#365PictureBooks 29. Catch That Plane! by Sally Sutton, illustrated by Sylvie Currin Korankova

Sutton, S. (2014). Catch That Plane! Newton, Australia: Scholastic.

ISBN: 9781921720680
Pages: 24
Age Level: Early Childhood 0-6
Genre: Picture Storybook / NZ Fiction / Non-fiction Read-Aloud
Rating: 4 stars

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Rushing to the

airport.

What do I see?

Plane at the gate,

a-ready and a-steady.

I hope it's going to wait.

We're late as late can be! 

Kiwi author, Sally Sutton, has presented us with a fantastic book about going on a plane trip for the first time and the hustle and bustle that you find in an airport.  It goes through all the aspects of departure, from arriving at the airport through to take-off.

Told in repetitive and simple text, it is aimed at young children - 3-6yrs.  There is a kind-of rhyme to it but I find it a bit disjointed.  Better to try not to rhyme it.  The first and last line rhyme, and the two lines in the middle rhyme.

Krankova's illustrations tell the story really well.  Done in muted colours with a bluey-grey background, they make the main point of each page stand out.  Many of the illustrations are very 'busy', however that is in keeping with the chaos that is often part and parcel of an airport.  You could tell the story by the illustrations alone which makes it a great book for children to read alone.

At the rear, there is a 'Facts' page with a glossary of terms asking children to see if they can spot each item in the book.  The information in this has also been worded at the same level making this a really good non-fiction narrative for young children, either to just enjoy because they like planes, and for those that are about to go on, or have just be on, and airplane.

This is a really good book to read to your child if they have never been on a plane before and you are about to head off overseas (or even within the country).  

This would also be a good book for using in class as a non-fiction narrative for a variety of reasons including sequencing, procedures, transportation, and story-starters - each page is a great place for children to start their own story, especially if they have been on a plane trip and they need a reminder to help them visualise their own trip.

I'm looking forward to sharing this book with our junior students and teachers this year. 

I got my copy of Catch That Plane! 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