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Rajah Street

Apr13
Rajah Street

Rajah Street

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rajah Street

Myo Kim 

Walker Books, 2021

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

9781760651480

Junya lives on Rajah Street with his mum and dad and little-bit-older brother. He loves to sit at his window and watch the goings-on in Rajah Street as it gets busier and busier throughout the day, He sees the clouds passing overhead, kookaburras singing and skateboard riders zipping by and his mother patiently answers all his questions about them.  

But mostly he is looking for the garbage trucks because he loves them the most, and while he knows they come on Wednesdays, he is not sure when Wednesday is.  But he remembers things that have happened on other Wednesdays so when they happen again, he figures that today is his lucky day. And he is prepared to watch and wait.

Stepping into the world of the three-year-old, where fact seamlessly merges with fantasy, this is a delightful story that explores a child’s curiosity and imagination when it is teamed with observation and hope. The illustrations explore this mixture perfectly and young children will have no trouble recognising Junya’s world as similar to their own where anything is possible.

One to encourage our little ones to look through their window and explore all that they see, perhaps even to make their own story of the significant events that herald each day of the week so they begin to develop their perspective of time passing..

Learning to Count (series)

Feb25
Learning to Count

Learning to Count

10 Naughty Numbats

9781922265616

10 Bush Babies

9781922265623

10 Lively Lorikeets

9781922265630

Grace Nolan

Nancy Bevington

Big Sky, 2021

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

Learning to count, add and subtract is one of the key reasons little children believe they go to school and so this new collection of three readers endorsed by Australian Geographic will be a welcome addition to the resources to assist this . 

Focusing on 30 signature Australian creatures, each book encourages little ones to count, add or subtract as they use the rhyming text and charming illustrations for cues and clues.  Each illustration has a humorous twist to add to the fun of learning  and the concept for each page is clearly displayed as a conventional number story.  As well, there are extra activities at the end to reinforce the concepts and encourage the 1:1 matching and conservation of numbers that are the foundation skills of early maths.  

Never underestimate the power of these sorts of texts to encourage our little ones to learn much more than we ever set out to teach!

Maths Mutts – All About Time

Dec1
Maths Mutts – All About Time

Maths Mutts – All About Time

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Maths Mutts – All About Time

Charles Hope

Wild Dog Books, 2020

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

 9781742035994

“Time can be expressed as a moment or a measurement.”  It is something that rules our lives in so many ways, yet it can also be one of the most difficult concepts to teach because it is so abstract.

This picture book uses a range of busy dogs to lead a investigations into all sorts of aspects of time for newly independent readers, inviting them to participate in some activities and answer questions that will help them understand the concepts better.  It offers ideas for the reader to explore including the answers to questions such as What is time? How do we use it in our everyday lives? Is time the same all around the world? What are the different units of time, and what devices do we use to measure them?

 

A peek inside...

A peek inside…

Even though it is so abstract, learning about time starts very early in a child’s life (think today, tomorrow, yesterday) and it is such an engrossing topic to cover embracing every curriculum area, not just maths.  So any resource that offers ideas and activities to help our students master it is a blessing. 

Mini Rabbit Must Help

Sep28
Mini Rabbit Must Help

Mini Rabbit Must Help

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mini Rabbit Must Help

John Bond

HarperCollins, 2020

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

9780008264888

Mother Rabbit has written a very important letter to Granny Rabbit and Mini Rabbit offers to take it to the post box. His mother agrees he can do this but he has to be very careful and he also has to get to the post box before five o’clock because that is the last collection.  So Mini Rabbit packs some cake, some slime and a stick and sets off… What could possibly go wrong?

Not only is this a charming tale that will make young readers laugh at all the mishaps Mini Rabbit has, but they will also have fun predicting what might happen next.  It is also excellent for mapping the events of the story to help them understand sequencing and the language of time.  

A new series from a British creator that will become a favourite.

 

 

Tashi Picture Books

Jun18
Tashi Picture Books

Tashi Picture Books

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Alphabetical Tashi

80pp., hbk., RRP $A19.99

9781760525293

My First Tashi Colours 

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

9781760877323

My First Tashi 123

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

9781760525286

Anna & Barbara Fienberg

Kim, Arielle & Greer Gamble

Allen & Unwin, 2020

Coinciding with the 25th anniversary of the publication of the original Tashi story, are three early childhood books which introduce the very youngest readers to the characters and settings while also helping with those basic concepts of  number, colours and the alphabet.

Because the original stories are perfect family read-alouds at bedtime, this collection will be ideal for introducing younger readers to that magical world that carries the stories along, or to assist those who are learning English as an additional language to learn the basic words using titles that are not as babyish as more traditional concept board books.  The original stories were illustrated by Kim Gamble, but since his passing his daughters have assumed the mantle and there is a seamless transition between the old and the new bringing the traditional monochromatic drawings to life in vivid colour.

With his own website and television series, Tashi is a perennial favourite who deserves his place in the legends of Australian children’s literature.

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Bedtime Daddy

May22
Bedtime Daddy

Bedtime Daddy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bedtime Daddy

Sharon Giltrow

Katrin Dreiling

 EK Books, 2020

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

9781925820386

It’s 7.00pm and it’s time for bed. No more screentime or playtime and regardless of the protests, it’s time. But it takes perseverance and patience to work through all the diversions and distractions – getting into PJs, teeth brushing,, toilet time, stories and questions, one last drink and the inevitable monsters that need despatching…

Parents and younger readers will really resonate with this story and the beautifully illustrated scenes with lots of detail will be so familiar, but they will also love the twists in the tale that make it stand out from other stories on the topic.

Because it is such a familiar routine, there are lots of opportunities for discussion as young listeners compare, predict, and make connections with their own experiences and those of the characters. However, there are also strong teaching aspects such as time, day and night, moon phases, the need for sleep and so on that offer lots of opportunities for this to be more than a bedtime story with comprehensive teachers’ notes and activities available to assist this. 

As our youngest littlies’ lives start to return to normal and regular routines are reinstated, this has great potential to help them re-establish those as they create sequencing charts that they can follow and tick off each time they are completed.  Parents will love it.

Ten Little Figs

May1
Ten Little Figs

Ten Little Figs

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ten Little Figs

Rhiân Williams

Nathaniel Eckstrom

Walker Books, 2020 

32pp., hbk., RRP $a24.99

9781921977312

Ten little figs are on my tree. 

I love figs and they’re all for me

Nestled amongst the rough leaves of the sandpaper fig are ten juicy figs, each one a tempting morsel of delight for the little boy.  But he is not the only one with his eye on them, and one by one, the creatures in the backyard carry them off for their own enjoyment.  Soon, there is only one left and it is too high for him to reach… will he get any figs at all?

In the tradition of count-backwards stories, this is another clever rhyming tale that will help our littlest readers understand both the number system and the concept of subtraction, while they predict what might be the next creature to spoil the little boy’s anticipation. Set in a backyard garden big enough for a tree, with the shadow of the city looming nearby,  the illustrations depict a scene that may not be known to every city child but nevertheless for those who do, the temptation to go outside to the fresh air and explore what is there is strong.  Who knew there were so many little creatures all with their hearts set on having figs? And all there for the seeing if you just look with close eyes.

This is a charming debut for this Australian author which combines so many elements that young readers will return again and again to discover something new.  Even if they don’t have the luxury of their own garden, this is one they can share and put themselves in the picture. And if they are not familiar with figs, perhaps that’s something that could go on the shopping list, a bit of research for a recipe, some cooking…and more in-context, meaningful learning accomplished!

 

Mr Archimedes’ Bath

Jan29
Mr Archimedes' Bath

Mr Archimedes’ Bath

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mr Archimedes’ Bath

Pamela Allen

Angus & Robertson, 2020

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

9781460758960

Forty years ago, even very young children knew who the Greek mathematician Archimedes was as they explored the physics of water displacement alongside him as he tried to work out who was responsible for making the bath overflow when he and his animal friends got in. Is it Kangaroo, Goat or Wombat?  Surely it can’t be Archimedes himself????

In this celebratory anniversary release of this favourite children’s classic, a whole new generation of children can explore the same phenomenon with new teaching notes written by me!  Work science and maths into your program to demonstrate how the information literacy process is embedded  across the curriculum and set up your students for a load of fun as they replicate Mr Archimedes’ investigations!!!  And introduce them to a classic story at the same time, one they will be wanting to share in another 40 years.

 

Pea + Nut

Nov28
Pea + Nut

Pea + Nut

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pea + Nut

Matt Stanton

ABC Books, 2019

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

9780733340673

Pea the panda and Nut the flamingo are best friends but they are also great rivals.  Anything Pea can do, the boastful Nut can do better!! So when Pea decides to make a cake, and Nut decides to make it a baking competition, there is a contest worthy of any seen in the showstopper category of The Great Australian Bake-Off!

Nut is convinced that  his cake will win while Pea’s will be put in the bin and driven by his ego (and a few mind-games from Pea) Nut begins “a complex production of layers and towers and major construction.” Will he create a cake  that meets his ambition and expectations? Or will Pea’s slow but steady approach take the cake?

Most readers will know that if it is a Matt Stanton book, it will be funny and this is no exception.  The rhyming text, the vibrant, action-packed illustrations and a concept that will appeal to younger readers combine to make this one of his best, and it is just the first in the series for these two oddball friends. But like all top-shelf picture books there is so much more than the story on the page – it screams out for experimentation in baking and stacking shapes; the contrast between the friends’ approach and how Stanton portrays this can teach little ones about characterisation and the need to look deeply at the detail; and there is also a comparison to be made with The Hare and the Tortoise and the lessons that offers.. Children can also ponder Pea’s final gesture – is this what they expected?

A great read for all ages.

 

1, 2, BOO! A Spooky Counting Book

Oct27
1, 2, BOO! A Spooky Counting Book

1, 2, BOO! A Spooky Counting Book

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1, 2, BOO! A Spooky Counting Book

Paul Howard

Bloomsbury, 2019

22pp., board book., RRP $A14.99

9781526612052

We went trick-or-treating and we saw …

When a brother and sister go trick-or-treating, they compete to see who find the most bizarre and brilliant things. As they try to count all the hair-raising creatures, including  ghosts, skeletons, dancing monsters, and spooky bats, everything escalates until …

With Halloween on the horizon, this is a fun book for littlies that will help them join in the fun with a rhyming story that will also consolidate their counting skills.  Even if they are too little to trick-and-treat themselves, they could keep a tally of the skeletons, witches and other costumes who  come to their door and work out which was the most popular. And then they too, can participate in the ending.