight.  This time they chase their shadows across a day having so much fun with something that needs only a sunny day, some imagination and awareness.

Apart from just the sheer enjoyment of the story which exudes from each page, this is ideal for starting all sorts of scientific investigations about the light, the sun and its movement and direction,  as well as measurement if you map your shadow at different times of the day. 

Picture books that celebrate the joy of being a child, that take something as simple as a game of shadow catching that everyone can do and turn them into a magical experience, that make the ordinary extraordinary are among the best, in my opinion, because the young reader can instantly relate to them and join in the fun. Who wouldn’t be wanting to head outside on the next sunny day and have the same sort of fun? So whether it’s catching your shadow or jumping in puddles, share a memory-making moment that cost nothing!  

 

 

 

Parcel For Gorilla

May17
Parcel For Gorilla

Parcel For Gorilla

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Parcel For Gorilla

Shelley Knoll-Miller

Puffin, 2023

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

9781761046629

There’s a strange rumbling deep in the jungle and it’s coming from Gorilla’s tummy! But his friends’ attempts to get him a coconut to stop it are abandoned when the postmaster arrives with a parcel for Gorilla that is so big, he needs an elephant to deliver it!   What could be inside?

And so the fun begins as they try to guess and because it is more than just Gorilla’s tummy rumbling all the thoughts are on food! But what sort of food needs a box that big? Is it, indeed, food?

The young reader will have fun using their imaginations too –what would they send Gorilla? – and they will adore not only what Penguin has sent but what Gorilla does with it! Talk about “thinking outside the box” – pun intended!

As with Parcel for Penguin, our youngest readers will delight in being part of the storytelling as they try to predict what could be in the box using their existing knowledge, the eye-catching pictures and the conversational text.  Who can’t hear someone hissssssing like Snake?

This is one that offers so much to develop their joy in stories, their delight in being able to return to it again and again, and their belief that they, too, can be a reader that it is definitely be a series on every little one’s shelves.  And with two more to come – Koala in July and Turtle in October – there is much to look forward to.  

A Friend For George

May14
A Friend For George

A Friend For George

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Friend For George

Gabriel Evans

Puffin, 2023

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

 9781761046506

George likes living by the sea, but he often feels lonely. He’d like to have a friend – someone to talk to, someone to share stories with and someone to laugh with. As that’s what friends do!  When he meets Claude the fish, George finally discovers the joys of having a special friend, as well as learning what it means to be a good friend to someone . . . especially when there is a conflict between what you want and what your friend needs.

Despite George being a dog and Claude being  fish in this anthropomorphic story, young children will relate to the characters as they, too, navigate  the making and keeping of friends which can be tricky at times.  It opens up the opportunities for discussions about what it is friends do – a phrase repeated often throughout the story – and how we need to learn to be unselfish and put the needs of others before ourselves.  

Often the greatest concern for those starting big school is the fear of having no friends and having no one to play with, so these sorts of books serve a need to help them learn how to make and keep friends so that by the time they step into the Kindergarten classroom, they have knowledge and strategies to draw on. To consolidate what they know they can create a class mural pf photos of being a good friend in action, not only repeating the phrase in the book but making them consciously aware of their interactions and relationships.

One to purchase and have on hand as transitions to new situations loom.

Tap! Tap! Tap!

May10
Tap! Tap! Tap!

Tap! Tap! Tap!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tap! Tap! Tap!

Hervé Tullet

A & U Children, 2023

64pp., hbk., RRP $A27.99

9781761180231

When you see Hervé Tullet’s name on a book cover, you know the littlest readers in your life are about to have an interactive, imaginary treat!  The author of Press Here,  Mix it Up ,  Let’s Play,  and Play This Book   is back with another invitation for little hands to follow the instructions and delight in the movements they can make as it weaves in and out and around and over coloured dots, circles and lines..

“Ready? Place your hand here. Close your eyes. Concentrate. Hit it! Three times: Tap! Tap! Tap!”

As with the others, Tullet speaks directly to the reader encouraging them to  follow instructions and talk about what happens when they do  They are in charge of their fingers so they are empowered to follow (or not) consolidating that vital message that reading is fun and can be done by anyone, while developing those essential fine motor skills and instilling the left-to-right nature of reading as a natural direction.  

Full of whimsy and fun, this is one that should be in any preschooler’s realm.  They will be reading it for themselves in no time at all, strengthening their belief that they, too, can be readers. 

When I’m Big

May7
When I'm Big

When I’m Big

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When I’m Big

Karen Blair

Puffin, 2023

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

 9781761045813

Everyone keeps telling me
I’m going to be a big girl soon,
but I wonder . . . Just how BIG will I be?

Often parents tell their children of the impending arrival of a new sibling, that they will be a “big brother” or “big sister” and this charming story explores what happens when the little girl takes this literally, as children so often do.  To her, “big” only means “large” and she has grave concerns that she might become so big she won’t fit in the bath or her bed, and instead of her toy giraffe she will only be able to play with the real ones at the zoo!

For younger readers, particularly those who are likely to be experiencing not only the introduction of a new baby to their lives, but all the anxieties about the impact that accompany that, this book is a conversation starter about the changes they can expect and how they will be an important and integral part of them. Little ones worry that the new arrival will usurp them in their parents’ affections and they need reassurance as well as examples of how they will be a vital part of the new situation.

But it can also be a starter for helping them understand how they have grown and changed already, reflecting on what they have learned and achieved so they start to realise that “big” can mean a lot of things.  A. A. Milne’s classic poem, The End is the perfect accompaniment as is this poem from Sounds of Numbers by Bill Martin Jr. (Holt, Rinehart, and Winston; First Edition (January 1, 1966) which could lead to all sorts of writing and maths activities.

My name is Tommy

I am not very big

I am not as big as a goat

A goat is bigger than I am

I am not as big as a horse

A horse is bigger than I am.

I am not as big as a n elephant

An elephant is bigger than I am

I am not as big as a whale

A whale is bigger than I am.

I am not as big as a dinosaur

A dinosaur is the biggest thing I know. 

Sometimes you pick up a book that has the power to take you well beyond its pages – and this is one of those.