SDG 9 Industries, Innovation & Infrastructure

 

Goal 9 - Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialisation and foster innovation.

Select a book from here.

Here is the chance to talk about all that helps people live their everyday lives, buildings, roads, bridges, technology, industry and how people make them happen. Of course there are questions about what is necessary, what is efficient, what can be sustained, but for children it is more a matter of what is there and how did it get there. A whole lot of pictures (photos) or a picture sort might be the way to start a discussion on infrastructure.

For younger readers who are always interested in trucks and construction perhaps start with building a road. Here's two, Road Builders by B. G. Hennessy and Simms Taback (old) and Road Crew Coming Through  by Sherry Duskey Rinker and A.G. Ford.

Here's the blurb:

Ever wonder how a road is built? First you'll meet the crew. Then you'll see all the trucks up close-cement mixers, bulldozers, dump trucks, graders, pavers-and learn what each one does. And finally, you'll watch a bustling new road come to life!

Here's the blurb:

The construction team is taking on their biggest challenge yet-building a brand-new superhighway! With the help of new rough-and-tough road-building machines, the crew gears up for an action-packed day of rolling, building, paving, painting, and all the jobs that go into making a strong new road. The process of putting a new road together is fascinating and involves a whole bunch of special vehicles, who help the original crew level, grade, flatten, pave, stripe, and open up a new road so that everyone can get home safe for bedtime!

For older students who know all about building roads and making things try How to Build a City by Isabel Otter and Harry Woodgate.

Here's the blurb:

From solar panels to sewers and from trams to tower blocks; follow our step-by-step guide and watch the city transform from a cluster of houses to a mega metropolis.

The picture book biography about urban planner, Jane Jacobs, Walking in the City with Jane by  Susan Hughes and Valerie Boivin is also worth reading.

Here's the blurb:

From the time she was a young girl, Jane Jacobs' curious mind made her a keen observer of everything around her. When she grew up, she moved to New York City, a place full of new wonders for her to explore. It was there she realised that, just like in nature, a city is an ecosystem. "It is made of different parts --- sidewalks, parks, stores, neighborhoods, City Hall . . . and people, of course. When they all work together, the city is healthy." So, when city planner Robert Moses proposed creating highways through the city that would destroy neighbourhoods and much of what made New York great, Jane decided she couldn't let it happen. She stood up to the officials and rallied her neighbors to stop the plans ---and even got arrested! Jane's bravery and ideas had a huge influence on urban planning that is still being felt today.

Booklet tasks:

Ask: Introduce the concept of infrastructure and what it means. • How did you get to school today? What infrastructure did you use to get there?

We read...

I think infrastructure is important because ...

13th February Simms Taback (1932) Bruce Whatley (1954)

Simms Taback is a Jewish-American author illustrator of vividly coloured children's books. The colour in his books leaps off the page, often because the background is black, but even when it isn't the colour is what attracts you first. His website is a joy and you can watch videos of him and his book Joseph Had a Little Overcoat and the book There Was an Old Lady who Swallowed a Fly. I know there are people who think the old lady song/book is inappropriate/ and or upsetting for young children, but having taught for over thirty years I am still waiting for that child to be in a group I am teaching. Most children seem to think it is very funny, and I am sure that is how it is intended.

Bruce Whatley is a highly regarded Australian author illustrator who is responsible for many of Australian children's favourite books. It is a shame that he doesn't have his own website where you can go and be surprised by the sheer number of books you will know. He is loved for his illustrations of dogs (see Magnetic Dog and The Ugliest Dog in the World) wombats (see Diary of a Wombat and Baby Wombat's Week) bilbies (see The Smallest Bilby and the Midnight Star and its sequel). There is an interview with him here. He has illustrated many of Jackie French's books, but he does other author's books and writes for himself or with his wife Rosie Smith. His newest book Zoobots he did with his son Ben,

20th February

This has become an addiction, collecting and recording birthdays. I keep finding new sources and because of this I find authors whose date I have missed. There are also a large number of younger authors and illustrators who seem to have a reluctance to include their birthdays in their biographies.

Two author/illustrators who were born in February, but who I missed are Mark Teague and Simms Taback. Mark's birthday is the 1oth (I don't know when), the day before his co-conspirator in his dinosaur books, Jane Yolen's. This week I purchased their newest dinosaur title, How Do Dinosaurs Say I Love You? and I am sure the children will enjoy it just as much as the other titles.

Simms Taback's birthday is on the 13th. He was born in 1932. Examining his website http://www.simmstaback.com , I learned that he has a large number of books I have never sighted. These appear to be for a very young audience and include flaps and 'feely' books. They are very brightly coloured too, unlike the darker titles we have in the library, namely There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly, Joseph Had a Little Overcoat and The House That Jack Built. These books may appear dark, because of their predominantly black pages as backgrounds, but the details are colourful and the layouts interesting. If you only know the Childs Play Pam Adams version of Old Lady, have a look at this one to see a much more 'grown up' and artistic one. While on the website I saw some wonderful posters that I would love to purchase for the library. Why do you need an American address and bank account? Someone needs to bring a pile to Australia!