20th August International Lighthouse Day

In 2023 International Lighthouse Day is on August 20th.

National Lighthouse Day is on the 7th August in the USA.

The life of the lighthouse keeper of old could be a tough and lonely existence. The first lighthouse was built by the ancient Egyptians in 290BC, and it used a giant mirror to magnify light from a constantly burning fire to guide ships to the entrance to Alexandria harbour.

Fast-forward to the 17th century when maritime trade boomed and so did lighthouse construction. Thousands were built around the world. There are an estimated 50,000 lighthouses in the world today.

I have written about this day before here and here. I have a Lighthouse Pinterest with my friend from Momotimetoread which has all the picture books you could need to celebrate this day, but starting with Sophie Blackall's Hello Lighthouse would mean that you and your students would have a wonderful reading experience and plenty to talk about. Hatchette have teaching notes to help with this.

Having explored this wonderful book at length, it might then be time to look at more factual lighthouse books such as:

• How Does a Lighthouse Work?  by Roman Belyaev

• Lighthouse of Alexandria  by Bold Kids

• How Did They Build That? Lighthouse by Tamra B. Orr

1st September World Letter Writing Day

Do you remember the last time you wrote a letter to someone to communicate and we are not talking about email or any digital letter but a physical letter on paper? To keep the letter writing tradition alive, this day is celebrated. It encourages people to devote time to writing letters and it is good for your mind. It is also known that writing is also a very good exercise and also helps in reducing your stress level. Your handwriting is like your DNA unique to you.

The day was founded by Australian author, artist, and photographer Richard Simpkin, who adores writing handwritten letters. He visits schools to give workshops on letter writing to encourage students to keep this art alive.

Over the years letters have become an art form and they stand out as a genre in literature. Yesterday at school author Kate Simpson visited to talk to the children about writing and science. One of her books, Dear Grandpa  is a series of letters between a boy and his grandfather. This is very pertinent at my school because last week when we were preparing to celebrate Grandparents Day I realised just how many of the students lived a long way from their grandparents. Yes they phone, and Zoom but how nice it would be for some of those grandparents to get a letter. Also last year while we were in lock down and doing school online, one of the activities that the students and teachers undertook was to write letters to the residents at the aged care facility next door to our school. They couldn't go anywhere either so were very grateful to receive letters from the children. Some of them wrote back to the children which was very special because these young students have very little experience of letters or cursive writing.

Today is a good excuse to look at some of the beautiful books in our library that do include letters. Of course there's ones like The Jolly Postman  and Dear Felix,  but here's some you mightn't know.

Leo, a mailman, takes in a small bird, Cheep, who missed the autumn migration of his flock.When spring comes and Cheep moves on, Leo is sad to see him go, but he also has hope, and the letter he has been longing for finally arrives. 

What do you send your alien pen pal Clunk to make it clear you do not "want" an alien pen pal? You send him your big sister. That'll teach Clunk to have a pen pal from Earth-or so our intrepid narrator thinks.

A boy writes a letter to an imagined alien, explaining all the things he will need to know about Earth and the people who live here - and adding a postscript asking what the alien might look like.

Two wonderful books with real letters that Max has written to his favourite dinosaur.

A boy writes a letter to an imagined alien, explaining all the things he will need to know about Earth and the people who live here - and adding a postscript asking what the alien might look like.

When the kids in Room 5 write to Earth asking what they can do to help save our planet, they are delighted to get a letter back.

Tino and Teeny are lovely lovelorn bunny rabbits, living just a few  
hops from each other. If only one of them could overcome their  
shyness and speak to the other!  When their efforts to woo each other with writing are ruined by a  rainstorm it looks like they may never meet. 

When Florence moves house, she's a little bit worried about starting a new school and making new friends. But luckily - through the power of letters - she makes one very special penpal friend, Panda, and he brings confidence and joy into her world. 

"Dear Gazelle, For some time now I have wanted to write a letter to say how much admire you. You are so graceful and fine. Even when you are running from tigers you are like a ballerina who is running away from tigers. think that what I'm trying to say is that I love you. XO, OX" And so begins an epic, if initially unrequited, love affair.

Has wonderfully detailed, witty artwork and a giant, glossy postcard flap to lift on every spread. Perfect for fans of The Jolly Postman - and meerkats!

Giraffe, who lives in Africa, is bored as usual. He'd love a friend to share things with. So he writes a letter and sends it as far as possible across the other side of the horizon. There he finds a pen pal--Penguin. But it's hard to imagine someone you've never seen.

Now that Professor Whale has retired, he writes many letters to You, Whoever You Are, Who Lives on the Other Side of the Horizon. Seal and Pelican are busy delivering the letters and Penguin is now teaching. Although he is happy his friends are doing so well, Whale wants a special friend;, who might call him by a friendly sort of name. Like Whaley, maybe, instead of Professor.  

Bear can't imagine a whole winter without her friend, so when Bird migrates south, Bear decides to follow. She's never left the forest before, but that won't stop her from crossing oceans and mountains--and sending letters along the way. But a surprise is waiting for Bear on the beach... 

Richly told in amusing letters and lush illustrations, this adventurous story invites readers to consider just how far they'd go for their friends. 

I haven't seen this, but would like to.

5th June Hot Air Balloon Day

I have written about Hot Air Balloon Day before here, but recently I have added three new books to the library which are well worth searching out for this topic or just as good reads.

 Lighter Than Air  by Matthew Clark Smith and Matt Tevares tells the story of Sophie Blanchard, the first woman pilot. A must read for all girls who need convincing they are capable of anything.








 A Voyage in the Clouds by Matthew Olshan and Sophie Blackall is another         story loosely based on a true event in history.











How the Queen Found the Perfect Cup of Tea  by Kate Hosford and Gabi Swiatkowska is a fun story about a hot air balloon trip that the queen takes.

10th March Ruby's Wish

Ruby's Wish by Shirin Yim Bridges and Sophie Blackall gives both a historical view of education for girls and a Chinese view. Ruby lives in a compound in China with all her cousins, aunts, uncles and grandfather. She stands out because she loves the colour red and wears it whenever she can. It is a wealthy family because Ruby's grandfather pays a teacher to come to the house to give lessons to all of the children who want to attend.  Ruby revels in the lessons and works very hard in class as well as completing all the tasks she is expected to undertake as a girl in this household. One day she writes a poem:

Alas, bad luck to be born a girl; worse luck to be
born into this house where only boys are cared for.

Ruby's grandfather worried about what Ruby has written,  summons her to his office. Ruby doesn't want to upset her grandfather but finally she tells him that she doesn't want to finish school and get married. She wants to go to university. The story has a wonderful ending. Ruby is accepted into university and Shirin informs the reader that this is a true story about her grandmother, Ruby who was one of the first female university students.

This is a very powerful story. My Year 2 girls find it very hard to believe that girls haven't always gone to school and thus have lots of questions when reading this story. The photo embedded in the illustration on the last page is a lovely touch which makes it impossible not to be so very pleased about the conclusion.

18th January Winnie-the-Pooh Day

• January 18th has become known as Winnie the Pooh Day because author A.A. Milne was born on this day in 1882, and it was he and his son Christopher who created this loveable and wise character and introduced him to generations of readers.
• Interestingly, just this week though, a book about the history behind the bear that inspired the fiction was named as the Caldecott Medal winner. This book, Finding Winnie is written by Lindsay Mattick and illustrated by Australian-born Sophie Blackall. (See Sophie's blog for a four part discussion of the illustrating of this book)
• Lindsay Mattick is the great-granddaughter of Harry Colebourn, a vet who rescued a baby bear in Canada in 1914. He named the bear Winnie after his hometown, Winnipeg. He took the bear to Europe when he went off to war. Eventually, Winnie ends up in the London Zoo and there he makes a new friend, Christopher Robin, the son of author Alan Alexander Milne. Lindsay's website tells you Harry's story in more detail and has a wealth of information about the making of this book and her family history.
• Last year American author Sally M. Walker also published a book about the real bear that inspired the stories of Winnie-the-Pooh. Putting these two books and the film A Bear Named Winnie together as a precursor to or a follow up to some fun reading the original stories would make an enjoyable unit of work.
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• I need no excuse whatsoever to revel in the wonderful language, humour and languidness of Pooh.
•  "If ever there is tomorrow when we're not together… there is something you must always remember. You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. But the most important thing is, even if we're apart… I'll always be with you."
• And as school rolls around next week I know this will be me...
•  "When late morning rolls around and you're feeling a bit out of sorts, don't worry; you're probably just a little eleven o'clockish."

6th January Bean Day (Part 2)

Why is Bean such a common name in the world of children's books? It's not like it is this common in real life!

All of the books pictured above are part of a series of books except Bella and Bean by Rebecca Kai Dotlich.  This is a sweet picture book which certainly appeals to my pink-loving girls. It tells the story of two mice or rats, Bella, a moody poet and Bean, who is energetic and interrupts Bella's quiet constantly wanting her to join in some fun rather than composing. These two mismatched friends do influence each other though and by the end of the book they are writing a poem together. Lots of good vocabulary and lots to talk about especially in regards to friendship.

In the picture book series Zoe and Beans by father and daughter team Chloe and Mick Inkpen, Beans is a dog. Zoe and Beans do things that all preschoolers do but they also find themselves in adventures with pirates and on the moon which adds an element of creative play.

Beandog and Nugget by Cherise Mericle Harper is a series of easy graphic novels about two friends.
In The Ball, the first book in this series, Bean Dog and Nugget lose Bean Dog's shiny new ball in a bush. They dream up elaborate and silly ways to get it back while they argue about who is actually going to go and get it. Enter Superdog and Ninja Nugget for a hilarious ending that kids will love and relate to. Then in The Cookie the two think up ways to share the cookie. I am always looking for cartoon-style easy to read books for the library and these are perfect.


Ivy and Bean don't need an introduction. These two girls and their series of books are among the most borrowed early reader series in my library. Here Bean, short for Bernice is the tomboy, green- loving, anti-dress wearing half of the dynamic duo. Her friend Ivy is the more intellectual, quiet, pink-loving is the other half. In each of the ten books about them they cause much mischief and humour that 6 to 9 year old girls seem to really enjoy.



Beany  is a character who is brought to life in a series of books written by Susan Wojciechowski. Book one of five, Beany (Not Beanhead) introduces Bernice Lorraine Sherwin-Hendricks, aka Beany, a girl with twenty-three freckles, a bossy best friend, and a tendency to worry over just about everything! Bean is based on Susan's daughter Mary and in each of the books Beany tackles school anxieties 'with grit and fortitude'.  A good step up from Ivy and Bean!
Now for the three protagonists who have Bean as a surname!
Harriet Bean is a series of three books by Alexander McCall Smith. Harriet Bean, the heroine of each loves nothing more than a good mystery so together with her five extraordinary aunts (Veronica, Harmonica, Majolica, and twins Japonica and Thessalonika), she is always ready to take on a new case.
The Clarice Bean  series is a mixture of picture books and novels. The picture books are popular in my library but the chapter books are beyond the majority of my eight year olds. Lauren Child's wit is sophisticated, but like the other heroines listed above Clarice also has childhood worries, has to deal with unwanted changes, family and sibling issues and finding friendships.


Willa Bean is a lovable curly-haired cupid. She is very different from other cupids with her 'milli-bajillion' freckles, crazy mess of hair and purple wings. She attends the Cupid Academy and lives on Nimbus. There are five books in the Little Wings series about Willa Bean and they are easier to read than Jill Murphy's Worst Witch series and deal with similar school and friend problems.

13th March Multiple Birth Week starts

Multiple Birth Awareness Week is a national event held annually to celebrate the joy of parenting multiples, but also to educate communities and professionals about the challenges and joys of parenting twins, triplets and more. In the library I couldn't find any books about triplets or more, but I put together a display using quite a few books about twins that I found. There are three sets of twins at school at the moment, one of each of the possible combinations so it is good to show them, if not everyone that there are books written about twins. There seemed to be more novels than picture books, but the newest title, Take Two! is a lovely poetry book by J.Patrick Lewis and Jane Yolen and it certainly made a lovely centrepiece. It is illustrated by the Australian, but US-based illustrator Sophie Blackall. Look also for these picture books

• Hello Twins by Charlotte Voake

• The Holy Twins the historical story of Scholastica and Benedict, twins who both became saints and played a large part in Catholic education. It is written by Kathleen Norris and beautifully illustrated by Tomie dePaola.

• Meet the Barkers and other titles in the series about twins Morgan and Moffatt. These are written and illustrated by Tomie dePaola.

• Double Trouble by Deborah Niland and

• Twinnies by Eve Bunting

Then there are these novels:

• Twin Trouble and Connie and the Waterbabies by Jacqueline Wilson. These two come in one book under the title Twin Tales.

• Double Act another novel by Jacqueline Wilson also has twins, but they are older than Connie's siblings. They are ten and dealing with bigger family issues than Connie.