It is Winnie the Pooh Day! It is held on this day because it is the creator of the stories, A.A.Milne's birthday. Milne created these stories for his son Christopher Robin who had a teddy bear, bought from Harrods that he named Winnie-the-Pooh after the bear, Winnie that he visited at the London Zoo.
Thursday, January 16, 2025
18th January Winnie the Pooh Day
It is Winnie the Pooh Day! It is held on this day because it is the creator of the stories, A.A.Milne's birthday. Milne created these stories for his son Christopher Robin who had a teddy bear, bought from Harrods that he named Winnie-the-Pooh after the bear, Winnie that he visited at the London Zoo.
Wednesday, January 15, 2025
17th January K.I.D. Kid Inventor's Day
Kid Inventor's Day is celebrated annually on 17th January, the birthday of Benjamin Franklin, who invented the first swim flippers, almost 300 years ago at age 12!
Did you know that the snowmobile, flippers, popsicles, and braille were all invented by children?
The Boy Who Invented the Popsicle by Anne Renaud
The Boy Who Invented TV by Kathleen Kroll
Marvellous Mattie by Emily Arnold McCully
Lily the Inventor by Claire Thompson
Here are three reasons for sharing picture books about inventors with classes.
- Creativity and Imagination: Inventors often think outside the box and imagine new possibilities. Sharing these books nurtures creativity and imagination in children, encouraging them to explore unconventional ideas and embrace their imagination.
- Problem-Solving Skills: Inventors face challenges and solve problems; picture books about inventors can teach children valuable problem-solving skills. They showcase the process of identifying problems, thinking critically, and coming up with inventive solutions.
- Persistence and Resilience: Inventions often involve trial and error, setbacks, and perseverance. Picture books about inventors teach kids the value of persistence, resilience, and the importance of not giving up in the face of challenges.
Tuesday, January 14, 2025
15th January Bagel Day
It's Bagel Day and I have written about this before. I haven't purchased any new bagel books for the library since then, so what I said then still stands.
Monday, January 13, 2025
14th January International Kite Day
International Kite Day originated in India, in the state of Gujarat. The kite festival, called Uttarayan in Hindi, commemorates the transition from winter to summer, as well as the upcoming harvest season. In addition, the kites are meant to symbolize the spirits of the gods that are awaking from their deep winter sleep.
The Aussie Childcare Network has provided a very useful page to help celebrate this day. It includes activities, a book list and some amazing posters which you could use to start discussion. I have written about kites before, but not recently and there are so many fun books on this topic worth exploring, starting with a favourite:
• The Sea-Breeze Hotel by Marcia Vaughan and Patricia Mullins
and then
• Kite Flying by Grace Lin
• Kites by Simon Mole and Oamul Lu
• The Warlord's Kites by Virginia Pilegard and Nicolas Debon
• Kite Day by Will Hillenbrand
• Un Barrilette by Elisa Armando and Toya Hairs
• King for a Day by Christiane Kramer and Rukhsana Khan
• The Best Winds by Laura Williams and Eujin Kim
• The Dream Kite by Grace Hallworth and Sophie Bass
• Chinese Kite Festival by Richard Lo
• What the Kite Saw by Anne Laurel Carter and Akin Duzakin
• Daniel's Good Day by Micha Archer
Friday, January 10, 2025
2025 International Year of Glaciers' Preservation
The United Nations declared 2025 as the International Year of Glaciers' Preservation, accompanied by the proclamation of the 21st March of each year as the World Day for Glaciers starting in 2025. This is an opportunity to raise global awareness about the critical role of glaciers, snow and ice in the climate system and the hydrological cycle, and the economic, social and environmental impacts of the impending changes in the Earth’s cryosphere.
Readers will learn about the features of glaciers, how they have shaped Earth's surface in the past, and how they could change Earth in the future. Vibrant, full-colour photos and carefully leveled text will engage young readers as they learn more about glaciers and their impact on our planet.
An afterword from the real Angela highlights the tragic threat climate change poses to our planet's frozen marvels.
Saturday, January 4, 2025
6th January Apple Tree Day
Every year, the world celebrates Apple Tree Day on 6th January. Present all around the globe, the apple tree has a long history with humanity! People have been collecting wild apples across Europe and West Asia for 10,000 years. The apple also appears in the Bible, representing the fall of man and the possibility of redemption. Besides that, the famous proverb “An apple a day keeps the doctor away” underlines the nutritional benefits of the fruit! Apples are rich in fibre, manganese, copper, antioxidants, potassium, vitamins A, E, B1, B2, B6, C and K. They also contain pectin, which acts as a prebiotic and promotes good bacteria in your gut.
The apple tree is a deciduous tree from the rose family, and is cultivated around the world as a fruit tree. It originated in Central Asia. Apple trees grew for thousands of years in Asia and Europe, before being brought to North America by European colonists in the seventeenth century, and they are possibly the oldest tree to have been cultivated.
On a trip to Cornwall we stayed in a barn on an apple orchard. There were apple trees everywhere, so such good views and places to amble, but they weren't eating apples (see photo above). They were used to make cider. Having grown up among apple trees I was surprised not to recognise any of the apple varieties, so there must be so many different types of apples.
This doesn't matter when you are a young child. Apples are apples, so what books could you read?
My favourite to read to preschool and Kindergarten classes is Mr Brown's Magnificent Apple Tree by Yvonne Winer and Maya Winters. The students love that they know who is eating the apples even though Mr Brown does not. This book is out of print but readings of it are available online.
Another favourite is The Terrible Plop by Ursula Dubosarsky and Andrew Joyner because the apple tree in the illustrations is important and the readers know what is going on, but the bear seems to be oblivious to its existence.In The Apple Orchard Riddle by Margaret McNamara and Brian Karas, the teacher Mr Tiffin takes his class on an excursion to an apple orchard where they learn a lot about apples and apple orchards-including how apples are harvested, how cider is made, and what the different varieties of apples are-while trying to solve a riddle.
Secrets of the Apple Tree by Carron Brown and Alyssa Nassner is an interactive book, requiring students to hold a torch behind the pages to see what creatures make their home in an apple tree.
Apples Grow on Trees by Mari Schuh is an early reader that describes and illustrates how apples grow on trees.
Apple Trees by Vivian French and Charlotte Voake is one of the Read and Wonder (or Nature Storybook) series that combines a story with factual text.
This book North South book, Hubert and the Apple Tree by Bruno Hachler and Albrecht Rissler is also long out of print, but highly fitting when talking about fruit trees. They do not last for ever. Hubert grew up with the tree, climbing into its leafy branches to hide when he was a child, enjoying its luscious fruit for many years, and now they have grown old together. Then one night the tree is struck by lightning. Hubert is heartbroken to see his apple tree looking so crooked and miserable.
Of course, there are lots of other books, I could have included about apples, but here the focus is on trees that produce apples. There are other picture books about apples here.
Friday, January 3, 2025
2025 The Year of the Snake (Part 3)
Snakes are indigenous to all parts of Australia and feature strongly in the Creation stories held by Aboriginal people and in their paintings and carvings. The snake has been used as a symbol of strength, creativity and continuity since ancient times across many societies.
The Rainbow Serpent is one of the most important stories within Indigenous culture. The Rainbow Serpent is a creator god and the most important figure in Aboriginal Mythology. There are many different stories told of the Rainbow Serpent, which are passed down from generation to generation. These stories tell of how the Rainbow Serpent shaped the earth through its movements. According to myth, the Serpent was responsible for giving life and blessing nature, but also for judging wrongdoing and issuing punishment.
This Dreamtime creature held great powers and gave shape to the Earth. It emerged from under the ground to awaken different groups of animals. The movement of its body formed physical features like hills, gorges, creeks and rivers into the once-featureless terrain.
Aboriginal people believe that when you see a rainbow in the sky this is actually the Rainbow Serpent making its way from one waterhole to another.
There are many picture book versions of this story, not all of which were authored and /or illustrated by Aboriginal people. The library has:
Super Snake by Gregg Driese
Yeye Apne Kwerlaye-Iperre The Rainbow Serpent by Jennifer Inkamala
Warnayarra the Rainbow Snake by School Lajamanu
The Mark of the Wagarl by Lorna Little and Janice Lyndon
The Rainbow Serpent of the Hopkins River by Patricia Clarke
The Rainbow Serpent by Oodgeroo Noonuccal
Wunambi: the Water Snake by Sue Wyatt and May L O'Brien