30th December Jeanette Winter (1939 -7th November 2025)

self portrait of Jeanette Winter

While delving into lists that are published at the end of years, I learned that children's author Jeanette Winter had died on the 7th of November, 2025 in New York. I was very sad to read this and know that there may be no more wonderful picture books written or illustrated by her. I love her books, especially those that promote the strength and initiatives of women in this world. Sharing her books with students in the library has lead to so many really inspiring discussions. I am always amazed to see and hear what very young students take from reading biographies and stories based on real-life events.

Many of her books told stories about accomplished real-life women, including Josefina, about artist Josefina Aguilar; My Name Is Georgia, about painter Georgia O’Keeffe; Emily Dickinson’s Letters to the World; Beatrix, about author Beatrix Potter, and Sisters, about tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams. Her 2019 book Our House Is on Fire: Greta Thunberg’s Call to Save the Planet has been translated into 21 languages.

Some of my favourites:

Nasreen's Secret School: A True Story from Afghanistan

Tells the story of a young girl in Afghanistan who attends a secret school for girls.

The Librarian of Basra: A True Story from Iraq

Alia Muhammad Baker’s library in Basra, Iraq, has been a meeting place for those who love books for the past fourteen years. Now war has come, and Alia fears that the library—along with the thirty thousand books within it—will be destroyed forever.

Biblioburro: A True Story from Colombia

Luis loves to read, but soon his house in Colombia is so full of books there’s barely room for the family. What to do? Then he comes up with the perfect solution—a traveling library! He buys two donkeys—Alfa and Beto—and travels with them throughout the land, bringing books and reading to the children in faraway villages.

The Watcher: Jane Goodall's Life With the Chimps

Jane Goodall, the great observer of chimpanzees. Follow Jane from her childhood in London watching a robin on her windowsill, to her years in the African forests of Gombe, Tanzania

The Tale of Pale Male 

Here is the incredible true story of a Red-tailed Hawk that makes himself at home in the most unlikely of places--atop a high-rise apartment building in New York City.Named Pale Male by his many fans, this majestic bird not only endures in this urban environment, he thrives.

See her other titles here.

Jeanette's son, Jonah Winter is also a children's book creator. They have collaborated on books such as Diego  and Oil. He also has written many biographies about famous people eg. Sonia Sotomayor, Elvis Presley, Hillary Clinton, and Ruth Bader Ginsburg, following the tradition of his mother.

Book Week Early Childhood Shortlist: How to Move a Zoo

How to Move a Zoo  by Kate Simpson and Owen Swan is another book that I am super happy to see on the shortlist. This book has been a very big hit at school, possibly because school and the students' homes are very close to Taronga Zoo where Jessie, the elephant is moved to across Sydney Harbour. Year 2 thoroughly enjoyed the story and then set about plotting the route on a map from Moore Park, through the city, the Botanical Gardens and down to the harbour to be ferried to the new locationt. We worked out which structures existed then, but not now, and now, but not then. The students then wanted to find out more about the Harbour Bridge's and the Opera House's construction.  We researched more on iPads to see if the plot details in the story coincided with what the Internet had to say. We found more photos. The learning was memorable, pertinent and led by the students. Perfect from my point of view. I also love it when a book initiates so much interest. This happened the year Phasmid by Rohan Cleave was on the shortlist too. The students became fascinated with stick insects and we ended up having some in the library. This book was once again popular when the two Asian elephants at Taronga Zoo moved to South Australia onto a safari park this year and students who go to the zoo often had very mixed feelings about it. They did want to know though how they travelled there.

While planning mini displays to go with books on the shortlists, I had so many ideas for this one. I let books be the focus of my displays because they will then be borrowed and take the students on an adventure and I have had to do very little work. 

1. elephants, especially elephants who are part of true animal stories.

2. books about zoos, in particular Taronga Zoo.

3. books set in specific locations in Sydney.

4. any other books by Kate Simpson and Owen Swan.

Display 1 True animal stories about elephants (not all of these are suitable for early childhood students, but the book How to Move a Zoo  is not only for early childhood students either.) Each of these books will take your students on an adventure to places they don't know, create empathy for the situation the elephant finds itself in and curiosity to learn more about elephants or the place. Perhaps students need a bit of background on elephants such as their excellent memory or their adorable sense of humour? Did you know that they actually walk on their tippy toes? Provide books such as Extraordinary Elephants or Elephants a book for Children.

• Queenie  by Corinne Fenton and Peter Gouldthorpe

There was a time when for tuppence you could ride on the back of an elephant at a zoo. Queenie was one such elephant. Until her death in 1945, she patiently carried up to 500 people a day. This story is set at Melbourne Zoo.

•  The Secret Zoo  by Ellen Rankin

As bombs begin to fall and huge blasts echo around the zoo, a baby elephant and her keeper sneak to the safety and comfort of the keeper's home. Here, they weather out the worst of the war together in secret. But what will happen when their secret is found out? Based on the incredible true story of Denise Weston Austin at Belfast Zoo.

• Faithful Elephants  by Yukio Tsuchiya and Ted Lewin

A zookeeper recounts the story of John, Tonky, and Wanly, three performing elephants at the Ueno Zoo in Tokyo, whose turn it is to die, and of their keepers, who weep and pray that World War II will end so their beloved elephants might be saved.

• The World's Greatest Elephant  by Ralph Helfer and Ted Lewin

It’s unbelievable but true! Born on the same day in the same small, German circus town, young Bram and his elephant, Modoc, had a lifelong friendship that spanned over eight decades. But it was never easy. From the breakup of the circus to the shipwreck in the Indian Ocean that nearly cost them their lives, the bond between the boy and the elephant survived the most unimaginable trials. This true story of their adventures together, and eventual rise to circus stardom in the Ringling Brothers Circus.

• Twenty One Elephants and Still Standing  by April Jones Prince and Francois Roca

After fourteen years of construction, the Brooklyn Bridge was completed, much to the delight of the sister cities it connected: Brooklyn and New York City. Fireworks and top hats filled the air in celebration when the magnificent bridge opened in 1883. But some wondered just how much weight the new bridge could hold. Was it truly safe? One man seized the opportunity to show people in Brooklyn, New York and the world that the Brooklyn Bridge was in fact strong enough to hold even the heaviest of passengers.

• The Day of the Elephant  by Barbara Ker Wilson

Set in Thailand and based on reports of incidents that occurred during the tsunami, this story centres around the elephant Mae Jabu, who visits a small town. After becoming restless Mae Jabu gently lifts a group of small children on her back and takes them to safety.

• One Step at a Time  by Jane Jolly and Sally Heinrich

Tells a touching story about the relationship between a young boy, Luk, and his elephant, Mali. On the border of Thailand and Burma, Mali steps on a landmine. Luk supports her during her recovery. Mali is eventually fitted with a prosthesis and gets a second chance at life.

• The Elephant's New Shoe  by Laurel Neme and Ariel Landy

When Chhouk, an Asian elephant calf, was found, he was alone, underweight, and had a severe foot injury. Conservationist Nick Marx of Wildlife Alliance rescued the baby elephant.

• Mosha the Elephant Who Wouldn't Give Up by Aston Heath and Kata Upama Mosha is an Asian elephant who is known for being the first elephant to receive a prosthetic leg. She lost part of her right front leg after stepping on a landmine when she was seven months old. Mosha resides at the  Friends of the Asian Elephant (FAE) Hospital in Thailand. 

• Tarra and Bella  by Carol Buckley

After retiring from the circus, Tarra became the first resident of the Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee. When other elephants moved in and developed close friendships, only Tarra remained alone-until the day she met a stray mixed-breed dog named Bella. From then on, the two were

• The Elephant Keeper  by Margaret Ruuirs and Pedro Covo

When teenaged Aaron discovers a baby elephant nearly drowning in the swimming pool at the guest lodge where he works, he acts quickly and manages to save the animal just in time. The rescued baby is brought to an elephant orphanage for care, and given the name Zambezi. Though Aaron has been raised to think of elephants as dangerous to humans and their crops, on a visit to the orphanage, he learns that illegal poaching of these animals is threatening them with extinction, and the orphanage is trying to prevent that from happening. And when Aaron is offered a job at the orphanage, his life is suddenly transformed, as he discovers a bond of friendship with Zambezi and his lifelong vocation as an elephant keeper.

• The Elephant from Baghdad  by Mary Tavener Holmes  

Who would have thought that the emperor Charlemagne would make friends with an albino elephant, a gift from the caliph of Baghdad? Told from the fictionalized point of view of a monk who set down the actual story in 883–884 CE, the book follows the elephant’s journey through Egypt, across the Mediterranean to Italy and across the Alps to Germany. When the elephant finally reaches his destination, Charlemagne is so delighted with his exotic new pet that he introduces him to his many children and bathes with him in the hot springs near his palace.

And if you are looking for a short chapter book

 

Display 2 Books set at Taronga Zoo

This is easy. Put Taronga Zoo in your catalogue or favourite book site and see what comes up.

Display 3. Picture books set in Sydney (coming tomorrow)

 

16th February World Whale Day

World Whale Day takes place on the third Sunday in February.

About 45 species of whales are found in the waters off Australia for part of each year, including the Blue Whale and the Southern Right Whale. Whales play a vital role in our marine ecosystem and serve as indicators of ocean health. Their presence indicates a thriving marine environment, and their absence can signal ecosystem imbalance.

Whales are popular with young children so whenever we do a  display of whale books they do not stay in the library very long. We have some very beautiful whale stories, but the nonfiction books are just as popular. 

Two very special nonfiction whale books have been published in the last couple of years, Whale Fall  by Melissa Stewart and Rob Dunlavey and Life After Whale by Lynn Brunelle and Jason Chin. Both have won major nonfiction book awards and both deal with the death of a whale and what happens to their body after their death.

Published in 2023.

Winner of the AAAS/Subaru Prize for Excellence 

When a whale dies, its massive body silently sinks down, down, through the inky darkness, finally coming to rest on the silty seafloor. For the whale, it’s the end of a 70-year-long life. But for a little-known community of deep-sea dwellers, it’s a new beginning. First come the hungry hagfish, which can smell the whale from miles around. Then the sleeper sharks begin their prowl, feasting on skin and blubber. After about six months, the meat is gone.

Published in 2024

Winner of the Robert F. Sibert Medal

All living things must one day die, and Earth’s largest creature, the majestic blue whale, is no exception. But in nature, death is never a true ending. When this whale closes her eyes for the last time in her 90-year life, a process known as whale fall is just beginning. Her body will float to the surface, then slowly sink through the deep; from inflated behemoth to clean-picked skeleton.

Both of these books have superb illustrations and detailed lyrical texts. They have been reviewed and written about by others more eloquent than me. Search them out and see for yourself.

While getting books off the shelves for the display it also struck me just how many of the stories were based on real whales.

Migaloo: The White Whale  by Mark Wilson. This is the children's favourite whale.

He is a white humpback whale, the first one to be documented.He was first sighted in 1991. He travels 12,000 kilometres each year from Antarctica up the eat coast of Australia to the Great Barrier Reef. He has a web page of his own.

Stranded  by Jan Ramage and Mark Wilson 

Tells the story of a whale rescue off Busselton in Western Australia. About 1500 people turned up to save 120 stranded false killer whales. Because of the phenomenal community support all but one whale survived.

Deepsea Rescue  by Jan Ramage and Mark Wilson 

Based on a true account, tells the story of a mother whale's courageous efforts to to care for her calf as killer whales attacked. Divers from a nearby launch who were watching this event realised that the mother whale also had another problem. She was entangled in nylon ropes.

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. The mother and calf stayed in the sheltered waters of the city’s inlets and bays for several months before heading south to the Antarctic waters. The people of Sydney were entranced by the presence of these whales so close to the city.

Trapped! A Whale's Rescue  by Robert Burleigh and Wendell Minor 

This story is based on an actual event. On 11th December, 2005 fishermen off the coast of California spotted a large humpback whale struggling to free itself from a network of ropes attached to crab traps. A group of divers saved the whale.

The Eye of the Whale: A Rescue Story  by Jennifer O'Connell

This story is based on the same actual event off the coast of California as the story above.

Wild Orca  by Brenda Peterson and Wendell Minor

Pays tribute to Granny, the world’s oldest-known orca whale who lived to be one hundred and five. Told from the perspective of young Mia and her family on a whale-watching excursion in the San Juan Islands,

Hope the Whale  by Laura Chamberlain

Follow Hope the blue whale on her epic journey across the oceans, in this uplifting tale, inspired by the story of the real Hope the whale - one of the Natural History Museum's most loved exhibits.

If you are looking for other picture books about whales see my Pinterest page here.

20th August Book Week Connect to Reading Part 3

I didn't purchase all of the Eve Pownall shortlisted books because many weren't easily accessible to children under eight years. So it was hard to go past Jeremy which my students loved. I had read this to them long before it made any shortlist and when I was making up my Clayton's shortlist for the CBC Sydney event in April I told the audience that Jeremy was the most borrowed 2013 Australian picture book in my library so something in this book certainly connects to its audience and my clientele.

Once it made the shortlist we read it again. The children all had kookaburra stories to share. They live in homes with trees and verandahs. This lead to possum stories too. And then we looked at who was telling the story and whether or not it was true. We used Greg Reid's Kookaburras  book from Macmillan's Australian animals series to see if the time framework for Jeremy's growth was compatible with the lifecycle of a baby kookaburra. We read the kookaburra facts on the endpapers as well. The students decided it most definitely could be true. They especially liked that they found out that female kookaburras can have two or three chicks at a time so the chicks that he flies off with could well be siblings.

Next we read Possums in the Roof , a very old book by Julie Morris which is also a story based on real events and looked at the connections between it and Jeremy. Here mother possum has twin babies who get caught under the tiles in a roof cavity. The boy who lives in the house discovers their existence and tries to save them with his father. The students listed many similarities or connections starting with the first person narration and the fact that this book says that it is true. These books were perfect for teaching connections and focussing students in on text-to-self and text-to-text connections.

 These two stories started requests for other true stories about animals so I went looking and was pleasantly surprised to find we actually have quite a few. See the titles on this pinterest page.