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Amazing Dad

Jul23
Amazing Dad

Amazing Dad

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Amazing Dad

Alison Brown

Farshore, 2023

32pp., hbk., RRP $A 19.99

9780008555474

Dads can be busy, whizzy, caring, sharing . . . and so much more. But there’s just ONE dad who gives the best hugs of all. Can you guess who it is?

This is a companion to Amazing Mum and like that, it features all sorts of anthropomorphic dads  doing all sorts of things with their little ones with rhyming captions that really encourage young readers to examine the pictures so they can predict the text. Often these sorts of books focus on actual activities that kids and dads can do together but this one is more diverse and includes acknowledgement of dads who have taken on others’ children, dads who live apart and may only be weekend dads, and even dads who can  only live on in the child’s heart.  So there is something for almost every child to relate to and to share about their own dad.

As well as being a tribute to dads and helping the young reader focus on all the things their dad does, it encourages the development of a lot of essential foundation literacy skills not the least of which is that print is fun.  

Parcel For Koala

Jul17
Parcel For Koala

Parcel For Koala

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Parcel For Koala

Shelley Knoll-Miller

Puffin, 2023

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

 9781761046636

Koala and his other friends who like to sleep through the day are stuck in a tree full of squawking cockatoos who are keeping them awake.  They are tired and frazzled and just want to sleep. But then, on the back of a bouncing kangaroo, Postman arrives with a parcel.  Both Gorilla and Penguin have received parcels, so what could be in this one from Turtle? 

Knowing that in this adventure in this fabulous series for little ones, all the creatures want to do is get some sleep, young readers can have fun predicting what it might be that will help them do that.  Could it be a harp to play lullabies or a hammock to curl up in?  Perhaps some earmuffs to blot out those raucous cockies! Or is it something completely unexpected but which can be used to solve the problem anyway?

As with its predecessors, the thread of the story is presented on the endpapers helping the child to focus their thoughts on what is to come and predict what might happen, essential skills in becoming a reader.  As one who has taught littlies to read for over 50 years, to me this series is an absolute winner and should be in the hands of all those who want their children to become successful, independent readers.  It just works in building those early skills on so many levels and in so many ways. 

Peter Rabbit: The Bedtime Bunny Hunt

Jul15
Peter Rabbit: The Bedtime Bunny Hunt

Peter Rabbit: The Bedtime Bunny Hunt

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Peter Rabbit: The Bedtime Bunny Hunt

Beatrix Potter

Puffin, 2023

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

9780241613108

Peter Rabbit and his sisters have had a fun day playing outside, and now it’s time to go to sleep. But as everyone gets ready to say goodnight, Peter realises he’s missing something very important – his snuggly toy bunny has disappeared!

Will he be able to find it in time before bed?

For more than 120 years, the adventures of Peter Rabbit have been delighting generations of young readers, and now this is a new story in an interactive lift-the-flap format for another new batch of readers to enjoy.  Ever since Eric Hill invented the lift-the-flap format with Where’s Spot? over 40 years ago, it has become a go-to way of having young children actively engage with the text showing them the delights that both stories and print can offer.  So this charming adventure that has Peter searching for a number of things is sure to please, as well as introducing them to this timeless character. They will enjoy predicting whether what he is searching for is behind the flap, using their knowledge of what is likely to be there to confirm their suggestions.  What is most likely to be in the cake tin or in the bathroom drawer?

Finding the fun in the story, sharing it with someone who loves them, using the cues and clues to predict what is going to happen – these are all those essential early reading behaviours that are going to set our youngest ones up for success as readers and so the more of these sorts of books and experiences they can have, the better.  Another must-have character that every child needs to meet, and see on their bookshelves.  

Ten Minutes to Bed: Little Dinosaur’s Big Race

Jul12
Ten Minutes to Bed: Little Dinosaur's Big Race

Ten Minutes to Bed: Little Dinosaur’s Big Race

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ten Minutes to Bed: Little Dinosaur’s Big Race

Rhiannon Fielding

Chris Chatterton

Ladybird, 2023

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

9780241545638

Midsummer’s Eve in the Land of Nod, and one of the biggest nights of the year for the dinosaurs for tonight is the night they hold their competition to discover who has the best all-round team.  With just ten minutes to complete the course, will Rumble and his remarkable team come in first or ???

With its rhyme which flows naturally, stunning illustrations and the countdown, this is perfect to share to settle even the most un-sleep-ready child as they learn that even the creatures they love to dream about have to sleep sometime. For those who are already familiar with the series, they will be delighted to see all the characters coming together in one story to help Rumble, while for those for whom it is new, it will be an introduction to a charming set of stories that help them not only understand the continuity of characters so it’s easy to apply their existing knowledge, but they will also enjoy exploring The Land of Nod as they compare and contrast the day and night time maps on the endpages.  

If you have a little one or know one, this is an excellent series to start them on their reading journeys.

Find Spot: An Australian Adventure

Jul10
Find Spot: An Australian Adventure

Find Spot: An Australian Adventure

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Find Spot: An Australian Adventure

Eric Hill

Puffin, 2023

18pp., board book., RRP $A14.99

9780241618127

Spot and his mum and dad are camping near a billabong and exploring the Australian outback, its colours and creatures. As they paddle down the creek they discover all the colours that can be found in and around the billabong and meet lots of Australian animals along the way, most of them hidden under flaps for littlies to lift, but as they are exploring, Spot disappears! Where did he go?

Eric Hill’s Where’s Spot? was the first ever lift-the-flap book – and his ground-breaking innovation continues to delight and surprise readers with interactive fun. Spot has now been a trusted character in early learning for over 40 years, selling over 65 million books worldwide. And the tradition continues as young readers not only have the delight of discovering what is under the flap, but also sharing a familiar adventure with a favourite character, building their vocabulary with words like “billabong”, naming the colours that they can see and having fun identifying those creatures they already recognise – all critical skills in early reading development and affirming that they, too, will become a “real reader”. 

 

 

Feelings Are Wild

Jun29
Feelings Are Wild

Feelings Are Wild

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Feelings Are Wild

Sophy Williams

Gavin Scott

A & U Children’s, 2023

24pp., hbk., RRP $A19.99

9781761180262

One koala feels grumpy

His naptime was too short.

Two bunnies feel nervous

What if they get caught?

As our little ones become more independent they not only begin to feel a variety of emotions but also begin to recognise and identify a range of them, some of which can be a bit scary if they are made to feel ashamed or guilty for expressing them. So this charming picture book (which is also a counting book) helps them understand that not only are these emotions normal, they are common and experienced by everyone so they, themselves, are no different from their siblings or their friends.  

Read together with an adult, they can be encouraged to look at the illustrations to work out what the characters are doing  and describe how they might be feeling, thus recognising and describing situations where they might have felt a similar feeling as well as extending their vocabulary and starting to understand cause and effect. Having the characters as animals puts the events at arm’s length so they have the choice about whether they share a similar situation or not.  Such opportunities help them learn to articulate their feelings rather than throwing frustration-driven tantrums because they don’t have the words, as well as teaching them that it is OK to talk about all sorts of feelings. Not every sentence has to start with “I am happy when…” 

But  what sets this book apart from the many that describe and acknowledge emotions generally, is that having raised the issue that raised the emotion, it then revisits the animals to see how it was resolved.  So the child learns that while having the “big feelings” is normal, they can be turned around and only last for a short time.  

IMO, young children can never hear the message that they are OK, that they are normal and just like everyone else often enough and this is a book that helps underpin that. 

 

Wake Up Lionel

Jun26
Wake Up Lionel

Wake Up Lionel

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wake Up Lionel

Sian Turner

Rebecca Cool

Little Steps, 2023

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

9781922833907

When Lionel goes to stay at his grandmother’s farm, his mother warns him that there will be strange night noises that he won’t have heard in the city.  But the country air must have an amazing effect because when Lionel sleep-walks around the farm, none of the animals can wake him even though they all try with their loudest noise.  Even following him back to his bed and sharing it with him doesn’t disturb his slumber.

Written in rhyme, this is a story that could introduce young readers to the animals they are likely to see on the farm and they can have fun mimicking the various noises, perhaps even learning the traditional song about Old MacDonald.  They might also like to compare and contrast the sounds that Lionel might have heard at home by taking time to listen to the sounds of night falling where they live and what Lionel hears, thus learning to involve all their senses when they are reading. Guiding them to think about what they might see, hear, feel and smell in a particular setting helps them to orient themselves and make plausible suggestions for unknown words based on content and context rather than sounds. 

So even though the animals were unable to wake up Lionel, perhaps they can spark some genuine learning in this seemingly simple tale. 

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.  

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.  

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.