Book Week Early Childhood Shortlist: How to Move a Zoo (Part 2)

Display 3. Picture books set in Sydney Because How to Move a Zoo  is set in Sydney, this is a good time to get other books set in Sydney off the shelves and into students' hands. Some of the books below are useful to locate landmarks in Sydney, some are just fun stories and some like this book give insights into historical events in Sydney.

• Hello Sydney  by Megan McKean

Discover 15 of Sydney's most iconic locations, with the help of six cheeky seagulls, on this look-and-find adventure. From Taronga Zoo to Bondi Beach, there are delightful quirks of the city to spot on each page,

•  Alphabetical Sydney A-Z by Hilary Bell and Antonia Presenti

Celebrates Sydney in all its diversity - from A to Z.

• Found in Sydney by Joanne O'Callaghan and Kori Song

From Bondi Beach to the Opera House, there's so much to explore in spectacular Sydney! 

The Opera House

• Sidney Opera Mouse  by Graham Hocking and Inky Stone

• Opera House Mouse  by Jean Chapman and Tony Oliver

• Jorn's Magnificent Imagination  by Coral Bass and Nicky Johnston

The true story of Jørn Utzon, the architect of the world-renowned Sydney Opera House.

• Tubowgule: A Sydney Opera House History   by Melissa-Jane Fogarty

The Sydney Opera House is an Australian icon and a building recognised all around the world, but the land on which it stands has a long history. We step back in time to when Tubowgule was a ceremonial place for the Gadi people and we follow along as the land is claimed by the colonisers

Bondi Beach

Hyde Park

• The Tram to Bondi Beach by Libby Hathorn and Julie Vivas

A story of a young boy's adventures working as a paperboy on the busy trams, travelling to Bondi Beach.

• Millicent  by Jeannie Baker

Story about an old lady’s daily wanderings through Hyde Park to feed the pigeons.

The Botanic Gardens

•  Alexander's Outing by Pamela Allen

'Stay close, take care,' quacked Alexander's mother. But Alexander was a wayward duckling - he straggled behind ... and disappeared down a deep dark hole ...

The State Library of New South Wales and its statue of Trim, Matthew Flinder's cat.

• A Cat Called Trim  by Corinne Fenton and Craig Smith

• The Mostly True Story of Matthew and Trim  by Cassandra Golds

• The Best Cat, the Est Cat  by Libby Hathorn

Sydney Harbour

• Fergus the Ferry by J.W.Noble There is a large number of books about Fergus and they have a loyal following in our school library (probably because of where the students live).

• Stanley the Manly Ferry  by James Whiley (3titles)

• The Sydney Harbour Fairy  by Deborah Frankel and Cate James

Nanna is taking Charlie for a Girls' Day Out. They'll have high tea, watch the ballet, smell flowers and visit the Sydney Harbour Fairy,
but the Harbour Fairy isn't what Charlie expected, and her Girls' Day Out with Nanna just got so much better.

• Fluke  by Lesley Gibbes and Michelle Dawson

In 2012 a Southern right whale gave birth to a calf in Sydney Harbour. It was only the third time in recorded history that a Southern right whale had been born in the harbour.

• Sidney of Sydney  by Sue Whiting and Liz Anelli

Sidney is a young penguin … and he’s trouble.
Sidney doesn’t mean to be trouble, he’s just curious. And one day that curiosity takes Sidney all over Sydney and on a grand adventure that lands Sidney in … TROUBLE! Based on a true story.

The Sydney Harbour Bridge

• The Day We Built the Bridge by Samantha Tidy and Fiona Burrows

Big dreams can take generations. It can also take six million hand-driven rivets and 53,000 tonnes of steel. The Day We Built the Bridge celebrates our connection with one another, and declares that despite the greatest of challenges, together we can make history.

• Building the Sydney Harbour Bridge  by John Nicholson

The inside story of a national icon 'The giant coat-hanger' took 1300 men eight years to build. They used six million rivets and 53 000 tonnes of steel. John Nicholson tells the story step by step, in fascinating detail: the vision, the problems, the solutions, the suspense (would the two halves actually meet?), the risks, the celebrations.

• To the Bridge  by Corinne Fenton and Andrew McLean

Nine-year-old Lennie Gwyther dreamed of seeing the opening of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. With his father's blessing, he rode his pony Ginger Mick across Australia, inspiring crowds of supporters to greet him in cities along the way, as he made his way to Sydney.

(This would make a good companion text because it too, is about a journey, a Sydney icon and history).

I'm sure there are others that I have missed, but this is a good start! If you want to follow maps try:

• Sydney City Trails from Lonely Planet Kids.

PS: Other tangents

• sugar gliders...a zookeeper had one in his pocket in the story. Find out more about them

• Mr Miller and Jessie had a very special relationship. Is this the case for other zookeepers?

See:

• Opera House Mouse  by Jean Chapman (Sydney Opera House)

• Sidney Opera Mouse  by Graham Hocking and Inky Stone

• Tubowgule: A Sydney Opera House History  by Melissa Jane-Fogarty

• Fergus the Ferry (series) by J W Noble (Sydney Harbour)

• Stanley the Manly Ferry (series) by James Whiley (Sydney Harbour)

• Fluke  by Leslie Gibbs (Sydney Harbour)

Book Week Early Childhood Shortlist: How to Move a Zoo

How to Move a Zoo  by Kate Simpson and Owen Swan is another book that I am super happy to see on the shortlist. This book has been a very big hit at school, possibly because school and the students' homes are very close to Taronga Zoo where Jessie, the elephant is moved to across Sydney Harbour. Year 2 thoroughly enjoyed the story and then set about plotting the route on a map from Moore Park, through the city, the Botanical Gardens and down to the harbour to be ferried to the new locationt. We worked out which structures existed then, but not now, and now, but not then. The students then wanted to find out more about the Harbour Bridge's and the Opera House's construction.  We researched more on iPads to see if the plot details in the story coincided with what the Internet had to say. We found more photos. The learning was memorable, pertinent and led by the students. Perfect from my point of view. I also love it when a book initiates so much interest. This happened the year Phasmid by Rohan Cleave was on the shortlist too. The students became fascinated with stick insects and we ended up having some in the library. This book was once again popular when the two Asian elephants at Taronga Zoo moved to South Australia onto a safari park this year and students who go to the zoo often had very mixed feelings about it. They did want to know though how they travelled there.

While planning mini displays to go with books on the shortlists, I had so many ideas for this one. I let books be the focus of my displays because they will then be borrowed and take the students on an adventure and I have had to do very little work. 

1. elephants, especially elephants who are part of true animal stories.

2. books about zoos, in particular Taronga Zoo.

3. books set in specific locations in Sydney.

4. any other books by Kate Simpson and Owen Swan.

Display 1 True animal stories about elephants (not all of these are suitable for early childhood students, but the book How to Move a Zoo  is not only for early childhood students either.) Each of these books will take your students on an adventure to places they don't know, create empathy for the situation the elephant finds itself in and curiosity to learn more about elephants or the place. Perhaps students need a bit of background on elephants such as their excellent memory or their adorable sense of humour? Did you know that they actually walk on their tippy toes? Provide books such as Extraordinary Elephants or Elephants a book for Children.

• Queenie  by Corinne Fenton and Peter Gouldthorpe

There was a time when for tuppence you could ride on the back of an elephant at a zoo. Queenie was one such elephant. Until her death in 1945, she patiently carried up to 500 people a day. This story is set at Melbourne Zoo.

•  The Secret Zoo  by Ellen Rankin

As bombs begin to fall and huge blasts echo around the zoo, a baby elephant and her keeper sneak to the safety and comfort of the keeper's home. Here, they weather out the worst of the war together in secret. But what will happen when their secret is found out? Based on the incredible true story of Denise Weston Austin at Belfast Zoo.

• Faithful Elephants  by Yukio Tsuchiya and Ted Lewin

A zookeeper recounts the story of John, Tonky, and Wanly, three performing elephants at the Ueno Zoo in Tokyo, whose turn it is to die, and of their keepers, who weep and pray that World War II will end so their beloved elephants might be saved.

• The World's Greatest Elephant  by Ralph Helfer and Ted Lewin

It’s unbelievable but true! Born on the same day in the same small, German circus town, young Bram and his elephant, Modoc, had a lifelong friendship that spanned over eight decades. But it was never easy. From the breakup of the circus to the shipwreck in the Indian Ocean that nearly cost them their lives, the bond between the boy and the elephant survived the most unimaginable trials. This true story of their adventures together, and eventual rise to circus stardom in the Ringling Brothers Circus.

• Twenty One Elephants and Still Standing  by April Jones Prince and Francois Roca

After fourteen years of construction, the Brooklyn Bridge was completed, much to the delight of the sister cities it connected: Brooklyn and New York City. Fireworks and top hats filled the air in celebration when the magnificent bridge opened in 1883. But some wondered just how much weight the new bridge could hold. Was it truly safe? One man seized the opportunity to show people in Brooklyn, New York and the world that the Brooklyn Bridge was in fact strong enough to hold even the heaviest of passengers.

• The Day of the Elephant  by Barbara Ker Wilson

Set in Thailand and based on reports of incidents that occurred during the tsunami, this story centres around the elephant Mae Jabu, who visits a small town. After becoming restless Mae Jabu gently lifts a group of small children on her back and takes them to safety.

• One Step at a Time  by Jane Jolly and Sally Heinrich

Tells a touching story about the relationship between a young boy, Luk, and his elephant, Mali. On the border of Thailand and Burma, Mali steps on a landmine. Luk supports her during her recovery. Mali is eventually fitted with a prosthesis and gets a second chance at life.

• The Elephant's New Shoe  by Laurel Neme and Ariel Landy

When Chhouk, an Asian elephant calf, was found, he was alone, underweight, and had a severe foot injury. Conservationist Nick Marx of Wildlife Alliance rescued the baby elephant.

• Mosha the Elephant Who Wouldn't Give Up by Aston Heath and Kata Upama Mosha is an Asian elephant who is known for being the first elephant to receive a prosthetic leg. She lost part of her right front leg after stepping on a landmine when she was seven months old. Mosha resides at the  Friends of the Asian Elephant (FAE) Hospital in Thailand. 

• Tarra and Bella  by Carol Buckley

After retiring from the circus, Tarra became the first resident of the Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee. When other elephants moved in and developed close friendships, only Tarra remained alone-until the day she met a stray mixed-breed dog named Bella. From then on, the two were

• The Elephant Keeper  by Margaret Ruuirs and Pedro Covo

When teenaged Aaron discovers a baby elephant nearly drowning in the swimming pool at the guest lodge where he works, he acts quickly and manages to save the animal just in time. The rescued baby is brought to an elephant orphanage for care, and given the name Zambezi. Though Aaron has been raised to think of elephants as dangerous to humans and their crops, on a visit to the orphanage, he learns that illegal poaching of these animals is threatening them with extinction, and the orphanage is trying to prevent that from happening. And when Aaron is offered a job at the orphanage, his life is suddenly transformed, as he discovers a bond of friendship with Zambezi and his lifelong vocation as an elephant keeper.

• The Elephant from Baghdad  by Mary Tavener Holmes  

Who would have thought that the emperor Charlemagne would make friends with an albino elephant, a gift from the caliph of Baghdad? Told from the fictionalized point of view of a monk who set down the actual story in 883–884 CE, the book follows the elephant’s journey through Egypt, across the Mediterranean to Italy and across the Alps to Germany. When the elephant finally reaches his destination, Charlemagne is so delighted with his exotic new pet that he introduces him to his many children and bathes with him in the hot springs near his palace.

And if you are looking for a short chapter book

 

Display 2 Books set at Taronga Zoo

This is easy. Put Taronga Zoo in your catalogue or favourite book site and see what comes up.

Display 3. Picture books set in Sydney (coming tomorrow)

 

Book Week Early Childhood Shortlist One Little Dung Beetle

 

I really like this book and was so pleased to see it make the shortlist. While I don't mean to dwell on its contents here (others have already done teaching notes), suffice to say it is not about dung beetles only, but counting all sorts of creepy crawlies. It is a good book as a focus for a display. You have lots of options:

• a display of books featuring all the creatures illustrated in this book.

• a display of beetle books. There are so many really good ones.

• a display of books about dung beetles. There are so many of them and my students do love books about poo.

The CSIRO has produced a book that shows the types of dung beetles we have in Australia. I wasn't aware there were so many here.

Our library has several picture books about dung beetles, including these:

• Behold the Beautiful Dung Beetle  by Cheryl Bardoe and Alan Marks

Simple science text and dramatic illustrations give a close-up view of the fascinating world of the dung beetle. When an animal lightens its load, dung beetles race to the scene. They battle over, devour, hoard, and lay their eggs in the precious poop. Dung is food, drink, and fuel for new life-as crucial to these beetles as the beetles are to many habitats, including our own.

 

• Dung Beetle on a Roll by sandra Severgnini

Bigger is not always better. Sometimes the smallest of creatures can have the biggest impact … even with dung!
Explore the fascinating and incredibly important role that tiny dung beetles play in our environment. From pushing dung balls that can weigh up to 50 times more than they do, to recycling nutrients in our soil, these beetles are really quite exceptional!

• Babak the Beetle  by  Fred Paranuzzi and Andree Prigent   

One beetle's trash is another beetle's treasure! When Babak the little dung beetle finds an egg, he's determined to to find the owner, but he soon finds the mysterious egg doesn't belong to the ostrich, frog or snake. What kind of egg is it? 

• Doug the Dung Beetle by Rebecca Johnson

Doug the Dung Beetle has had enough of cattle making fun of his job. He convinces his mates to go on strike and give them a taste of their own medicine, which doesn't turn out well for the c attle.

• The Poo That Grew  by Peter Bently and Nick East

Dung beetles love to chew on other animals' tasty poo. But when the monkeys make fun of them for having such a stinky lunch, the beetles decide to munch elsewhere. What the monkeys didn't realise is that without the beetles, there's no one to clean up their business. And so, the pile of poo grew and grew and GREW.

I would like to have one or both of these factual books with photographs:

• Dung Beetles  by Martha Rustad

Dung beetles are the world's strongest animals. They are famous for rolling animal poop around. Their gross job is important to the world. Find out more facts about these strong insects.

• A Colony of Dung Beetles  by Rebecca Storm

The science behind these curious creatures in a fascinating way bringing to life key topics including life cycles adaptation and the food chain. Discover all sorts of fascinating facts including why dung beetles are so obsessed with dung, how they smell without having noses, what makes dung beetles so strong and much more! 

Your library might also have:

  

Coming later in the year

And this chapter book which is part of a series of books about a young inventor called Sally Tinker.

• Dungzilla by James Foley

Sally has built a machine capable of enlarging any object, but when she tries resizing a slice of pizza she accidentally enlarges a dung beetle to scary proportions. As the hungry beetle rolls itself a dung ball large enough to crush an entire town, Sally races to shrink down the monster, before it’s too late.

If I was reading a dung beetle book as a companion text to my Kindergarten classes, I would read Babak the Beetle  because even though there is lots to talk about it will also make them laugh. 

My Year 1 students have studied mini beasts and invertebrates this year so I might be more inclined to read Dung Beetle on a Roll  which is published by the CSIRO so that we can discuss the information presented.

With Year 2 students, I would introduce them to Sally Tinker and the STINKER series of books by James Foley by reading an extract from Dungzilla  and then encourage them to read them independently. Or I would show them I Eat Poop because I don't have a copy, but it is perfect to discuss tone and author purpose.