It's Monday: What Are You Reading?

Once again, I'm joining in with Jen from Teach Mentor Texts, and Kellee and Ricki from Unleashing Readers and other bloggers who share the books they have read the past week.



The Stone Lion dreams of being real and running in the park opposite the library where he sits. When a young homeless girl and her baby brother take shelter beside him on a cold, snowy night he is destined to change his perspective.

 The Stone Lion is a story of emotional transformation that reads like a fable. The illustrations are absolutely gorgeous, I literally couldn't stop myself from reaching out to touch the embossed title on the cover. The choice of colours and the dialogue make reading this book a calm and peaceful experience.




The scratchboard artwork in this book is visually stunning! The simple, poetic text provides evocative descriptions of an imminent thunderstorm on a farm. Blue on Blue would be a great book to share with Year 1 Science students studying observable changes in the sky (ACSSU019).




Paper Planes is based on the movie of the same name that has just come out at the cinemas this month. Twelve-year-old Dylan lives with his dad in a small town in outback Western Australia. He discovers he has a talent for folding paper planes and commences a journey to compete in the World Junior Paper Plane championships in Japan.

This very Australian book is written in third person and reads a little like a script. Accordingly, many paragraphs begin with a quick description of the setting. I loved the inclusion of colour photos from the movie and the step-by-step instructions provided in the back of the book that tell you how to fold a paper plane, it made me want to fold one straight away!




Wow, this beautifully written book takes the reader on an emotional roller-coaster. It is so heart-breaking, I definitely needed my box of tissues. I found the technique of telling the story through the alternating perspectives of Violet and Finch to be really powerful. It gave me so much detail and really brought the characters to life.

This book is for mature readers as it explores the real and serious issues of self-harm, mental illness and grief. I liked that there was a section in the back of the book that contains links to support organisations and websites, the edition I bought was even adapted for Australian and NZ audiences.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

I'm joining in with Jen from Teach Mentor Texts, Kellee and Ricki from Unleashing Readers and other bloggers who share the books they have read the past week.

I haven't read any newly released books this week, I've just been catching up on my "to read" list.



Being Summer in Australia, it is the right time of year to be reading this book about the sometimes heart-wrenching impact of bushfire and the dedication of our firefighters. Jackie French's poetic verse grabs you from the very start:

One small spark brought fire awake,
Winding like a small black snake,
Fire flickered, fire crept,
Flames snickered, fire leapt....

The image of a snake winding and the choice of the word "snickered" are so perfect and Bruce Whatley's illustrations are truly spectacular. The way he catches the translucent colours within the flames is magical. Having been heavily involved with wildfire for many years through my forestry work, I made many personal connections with this book. This subject, which could be difficult for many readers, is treated with the care and respect it deserves. A beautiful book.




Can you believe I'd never read Harold? Now that I have, I can see why it is has been a favourite for so many decades, how clever!




My sister took my littlest to the book store to buy her a gift and she chose Journey. Again, I'd never read it, I knew it was wordless and I'd heard plenty of praise, so I was thrilled with her choice.

How funny to have read Harold then Journey one after the other on the same evening! I enjoyed Harold, but I just adored Journey. We lingered on those beautiful illustrations, taking it all in. Such amazing opportunities for inference, which were still accessible to my 4-year-old. I loved the clever twists in the storyline which tied everything together so neatly. Needless to say, my daughter reached for this one again the following night. More smiles!




I really enjoy Aaron Blabey's books. I like the unusual colour palette and the unique way he draws his characters. This story of a boy and girl who are taunted and teased by their classmates but who become best of friends is inspiring and carries a gentle message for all children to be kind to each other.




The Promise is a thought provoking book with a powerful message. It follows the story of a child living in a dull, bleak city who steals from others to survive. When she steals a bag from a lady she makes a promise to use what is inside. As she fulfills her promise she transforms the world around her, bringing colour to herself and the city.




I know right, how had I not read this before? In a plot reminiscent of Harry Potter, 12-year-old Percy Jackson discovers he is the son of a Greek god he embarks upon a quest to prevent a war between the gods and return Zeus's master lightning bolt. The Lightning Thief is full of action, mythological creatures, exciting duels and narrow escapes.

There is plenty of humour, I was particularly entertained by the odd titles of the chapters and the cleverly written voice of the characters which made this book easy to become immersed in. I enjoyed the incorporation of Greek mythology and the creative way that Riordan integrated the mythology into contemporary society. Overall this was a fun holiday read!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

I've decided to join in with a community of bloggers who share reviews of books they have read in the past week. Jen from Teach Mentor Texts and Kellie and Ricki from Unleashing Readers host this meme which has a kidlit focus. I've been visiting many of the blogs linked in over the last few months to see what everyone is reading. I have found the reviews extremely useful for discovering all the wonderful books I need to add to my "must-read" list. My children and I have benefited enormously from your blogs - thank you! I thought it would be fun to participate too and maybe add a few Australian books into the mix as well!



Bob Graham's story-board style illustrations are absolutely amazing for developing inference. The text is minimal leaving so much of the understanding to be gleaned from those beautiful illustrations. The concept of freedom and the book's endorsement by Amnesty International may provoke some insightful discussions with older readers.



Many children will readily connect with the anxiety that young Joe experiences as he prepares to leave his mother to attend a friend's birthday party. His mother continually reassures him as his imagination runs wild and he voices all his concerns such as "What if he doesn't like the party?" This book is great to share to help children understand that we all worry, even adults like Joe's mum. What if.....? could make a great writing prompt.



This was adorable! Grandpa is coming over to babysit, but according to the grandson, the roles are reversed and it is actually him who is babysitting grandpa! This book provides all the instructions of how you look after grandpa for the day. I loved the explanation of how to take a walk, how to take a nap and particularly how to say goodbye. How to Babysit a Grandpa provides a great example for modelling procedural writing. It's written in present tense, contains lots of transition words and even provides useful tips.



I was instantly attracted by the quirky illustrations and the limited colour palette on the cover of this book when I saw it during this weeks visit to the library. It was written in 2012 by West Australian author Meg McKinlay who also wrote Duck for a Day and No Bears, two other well-loved books in our house. I'm so glad I grabbed it because it was delightful!

Tessa and Zachary usually travel to school in a swift and splendiferous machine...but one day it breaks down and they are forced to walk. A beautiful reminder to slow down the pace of life so you don't miss all the wonderful experiences that might be whizzing past you.



Hank is not just a good dog, he's a very good dog! He doesn't eat from the table (...when anyone can see him that is) and he doesn't chew your socks (he just helps you wash them). A beautifully illustrated warm and funny picture book from well-known children's author Jackie French to share with pre-schoolers or lower-primary groups.

Sam and Dave Dig A Hole

Sam and Dave are on a mission to find "something spectacular", so they start digging a hole. This book will leave children squealing with excitement and frustration as Sam and Dave come so close to finding something spectacular, but then change tactics in their search.

Mac Barnett's simple, minimalist conversation between Sam and Dave combines beautifully with Jon Klassen's delightful illustrations to truly engage the reader and make them feel like a privileged observer througout the story.  I love the open-ended conclusion to this book which challenges the reader and leaves them to think about what happened.... probably resulting in them flipping back to the start and reading it through again, studying the illustrations even more carefully the second time. It would be fun to hear all the different explanations the kid come up with!

This book could be read in conjunction with a mathematics unit on directions. Students could blindfold each other and provide directional instructions to help a partner navigate their way to "something spectacular".

The Book With No Pictures

The Book With No Pictures by B.J. Novak would have to be the most popular book in my house for 2014, especially with my son who has just finished Year 2. The book says that the reader has to read every word on the page...even if it's a ridiculous rhyme about eating ants for breakfast or saying a silly nonsensical word like BLUURF. This book is just so much fun to share, it is guaranteed to make kids roll around the floor with laughter. Absolutely brilliant for developing expression and building confidence to read out loud.

Lucky

When mum announces that there will be a surprise at dinner that night her two boys get a little carried away trying to guess what their surprise may be. Perhaps it's a new bike, a swimming pool or a new car? Children will have great fun using their imaginations to suggest what the surprise is. At the end they may also be able to make connections with times when they have jumped to conclusions themselves and then been let down. I really enjoyed the happy, quirky illustrations and the excitement portrayed through the interesting typography, but the real beauty of this book lies in the way that the characters handle their disappointment and the sweet but subtle underlying message that we are already "lucky" and should grateful for the small things we have.

Mystery Math: A First Book of Algebra

Mystery Math by David A. Adler is a picture book that provides a great introduction to algebra. Equations are compared to see-saws or a balance scales, and it is explained that whatever is on one side has to be balanced by whatever is on the other side. This is an analogy that will definitely make sense to children. Appropriate terminology such as the word "variable" is used, but the great benefit is that this new vocabulary is also explained in simple terms as the mystery number. This gently encourages students to make connections and achieve deeper understanding of the concept. Step-by-step, illustrated examples of solving simple equations using addition, subtraction, multiplication and division are provided. Another idea I absolutely loved, was the provision of instructions in the back of the book for students to make their own balance scale using readily available resources including a coathanger, paperclips and coins as weights. What a fantastic book for helping to demystify a topic that students frequently find difficult!

The Listening Walk

The Listening Walk by Paul Showers was originally published in 1961, but it is still relevant today. A young girl takes a listening walk around her neighbourhood with her father and tells about all the sounds she hears on the way. This would be a great anchor book for Year 1 physical science students learning about how sound can be produced by a range of sources and can be sensed (ACSSU020). After reading this book, students could then take a listening walk around their school so they can build their own personal connections. They could also make their own audio recording of sounds for other students to guess the source.

The Boy Who Loved Math

I really love math myself. I'm not brilliant at it, but I do enjoy it. It saddens me greatly to hear children (and adults) say that they can't do math or that math is boring. It inspires me to want to change that perception. Over the last few years I have discovered that there are many wonderful children's picture books, covering an enormous range of mathematical concepts which can be used to gently introduce students to math and help make difficult concepts more accessible. Authors such as Greg Tang, David A. Adler and Dayle Ann Dodds have all written numerous books suitable for primary students, some of which I will share in later posts.

I knew I had to have this book as soon as I saw it. I have a little boy who loves math and he sometimes feels  a bit awkward and different because of it. This is the story of Hungarian mathematical genius Paul Erdos, who might provide an interesting choice for young mathematical enthusiasts studying significant people in Year 4. When I handed my son this book I could see him making connections as soon as he saw the cover and read the title.  He was grinning from ear to ear and asked if we could read it immediately. We spent a couple of delightful hours together, reading and studying the beautiful illustrations, pulling out sheets of paper and carrying out the simple steps described to find all the prime numbers using the sieve of Eratosthenes. We had not previously known that there were different types of prime numbers, but after reading the pages in the back of the book my son was inspired to do some research and find out even more. It can't get better than that!

This is a creative, fascinating book which I am thrilled to have added to my collection!

Yoo-Hoo, Ladybug!

A beautiful, fun book from one of my favourite children's authors! With bright, cheerful illustrations and rhyming text, this playful book is sure to engage young readers as they try to find the sneaky ladybug hiding on each page. Just like other Mem Fox books, such as Where is the Green Sheep and Tough Boris, I really appreciated the way that this book quickly builds a childs confidence in their ability to read on account of the repetitive text and excellent picture prompts. Plus, it's lots of fun to spot the ladybug! Interestingly, if you don't call these little critters ladybugs, there is a different versions of this text titled Yoo-Hoo, Ladybird!

Book Week 2014

This last week was Book Week, my favourite week of the school year, when the Children's Book Council of Australia releases the names of the winning children's books, the kids go to school dressed as their favourite character and the whole school celebrates reading with a whole lot of book related fun. We make a point of trying to read all of the picture books. Our favourite was the winning Picture Book of the Year, Rules of Summer by Shaun Tan.


Rules of Summer is about two brothers and the set of 'rules' that govern their relationship. There are few words in this extremely understated narrative, leaving big gaps between what you read and what you see. The illustrations are intriguing and evocative, inviting the reader to compose their own emotional response. I imagine that this book means different things to different readers. It would be fantastic for developing the skill of inference and exploring perspective.




The Swap by Jan Ormerod is about a young crocodile named Caroline who is jealous of the attention her baby brother is receiving from Mama Crocodile. After spotting a Baby Shop, Caroline has the brilliant idea of swapping her baby brother for a new baby who isn't smelly and doesn't drool so much. This book provides excellent opportunities for discussions about feelings of jealousy and changes in family structure. The playful, whimsical illustrations depict the range of emotions Caroline and the other characters experience. It would be interesting to explore the illustrations on their own to see if students can recognise the variety of emotions expressed through the body language and facial expressions of the characters.




Banjo and Ruby Red by Libby Gleeson is a delightful story with strong themes of friendship and compassion. It is accompanied by beautiful paintings by Freya Blackwood which express the action and movement of farmyard life perfectly.

Banjo is a "chook dog" and it is his job to get the chooks into the chook yard. The problem is that there is one annoyinging head-strong chook named Ruby Red who always sits on top of the woodheap, refusing to comply with Banjo's request, despite his barking and leaping. Then one day Ruby isn't sitting on the woodheap and Banjo searches everywhere for her. Eventually he finds her, but she is sick, so Banjo takes her back to his kennel to look after her.

Students might be able to connect with the conflict between Ruby Red's antagonistic behaviour and Banjo's responsibilities. Perhaps student's could reflect on a time when they have experienced someone who has refused to do as they asked, to explore the alternative perspective and reflect upon the way the disagreement was resolved.

The Worm and What Do You Do With a Tail Like This?

The Worm is the second book in Elise Gravel's Disgusting Critters series. It is a non-fiction picture book for lower primary readers which integrates basic factual information with cute cartoon illustrations and fun hand-drawn fonts. This series will be sure to appeal to even the most reluctant young readers and would be a great addition for Foundation and Year 1 classrooms exploring the needs and external features of living things in biological sciences. My seven-year-old son laughed out loud at the hilarious artwork, so I will be looking out for the other books in this series: The Fly, The Slug and The Rat, as well as the next two books The Spider and Head Lice which are due out next year.




I had only heard good things about Steve Jenkins books, but I had not ever actually read one myself, so I bought What Do You Do With a Tail Like This? You know a book is truly wonderful when you begin reading to one child and your other two children are drawn in by the excited giggling and they creep over to listen too! All three children delighted in guessing what animal each body part might belong to and they were very interested in the more detailed information provided at the end of the book. Who knew that horny devils could squirt blood from their eyes?