22nd October International Wombat Day

October 22nd is International Wombat Day. The wombat is a marsupial found in Australia,  The babies remain in the mother's pouch (like kangaroos) for the first six months of their lives before even poking their nose out of the backward facing pouch. It then still hangs around, living in the pouch for another 8 to 10 months.

Facts about wombats

• The wombat is related to koalas, kangaroos, and Tasmanian devils.
• They have very slow metabolism. It can take up to 14 days to digest a meal!
• All three species of wombat are protected under Australian law.
• They are fantastic diggers and spend most of their time underground in their burrows. 
• A group of wombats is called a wisdom.
• Wombat poo is cube-shaped, but without the sharp corners.

Abi Cushman's book Wombats  are Pretty Weird is a good place to start your exploration of wombats. Then read some nonfiction books such as:

• Wombat  by Christopher Cheng 

• Wombat  by John Lesley 

• George the Wombat by Aussie Ark

Next some stories:

All of Jackie French Diary of a Wombat  series.

• Sebastian Lives in a Hat by Thelma Catterwell

• Wombat Divine  by Mem Fox

• Wombat Stew by Marcia Vaughan

• The Beach Wombat  and The Snow Wombat by Susannah Chambers

• The Fire Wombat by Jackie French

• Wombat  by Philip Bunting

• Hairy Nose, Itchy Butt by Garry Duncan

22nd August International Wombat Day

Today we celebrate a small, burrowing marsupial that is native to Australia, known as the wombat. They are the largest burrowing mammals. They spend most of their time underground in their extensive burrows and emerge mainly at night. There are three species of wombats: the common or bare-nosed wombat, and the southern and northern hairy-nosed wombats.

Celebrating Wombat Day can be as simple as reading about your favourite wombat. For Australian children, that is probably Jackie French's Mothball, who made famous because he is the 'star' of the series of diaries about him. It started with Diary of a Wombat and now there are many sequels and even a prequel, The Diary of a Rescue Wombat which was published to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the first book. 

The children at my school still love the 'old favourite'  Sebastian Lives in a Hat  which tells the story of an orphaned four month old wombat joey who is nursed in the home of the author Thelma Catterwell and who sleeps in a hat, his pretend pouch. This book has had its 30th anniversary, but is still in print.

And thirdly, look for and then read Susannah Chambers' wombat stories, The Snow Wombat and The Beach Wombat.

There are many others in our library on display at the moment!

17th June World Day to Combat Desertification

Every year on June 17th, the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought highlights methods to prevent desertification. It’s also a day to focus on finding ways to recover from drought.

Desertification is the process by which fertile land becomes desert. This is usually a result of drought, deforestation, or inappropriate agriculture.

There are also ways to reverse land degradation. This includes planting trees, enriching the soil with nutrients, preventing soil erosion, and establishing seed banks.

It’s more important than ever to combat desertification and drought. This is because by the year 2050, there needs to be enough productive land to meet the demands of 10 billion people.

In Australia drought can be a major problem, as rainfall is not always the same every year. Indigenous Australians are very good at 'reading' country so a good place to start with children is to look at a book such as Country Tells Us When... by Taheena Cooper 

Some Australian picture books that help explain drought to children:

• Two Summers  by John Heffernan and Freya Blackwood

• It's a Miroocool! by Christine Harris and Ann James 

• All I Want for Christmas is Rain by Cori Brooke and Megan Forward

• When the Waterhole Dried Up by Kaye Baillie and Max Hamilton

• Big Rain Coming by Katrina Germein and Bronwyn Bancroft

• Mrs White and the Red Desert by Josie Boyle and Maggie Prewett

• Drought by Jackie French and Bruce Whatley

• The Story of Rosy Dock by Jeannie Baker

Deforestation is a much harder topic to show children using picture books, but the few I can think of are excellent:

• A Forest by Marc Martin

• Where's the Elephant by Barroux

• The Tree and the River by Aaron Becker

• The Great Kapok Tree  by Lynne Cherry

• Refugees  by David Miller

• Turtle Taxi by Guundie Kuchling

• Window  by Jeannie Baker

• The Tree  by Neal layton

To show students the power of planting trees share one of the excellent picture book biographies about Wangari Maathai planting trees in Kenya.

• Seeds of Change by Jen Cullerton Johnson

• Wangari's Trees of Peace  by Jeanette Winter

• Planting Peace  by Gwendolyn Hooks

• Mama Miti  by Donna Jo Napoli

• Wangari Maathai by Franck Prevot 

• Planting the trees of Kenya  by Claire Nivola

or something more general o trees like

• Trillions of Trees  by Kurt Cyrus

• Little Sap  by Jan Hughes

• It Starts with a Seed by Laura Knowles

4th December World Pear Day

Happy World Pear Day, everyone! Today marks a very special occasion – the day that we all come together to celebrate pears! This fruit is enjoyed by people all around the world, and there’s no better way to celebrate than by enjoying some delicious pears while reading a story. Are there any stories about pears? You might be surprised to learn that pears do feature in some picture books. See:

• The Pear in the Pear Tree by Pamela Allen

When John and Jane went out walking what did they see? They saw a pear in the pear tree. This humorous rhyming story tells of their attempts to reach the pear. 

• Too Many Pears! by Jackie French & Bruce Whatley

Pamela the cow absolutely loves pears - fresh pears, pear pie, stewed pears, any pears - they are all irresistible to Pamela. Finally it takes a clever little girl to convince Pamela that there is more to life than pears... 

• A Pair of Pears and an Orange by Anna McGregor

An adorable story about making new friends and finding creative solutions to playground problems.
A pair of pears rocked on a seesaw.
A pair of pears played ping-pong.
A pair of pears rode their tandem bike.
Until one day, someone new wanted
to join their fun.

• Orange Pear Apple Bear  by Emily Gravett

By rearranging just four words, Emily Gravett creates a series of playful images which are a sheer joy - and intensely satisfying.

• Little Pear Tree  by Rachel Williams and Jenny Bowers

Watch as a tiny seed grows through the seasons into a fine pear tree in this beautiful book. The charming text makes this the perfect interactive primer to a key scientific topic. 

• Parker and the Pear  by Jim Pluk

Parker gets puzzled after a strangely shaped green thing drops from a tree and plops at his feet. He has never seen a pear before, much less tasted one. What will happen when he tries to return the fruit to its place high in the tree? 

And my favourite

•That Fruit is Mine! by Anuska Allepuz

One day, deep in the jungle, five elephants discover a new tree - a tall tree - and, atop that tree, the most mouth-wateringly delicious fruit any of them had ever seen. "MINE!" each elephant cries. "Mine, mine, mine, mine, MINE!" But who will get there first? And will the elephants spot the five tiny mice, planning and plotting, slowly approaching that tip-top branch?  

Pears were cultivated in China as early as 2000 BC. Pears were also cultivated by the Romans, who ate the fruit raw or cooked. Romans introduced the fruit to Britain. Pears became a much-desired commodity among the the trading routes of the ancient world. In the 18th Century, the pear tree was included in the famous carol, The Twelve Days of Christmas.  Here's some picture books of the carol by well-known illustrators, Jan Brett, Anna Wright, Lara Hawthorne and Jane Ray.

4th June Cheese Day

Really, cheese day? 

Cheesemaking has been around since  ancient times as it is said to have started all the way back in 8,000 BC.  At present, cheese has made its presence known in almost every corner of the world as it can be served frosty, sweet, savoury, or even deep-fried.

Travellers from Asia are believed to have brought the art of cheesemaking to Europe. In fact, cheese was made in many parts of the Roman Empire when it was at its height. The Romans, in turn, introduced cheesemaking to England. During the Middle Ages-from the decline of the Roman Empire until the discovery of America-cheese was made and improved by the monks in the monasteries of Europe. For example, Gorgonzola was made in the Po Valley in Italy in 879 A.D., and Italy became the cheesemaking centre of Europe during the 10th Century. Roquefort was also mentioned in the ancient records of the monastery at Conques, France as early as 1070.

Can we celebrate cheese by reading picture books? Of course. These books feature cheese...

Some information books:

• From Cow to Cheese by Penelope Nelson

• Milk and Cheese  by Nancy Dickmann

Some picture books:

• I Don't Like Cheese by Hannah Chandler and Lauren Merrick

• Dinosaurs Love Cheese by Jackie French and Nina Rycroft

• Mack and the Missing Cheese by Chae Strathie and Nikki Dyson

• The Great Cheese Robbery  by Tim Warnes

• Horace and Morris Say Cheese by James Howe and Amy Walrod

• Cheese Belongs to You by Alexis Deacon and Viviane Schwarz

• Supermouse and the Big Cheese Robbery by M.N. Tahl and Mark Chambers

• The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales by Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith

Some short novels:

• Hamster and Cheese by Colleen Venable (book 1 in a fun series of graphic novels.

• Princess Pulveriser Grilled Cheese and Dragons by Nancy Krulik and Ben Balistreri

• Toto the Ninja Cat and the Incredible Cheese Heist by Dermot O'Leary and Nick East

•  Geronimo Stilton The Mysterious Cheese Thief  There are references to cheese through all the Geronimo Stilton tiles)

For fun think of all the times the word 'cheese' is used but does not mean the thing you eat.

Who is the Big Cheese? See the series of picture books by Elise Primavera and Diane Goode about Louise the Big Cheese.

'Say cheese!' See picture book by Frances Watts

'Like chalk and cheese' means...

 

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)

Floods, floods and more floods.

Well it's very wet here in Sydney and we are all sick of wet weather duty and being inside. Yesterday I put a collection of books out on display for my Kindergarten and Year 1 library classes. They all featured floods and rain. I was very surprised to see most of them were borrowed! Some of them were old favourites that haven't left the library for a long time. Even The Useless Donkeys by Lydia Pender, and Running Away From Home   by Nigel Gary which I love were borrowed. If you are looking for books on floods in your library, look for these.

• Flood  by Jackie French & Bruce Whatley

• Flood by Alvaro F. Villa

• Flood by Gillian McClure

• Flood by Mary Calhoun

• The Flood  by Nigel Grey & Elise Hurst

• Frog is a Hero  by Max Velthuijs

• Elmer and the Flood by David McKee

• The Moomins and the Great Flood by Tove Jansson

• Juliet, Nearly a Vet: The Big Flood  by Rebecca Johnson

• Pattan's Pumpkin by Chitra Soundar & Frane Lessac

• Flood Warning  by Katharine Kenah

• River Friendly, River Wild by Jane Kurtz & Neil Brennan

• When the Rain Comes  by Alma Fullarton & Kim La Fave

• The Flute  by Rachna Gilmore

• Soshu's Call by Meshack Asare

• Children on the Yangzte River  by Otto S. Sven

• Limpopo Lullaby  by Jane Jolly & Dee Huxley

• Big Rain Coming by Katrina Germein & Bronwyn Bancroft

• The Story of Rosy Dock  by Jeannie Baker

I have  just looked to see if I have written about floods before and of course I have, here.