Little Tiger Press, 2006. ISBN 9781845062835
(Age: 3+) Highly recommended. Tigers. Happiness. Perseverance. Award
winning Rayner has done it again in this wonderful tale of a tiger
searching for his smile. On waking the tiger finds he has lost his
smile and so goes off to look for it. He searches high and low, the
birds in the trees, the insects amongst the leaves on the ground,
the fish in the sea, the sand in the desert, until finally it rains.
The incessant rain fills puddles in the earth and at last he can see
that he has a smile, and so is happy.
He has wandered across deserts and mountain ranges, across forests
and seas, seen a multitude of animals, birds and fish, to find that
it is all of these which make him happy. And he realises that
happiness is everywhere.
A wide reaching tale of finding happiness wherever you are, reading
this with children will fill their heads with delight as they see
the scope of amazing things in our world, and marvel with the tiger
as he finds that happiness is all around.
The illustrations with the swatches of colour overlaid with black
ink representing the tiger and its stripes, are stunning. The tiger
stalks across every page, sometimes partly hidden by the forest,
sometimes climbing across a jagged mountain range, sometimes
swimming with the fish. Rayner drew her tiger after watching and
sketching the tigers at the Edinburgh Zoo, and this first hand
experience is obvious to the reader as they delight in the different
poses struck by the tiger on turning the pages.
At the end is information about the Siberian Tiger, an animal in
danger through loss of habitat, and addresses are given for children
to find out more information.
Fran Knight
Good night, me by Andrew Daddo
Ill. by Emma Quay. Hachette, 2015. ISBN 9780734415851
(Age: Toddler) Recommended. Board book. Night time. Sleep.
Encouraging a small child to go to sleep is made easier with this
reprint of Daddo's winning story of bed time. Used as the focus book
in the 2006 National Simultaneous Storytime, Andrew's website
gives information about how the story came to be.
The simplicity of its evolution is matched by the deceptive
simplicity of its telling, as the child going to bed must say
goodnight to each of its body parts. So goodnight is said to its
feet, then knees, then legs, tummy and so on, until its nose is
reached and then finally good night. Each part drops off to sleep
shown beautifully by the pencil and watercolour illustrations,
beginning with an enthusiastic moving child to one bedded down with
a sheet over the top, ready to sleep until morning.
Reading this tale will encourage a child to hunker down with the
story and be part of the illustrations as they go from movement to
stillness, from alert to drowsy, then sleep.
The use of a baby orangutan is wonderful as young children will
immediately be enthralled at the contrast of an animal and a baby,
noting the clothing, the sheet and pillow. The illustrations give
the story another level of interest to readers as the orangutan is
shown in all sorts of poses in its bed.
First published in 2005, this publication as a board book will
ensure it is read over and over again by the target audience.
Fran Knight
Sam and Dave dig a hole by Mac Barnett
Ill. by Jon Klassen. Walker Books, 2014. ISBN 9781406357769
(Age: 5+) Warmly recommended. Endeavour. Friendship. Quest. One day
Sam and Dave decide to dig a hole. They set out with shovels and the
dog, and begin their work to find something spectacular. They dig
and dig, eventually digging a hole that is over their heads needing
to stop for a break to drink their chocolate milk and animal
biscuits. They decide to go sideways. Later they decide to split up
and join later. Just when they are tired out, the dog digs, sensing
a bone nearby and the trio falls down deeper and deeper until they
are back in their garden.
The illustrations tell the story of their near misses, as they
bypass large exciting looking precious stones time and time again.
The little dog senses something is nearby but the boys keep on
digging, taking no notice of his actions. Children will love
watching the dog and the near misses, calling out to the boys in the
story telling them what they cannot see. The mystery behind their
quest and their attempts to find something spectacular will speak
volumes to younger readers for whom adventures are what they have
everyday. The fun of trying to find something wonderful drives them
on, their dog with them, spectacularly more aware than they.
For children learning the concept of down and up, as well as
sideways, this book is a treat, bringing in the idea of adventures,
hidden gems and striving for something out of reach. The
illustrations are magnificent, brown swathes of watercolour fill
the page, with white patches contrasting with the colour of the
earth. Astute younger readers will ponder the small differences
between the last pages and those at the beginning of the book, and
laugh out loud at the antics of the boy and the all knowing dog.
Fran Knight
I was only nineteen by John Schumann
Ill. by Craig Smith. Allen & Unwin, 2014. ISBN 9781743317235
(Age: 10+) Recommended. Picture book for older readers. War.
Vietnam. Song. Conscription
The song penned by John Schumann is now so well known that I am
surprised it has taken this long for a book such as this to be
produced. Readers will not help but hum it as it is read, and I am
sure many classrooms will access the song to play before and after
they read this stunning presentation. There are versions of it on
Youtube.
The song, written in the early eighties, in response to Schumann's
brother in law's time in Vietnam, tells of the young men conscripted
by the Australian Government to serve in this overseas war. They
could not vote nor drink in a hotel, but were told to fight, and
could do little about the fact that their number had come up in the
lottery.
The war became increasingly unpopular, conscription was abandoned
and the forces withdrawn from Vietnam, but even today, returned
soldiers are fighting the results of their service.
Craig Smith's illustrations show a young boy talking to his
grandfather, a returned serviceman. As the reader turns the pages
they will see what happened to the child's grandfather, a young man
conscripted then trained at Puckapunyal, choosing the card which
sent him to Vietnam. In Vietnam, the images range from sitting in a
bar, relaxing with R&R, to the images of fighting in the fields
which can leave no reader in doubt of the brutality of war. Smith's
depiction of the landmine explosion and helicopter evacuation of the
wounded men are hauntingly memorable in a book full of stunning
images.
At a time where Anzac and World War One are being remembered over
the world, this book is a standout contribution to those books
giving younger readers an idea of our historical involvement in
overseas wars.
Fran Knight
The soldier's gift by Tony Palmer
Jane Tanner. Penguin, 2014. Hbk ISBN 9780670077571. Ebk ISBN
9781743482131
(Age: Yr 5+) There is always work to be done on Hillside Farm -
except on Sundays. Sundays are a day of rest and, on this prophetic
Sunday, Tom takes his younger sister Emily to a special place high
on a ridge overlooking the land below. On it is a lone cypress tree
planted by their mother as a tiny seed many years before they were
born. Now it is her memorial.
All is not idyllic on Hillside Farm though. It is 1915 and each week
the postman brings the newspapers which Emily reads and when Uncle
Francis comes to visit, she hears him talking to her dad about the
war and the young local men who are dead, missing or wounded. But
Emily is hardly concerned for it is on the other side of the world.
However, when Uncle Francis suggests that Tom might be branded a
coward if he doesn't enlist, it comes to her peaceful home and sets
in train events that seem inexorable. 'Everyone else is going' does
not seem a good reason to Emily when it becomes clear Tom is going
to enlist, and as he sets out, standing so straight and tall and
looking so grown-up in his uniform, not even his promise to write
can stop Emily's tears flowing.
Tom does write - funny, serious, and sad letters. In one he sends
Emily some seeds given to him by another soldier 'from a pine tree
here in Turkey'. But no more letters follow and when Emily's father
finally gets the telegram he has been expecting, it has a
devastating effect. Emily runs to her mother's tree and just sits,
not even noticing her dad coming to get her and carrying her home.
That night, in a massive storm, the tree is destroyed. Emily's
father withdraws into himself, wearing his grief like a heavy
overcoat and Emily cannot reach him. But one day she shows Uncle
Francis the seeds Tom had sent and he persuades her to plant them
and nurture them...
This is a most sensitive story that has the events at Gallipoli as
its backdrop, not its focus. While our students learn about the
events at Gallipoli and appreciate them, it is difficult for them to
connect with what life was like at that time in Australia. It's like
they have an episode in time captured in a bottle without reference
or links to anything beyond those historical facts. A soldier's gift
helps them connect to life at the time by showing that it was just
ordinary young men who were at the heart of this conflict, young men
with families at home but a sense of duty to King and country
calling them louder. It shows the despair and hopelessness and grief
that families suffered when the longed-for letters stopped coming,
families grieving then at the loss of their loved one just as
families grieve now. But Emily's planting of the seeds, their growth
into seedlings and their need for protection which finally draws her
father forward is symbolic of planting and nurturing hope for an
enduring peace. Just as Tom's trees fight the odds for survival, so
might the world. In his gift is more than a handful of seeds that
look like dried moths.
Jane Tanner's illustrations are superb in helping to make those
connections. In muted tones that suggest both the mood and the
times, they provide exquisite detail of the period, particularly
those featuring the interior of the house, but also the calm,
carefree lifestyle as chooks scratch in the garden and dog Roo runs
free. This 'ordinariness' is highlighted by the illustrations on the
endpapers - sketches of family photographs, marriage certificates and
magazine covers but ominously interspersed with reminders that there
is a war being fought and its fingers are stretching out to touch
all that is known and cherished.
On the final page following some notes about the war in Europe and
at home, Tony Palmer makes reference to the seeds from the Aleppo
Pine - the famous Lone Pine - that we know came back to Australia
and are now thriving trees at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne
and the Australian War Memorial, and suggests that these might not
be the only ones that came back. Tom may have sent some too.
Given that it is not until students are in Year 9 - 14 or 15 - that
they formally study World War 1 in the Australian Curriculum history
strand, literature is the only way that most students can connect
with the events that changed Australia for ever and which will be
such a strong focus over the coming months as the centenary of World
War 1 and Australia's role within it are commemorated. A soldier's
gift should be an integral part of that story.
Barbara Braxton
The year it all ended by Kirsty Murray
Allen & Unwin, 2014. ISBN 9781743319413
(Age: 12+) Highly recommended. World War One, Spanish Flu, Returning
soldiers, Adelaide. The day Tiney Flynn tuns seventeen, bells ring
out over Adelaide to announce the end of World War One. Tiney and
her sisters go into the city to join the celebrations, and there
follows a six month hiatus as the world leaders negotiate peace.
Soldiers are returning home, some damaged and many changed, Tiney's
sister, Nette, marries a soldier who takes up soldier settler farm
at Cobdogla in the Murraylands, Thea goes to Art School, while Tiney
and Minna help prepare for a masked ball to celebrate peace. But the
family is still subjected to prejudice because of their German
heritage. During the day Tiney works at the Cheer-Up hut, where
soldiers can find some companionship but Tiney begins to find this
cheerless, as the long peace negotiations drag out. They are
devastated when they learn that their son and brother, Louis has
been killed in France within weeks of Armistace. Her father hides in
his study putting together a scrapbook of their brother's life and
Tiney has the idea that the family should somehow go to Europe to
find their brother's grave bringing them some relief from their
overwhelming grief.
In the background we see the girls coping with a changed world.
Tiney's world becomes smaller as her sisters leave home, and is
ecstatic when her aunt and uncle give her the money to accompany
friends of the family in their search for their dead son's grave.
Her dream has been realised.
The reality of war hits hard as she walks across battlefields with
bodies being exhumed for reburial, discovers mass graves, bombed
villages and people like her searching for their war dead.
This is a wonderfully astute look at the changing fortunes of young
women at the end of the war, a time of change for them as well as
society as a whole.
The story of Tiney and her sisters reflects many of these changes as
Nette marries someone she really does not know, Minna escapes to
Melbourne, to avoid the unwanted overtures of a returned soldier,
and Thea goes to art school, where her friend, Seb commits suicide.
The determination of Tiney in bringing some sense to her family
after their momentous loss, holds them together in a time of
desperate need. And at the same time, Tiney develops as a person,
going from a naive seventeen year old to a more politically aware,
confident and assured young woman ready for the new world.
Amongst the many books about Australia's involvement in war, this is
a standout. Not only a good story about one girl's development, but
a harrowing look at the family at home, desperate for news about
their son at war, while the thread of their German heritage, reminds
the readers that Australia is a land of immigrants, with some
treated in a manner which does us no credit.
A wonderful stand alone, this book could also be used in a
literature circle, in which a number of books with war as their
theme are presented to a class. Secondary students will find Tiney's
story engrossing, and along the way learn a lot about war and its
impact on those at home. Murray has skillfully incorporated
historical detail into the story, making this a luminous addition to
the genre of historical fiction.
Fran Knight
The 100 Society by Carla Spradbery
Hodder, 2014. ISBN 9781444920086
(Age: 13+ secondary). Highly recommended. Carla Spraybery's The 100
Society delivered an enormously unique plot and well-developed
relationships between the key characters. The setting of the book
was well thought out as well as the storyline. Characters
included in the novel were fun and easily likeable and no two were
the same. The plot twist was definitely unexpected, an element in a
story that I love and it left me second guessing each character's
agenda. This book has undoubtedly altered my opinion on dark
literature and throughout the story, I found myself enjoying the
progression and development of the plotline and characters. As a
standalone novel, it concluded the storyline well but the author did
leave a couple of storylines untouched so it will be interesting if
there will be a sequel.
The story follows Grace Becker, a boarding school student and tag
artist who is determined to win the game, The 100 Society. She has
persuaded her close knit group of friends to join her on this quest
despite the dangers that may lie ahead. Already nearing the 100
target, Grace and her friends have become targets of a sinister and
mysterious shadow who is on a mission to end their game. The only
thing they know about this shadow is their tag, a Grim Reaper who
haunts each friend's nightmares and pops up in the most unlikely
places. It is a race against time to discover who this 'Grim Reaper'
is but will they be too late? Will Grace be able to save her friends
or will they be the end of each other? The results will shock you.
The relationship between Grace and her friends is an element of this
novel that I thoroughly enjoyed as well as the plot twist and the
mystery genre.
Samantha May
Alfie's big wish by David Hardy
Magabala Books, 2014. ISBN 9781922142535
(Age: Pre-school) Recommended. Aboriginal themes, Loneliness,
Australian bush. A sequel to Alfie's search for destiny,
this charming picture book tells of Alfie's need for a companion. He
is lonely, and his attempts at playing with others comes to nothing
as his friends have left with their parents and the others are too
old. He sees a falling star and makes a wish. The very next day he
wakes and hearing a noise int he grass nearby, creeps over to take a
look. He is instantly surprised and happy when he finds a young girl
hiding there, the answer to his wishes.
David Hardy is a descendant of the Bankitndji people of northern New
South Wales, and for many years has worked as a freelance
illustrator for Walt Disney Studios. The influence of working here
is obvious in his illustrative style, with large eyed chubby
children taking up the central position on a full colour background.
The charm of the illustrations invites the reader to immediately
identify with the sad boy, and read on until the promised denouement
is realised.
In the background can be seen images of the Australian bush which
will further delight readers, recognising flora and fauna. I like
the use of the sketched outlines of Alfie in the endpapers, as this
gives a model for younger children to try their own drawings of the
young lad.
Fran Knight
Every time you close your eyes by Bel Schenk
Wakefield Press, 2014. ISBN: 9781743053195
(Age: Secondary - Adult) Recommended. Themes: Connection and
isolation; New York; Irony. Style: Prose Poetry. This is an
atmospheric telling of the intermingling of connection and isolation
during two Blackouts in New York. Set in both 1977 and 2003 during
two distinct Blackouts in New York's history, it is told in bare
Prose poetry where every word carries weight. There is irony in this
tale of the world's most energetic city being 'powerless'. The
characters, few though they are, have their stories woven gently
from poem to poem with a sense of relationship that creates an
impression of both the isolation and social cohesion of life in the
Big Apple. Schenk shows how the Blackouts emphasised how the members
of the community related to one another. The oblique references to
the 'Son of Sam' murders and the 9/11 events and the impacts of
those tragedies highlighted the impact of events outside one's
personal control on the fabric of relationship in a big city.
The title evocatively reminds us that Every time you close your eyes
there is the opportunity for 'blackout' and internal connection,
isolation and also remembrance of relationship.
This is an 'adult' book, but easy to read. Its power is in its
sensitivity.
It could easily be used for Secondary Study, looking at Prose
poetry.
Carolyn Hull
Hasel and Rose by Caroline Magerl
Penguin, 2014. ISBN: 9780670077342
When Rose moves to a new house in a new town, life is not as she
wishes it to be and she obviously misses her old home. Although she
tries her best to settle in, she knows that something is missing.
Despite her standing at the window and looking out, desperately
wishing, Rose's wish thing does not come. When she draws it, the
image is indistinct. On the other side of the world, another journey
begins. A parcel, swinging over snow covered peaks, flying through
cloudy skies and sailing across stormy oceans continues its trip,
ever closer to Rose. When, 'at wits' end', Rose and her family head
toward the sea and sit, listening to the waves, a magical meeting
occurs. Has Rose found her wish thing?
A perfect tale to help those children who have been forced to move,
leaving behind all that is familiar or have lost something dear to
them. In this book, Magerl's focus is on the process of settling in
to a new place and discovering a way of learning to belong. The
necessity of friends and family in the tale are paramount. In the
classroom, one could discuss what gives us a sense of belonging and
how one could go about settling into a new place and the concept of
connections. This could be paired and contrasted with other texts
about loss and friendship, for example, Amy and Louis.
Jo Schenkel
That car by Cate Kennedy
Allen & Unwin, 2014. ISBN 9781743310953.
(Ages: 4-6) Highly recommended. Ellie, Luke and Joey find an old car
at the farm their family has moved to. The car becomes the base for
a multitude of imaginative adventures, taking them to tea with the
Queen, a trek up Mount Everest and on an African safari. When they
meet the original owner of the car they enjoy hearing about her
real-life adventures.
The beautiful illustrations perfectly complement this lovely, gentle
story, highlighting the imagination of children growing up in rural
Australia.
Donella Reed
Literature to support the Geography curriculum by Fran Knight and Pat Pledger
Pledger
Consulting, 2014. ISBN: 9781876678418 (book) Also available as
an ebook
(Age: Teacher reference) Highly recommended. This comprehensive
annotated bibliography is a great reference tool for school
libraries, school teachers and History and Social Sciences
faculties.
Pat Pledger and Fran Knight have carefully selected picture books,
junior novels and age appropriate fiction and nonfiction and aligned
these with the Australian Curriculum. Each section explores
resources suited to different year levels from Foundation to Year 2,
Years 3-4 and continuing to Year 10. The authors have drawn on their
breadth of literary experience and the extensive range of resources
and reviews available from ReadPlus.
Each of the key geographical concepts is explored with both familiar
titles, My Place, Are we there yet?, favourite
authors - Rosanne Hawke, Bob Graham, Jacki French and newly
published titles - Ambelin Kwaymullina's First Flight
included.
Arranged alphabetically by author's surname, with a concise
description included, this is an easy to use bibliography. Books
listed in one section can be utilised by a broader group of
students, sharing picture books with older readers provides
opportunities for research stimulus and inquiry-based learning.
Jeannie Baker's Window is included in the Year 8 topic -
Changing Nations. The individual title's suitability for classroom
use needs to be gauged by the teacher or teacher-librarian.
This is an insightful curriculum tool for HASS educators. It
highlights resources from a broad range of genres and acknowledges
the wealth of literature available to support and engage students
within the geography curriculum.
Rhyllis Bignell
Elephants Have Wings by Susanne Gervay
Ill. by Anna Pignataro. Ford Street Publishing, 2014
(Age: 7+) Recommended. Susanne Gervay's picture book, Elephants
Have Wings is a retelling of the parable of the six blind men
and the elephant, found in many religious traditions including
Buddhist, Hindu, Jain and Sufi faiths.
At bedtime an Indian father tells his children, one of their
grandfather's tales. Six children are sent outside in the dark to
search for the secret. They find different objects, a rope, tree
branch, marble, a scarf and a sandy wall. They cannot agree and
begin to shriek like a babble of monkeys. When the grandfather
illuminates the scene with a candle, they realise these form the
parts of an elephant. After the brother and sister climb onto the
creature's back, their magical journey begins across cities and
jungles into the diamond sky with a golden moon. When the bedtime
story concludes, the children have gained an understanding of the
moral. Everyone is different, but we're all the same, too.
Anna Pignaturo's multi-modal illustrations, utilise painting with
soft watercolours, Asian and Indian motifs, collage and sketching to
bring life to Susanne's Gervay's tale. The detailed double-page
spread with the ruby red background and the abundance of paisley
patterned elephants, provides opportunities for teachers to explore
and engage their students with the study of Indian art.
Recommended for readers from 7+ and as a classroom resource to
explore inclusivity and diversity.
Rhyllis Bignell
Background to Elephants Have Wings by Susanne Gervay
I was deeply inspired by my journey to India and South East Asia
where I spoke in Delhi, Goa and Singapore. I experienced the Baha'i
Temple in Delhi where I was part of a service under the open-air
lotus roof of the temple. Five young people read from their holy
books from five different faiths.
I also became aware of mystical stories. One was the parable of the
blind men and the elephant which is part of Buddhism, Hinduism,
Jainism and Sufism and the search for truth. Another was in Hindu
mythology, that during the monsoon rains which refresh the earth,
the clouds are regarded as the wings of elephants.
I returned home imbued with the cultures and spirituality of India
and Asia. On entering The Hughenden in Sydney, I faced, the
exquisite kalaga tapestry, embroidered with gold and silver thread
and beads, revealing elephants and Hindu and Buddhist stories.
Young people today are overwhelmed with media reports of terrorism
and conflicts of faith. It was time to reach out and create a safe
space for young people to explore want they want their world to be.
Elephants Have Wings came out of all of this.
The Blake Prize is a non-denominational art and poetry prize,
created after the war in 1951 by a Jesuit priest and a Jewish artist
to explore art and spirit as a way towards inclusion. The Blake
wanted to extend this vision to youth. They looked everywhere for an
illustrated text for young people, when they discovered 'Elephants
Have Wings' in draft form. In a first, the Blake Prize for Art and
Poetry www.blakeprize.com.au have endorsed a children's book. Elephants
Have Wingscarries its logo.
What is Elephants Have Wings? At its heart, it is a peace
book for young people and adults to share.
As the daughter of refugees, action for inclusion and peace is
personal and a driving commitment to share with young people. I was
privileged that Anna Pignataro, also the daughter of refugees,
wanted to travel with me on this creation.
For those who go on the journey into Elephants Have Wings,
it is an extraordinary illustrative picture book that has so many
layers. A child can experience it as the journey on a mystical
elephant to discover home. However there's so much more including
multi-faith, inter faith, the meaning of the mandala, the tree of
life. Each aspect of Elephants Have Wings is rich with story
from the end papers which are the colours of enlightenment, to the
circle of life. It is a book that I hope brings pleasure in its
beauty but also questioning and search for harmony.
There is information on it here.
Susanne Gervay
Disappearing act by James Moloney
Angus & Robertson, 2014. ISBN 9780732295752
(Age: 10+) Highly recommended. (Central character is aged 14).
Themes: Magic and Illusion; Family; Truth and lies.This is a story
with magic, illusion, the elixir of life, a contemporary teen, an
imaginary foreign country with a sad history, love found and lost,
family tragedy and the restoration of the memory and reputation of
an infamous conjuror and illusionist. This combination could have
been disastrous, but Moloney has conjured an amazingly readable and
enjoyable storyline, that weaves a contemporary tale of a young teen
with a passion for magic, with his discovered family history from a
fictitious principality named Montilagus. The disaster of a
historical magic trick that has gone wrong is revealed to the teen
Matthew as he visits inner city Sydney. This sets Matthew off on his
own pursuit of Magic, and eventually to Montilagus in the hope that
he can repair the reputation of the Magician.
There are some very unbelievable aspects to this story; despite
that, the essence of the story is that 'Only the heart knows that
the magic is real'. The magic of the story is real!
Carolyn Hull
