Tag Archives: Animals

Nov23

The Rabbit’s Magician: Shae Millward/Andy Fackrell

Posted on by
Standard

Ford St Publishing

August 2022

ISBN: 9781922696083

RRP: $16.99

From firsthand experience, I can assure you that having a sensitively written, beautifully crafted book to help a child deal with loss is a very valuable commodity. I used several when we lost The Kid’s mum but this one is a very welcome addition to that specific genre.

I am not at all scientfically minded so if you are like me and need a reminder of The Law of Conservation of Energy, by which this is inspired, you can check it out here. Accordingly, sharing this book will not only help your young readers come to terms with the concept of grief and loss but will enable some fascinating experiments into this scientific principle.

The animals are concerned for Ziggy, who is sadly looking up at the moon. Eventually the rabbit explains that his magician, Alby, The Amazing Albertino, has gone missing after (as Ziggy thought) working long and hard on a new trick. Finally, it is wise Owl who shows Ziggy how Alby has performed his greatest disappearing trick ever and how, despite his disappearance, Ziggy can still keep him close.

It is a beautifully and poignantly written and illustrated story of loss, sorrow and comfort and even your smallest of kiddos will grasp the intent of its magic.

Highly recommended for your little peeps from around Kinder upwards to around Year 3 or 4.

Worksheets-12A-12B-Counting-addition-funDownload
Nov15

You Can’t Let an Elephant Drive a Racing Car – Patricia Cleveland-Peck and DavidTazzyman

Posted on by
Standard

Bloomsbury Publishing

August 2022

ISBN9781526635402
ImprintBloomsbury Children’s Books

RRP: $14.99

We all know that kiddos love absurd humour and this book fits that bill to a T. I shared this one with a Prep class who were all pretty much shrieking with laughter all the way through it.

This is a hilarious look at sports, most of which the children will likely be very familiar, but put into the most ridiculous of contexts. Hippos doing high jump, octopuses playing table tennis or warthogs tossing footballs – as you can imagine, disaster lurks at every turn.

In case you’ve missed this rib-tickling series already, do yourself a favour and check them all out – better yet, put them on your orders list!

Also available: You Can’t Let an Elephant on the Bus, You Can’t Let an Elephant Drive a Digger, You Can’t Call an Elephant in an Emergency and You Can’t Take an Elephant on Holiday. Collect them all!

Highly recommended for small humans who love to giggle from around 3 years upwards.

Nov12

Amazing Animal Journeys- Jennifer Cossins

Posted on by
Standard

Hachette Australia

October 2022

ISBN 9780734421432

RRP $26.99

Another glorious information book sneakily posing as a picture book *grin*, in the most excellent style for which Jennifer Cossins has become well known and loved.

The book explores the incredible migratory habits of 25 different species, quite a few from Australia, and when I shared it with a Year 3 class a few days ago, they were utterly riveted. There were exclamations, excited comments and gasps of surprise (particularly when you tell them why the bogong moth migration was so welcomed by our First Nations peoples).

Each stunning double page spread features another species with descriptive information plus a featured fact. While we didn’t have time to explore the entire book, I focused mainly on the Australian species, and the swift parrot and it’s perilous status was a very enthusiastically discussed highlight.

I always find children love nature books and, further to that, just a couple of days ago, a teaching colleague and I were remarking that we both think many children are now preferring non-fiction to narrative picture books. We believe because such NF is so marvellously created these days but perhaps, also because in our teaching we are (well, most of us) encouraging and fostering inquiry learning. It makes for children who wonder and who relish ‘facts’.

Certainly I can vouch for the warmth with which this particular book was embraced and I have no doubt that your youngsters will similarly enjoy their experience. I highly recommend it for children from Lower right up to Upper Primary.

Sep5

The Golden Swift – Lev Grossman

Posted on by
Standard

Bloomsbury

July 2022

ISBN9781526647634
ImprintBloomsbury Children’s Books

RRP: $14.99

A couple of years back I enthusiastically endorsed The Silver Arrow and I am very pleased to say that this second instalment is equally as enchanting for your middle school readers.

A year after they first encounter The Silver Arrow and begin their mission to save the world’s endangered animals via the Great Secret Intercontinental Railway, Kate and Tom are back on board as conductors, but this time things are different. The pair come across a very different train on the secret railway – The Golden Swift – which is also dropping off animals at stations. The problem is that these other conductors are delivering animals to the wrong stations and Kate is determined to find out the whole story.

The ensuing adventures range across the globe from the outback wilds of Australia to the depths of the Bering Sea in a magical submarine and once the identity of the rival conductors is known, Kate feels that they have formed an undeniably positive partnership – one which will change the course of nature for the better. But there’s a huge realisation coming their way – insights into themselves and their new friends, but also a deeper understanding of the complex intertwinings of the natural world – past, present and future.

Like the first, this is not simply about the exciting adventure and quirky characters (where else would you encounter a bossy cassowary who is the dispatcher for the railway or indeed a completely crazy wolverine?) but offers up much food for thought with rich discussions on ethics, brainstorming possible solutions to the terrible castrophe with which the world is faced, and strategies to avoid further damage.

Beautifully imaginative once again, this is a must to add to your collection and your astute readers from around ten upwards will adore it.

May2

Pearly and Pig and the Great Hairy Beast – Sue Whiting

Posted on by
Standard

Walker Books Australia

March 2022

ISBN: 9781760653590
Imprint: Walker Books Australia
Australian RRP: $15.99

This is quite simply, really good fun! For some reason, it put me very much in mind of the old Rocky & Bullwinkle cartoons (which those elderly people such as myself will recall) especially with the almost absurd characters and situations.

Pearly Woe is the epitome of anxiety-ridden child. From a long line of stealth adventurers, of The Adventurologists’ Guild, she feels she can never live up to the exploits or expectations of her parents or grandparents. Her constant worrying will certainly provide a fine opportunity to discuss mental hwell-being with children – increasing numbers of whom are becoming more and more prone to anxiety.

When her parents are kidnapped, it falls to Pearly and her trusty companion, Pig, to mount a rescue. Her ability to speak to animals is her greatest skill and Pig’s ability to literally sniff out danger, as well as truth, make them a potentially formidable pair – if only Pearly can find some self-confidence.

The nasty Emmeline Woods (every bit as despicable as Natasha Fatale ever was!) is not in pursuit of The Great Hairy Beast to film it for a documentary. She’s a big game hunter intent on the kill of the century and is completely ruthless about achieving her goal.

How on earth can one small girl and a talented pig defeat such a nemesis? Luckily, Pearly and Pig stumble across the Professor and once they do, the game plan changes, and plucky Pearly demonstrates that she is most worthy of membership of the Guild.

This really will delight your young readers from around Year 3 upwards – with its humour as well as the concepts of trust, self-belief, friendship and family.

Mar7

The Thing that goes Ping! – Mark Carthew. Illustrated by Shane McG

Posted on by
Standard

Ford St Publishing

February 2021

ISBN: 9781925804669

RRP: $16.95

If you are looking for a really great rhyming book for your littlies that will also engage them in a guessing game, this is going to be a real hit!!

In the faraway town of Figgy-tra-ling, you may hear the faint ring of a thing that goes ping!

What could be the mysterious thing that goes ping? Well, take your kiddos on a super quest of discovery with a bunch of wacky animals until the mystery is revealed. I’m sure the children will be super excited when they find out!

Mark Carthew’s lively text is superbly accompanied by Shane McGowan’s quirky illustrations and I would certainly be capitalising on both to create some shared illustrated writing, as I’m sure the kids would have loads of ideas of their own. And to top off all this fun, Ford St has a wonderful stash of activities as a bonus including song lyrics, card games and teaching notes.

I’m giving this a high recommendation for your small peeps from around Prep upwards and think you will all greatly enjoy a sustained mileage from the reading.

Apr17

Why I Love the Earth – Daniel Howarth

Posted on by
Standard

y648

Harper Collins Australia

February 2020

ISBN: 9780008389109

ISBN 10: 0008389101

Imprint: HarperCollins – GB

RRP: $17.99

This is another one to add to your collection for a unit of work on the environment although I also think this would work perfectly for little ones’ Christian Studies if yours is a church school as mine is.

It’s not just an examination of what a small person might express about their love for the world around them but IMO a glorious way to express gratitude to the Creator for this wondrous world.

Delightful double spreads each feature one particular sentiment as extremely sweet woodland creatures scamper around doing their own busy investigations. How super would it be to have your class create their own similar books, whether as individuals or as a combined class collaboration! Since this one features animals from all around the world perhaps their focus could be a version which showcases our own native fauna and of course, what is so beautiful about our own part of the earth.

Little ones from as young as two will love this both for its text and the artwork in which they will love to point out the various animals.

Recommended for small humans in the Foundation years.

 

 

Apr16

What a Lot of Nonsense – Sheena Knowles/Jonathan Bentley

Posted on by
Standard

 

y648Harper Collins Australia

  • ISBN: 9781460756140
  • ISBN 10: 1460756142
  • Imprint: HarperCollins – AU
  • List Price: 24.99 AUD

Lots of fun with this one – but then you would expect no less from the author who gave us Edward and Edwina Emu!

While little ones will love this for it’s rollicking rhyming text and wonderfully colourful and quirky illustrations, teachers and librarians will also be thrilled with its potential for a great interactive teaching opportunity.

Threaded through the text are a number of anagrams so this is a superb way to introduce these to younger readers and spark off some fun with finding or creating more.

Instigating that love of language for its own sake is such an integral part of what we do and having a ready-made ‘primer’ with which to do this is always a gift.

At this particular moment in time it will be a super way to introduce a new element of language into lessons as the initial introduction to anagrams is something that could be pursued independently while learning in a remote-teaching situation.

Teaching notes will be greatly appreciated I’m sure and I have no hesitation in recommending this highly for kiddos from around 5 years upwards.

 

 

Click to access What-a-Lot-of-Nonsense-Teachers-Notes-FINAL.pdf

Apr11

The Dingle Dangle Jungle – Mark Carthew and David Atze

Posted on by
Standard

DDJungle-PB-Cov-HR_

Ford St Publishing

February 2020

ISBN: 9781925804936

RRP: $16.99

This is just a delightful picture book not only for its lively and rhythmic text and glorious illustrations but also for the potential to begin an investigation into the richness of the Amazon wildlife and habitat. Certainly my first thought was how this would make a fabulous focus for a classroom integrated unit – geography, environmental studies, animals and their attributes, vocabulary, conservation, art and writing all easily fit into this topic. And just imagine transforming the classroom into a jungle!

Every child will find an animal that they love in this romp through the jungle and what a terrific springboard that would make to beginning simple research skills. A very handy list at the back of the book helps to identify each depicted animal and the text itself reveals some great information about many of these so this could very easily be expanded for a chosen inquiry.

Many of you will have already added this to your shelves but if you haven’t I strongly recommend that you do and make sure you promote it to your foundation class teachers who will greatly appreciate such a rich topic for their students.

Very highly recommended for little humans as well as those teachers keen to provide their classes with an immersive learning experience.

Teacher Notes and Colouring Pages