22nd July Lion's Share Day

 Lion's Share Day is celebrated on 22nd July.  In the 6th century BC, Aesop's Fables were written by a formerly enslaved Greek, and the phrase "the lion's share" was born. Its meaning refers to the biggest share or special treatment of something divided between different parties. Yet, the moral of the story is mostly seen as being cautious when dealing with someone much stronger! After all, the lion is the king of the jungle.

A "lion's share" is an idiom meaning "the largest part of something divided amongst other people." It comes from the fable The Lion's Share where a lion goes hunting with a fox, jackal, and wolf. After making a kill, the lion asserts his status, strength, and bravery to demand all four quarters of the stag for himself, leaving nothing for his partners. 

                      

To celebrate this day read the original Aesop's fable which you will find in many fable anthologies. The library has a large collection. Last term I shared several fables with Year 1 students and they became very good at ascertaining the intended message and identifying idioms.  

The library also has these books which also illustrate the idiom.

• The Lion's Share  by Martha Lightfoot

Lion always wants more than everyone else, and he thinks it's only fair that he gets the most! But will he still want the Lion's share when all the fun is over?

• Lionel and the Lion's Share  by Lou Peacock & Lisa Sheehan

Lionel the lion does NOT like to share. After all, lions always get the lion's share. He buys all the best instruments from the music ship, all the smartest hats from the hat shop and all the brightest balloons from the balloon stall. But at Chloe's birthday party Lionel goes too far and eats ALL the cake. That's when Lionel's friends decide that enough is enough.

• The Lion's Share  by Said Salah Ahmed & Kelly Dupre

A Somali-English Bilingual Children's Picture Book. The hungry animals of the Somali forest have worked together to kill a big fat camel. Now they must decide how to divide it. Will the portions be equal? Not with the lion in charge! Read this popular Somali fable and see why, as the other animals come to understand, "the lion's share is not fair!"

• The Lion's Share by Matthew McElligott 

When Ant receives a special invitation to dine with Lion, she is ready to be on her best behavior. During dessert, the other guests do not mind their manners, and by the time the dessert cake reaches Ant, barely a crumb is left for her to share with the King! Baking a cake seems like the perfect way to make it up to him . . . until the other guests turn her kind gesture into a contest. Exactly how many cakes are fit for a king?

28th July International Cockroach Appreciation Day

Recently, my friend from Momo Celebrating Time to Read wrote about Maybelle in the Soup which was out on display in the library because we had a display of books featuring soup. Maybelle is a cockroach and there are four books about her by Katie Speck. Yesterday she brought it back and was saying how much she enjoyed it so together we decided on a cockroach display to start off the term in the hope that these books get borrowed again. 

Read about Katie Speck and the origins of her Maybelle books here. You will laugh.

I have written about this day before here, but Maggie Hutchings has added to her cockroach series with Your Holiday was the Best! which is also told from the cockroach's point of view and since then we have added a new title called Craft Roach  by Rachel Burke. Of course we'll get out the other favourites like Crickwing by Janell Cannon, The Cockroach  by Elise Gravel and The Greatest Show on Earth  by Mini Grey.

 Generally feared as pests, scientists and enthusiasts champion cockroaches for acting as Earth’s sanitation workers—recycling decaying organic matter and returning vital nutrients to the soil and it is important children know this rather than just screaming when they see one. My students are very enamoured of dung beetles and probably that's because they have never seen one, whereas cockroaches are very much part of living in Sydney.

14th July Emmeline Pankhurst Day

Emmeline Pankhurst Day honours the trailblazing British suffragette leader every 14th July which was her birthday. She lived from 1858 to 1928.This day commemorates her relentless fight for women’s right to vote, a struggle that reshaped political landscapes and empowered generations. She became involved in women's suffrage in 1880 and formed the Women's Social & Political Union (WSPU) when her local branch of the Independent Labour Party refused to admit women members. She believed winning the vote would never be achieved by constitutional means. She was imprisoned on a number of occasions for militant action, and went on hunger strike protests.

This week I was in Melbourne and I visited the State Library to view an exhibition titled World of the Book, State Library Victoria's largest ever tribute to women writers, alongside hundreds of extraordinary Australian and international works from the State Collection. The exhibition brings together more than 400 rare, remarkable and historically significant items from c. 2000 BCE to today and while there I saw books written by Emmeline and her daughters, Christabel and Sylvia. I found it fascinating that Christabel was her mother's ally, helping her to mobilise women for the war effort, believing this was the best way for women to prove they deserved the vote, whereas daughter, Sylvia opposed the war and worked to relieve suffering of working women in the East End instead. 

There are picture books to tell you more. Start with these about the English suffragettes who were successful initially in 1918 and then for all women in1928.

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America also had suffragettes and they were granted voting rights in 1920.

And you can read about Australian women winning the vote here. Australia was first! 1902!

18th July Nelson Mandela International Day

On Nelson Mandela International Day  the UN and the Nelson Mandela Foundation call on people across the world to devote 67 minutes of their time to helping people - one minute for each year Nelson Mandela devoted his life to serving humanity. Mandela devoted his life to the service of humanity — as a human rights lawyer, a prisoner of conscience, an international peacemaker and the first democratically elected president of a free South Africa.

The day is celebrated this year under the official theme: “It's Still in Our Hands to Combat Poverty and Inequity.” 

 It is easy to break down and destroy.
The heroes are those who make peace and build.  - Nelson Mandela

The library has several picture book biographies to help students to a deeper understanding of Mandela's life and why he became so revered.

• Nelson Mandela  by Maria Isabel Sanchez

• Nelson Mandela Long Walk to Freedom by Chris Van Wick

• Nelson Mandela  by Barbara Kramer

• Mandela  by Floyd Cooper

• Nelson Mandela from Prisoner to President by Suzy Capozzi

• Nelson Mandela  by Kadir Nelson

• Nelson Mandela  by Isabel Thomas

• Grandad Mandela by Zindzi Mandela & Sean Qualls

3rd July World Seabird Day

World Seabird Day is held on 3rd July, marking when the extinct Great Auk Pinguinis impennis was last seen in 1844. Seabirds refer to a group of birds that adapted to the marine environment. Most species are currently threatened by human activities, like oil spills, getting trapped in fishing nets, climate change, and severe weather. Seabird scientists and enthusiasts commemorate this date to raise awareness of the ongoing conservation threats to seabird populations. Regarding solutions, there is a current focus on adjusting fishing techniques and establishing wildlife refugees. 

The Great Auk was a penguin that was native to the Northern Hemisphere. A flightless North Atlantic seabird, the Great Auk was a powerful swimmer whose extinction became a lasting warning about human impact on wildlife. They were native to the Arctic and sub-Arctic, and became extinct in 1844.

Here in the Southern Hemisphere the children I teach know a lot about penguins and the various types that are native to Australia and Antarctica. Some also ask for books about albatross and skuas, but there are many other seabirds. Looking at seabird identification charts such as these shows just how many there are.

A favourite picture book about Australian seabirds is The Best Beak in Boonaroo Bay  by Narelle Oliver. This beautiful book was published over thirty years ago but it is still available to purchase and it is a fun read and discussion starter when students start competing. It is also a good way to talk about comparisons and whether it is an equal playing field. 

Another Australian book about seabirds is The Beach Birds  by Bridget Farmer.

South with the Seabirds  by Jess McGeachin tells the story of four female scientists who went to Antarctica in 1959 to research birds.

Your library might also have this , Sea Birds  by Julie Murphy.

Although I have only highlighted four books that specifically are about seabirds of the Southern hemisphere, you will find lots of other more general bird books read, and information books that deal with just one specific bird. eg. albatrosses, pelicans, seagulls, penguins, shearwaters etc.

1st July International Tartan Day

1st July has been International Tartan Day in Australia since 1996, whereas it is celebrated in April in the United States and Canada. It falls on the anniversary of the repeal of the 1747 Act of Proscription, which had made wearing tartan an offense punishable by law. The earliest known tartan in Scotland can be dated to the 3rd century AD, but it only acquired cultural significance in Scottish Highland culture around the 17th century. Millions of Australians descend from Scottish ancestors, so one aim of Tartan Day is to help them reconnect with their roots. The observance features wearing tartan, parades of pipe bands, Highland dancing, and other Scottish-themed events.

It would be fun to do this using picture books!

This is a perfect first introduction to Scotland for all young children. When Katie meets the Loch Ness Monster in Scotland, fun and adventure soon follow. Katie and Nessie discover how beautiful and stunning the country is as they take in the sights, from the Highlands to the Edinburgh Festival. Features: Loch Ness, Glasgow's Kelvingrove Park and Museum, Edinburgh Castle, Holyrood, The Royal Mile, The National Gallery and Portrait Gallery and Greyfriar's Bobby. And if you can't find this one, try:

Maggie really doesn't like wearing her mittens. Perhaps on her trip around Scotland she'll find a way to get rid of them without Mum noticing. She throws, flings, and catapults the mittens towards a number of potential new owners on their way to Granny's house. But mittens are made to be worn by a child, not a lobster, or the Loch Ness Monster! As the weather turns, Maggie realises that her mittens are useful after all. But is it too late?

Meet Katie Morag: Katie Morag McColl and her family live on the Isle of Struay. There are many adventures to be had on the Isle of Struay. There's her mum and dad's Shop and Post Office, Grannie Island's house across the bay, the dancing classes at the hall - and just wait till the mischevious Big Boy Cousins come to visit - they're lots of fun! There are single story books and windups with several stories.

The heart-warming tale of Greyfriars Bobby, the loyal Skye terrier, is well-known and loved throughout Scotland and the world and he features in many Scottish stories. 

There are several stories about highland cows.

There are stories which feature bagpipes.

You will find stories about puffins,  popular birds found on the coasts of Scotland. Lynne Richards has several.

Scotland’s national animal is the unicorn. The backdrop for Meg McLaren’s stunning picture book, The Wee Unicorn is the glorious Highlands! The region’s Highland Games tradition also serves as inspiration for the fun-filled The Great Highland Games Chase by Kate Abernethy and Laura Darling.

And it is a good day to read a biography about someone who is Scottish. This inspiring picture book tells the true story of world-famous deaf percussionist Dame Evelyn Glennie. As a child, Evelyn Glennie's ears began to hurt. Voices became distant whispers. Ringing phones sounded like muffled crunches in her ears. But when she was told that she would need to wear hearing aids for the rest of her life, Evelyn was determined that this this would never stop her from playing music. Instead of giving up on her dreams, Evelyn found new ways to listen...

And of course it is a good day to practise putting 'wee' in every sentence you utter and 'bonny' occasionally!