27th April World Veterinary Day

World Veterinary Day was instigated by the World Veterinary Association (WVA) in 2000 to be celebrated annually on the last Saturday in April.

The day honours the lifesaving work performed by veterinarians around the world. If you have a pet, there is a good chance you have a veterinarian or vet for short.

Not many of the children I teach own a pet dog or cat, but some of them have a farm they visit on weekends or school holidays. When we share books about pets it is often hard to get them interested. In the past when teaching point of view, I have had fun reading A Boy in the Doghouse by Betsy Duffey. Not so long ago I shared it with a Year 1 enrichment group and they didn't enjoy it nearly as much. They had so many questions and not one of them had a dog at home. There is a scene in the book where the boy, George who is the owner of the dog, Lucky takes him to the vet. It is a very funny scene, but I realised it is only funny if you have an animal or if you have visited the vet. This is such a shame because Betsy Duffey's series of stories which begins with this book is such a gem to read. (This book has been republished several times with different covers.)

In the past teachers have done a Unit of Inquiry which looks at People in the Community or People Who Help Us, so the library has four or five nonfiction books about vets and what they do.

There's a few picture book stories:

But it is in the series of short chapter books for young readers that vets come into their own.

The series about vets probably started with Animal Ark  by Lucy Daniels. These books tell stories about Mandy, the daughter of the local veterinarian, who finds animals in trouble and tries to help them with the assistance of her best friend James, and other people in the village. Animal Ark is the name of the vet surgery. There are still some Little Animal Ark stories in my library and they are in poor condition now because they are still being read. They are the perfect length for Year 1 and 2  readers.

Magic Molly by Holly Webb

There are six books in this series about Molly who loves animals and wants to be a vet when she grows up just like her dad.

Lulu Bell by Belinda Murrell

These twelve books feature Lulu Bell who is a fun-loving, adventurous eight year old girl who is growing up in a vet hospital.

Juliet Nearly a Vet  by Rebecca Johnson.

Juliet is a ten year old girl whose mother is a vet and she spends many hours watching her so she thinks she's nearly a vet. There are twelve books in this series.

Pet Vet  by Darrell and Sally Odgers

In this series of six books, Trump, a dog is the narrator and she lives with vet Dr Jeanie behind the Pet Vet Clinic. It is her job to help the sick animals.

Zoe's Rescue Zoo by Amelia Cobb

When Great-Uncle Horace brings back lost and homeless animals from his travels around the globe, it falls to Zoe, and her mum, the zoo vet, to settle them into their new home. She's good at this, because she can understand what they say and talk to them, too. There's at least 24 of these.

Magical Rescue Vets  by Melody Lockhart 

Kat and Rosie, best friends have been helping out at Calico Comfrey's Veterinary Surgery ever since they stumbled across its secret door. Join them as they rescue and care for the incredible, enchanted creatures of Starfall Forest. There are 6 titles.

 

Hattie B. Magical Vet by Claire Taylor Smith

On her tenth birthday, Hattie B is swept into the magical Kingdom of Bellua where she meets a little pink dragon who needs her help.  There are 6 titles.

Vet Volunteers by Laurie Halse Anderson. This series I do not have but one of my students said I should. The children in these stories are older and they volunteer at Dr Mac's Wild at Heart Animal Clinic. There's at least 17 of these.

I'm sure to have missed some series! You have probably noticed that there is an abundance of girls wanting to be vets!

16th April Pyjama Day or Wear Your Pyjamas to Work Day

Wear Your Pyjamas to Work Day is so apt for this time when many are working from home anyway. As I've marked online school work I have seen some fantastic pyjamas, Cat in the Hat ones, skeleton ones, onesies with animal fur and ears... Pyjama Day is a day when children wear their pyjamas to school and celebrate slothliness.

They certainly were the cat's pyjamas! What does that idiom mean? Well it is a terrific thing, something worth seeing or having, something highly enjoyable, desirable, or impressive, especially in a fancy or elaborate way. 

'Pyjamas'  is an unusual word and spelled in an unusual way, so I often wondered where the word originated. Now I know pyjamas can be traced back to Persia hundreds of years ago. Then during the 17th Century, British colonials adopted this clothing in India and then brought it back to England. Eventually pyjamas went to the United States, but as they are much more actively involved in spelling reform, they became 'pajamas'.

I won't be doing a display in the library, but I was surprised how many books were in our library about pyjamas. See here. Three of the most popular titles are       displayed here.

When staying home with friends is an option again there will be sleepovers and pyjama parties, but for now only with your siblings!