Ginger’s Courage

Nov26

Ginger’s Courage

Ginger’s Courage

Lynsey Patterson

Angela Perrini

Little Steps, 2025

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

9781923306042

Ginger the dog loves playing football with her two friends, a kelpie and a terrier, playing every day regardless of the weather. She has developed remarkable skills over time, kicking, dribbling, heading the ball and defending the goal. But one day, when she is more intent on the ball than the traffic she has an accident that results in a leg being amputated, and for months she lies in her bed, getting more and more disconsolate convincing herself she will never get to play again. Until the day she at last got up and went to the park and saw another little dog, also with only three legs, who seemed to be having lots of fun regardless of the missing leg…

This is a story that may well resonate with some children who have had to suffer major setbacks in their lives, have fallen into a funk of “Poor me” and are having trouble seeing a brighter future. Like Ginger it is natural to grieve for lost dreams and aspirations, and the grief can overwhelm the ability to set new ones, particularly for young people who live in the here and now, without the experience to appreciate the old adage that “life goes on.” So perhaps they will draw strength from Ginger’s story that they are not alone with a disability or whatever catastrophe has befallen them, that they can accept and love their new self, and find a workaround that with persistence and perseverance, pulls them back into friendships and fun again. So that while they might not be kicking goals in the way they envisaged, they are kicking them in their own way. They are not defined by their disability, but rather the courage it takes to get back up and try again. Just as Ginger’s new team embraces others with different abilities, disabilities, strengths and challenges, so too can they find acceptance and inclusion and extend that to others.

Written in rhyme that bounces along, with energetic and empathetic illustrations, I shared this with my preschoolers during my weekly story-sharing session and while they responded positively to it, a couple of the sharp-eyed budding football players remarked that the ball was the wrong shape. It should be round if it is going to be dribbled and headed, they told me, and “that shape doesn’t roll like soccer ball.” Out of the mouths of babes…

That aside, there are extensive teachers’ notes aligned to the Australian curriculum available to explore the story further with young readers.

There Is No Giant In This Story

Jul11

There Is No Giant In This Story

There Is No Giant In This Story

Lou Carter

Deborah Allwright

Bloomsbury, 2025

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

9781526608208

Remember the story of Jack who swapped his mother’s precious cow for a handful of magic beans that grew into a huge beanstalk that reached into the clouds? And Jack, being Jack, decided to climb it, found a giant’s castle, stole the giant’s stuff and when the giant chased him back to the ground, Jack chopped the beanstalk down in the nick of time and that was the end of the giant?

Or was it?

In this follow-up to There Is NO Dragon In This Story (and companion to There Is No Big Bad Wolf In This Story) the giant has obviously survived the ending of the age-old tale because he is bored and leaves his castle, climbs down the beanstalk and sets off towards Fairytale Land to play. But his idea of playing means tramply-stamping on stuff with his ‘huge feets’ and filling the land with his ‘boomy-shouts’ while he destroys everything in his path. Fee-fi-fo-fum! Catchy, catchy, here I come!

Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Goldilocks and all their friends are terrified, until the Gingerbread Man has an idea to save the town… But can they teach the dragon to play nicely?

Young readers will delight in recognising some of their favourite and familiar characters in the bright, action-packed pictures that accompany this new take on the old tale as they hold their breath through the drama with fingers crossed for a safe ending for all.

But as well as being a cracking story there is lots of scope to explore all sorts of aspects….

They could discuss the sorts of things that the characters could teach the giant about how to play nicely.

They could use Bill Martin Jr’s poem that begins, My name is Tommy and I am not very big and has repetitive stanzas that follow the pattern “I am not a big as a —–, A goat is bigger than I am with each item bigger than the last and concluding with “A dinosaur is the biggest thing I know’, substituting ‘giant’ for ‘dinosaur’.

They could build their vocabulary by creating a word wall with synonyms for both big and small.

They could create a display for the library with the caption There IS a giant in this story.

They could explore giant things, perhaps investigating Australia’s fascination with Big Things and maybe even suggesting something appropriate that represents their region.

And they could listen to one of the best giant stories of all – The BFG by Roald Dahl.

The list goes on…

The best story books lead readers on all sorts of reading adventures and this is definitely one of those…

Fifi and Friends: The Super Car Race

Jan23

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.

Shirin and Amir and the Dragon Smoke

Oct20

Shirin and Amir and the Dragon Smoke

Shirin and Amir and the Dragon Smoke

Liz Drummond & Jemima Shafei-Ongu

Magie Khameneh

Little Steps, 2024

32pp., hbk., RRP $A21.99

9781922833532

Shirin and Amir know everyone in their densely-packed neighbourhood but their favourite thing is to hurry home from school to play in the park and have wondrous adventures. But when bushfire smoke drifts across from a nearby fire they are forced to stay inside for days on end, bored and miserable. Until Shirin’s imagination takes over and suddenly what is unhealthy bushfire smoke becomes dragon smoke complete with a dragon that has to be smited…

While, on the surface, this is a light-hearted story about kids making the most of a bad situation, it is both the back story and its message that are critical, particularly as bushfire season starts again. Written after the 2019/20 Black Summer bushfire season which impacted so many in so many ways (and continues to do so), it is designed to not only warn people of the dangers of inhaling bushfire smoke – after weeks of it and evacuating twice, we vowed we would never take our fresh mountain air for granted again – as well as provide something for those culturally and linguistically diverse communities who are unfamiliar with this annual threat in Australia. Scientific and creative teams from the ANU in Canberra have worked together to produce this story which includes information on the smoke, its hazards, protecting yourself and seeking help if you’re scared and it has also been translated into Persian, Arabic and Turkish.

“We wanted to make a picture book about bushfire smoke, not the flames, as there didn’t appear to be any children’s books on this topic,” co-author Liz Drummond, and NCEPH Communication Officer, said. “It was important not to scare the children, so I decided to focus on fun imaginative play.” Thus, she asked herself what game would Bluey and Bingo play and from that grew the ideas of dragon smoke, masks that are helmets and an asthma puffer that is a magic flute, which, accompanied by eye-catching, detailed illustrations will appeal to young readers who are likely to share the message with their parents, as much as parents will share the message with them. Such is the power of picture books.

More on the story of its creation can be found here while teaching resources which include information about the hazards of smoke are also available. .

Many schools are set to receive free copies of this book – be aware that it is not just one to shove on the shelves but it has a critical message that needs to be shared.

Fitter, Healthier, Happier!

Sep24

Fitter, Healthier, Happier!

Fitter, Healthier, Happier!

Joe Wicks

Kate Sutton

HarperCollins GB, 2024

192pp., pbk., RRP $A19.99

9780008501044

Through his appearances on social media and television focusing on fitness and healthy living, Joe Wicks has become a household name particularly in the UK, extending his profile during COVID by creating and presenting programs designed to keep children active and healthy during their enforced indoor times. Now, with the publication of this book, his reach is extending even further.

In the introduction he speaks directly to the reader, telling them of his troubled, chaotic childhood during which he was often labelled as “naughty” and found himself in trouble. But he knew he wasn’t naughty – he just had a lot of anxiety and anger, frustration and fear bottled up inside, but because that was the early 90s when awareness of mental health issues, particularly for kids, was just emerging and even if there were people to turn to, the stigma of doing so was still daunting, he didn’t have the courage to speak up, let alone know who to turn to. But then he discovered PE (physical education) and suddenly he had a way to release the energy through sport and exercise, and not only that, it was something he was good at and so he could start feeling good about himself. And so this book is a way to reach out to those with the same issues, so they can learn to love and understand their bodies and how to preserve and protect them through living an active, healthy life, and, at the same time, having strong, secure mental health.

There are four chapters, each written and illustrated in a style that reflects their energetic, get-up-and-move message so that the reader doesn’t have to wade through pages of staid information, filled with facts and figures and stuff that makes the outcome seem unachievable from the get-go.

KNOW YOUR BODY: Why do we need a healthy body? Find out what happens to our heart and lungs when we exercise, and how do our skeleton and muscles help us to run, jump and dance.

FUEL YOUR BODY: Join Joe on a tasty tour of everything from carbs to minerals – find out about eating well, nutrition and fuelling your body to ensure you always have plenty of energy.

MOVE YOUR BODY: With handy tips and exercises, grow skills such as flexibility, balance and speed, and get an insight into why these are so important to our physical and mental health. Did you know that exercising every day can boost your brain power?

FOCUS YOUR BODY: A healthy body and a healthy mind go hand in hand! Joe will help you with top-level tips about finding a sport or exercise you love, getting a good night’s sleep, reducing your stress and worry, and finding a calmer mindset.

Suggestions for action and activities abound, and so as much as this is an engaging text for young readers, it is also useful for teachers who can intersperse sit-down lessons with movement and meaning to reset and refocus both body and brain, whether that’s encouraging simply breathing deeply to relax or challenging children to sit and touch their toes with their nose!

With the growing realisation of just how much time our young spend on screens and how bad that is for them, anything that encourages them to understand the needs of their bodies and gives them the wherewithal to take action has to be a positive addition, particularly if it is actively promoted.

The Kelly Gang Kids

Sep20

The Kelly Gang Kids

The Kelly Gang Kids

Coral Vass

Deb Hudson

MidnightSun, 2024

32oo., hbk., RRP $A29.99

9781922858375

School’s out and four rambunctious boys chase each other through the streets of Avenel. a tiny town in Central Victoria, causing havoc as they run through clotheslines, accidentally let Peterson’s sheep out of their paddock, and are oblivious to the chaos they cause at the blacksmith’s where they temporarily seek shelter. But their escapade is cut short when they get to the old billabong and they spy a young boy in trouble in the water, clearly unable to swim and in danger of drowning. Without thinking, the eldest, Ned, dives in and saves the boy, and suddenly the town’s rascal becomes the town’s hero, awarded a green silk sash by the boy’s family as thanks…

For many, such a story might make the local nightly news and then be forgotten by those not directly involved, but this one is different – perhaps there is a clue in the title – because it is 1865 and Ned is Ned Kelly who grew up to the THAT Ned Kelly who is such a prominent figure in Australia’s folklore, and the other three are his brother Dan, and his friends Joe Byrne and Steve Hart, all of whom also have their place in the stories of the infamous Kelly Gang. And the green sash is still on display at the Costume and Kelly Museum, retrieved from beneath the famous metal armour worn during his last battle with police at Glenrowan in 1888.

The green sash on display in Benalla, Victoria

Author Coral Vass has a number of children’s books including Sorry Day and Jørn’s Magnificent Imagination that help young readers understand the people, places and events that have shaped this country and this one is no different. With its rhyme and rhythm that rollicks along like the four boys themselves, the story brings to life another side of Ned Kelly, one that shows a boy pretty much like so many others of his generation but who did an extraordinary thing, both then and later. It might spark questions, not only about Kelly himself, but what life was like in those days of no internet, social media, television, organised sport or cultural pursuits, and where attending school wasn’t even compulsory until years later. How would today’s kids entertain themselves?

The illustrations bring the text to life as the boys go on their merry way adding humour and drama as their exuberance leaves a trail of destruction, but through the repetitive refrain of the victims, the reader gets the impression that their antics are not uncommon.

“You rascals! What mess!”
the old Blacksmith said,
chasing behind
and shaking his head.

But WHIZ out of sight
and swift on their way,
the Kelly Gang kids
skedaddled away.

An entertaining and engaging story that could well send the budding historian down many rabbit holes as they seek to find out more about this larger-than-life character and decide, as in this story, whether he is hero or villain.

For those wanting to know more, they might be able to track down Ned Kelly and the Green Sash by Mark Greenwood and Frané Lessac from 2014.

Shadow Play

Sep9

Shadow Play

Shadow Play

Kate Forsyth

Rosalie Street

Wombat Books, 2024

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

9781925563740

Minnie May is afraid of everything, even her own shadow. No matter where she goes outdoors it follows her as though it is tied to her heel. It mimics her every movement swirls in the water, crouches under her bed, reaches with black claws from the trees and looms large and terrifying in the tall buildings around, and, as the day goes on and it gets larger and linger, it grows more menacing Minnie’s fear and anxiety grow and she believes the only way of escape is to hide, crouching low under a large umbrella until the shadow shrinks away.

But then one day while Minnie is hiding, she spies another shadow-one that is larger than her own. But rather than being threatening, she discovers it belongs to Ziggy. And he is not afraid of it. In fact he celebrates it showing Minnie many things that can be done with shadows, such as telling the time and casting shadow puppets on the wall., even making it be in front of them as they swing higher and higher. At last, Minnie isn’t afraid of her shadow any more, in fact, she likes her shadow.

Lots of our littlies are afraid of things they don’t understand and can’t articulate, especially shadows, and that one that occurs every 24 hours – night time. Even though Rosalie Street has painted Minnie’s shadow as a benevolent fairy-butterfly, the unknown and unexplained still frightens Minnie until she learns the truth from Ziggy. So, while these fears are common and will resonate with our young ones, there is much we can do as their carers to help alleviate them by taking them outside and making shadows fun and fearless. Games like trying to jump on each other’s shadow, marking your shadow in chalk on the pavement at different times of the day; making shadow shapes on the wall – the list is endless and as well as having fun and facing their fears, there is also some valuable science and maths occurring as well.

An ideal introduction to so many areas – emotional connections and recognising our fears and investigating them so their reality is put in perspective through new-found knowledge, not to mention all the maths and science, language and art that permeates the curriculum. Imagine the learning if you put your students in Ziggy’s shoes to devise their own explanation about shadows for a younger child!

Backyard Tennis

Sep4

Backyard Tennis

Backyard Tennis

Carl Merrison

Samantha Campbell

Lothian, 2024

32pp., hbk., RRP $a19.99

9780734421548

Another big-blue day in the endless red dirt of WA’s Kimberley region, and Mum drags out her old tennis racquets, and sets off a chain of events that soon has all the kids in the neighbourhood involved as they learn to master the art of getting the ball over the net. – or the clothesline in this case.

As with Backyard Footy, this is another celebration of the fun and friendship that can be had when kids come together and share something as simple as a spur-of-the-moment game. You don’t need fancy clothing, specialist coaches, or an elaborate playing field – the basic equipment, a willingness to try something new and have fun are all that is required. Which is perfect because there will many who have been inspired by the feats of our Olympic and Paralympic athletes and who want to have a go but believe that it involves access and money that they don’t have. While Merrison says that he hopes this series will help “to raise awareness of the untapped talent in rural and remote Australia and encourage sports codes to provide workshops and training to outback kids… and then think about real tangible pathways to support rural and remote kids to get into elite sports.”, it also teaches those in other areas that they can have fun with just the basics and a bit of space. Even those in apartments have access to green space somewhere. Ans it is very much a case of “build it and they will come.”

So while the author might be wanting to inspire First Nations kids, the key message is that regardless of race, religion and all that other stuff, all children need to have fun and friends and to play and belong. And the real thing is so much better than anything they will see or do using a screen.

Just Like You

Aug24

Just Like You/ Bitjan Nhakuna Nhe

Just Like You/ Bitjan Nhakuna Nhe

Natashia Curtin

Walker Books, 2024

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

9781760658069

Sometimes the world of today’s children seems so very different from that of their parents, particularly given the advances of and accessibility to technology, but when you put that aside, literally and figuratively, it turns out that both generations like the same things – playing with friends, building cubbies, dancing to music, jumping in puddles, having cuddles…

In this dual -language picture book, Natashia Curtin draws inspiration from her time growing up in Arnhem Land in a unique exploration of the universality of childhood as she shows her child that they share a love for the same things – it’s just that grew up in a Yolngu township in the Northern Territory rather than the city and so while both generations enjoy a picnic in the park or jumping into the pool, the settings are very different. By the clever juxtaposition of the illustrations ,and the use of both English and Gupapuynu, young readers can follow both journeys and enjoy the similarities and differences at the same time.

Regardless of the nature of the reader’s heritage, this is an opportunity to explore how similar childhood likes are for everyone, regardless of the time or place and there are discussion notes to help guide the conversations. As well as a wonderful tool to help bridge the gap across generations, some children might be surprised to find that those who “have come across the seas” enjoy the same things they do, even if they do it in a different way, again building conversations, connections, and ultimately, communities. There ls all sorts of scope to use the dual-language nature of this book to reach out to those whose mother tongue is not English to share their words for the activities, building a multi-lingual display that demonstrates, that for children, play is universal.

This has the potential to be so much more than a reminiscing between mother and daughter, and for that, deserves a place in the collection as well as promotion for any studies of families and where they have come from.

The Wobbly Bike

Aug6

The Wobbly Bike

The Wobbly Bike

Darren McCallum

Craig Smith

Walker Books, 2024

32pp., hbk., RRP $A25.99

9781760656416

Pop’s old bike is wobbly, it wobbles side to side.

It wobbles every single time I take it for a ride…

Learning to ride a bike, to perfect your balance, to master the two-wheeled monster is a rite of passage for so many Australian kids because suddenly they have the ability and the independence to venture further than the front gate to join their friends and have all sorts of new-found fun and adventures. But what if the bike you are trying to control isn’t some shiny, new, fancy-dancy expensive models that probably uses AI or some other technical wizardry to keep you upright? What if it’s your pop’s own creaky, rusty model that is decades old, covered in cobwebs, and hasn’t been ridden since he was a lad? Can you still learn to ride it? Can you master its wibbles and wobbles and other issues so you, too, can be a rider? And does its age and looks matter to your mates as you wobble out the gate to join them? Or are you just another kid to know the joy of the freedom of wheels?

This is a humorous story-in-rhyme set against the backdrop of Darwin suburbia that celebrates the fun and falls that we all remember as we learned to ride; the pride we felt when we finally managed those first few shaky metres when the trainer wheels came off and the adult let go; the freedom we had as we ventured beyond the front gate and the joy we felt with all our friends as we did the dopey things that kids do because we knew no fear and no boundaries. And no matter whether we were in the suburbs of Darwin, the green space in a city, or a dusty dirt road in a tiny country town, had a snazzy new bike or the hand-me-down from Pop, we all learned the same thing – you have to practise, practise, practise, accept the skinned knees, pick yourself up, dust yourself down and try again.

This is such a joyous book with its humour, rhyme and illustrations making something very special from something very ordinary, evoking memories, connecting kids and generations, and reminding us that things that are worthwhile are worth striving for. After all, even Mulga Bill got there in the end!!!

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Archives

Ginger’s Courage

There Is No Giant In This Story

Fifi and Friends: The Super Car Race

Shirin and Amir and the Dragon Smoke

Fitter, Healthier, Happier!

The Kelly Gang Kids

Shadow Play

Backyard Tennis

Just Like You

The Wobbly Bike

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