7th September Threatened Species Day

"Threatened Species Day is a national day held each year on 7 September to commemorate the death of the last remaining Tasmanian tiger (also known as the thylacine) at Hobart Zoo in 1936. It is a time to reflect on what has happened in the past and how we can protect our threatened species in the future. A day to celebrate our success stories and ongoing threatened species recovery work."

While there are some books about thylacines I had kindergarten on this day and wanted to read something slightly easier. I had recently purchased Penelope the Mountain Pygmy Possum, which is a story about a pygmy possum in the Snowy Mountains, and these possums are endangered. I knew that the idea of the tunnel under the road would appeal to Kindergarten. They ended up comparing this tunnel with a possum tunnel we have nearby on the Wakehurst Parkway that goes over the road. The information page at the back of the book brought us back to the real issue of pygmy possums and why they are endangered. Many of the children are skiers and spend time at Thredbo so they made some very pertinent connections with the text.  Then the  children wanted to borrow other books about pygmy possums which we don't have, but many borrowed books about Tasmanian devils and bilbies, both of which do also need saving. The conversation came back to the issue of the Lord Howe Island Stick Insect too and Zoos Victoria, so this term's reading has made for some good connections, both text-to-text and text-to-world. 

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22nd - 26th August Book Week

Well another Book Week in Australia is over. This year's theme Australia: Story Country proved to be a good one and each class at my school celebrated with an Australian book that they read and  used as inspiration for discussions and response activities that highlighted places in Australia, either in the form of travel to places mentioned or to the home of authors, illustrators or famous Australians.
Each class did a one page 'postcard' to display for the whole school population and visitors to read read in the corridor. It was a huge success. On Grandparents Day on Friday the corridor was full of children showing adults their work and discussing the books displayed along side. See images below that when joined together made a long Rainbow Serpent winding its way to the library. Not all classes work is here as some had photos or identified specific children. The teachers chose the books to either fit with a unit of enquiry, because it was a favourite book or author or because the students showed interest in it. I was so impressed with the range and what each class did.

There are four classes per grade. The books chosen were:

Kindergarten
* My Place  by Nadia Wheatley and Donna Rawlins
* Silly Birds  by Gregg Dreise
* Snugglepot and Cuddlepie (new paperback single story editions) by May Gibbs and Mark McLeod
* Koala Lou  by Mem Fox and Pamela Lofts
Year 1
* Are We There Yet? by Alison Lester
* Bright Star  by Gary Crew and Anne Spudvilas
* Where the Forest Meets the Sea  by Jeannie Baker
* Tiny: A Little Dog on a Big Adventure  by Jennifer Castles and Steve Otton
Year 2
* Enora and the Black Crane  by Arone Raymond Meeks
* Feathers and Fools by Mem Fox and Nicholas Wilson (US) and Lorraine Ellis (Aus)
* Home  by Narelle Oliver
* You and Me Murrawee by Kerri Hashmi and Felicity Marshall

11th November Remembrance Day

Remembrance Day is observed in Australia on the 11th November to recall the date that World War 1 ended in 1918. In schools and public places at 11.00am on this day, a minute's silence is held and a bugler may play the Last Post. This pause in the day's bustle is to remember men and women who have died or suffered as the result of war. Three Australian picture books that could be read as part of your school day are:

• Memorial by Gary Crew and Shaun Tan. This story looks among other things, at the number of members of one family who have fought in a war and how important it is to remember them.

• In Flanders Fields by Norman Jorgenson and Brian Harrison-Lever is also pertinent as we approach Christmas, as it tells the story of how fighting stopped in the trenches on Christmas Day during WW1 and it helps to show children what is really important when soldiers are away from home.

• The Donkey of Gallipoli: A True Story of Courage in World War 1 by Mark Greenwood and Frane Lessac. This story shows children the amazing bravery and camaraderie among the soldiers.

23rd September Jan Ormerod (1946 - 2013) Gary Crew (1947)

This is a change...an Australian day. Jan Ormerod is an Australian illustrator who lives in England, but who started her career as an art teacher in Western Australia and all Australians in the world of children's books like to think of her as one of us. As I write she is visiting Australia and I wish I could be in Canberra next week to see her at a local bookshop signing books. She has illustrated many well loved books such as Sunshine and Moonshine, textless books that tell the story of a child's day and evening. Many of Jan's early books were based on family life. Her later ones that she has written as well as illustrated such as Lizzie Nonsense and Water Witcher are set in an historical Australian context and her latest Shake a Leg which is written by Boori Monty Pryor brings Aboriginal dance and song to life. See the trailer. Most of her other books are written by English authors such as Lindsey Gardiner and Sarah Hayes.

Gary Crew is an Australian author who started his writing career while working as an English teacher and as such tends to write for adolescent audiences. He has won many awards for his novels and innovative picture books. Most of his picture books require mature and insightful reading but some of his books are suitable for my young clientele. In the library there are Tracks; Bright Star; First Light; In My Father's Room; Arno the Garbo and Memorial.