In every country around the world are mums – some short, some tall.
Though they go by different names, we love them one and all.
Whether it’s Mummy, Mama, Mum or Ma, or a word from another language altogether the bond between mother and child and the memories we make are unique and both Barton and Heiduczek have captured them perfectly in this new companion to What Do You Call Your Dad?, What Do You Call Your Grandpa? and What Do You Call Your Grandma?, another celebration of the special relationships with special people in our lives, regardless of the name we call them.
Apart from giving little ones a chance to share the special things that they do with their mum, maybe even different to those that their siblings do, it provides an opportunity to introduce the concept of people speaking different languages because they come from different places, and, beginning with the first word that so many say, regardless of their heritage, share that special word for our female parent while learning new ones. Build a word wall with photos and labels to explore how many languages are spoken in students’ homes.
Great for promoting inclusivity as well as being the focus for Mother’s Day on May 10!!!
9781761113154 There once were four friends who loved playing music together. They practised and practised until they felt they were good enough to out on some concerts in the city. But every time they began to play, something strange happened … the audience fell asleep!!! Even though their friends suggested the different types of music they might play – hip-hop, rock, pop – the same thing happened. And so, with bad reviews and no ticket sales, they decided to head back to the farm. Until a little bilby spoke up – and things turned around.
This is a wonderful story about four sheep doing what they love, and which could lead to all sorts of rabbit-holes to explore, beginning with end pages that feature all sorts of punny nods to tunes that some of us remember, and young readers might like to talk to their parents about to hear the originals. They might like to suggest which sort of animals would enjoy being in the audience sparking an investigation into nocturnal animals, their habits and habitats, or they might like to explore the different musical genres and examine the characteristics of each, or those studying literary devices might like to discuss why the author chose the title.
Or maybe they will just enjoy it for the entertaining, original story it is.
Take a young child to a playground where there are things to climb up, slide down, crawl under, swing across and wriggle through and then sit back and watch them play. Within minutes they will have joined with other children also there, regardless of age or any other factor, and they will be having fun in the moment with their new friends as they just savour the joy of the physical activity. There are no formalities, no names, no handshakes, no judgements – just kids being kids with older ones helping and protecting those younger and smaller, all just playing together, enjoying what they are doing and who they are with. No adults needed.
And in this joyous new book, those moments have been captured by both author and illustrator, as though they were sitting on the park bench together with a camera and their own little ones.
The pictures capture all the fun two little ones are having together as they explore, discover and navigate climbing frames, slides. merry-go-rounds and all the other devices that are there just for their enjoyment, while minimal rhyming text captures their conversation and emphasises spatial concepts, encouraging young readers to be more aware of their surroundings and learn and use the words that describe their position to the objects within them as they take the first steps that will eventually lead to all sorts of more sophisticated mathematical and mapping outcomes as they mature. Just as the storybook children explore their playground, so too are there opportunities for the reader to explore their own, as they, themselves, go up, down, over, through, behind, beside, beneath and beyond combining movement and learning in the best way possible – having fun, perhaps even meeting challenges like, “Find something you can hide behind”. Teachers’ notes offer more ideas.
But more importantly, it is the celebration of childhood, the complete acceptance of a stranger and the friendship sparked through enjoying a shared activity that puts the sparkle in this story, that so many others with a similar pedagogical focus lack.
Banished to the back yard to play outside, the little boy is unimpressed as he looks at the empty, bare expanse of grass. But when he spots a little snail, picks it up and rubs the dirt off it he gets the surprise of his life. Suddenly the snail comes to life declaring itself to be a “wonderful, magical super-cool” snail, and, providing he follows the rules – that the wish must rhyme with ‘snail’ – it can grant the little lad’s wish!
Immediately the boy launches into a list of things that many children would love – but he ignores the part about them rhyming with snail, asking for things like “a robot butler with a built-in TV screen and cola that shoots out its eyes!” And as each wish gets more extravagant, the Genie Snail counters with things that do follow the rules like “a mouldy toenail” or “a lifetime of leafy green kale.” Whether they actually get on the same page and the boy get his wish is a discovery for the reader to make…
Even though the snail cannot interpret the boy’s wishes, illustrator Chris Kennett has does so in a most engaging way that bring both wishes and counter-offers to life in a way that add action, humour and delight as young readers explore the details.
A peek inside….
As well as being a fun read that encourages the young reader to join in by imagining what they might wish for, this is also a great opportunity to explore words that do rhyme with “snail” regardless of their spelling – (older children could learn about homophones as they build both vocabulary and spelling awareness) ) – and perhaps use Genie Snail’s final comment to imagine what might happen if they found a genie of a different sort in their garden, providing more opportunities and context to explore rhyming words and perhaps artwork…
It’s pouring rain and all the kids are sheltering under the umbrella. Except for one little girl who doesn’t fit, no matter how hard she tries.
But then she asks herself, “Do I need to fit? ” And while she acknowledges that she would like to, and even makes friends with others who don’t fit either and getting their own umbrella, she has the self-awareness to realise that even that is not a good fit and gradually realises that maybe she doesn’t need to fit at all – there is plenty of fun to be had being in the rain…
Written entirely in conversation with the story being beautifully interpreted in the illustrations as a seamless whole – the epitome of a picture book IMO – this is a story that looks like it is for younger readers but which, in fact, has much broader appeal and potential.
Promoted by the publisher as being written by “author and parent with intimate experience of neurodivergence“, it can indeed, be a story about embracing your different way of thinking and viewing the world but it could be applied to any form of difference whether that be having red hair and glasses in a world that valued voluptuous blondes; having different beliefs and traditions, speaking a different language, wearing different clothes, eating different foods or any of the myriad of other differences that make us unique as individuals. Do we really need to be under the same umbrella? And what happens when those who do fit and are sheltering under that umbrella lift it and see what life in the rain can be like? From first turn of the cover where the reader sees all sorts of individual children out in the rain, some with the protection of an umbrella and many without to the final endpage of all being gathered together under the arc of the multi-coloured rainbow this is a celebration of diversity, discovery and inclusion that will resonate widely.
But beyond that, there is also a story of the emotions of being the person who is “different”. How do they cope with the pressure of feeling the need to fit in? How do they manage their emotions when they realise that even if they turn themselves upside down, they don’t? What is it like to feel invisible and unheard? How do those under the umbrella project their feelings, consciously or not, and how does that projection impact their ‘target”? Why do they feel the need for the umbrella’s protection? What might happen if they step out from under? How much courage does it take to be the first to step out from the umbrella, perhaps risking the wrath of those who stay, and acknowledge the ‘outsider’? What rainbows to see and puddles to stomp in might they find? Conversely, how much courage does it take to be the ‘outsider’ and question whether you need to fit under the umbrella and ultimately deciding you don’t? Examining such questions helps build emotional intelligence and empathy as young students begin to learn to put themselves in another’s shoes, and view things through different lenses. Penguin NZ has compiled a short list of other books with a similar theme that together with this one, might help reduce the level of anxiety and bullying that seems to be so prevalent.
And taking the whole even further for older students investigating literary devices, how does this book use the umbrella as a metaphor for a much less tangible concept about the expectations of groups, communities and societies in general?
Ideal for those who move to the beat of their own drum, as well as those who feel everyone should be in time.
What have alien butt spiders, broken benches, and school lunch times got in common? And how do they bring a bunch of kids together to form a new friendship group?
Why does Benji go to sit on the worst bench in the whole school instead of playing footy, when everyone knows he always plays footy at lunchtime? And who is Mabel?
All of these questions are answered in this new story for newly independent readers that will resonate with so many who find school lunchtimes long and lonely.
Part of a new series Your Next Read , specifically written and designed to keep emerging readers reading by offering them stories that meet their interests, written by leading Australian authors and formatted to support their growing independence, this is the first of four in the Silver category for those aged 5-8 to be released this month, with two more to be released in July while there will be stories for those 7-9 in the Gold category coming in October.
Evolving from the popularity of a group founded by well-respected teacher librarian Megan Daley and authors Allison Tate and Allison Rushby in 2017, the series is “specifically designed to fill the need for chapter books that strike a balance between child satisfaction and parental approval” so that parents can “find the right ‘good book’ for your kid at the right time”. For the school setting, there are teachers’ notes aligned to the Australian Curriculum available for each book, but, more importantly, there are also supports to empower the reader to identify their own next read with some questions to help them determine the genre they like to read – Mystery Master, Family Favourite, Animal Ally or Spooky Seeker – as well as icons to colour to narrow the choices down, and these icons are also a feature of the cover of each book, For example, The Lonely Lunch Club features the icons for friendship, school and funny books immediately summarising its thrust while the teachers’ notes not only encourage exploration of the story itself, but how what has been learned could be applied more widely, such as establishing a Buddy Bench for their school, taking leadership and ownership of the entire project, with all the academic and social skills that would entail.
Create a Buddy Bench for your school
While there are any number of stories and series that support younger readers as they transition from reading instruction to reading independence, IMO you can never have too many that are built on sound educational pedagogy and written and produced with the readers’ needs explicitly in mind. This series deserves a prominent place in the Select-a-Series section of the library collection.
But how do you hide a hippo? And why do you need to?
This is the most joyful, playful story in rhyme that follows the little girl’s attempts to hide a hippo because, “Mum won’t like a hippo inside.”The shed is too small, the beds are too low, and the hippo? He’s not great at blending in even if you do paint him different colours!
A peek inside…
The rhyming couplets, the delightful graphics and the predictable, repetitive refrain that will have young readers making outlandish suggestions embrace all the elements of fun that are going to engage our little listeners and encourage them on their own reading journeys. And they will delight in the twist at the end.
At the same time, there are many opportunities to understand the language of position like under, behind, outside and so on, so children build and consolidate both their vocabulary and spatial awareness, as well as maybe drawing their own suggestion using other words like beneath, between, beside, or below, to contribute to a class chart. It could also be an opportunity to extend their reading horizons through the Hippopotamus series by Hazel Edwards.
This is definitely on top of the pile to share with the preschoolers when I read to them this term!
Around 3,000 years ago, the ancient Greeks created one of the world’s most advanced civilisations. While most worked as farmers and fishermen to feed their families, others studied hard to become brilliant astronomers, navigators, philosophers, artists and athletes. Then, under the rule of Alexander the Great, their language, art and ideas spread through an enormous empire that stretched from Egypt to India.
As the Olympic torch wends its way through Italy and the 2026 Winter Olympics get under way, there is going to be a lot of interest in their origins, and the lives of those who were participants. As well, from 2027 in New South Wales, the Human Society and its Environment K−6 Syllabus (2024) requires students in Stage 1 (years 1 and 2) to understand that “People use stories, images, objects and sites to understand the ancient past” with a specific focus on the ancient cultures of China, Egypt, Greece and Rome, and those in Stage 2 (Years 3 and 4) to focus on the ancient cultures of Mesoamerica which include the Maya, Aztecs and Incas . (Those in states and territories that follow the Australian Curriculum do not appear to travel this far back in time until Year 7.)
Therefore, for those whose interest in these ancient cultures has been sparked, this is a useful introduction for young independent readers who want to know more about the time, the place and those who lived then and there. Because of their scholarship, there is so much available already but this one, which begins with a map of the region at the time and has many other illustrations, features those topics that are most likely to interest the age group including everyday life and the gap between rich and poor, male and female; the myths and legends of the gods atop Mount Olympus; their dedication to both sport and the arts; and their army as they not only fought amongst themselves but also the much larger Persian Empire’ and their eventual downfall as the Roman Empire emerged.
Young readers will be fascinated to see how much this civilisation of so long ago continues to influence the modern world, and develop a richer understanding of those NSW syllabus outcomes. Others in the series that would also enhance those outcomes include What it was like to be a Viking; …an Ancient Roman, …an Ancient Maya, … an Ancient Egyptian, and …an Ancient Benin
While the publishers imprint is HarperCollins GB, that is the parent company of the original publisher Barrington Stoke, whose mission is to break down the barriers to reading for those who find it tricky for whatever reason by using light-coloured paper which minimises glare, clear dyslexia-friendly fonts in less-complex sentences and short chapters, and other formatting and editing techniques to support emerging readers, so this book (and the series) would also be useful in a wide range of library collections.
Is it possible to visit the country, the jungle, the ocean, the mountains, and go through tunnels all without leaving home or switching on a screen? If you’re one of the children in the new book for our youngest readers you can!
For them, imagination goes well beyond the castle/cubby created with sheets draped over chairs, as a laundry basket becomes a boat, a suitcase becomes a horse and the backyard transforms into a magical mountain range as they visit different lands and meet the special creatures who live there. Who might you meet in the jungle or in the darkness of an underground tunnel?
As their older siblings are perhaps heading off to preschool or big school to have their own adventures, some of our little ones might be feeling lonely or left out, but this is an opportunity to share and show them how they can make their own adventures using their own imaginations and creativity because there is nothing like the ability of young children to shed reality and become immersed in the world of the imaginary.
This is almost a journey back in time for those of us whose childhoods were pre-screen days (even before television) when we were self-reliant for our entertainment and the tea wagon became a doll’s pram and a large cardboard box could be anything from a rocket to a submarine. It’s an opportunity for today’s child to let their imaginations wander as they become immersed in the rhyming and rhythmic text and vibrant illustrations, and build their knowledge and vocabulary as they meet the creatures who dwell in these faraway, unfamiliar places. So where might they go astride a suitcase? Who might visit them in their curtain cubby? What battles against monsters might be fought as they wear their armour of a metal colander and wield a wooden stick? What else is hiding in plain sight to take them on a magical carpet ride?
A lively imagination and the ability to be divorced from the world around us are key foundations for being able to read and enjoy reading as an end in itself. This book, that encourages our littlie to find their own fun inside their own minds is an excellent start!
Some grandparents I know were treated to a full recap of “Frozen” including story and songs as Miss 4 played in her cubby, oblivious to the audience.
Far away, hidden by an invisible force, lay a long-forgotten, secret, ancient forest called the Whisperdeep… Deep beneath the forest, the streets of CherayrooVille glowed soft green and amber from the roots of the Tree of Solace. Its big roost twisted through the underground village like magic veins, bathing everything in a warm, shimmering light… Beneath the giant Whisperroot tree, twisting tunnels led to this secret village nestled in the great tavern…
And in this underground world, in homes made of twigs, tree vines and leaves, lived small ancient creatures with saucer-like eyes twig-like arms and legs, and brown and green fluffy hair as they blended into their surroundings. Small, but not shy, they were smart and creative, using the treasures of the forest to make toys and treats. They even had their own language, as they spoke to each other in trumpets, puffs, whistles and chirps.
Cherayroo life was governed by the Rootscript of Rules and the most important was that only the Chief and his brave friends could leave the village – which was fine because the villagers preferred to stay home. Except for one. Chie did not want to stay home and he did not want to be the baker that seemed to be his destiny. Chie is “part-explorer, part inventor and full -time rule-bender” who dreams of exploring the Above and becoming a warrior. And then he discovers a map and he decides that this is his chance…
In this richly illustrated fantasy for young, emerging readers, the author has created a whole new world of landscapes and characters to appeal to those who like Chie, want to push the boundaries and go a bit further than they should. They join Chie on his adventures as he explores meeting some strange creatures on his travels – not all of whom are as friendly as he would like – and while he is brave and resilient, he learns some important lessons – as does the reader who sees themselves in Chie, wanting to explore and discover and oblivious to the possible consequences.
Formatted and illustrated as a picture book, it is written in short chapters bridging the divide between picture book and novel, as well as including information about the Cherayvoos language, some of the Rootscript Rules, a quiz and some questions for readers to ponder. There is also a website and a YT channel to add extra dimension and one suspects, there will be more adventures in the future.
There is much in this for both the younger and older reader, as they consider all the factors and challenges that would need to be addressed to build a whole, new world like this so that readers are immersed in the surroundings, and the characters’ personalities and stories as reality slips away. There is so much more to an engaging story than words and pictures. A worthwhile investment particularly if there is a story-writers group in the school or a budding novelist in the family. Perhaps start by sharing the description of a Cherayroo without sharing the illustration, and have the students interpret the words into a picture – and then discuss why each interpretation is different. And for those not yet ready to create their own whole new world, perhaps they could imagine where Chie’s next adventure might take him…
