1st January 2021

2021 a new year! I want to be positive despite being in lock down, so I thought about books that I found helpful, hopeful or inspiring that I have shared with teachers in the last few months of school. Here's a few...

1. Rain Before Rainbows by Smriti Halls and David Litchfield

'Rain before rainbows. Clouds before sun. Night before daybreak. A new day’s begun.'

This book and these words feature on a television ad here in Australia at the moment, and each time it is on I think of the joy I had sharing this very hopeful book with Kindergarten and the discussion of rainbows that occurred after it. 

Great poetic words and then there is the  bonus of illustrations by David Litchfield.

2. Hope the Rainbow Fairy  by Rosie Greening and Lara Eade 

While this isn't great literature, for my under 8 year old library audience the fairy genre is popular and it does have a very positive message about staying well and safe.

3. And the People Stayed Home by Kitty O'Meara, Stefano Di Cristofaro and Paul Pereda

This book started as a poem written in March 2020 by Kitty O' Meara, a retired teacher. It went viral on the internet and has now been illustrated.

'O’Meara’s thoughtful poem about the pandemic, quarantine, and the future suggests there is meaning to be found in our shared experience of the coronavirus and conveys an optimistic message about the possibility of profound healing for people and the planet. Her words encourage us to look within, listen deeply and connect with ourselves and the earth in order to heal.'

4. Windows by Patrick Guest and Jonathan Bentley

'Windows shows how five kids from different parts of the world connect and draw strength from their communities from behind the safety of their own windows. 

Heartwarming, hopeful and surprisingly funny, Windows will resonate with families all over the world and become a valuable time capsule of what life was like in 2020.'

5. What We'll Build  by Oliver Jeffers

'What shall we build, you and I? 

I'll build your future and you'll build mine.
We'll build a watch to keep our time.'

A father and daughter lay the foundations for their safe and secure life together, something all children want to know they will have.

I'm sure there are other books I could add to this list, but I work with a young audience where I want the message to be positive, hopeful and uplifting. They may not be books to start a new year with a new class, but given 2020, we never know when we might need to pull them off the shelves again.

24th August Book Week

Another successful Book Week! The theme Find Your Treasure  proved to be a winner. On Thursday the students dressed as pirates or 'something they treasured' and the teachers had fun reading to three groups of children each over a two hour period of time divided into four 30minute time slots. In this way each student was able to share four wonderful book experiences with teachers that they don't have every day. The classroom teachers read to grades other than theirs. The specialists teachers, including the PE teachers, the music teachers, religion teacher,  the French teacher and the executive teachers read to students. The teachers were asked to choose their own books. I suggested that it be  'a book they treasure'; 'a book they love sharing with children'; a book that fitted the theme of pirates or finding your treasure and I made some suggestions for this or a book that fitted their specialty. The French teacher had fun with Mo Willems' Nanette's Baguette.  One of the PE teachers had kindergarten bouncing all over the place because of Doreen Cronin's Bounce and Stephen Michael King's Emily Loves to Bounce.

Some of the treasure related books chosen were:

• I chose No Pirates Allowed Said Librarian Lou. The library had a huge sign on the door saying PIRATES ALLOWED. I dressed as a pirate, but wore my glasses and a pearl earring like Librarian Lou as well. WE watched the trailer of the book to set the scene. The soundtrack is so suspenseful. Then I read the book with a very loud Pirate Pete and a very quietly spoken Lou. I also had a squawking parrot puppet who had trouble being quiet. The students loved the fact that Lou taught Pete to read and were quick to identify books as the real treasure. Each of them left the library with a bookmark on which they had written their name and favourite book.

• A Kindergarten teacher chose Just Right For Two. This lovely book features a suitcase in which Dog keeps his treasures. Great in for a discussion with the students about what treasures they would put in their suitcases. The story ends with Dog making friends with Mouse and realising friends are also 'treasures', an important message for students such as ours who have a lot of material possessions.

• The Head of Prep chose My Rows and Piles of Coins to read to Year 2 . This wonderful story about a young African child who is working hard to save money to buy a bike so he can help his mother really does highlight what some children value most and what value money has.

• A Year 2 teacher chose 'my favourite childhood book',  Harold's Purple Crayon and had a wonderful conversation with students about what they would draw if they had a magic purple crayon that worked like Harold's and whether or not that crayon would be a treasure.

• Another Year 2 teacher chose to read the shortlisted book,  The Second Sky which beautifully tells students not to yearn for what they do not have but instead value what they do have and make the very most of these treasures (or talents).

Others:
• What a Wonderful World and how our world is a treasure to be valued and kept safe. The Tim Hopgood version is good.
• The Princess and the Perfect Dish by Libby Gleeson...the treasure does not need to be grand, but rather 'special' for a reason. This is a 'perfect' book for this. It needs republishing.
• The Glassmaker's Daughter by Dianne Hofmeyr. This girl, Daniela seemingly has everything but still is not happy. Everyone needs to read this story!
• Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves just because it is a classic that children are less likely to know these days and there are some lovely versions sitting on shelves in libraries. Look for the Jean Chapman and Di Wu version.

8th March International Women's Day

Each year in the library we put together a display for International Women's Day. Usually it focusses upon the many picture book biographies that we have added to the library's collection. See all the female biographies listed here. But as well I try to share books that have a strong 'gender' theme or are anti stereotype. I feel that this is as necessary as it has ever been and reading 'that The wWorld Economic Forum predicts that the gender gap won't close entirely until 2186', we still have a long way to go.Here are three newer picture books that I haven't written about before.

• The Ricker Racker Club by Patrick Guest and Nathaniel Eckstrom really made me smile as at times the characters and situations sounded like the children I teach.The boys have created a club. Poppy really wants to be in the club and does everything the boys ask her to do. Finally the boys, Max and Ollie acknowledge Poppy's bravery and make her an equal partner in the club. Poppy succeeds, in the process showing how capable and spirited she can be. Use the illustration of the sign on the back cover of the book to start a discussion with the class before you even open the book to read.

"So much to like in this book; the rhythm of the text, the bountiful illustrations, the well defined characters and the strong messages of acceptance and empathy.  The story sets an ideal child’s adventure world as the ideal place to learn and grow emotionally..."   Reviewed by Chris Dayman

•  Extremely Cute Animals Operating Heavy Machinery by David Gordon.
Here there are some extremely cute (read dressed in pink and very girly) animals. When Karen's sandcastle is destroyed by three boys, Skylar, Mike and Trent, her friends are not daunted. They rally and come up with plan after plan to thwart the boys. What they build will not be destroyed and it involves driving a bulldozer!

• Beautiful  by Stacy McAnulty and Joanne Lew-Vriethoff.
This book is purely a celebration of girls and what they are capable of...'beautiful girls deserve compliments because they make the world...BEAUTIFUL.'

So many wonderful books to share with young children on a day well worth promoting.