2015 - My Year in Books on Goodreads

Wow!  This is so cool .... Goodreads has a visual recap of what you have read over the last year. 

Here is my epic reading journey for 2015 - all 214 books :) 

Reflection on my 2015 goals & ideas for 2016

Well my attempt at reviewing #365PictureBooks in 2015 was an epic fail! With my Goodreads 2015 goal of 150 'chapter' books, study, SLANZA & work I just couldn't keep on top of reading and reviewing a picture book a day. 

With just under a week to go, my 2015 Goodreads goal will also not quite be achieved. Close, but not quite! If I had included my picture books in this quota I would have blown the goal out of the water months ago!  Oh well. Live & learn.  I found that I was rushing to achieve my goal and was not reading in depth or enjoying everything I read. I was reading for the sake of reading, not for enjoyment or to extend my knowledge. 

So my blog goal for the coming year is to post once a month with a recap of what I've been reading, including reviews, summaries and general thoughts on the books. 

And my Goodreads goal is to read 100 books - chapter, picture, non-fiction & professional development - just books.  But books that I am going to savor. Books that I am going to devour. Books that I am going to treasure (and I already have a few of these lined up!). And books that I am going to remember and be able to talk about to anyone that wants to listen.

Bring on another year full of fantastic books, great authors, interesting conversations and amazing reading :)

*Update : 28 Dec '15*

OK. I added my #365PictureBooks. I was right ... It blasted my goal of 150 books out of the water!  142 chapter books + my 72 #365PoctureBooks = 214 total books read. And that is not including all the other picture books I have read this year for school and not kept track of!  #awesome #overachiever

#365PictureBooks 72. Tamara Small and the Monsters' Ball by Giles Paley-Phillips, illustrated by Gabriele Antonini

Paley-Phillips, G., & Antonini, G. (2012). Tamara Small and the Monsters' Ball. Pulborough, UK: Maverick Arts.

ISBN: 9781848861008
Pages: 32
Age Level: Early Childhood 0-6
Genre: Picture Storybook
Rating: 5 stars

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One night when Tamara Small can't sleep she is whisked away by a hairy monster and taken to the mysterious Monsters' Ball for an evening of fun she will never forget! 

Starting off in a spooky rhyme that is just full of building tension, we find Tamara clutching her ted and unable to sleep.  Suddenly a big hairy arm comes snaking in and grabs poor Tamara.

With the illustrations done in lots of dark tones to help build the feeling of fear, the only bit of brightness is Tamara in her bright pink PJ's.

Suddenly the tone of the illustrations changes.  Although they are still quite dark, depicting night time, they have a brightness to them - more of a friendly party atmosphere.

The rhyme also changes, taking on a questioning tone before moving into an energetic fun filled one and finally a sleepy bed-time feeling.

The font is large and easily read, while the language used is appropriate for younger children with no big confusing words.  With a variation in font size to help the reader give emphasis to the story, this is also a great book for older children to read to their younger buddies. 

Another great monster book a for bed-time read-aloud.  Kids will love the rhyme and the awesome illustrations.  I love these types of picture books ... they give kids a great introduction to poetry, and the joy that can be found in word-play, as well as showing kids that monsters don't have to be scary things.  Books are to be enjoyed, and they can come in all shapes, sizes and genres.

I got my copy of Tamara Small and the Monsters' Ball from the Taradale Primary School library where I work. 

Oops!  I wasn't able to find a copy at Napier Libraries.

#365PictureBooks 71. Because I Stubbed My Toe by Shawn Byous

Byous, S. (2014). Because I Stubbed My Toe. North Mankato, MN: Capstone Young Readers.

ISBN: 9781623700881
Pages: 32
Age Level: Early Childhood 0-6
Genre: Picture Book
Rating: 5 stars

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What a fantastic book for children young and old!  I love it!

One day a boy stubs his toe, which leads to a chain of events that are hilarious to follow,culminating in a rather delicious surprise. 

The story is just one sentence!  Each page describes the event's as they occur, presented in a large easy to read font.  The verbs (action words) are shown in bold so they stand out from the rest of the text.

Whilst it is not told in rhyme, it is a very easy text to read using lots of expression.  A sure-fire hit with the kids.

The illustrations are bright, bold and depict each event clearly.  The background images have been done in a greened-out wash which makes the focus images stand out.  After the initial page, many of the two-page spreads gives you a clue as to what the next event might be.

And you have got to check out the end-papers.  So many fantastic images!  See if you can match each image with the page they occur on.

A great book to add to your collection.  Good to use in class for prediction and cause & affect.

I got my copy of Because I Stubbed My Toe from the Taradale Primary School library where I work. 

You can find a copy at Napier Libraries.

#365PictureBooks 70. The Boy and the Toy by Sonya Hartnett, illustrated by Lucia Masciullo

Hartnett, S., & Masciullo, L. (2010). The Boy and the Toy. Melbourne, Australia: Puffin Books.

ISBN: 9780143506041
Pages: 32
Age Level: Middle Childhood 7-12
Genre: Picture Storybook
Rating: 3 1/2 stars

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A young boy's father, having all the best intentions in the world, makes a robotic toy for his son to play with while he is away.  It was the best toy ever and they have so much fun together.  Until that is, the boy wants to read and play with his other toys.  What happens when you combine a robot with feelings of jealousy? 

Hartnett tells a very sophisticated tale weaving together friendship, jealousy and inventiveness in a way 'that explores the meaning of friendship'.  This is a topic that children young and old always have issues with, and it is nice to have a book that is aimed at our more older readers.  

Using the robot as the 'friend that you can never please' and showing the sneaky lengths that some people will go to is a clever idea, however I believe that the message within the book will go over the heads of a lot of children.  While the book will be enjoyed by children, I think it should be read aloud and discussed to get the message across.

Masciullo's illustrations remind me of Shaun Tan's work.  The colours are muted giving the images a 'dark' feeling, and yet they have so much information within them that they are really quite spectacular.  To me they have a 'steampunk' feel to them combining the old with the new - Dad heads off in a sailing ship powered by a hot air balloon, and their house is a mish-mash of old-style furniture and mechanical bits-n-bobs.  The robots progression from friendly toy to jealous playmate has been portrayed really cleverly.  The young boys feelings of joy, surprise ... or should I say shock, and determination are clearly depicted in his facial expressions.

Wow!  I really want to like this book, but I think that the message about friendship in it has been portrayed in such a dark manner it is bordering on creepy.  Definitely a book for older readers.  A good book for sharing and discussing about what exactly friendship is and what makes a good friend.

I got my copy of The Boy and the Toy from the Taradale Primary School library where I work. 

You can find a copy at Napier Libraries.

#365PictureBooks 69. Gigantosaurus by Jonny Duddle

Duddle, J. (2014). Gigantosaurus. Gosford, Australia: Scholastic.

ISBN: 9781742761015
Pages: 32 - including 1 'fold-up' page
Age Level: Early Childhood 0-6 / Middle Childhood 7-12
Genre: Picture Storybook
Rating: 5 stars

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His feet go STOMP!  
His jaws go CRUNCH!  
In the blink of an eye you'll be his LUNCH!  

Are you ready to meet the GIGANTOSAURUS? 

Bonehead, Tiny, Fin and Bill are four tiny and terribly cute dinosaurs who like spending their days playing.  Their mums warn them to beware of the Gigantosaurus, but like most children do they take any notice?  Why, of course not!  Well actually ... Bonehead does.  He keeps tricking his friends by calling out the Gigantosaurus is coming.  But what happens when the Gigantosaurus really does come???  

What a gorgeous gorgeous book.  It initially reminded me of the Puff the Magic Dragon story, but the further through I read it appeared to be a dinosaur retelling of Peter and the Wolf.  Bonehead is a bit of a liar, and he eventually cries 'wolf' ... woops I mean 'Gigantosaurus' once too often. 

Told in rhyme, this is a great book to share with your dinosaur-loving children.  Younger children will enjoy having this read to them, while the language used is more suitable for older children to read alone.

Duddle's illustrations are fan-fraking-amazing.  I love love love Bonehead.  Each of his images seem to just pop with his courage and self-confidence ... especially the page where their mothers are trying to tell them to be careful.  He's like 'Yeah Yeah, whatever!'  While his friends are quaking in their boots.  Did I mention that they are really really cute???  

The amount of detail in each illustration is fantastic.  They are bright, clear and show so much.  If you look carefully you can see hints of all sorts of dinosaur formations hiding in the images.  And you also get to meet the dinosaurs in the book at the end.  There are two pages of dino facts for kids to enjoy.

What a great addition to your collection, whether it's because you are a dinosaur fan, you like a good read-aloud, or purely for the amazing illustrations.

I got my copy of Gigantosaurus from the Taradale Primary School library where I work. 

You can find a copy at Napier Libraries.

#365PictureBooks 68. Doggy Ditties from A to Z by Jo van Dam, illustrated by Myles Lawford

Van Dam, J., & Lawford, M. (2014). Doggy Ditties from A to Z. Auckland, New Zealand: Scholastic.

ISBN: 9781775431886
Pages: 32
Age Level: Early Childhood 0-6 / Middle Childhood 7-12
Genre: Picture Book / NZ Fiction / Poetry
Rating: 5 stars

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Doggie ditties, rather witty,
about a kid's best friend;
a crazy collection, a silly selection,
from A through to Z at the end. 

When I first read this book I thought "Huh, that's dumb, the story doesn't rhyme!".  Then I thought about it, flicked through it again and realised "Doh!  They're not supposed rhyme in a continuous and equal way!".  That's because each page is it's own separate and catchy ditty moving through the alphabet from A to Z.  " What a doofus!"

This gorgeous collection of poems (or ditties) takes the reader through the alphabet in a flurry of dogs.  Starting with Alfie the Affenpinscher and Buddy the Boxer, all the way through to the noisy Yorkshire Terrier and poor Jim the Zuchon.  Did you know there is actually a dog that starts with the letter X?  Very sad there was no Shih Tzu like our Charlie, but the Shar-Pei in his too-big coat is a very cute addition.  You can tell that Jo van Dam has done her research on the various types of dogs and their quirks and foibles.  And her love of wordplay shines through in the variety of poems in this collection.

Myles Lawford's illustrations are a beautiful contrast to the witty ditties.  They depict the dogs in a very realistic and easily recognisable way, whilst bringing out the humorous touches as described in the poems.  And to finish off, the final two-page spread is a park scene with all the dogs from within the book, for you to spy.  There is just so much fun to be had looking at the illustrations, regardless of whether you read the poems or not.

What a great book for bed-time reading and for sharing with dog-lovers.  Also good to add to your collection to update your poetry section, and provide some shorter ditties for the Year 3 & 4 poetry competitions.  And of course, for use as an exemplar in classroom literacy sessions, showing a variety of poetry techniques, and promoting that language can be fun to play with.

And as an extra bonus ... Jo is one of us.  A school librarian in New Zealand ... at two primary schools!  I look forward to reading what you publish next Jo :-)

I got my copy of Doggie Ditties from A to Z from the Taradale Primary School library where I work. 

You can find a copy at Napier Libraries.

#365PictureBooks 67. Purrs, Paws and Claws by Errol McLeary

McLeary, E. (2014). Purrs, Paws and Claws. Auckland, New Zealand: Scholastic.

ISBN: 9781775432272
Pages: 32
Age Level: Early Childhood 0-6 / Middle Childhood 7-12
Genre: Picture Book / NZ Fiction / Poetry
Rating: 4 stars

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Erroll McLeary has presented us with a selection of nursery rhymes and limericks with a twist on the original.  They are all pussy-cat inspired! 

There's 'Pussycat Horner' (Little Jack Horner), 'The Cat and the Fiddle', 'Jittery-Tickery Tock' (Hickery Dickery Dock), and 'This little Kitty' (This Little Piggie) to name a few.

A hilarious collection that is a joy to read-aloud.  Children young and old will enjoy it, either for it's fun rhymes, or to see if they can match the original with the adaption.

McLeary's illustrations show the humour of the rhyme in the way they have been done.  Each image has it's own little quirks.  I didn't know whether I should look at the images first to see if I could figure out the rhyme, or read the ditty first and then see if the images matched.  Very cleverly done.

A fun rhyming book to add to your collection.  A nice change for bed-time read-alouds.  A book that cat-loving kids will really enjoy :-)

I got my copy of Purrs, Paws and Claws from the Taradale Primary School library where I work. 

You can find a copy at Napier Libraries.

#365PictureBooks 66. Esau the Paw by Chris Gurney, illustrated by John Bennett

Gurney, C., & Bennett, J. (2014). Esau the Paw. Auckland, New Zealand: Scholastic.

ISBN: 9781775431855
Pages: 32
Age Level: Early Childhood 0-6 / Middle Childhood 7-12
Genre: Picture Storybook / NZ Fiction
Rating: 4 stars

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Esau the Paw was a VERY cool cat.
No cat was fluffier, be sure of that! 

OMG! Esau the Paw is the cutest fluffiest cat!  One of the descriptions of him is that he looks 'like a big bloated fur ball'.  And he does!  His facial expressions as he plays are fantastic.  And his looks of absolute disgust I'm sure I have seen on my own cat!!!

Esau the Paw has a beautiful fluffy coat that his owner grooms when he gets it tangled.  Until ... one day it is just so bad that he has to go to the vet ... where he gets a trim - Doh!

Chris Gurney's rhyming text is easy to follow.  He humorously tells the tale of poor Esau's catastrophic results from playing in the mud.  Something many a pet owner can relate to - especially those of us with long-haired darlings, be they cats or dogs ;-)

John Bennett's illustrations are bright and colourful and clearly show Esau's delight in life ... and his disgust once he has been shaved bald!  Predominantly full of full-page illustrations like this one,  children will be able to relate to their own pet's predicaments when they get messy in the winter.

A humorous and colourful read-aloud that will be enjoyed again and again.

I got my copy of Esau the Paw from the Taradale Primary School library where I work. 

You can find a copy at Napier Libraries.

#365PictureBooks 65. Little Red Riding Hood, illustrated by Alison Jay, rewritten by Katie Cotton

Jay, A. (2013). Little Red Riding Hood. Mascot, Australia: Koala Books.

ISBN: 97871742760711
Pages: 32
Age Level: Middle Childhood 7-12
Genre: Picture Storybook / Alternative FairyTale / Non-Fiction
Rating: 5 stars

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Welcome to Fairytale Village, where stories happen every day.
Today we're reading Little Red Riding Hood's adventure, but if you look closely you might spot some other stories happening in the background. 

Katie Cotton has rewritten the traditional tale of Little Red Riding Hood, modernising it slightly.  Some of the language used is quite sophisticated, making me feel that it is more appropriate for primary school children.  The text is in double-spacing making it easy to read, and some of the font has been presented in larger 'brush stroke' style representing scared / scary words ... dun dun dun!!!

Jay's illustrations are absolutely amazing.  It's quite hard to see it in this picture, but each image gives the impression of a very very very old painting that is all cracked and dry.  Or maybe like a porcelain platter that is showing it's antique qualities.

Each illustration is in keeping with the original Red Riding Hood tale, so children can relate this modernised alternative version with the classic.  Hidden in each illustration are many other characters from within other well-known fairytales and fables, like Hansel & Gretel, The Three Billy Goats Gruff, Puss in Boots .....  I think it is just a delight to read, or should I say absorb :-)

What a beautiful addition to your collection.  I love having alternative fairytales in our library.  They make for a great exemplar to use when discussing creative writing and how small changes can make a story interesting / exciting / modern / or boring!

I got my copy of Little Red Riding Hood from the Taradale Primary School library where I work. 

You can find a copy at Napier Libraries.

#365PictureBooks 64. Back-To-Front Bob by Belinda Ellis

Ellis, B. (2014). Back-To-Front Bob. Auckland, New Zealand: Scholastic.

ISBN: 9781775431831
Pages: 32
Age Level: Middle Childhood 7-12
Genre: Picture Storybook / NZ Fiction
Rating: 4 stars

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Bob flips out over words.
In fact, he's head-over-heels crazy about them.
Especially the ones that read the same forwards and backwards ... like BOB!

Belinda Ellis presents us with the first in a series of books about the joys of word games and the quirks that can be a (big) part of our language.  Told in a humorous way, they invite children to 'play' with the words themselves, and maybe come up with some of their own palindromes.

The illustrations in this book are predominantly focusing on the 'words'.  These large, sometimes colourful, words each have an image of Bob in various thoughtful poses, as well as the occasional extra illustration.  It's very well done, as it keeps your attention on the main focus of the story ... the words!

This is a great book to add to your collection.  We have a copy in our Picture Books for kids and parents to enjoy, and a copy in our Teacher Resources for staff to use during literacy lessons in class.  It is a great way of showing kids that they can have fun with words, and that 'language is a very wondrous thing'.

I got my copy of Back-To-Front Bob from the Taradale Primary School library where I work. 

You can find a copy at Napier Libraries.

#365PictureBooks 63. Children of the Pacific : Billy's Weekend - A Story from the Islands of Fiji by Jill MacGregor

MacGregor, J. (2013). Children of the Pacific : Billy's Weekend - A Story from the Islands of Fiji. Wellington, New Zealand: Puriri Paddocks.

ISBN: 9780473257392
Pages: 24
Age Level: Early Childhood 0-6
Genre: Picture Book / NZ Non-Fiction
Rating: 5 stars

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Join Viliame, known as Billy, as he tells us about his weekend in his village of Arovudi, on the island of Ovalau in Fiji.

This is another book from Jill's Children of the Pacific series.  Along with the photographic snap-shot into the children's lives, these books also include a map on the inside-front cover with some basic facts about their country.  Whilst there is no contents or index page, there is a glossary at the back with some of the words that are not translated.  Throughout the story, these words are denoted with an asterix * so you know to check the glossary.

It is aimed at younger children.  The language used is clearly understood and describes Billy's weekend in the first person.  It makes for a very good non-fiction read-aloud.

Scott's photographs provide a snap-shot into Billy and his families life.  There are some amazing photos of the wildlife found around Billy's house and on the reef.  They have been laid out with a mixture of inserts within a full page image (as shown here), or in a 'photo album' style.  They enhance the text by providing additional information or close-up images of specific comments in the text.

This series is a fantastic addition to your collection.  Both from a non-fiction narrative perspective, and by providing an insight into how other children and families around the world live.  They have been produced four-at-a-time, and I have been purchasing these directly from Jill or her son whenever they are visiting Napier with each new selection.

Books in the series so far:

Tareima's String - Kiribati

Wrapping It Up - Samoa

Kelea's Clothes - Tonga

A Nest of Pigs - Cook Islands

The Uga Hunt - Niue

Billy's Weekend - Fiji

The Rat and the Octopus - Niue

Market Day - Samoa

I got my copy of Children of the Pacific : Billy's Weekend - A Story from the Islands of Fiji from the Taradale Primary School library where I work. 

You can find a copy at Napier Libraries.

#365PictureBooks 62. Children of the Pacific : Market Day - A Story from the Islands of Samoa by Jill MacGregor

MacGregor, J. (2013). Children of the Pacific : Market Day - A Story from the Islands of Samoa. Wellington, New Zealand: Puriri Paddocks.

ISBN: 9780473257378
Pages: 24
Age Level: Early Childhood 0-6
Genre: Picture Book / NZ Non-Fiction
Rating: 5 stars

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Join Hope as she takes you for a tour through her village of Moamoa, which is near Apia in Samoa.  She explains the things they do each day, and what you can find on their Market Day.

Jill MacGregor is a Kiwi.  She was a teacher and has written many stories for the School Journal.  As well as teaching in Tonga, she has traveled extensively throughout the Pacific.  She draws on her knowledge and first-hand experience to bring us this delightful non-fiction narrative series.

It is aimed at younger children.  The language used is clearly understood and describes Hope's day in the first person.  It makes for a very good non-fiction read-aloud.

Scott MacGregor's photographs provide a snap-shot into Hope and her families life.  They have been laid out with a mixture of inserts within a full page image, or as shown here, in a 'photo album' style.  They enhance the text by providing additional information or close-up images of specific comments in the text.

This series is a fantastic addition to your collection.  Both from a non-fiction narrative perspective, and by providing an insight into how other children and families around the world live.  Until Jill started producing this series there was very little in the way of this type of information for our younger students to read and learn from.

I got my copy of Children of the Pacific : Market Day - A Story from the Islands of Samoa from the Taradale Primary School library where I work. 

You can find a copy at Napier Libraries.

#365PictureBooks 61. Ten monsters in the bed by Katie Cotton, illustrated by Aaron Blecha

Cotton, K., & Blecha, A. (2014). Ten monsters in the bed. Gosford, Australia: Koala Books.

ISBN: 9781742761176
Pages: 24
Age Level: Early Childhood 0-6 / Middle Childhood 7-12
Genre: Picture Storybook
Rating: 5 stars

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This is going to be a 'Minimal Monday' review, simply because it's just a fun, noisy book that you HAVE TO read!

There were ten monsters in the bed,
and the farty monster said ...
"MOVE OVER!" 

A smelly, noisy (definitely boy humour) twist on the 'ten green bottles' ditty.  

The ten dirty, gross and disgusting monsters don't have enough room on the top bunk of their bed.  So they proceed to push, throw and sneeze their way off the bed, whilst down below one big monster is trying to sleep.

The illustrations are amazingly bright and colourful, even with a dark purlply/navy background.  And the monsters, even though they are rather disgusting, are really quite fantastic to look at.  Keep your eye on the moldy flea ridden sandwich during the story, as well as the monster in the bowl.  So many things to look at on each page as the monsters are constantly in motion.

A rollicking great rhyming read-aloud.  Mind you I wouldn't read it at bed-time as it is not the sort of story that children will settle down and fall asleep to!  It's more a noisy, gross, activity inducing read!

I got my copy of Ten monsters in the bed from the Taradale Primary School library where I work. 

You can find a copy at Napier Libraries.

#365PictureBooks 60. How to Hide a Lion from Grandma by Helen Stephens

Stephens, H. (2014). How to Hide a Lion from Grandma. London, UK: Alison Green Books.

ISBN: 9781407139050
Pages: 32
Age Level: Early Childhood 0-6
Genre: Picture Storybook
Rating: 3 stars

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Iris and her family live with a brave, kind lion.  One weekend Iris's Grandma comes to stay and they have to find ways to hide the lion, because we all know that grandmas get anxious if they find a lion in the house!  With all sorts of creative hiding places Grandma never seems to notice the lion right in front of her eyes!  But Grandma has a secret of her own  What could possibly be in the gigantic box she brought with her? 

Helen Stephens has told this story in a lovely old-fashioned style of writing with lots of 'grandma-isms' like 'bit and bobs' and 'we'll see's'.  

There is quite a lot of text and the font used (or maybe the fuzzy print) is not the easiest to see so this will make a better read-aloud than a book children will read to themselves.

The illustrations are also very old-fashioned in appearance giving the book a nostalgic feel when I read it (No I'm not that old!!! But it reminded me of the Little Golden Books from when I was a kid).  They accompany the text perfectly.

A lovely read-aloud, especially good for grandmas to read when they come visiting :-)

I got my copy of Kiwi Corkers: A Kiwi Christmas Carol from the Taradale Primary School library where I work. 

You can find a copy at Napier Libraries.

#365PictureBooks 59. There's a Shark in the Bath by Sarah McIntyre

McIntyre, S. (2014). There's a Shark in the Bath. London, UK: Scholastic.

ISBN: 9781407121918
Pages: 32
Age Level: Early Childhood 0-6 / Middle Childhood 7-12
Genre: Picture Storybook
Rating: 4 stars

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Big Teeth!

Bubbles!

Who is in the bath? 

One morning Dulcie goes into the bathroom and sees a shark fin in last nights bath water.  When her parents don't believe her she goes back to fish it out.  But what pops out isn't just one shark ... it's a whole family ... and they are hungry!  Trying to distract them, Dulcie suggests they play a game of teeth-brushing.  And hair-washing.  And toilet-paper-wrapping.  They all have a fantastic time playing and making more and more mess while Dulcie tries to stop the sharks from eating her.  Until there is a knock on the bathroom door and dad want's to come in!  Ooh Oh!

A humorous story with lots of made-up bathroom games and rhyming words .  Showing just how much fun you can have in your bath with a bit of imagination.  There is quite a lot of text making it a good read-aloud, though it might not be a good idea to read it just before bath time!!!!!

With bright, bold sharky illustrations there are so many crazy sea-creature antics to spot on the pages.  The illustrations themselves tell a great story.

The front and back end papers are gorgeous, giving a 'before' and 'after' ocean-view snapshot of the story.

A fun read-aloud.  Full of action and silliness and great for getting children to predict what is going to happen next.

I got my copy of There's a Shark in the Bath from the Taradale Primary School library where I work. 

You can find a copy at Napier Libraries.

#365PictureBooks 58. Yellow Dress Day by Michelle Worthington, illustrated by Sophie Norsa

Worthington, M., & Norsa, S. (2013). Yellow Dress Day. Frenchs Forest, Australia: New Frontier.

ISBN: 9781921042102
Pages: 32
Age Level: Early Childhood 0-6 / Middle Childhood 7-12
Genre: Picture Storybook
Rating: 5 stars

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One whistling, whirly, windy morning, leaves tumbled and danced in the backyard.  Ava and her puppy wanted to go out and play.  But Ava's favourite coloured dress was missing. 

This is the story about a young girl who has a different dress in every colour of the rainbow.  She wears a dress in the colour of her mood and how she 'feels' about the day.  Red dress days are when the sun shines on cracked, dry roads.  Pink dress days are when the flowers open up and the bees buzz and hum.  Purple dress days are when the rain comes down from the rumble and tumble of the clouds.  Blue dress days are all about the snowflakes swishing and swirling in the cold air.  And Yellow dress days are when the wind whistles through the trees.    

Told using fantastic descriptive text with some different shaped font to give emphasis on the words.  The wide spacing between the lines makes this a story that beginning readers can easily follow, while the different coloured font & shapes make it interesting.

The illustrations perfectly match the descriptive text.  On their own the illustrations are just gorgeous.  Combined with the text they create a story that children can relate what they are hearing or reading to what they are seeing.  

Although the message in this story is about a young girl with Rett Syndrome, many children will perceive it as a story about weather and the seasons and how these days make you feel.  Regardless of what children understand the message or story to be about, it is a gorgeous gorgeous story and well worth adding to your collection.

A lovely story with a gentle message about children with Asperger's or Rett syndrome.  There is a paragraph on the publication page with some information about Rett syndrome.  

This is also a good exemplar to use for descriptive story writing, and how the different seasons 'feel'.

I got my copy of Yellow Dress Day from the Taradale Primary School library where I work. 

Woops, I couldn't find a copy at Napier Libraries.

#365PictureBooks 57. Between the Pages by Joan van Loon, illustrations by Chantal Stewart

Van Loon, J., & Stewart, C. (2010). Between the Pages. Frenchs Forest, Australia: New Frontier.

ISBN: 9781921928444
Pages: 32
Age Level: Early Childhood 0-6 / Middle Childhood 7-12
Genre: Picture Storybook
Rating: 4 stars

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Join Billy and Jack on an exciting adventure in the rainforest where they are chased by snakes and lizards and big scary emus ... just to name a few.  With some quick thinking they escape through the pages of their book. 

Van Loon's use of descriptive language and the way she tells the story right from the start gives the impression of tension and adventure.  Told simply enough that younger children will enjoy it as a read-aloud, it is sophisticated enough for middle primary school children to enjoy as well.  The spacing between lines and the font (which looks like 'actual' writing) make it a book that beginning readers will be able to enjoy on their own.

I like how this is a story within a story ... the boys are actually reading about their own adventure!

I'm just loving the illustrations.  They are a combination of full page and graphic novel panels (either inserted in boxes within the main illustration, or like this image as 2 or 3 full length panels beside each other).  The images are quite busy and full of lots of detail so I'm leaning more towards this being a Middle Childhood book rather than an Early Childhood book (although younger children will definitely love the story!).

What a fantastic book.  As it says on the back cover this 'is a story that celebrates the pleasure of reading'.  A great addition to your collection as a read-aloud, for prediction and getting kids imaginations working.  Also a good exemplar to use with students for a story writing text.

I got my copy of Between the Pages from the Taradale Primary School library where I work. 

You can find a copy at Napier Libraries.

#365PictureBooks 56. Jonathan! by Peter Carnavas, illustrated by Amanda Francey

Carnavas, P., & Francey, A. (2014). Jonathan! Frenchs Forest, Australia: New Frontier.

ISBN: 9781921928611
Pages: 32
Age Level: Early Childhood 0-6
Genre: Picture Storybook
Rating: 4 stars

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Jonathan loves dressing up and trying to scare his family.  But they don't find him at all scary or funny!  Disappointed that his scare tactics aren't working Jonathan goes outside and climbs a hill.  But it's not a hill ... it's a dinosaur!  What happens when Jonathan gets the dinosaur to help him scare his family?

A gorgeous simple rhyming story about something that most kids can relate to ... playing dress-up and trying to scare their families.  Each page has one short line of text, which leads into the next page with the animal noise that completes the rhyme.  There is also lots of repetition making this a great story for young children as they will quickly be able to pick up the rhyming aspect of it and the repetition of words.

The illustrations are bright and very realistic.  The facial expressions on Jonathan's face are just classic.  The illustrations are a mix of full colour, with a pale-washed background (like the walls or sky), and just the focus images on a white background.  The scenes really draw you in and make you feel like you are part of the image.

Lovely simple rhyming story to add to your collection.  Great for using with younger kids for imagination and word/sound association.

I got my copy of Jonathan! from the Taradale Primary School library where I work. 

You can find a copy at Napier Libraries.