23rd March Rain and Floods

So much of the east coast of Australia is experiencing heavy rainfall and we have been stuck in classrooms now for over a week. Australian children are not used to being outside in all weather. They do not have good wet weather gear so instead they stay inside and go 'crazy'. In the library I've had a lot of fun supplying students with books about rain and floods. They are preoccupied with it, especially the boys. There is not a flood book left in the library and once I looked I was surprised just how many we did have.

My favourite flood story is The Useless Donkeys by Lydia Pender and Judith Cowell. Of course its out of print, but the artwork showing the continuous rain is so good. It is set on a farm where the family keep two  donkeys, that the children love but dad wants to get rid of. When the floodwaters rise the donkeys end up on an island in the paddock. The oldest two children row to the   island to rescue the donkeys.

Another favourite that is also out of print is Children of the Yangtze River by Sven Otto S. In this story children need to vacate their school because the river is rising. They move animals and families to higher ground and once the river abates they help rebuild a village. 

Here's some other books about floods that are in the library and more easily sourced:

• Flood by Jackie French and Bruce Whatley

• Flood  by Alvaro F. Villa

• Flood  by Gillian McClure

• Flood Warning  by Katharine Kenah and Amy Schimler Safford

• Elmer and the Flood by David McKee

And some that just highlight incessant rain without a flood:

• Rain School by James Rumford

• Home in the Rain  by Bob Graham                                                                

• The Rhythm of the Rain by Grahame Baker-Smith

• Rain by Sam Usher

• Singing in the Rain by Tim Hopgood

• Rain!  by Linda Ashman and Christian Robinson                                                

• Rain Rain Rivers by Uri Shulevitz

• Who Likes Rain? by Wong Herbert Yee

• This Beautiful Day by Richard Jackson and Suzy Lee

• Float by Daniel Miyares

And when a child asks where do the animals go when it rains?                                

• Where Do They Go When it Rains?  by Gerda Muller

• Where Does Kitty Go in the Rain?  by Harriet Ziefert and Brigette Barrager

And you'll need to share some poetry:

• It's Raining, It's Pouring by Peter, Paul and Mary and Christine Davenier

• Talking Like the Rain by X.J.  and Dorothy M. Kennedy and Jane Dyer

• Listen to the Rain by Bill Martin Jnr and John Archambault

6th - 13th May Donkey Week

Donkeys don't feature in picture books as much as many other animals, except at Christmas when they often become the narrator or a first-hand witness at the birth of Jesus in books such as The Christmas Story as Told by Assellus the Christmas Donkey  by Janet Duggan and The Donkey's First Christmas by Susanne T. Schroder. However some stories that do feature donkeys make worthwhile reading and are often memorable. A favourite of mine from my early teaching days is Lydia Pender's The Useless Donkeys and no doubt it can still be found in some school libraries. The newer The Wonky Donkey with its accompanying CD and toy is a favourite with the children and parents in my library. Michael Morpurgo's story about Jo-Jo which originally appeared as a Yellow Banana reader has now been re-illustrated and published as a picture book with Helen Stephens' illustrations. Don't forget all the Anzac stories that feature Simpson and his donkey or other stories where donkeys play an integral role. And, if you are looking for a fairytale you could always revisit Perrault's Donkey Skin where the princess wears a donkey skin in order to avoid the king.



Here are some donkey stories I have put out on display this week.
• Donkeys by Adelheid Dahimene
• The Wonky Donkey by Craig Smith
• How Many Donkeys? An Arabic Counting Tale by Margaret Read MacDonald
• Jo-Jo the Melon Donkey by Michael Morpurgo
• Crash Bang Donkey by Jill Newton
• The Magic Donkey Ride by Giles Andreae
• The Useless Donkeys by Lydia Pender

Together with the humorous donkey and goat series by Simon Puttock:
• Goat and Donkey and the Noise Downstairs
• Goat and Donkey in the Great Outdoors
• Goat and Donkey in Strawberry Sunglasses

29th June Antoine de Saint-Exupery (1900 - 1944) Lydia Pender (1907 - 2005)

Antoine de Saint-Exupery is the writer responsible for the biggest-selling French language book, The Little Prince. He was an aviator as well as an author whose short life ended on a flight that he did not return from. His novella, written while in America is interesting because of the way in which the narrator changes from third to first person, it combines plot details from his life such as being in the Sahara Desert, he illustrated it himself and despite having stereotyped characters, it has very profound messages for life and worthy themes.

Lydia Pender is an Australian author who wrote poetry and picture books, most of which are out of print. But, a library may have some. We have The Useless Donkeys, a story set on a farm owned by the Quigley family. Mr Quigley wants to get rid of the family donkeys because they are useless, but the children don't. The farm is flooded and the donkeys are useful. The illustrations by Judy Cowell do a wonderful job of convincing the reader of just how wet it is. Another book we have by this duo is Barnaby and the Rocket. This story is set on Cracker Night, Australia's name for a night when children used to have bonfires and fireworks. This is no longer allowed in private homes and so this book serves as an example of what children did in the past, perfect for a unit of enquiry such as history detectives.