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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.  

The Yawn Book

May19

The Yawn Book

The Yawn Book

 

The Yawn Book

Diana Kim

HarperCollins, 2023

32pp., hbk., RRP $A34.99

9780358525936

Yawning: Everyone does it. But no one knows why. The one thing for certain about this book is that you will yawn while it is being read.  

Scientists have studied when we yawn – it starts at about 12-14 weeks in the womb –  and how often but they still don’t know why.  Is it because our brains need extra oxygen, or because we are changing from one state of mind to another, or because it cools the brain by bringing cold air into our bodies?  And why is the act so contagious? 

While the big question remains unanswered despite the brightest minds trying, there are many other questions that are explored and explained in this fascinating non fiction book for young readers which combines accessible text with appealing artwork.  Did you know that mammals, reptiles, amphibians, birds and fish yawn but insects don’t? What’s the common element between those creatures that do? Does that has something to do with it?  Maybe it will be a reader who discovers the answer! 

It is books like these that provide the strongest evidence and justification for having a robust print non fiction collection in the primary school library at least.  It even has a formal ‘sources cited’ bibliography for further exploration, although none of those would be in a school library – the author has done the research and distilled the information into child-friendly language and explanation.  

One to pair with Dr. Seuss’s Sleep Book for some fun-filled fact-finding!

Step Inside Science Human Body

Mar30
Step Inside Science Human Body

Step Inside Science Human Body

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Step Inside Science: Human Body

Lara Bryan

Teresa Bellon

Usborne, 2023

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

9781474998864

Did you know that it takes about a minute for your blood to do a loop of your body? Or that there are special juices in your tummy that turn anything you eat into mush?

These are the sorts of things that young readers can learn in this interactive book from Usborne as they take a journey through their body so they can discover how thousands of pieces of it work together in harmony to make them, them and us, us. The board book format offers opportunities for peek-a-boo illustrations and lift-the-flap discoveries so young readers are engaged and keen to learn more.  And, as usual with Usborne publications, there are pre-selected Quicklinks so they can learn more and get involved in activities.  

 

The Big Story of Being Alive

Mar5
The Big Story of Being Alive

The Big Story of Being Alive

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Big Story of Being Alive

Neal Layton

Wren & Rook, 2023

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

9781526362650 

What does it mean to be alive? The three things that are agreed on to define “alive” are that all living things grow, reproduce and they are made of trillions of tiny, but critically important, organisms called cells.  It is how these cells combine and work together that gives each living  thing its unique characteristics. 

Young readers can find out what a cell is and why they are important, including how they themselves start as two cells from their parents, in this engaging, fact-filled book written to entertain as well as educate.  Readers will empathise with the little robot who is not alive, but who, in the end would like to be because of all the things it means it could do.  In the past, and perhaps still, the foundation science unit for our youngest students was to distinguish between those things that were alive and those that weren’t beginning their understanding of comparing, contrasting and classifying and so this would be a great starting point to help them understand why there are differences, rather than just that there are.  They could use what they learn to develop a set of questions based on the criteria for being alive and then examine those things around them to see which they satisfy.  Perhaps it will start them on a lifelong journey of scientific discoveries. 

 

 

Sleep Through the Night

Jan14
Sleep Through the Night

Sleep Through the Night

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sleep Through the Night

Byll & Beth Stephen

Simon Howe

ABC Books, 2022

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

9780733342707

Some species sleep wherever they choose to roam,
but human beings sleep the very best when they are home.

Sometimes getting little ones to settle to sleep in the evening can be overwhelming and frustrating, and so this is an interesting book to share with them that shows not only why we need to sleep but that all species do, even if their habits are different to humans.

From the creators of the important books Boss of Your Own Body, it gently explains that sleeping is an important part of growing and thus might be more effective than a brusque goodnight and a firm door-closing. Sometimes knowing why is all the reassurance a child needs. 

The Christmas Bum Book

Dec8

 

 

 

 

The Christmas Bum Book

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Christmas Bum Book

Kate Mayes

Andrew Joyner

ABC Books, 2022

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

When I was a kid, just after the days of the dinosaurs, we felt very risqué chanting “yum, yum, pig’s bum, makes good chewing gum” just out of the earshot of adults.  To be heard meant mouths washed out with soap, or a smacked bum.

Now, there are whole books written about bums and bottoms – a healthy way to make this anatomical feature as natural as it is for everyone.

So in this hilarious book “for anyone who has a bum” author and illustrator have taken a host of the concepts we associate with Christmas and applied them to posteriors amplifying that bums come in all sizes, shapes and colours. From the big, red-covered plumpness we associate with Santa to Dad’s glittery underpants, there are derrieres galore, each celebrating the fun and joy of Christmas – most welcome in this year of gloom and doom after years of gloom and doom and when adults seem hard-pressed to work up the enthusiasm for their kids’ celebrations. 

Bright and colourful and just good fun – this is one to put a smile on any… face!!!

 

The Very Hard Book

Aug31
The Very Hard Book

The Very Hard Book

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Very Hard Book

Idan Ben-Barak

Philip Bunting

A&U Children’s, 2022

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

9781760526221

Can you make up a joke that makes you laugh? Sit in an empty room?  Or be somewhere else for a minute?

At first, this book with its short sentences, large font and intriguingly ‘simple’ pictures looks like one of those fun ones that engage young children in the joy of reading through the power of the absurd,  And, indeed, it is just that – but a closer look, as well as the diagram on the final endpaper, show that it is so much more.

Because once again, the author of the very popular Do Not Lick This Book , has put his scientific brain to work to create an introduction to the world beyond the words, this time about thinking about thinking. The act of thinking about thinking is known as metacognition and forms the basis of all critical thought. It is also a concept that comes easily to children whose inquisitive nature makes them able to engage in abstract questions and open-ended thinking without the constraints, learning and lenses that the adult brain automatically imposes.

Bunting, who teamed up with Ben-Barak to create We Go Way Back has very cleverly used characters that resemble dendrites , the brain cell’s message receptors, to further emphasise the confusion and complexity of the tasks that seem so simple on the surface.  

Some years ago when science made it possible for specialists to really start delving into how people learn, and people like Bob Sylwester, Renate and Geoffrey Caine  Eric Jensen and Robin Fogarty  began to interpret what this looked like in the classroom providing the foundations for the pedagogies we now use, students were encouraged to think about their thinking, to know how their brains worked and apply that to their learning.  And they were engaged and fascinated as they learned about “the magic trees of the mind” . Even though this might not be such a focus now, nevertheless this would be an excellent introduction to get them to start thinking about thinking and stretching and growing their brains beyond the screen and someone else’s imagination. 

For surely, if our students are to become critical thinkers, they must first know how and why they think and the influences that play on that. 

 

You Are 25% Banana

Aug11
You Are 25% Banana

You Are 25% Banana

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You Are 25% Banana

Susie Brooks

Josy Bloggs

Farshore, 2022

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

9781405299084

With an intriguing title that is as eye-catching as the cover, this will capture the imagination of any casual browser, and once opened, so will the contents. 

Using both bold fonts and illustrations, this is a fascinating early introduction to genetics that explains how humans are related to every other living thing on the planet, including bananas; that our closest relatives are chimpanzees with a 99% match; yet while our “recipe” is the same as 99.9% of everyone else on the planet now or ever, it is the 0.1% that makes us unique.  Only identical twins have the same recipe!

One of the most common activities in early childhood classes is to graph hair and eye colour, or map heights and so this book goes a long way to helping children understand why they have the colouring or the build that they do.  Learning this at an early age might help alleviate the body image issues that still plague our kids, particularly as they get older, helping them accept their red hair and freckles more readily and even celebrate their differences rather than their lack of conformity to some media-driven, arbitrary, preferred look.  

For older students, it could help them understand the stupidity and futility of racism, particularly if they also watch the pioneering documentary Blue Eyes, Brown Eyes,  Whether our beliefs about human development are based on Glasser’s Basic Needs theory, Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs or any other theory, the need for love and belonging is common, and physical acceptance is high – so the more we can understand the importance and influence of our genetic makeup from an early age, the more likely we are to value ourselves and others.  Therefore, this is an important book to start the conversation, even if we don’t like bananas! 

 

 

I Want My Potty!

Jun11
I Want My Potty!

I Want My Potty!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I Want My Potty!

Tony Ross

Andersen Press, 2022

20pp., hbk., RRP $A16.99

9780862649654

“Nappies are YUUECH!” said the Little Princess. “There must be something better!” At first, the Little Princess thinks the royal potty is even worse, but she soon learns to love it… even if it isn’t always there when she needs it! 

Originally published in 1986, this is an hilarious  classic for young readers who are grappling with potty training – even princesses have to learn and even princesses have accidents.

It is the first in the series about this engaging, feisty young princess that can lay the foundation for a collection of entertaining reads that they can relate to and enjoy again and again.   – 

Whose Poo?

May28
Whose Poo?

Whose Poo?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Whose Poo?

Daisy Bird

Marianna Coppo

Andersen Press, 2022

44pp., pbk., RRP $A16.99

9781839132285

The two baby mice are fascinated by poo and even though their dad tells them it is an off-limits conversation while on their zoo trip, they can’t help themselves.  As they walk to the zoo, they see lots of different people and their imaginations run wild as they picture the sort of poo the person would do – but once they get there, there’s no stopping their fantasies.  “Chameleons do sneaky, camouflage poo.  They can hide it anywhere they want to!” 

But the greatest insight is when Father Mouse takes them to meet the Pookeeper…

While this is an hilarious story in rhyme that will have young readers laughing out loud that might have them imagining what sort of poo those around them would do, this story also has a serious side.. 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. .  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.  It may also minimise the advent of toilet humour that seems to grip young boys and often lasts into adulthood.  

A fun read with a serious side.