27th April International Hyena Day

April 27th is International Hyena Day which advocates for changing the public's perspective on hyenas, and seeing their importance on Earth. 

Hyenas don't have the greatest reputation due to centuries of bad publicity through literature and folklore. 

Spread through Africa and Asia, hyenas are intelligent mammals living in clans of 10 to 120 animals. They are skilled hunters, and not only scavengers which still makes them essential to prevent the spread of disease. They have highly acidic stomachs to break down their food, even though it isn't the freshest quality.

Hyenas are vulnerable to extinction because of habitat loss and persecution by farmers and poachers.

When I share any book about African animals with students they like the 'big ones' and the scavengers...the hyenas, jackals and vultures. Our library doesn't have many books on the scavengers. It only has four information books, but we do have some stories that are worth a look:

• Hungry Hyena by Mwenye Hadithi and Adrienne Kennaway

• Pinduli by Janell Cannon

• The Ugly Five by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler

• Hey! What's that Nasty Whiff? by Julia Jarmin and Garry Parsons

• Henry Hyena, Why Won't You Laugh? by Doug Jantzen

• Noka's Surprise Party by Fiona Moodie

• That's Not Funny! by Jeanne Willis and Adrian Reynolds

25th March Tolkien Reading Day

Tomorrow is a day to celebrate J.R.R. Tolkien, to encourage fans to celebrate and promote his life and works by reading favourite passages from his works.  A day that will remain a mystery to me as I have not read any Tolkien. I have been scarred for life! My Year 2 teacher who thought reading aloud should be part of her class's day and who also read aloud very well,  read us The Hobbit. I did not cope and I think I was one of the more capable children in the class. Maybe it went over their heads. It just disturbed me. I was seven years old and I had so many questions. 

Since then I cannot even attempt Tolkien or go to the movies of the books. I am not even keen on other fantasies where the characters are too far removed from normal people. I do love books and reading though and as a result of this I have always been very careful about matching my students to texts. I want to stretch them vocabulary and thinking-wise, but I don't want them to have their wellbeing disrupted.

I have been teaching for a very long time though and despite the fact that I am often surprised by what my young students have watched, their ability to visualise while being read to has changed greatly and what once worked as imaginary texts has changed too. I have been in the habit of sharing Jill Tomlinson books with classes. I find them humorous and each chapter stands alone well. The students I read it to recently laughed much less than those of other years. They liked the repetitions, but often did not think what a character did was unusual or funny. 

In a kindergarten class I thought I would share some poems for World Poetry Day. If it had any element of fantasy in it, they did not cope or laugh at all. When I read I've Never Seen a Purple Cow, they just kept saying 'no one would ever see a purple cow! That's not funny.' I read them a picture book version of The Owl and the Pussycat and they could retell the story. The consensus though was that it was silly and when I said that Edward Lear wanted it to be silly and to make you smile, it didn't make it any better. Just as I was despairing I finished with Hands by Julia Donaldson which they mimed aloud to and loved. When I told them who the poet was they rattled off a list of what she had written. The power of Julia Donaldson!

I did get to smile though, when a child asked to take home a copy of The Owl and the Pussycat for his mum. I'll ask him next week what mum thought. Meanwhile there is Bloomsday when we read Joyce, a day to read Tolkien,  a day to celebrate Roald Dahl, Dr Seuss and Eric Carle, so perhaps it's time to have a Julia Donaldson Day! I haven't always been a fan but the students I teach definitely are.

12th April Teddy Bears in Every Window

I've just come back from walking round my neighbourhood (exercise) and I couldn't help noticing how many teddy bears are out and about too. They are sitting in windows, on doorsteps and in the rear window of cars. What are they doing you might ask?

They are part of a worldwide teddy bear hunt designed to distract children while they are homebound because of Covid 19. this hunt is said to be inspired by Michael Rosen's classic book, We're Going on a Bear Hunt. Whether it is this book or others, there are so many great  bear books to choose from. Strictly speaking, Rosen's bear is not a teddy, so here I am only going to mention books with teddy bears. I was weeding in the library and while scanning the shelves I pulled out some of my favourites, all of which have a teddy bear as a main character.


Firstly, The Beginner's Guide to Bears by Gillian Shields. Here's the blurb:
Ever wondered what kind of teddy bear is right for you? Or what you could do together with your bear? Then THE BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO BEARS is the perfect read for you. From the types of bears, "big and cuddly" or "small and fuzzy" to what foods bears like eating most, this is one children's book sure to entertain. With cute illustrations, and even a mirror to peek in with your own bear at your side, this is sure to quickly become a favourite.

Secondly, Old Bob's Brown Bear by Niki Daly. I love the premise of this story. Bob is given a teddy, but his granddaughter, Emma doesn't like the way he cares for it and thinks she can do a better job...

Thirdly, Baggy Brown by Mick Inkpen reminds us that being scruffy and worn is a sign that you are loved. There is a similar theme in Kym Lardner's Arnold the Prickly Teddy  and in James Stevenson's The Night After Christmas. All sadly out of print but gems, that you may find in your library.

Fourthly, bears have dreams of their own, I'm sure. If they could get  out and about what would they do? In Julia Donaldson's The Everywhere Bear the teddy belongs in Class One and he goes home each weekend with a different member of the class and has a myriad of adventures. In Bear's Dream by Janet Slingsby, bear dreams of meeting all the varieties of real bears. In A Bear's Adventure by Benedict Blathwayt, Bear is left behind at the seaside and has a great adventure endeavouring to get back home. Similarly, the bear in Teddy Took the Train  by Nicki Greenberg is left behind when Dot accidentally leaves him on the train, but ...
Teddy is a brave bear. What wonderful adventures will he have when he rides away on the train? Will there be picnics? Will there be parties? Will he have time for a nap? And most importantly, will he find his way home to Dot - or will she never see him again?  

I hope all of these teddies get to meet up and have one big enormous Teddy Bear's Picnic when Covid 19 allows!

5th February Pondering Holes

I've just finished Week 2 of term1 at school and it has been both busy and interesting. In the library we catalogued a new book, Holes by Jonathan Litton. Here's the blurb

Delve into this fascinating book of holes to discover a world of 
burrows and boreholes, subways and sinkholes. From the 
mythical and mysterious to household and human holes,  
find out what makes a hole a hole and how they shape our world. 

It is quite a thick tome for our age group, but it is full of fascinating information, including a section about the philosophy of holes. This led to quite a lot of conversation and  laughter among the library staff and of course it led us off on to all sorts of tangents. Is there a day to celebrate 'holes'? Well, no not really. There is a 'My Bucket's Got a Hole Day' on 30th May, but not one that covers all sorts of holes. Maybe because the phrase 'whole day' is a common one.

There is an amazing number of picture books that feature the word 'hole' in their title though. Of course that started us off on a display. See here for the books the library has. You'll notice these books don't all have the word in the title because we then started thinking about what 'hole' means...'an opening through something' and other words for 'hole'...gap; aperture; cavity; dent; void; pit; cranny; burrow; crater; and even tunnel.

Some picture books for young children are about physical holes, things to  dig, carrying on from Ruth Krauss' classic A Hole is to Dig. Julia Donaldson's One Mole Digging a Hole and Mac Barnett's  Sam and Dave Dig a Hole do this, but books such as Kelly Canby's The Hole Story and Paul Bright's The Hole Story start to play with the meaning of the word 'hole'. Then books such as the very special The Hole  by Oyvind Torseter really start to get at the philosophy of holes.

I grew up besotted with stories about smuggling and caves, probably because of Enid Blyton and stories such as The Secret of Spiggy Holes. My own children grew up being readers who kept revisiting  Louis Sachar's novel, Holes, so obviously holes and their many incantations provide copious ideas for stories. And of course any display has to include books such as Alice in Wonderland which has a hole as a pivotal part of the plot.

Collect a whole lot of hole stories and go make a hole in your reading time!

16th July World Snake day

It's World Snake Day! I'm certainly not enamoured of snakes, but the students I teach are. In fact the snake books in the library are nearly as popular as the shark books. Usually they want to borrow expository texts and marvel at the photos. We have many books that satisfy this need, the most popular probably being Damian Goodall's The Snake Book: Slip Sliding Away, but if you are looking for some picture books, these are some of the newer and more popular ones in the library:

• I (Don't) Like Snakes by Nicola Davies and Luciano Lozana
• Python by Christopher Cheng and Mark Jackson
• There's a Snake in My School!  by David Walliams and Tony Ross
• Boa's Bad Birthday by Jeanne Willis and Tony Ross
• Anna and Otis  by Maisie Paradise Shearring
• I Saw Anaconda by Emma Dodd and Jane Clarke

If you want to share a short novel, try:
• Akimbo and the Snakes  by Alexander McCall Smith
• The Snake Who Came to Stay by Julia Donaldson
• Snake and Lizard  by Joy Cowley

I have written about snakes before here.

24th May Escargot Day

Escargot Day is observed each year on May 24th. This day is in honour of the famous French dish of cooked land snails. Escargot is French for edible snails, an acquired taste that was popular in French restaurants in the past, but not so much now. I couldn't find when Snail Day was celebrated so decided to put together a display of 'snail' books to honour the 24th. The students at my school learn French and we have an abundance of wonderful books which feature snails, so why not?

If you are doing this too, start with these picture books:
• Escargot by Dashka Slater & Sydney Hansen. This is such fun and can be found here on Youtube if you don't have a copy of the book.
• Snails Legs by Damian Harvey and Korky Paul
• Super Snail by Elys Dolan
• Snails Are Just My Speed by Kevin McCloskey
• Snail Trail by Ruth Brown
• The Snail and the Whale by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler
• The Story of Fish and Snail by Deborah Freedman
• The Biggest House in the World by Leo Lionni
• Snail and Turtle Are Friends and Snail and Turtle Rainy Days  by Stephen Michael King
• Matisse's Magical Trail by Tim Hopgood and Sam Boughton 
• Snippet the Early Riser by Bethanie Deeney Murguia
• Clementine by Sebastian Loth
• Sylvia  by Christine Sharp


Just a few information books:
• Watch Out Snail! by Gail Hay
• Let's Look at Snails by Michelle Levine
• Snail-Snaily-Snails by Bonnie Bader
' Here are some chapter books worth looking for:
• Snail and Worm by Tina Kugler (this is a series)
• Annie's Snails by Dianne Wolfer
• The Adventurous Snail by Dick King Smith
• Sophie's Snail by Dick King Smith (this is one of six Sophie adventures)
• The Worst Child I Ever Had  by Anne Fine
• The Story of a Snail Who Discovered the Importance of Being Slow by Luis Sepulveda



And for fun look for these two art books
• Snail Trail: A Journey through Modern Art by Jo Saxton
• How the Snail Found It's Colours by Jeong-Yi Kee

15th October Worm Day

Last week Australia made a momentous decision to allow same-sex marriage and we were talking in the library about what books we could put out on display to celebrate this. We thought of Worm Loves Worm and the lovely conversation in it about who will be the bride and who will be the groom. Then we went off on a tangent and started chatting about how many picture books had worms as main characters or as the topic. I then thought surely there is a 'worm day' and looked it up. It was on the 15th October and we missed it! So here I am writing it up so that next year we will be well prepared to celebrate it.

These books are in our library and they are perfect for celebrating worms. Firstly picture books:
• Diary of a Worm by Doreen Cronin and  Harry Bliss
• The Worm Who Knew Karate by Jill Lever and Terry Denton
• Worm  by Nicki Greenberg
• Worm Weather by Jean Taft and Matt Hunt
• I Can Only Draw Worms by Will Mabbitt
• Noodle and Lou by Liz Garton Scanlon and Arthur Howard
•  I Won't Eat That by Christopher Silas Neal
• Superworm by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler
• Rooting For You by Susan Hood and Matthew Cordell
• Yucky Worms by Vivian French and Jessica Ahlberg
•  The Worm by Elise Gravel


Then there's all the chapter books:
• Snail and Worm by Tina Kugler (series)
• Boobela and Worm by Joe Friedman and Sam Childs (series)
• Marty McGuire Digs Worms by Kate Messner and Brian Floca
• Dirty Bertie Worms by Alan MacDonald and David Roberts
• Yuck's Pet Worm by Matt and Dave
• They Didn't Teach Me This in Worm School  by Simone Lia
• How to Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell

Now add some great non-fiction with amazing worm photographs, a book with instructions for making a worm farm, some books on compost and you'll have a great display.

14th June International Bath Day

It is International Bath Day. So many children's books feature bathing, either as the story, a good way to finish a story or 'for shock value' with very young children, so on this day for celebrating baths I have put together a fun display in the library. I know most of the books will leave the library.
Remember even Harry the Dirty Dog and Paddington Bear have baths!

Probably the most well known bath story would be Pamela Allen's Mr Archimede's Bath. This book is still in demand both with children and teachers who are using it for a science lesson. Time to Get Out of the Bath, Shirley  by John Burningham is perfect for a visual literacy lesson as it tells two conflicting stories through the pictures and words. My preschoolers love Emma Quay's Rudie Nudie 'because they have no clothes on!'. One of my Year 2 teachers serialises Harry the Poisonous Centipede by Lynne Reid Banks and the children giggle at the thought of a centipede coming up the drain in the bath. The picture books about bath monsters, sharks and giraffes in the bath and  have a similar effect on younger reader.

When my son was young he was mad on fishing and we had a Keith Faulkner book, A Fisherman's Tale about a boy who caught a fish that he kept in the bathtub because it kept growing until it was obviously a whale. I think it was his ultimate fantasy. Maybe There's a Dinosaur in the Bathtub will do that for a young reader today. Whale in the Bath by Kylie Westaway would be one of the most borrowed picture books this year so far. I'm sure the Premier's Reading Challenge sticker helps but given the number of books in the library with stickers it must have something else going for it. And if it is a while since you've read Glenda Millard's Unplugged!  dig it out and at least you'll feel warm.


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17th September

Julia Donaldson is a very prolific author of picture books. She creates very memorable characters and with the help of illustrators such as Axel Scheffler some of these characters have become very endearing. The children in my library love the Gruffalo. We have a stuffed toy version of him and he gets plenty of hugs! In the last school holidays many of the children went to see a live stage version of the Gruffalo and came back to school eager to report back about how good it was.It is hard to believe that The Gruffalo was first published over ten years ago. It is still fresh and exciting for young readers.

Many of Julia's books are written in verse or have accompanying song books. She says that this is because she comes from a musical family. It must be wonderful to live in Britain and to have Julia visit your school. I particularly like Room on the Broom and Zog which are also illustrated by Axel. Julia has other books that have been illustrated by Nick Sharratt, David Roberts and Lydia Monks and her newest book Cave Baby is illustrated by Emily Gravett. She certainly has been fortunate to attract such illustrators.

16th September Alfred Noyes (1880 - 1958) H.A. Rey (1898 - 1977) Julia Donaldson (1948) Deborah Niland (1951) Kilmeny Niland (1951 - 2009)

Five birthdays are too many for one day. I plan to leave Alfred Noyes' birthday until the 22nd when it is Charles Keeping's birthday and Julia Donaldson's until tomorrow and the Niland twins until the 18th. That leaves H.A.Rey for today!

Hans Augusto Reyersbach (H.A.Rey) wrote and illustrated the Curious George books with his wife Margret. He was born in Germany, met his wife in Brazil, produced the children's book that gave them idea for Curious George in Paris, but fled Paris just before the outbreak of World

War II, to eventually end up living in the USA. You can read about this journey here and all about the many Curious George stories here. All children seem to enjoy the mischievous monkey's exploits.