#365PictureBooks 41. Old Blue: The Rarest Bird in the World by Mary Taylor

Taylor, M. (2014). Old Blue: The Rarest Bird in the World. Auckland, New Zealand: Scholastic.

ISBN: 9781775432371
Pages: 32
Age Level: Middle Childhood 7-12 / YA 12-18
Genre: Non-fiction / NZ Non-fiction
Rating: 5 stars

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At one time, not so very long ago, there remained only five black robins in the whole world.

The story of Old Blue is a remarkable story of survival and conservation. 

This is the story about Old Blue, a Black Robin who lived for over thirteen years, and is one of the reasons that these birds are not extinct.  It is also the story of Dr Don Merton's conservation work on the Chatham Islands in New Zealand, and how he used cross-fostering to help save the world's rarest bird - the Chatham Islands Black Robin.

Originally published in 1993, this edition has been redesigned and updated.

Told in a narrative style, this non-fiction book leads us through the history of the black robin, the processes that Dr Don & his team went through, and Old Blue's efforts to re-populate the black robin species.  It is beautifully told (although it may require a tissue or three as it is quite an awe-inspiring and heartfelt read) and quite simply worded.

Mary Taylor is a professional artist and her work is just amazing.  The illustrations in Old Blue appear as if you are looking through a window and observing what is happening.  I love the framing of the other images with parts of the main illustration overlapping the frame.  

There is a lovely map of the Chatham Islands on the first page which leads into the story.  The very last page has a small copy of the two plates illustrating all the birds of the Chatham Islands (3rd page in & 3rd-to-last page).  It lists each bird and their degree of vulnerability.  It also provides information on a current conservation effort to save the Fairy Tern (tara-iti).  

The quote on the back cover is so thought-provoking, and yet so true:

"If the rarest bird in the world can be rescued, then given human determination and effort, no species need become extinct."

Dr Don Merton

Awards:
Winner Children's Book Awards: Non fiction 1994

A fantastic book to have in your non-fiction narrative collection.  The story is amazing but it is also a book that you can just loose yourself in with the illustrations.  Appropriate for middle primary school (as a read-aloud) all the way through to high school.

I got my copy of Old Blue: The Rarest Bird in the World from the Taradale Primary School library where I work. 

You can find a copy at Napier Libraries.

Check out the review on We Love Books: The Booksellers New Zealand Blog.

#365PictureBooks 38. Kakapo Dance by Helen Taylor

Taylor, H. (2014). Kakapo Dance. Auckland, New Zealand: Puffin.

ISBN: 9780143506010
Pages: 32
Age Level: Early Childhood 0-6
Genre: Picture Storybook / NZ Fiction
Rating: 5 stars

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I love Helen Taylor's illustrations!  They are so bright and realistic it is as if the birds will just step off the page into your lap.  Stunning! 


In Kakapo Dance Taylor tells the story of all the birds in the bush trying to get Kakapo to join in their singing and dancing.  But Kakapo CAN'T Dance!  And so it carries on through the book with each consecutive bird trying to entice poor Kakapo to dance.

The rhyme and story remind me of My Cat Likes to Hide in Boxes by Eve Sutton & Lynley Dodd.  Or maybe The Twelve Days of Christmas.  As each bird tries to tempt Kakapo to sing and dance their line of rhyme is added to the previous so that you repeat each line as you get down to Kakapo's refrain ... 

But Kakapo DON'T sing or dance,

we're just not made that way!

With lots of repetition and a catchy rhyme this book is full of language that will teach children about the movement and sounds the birds of our New Zealand bush make.  The font has been coloured so that the motion and noise words are done in a way that links to the bird it is talking about - Teal for the Kereru, Navy Blue for the Pukeko, and bright Emerald Green for the Kakapo. 

As I mentioned before, Taylor's illustrations are just stunning.  They are bright.  They are bold.  They are so realistic.  A true and beautiful depiction of our native birds.

I just want to keep re-reading it!   It is a lovely addition to your collection of fun rhyming stories.  A great read aloud.  And fantastic for when classes are doing artwork and need an image or photo of one of our beautiful birds.

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

You can find a copy at Napier Libraries.

#365PictureBooks 23. All I Said Was by Michael Morpurgo, illustrated by Ross Collins

Morpurgo, M., & Collins, R. (2014). All I Said Was. Edinburgh, UK: Red Squirrel Books.

ISBN: 9781781123485
Pages: 32
Age Level: Early Childhood 0-6 / Middle Childhood 7-12
Genre: Picture Storybook
Rating: 5 stars

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All I can say is ... Wow!  I wasn't expecting that ending!!! 

This is the story of a young boy who looked up from his book one day and saw a bird.  And you know what he said?  

"Hi there, bird.  You know what I'd like?

I'd like to be you.  I'd like to be able to fly off to any place I liked.  That would be so good."

And guess what?!?!  He did!



Morpurgo has presented us with a well written and imaginative story about a boy who dreams of flying and a bird who dreams of reading a book.  Told in short sentences with double spacing and easy to read font, this is a good book for beginning readers, and for those parents who do not read as confidently as they would like.  It's also a good story to use for prediction.  The young boy repeatedly asks the question "And what happened?" before you turn the page.

Collins' illustrations are bright and colourful and perfectly capture the humour in the story.  You can see the young boys joy in the birds face when he first flies off and his terror on the return flight.  And he depicts all the other creatures anger towards the bird so clearly.

Picture Squirrels are the Barrington Stoke's picture book range, designed with a selection of 'dyslexia-friendly features to support parents and carers who do not read confidently so that they too can enjoy the books with their children' (Picture Squirrels, n.d. para. 1).

This is a great read-aloud book that celebrates the power of books and the ability of stories that can take us anywhere we can imagine.  It's a great resource to have in your collection for working with imagination and prediction.  Just watch out for the ending!!!!!!!


I got my copy of All I Said Was from the Taradale Primary School library where I work. 

You can find a copy at Napier Libraries.


References:
Picture Squirrels. (n.d.). About Picture Squirrels. Retrieved January 23, 2015 from http://www.picturesquirrels.co.uk/about-picture-squirrels.html