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Netball Gems (series)

Netball Gems

Netball Gems

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Netball Gems: Pivot and Win

9780857987686

 

Netball Gems: Defend to the End

9780857987709

Lisa Gibbs and Bernadette Hellard

Penguin Random House, 2015,

144pp., pbk., RRP $A12.99

 

Written in association with Netball Australia by sisters Lisa Gibbs and Bernadette Hellard who have been involved in all aspects of netball for many years, these are the third and the fourth in this series which began with Hooked on Netball and Chase Your Goal with four more additions planned for publication this year.

Similar in format to several series featuring cricket and football that have proven to be really popular, each title focuses on one of the team members as they face personal and game challenges as they pursue their dream to play for the Diamonds, the Australian national team.  Throughout the stories the girls learn the intricacies of one of the fastest growing sports in Australia while, at the same time, learning how to deal with life itself.  Pivot and Win sees Lily trying to prove herself as a contender even though she is short – something she has no control over – while in Defend to the End, New Zealander Maia is homesick and feels that she doesn’t belong.  Even the way they play netball is Australia is different from the way she has mastered and she needs to almost start again.

Packed with tips and drills that budding netballers can try, this series will inspire all those young girls with dreams to work hard to achieve them.  Certainly Miss 9 said she can’t wait for her season to start again so she can try out some of the things, although if she ever achieves her dream of playing for the Diamonds there could be conversations with her grandmother about whether Australia or New Zealand are the world champions!  Regardless, this series has captured her imagination and provided her with some great reading for some time. I know it will be popular with readers from about Year 3 who enjoy netball and are ready for a longer story.

Shooting at the Stars: the Christmas Truce of 1914

Shooting at the Stars: the Christmas Truce of 1914

Shooting at the Stars: the Christmas Truce of 1914

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shooting at the Stars: the Christmas Truce of 1914

John Hendrix

Abrams Books, 2014

40pp., hbk.

9781419711756

 

Amongst all the stories of horrors that have emerged from World War 1 and which have been at the forefront of much of what our students have learned this year, comes a beautiful, true story of hope and heroes. 

By November 1914, it was clear that the war was not going to be over by Christmas which was a common belief of those who marched off to serve in those very early days. And so as seasons turn to winter and snow and sleet and rain bring more mud and disease to the exhausted troops in the trenches often only separated by a few yards from the enemy, unofficial truces began to happen – part of the “etiquette of war” of the professional soldier of the time. The wounded were recovered, the dead were buried, trenches were shored up and there was even banter and barter between the opposing sides. According to the BBC http://www.bbc.co.uk/guides/zxsfyrd on Christmas Eve the Germans lines were dotted with Christmas trees and candles and eventually the two sides started singing carols.  The next day there were spontaneous football games and while there was much anger from the High Command because they feared mutiny, the stories have endured.

Based on primary sources, Shooting at the Stars is the story of Charlie, a young British soldier of the time written in a letter to his mother and accompanied by the most evocative illustrations.  Rain has turned the trenches to thick, heavy mud and rats fight the soldiers for the meagre food rations.  However while thick frost stabilises things on Christmas Eve it is also very cold so the troops chance a fire to keep warm.  As they step outside they hear singing – from the German trenches which are festooned with tiny Christmas trees lit with candles.  And so begins the retelling of this remarkable night when the true spirit of Christmas was celebrated. War had taken a holiday. The dead were buried, photographs taken, mementos exchanged, even an impromptu football game with an old biscuit tin.  And even though the high-ups are furious and order the soldiers to load their rifles ready to fire on those they had spent the day with, quite possibly they would shoot at the stars.

Beautifully designed, this emotional story is accompanied by historical notes, a glossary, an index and a bibliography making it more for the older reader but also very accessible for those a little younger.  It shows a human side to a horrible conflict, one that brings the soldiers of both sides into focus rather than just being faceless, unknown and almost invisible.  Some of the images are available at the publishers’ website  and combined with the subject, the text and the layout, the package is a most powerful story.

The Lighthouse Keeper’s Christmas

The Lighthouse Keeper's Christmas

The Lighthouse Keeper’s Christmas

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Lighthouse Keeper’s Christmas

Ronda and David Armitage

Scholastic, 2002

 

978140144403

It’s Christmas and it is Mr Grinling’s last days as the lighthouse keeper before he retires.  His young, great-nephew George has come to share the time with them and he is thrilled when Mrs Grinling suggests that they spend Christmas in the lighthouse.  Both George and Mr Grinling write to Santa to let him know where they will be (no boring fluffy slippers for Mr G please) and then on Christmas Eve they set out in the dinghy for the lighthouse for the last time.  They clean and polish and polish and clean and when at last the lighthouse is shining like a new pin, they sit down for a splendiferous lunch in the wintry sunshine.  Afterwards they decorate the Christmas tree  and they are so engrossed that they don’t notice the darkening sky and the storm brewing.  It’s too late to get home to dry land and George is very concerned.  But between them, Mr and Mrs Grinling (who always has good ideas) solve the problems and they all have the best Christmas ever.

It’s been many, many years since I met Mr and Mrs Grinling through The Lighthouse Keeper’s Lunch  and fell in love with them and all the fun things I could do with this series of books.  This story is no different.  Full of problems to solve (before Mrs Grinling does), the charm of the story and bright pictures created by this husband and wife team The Lighthouse Keeper’s Christmas is a mix of traditional Christmas things with the added bonus of being embedded in a quality tale. 

One of my favourites.

Silver Shoes (series)

silver_shoes2

Silver Shoes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dance Till you Drop

9780857983725

Breaking Pointe

9780857983749

Samantha-Ellen Bound

Random House, 2015

pbk., 144pp., RRP $A14.99

 

Silver Shoes Dance Studio is a dance academy where 10 year-old Eleanor Irvin and her friends go three or four times a week to learn to dance.  Jazz, tap, ballet, hip-hop, ballroom, lyrical – whatever the style it’s on offer and each girl has her favourite genre.  In the first two titles in this series – And All that Jazz and Hit the Streets – the focus was Eleanor and her love for jazz ballet and then Ashley and her desire to excel at hip-hop.  The latest two additions to this popular series focus on ballroom dancing and ballet.

In Dance Till You Drop Paige struggles with trying to meet her mother’s expectations that she will be the best dancer ever and pushing her into extra classes and her body and head telling her she needs to take a break.  It’s not till she doesn’t turn up at class and her friends find her hiding that things come to a head, particularly when Ellie asks her “What’s more important?  Your mum being a bit upset when you tell her or you being like a zombie all the time and running away from class?”  It takes a while but her love to dance is questioned and answered in a story many will see themselves in, in one way or another.

Ballet is the focus of Breaking Pointe and Riley has to make choices between her love of it as well as her love of all sports, including athletics and basketball, especially when she finds she has a clash of commitments.  This is another situation familiar to many young people as they try new things to find their passion and begin to understand they can’t do everything.

This series has proven very popular among the girls at my school who are fascinated with all things dance and it is perfect for moving them on beyond the heavily illustrated early chapter books as they continue their reading journeys towards independence.  They are going to be delighted to see these new additions to the series and know that there are two more coming in October!

Silver Shoes

Silver Shoes

Click here for a review of the first two in the series.

 

Lulu Bell (series)

Lulu Bell

Lulu Bell

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lulu Bell and the Pirate Fun

9780857985545

Lulu Bell and the Magical Garden

9780857985644

Belinda Murrell

Serena Geddes

Random House, 2015

pbk., 84pp., RRP $A9.95

 

There was great excitement in my house last weekend, excitement I’d been anticipating and waiting for.  Because at last Miss Just-9 came to stay and I knew she would be thrilled to find the latest two additions to the Lulu Bell series waiting for her to read.  Neither of us was disappointed.  Immediately she buried her nose in Lulu Bell and the Magical Garden, ignoring the bitter winds that promised snow but didn’t deliver and she enjoyed it as much as I knew she would.  Then her bedtime read was Lulu Bell and the Pirate Fun with special permission to keep her light on until it was finished. I also know another young lady who is obsessed with creatures of all kinds who is entranced by the series.  You can read about her response at Just So Stories

Belinda Murrell has hit a winner for this age group with this series as titles are read and re-read and new ones welcomed warmly.  I just bought the entire series for a school library and it is so popular already!  Based on her own experience of growing up as the daughter of a vet, Murrell has created a lovable practical character who often puts her sensible head on to solve problems that the audience can relate to and put themselves into Lulu’s shoes.  In Lulu Bell and the Magical Garden the school garden is ruined by a summer storm and she comes up with an idea to restore it.  In Lulu Bell and the Pirate Fun it’s her young brother’s birthday and Gus has been wanting a pirate party forever.  But it won’t stop raining and everywhere underfoot is muddy and sloshy, so where to build the pirate ship? There is always a dramatic twist in the story that of curse revolves around an animal and its well-being and these are no different, adding yet another layer to a well-told tale. 

If your newly independent readers haven’t met Lulu Bell and her family yet, then there is a treat in store.  You can find all the titles on the publisher’s website  and if you search this blog for “Murrell” you will find reviews of others in the series.  A must-have on the library shelves, in my opinion.

The Fair Dinkum War

The Fair Dinkum War

The Fair Dinkum War

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Fair Dinkum War

David Cox

Allen & Unwin, 2015

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

9781743310625

It’s 1941 and World War II has come to Australia.  Darwin has been bombed and the American army has arrived in town.  From the school fence the children watch them rumble by in a seemingly endless procession heading north. While the grown-ups were worried and studied the newspapers, listened to the radio, frowned and talked in low voices, the children learned about the military vehicles, knew the generals as well as they knew their footy stars and shot one another with pretend blood.  Air-raid trenches were dug in zig-zag lines across the playground, out-of bounds except for drills and the real thing and suddenly the was that had been so far away became the fair-dinkum war. 

Towns and homes huddled in darkness during the evening blackout; chocolate biscuits and chocolate ice creams became a dream in the Austerity Program and everything possible was recycled for the War Effort. Life became very different for the children especially for those whose fathers were away fighting, those whose fathers were taken prisoner and those whose fathers didn’t come home.

Told through the eyes of a young David Cox whose father had served in World War I and spent this one working on way-out-west sheep stations where it was deemed he would be more useful, this is the story of how war affected Australia in a way that helps today’s children understand that it was not all blood and guts and glory and that 35 years on, it was a different scenario from the remoteness of that first huge conflict that has dominated this year’s commemorations.  This time it was on the doorstep, real, fair dinkum and life was changed significantly although the resilience and spirit of the quintessential Australian shines through.

The final in the trilogy that includes The Road to Goonong and Good Enough for a Sheep Station and traces the creator’s life as a young boy in mid-20th century Queensland, it is an excellent insight into how children lived in other times and enables the young reader not only to “be inside” those times but also compare it to their own lives today.  Sunday nights for the young David were spent listening to his grandmother read Charles Dickens and learning to play chess in a hard, upright chair!

Through his words and pictures, Cox provides an authentic account of times past that is action-packed yet full of humour and just perfect for introducing students to the notion that there was life before their time! With the 70th anniversary of VE day in the news and children more likely to connect with a great-grandparent who was involved in the conflict and remembers it, this is a timely addition to your collection.

The trilogy is also a springboard into the world of autobiographies and memoirs and demonstrates that these do not have to be boring tomes.  Ask the children which parts of their lives they would like to be telling their grandchildren in times to come or what they would like to know of their grandparents’ lives and set up a research and writing challenge that will intrigue and engage.

Stories for Simon

Stories for Simon

Stories for Simon

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stories for Simon

Lisa Miranda Sarzin

Lauren Briggs

Random House Australia, 2015

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

9780857987440

 

Simon lives with his family in a little house in a big city near a famous beach and he loves to collect things.  When his uncle sent him a beautifully painted boomerang wrapped in an old newspaper, it is not the boomerang that captures the attention of his teacher during Show and Share but the newspaper itself.  For it has a large headline…”For the pain, suffering and hurt, we say SORRY.”  The teacher tries to explain what the headline means – the apology by Prime Minister Rudd on February 13, 2008 to all those affected by the Stolen Generations saga – but the word SORRY burns itself into Simon’s brain and that night he dreams he is in the middle of a stone storm, with each stone having SORRY imprinted on it. 

The next morning he finds himself surrounded by the stones and he decides to take them to the ocean to throw them in because that’s was the only place he could think of that would be deep and wide enough for them.  But as he starts to do so, he meets Vic who suggests that Simon has been given the stones for a reason and if he throws them away, he will never know why.  He suggests they take them to his Nan who will know what to do.  And Vic’s Nan, Aunty Betty, suggests that they swap each stone for a story.  Simon doesn’t believe that anyone could know so many stories but Aunty Betty has many and so she begins to tell Simon and Vic the stories that stretched way back into the very beginning of creation, about animals and people, the land, the sea, the sky and the rain.  And when she comes to the last stone, she tells Simon that the last story is about her and what happened to her as a child.

And so Simon truly learns what it meant to be one of the Stolen Generation, taken away from parents and brothers and sisters with only loneliness and fear for companions.  And he learns how that word that captured him – SORRY – is the start of the healing after all this time.  And while there was a long way to go on the journey, at least the journey had begun.

This is a most powerful and most important story as we try to help our younger generation understand this part of Australia’s history.  When Simon’s mum explains that we are saying sorry not because the people of today have done anything wrong or to feel sad or guilty, but to always remember bad things and ensure they don’t happen again, it puts into perspective that train of thought of “What did it have to do with me?”

Accompanied by strong, dynamic and unique illustrations which support the text, this is a story of reconciliation and of hope for the future, with a stunning ending that is just perfect. Simon understands and we must teach our students so they too understand and the healing continues with meaning and sincerity, not just lip service to another day on the calendar. With a foreword by Vic Simms, an Aboriginal elder of the Bidjigal nation and a commendation by Adam Goodes, Australian of the Year 2014, this book meets the rigorous standards suggested for selection by Lorraine McDonald in A Literature Companion as both author and illustrator were guided through the process so the Aboriginal content is accurate, sensitive and respectful. As Suzy Wilson, founder of the Indigenous Literary Foundation says, “This book is an important and welcome addition to school libraries and bookshelves everywhere.” Colleagues Sue Warren and Susan Stephenson have both reviewed this book and endorse this opinion. 

As we recognise acknowledge National Sorry Day on May 26, this would be the perfect vehicle to help our students understand its significance with comprehensive teaching notes available.

 

Wilderness Fairies

Daisy's Quest and Daisy's New Wings

Daisy’s Quest and Daisy’s New Wings

wilderness_fairies

Daisy’s Secret and Daisy Takes Charge

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Daisy’s Quest

Jodie Wells-Slowgrove

Penguin 2014

pbk., 120pp., RRP $A9.99

9780143307464

Ebk RRP $A7.99

 

Daisy’s New Wings

Jodie Wells-Slowgrove

Penguin 2014

pbk., 120pp., RRP $A9.99

9780143307471

Ebk RRP $A7.99

 

Daisy Takes Charge

Jodie Wells-Slowgrove

Penguin 2014

pbk., 120pp., RRP $A9.99

9780143307486

 

Daisy’s Secret

Jodie Wells-Slowgrove

Penguin 2014

pbk., 120pp., RRP $A9.99

9780143307495

Across a meandering river

In a forest tall and green

Live the magical Wilderness Fairies

And their wise Fairy Queen.

 

Guided by their Callings

The Wilderness Fairies strive

To use their magic wisely

And help the forest thrive.

 

But one impatient fairy

Has lessons yet to learn

Her Calling to discover

And fairy wings to earn.

And so begins the saga of Daisy, the star of this new Australian-based fairy series written by teacher librarian Jodie Wells and illustrated by Kerry Millard. In Daisy’s Quest she is anxious to earn her fairy wings, something granted only be the Fairy Queen.  Although she has her magic wand, presented to her on her fifth birthday, having wings would make such a difference and she is anxious to begin the quest that will earn them. Daisy is delighted that her time has come and, accompanied by her best friend Vu, a very rare chrysomelid beetle only 5mm long who exists on hackberry leaves, she embarks on a series of tasks encapsulated in cryptic clues and which test her life and limb.  And if she is to earn her wings she must reach the Fairy Queen by moonrise, which it seems she will do until not only she meets Holly but also runs out of magic…  Daisy’s New Wings follows her adventures as she learns how to fly but she is very impatient. 

In Daisy Takes Charge her sister Maggie is going to compete in a singing contest with Melody Magpie but the jealous and spiteful Grevillea has other ideas about who the winner will be.  In Daisy’s Secret she is invited to visit Queen Jasmine but right from her meeting with Keeper Raven of Tea-tree House security, things do not go well.  From a mysterious conversation overheard through a closed door Daisy finds herself on an amazing adventure with the future of Fairyland resting on her shoulders.

 Interspersed with detailed illustrations by Kerry Millard, this series offers newly-independent readers a modern take on the more traditional fairy tale. 

The stories are filled with beautiful descriptions that bring the fairyland of the imagination to life, but its Australian bush setting gives it a resonance that really appeal, particularly to Miss 7 who walks through a real fairy garden in that sort of setting every time she goes to her cubby house.  Drawing on the recognisable native flora and fauna, which are then explained in detail at the end of each story, really help the young reader believe that there really is a miniature magical world that exists away from the clumsy feet and loud noise of humans. Riches for the imagination, indeed!

Daisy is a character that many young readers would like to be – apart from being a fairy which could be enough in itself, Daisy is resourceful and resilient and even though she makes mistakes her actions are always driven by her concern for others.Written with a light hand, these stories have an undercurrent of being persistent, responsible, resilient, patient, co-operative – all those traits that their target audience are starting to develop as they become more independent. Readers waiting for the next in the series will have to be content with the website learning about the forest dwellers, colouring in the pictures by Kerry Millard and dreaming.

 

 

Red A Crayon’s Story

Red A Crayon's Story

  Red A Crayon’s Story

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Red A Crayon’s Story

Michael Hall

HarperCollins, 2015

hbk., 40pp., $A24.99

9780062252074

His label clearly states he is Red.  But sadly, he wasn’t very good at being red.  In fact, whenever he was asked to be red as in a fire truck or a strawberry he was the exact opposite – he was very blue.  His mother Olive thought he should mix more with others so she introduced him to Yellow and suggested they make an orange – but instead it was greenish.  His grandmother Silver gave him a warm red scarf for the school portraits – but that didn’t help.  The other crayons begin to gossip thinking Red just needs to try harder, although Sunshine suggests he just needs more time.  But no matter what, even the interventions of the other art supplies, Red just didn’t.  Until one day Red meets Berry…

This is one of the most amazing picture books I’ve encountered in a long time.  It is superficially simple but there are so many layers to it that every read reveals something new.  The narrator is depicted as a simple, everyday lead pencil and the other characters are the crayons in their coloured wrappers whose comments not only bring them alive but also match who they are – for example Army Green suggest Red has “to press harder” while Fuchsia thinks  red is “not very bright”  Set against a black background with white text, the colours pop from the page and on those pages where Red and the others draw, the pictures are very reminiscent of the drawings of the very young.  But there is so much more to this than a picture book that has visual appeal that introduces children to colours.

It has a message about celebrating difference, not judging things by their appearance and the danger of labelling that we can all learn from. It celebrates diversity and difference.  Building on a recent experience, my first thought was that this could be perfect for a transgender child.  It’s most powerful message is “be yourself” and be happy about being different, a message emphasised by Angelina Jolie at the Nickelodeon Awards http://edition.cnn.com/2015/03/29/entertainment/angelina-jolie-nickelodeon-feat/  Knowing who you are and being true to yourself is so much more important than the opinions of others, such a basic foundation of strong mental health for all ages.

If this were an Australian book, I’d expect to see it shortlisted for the CBCA Picture Book of the Year – it is brilliant.

A peek inside...

A peek inside…

 

An Aussie Year

An Aussie Year

An Aussie Year

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

An Aussie Year

Tania McCartney

Tina Snerling

EK Books, 2013

hbk., 32pp, RRP $A19.99

9781921966248

Meet Ned, Zoe, Lily, Kirri and Matilda – five Aussie kids from different backgrounds who lead the reader on a journey through twelve months of the Australian year. Comprising cartoon-like vignettes with captions, we follow the children through the months and seasons as they celebrate what is unique to them and also what is common to all Australian children.  From the slip, slap, slop of summer to back to school to the beginning of Ramadan the enormous range of cultures and ethnic backgrounds of our students are showcased providing a dozen different talking points on each double spread.

But the overwhelming theme is that of unity rather than diversity, of similarity rather than difference.  Regardless of who your family is or where they come from, everyone enjoys fishing off the jetty in summer, going to the footy in winter, or getting ready for Christmas in December. This is a book focusing on our inclusivity and how our nation has melded together into a multicultural one in which the celebrations, food, and languages of others enriches our lives and adds extra layers to them.  Each page offers the opportunity to explore and find out more – do hunstmen spiders really grow as big as tennis balls?; how can you have a yacht race in Alice Springs?; what is daylight savings time?; how do other children celebrate Easter? 

Apart from being a pictorial almanac of the things that Ned, Zoe, Lily, Kirri and Matilda do throughout the year, An Aussie Year lends itself to a personal interpretation as its theme and style could be the springboard for a class calendar as each student contributes something that is important to them for each month.  Imagine how it engaging it would be if each child’s birthday was featured on a page rather than a string of cardboard cakes with candles that loses its appeal very quickly.  Imagine how much the children would learn about each other if each shared the things they liked to do or the events that are important to their family in a way that became an engaging read.  Imagine the sense of belonging that each child would have as their heritage is acknowledged and celebrated and their classmates understood them a bit better. Each month a particular country could be highlighted with food and stories and other lifestyle elements as national days are celebrated.

Harmony Day is coming on March 21.  This is the perfect book to be the focal point of your celebrations but rather than just one day it could be a year-round celebration.