Book Week Early Childhood Shortlist: How to Move a Zoo (Part 2)

Display 3. Picture books set in Sydney Because How to Move a Zoo  is set in Sydney, this is a good time to get other books set in Sydney off the shelves and into students' hands. Some of the books below are useful to locate landmarks in Sydney, some are just fun stories and some like this book give insights into historical events in Sydney.

• Hello Sydney  by Megan McKean

Discover 15 of Sydney's most iconic locations, with the help of six cheeky seagulls, on this look-and-find adventure. From Taronga Zoo to Bondi Beach, there are delightful quirks of the city to spot on each page,

•  Alphabetical Sydney A-Z by Hilary Bell and Antonia Presenti

Celebrates Sydney in all its diversity - from A to Z.

• Found in Sydney by Joanne O'Callaghan and Kori Song

From Bondi Beach to the Opera House, there's so much to explore in spectacular Sydney! 

The Opera House

• Sidney Opera Mouse  by Graham Hocking and Inky Stone

• Opera House Mouse  by Jean Chapman and Tony Oliver

• Jorn's Magnificent Imagination  by Coral Bass and Nicky Johnston

The true story of Jørn Utzon, the architect of the world-renowned Sydney Opera House.

• Tubowgule: A Sydney Opera House History   by Melissa-Jane Fogarty

The Sydney Opera House is an Australian icon and a building recognised all around the world, but the land on which it stands has a long history. We step back in time to when Tubowgule was a ceremonial place for the Gadi people and we follow along as the land is claimed by the colonisers

Bondi Beach

Hyde Park

• The Tram to Bondi Beach by Libby Hathorn and Julie Vivas

A story of a young boy's adventures working as a paperboy on the busy trams, travelling to Bondi Beach.

• Millicent  by Jeannie Baker

Story about an old lady’s daily wanderings through Hyde Park to feed the pigeons.

The Botanic Gardens

•  Alexander's Outing by Pamela Allen

'Stay close, take care,' quacked Alexander's mother. But Alexander was a wayward duckling - he straggled behind ... and disappeared down a deep dark hole ...

The State Library of New South Wales and its statue of Trim, Matthew Flinder's cat.

• A Cat Called Trim  by Corinne Fenton and Craig Smith

• The Mostly True Story of Matthew and Trim  by Cassandra Golds

• The Best Cat, the Est Cat  by Libby Hathorn

Sydney Harbour

• Fergus the Ferry by J.W.Noble There is a large number of books about Fergus and they have a loyal following in our school library (probably because of where the students live).

• Stanley the Manly Ferry  by James Whiley (3titles)

• The Sydney Harbour Fairy  by Deborah Frankel and Cate James

Nanna is taking Charlie for a Girls' Day Out. They'll have high tea, watch the ballet, smell flowers and visit the Sydney Harbour Fairy,
but the Harbour Fairy isn't what Charlie expected, and her Girls' Day Out with Nanna just got so much better.

• Fluke  by Lesley Gibbes and Michelle Dawson

In 2012 a Southern right whale gave birth to a calf in Sydney Harbour. It was only the third time in recorded history that a Southern right whale had been born in the harbour.

• Sidney of Sydney  by Sue Whiting and Liz Anelli

Sidney is a young penguin … and he’s trouble.
Sidney doesn’t mean to be trouble, he’s just curious. And one day that curiosity takes Sidney all over Sydney and on a grand adventure that lands Sidney in … TROUBLE! Based on a true story.

The Sydney Harbour Bridge

• The Day We Built the Bridge by Samantha Tidy and Fiona Burrows

Big dreams can take generations. It can also take six million hand-driven rivets and 53,000 tonnes of steel. The Day We Built the Bridge celebrates our connection with one another, and declares that despite the greatest of challenges, together we can make history.

• Building the Sydney Harbour Bridge  by John Nicholson

The inside story of a national icon 'The giant coat-hanger' took 1300 men eight years to build. They used six million rivets and 53 000 tonnes of steel. John Nicholson tells the story step by step, in fascinating detail: the vision, the problems, the solutions, the suspense (would the two halves actually meet?), the risks, the celebrations.

• To the Bridge  by Corinne Fenton and Andrew McLean

Nine-year-old Lennie Gwyther dreamed of seeing the opening of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. With his father's blessing, he rode his pony Ginger Mick across Australia, inspiring crowds of supporters to greet him in cities along the way, as he made his way to Sydney.

(This would make a good companion text because it too, is about a journey, a Sydney icon and history).

I'm sure there are others that I have missed, but this is a good start! If you want to follow maps try:

• Sydney City Trails from Lonely Planet Kids.

PS: Other tangents

• sugar gliders...a zookeeper had one in his pocket in the story. Find out more about them

• Mr Miller and Jessie had a very special relationship. Is this the case for other zookeepers?

See:

31st December Fireworks

Here in Sydney, Australia, New Year's Eve is all about fireworks on Sydney Harbour, and yes they are fantastic, but if you live here and can see them from your house, you get a bit blasé about them because they are no longer a novelty. However, last night we entertained friends from America who are visiting Sydney and they are very keen to see the fireworks. They will love them and it will give them plenty to talk about.

Children in Sydney can no longer interact personally with fireworks they need to go to an organised event, so when I read The Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark  by Jill Tomlinson to students they are fascinated by the fact that the child who is building a bonfire in his backyard is going to have his own fireworks fun. I had fireworks in my backyard with my family when I was a child on 'Cracker Night' so I am able to explain to the students what it was like and what each of the fireworks was like. I also pull out a very old book called Barnaby and the Rocket  by Lydia Pender which gives readers an insight into 'rockets' and what they were like.

At school 'firework books' are usually only requested when someone wants to know about the science of them or a teacher is doing art that features fireworks.

This year a new book  First Big Book of How  by Sally Symes et al.
was published and many of the boys love the explanations and questions answered by this book.

While fireworks feature in the plot of many stories, especially those about 4th July and Diwali where fireworks are part of celebrations, finding books just about fireworks is somewhat harder. Try:

• Fireworks  by Lori Haskins Houran and Corinne Caro

• The Explosive Story of Fireworks!  by Kama Einhorn and Daniel Guidera

• How is a Firework Made? by Grace Hansen