#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 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 26. The Dinosaur that Pooped the Past! by Tom Fletcher & Dougie Poynter, illustrated by Garry Parsons

Fletcher, T., & Poynter, D. (2014). The Dinosaur that Pooped the Past! London, UK: Red Fox.

ISBN: 9781782951780
Pages: 32
Age Level: Early Childhood 0-6 / Middle Childhood 7-12
Genre: Picture Storybook
Rating: 5 stars

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Warning!  This book is not for the faint of heart!  If you are not a fan of Poo, or time travel, I beg you, do not read on!

Danny and his Dinosaur friend are back in a third poo-filled adventure.  After eating Grannies green sludge they head off to play on an old swing.  This is not a normal swing though.  It has time-travel powers and the duo find themselves flung back in time where they meet some new dino-friends ... in VOLCANO SEASON!  With a broken swing!!!  Oh oh!  How are they ever going to get back home?  Will Dinosaur be able to save them by pooping them back to the future??

Fletcher & Poynter have presented us with another rhyming and humorous story that is just as good as the first two (The Dinosaur that Pooped a Planet! and The Dinosaur that Pooped Christmas!).  I dare you to read it and not laugh.  It's got all the things that boys like; dinosaurs, time travel, adventure, oh ... and poo.  Lots and lots and lots of poo!  An three really really cute dinosaurs - Dino Dudes A, B and C. 

Young children will love the fun of a pooping dinosaur, though a lot of the humour may be over their heads.  There is a lot of quite complicated language and odd phrases that older students will be more confident with.  Also the older kids will just love the grossness of the story and it will make a great read-aloud for them to share with their younger buddies, as the rhyme is easy to pick up.

Parson's illustrations are a perfect match to the hilarious time-travelling historical story.  Most of the backgrounds use very muted colours, and some of his illustrations are predominantly monotone - like the scene with Granny serving her green sludge - with only Danny & the Dinosaurs being the main point of colour. 


This series of books by Tom Fletcher and Dougie Poynter are soooooo popular at our school.  Yes it's boy humour, but you'd be surprised just how many girls love toilet humour too.  Yep!  I'm one of them!!

A great read-aloud, though maybe not at bedtime when you are trying to settle your children down!   Perfect for young children and old alike.

I got my copy of The Dinosaur that Pooped the Past! 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