National Non-Fiction November (7th November National Non-Fiction Day) Part 1 Authors and Illustrators

National Non-Fiction November was set up by the Federation of Children's Book Groups in the UK as a way to highlight the importance of information books and to promote reading non-fiction for pleasure. 

National Literacy Trust research (2022), said more than half (56%) of children and young people told us that they read non-fiction. We also found that children and young people who read non-fiction are more engaged with environmental issues.

Overall, this report found that more children and young people who read non-fiction were motivated to read for educational purposes, to satisfy curiosities, to foster social connections and to support their mental wellbeing.

Each year, National Non-Fiction November has a different theme. The theme for 2024 is Why Don’t You…? and is designed to stimulate discussion around hobbies and leisure activities and to encourage young people to try something new. (More about this in Part 2)

Non-Fiction books for young children have definitely changed from the traditional non-fiction books used for research which had short tiles, photographs, a contents page, an index, a glossary and other features ideal for researching. Now some of the most exquisitely illustrated books in the library are in the non-fiction section of the library. Another difference is the amount of narrative nonfiction that now exists and it is not only biography.

Author/illustrators such as these excel at non-fiction and while the list is not exhaustive, these will make a great beginning reading-wise and display-wise.

• Jason Chin

• Nicola Davies 

• Jenni Desmond

• Candace Fleming

• Meredith Hooper

• Martin Jenkins

• Steve Jenkins and Robin Page

• Claire Saxby

• Melissa Stewart

• Yuval Zommer

3rd May Wild Koala Day

 

Wild Koala Day – May 3!

   

  A day to celebrate wild koalas and protect their habitats. 

Koalas are one of the 10 species worldwide most at risk from climate change.  This is due to a ‘perfect storm’ of effects: increasing aridity, increasing frequency of wildfire, increasing length & severity of droughts and heatwaves – all leading to stress and increasing disease.  Add to this the scientifically-recorded damaging effect of increased carbon dioxide on eucalyptus leaves (leads to higher toxins and lower nutritional compounds) and the koala is running out of time.  Only by increasing koala habitat will we improve their chances.

Humans are the biggest problem for koalas, but also the solution. Koalas and humans want to live in the same places in Australia, and though most people love koalas, with people come cars and dogs – both deadly to koalas. Over 4000 koalas are killed by dogs each year and many more are killed by cars.

All Australian children love koalas and are keen to make sure they survive. The students I teach are no exception. Any time we do a koala display the books leave the library quickly.

In a display I would include stories, factual texts and books that tell of the koala's struggle such as 

• Tippy and Jellybean by Sophie Cunningham and Anil Tortop

• Nala the Koala by Penny Min Ferguson

• Koala Hospital by Suzi Eszterhas

• The 99th Koala by Kailas Wild

• Kolah the Koala by Jan Latta

• Jimmy the Joey  by Deborah Lee Rose and Susan Kelly

• Dexter the Courageous Koala by Jesse Blackadder

Koala information:

• Koalas by Laura Marsh

• Koala by Claire Saxby and Julie Vivas

• Koalas by Kate Riggs

• Koalas by Katie Woolley

• Oz Animals Koalas by Charles Hope

Stories:

• Why Koala Has a Stumpy Tail by Martha Hamilton, Mitch Weiss and Tom Wrenn

• Koalas Eat Gum Leaves  by Laura Bunting and Philip Bunting

• The Koala Who Could by Rachel Bright

• Little Koala Lost by Blaze Kwaymullina and Jess Racklyeft

• Koala Bare by Jackie French and Matt Shanks

• Eustace and Clyde by Marina Aizen

• Tim and Ed  by Ursula Dubosarsky and Andrew Joyner

• The Gum Family Finds a Home  by  Tania McCartney and Christina Booth

Chapter books:

• Baby Koala Rescue by Tilda Kelly

• Tufty Needs a New Home by Sara Leman and Steve Parish

• The Cuddly Koala Zoe's Rescue Zoo 8  by Amelia Cobb and Sophy Williams

• Lulu Bell and the Koala Joey 10  by Belinda Murrell

• Dexter the Courageous Koala by Jesse Blackadder

• Mission Fox Koala Round-Up 8  by Justin D'Ath and Heath McKenzie

• Surviving the Wild 2 Rainbow the Koala  by Remy Lai (graphic novel)

11th October Freedom Day

Freedom Day is what everyone in Sydney is calling the 11th October because it means strict lockdown is over and you can now do more. For many people this seems to mean 'shop' with queues outside shops such as Kmart. Shopping is not something I'll be rushing off to do. It does mean most of my students will be back at school from the start of next week so my life will change. 

When I think of 'freedom', I am much more likely to think of walls, barriers and metaphorical means of corralment. That got me thinking about how many picture books feature 'walls' and how I hadn't done a post or a book display at school about walls, and there are certainly many books without even collecting the ones about the Berlin Wall or the Great Wall of China. 

I do not have this one, but would really like to see it based on its blurb

Walls  by Brad Holdgrafer

Walls of all sorts: social walls, border walls, political walls, emotional walls, big walls, old walls, and small walls. Speaking to today's critical political issues, this playful and encouraging story about breaking down barriers helps children learn about inclusivity, equality, openness, and kindness while also reminding grown-ups of the same values. Walls is a timely and timeless story, told with bold and colourful illustrations. 

I like to read Sheep, Goat and the Creaking Gate by Claire Saxby to my preschool classes because it allows for great discussion about the gate and the grass being greener on the other side of the fence and what can be done about it.

Some that I like and that are in the library are:

A great place to start is the timeless fable about unity and breaking down barriers,

• Tillie and the Wall by Leo Lionni and 

• Little Mouse and the Red Wall  by Britta Teckentrup

about facing fears, discovering hope and coping with change.  

Then

• Suri's Wall by Lucy Estela and Matt Ottley

• The Wall in the Middle of the Book by Jon Agee

• Sometimes a Wall by Dianne White and Barroux

• The Chickens Build a Wall by Jean- Francois Dumont  

• What is a Wall After All? by Judy Allen and Alan Baron

• The Wall: A Timeless Tale by Giancarlo Macri

• Through the Wall by Jonathan Standing (graphic novel)

• Beyond the Fence by Maria Gulemetova  

• Go Away War! by Elzbieta 

Next specific walls

• The Soccer Fence by Phil Bildner (what apartheid meant for children in South Africa)

• Hey, Wall by Susan verde and John Parra ( the wall being a place for a community art project)

• Banksy Graffited Walls and Wasn't Sorry  by Fausto Gilberti (an artist who spray paints on walls while noone is watching)

Two books about the Vietnamese Veteran's Wall

• The Wall  by Eve Bunting and Ronald Himler; and 

• Maya Lin: Artist- Architect of Light and Lines  by Jeanne Walker Harvey and Dow Phumiruk

The Great Wall of China

• The Seven Chinese Brothers by Margaret Mary and Jean Tseng

• Ming's Adventure on the Great Wall of China by Li Jian and Yijin Wert

• The Emperor Who Built the Great Wall by Jillian Lin and Shi Meng

The Berlin Wall

• The Wall;Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain by Peter Sis