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.

The Kensington Reptilarium

I have to admit that I was drawn to this book by the cover artwork which depicts four cute kids and a rather quirkyly dressed man entwined with reptiles. Even the spine is beautifully embossed with a snakeskin design.

Set in December 1945, the Kensington Reptilarium tells the tale of four kids from the Australian outback. With their mother passed away and their father missing in action, they are moved to London, which has been devastated by war. Uncle Basti is their new guardian and he resides in the Kensington Reptilarium - a fantastical building filled with mysterious secret rooms and reptiles of all descriptions. Unfortunately for the kids, their uncle is a social recluse who doesn't like children and the local police are trying to shut the Reptilarium down.

This story has strong themes of family, World War II and the construction of gender and would therefore be most suitable for upper primary students over 10 years of age. I found the portrayal of Australia and the way the children lived in the early chapters reminiscent of the Lost Boys in Peter Pan.

The language used throughout the book is very lively and colloquial with frequent use of mannerisms. The sentences are often short and sharp with the pronoun omitted to emphasise thought processes and maintain a fast pace. Excerpts could readily be used to model this style of writing. The author also makes great use of devices such as onomatopoeia and gives beautiful poetic descriptions such as "ghost gums like shinbones" which are used to great effect (p36).

Teachers notes and ideas for classes are available from Random House.

The One and Only Ivan

Ivan is an easygoing gorilla. Living at the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade, he has grown accustomed to humans watching him through the glass walls of his domain. He rarely misses his life in the jungle. In fact, he hardly ever thinks about it at all.

Instead, Ivan thinks about TV shows he's seen and about his friends Stella, an elderly elephant, and Bob, a stray dog. But mostly Ivan thinks about art and how to capture the taste of a mango or the sound of leaves with color and a well-placed line.

Then he meets Ruby, a baby elephant taken from her family, and she makes Ivan see their home—and his own art—through new eyes. When Ruby arrives, change comes with her, and it's up to Ivan to make it a change for the better.

This gentle story with its readily lovable characters will promote thinking about the relationships between people and animals.  With brief chapters, sprinkling of humour and sweet illustrations, it would be an excellent read-aloud for middle grade and upper-grade students. Written from Ivan's perspective, it is a story of courage and kindness which will have children cheering for Ivan and his friends, as well as humanity. This story is beautifully written and would inspire children to make text-to-world connections about animal rights issues, particularly the treatment of animals in captivity. The One and Only Ivan is fiction, however the author provides notes at the end of the book about the real Ivan who inspired this story. An illustrated picture book version of this text has also been released.

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.

Rump - The True Story of Rumpelstiltskin

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Rump: The True Story of Rumpelstiltskin by Liesl Shurtliff to my daughter who is in Year 4. It puts a new spin on the traditional fairy tale of Rumpelstiltskin and is told from the perspective of twelve-year-old Rump, who is the butt of everyone's jokes. There's lots of humour, magic and adventure. It would make a perfect middle-primary read-aloud which is sure to capture the attention of young listeners from the very first sentence "My mother named me after a cow's rear end".