#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 52. The Monsters' Test by Brian Heinz, illustrated by Sal Murdocca

Heinz, B.J., & Murdocca, S. (1996). The Monsters' Test. Brookfield, CT: The Millbrook Press.

ISBN: 9780761300953
Pages: 24
Age Level: Middle Childhood 7-12
Genre: Picture Storybook / Poetry
Rating: 3 stars

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The Monsters' Test is a bit of an oldie, but I have only just purchased it, and it's about monsters so I'm definitely going to review it. 



Kid's are always having friendly competitions - who is the tallest, the smartest, the prettiest, the fastest - and monsters are no different.  So when a group of the worst of them get together for an evening out, it's not surprising that they decide to have a contest to see which of them is the scariest looking.



Told in verse the Monsters' Test is more appropriate for upper primary and intermediate children.  The rhyme is catchy although not always easy to keep the rhythm up.  Each monster gets a chance to try and outdo everyone else with lots of heckling from the audience.

In keeping with the monster theme the background images are dark and full of suspense.  However the foreground images of the monsters have quite a lot of colour, and the creatures facial expressions and antics make this a book to laugh at and enjoy rather than be scared of.  It shows kids that, just like them, other 'creatures' have fun, make fun of each other, love competition and can be scared of the silliest things!!!

What a great book about Halloween.  I like it although I have to say the sometimes un-rhythmic verse has let it down ... hence only 3 stars.  It would be a great poem for senior students poetry competitions.  I must admit that it is currently catalogued in our system as 821:Poetry, but I'm thinking it will get more use in our Sophisticated Picture Book section so I'll be changing it before the spine label goes on this week.

I got my copy of The Monsters' Test from the Taradale Primary School library where I work. 

You can find a copy at Napier Libraries.

#365PictureBooks 12. The Return of the Jabberwock by Oakley Graham, illustrated by David Neale

Graham, O., & Neale, D. (2013). The Return of the Jabberwock: Inspired by Lewis Carroll's famous poem. Heatherton, Australia: Hinkler.

ISBN: 9781743670286
Pages: 24
Age Level: Middle Childhood 7-12
Genre: Picture Storybook
Rating: 5 stars

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Wow!  What an awesome book. 

I've got to admit that when I had to do a study of Lewis Caroll's Jabberwocky poem in high school, I just didn't understand it.  Quite a few years later as an adult ... yeeeeaaaah, nah!  I still don't get it.  But boy, Oakley Graham does!

Setting the scene right from the get-go, this book starts off with Lewis Carroll's 1872 Jabberwocky poem in a two-page spread, surrounded by a misty forest and dark looming trees.  Devoid of much colour the illustrations lend an air of suspense as you read the poem. 

Then starts the story of a young boy who sets off on an adventure into the Tulgey Wood to find his own Jabberwock, just like his great grandfather did.  Will he be brave enough to go into the woods and face the creatures that live there?  And if he is will he find a Jabberwock?  

Graham's use of language, from his rhyming text to his imagery, really help give the story a sense of excitement, tension and relief.  I really love this particular verse:

'It had an ugly beak and a toothless smile,

And it perched in a nest by an old sundial.

The boy started to tremble; the adventure felt real.

Would he end up as the creature's next meal?

Neale's illustrations are just freaking awesome.  They are perfect for the story.  The young boy stands out as the main character with his use of a muted almost transparent background and scary creatures in shadowy relief.  Shafts of moonlight peeping out from behind the clouds and car lights show what the scary creatures really are - just woodland creatures out and about!  The expressions of fear, determination, and dissapointment are shown so well on the young boy's face.  And Neale's depiction of the animals are just so cute - especially the little piggy!  

I'm so glad I purchased this for school.  It will set a new generation of youngsters on the path of discovery of Lewis Carroll's awesome works.  Whether they understand his original poem, or like me have noooooo freaking idea, they will certainly love this story that it inspired.  Actually it's really a poem, and I can see our older students using it for their poetry competition this year - I'll just have to remember to recommend it!

I got my copy of The Return of the Jabberwodk from the Taradale Primary School library where I work. 

Woops!  I couldn't find a copy at our local library but you can order a copy from your local bookseller.