16th July Guinea Pig Appreciation Day

Guinea pigs are a species of rodents that are adopted as pets due to their domesticated nature and cute appearance. However, guinea pigs were not always kept in homes — they were originally seen as livestock and their meat was consumed by people. Said to have originated from the Andes mountains of Peru, the animals were initially wild and had to be trained. 

They are certainly a popular pet at school and because of this they are also a popular topic to read about. Luckily many authors have recognised this fact and have written a series of novels which have them as main characters. We all know Michael Bond's Olga and Betty Birney's Humphrey, but there are others.

Do you know Charlotte Middleton's Christopher Nibble? (picture books)

Ali Pye's Harry Stephenson?

Colleen Venable's, Guinea Pig Private Eye,Sasspants?

Jennifer Gray's Fuzzy and Coco from Guinea Pigs Online ?

Pip Jones' Piggy Handsome?

These are series for your die-hard guinea pig fans. Of course there are other stand alone picture books, novels and nonfiction. See here.

Hamsters have a celebration of their own on 12th April, but I often do combined displays, as we do not have hamsters in Australia. Stinky and Jinks, Pigsticks and Harold and Super Turbo are hamster series that students enjoy.

14th July World Chimpanzee Day

Happy World Chimpanzee Day!    

July 14 marks the very day when renowned primatologist Dr. Jane Goodall first stepped foot in what is now Gombe Stream National Park in 1960 to study wild chimpanzees.

Her groundbreaking research called attention to this remarkable species and our responsibility to protect them. This special day raises awareness for this vulnerable species and the threats they face in the wild.

The Common Chimpanzee lives in Central Africa, preferring the dense rainforest areas. It, along with the Bonobo are our closest extant relatives, sharing 95-98% of our DNA. Sadly, like most great apes, other than us, they are listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Their rainforest home is being cut down at an alarming rate, further isolating the populations. Threats also include commercial development, hunting and disease.

Whenever we do a display of ape, monkey, gorilla  or just primate books , they are not always well borrowed. (There are lots to choose from: International Macaque Day 16th March;  International Orangutan Day 19th August; International Primate Day 1st September; World Gorilla Day 24th September; International Gibbon Day 24th October; Monkey Day 14th December.)  They are not as popular as many other animals with this age group, even the toys, but we'll have fun in the library celebrating this day with a display of any book about chimpanzees, including all the Willy the Chimp series, Jane Goodall or the Red List of Threatened Species and see if this smaller display is more popular.

We have:

• The Chimpanzee Book: Apes Like Us by Dr Carla Litchfield

• Termites on a Stick: A Chimp Learns to Use a Tool by Michele Coxon

• Chimaka the Chimpanzee by Jan Latta

• Chimpanzees  by Claire Llewellyn

• The Chimpanzees of Happytown by Giles Andreae and Guy Parker-Rees

• Chimpanzees for Tea  by Jo Empson

• Cha-cha Chimps  by Julia Durango

• Tano and Binti: Two Chimpanzees Return to the Wild by Linda and Andy Devolls

• Cheeky Chimpanzees by Sally Grindley

All the Willy the Chimp books by Anthony Browne

• Willy the Wimp

• Willy the Champ

• Willy and Hugh

• Willy the Dreamer

• Willy's Pictures

• Willy's Stories

• Willy and the Cloud

• Jane Goodall  by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara and Beatrice Cerrochi

• Jane Goodall: Living With Chimpanzees by Annie Ortiz and Denise Ferrell

• The Watcher  by Jeanette Winter

•  Me...Jane by Patrick McDonnell

• Red Alert! 15 Endangered Animals Fighting to Survive by Catherine Barr and Anne Wilson

12th July Malala Day

On July 12, the United Nations recognises Malala Day in honour of education activist Malala Yousafzai. It’s also her birthday and the day she spoke to the UN in 2013.

In 2014, Malala was named the co-recipient of the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize for her work promoting equal education rights for all children.That made her the youngest Nobel Laureate.

Although Malala Day was established to honour Malala Yousafzai, she has said, it should also recognise advocacy for education rights all over the world. It is also a great opportunity for organisations, schools, and individuals to learn more about Malala’s work and the work of other young activists.  It is also a day for all children everywhere to raise their voices and be heard. It is a day to stand up for education and say to world that we are stronger than the enemies of education and stronger than the forces that threaten girls, boys and women from leading happy and productive lives. 

And it is not hard for students to learn more about Malala now, as there is so much written by her and about her. In our library there are all of these as well as anthologies where she has an entry:

I have written about Malala Day before and about educating girls.

12th July Paper Bag Day

Paper Bag Day 2022: It is celebrated on 12 July annually to make people aware of the pollution caused due to plastic and the serious threat that it poses to the natural environment. Plastic waste takes thousands of years to decompose. Therefore, it is important to understand the ill effects of single-use plastic bags.

Paper bags are made from renewable raw materials, are recyclable and biodegradable.

In 1852, an American inventor, Francis Wolle, established the first paper bag machine. Further in 1871, Margaret E. Knight designed another machine that can produce flat-bottom paper bags. She became famous and came to be known as "the mother of the grocery bag". In 1883, Charles Stilwell invented the machine that can produce square-bottom paper bags with pleated sides making them easier to fold and store. In 1912, Walter Deubener used a cord to reinforce paper bags and add carrying handles. Over the years, several inventors came and improve the production of paper bags.

One of Margaret Knight's best known inventions is a machine that could make flat-bottomed paper bags of the kind used in American grocery stores. Her invention meant that the bags could be produced efficiently and as a result they became hugely popular. 
Interestingly, when Knight went to patent her invention she found that someone else had got there first - a man, she had shown the invention to named Charles Annan tried to steal Knight's idea and receive credit for the patent. Knight did not let him get away with it. She proved that the invention was hers and won the patent.

Margaret Knight wrote in a letter to a friend, "As a child I never cared for things that girls usually do; dolls never possessed any charms for me…the only things I wanted were a jack-knife, a gimlet, and pieces of wood. My friends were horrified. I was called a tomboy; but that made little impression on me. I sighed sometimes because I was not like other girls; but wisely concluded that I couldn’t help it and sought further consolation from my tools. I was always making things for my brothers: did they want anything in the line of playthings, they always said, “Mattie will make them for us.” I was famous for my kites; and my sleds were the envy of all the boys in town" Source

If you want to know more about Margaret Knight or if you want your female students to feel inspired about STEM, read:

• Marvellous Mattie by Emily Arnold McCully

• Margaret Knight: Girl Inventor by Marlene Tang Brill

• In the Bag! Margaret Knight Wraps It Up by Monica Kulling

• Margaret Knight and the Paper Bag  by Virginia Loh-Hagan

If you just want to read about paperbags for fun, try:

• One Little Bag: An Amazing Journey by Henry Cole

• The Paperbag Princess  by Robert Munsch

Paper Bag Princess Day was held on Saturday, March 5, 2022

• Baghead by Jarrett J. Krosoczka

• Courage Hats by Kate Hoefler

I don't know this book, Benjamin Brody's Backyard Bag but even without owning the book its premise would make a great activity to do with a group of children. In this story Benjamin conducts a playful experiment to find out how many things he can do with an empty paper bag.

25th March Crane Day

Crane Day (Trandagen) is a traditional holiday that is still celebrated in some parts of Sweden on March 25. It is believed that around this date cranes return to Sweden from their wintering grounds; thus, Crane Day symbolises the end of winter and the beginning of spring.

Cranes are not common birds in Australia and when we think of Australian Cranes, we are more likely to be talking about brolgas.

The brolga is a bird in the crane family. It has also been given the name Australian crane, a term coined in 1865 by well-known ornithologist John Gould in his Birds of Australia.

Brolgas can be found across tropical northern Australia, throughout Queensland and in parts of western Victoria, central NSW and south-east South Australia. They feed and breed in open wetlands, coastal mudflats and irrigated croplands, occasionally visiting estuaries and mangrove creeks.

The Australian population of Brolgas is considered ‘secure’, with somewhere between 20,000 to 100,000 birds in northern Australia. But the southern population – estimated at 1,000 birds – is dwindling, and the species is listed as vulnerable in NSW, South Australia and Victoria.

Brolgas are best known for their intricate and ritualised dance. Partners begin by picking up grass, tossing it into the air and catching it again in their beaks. The birds then jump up to a metre in the air with their wings outstretched, before performing an elaborate display of head-bobbing, wing-beating, strutting and bowing. Occasionally they stop to trumpet loudly – a spectacular sound!

It is hard to find books about brolgas so any research students want to do will probably be done on line, but it is a good time to revisit Rod Clement's classic Olga the Brolga.

There are other books in the library about cranes though. I have a student who is fascinated by them and reads whatever I can feed him. Surprisingly, his favourite is Lotus and Feather, but he is particularly interested in the natural environment and justice and extremely empathetic for such a young child. He's currently working his way through the books in the library that have a UN sustainability goal sticker affixed to them.

Try these:

• Hello I'm Here by Helen Frost & Rick Lieder

Follow a newborn sandhill crane as it takes its first steps into the world. Will my legs hold me? What if I fall? Peek in as a sandhill crane hatchling makes its first wobbly stand and takes its first steps alongside its brother.

• Utterly Lovely One by Mary Murphy

So opens a glorious praise song from a parent crane to her little cranelet -- drawing many other species into the circle of love as she sings. Warm, funny, and full of energy and affection.

• Crane & Crane by Linda Joy Singleton & Richard Smythe

A sandhill crane lifts a stick. A construction crane lifts a log. The two cranes grab, stretch, and stack, working through bad weather and difficult obstacles toward their end goal: building a home for a new family. Told in a simple sequence of verbs, this colorful picture book demonstrates how the mechanical world mirrors the natural world. 

• How Do You Do? by Larissa Theule & Gianna Marino 

Water Buffalo and Crane's field is dry, empty, and hot--so hot that they can barely think of anything else. Every day is the same . . . Until one day, they hear something new. This beautiful story is about widening your horizons and making new friends.

• Lotus and Feather  by Ji-Li Jiang & Julie Downing 

Inspired by the true story of a crane that rescued a Chinese village, and graced with sensitive watercolor illustrations, this lovely book about respecting nature offers deep emotion and delightful surprises. 

• Grandfather's Dream  by Holly Keller

The Vietnam war is over, and Grandfather and young Nam dream that the new dikes will restore the wetlands, bringing home the beautiful cranes that once filled the winter sky. But other villagers think that growing rice is a more practical use for the land. 

• The Crane Wife  by Odds Bodkin & Gennady Spirin

When Osamu, a lonely sail maker, nurses an injured crane one blustery night, he never suspects that this simple act of kindness will change his life forever. 
This retelling of a traditional Japanese folktale teaches readers young or old a lesson about life and love. 

Youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Pu4YtQs080

• The Crane Girl by Curtis Manley & Lin Wang

A boy helps an injured crane, that then returns in human form to weave silk and save the boy and his father from poverty. Adapted from Japanese folktales and told in alternating prose and haiku.

• Crane Boy  by Diana Cohn & You Landowne

In this empowering picture book about arts, activism, and the environment, Kinga and his classmates create a dance to honour the cranes of Bhutan and raise awareness of their plight.

• Lord of the Cranes  by Kirsten Chen & Jian Jang Chen

In an uplifting folktale of virtue rewarded, Tian, the Lord of the Cranes, comes down from his home in the clouds to test the people, but when only Wang the innkeeper passes the test, Tian rewards him with a gift that brings him fame and fortune. 

• Luck by Jean Craighead George & Wendell Minor

After a girl saves his life, Luck, a young sandhill crane, begins the long migration north to Siberia with his parents. Luck and his parents use a special song to find one another: Crackaarr! While his parents depend on rivers, lakes, and mountains to guide their way, Luck memorises man-made objects -- windmills, sunglasses, and a baby carriage.

• The Heron and the Crane by John Yeoman and Quentin Blake

Crane is lonely at his end of the swamp. Heron lives on the other side, and Crane decides that they would be perfect for each other. However Heron isn't sure she agrees. Proposals and rejections, arguments and reconciliations - will Heron and Crane ever come together and overcome their differences? 

• The White Crane  by Junko Morimoto

An old childless Japanese couple unexpectedly acquire a daughter after they rescue a lovely white crane trapped in a forest during a storm.

Long out of print, if your library doesn't have a copy, there is a lovely reading on Youtube.

Part 1  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqESisE4H1Y

Part 2  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAwxgGtV3MM

And although these are about paper (origami) cranes they are worth searching out as they show how important cranes are in some cultures.

• The Tree of Cranes  by Allen Say

• The Paper Crane  by Molly Bang

And of course there's the fables:

• The Peacock and the Crane

• The Wolf and the Crane

• The Geese and the Cranes

• The Farmer and the Cranes 

which made me also think of the fables with storks, but I now know that cranes and storks are not the same or from the same family so I haven't listed them.

9th July Crane Day Cockatoo Island

Travel to the era when steam power ruled – and meet one of Cockatoo Island’s ‘Iron Giants’ – with Crane Day 2022, which is being held during the Winter School Holidays on Saturday 9 July.

Between 10am and 2:30pm, visitors to the island will be able to see the No. 2 Travelling Steam Crane in action for FREE. This metal behemoth (together with the nearby Mort's Dock Steam Crane) has been restored to its former steam-powered glory by our skilled Volunteer Restoration Team.

I know lots of young children who would love this . They're the same children who will watch a construction site for hours without seeming bored and are likely yo give a running commentary to highlight all that is happening.

Read up about cranes before or after your visit:

• What Can a Crane Pick Up? by Rebecca Kai Dotlich & Mike Lowery

• Georgio and His Star Train Crane  by Jessica Spanyol

• Crane Guy  by Sally Sutton & Sarah Wilkins

• Colossal Cranes by Tony Mitton & Ant Parker

• Cranes  by Amanda Askew

• Cranes  by Kathryn Clay

• Cranes  by Aaron Frisch

• Cranes Lift!  by Beth Reinke

• Crane & Crane  by Linda Joy Singleton & Richard Smith

Crane Day is observed in Sweden on the 25th March to celebrate the return of the cranes (birds).  Given we have quite a few books in the library about these birds it might be good to celebrate them with a display in March.

11th June International Lynx Day

The lynx is a solitary cat that haunts the remote northern forests of North America, Europe, and Asia. Lynx are covered with beautiful thick fur that keeps them warm during frigid winters. Their large paws are also furry and hit the ground with a spreading toe motion that makes them function as natural snowshoes.

These stealthy cats avoid humans and hunt at night, so they are rarely seen.

There are several species of lynx. Few survive in Europe but those that do, like their Asian relatives, are typically larger than their North American counterpart, the Canada lynx. European lynx are now protected by the EU.

All lynx are skilled hunters that make use of great hearing (the tufts on their ears are a hearing aid) and eyesight so strong that a lynx can spot a mouse 250 feet away.

The first time I heard of a lynx was when I was reading Randall Jarrell's novel The Animal Family. I love reading this book to classes and they are always curious about the lynx because it is not something they know about.

Before the Internet, besides this book there wasn't much in the library that gave students in Australia a clear idea about a lynx... an occasional short reference in a book about Wild Cats. My school library has a copy of the long-out-of-print Jonathan London and Patrick Benson picture book Let the Lynx Come In  and the more recent  Life-Sized Animal Tracks by John Townsend which clearly shows what the feet of a lynx do in the snow.