5th January The Year of the Horse

 

Chinese astrology says the Year of the Horse will begin in 2026, signifying 12 months of freedom, energy and ambition. The horse is a symbol of strength, elegance and adventure. The horse is the seventh zodiac sign in the 12-year cycle.  

• The Year of the Horse  by Oliver Chin and Jennifer Wood

Lunar New Year feels later this year. It starts on Tuesday, 17th February and the celebrations culminate on the 3rd March when the Lantern Festival is held. 

Despite the fact that we will have been back at school for nearly three weeks by then, I will still start the library displays with Lunar New Year and a focus on Asian children and celebrations. Many of my students will have been to Asia in the school holidays. It is also a good time to display the bilingual books that are in Mandarin and English. The parents especially like these because they know the stories they tell.

As well I will display the library's abundance of books about horses. It is a long time since we did a horse display and we do have a number of children who like to read about horse riding. I wrote about horses on 12th December when it was National Day of the Horse Day in the USA. Here I wrote about the coming of the Year of the Horse and suggested picture books to include in a display. There is also an entry in the blog under 1st August , the Horses' Birthday here in Australia. These three focus books which pick up on the 'strength, elegance and adventure'  of horses could be a good starting point.

Strength

• Horse Power; How Horses Changed the World  by Jennifer Thermes

elegance

• One Horse Waiting for Me  by Patricia Mullins

adventure

• Lightning Jack by Glenda Millard and Patricia Mullins

And if you want to read about the adventures of 'real' horses here's some Australian gems:

• The Legend of Jessie Hickman by Mark Greenwood and Frank Lessac

• Phar Lap  by Jackie Karin and Patricia Mullins

• So She Did: the Story of May Wirth  by Simi Genziuk and 

Renee Treml

I have written about Lunar New Year in January of most years, but in 2023 I did more research than usual so as to cover any students who celebrated Lunar New Year, but who weren't of Chinese heritage eg Korean, Vietnamese

13th December National Day of the Horse

"Horse day" can refer to several different observances, including the 

United Nations' World Horse Day on July 11th which began in 2025. In the United States, National Horse Day is observed on December 13th. Additionally, there is National Help A Horse Day on April 26th, and some countries, like Australia, have their own specific dates, such as August 1st, designated as "all horses' birthday". 

December 13th in the USA is a day to remember the economic, historic, and cultural contributions that horses have made. Equine enthusiasts across the country will get together  to show their appreciation for these majestic creatures.

Next year will be the Year of the Horse in the Chinese Zodiac, so I have begun collecting together all the books about horses in our library for a display to start the year.The Horse (⾺) is the seventh of the 12-year cycle of animals which appear in the  Chinese zodiac related to the Chinese calendar.  There is a long tradition of the horse in Chinese mythology.

• The Horse and the Mysterious Drawing by Li Jian

In this book, one in a series by Li Jian which has a story for each of the zodiac animals, we get a folktale about a boy and how he changed his family's fortune.

Long ago in China, there was a little boy who lived a nomadic life with his family. Hunger and hardship followed them wherever they went. They tried to grow food once, but whenever the seeds were sown, winter came and all the seedlings became frozen.

One day, while passing by the Yellow River, the boy's white horse suddenly got free of the reins and plunged into the river. After a while, the horse sprang out of the water with a drawing on its back.

Everyone wondered what the drawing meant, but only the boy was clever enough to figure it out and explained to his family: "This drawing shows the cycle of the changing seasons. The horse wants to help us grow grains to make food. Why don't we do what is on this drawing and sow seeds in the spring, water them in the summer, and harvest in the autumn. In the winter, we need to let the earth rest."

These two books by Ed Young also show wonderful horse illustrations in a Chinese style.

General nonfiction about horses:

Some great Australian horses to read about:

  

Some picture book stories:

There are so many chapter book series about horses, but one I like that is good fun, is this one, Fables from the Stables by Gavin Puckett. It is perfect for young beginning readers.

For more books about horses that you can add to a display see this Pinterest page.

31st January International Zebra Day

Zebras are herbivorous mammals native to Africa! There are three species, the Grevy's zebra, the mountain zebra, and the plains zebra. Related to horses and donkeys, they spend 60% of their time eating, and each one of them has distinctive patterns and stripes. This day is in place to raise awareness about conservation needs. The Grevy's zebra is considered endangered on the Red List of Threatened Species, as its population has decreased by 54% over the past three decades. Zebras face risks of poaching, hunted for their meat and skin.

We haven't celebrated Zebra day at school before because it is usually before school starts, but school starts for our students before  the 31st this year so we have put together a small display of zebra books.

The most borrowed zebra book in our library is Ziggy the Zebra by Jan Latta and no doubt it will be again this year as her books are popular with the students who do the Premier's Reading Challenge.

My favourite zebra story to read aloud is Greedy Zebra  by Mwenye Hadithi. The students love discovering why the zebra looks as it does.

The Zebra's Great Escape  by Katherine Rundell is a longer picture book, but it is such a wonderful adventure.

There are two endearing stories for very young children about a zebra called Zou by Michael Gay.

A Zeal of Zebras  is a quirky book with great illustrations about collective nouns.

Still want more?

   

    

25th July Carousel Day

It is Carousel Day or National Merry-Go-Round Day every year on July 25th  in the USA.. The holiday was created by the National Carousel Association (N.C.A.) as a way to mark the registration of the first patent for a carousel design in 1871 by William Schneider. However, carousels are not exactly a modern phenomenon, as their existence has been traced to 500 A.D in the Byzantine Empire where ancient drawings depict a fascinating carousel style.

Many children see merry-go-rounds as being too sedate, not enough excitement but during this holidays I went to Luna Park with a six year old who lives an idyllic island life away from all that cities have to offer. He was enjoying going to any park, any shopping centre, but he was keen to go 'on a ride'. He loved sitting on the horse that went up and down talking to his sister on the neighbouring horse, so much so that he wanted to do it again. He went on the ferris wheel, but didn't seem to want to go on anything more boisterous or exhilarating which was probably good because he wasn't tall enough. He was happy just to watch everyone screaming.

When I started teaching books about carousel's and roundabouts were easier to find. Many of the ones that are in libraries now offer more than just a ride...they are rides off into a magical world. Yes more magic in the lead up to Book Week and Reading is Magic.

Look for this textless book, The Midnight Fair  by Gideon Stirer and Mariachiara Di Georgio

Far from the city, but not quite in the countryside, lies a fairground. When night falls, and the fair is empty, something unexpected happens. Wild animals emerge from the trees, a brave raccoon pulls a lever, and the rollercoasters and rides explode back into bright, neon life. Now it’s time for the woodland creatures to have some fun…

Please Bring Balloons  by Lindsay Ward

Ever wondered what it would be like to ride a carousel right off its platform? As Emma discovers, all it takes is a handful of balloons and a very kind polar bear to show you the way. 

Kaya's Heart Song  by Diva Tharan Sanders and Nerina Canzi

Kaya goes off to play and takes a new path through the jungle, where she discovers a run-down carousel. As she sets to work clearing the vines, her mind quietens and soon she can hear the beat of her own heart song. The carousel begins to move and she is able to share her magical experience with lots of people.

Gator  by Randy Cecil

Gator loves everything about being a carousel animal the flashing lights, the calliope music, and most of all, the laughter. But day by day, week by week, fewer and fewer people come to the amusement park, until one day, no one comes at all. And so begins an extraordinary odyssey, as Gator leaves behind the only life he s ever known and sets off through some deep, dark woods to a place with real alligators.

Carousel  by Liz Rosenberg and Jim LaMarche 

Two sisters remember their dead mother's love and what she told them about the carousel horses - that they sleep all winter and wake in the spring. But, one cold day, they see the horses moving, alive and ready to take them on a magical ride. 

Carousel  by Brian Wildsmith

Every year the fair comes to the village where Rosie and Tom live. They wish it would stay forever, but after a few days it always moves on to the next town. The children watch as the carousel is taken down and carried away. One winter Rosie gets sick. To cheer her up, her brother gives her a little toy carousel, just like the one at the fair. As it turns and plays its magic tune the magic begins!

                        Merrylegs by Pam Smy

Merrylegs plods and clomps around the ring every day carrying children on his back. When Merrylegs and his friend Feather visit the fair, he is entranced by the spectacle of the carousel. The lights, the joy, the exaltation of the children’s faces riding the majestic ponies! Why couldn’t Merrylegs be like that? Is there a chance? Maybe a little magical wish that could be summoned one night…

Harry the Carousel Horse by Karin Tetlow and Tessa Gaze

Harry lives on a carousel on the Mall. He is unhappy because no children want to ride him and goes on a dream journey to find out why. On the way he meets different horses and finally finds Will, who helps him change how he feels.

The Carousel by Ursula Dubosarsky and Walter Di Qual

The story of a young girl, and her relationship with the horse she rides on the carousel. When circling, the girl can hear the beating heart of the horse, and knows that he is sad. He is confined to the rhythm of the carousel, going up and down, around and around, and longs to be free.

There are some carousel books without magic