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.
Parker-Rees, G. (2013). Tom & Millie's Great BIG Treasure Hunt. London, UK: Orchard Books.
ISBN: 9781408311776
Pages: 32
Age Level: Early Childhood 0-6
Genre: Picture Storybook
Rating: 4 stars
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Join Tom & Millie as they go on a treasure hunt around their town and collect friends and things from their list. I wonder what they are collecting their treasures for?
Parker-Rees, illustrator of Julia Donaldson's Giraffes can't dance has written and illustrated this fantastic world that children will be eager to investigate. As they help Tom & Millie find the items on their list they are also learning different types of maths like counting, colours and shapes.
There are hundreds of things to spot throughout the book as part of the story, and the end papers give you some of Tom & Millie's friends to look out for as well. You could also get your children to look for all sorts of different things that are not part of the treasure hunt.
The illustrations are are quite simplistic, yet you can clearly make out the individual animals. The animals and their backgrounds are done in realistic colours and are quite muted. The bright colouring comes from their clothing and the accessories, like cars, playgrounds and shapes.
The pages alternate between scenes like this one where the friends discussing what they have found, and what they have to locate next. The clue for the next item is displayed in the previous item found. Then you have a 'busy' scene where you need to help Tom & Millie and their friends find the next treasure, and there are simply dozens of things to spot on each page.
There is lots of discussion about colours and numbers, plenty of repetition, and the language used is very appropriate for the reading age.
This is a great book for sharing with friends. It is also a really good maths resource for using with younger primary school students.
I got my copy of Tom & Millie's Great BIG Treasure Hunt from the Taradale Primary School library where I work.
You can find a copy at Napier Libraries.
Tullet, H. (2014). Mix It Up!. Crows Nest, Australia: Allen & Unwin.
ISBN: 9781760110956
Pages: 68
Age Level: Early Childhood 0-6 / Middle Childhood 7-12
Genre: Picture Book
Rating: 5 stars
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First off, let me just say ... I LOVE HERVE TULLET! His books are just freaking AWESOME!
Mix It Up! was originally published in France, by Bayard Editions, with the title Couleurs. It was published in the same year in English by Allen & Unwin. It has a board-book cover, and stitched and glued pages, which makes it robust and able to handle the use it will undoubtedly get.
At its heart this is an instruction manual on how to mix colours. But it is so much more than that. It is interactive. It is fun. It gets kids thinking "What if?" What if you mix this colour with that colour? What if you smash two pages together with wet paint on them? It starts children on the track of creativity and exploration.
The text is simple and instructional. The illustrations are paint strokes and splotches - nothing more. But they are exactly what is needed. This is what children would see on their own sheets of paper as they investigate what mixing different colours together will achieve. As you look at each paint splotch you can see the paint brush bristles or the finger prints, and you can see the flicks and smudges (the mistakes) that are not part of the main image. It shows children that they don't have to be clean and tidy when they are trying things out. Painting, and creativity in general, is a messy business. Have Fun. Embrace the crazy. Let loose and be creative!
You have to check out Tullet's website. It is so much fun. There are simply oodles of things for you to look at and interact with. I spent ages on The game of eyes page. It wasn't till my second time through it that I realised the eyes move. Freaky! And so much fun trying to trick the eyes into not knowing where the mouse is ;-)
This is a seriously awesome book to add to your collection. It is a fun & interactive read, AND it teaches children about colours. I can guarantee that the adults reading it will HAVE TO do all the actions it sais, AND they will have sooooooo much fun. I dare you to read this and NOT do what it tells you!!! Our year 5's & 6's are the ones that have been getting the most fun out of his book Press Here. You don't have to be a little kid to enjoy Tullet.
See you. I'm off to play the game of eyes again. #Hooked
I got my copy of Mix It Up! from the Taradale Primary School library where I work.
You can find a copy at Napier Libraries.
You can check out more reviews of Mix It Up! on Goodreads.
