Tag Archives: Imagination

Nov25

Moon Sailors – Naomi Woodward. Illustrated by Rachel Gregg

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Ford St Publishing

October 2022

ISBN: 9781922696182

RRP: $16.95

If you are exploring the depths of the ocean or the limitless skies or if you simply are looking for a beautiful lyrical book to share with our kiddos, this would be a wonderful choice. It offers so much for even very young readers with elegant poetical prose, enchanting descriptive language and a richness of imagination that will provide much scope for exciting conversation.

As well as this gorgeous linguistic aspect there are the creatures to be discovered and researched – many of them not so well-known: chitons, periwinkles, and jelly moons along with such wondrous aquatic marvels as Neptune’s necklace or iridescent algae. I can already picture a beautiful wall of art going up in the classroom or library to reflect this

But the two children on their journey of imagination are not just relishing the ocean, they are sailing across the night sky, past the constellations and heading towards Earthrise. The illustrations are every bit as captivating as the text with the subtle shades of ocean greens and blues and the night skies’ indigos, blues and pinks. Each spread is a feast for the eyes and you and your readers will delight in close examination of them picking out delicate details.

I have yet to share this one with a class, but hoping I get to visit my little school just over my back fence this coming week or so, with its strong focus on the ocean, being right on the waterfront as it is. I know the children there will just love it as much as I do.

There are some activities free to download but you will be able to conjure up so many follow-up activities to this one as it just lends itself to so many learning experiences whether English, science, STEAM or Environmental studies.

Highly recommended for little readers from Prep upwards.

Click to access GleamingAbaloneColouring.pdf

Click to access RockpoolColouring.pdf

Click to access MoonSailorsWordSearch.pdf

Nov17

Peppa Pig: Peppa’s Dragon Adventure

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Penguin Australia

August 2022

  • ISBN: 9780241575673
  • Imprint: Ladybird
  • RRP: $14.99

We can always depend on Peppa and her family to provide us with warm fuzzies, plus imagination combined with happy reality.

When George Pig doesn’t want to go to sleep, fearful of bad dreams, Daddy Pig tells a wonderful story about a dragon. Peppa and George enjoy the story so much, they want their own dragon! And when they see one the next day, they are certain that dragons are real – no matter what Daddy and Mummy Pig say.

Regardless of their opinions, the Pig parents gladly join the children in following a set of tracks that do, indeed, look very like those a dragon might make. To their great surprise, the trail leads to a castle and, in front of the castle, a huge dragon with their friend Miss Rabbit sitting on top of its head!

It’s a robot dragon which Miss Rabbit sometimes uses in her tours of the castle and she is very happy to offer Peppa and George a ride. How exciting to be on a huge dragon, way above the ground! For the children it is every bit as good as flying on one in their dreams.

This is another one I’ve shared recently with Prep children, all of whom loved it. We had quite the conversation about dragons and other imaginary creatures.

Recommended for happy reading with little ones from teeny to around Year 2.

Nov4

Attack of the Giant Baby – David Lucas. Illustrated by Bruce Ingman

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Bloomsbury Australia

August 2022

ISBN9781408899878
ImprintBloomsbury Children’s Books

RRP: $14.99

This was absolutely great fun to share with a lovely little class of Preppies who sat completely engrossed until about 2/3 of the way when the penny started to drop. The look of delight on their little faces as they realised what was going on was just wonderful.

A sweet excursion into imaginative play when the Giant Baby supposedly invades a beautiful kingdom sending King, Queen and courtiers into a mad panic. Only the Princess remains calm repeating, “He’s just a baby..” The rampaging baby tramples mountains, derails the train, shakes the passengers out of the bus and completely knocks down the castle’s defensive walls – which just happen to resemble brightly coloured blocks. It was round about there that my observant audience began to twig :-).

Luckily the Princess is able to save the kingdom from a complete disaster when she skilfully diverts the Giant Baby to the kitchen where Mummy has prepared supper.

It really is just a joy and it is so refreshing to see our little people, of whom we often think are lacking in imagination, catch on to exactly what is implied in the illustrations with such vigour. They were very chuffed that they had worked it out and out of the two books I shared with them, this was by far the most well received.

Highly recommended for your little peeps from around 4 years upwards.

Nov1

Battle Mum – Zoë Foster Blake. Illustrated by Adele K. Thomas

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Penguin Australia

1 November 2022

  • ISBN: 9780143779681
  • Imprint: Puffin
  • RRP: $19.99

Look, I’ve gotta be honest – anything with Karate Kid moves or ninja references and I’m in! In my experience, the same applies for kids. Ok, so maybe not all of them are actually across the Karate Kid (clearly because their education has been neglected) but definitely ninjas!

For anyone with kids (or indeed, grandies!) that dread feeling of being exhausted, but beset by kiddos who just want to ‘battle’ – play, wrestle, cavort, pounce, gambol, leap – is just plain overwhelming at times – you get my meaning here I know, and I also know you already feel exhausted just reading that.

I think Zoë also knows this feeling only too well, and has superbly translated that into this really funny and lively new picture book.

Ana and Louis are dead tired after their busy day at school and kindergarten, and have just settled themselves on the couch to binge some TV and chill out. The trouble is that Mum wants to battle … and she’s not taking NO for an answer. Reluctantly, the children concede but with provisos – NO TICKLING! and ONLY FIVE MINUTES! – especially because they need this to be well over before Dad gets home and starts up his own battle! Such a super way to illustrate how wonderful imagination is – as you will discover :-).

I love that Zoë has used her own son’s signature moves and actions as her inspiration (and I’d be guessing he’s also quite impressed). This is truly just pure good fun – I could envisage a whole lot of extravagant physical activity going on with a class as a follow-up to a shared reading – hopefully, outside the classroom!!

Kiddos are going to love this – and I think there will not only be many requested re-readings for bedtimes but most certainly in classrooms. Highly recommended for littlies from Prep upwards.

Read more about the inspiration for this one with Zoë’s Q&A

Oct14

Which Way to Anywhere – Cressida Cowell

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Hachette Australia

September 2022

ISBN 9781444969047 | RRP $22.99

Well, if there’s anything more exciting in MG fiction than a new Cressida Cowell title, it’s a new Cressida Cowell series and this one is going to skyrocket I can assure you.

K2 O’Hero (yes, he is named after the mountain) would appear, to all intents and purposes, a very ordinary little boy. He and his twin, Izzabird, are from a very extraordinary family it’s true, but that’s a deep secret which is not revealed outside said family – and especially not, to the Stepfather and the world’s most irritating stepsiblings, Theo and Mablel. But not even Izzabird knows that K2 has an incredibly rare and powerful gift. In fact, K2 doesn’t know he has this particular gift but that’s all going to change.

K2 knows he can draw amazing maps of strange, marvellous and, at times, frightening places but he has no idea that he can in fact create these maps as portals to the worlds he believes are just his own imagination.

When bizarre happenings start to accelerate around them: a weirdly creepy faux Geography teacher, a robot assassin, a very odd and seemingly magical person named Horizabel, and their mother and great- aunts (all witches) taking off into the night on a secret mission – and that’s all before baby Annipeck is abducted! – the four children must somehow work together to figure out the Alternative Atlas and conquer the obstacles they face including the vile and ravenous beast, the Abhorrorghast.

I loved this from start to finish. It has all of Cressida’s fantastic creativity: her wonderful skill with humorous secondary characters (the ones that almost steal the show) and an ability to weave a spellbinding adventure with heart-stopping moments, truly horrible villains and children who, in spite of any talents or gifts, are very normal in their ferocious loyalties, their unswerving determination, their sniping and bickering and their persistence.

Your readers from around Year 4 will adore this – particularly those who loved The Wizards of Once – and my suggestions is that you order more than one copy!

Highly recommended for boys and girls who are able readers from mid-primary upwards.

Aug21

A Little Spark – Barry Jonsberg

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Allen & Unwin

August 2022

Imprint:A & U Children

ISBN:9781760526924

RRP: $16.99

Once again Barry Jonsberg has crafted a narrative that will speak volumes to middle grade readers. 13 year old Cate is in her first year of high school and her seventh of being the only child of divorced parents. Neither is too bad really. At school she has her best friend Elise, who is also now going through the whole parents splitting trauma. Outside school, she lives with her teacher mum and her new partner, Sam, who is an incredibly kind and understanding guy. Every fortnight she spends the weekend with her dad, who feeds her imagination with rich role-playing and theatrical wonder. Cate is a gifted writer despite her youth and already on her way to being a published and prize-winning author.

But, as can happen, life throws a curveball. Sam is offered a tantalising and life-changing work opportunity in the UK and Cate’s mum is determined they will all go. Cate is resistant to the whole idea, not least because she knows she will leave her dad with no one, not to mention abandoning Elise in her hour of dire need. And then, in one of their fun-filled adventures, Cate and her dad are involved in a major car crash which almost kills him and leaves her with some serious injuries. Understandably, Cate’s mum is even more determined that Cate will go to the UK. But this is one feisty and clever girl who resents being used as a pawn, so with her father’s assent, a court case begins to establish where Cate will live. But what seems like an almost 50/50 chance falls apart at the last minute and things just go from bad to worse. Without saying any more, or throwing in spoilers, Cate’s life changes for the better in some ways and then for the worse in others. Readers will laugh with her (and Elise) and they will cry in her moments of utter despair.

It is a truly magical story which will capture hearts and minds. I love that Barry has completely nailed authentic voices for both these teen girls (and in a way which will not date). With strong themes of family, domestic conflict, friendships, divorce, grief and self-belief, mature and discerning readers from around 11/12 years old will thoroughly enjoy this one. I absolutely loved it and I think it would make a superb title for a book club for your lower secondary readers.

Highly recommended for Year 6 upwards – there is some low level swearing, so if your school is particular about that, exercise caution. Grab teaching notes here.

9781760526924Download
Dec18

Pages & Co #3: Tilly and the Map of Stories – Anna James

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Harper Collins Australia

October 2020

  • ISBN: 9780008229948
  • ISBN 10: 0008229945
  • Imprint: HarperCollins – GB
  • List Price: 19.99 AUD

This series is so utterly charming and original that it has been such pleasure to read and review each of them. Tilly and Oskar continue their adventures with the ongoing quest to thwart the horrible Underwoods who have usurped the British Underlibrary. Book wandering has been prohibited and stories at large are under very real threat of being lost for all time.

Tilly has some clues gathered from story friends and others which she strongly believes might provide a sort of map to the Archivists – the legendary protectors of all stories and imagination. With her mother’s help Tilly and Oskar are off to America to meet up with Orlando and Jorge, her mum’s old friends and the best lead for the first signpost in Tilly’s possession. But the plan goes quickly awry when the pair find that even in America the Underwoods’ influence is infiltrating every layer of story.

It takes all their resourcefulness and courage to navigate their way through the intricate maze that their clues reveal but Tilly and Oskar are determined to not only save the world of stories but their very dear fictional friends. They are not unused to danger but this adventure, with its meandering journey, ultimately presents them with their biggest challenge yet. Can these two intrepid bookwanderers save story and imagination from complete annilhilation?

As with the first two books there are moments of real humour woven into the tension of the plot and readers will particularly find the appearance and help of William Shakespeare himself to be highly amusing.

I absolutely adore this series and have recommended it to many young readers who have all enjoyed it equally. If you’re late to the party I’d suggest you put all three on your orders list for the new year.

Highly recommended for readers from around 8 years upwards.

Sep6

Ellie’s Dragon – Bob Graham

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Walker Books

July 2020

ISBN: 9781406387629
Imprint: Walker
Australian RRP: $27.99

Bob Graham, one of our best-loved Australian book characters, once again brings his own brand of magic to this bittersweet story of childhoodand imaginary friends and the inevitable growing-up, or out of, both.

Ellie finds the sweetest little dragon in a box of eggs from the supermarket and immediately sets about making him feel at home – giving him free run of her dolls house (though cleverly also teaching him to use the dragon litter tray she provides!). Although Ellie’s friends can all see Scratch quite clearly, her mother and teachers definitely don’t. As Ellie grows so does Scratch until the tiny dragon becomes huge, all the time remaining the sweetest-natured domesticated pet ever.

But as is the way, Ellie becomes a teenager and as she does, Scratch fades and finally vanishes – although she sometimes thinks she catches just a glimpse of him. Just as the reader feels terribly sad about Scratch’s disappearance, he re-appears just in time to be adopted by a little boy who is equally as imaginative and caring as the little Ellie who was.

The poignancy will affect many an adult reader, especially those of us who often ‘miss’ our little people now they are grown but children will relish the friendships that bring so much joy to the characters. Personally I would love to use this as a read-aloud and explore the possibilities of the imaginary friends children will choose for themselves.

As always Graham’s beautiful illustrations with their predominance of pastel shades enhance the gentle text sublimely. I particularly love the depiction of Ellie and her dad at the movies – watching Max and his family on the screen!

If you haven’t yet added this one to your collection, I urge you to do so without delay.

Apr25

Here in the Real World – Sara Pennypacker

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Harper Collins Australia

February 2020

  • ISBN: 9780008371692
  • ISBN 10: 0008371695
  • Imprint: HarperCollins – GB
  • List Price: 14.99 AUD

At present we (as a collective global community) are having a great deal of reflection and discussion of what it means to be a hero and for many young readers their perception and definition of this might be relatively narrow. This beautiful new narrative from the author of the highly-acclaimed Pax encourages children to re-think their ideas around this.

Ware is an only child, somewhat over-protected and ‘different’. He’s not the kid who wants to join in, he is content in his own world and his passion is medieval history and all that goes with it: castles, chivalry, fanfare and brave deeds. He’s looking forward to spending summer with his grandmother, happily in his own world,  while his parents work double-shifts desperately pulling together the money to buy their rented house but when Big Deal, his gran, becomes unwell the plans for summer fall apart.  He is, instead, enrolled in the dreaded vacation program at the ‘Rec’ where he supposed to have ‘meaningful social interaction’ and be forced to participate in mind-numbingly boring activities.  After only one day Ware explores the abandoned and demolished church next door to the Rec where he encounters a very fierce and very prickly girl, Jolene, who appears to be quite obsessed with growing plants in tin cans.

Initially the two are at odds, both wanting the space within the old church grounds but as Ware continues to skip Rec and investigate the lot and its potential they begin to find a common ground. While Ware begins to create his own castle from the ruins and Jolene fusses over her papaya plants, they both come to accept each other and the fact that the lot is, for both of them, a refuge from their troubles.   It’s an unlikely friendship but one that, like the little plants, slowly but surely grows and bears fruit that will nourish them both.

The two misfits’ summer proves to be one of teamwork, mutual acceptance and understandings, problem solving, loyalty and purpose. When their sanctuary comes under real threat they must devise a plan to save not only their space but Jolene’s plantation which, for her, is her ticket to a better life.

Woven throughout are the nuances, difficulties and at times hostilities that can permeate family relationships and friendships and the slow but careful resolution of some of these is a truly moving aspect.

I loved this book and read it quickly over two nights. While essentially gentle in its narrative the interaction between all the characters and particularly the two protagonists is very engaging. Not to do it any disservice by comparison but it really put me in mind of Bridge to Terabithia with its similarity in the scope of imagination and the unlikely pairing of the two children. It’s a tremendous read and one that will be very well received by thoughtful readers from around 11 years upwards. It’s certainly one I will be recommending highly to my Choclit group (Year 7-12) as I think many of them will appreciate both the quality of the writing and the premise of the plot.

Click to access Here-In-The-Real-World-Teachers-Notes.pdf

 

Apr18

The Night of the Hiding Moon – Emma Allen & Sher Rill Ng

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9780642279583

National Library of Australia

March 2020

ISBN:   9780642279583

RRP: $24.99

‘Late one night, Felix heard a thousand giants march across the sky and the round, silver moon went into hiding.’

Many children are fearful of storms – especially when they are ferocious. The Kid was one of these and would quite literally turn white and visibly tremble. It took a couple of years to build her up to a point where now she almost enjoys a storm – except for when they are really wild and then she will always sit quite close!

When Felix can’t cope with the tremendous crashing and the horrid dark he decides to put his torch to good use and create a ‘light’ friend. What follows is a cavalcade of strong and brave shadow creatures and all are impatient to play. A little uncertain at first, Felix is soon frolicking with them all, confronting his fears of the night and becoming empowered in his own resilience.

Readers will be truly enthralled with the wonderful traditional shadow shapes and will be uber-excited when they reach the end of the book to find some fabulous information on shadow puppets in general and their cultural importance in Asia. To top that off they will able to create their own shadow puppets with the templates and instructions which conclude the book. Puppetry is a dramatic art which never fails to engage children of all ages (our own Year 9 students have been creating puppet play scripts and using some fabulous ‘muppets’ to perform them). Shadow puppets are possibly one of the simplest to achieve with ready-to-hand materials at home which is a big plus and very handy in these times!

Perhaps readers could create their own scripts which echo the bravery and imagination in Felix’ story and then perform them for family.  Alternatively, they might like to recreate favourite stories using shadow puppets. This would certainly be a very rich learning experience all round.

I would highly recommend this for children from around 6 years upwards and the follow-up for families who are looking for a different activity to reduce a little screen time.

You could even make a theatre for your puppet play…