24th November World Walrus Day

In 2008, The World Wildlife Foundation (WWF) and Marine Mammal Council (MMC) designated November 24th as Walrus Day. 

Walruses are marine mammals mostly found in the Arctic Circle, which are easily recognised with their moustache, enormous bodies, and long white tusks! Towards the end of autumn, they leave the Arctic shores of the Chukotka Sea to spend winter in the Bering Strait, making them vulnerable during their journey. Organisers aim to use the day to raise awareness of the diminishing populations of these marine mammals, which are listed on the IUCN Red List Status as vulnerable.

Fun fact: Walruses can hold their breath for a whopping 30 minutes and dive to depths of 90m in their hunt for lunch!

Despite facing challenges like shrinking sea ice, they make gliding through the ocean look absolutely effortless.

There's not a large number of books featuring walrus and children in Australia are very unlikely to see one, unless travelling to the Arctic, but here's what we have:

20th November Use Less Stuff Day

Use Less Stuff Day occurs on the third Thursday of November. This campaign aims to make people realise how we often buy things we don’t use, leading to unnecessary home clutter. Most people live over-consumptive lifestyles, leading to more waste generation and environmental pollution. This is in keeping with the aim of the Sustainable Development Goal #14 Responsible Consumption & Production.

As well as the usual nonfiction books that deal with waste, consumption, garbage, recycling etc, such as these

these picture books tell stories that will start a discussion about 'too much stuff'.

18th November William Tell Day

William Tell Day, pays tribute to  Switzerland's best-loved national hero . According to legend, he was a peasant from Bürglen who rebelled against Austrian authority during the 13th century. It is said that he was forced to shoot an apple from his son’s head. He was arrested for endangering the governor’s life, saved the same governor’s life on his way to jail, escaped, and eventually killed him in an ambush. His bravery and integrity inspired his countrymen to fight together against Austrian rule and for freedom from the Habsburg Empire.

Our school library does not have many books specifically about William Tell. We have the Margaret Early picture book with its outstanding illustrations

and the Tony Bradman 'reader' from the Orchard series,

and the humorous Aussie Bites  by Margaret Clark.

16th November World Idea Day

Today is World Idea Day. Essentially, it was founded because ideas are powerful tools to do good things in the world. Without ideas, we would be neither creative nor innovative. In that regard, progress would simply not happen. However, ideas have to be realised in the real world! That's when action comes in. While ideas are our guides, action is what creates change!

Children have lots of ideas, many of them very good ideas, but some children are not risk-takers and do not have a positive growth mindset, so teachers spend time in classrooms working on this. Here's some books which will help with ideas and discussions of creativity.

• What Do You Do With an Idea? by Kobi Yamada

This is the story of one brilliant idea and the child who helps to bring it into the world. As the child's confidence grows, so does the idea itself. And then, one day, something amazing happens.

• The Most Magnificent Idea  by Ashley Spires

The girl in this story, with her dog at her side, loves to make things. Her brain, she says, is an "idea machine," so full of ideas that she can hardly keep up. But then one day... it isn't. All of a sudden, the girl can't come up with a single idea for what to make. She tries everything: brainstorming, gathering new supplies, even jumping up and down on one foot to shake an idea loose. But, nothing. 

• The Very Important Idea  by Emma Dodson

This amusing picture book tells the story of a rat and a cat, and explores the nature of ideas. Where do they come from and how are they rated A good idea for a cat is not necessarily the same thing as a good idea for a rat.

• I Have an Idea!  by Herve Tullet

This is at once a meditation on and a celebration of the magic of the birth of a simple idea. Sparkling with visual wit, it is a richly emotional exploration of the creative process, from the initial anticipation of the hunt for an idea, to the frustration of chasing the wrong idea, to the exhilaration of capturing just the right idea.

• Emily's Idea  by Christine Evans

This inspiring tale begins when a little girl decides to create a paper chain of dolls. Her idea catches on and spreads far and wide, as children around the world begin to create and share their own.

• Ruthie Rose's Big Idea  by John Schu

Ruthie Rose wakes up with an idea. A big, bright, beautiful idea.
An idea so great! An idea so grand! Ruthie Rose can’t wait to share it with her idea-loving teacher librarian, her art teacher, and her best friend.

• The Book of Mistakes  by Corinna Luyken

Told in minimal, playful text, this story shows readers that even the biggest "mistakes" can be the source of the brightest ideas-and that, at the end of the day, we are all works in progress, too.

• The Imagineer  by Christopher Cheng

Penny has a massive imagination. She loves to draw up plans, gather her tools and turn sketches and scribbles into new creations. One day, she visits her grandpa's house and is amazed at his gadgets and gizmos. He has a telephone hanging on his wall, an organ with bellows to pump and a contraption with a handle to churn homemade butter.

• Once Upon a Big Idea  by James Carter

Telescopes and clocks and trains- all big ideas from human brains! From bridges and boats to medicines and mobile phones, this book takes readers on a journey of discovery through all the amazing inventions human beings have come up with. 

9th November International Inventor's Day.

November 9th is International Inventor's Day. There are a few celebrations concerning inventors, and this one is held in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland in honour of actress and inventor Hedy Lamarr, born in 1914. Beyond being an incredible Hollywood actress, she is also considered one of the creators of WiFi technology. In 1942, she invented the frequency-hopped spread spectrum, which is the repeated switching of the carrier frequency during radio transmission to reduce interference and avoid interception. The day was designated by German inventors and entrepreneurs Gerhard Muthenthaler and Marijan Jordan to encourage people to believe in their ideas and honour forgotten inventors.

There are several picture book biographies about Hedy Lamarr. Our library has these two

Given the premise of the day it would be good to use Hedy Lamarr's Double Life and then look at all the wonderful picture book biographies written by Laurie Wallmark.

This is a good day too, to encourage girls 'to invent things'.

See books on this Pinterest page Girls and Stem for ideas.

13th November World Kindness Day

World Kindness Day is a global day that promotes the importance of being kind to each other, to yourself, and to the world.

If every Australian performed an act of kindness on World Kindness Day, we would have 25 million acts of kindness in a single day.

The day was established by the World Kindness Movement in 1998. It serves as a reminder of the power of empathy. 

Reading books and putting yourself in a character's 'shoes' develops empathy so the  library is a great place to collect books that you could read on this day. We will display some. Usually I steer away from books that have the 'theme' as the 'title' because often they are heavy-handed, preachy and dogmatic, but today I have chosen to suggest some books which do have 'kind' or 'kindness' in the title because for my young audience these books are worth sharing.