9th December World Llama Day

In the highlands of Peru, some 3,000 to 4,000 years ago, llamas were domesticated, placing them among the oldest domestic animals in the world. The llama was their beast of burden, the source of clothing and a source of food as well as fuel. Peru is still the second largest producer of llamas in the world, but llamas are worldwide now. They are well-loved pets, therapy pets, farm animals and wool-producers.

Everyone seems to think them very photo worthy and they are popular with children, so much so that they have a starring role in many children's book series.

I have written about llama books before. See here for a list.

International Year of Camelids: Alpacas and Llamas

The alpaca is a species of South American camelid mammal. It is similar to, and often confused with, the llama. However, alpacas are often noticeably smaller than llamas. The two animals are closely related and can successfully crossbreed. Wikipedia

Alpaca Day is on 10th September, but I am putting together a display of books for the International Year of the camelid and here is a list of what will be on display in the library.

Llama Day is in December. There are more books about llamas, than alpacas. Start with a book that compares the two, such as

• Llama or Alpaca? by Jamie Rice

• A Llama is not an Alpaca by Karen Jameson and Lorna Scobie

• Macca the Alpaca by Matt Cosgrove is book 1 in a very successful series of books that the students love. Now there's

• Alpacas with Maracas

• Macca's Makeover

• Macca the Backpacker    

• Macca's Christmas Crackers

• A Stack of Alpacas

•  Alpaca Picnic Panic

•  Macca and Al, Super Pals

• Dharma the Llama

• Llamas in Pyjamas

• Dharma the Christmas Llama

Other picture books:

• This Book has Alpacas and Bears by Emma Perry and Rikin Parekh

• The Alpactory Ready Pack Go  by Ruth Chan

• Alpaca's Maracas by Lesley Sims and David Semple

• Llamas in Pyjamas by Lesley Sims and David Semple

• The Llama Drama  by Rachel Morrisoe

• Llama Drama  by Yvonne Morrison and Neroli Williams

• The Big Freeze  by Pippa Curnick

• Lana Llama  by Lori Doody

• Maria Had a Little Llama  by Angela Dominguez

• Crafty Llama  by Mike Kerr and Renata Liwska

• No Probllama!  by Rosie Greening and Kali Stileman

• Funderpants  by Rosie Greening and James Dillon

There is a series of Llama Llama books by Anna Dewdney which began with Llama Llama Red Pajama

There is a new series about Agent Llama by Angela Woolfe and Duncan Beedie

• Llama Destroys the World  by Jonathan Stutzman is book one in a three book series.

And if you can find this Peruvian legend  The Llama's Secret by Argentina Pelacious, this is  a rendition of the Great Flood story, in which a llama warns the people and animals to seek shelter on Huillcacato to avoid the rising sea.

Short chapter books:

• Harley by Star Livingstone and Molly Bang

• The Little Llama (Zoe's Rescue Zoo) by Amelia Cobb

• Llama Drama It's Showtime! (Awesome Animals) by Rose Impey

• A Llama Called Lightning  by Helen Peters

• The Nerd Herd  by Nathan Luff and Chris Kennett is a four book series where one of the main characters is a llama called Shaarma.

Non-fiction:

• Alpacas  by Michelle Hasselius

• Llamas  by Valerie Bodden

• Llamas  by Maya Myers

• Llamas  by Laura Butler

• Llamas by Katie Woolley

• How Many Llamas Does a Car Weigh? by Clara Cella

22nd July Rachel Morrisoe

At the beginning of the year I bought a picture book called The Drama Llama by Rachel Morrisoe and Ella Okstad for the library.  I bought it because it is about llamas which are popular in our library and because it was one of the books shortlisted for the Early Childhood section of the  Spark! School Book Awards, 2023 prize. These awards are voted for by young children, so I know that the books on this shortlist will appeal to my young students. When I read the blurb and saw that it was about a child who worried I knew it would also be read by teachers. Win win!

In fact the book won its category. I knew of Ella Okstad, but I had not heard of Rachel Morrisoe, so I went looking for more books by her. She is an English children's author. She is fairly new at this writing gig so she only has four books so far. I bought How to Grow a Unicorn and How to Grow a Dragon because they were cheap paperbacks, illustrated by Steven Lenton of Shifty McGifty fame, and I thought they fitted the Book Week theme well, Read, Grow, Inspire. They certainly do that.

In these rhyming stories we meet Sarah and Mr Pottifer's Parlour of Plants, a magical shop with the most surprising plants you'll ever see! Sarah goes to the shop to buy the perfect gift for her grandmother who loves gardens. When she gets to the shop, everything grows wildly out -of-hand and the plants grow magical creatures. This hilarious book will inspire young readers to live their own unicorn fantasy.

Sarah ends up working for Mr Pottifer and then in the second book, an unexpected delivery of dragodil seeds provides the perfect chance for Sarah and Mr Pottifer to grow helpful dragon pets for their customers - or does it? It turns out that these fiery dragons are not very well-behaved at all... and everything soon spirals into smoke-filled, out-of-control DRAGON CHAOS!

I'm not sure if there's more to come, but there is certainly room to be inspired by other magical creatures that Sarah and Mr Pottifer could organise. What would you buy at Mr Pottifer's Parlour of Plants? Why is it called a parlour and not a shop?

The fourth Rachel Morrisoe book, The Truth About Yeticorns  which is also illustrated by Ella Okstad has just been released and this time the focus is on telling fibs.

Meet Sarah