CBCA Notables Part 3 - which books made the list?

Last night the 2018 Notables were announced. There are lots of great books here to read but it will be a bit of a rush to get through "all of" them before the short list is announced. We have so much talent here in Australia and the Notables are a great way to showcase so many books some of which may have slipped into a school library unnoticed.

• 25 Young Adult titles in the Older Readers Category
• 37 titles in the Younger Readers Category
• 45 Picture books in the Early Childhood Category
• 48 Picture books in the Picture Book of the Year Category
• 18 titles in the Eve Pownall section for Non Fiction

I was happy to see quite a few of the titles I mentioned previously made 'the cut' in the Younger Readers section especially How to Bee by Bren MacDibble and The Shop at Hoopers Bend by Emily Rodda.  In fact I cheered and startled the people standing near me!  I had forgotten about Too Many Friends so I was happy to see it listed too.  By coincidence  this week I read another amazing book by Kathryn Apel - Bully on the Bus. I have also talked about Trouble at home on this blog so now I need to pick up Trouble and the new Kid.

This morning I visited my local public library picked up four more titles from this section so over the coming days I hope to talk about :

The cursed first term of Zelda Stitch
The Secrets we Share - I did enjoy the first installment The secrets we Keep.
Pip and Houdini - I did enjoy the first installment Run, Pip, Run
Tarin of the Mammoths - The Exile

I took some time to look at some of the Picture book of the Year titles last night at the CBCA event (Dymocks only had a small selection) and I do like the look of What's up top by Marc Martin, The sleeping Beauty retold by Gebriela Tylesova  (exquisite illustrations) and Whatcha building by Andrew Daddo.  I talked about Tales from a Tall Forest on this blog a few weeks ago.  It is not quite a picture book but I guess this might be the best place to categorise it.

Finally I was so excited to see Tamsin Janu has two titles on the Notables list.  She will be speaking at an IBBY Event in Sydney in a few weeks so it will be great to congratulate her in person.

Notables part two - Younger Readers

On Tuesday night next week the Notable titles selected by the Children's Book Council of Australia will be announced. Earlier I talked about my Picture Book predictions. Here are some middle grade titles which the judges may have considered for this year.

I have never felt entirely comfortable with the name Younger Readers for this category of our CBCA Book Awards especially in more recent times when it is rare to find more than one or two junior novels for children aged 8 on the list.  Most of the books selected in past years have been for Middle Primary and Upper Primary readers.

Take a look at each of our Short Lists from the past few years
2017
2016
2015
2014
2013

Looking back at my year of reading here are some titles (click them) which I think/hope might make 'the cut' for the 2018 Notable list.  The first three on this list are my personal top three.

How to Bee by Bren MacDibble
The shop at Hoopers Bend by Emily Rodda
The elephant by Peter Carnavas
The extremely inconvenient adventures of Bronte Mettlestone by Jaclyn Moriarty
Nevermoor : The trials of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend
The Beast of Hushing Wood by Gabrielle Wang
The Blue Cat by Ursula Dubosarsky
Polly and Buster : The Wayward witch and the feelings monster by Sally Rippin
The Rogues : Accidental Heroes by Lian Tanner
A different dog by Paul Jennings
Too many friends by Kathryn Apel

Books I should have read which might make the list include:
The Turnkey by Allison Rushby
Our race for Reconciliation by Anita Heiss
Jehan and the quest of the lost dog by Rosanne Hawke

Books I have read but haven't talked about on this blog (yet):
The boy and the spy by Felice Arena
Figgy takes the City by Tamsin Janu - I will be talking about this one soon I finished it last night and loved it.
The girl, the dog and the writer in Rome by Katrina Nannestad

Notables are coming

Next week our CBCA will announce their Notable titles for 2018. From this selection the short listed titles will be announced in March and then in August we celebrate the winners of the Australian Children's Book of the Year award in various categories.

I thought it might be interesting to look at some picture books published over 2017 - titles that are all eligible for this award - and try to predict some books that might make the cut.

Here are some I have already talked about. Click the title to read my thoughts:


Eddie Frogbert
Hark, it's me, Ruby Lee!
Once upon a small rhinoceros
Storm Whale


I borrowed a small selection of other 2017 picture book titles from my friend's beautiful library so here are a few more which might be on the Notable list.

Stitches and Stuffing by Carrie Gallasch and Sara Acton

Bunny Bear is left behind after a day of fun and sunshine at the beach.  He is left behind and suffers great injury at the hands of the family dog. Nana fixes him and adds new buttons so he can see but Bunnybear feels like a stranger. He languishes on the shelf until one day Adeline picks him up again. Each day they play together "and even though he was different to how he once was, Adeline knew Bunnybear was just the way he should be."
This is a gentle affirming book for a very young child and I would pair it with Ducky's Nest and Arnold the Prickly Teddy by Kym Lardner.

Nanna's Button Tin by Dianne Wolfer and Heather Potter

This is the perfect book to pair with Stitches and Stuffing.  Once again Grandma rescues a precious Teddy. This one has lost an eye and so it is time to explore Nanna's button tin and enjoy all the memories associated with some of the special buttons they find inside. This book has a simple repetitive story pattern which is perfect for a young child. The button has to be the right size - the tiny yellow one from her baby jacket is too small.  The button has to be the right shape - a bear shaped button comes from a birthday jumper but it is not right for teddy's eye. The button has the be the right colour - the green button is pretty but Teddy needs a brown one. I would enjoy sharing this book with a group of pre-school children because I could bring along my button jar which has buttons collected over three generations.

Gus dog goes to work by Rachel Flynn illustrated by Craig Smith

Gus is a working dog. He has a house, a yard, a Ute and a man. Craig Smith is the perfect illustrator for this book. I love the way he draws dogs and authentic scenes of rural life in Australia. Gus loves his daily routine. He does not understand every word used by Tom but he can follow words like gidday, getup, getoutovit and gohome. Something goes wrong one morning and Tom does not appear. Gus decides to follow his daily routine without Tom but he becomes very lost.  At the school the teacher shouts at him, he finds some chooks but again someone shouts, and then he comes to a set of delicious smelling bins. After a full day of wandering he finds a ute that looks familiar but is it? This book will appeal to Kindergarten and Grade One children especially city kids who are curious about farm life. I would compare this book with My Dog's a Scaredy Cat, The Windy Farm and one of Craig's earliest books The Black Dog by Christobel Mattingley.

Pea Pod Lullaby by Glenda Millard illustrated by Stephen Michael King

In my view this is not really a book for the Early Childhood section. Older children will make deeper connections. Flipping through this book you might think it is a simple story with gentle illustrations by Stephen Michael King but Glenda Millard (who I adore) has a deeper story to tell.  Night time, barbed wire, red flames, a family on the run.  These are the images on the title page. The tiny family climb onto a little green row boat. Their voyage takes them out into the open ocean where they find a stranded polar bear.  Glenda Millard has written another lyrical text that surely began as a poem.

I am the windblown husk
you are the jewelled rain
quench me
I am the sapphire night
you are the lantern moon
light me

They take the polar bear back to his icy land where he is reunited with his family and then our group sail on until their journey also ends with a reunion. This is a philosophical tale about our place in the world, about care of others, about the cycle of life, and love and family.  Here is a set of teaching notes and Kids Book Review describe this book as breathtaking. The back cover says this is "an inspiring and timely story of courage, endurance, and hope for a world in which we can reach out and embrace one another."

Other titles which might/should be included on the 2018 Notable list are Florette by Anna Walker, I'm Australian Too by Mem Fox, Sloth who came to stay by Margaret Wild, Feathers by Phil Cummings, Mopoke by Philip Bunting and Swan Lake illustrated by Anne Spudvilas. I was excited to see so many fabulous Australian picture books which were published in 2017. In my next post I will make some predictions for the Younger Readers category.

Good Dog McTavish by Meg Rosoff

McTavish smiled, in the way that dogs smile, with a soft little woof and a squirmy sort of wriggle.

I really, really, really enjoyed this little book Good Dog McTavish but I am having a struggle deciding about the audience. The publisher says 8+  but I think older children might appreciate this book even more. Many years ago I read a similar little book called Spunky tells all and enthusiastically gave it to a Grade 3 teacher to share with her class but she returned it quite quickly because her class found it too confusing. I think they had difficulty with the concept of point of view - that Spunky as the family dog was telling his version of domestic life. McTavish also has opinions and ideas about making this family better but here it is not told as a first 'person' narrative.

The Peachey family are imploding. Mum decides she has had enough of the cleaning, organising and cooking so she steps aside to enjoy her yoga leaving the family to fend for themselves. Not surprisingly, quite quickly, everything falls apart. Take away and frozen meals (even horrid tasting ones) become the norm, dishes linger unwashed, clothes pile up all over the house - clean and dirty and everyone is late for work and school. Think of Anthony Browne and his classic Piggybook. The youngest child, Betty,  - old head on young shoulders - knows something must be done and done now so she suggests the family find a dog. They set off to the Cuddles Home for Unclaimed Mutts (C.H.U.M.).

"Betty screwed her eyes shut with longing and terror.  She did not want to browse dogs. All she wanted was to choose the smartest, waggiest, most shiny-eyed of all the poor doggies in captivity, take him home and love him to bits. Maybe then her family could return to a time when Ma Peachey wasn't doing yoga ... "

Betty finds McTavish - quite a lot of Scottish terrier, a bit of Jack Russell, a touch of poodle, a trace of Bichon Frise and a dash of Chinese Spaniel. Yes this is quite a mix but the main thing you need to know is McTavish is wise. Betty loves him. She makes him a wonderful comfortable bed using an old blanket and a sleeping bag which she washes and sews up carefully. McTavish settles in but he can see this family need urgent help.

"He observed the Peacheys in silence, needing to know what sort of family he had chosen and what his role in that family would be. ... McTavish was more a psychological mastermind. He liked to organise people, to fix situations that were not to his liking. And to arrange the world in way that made it most comfortable for himself."

Betty confides in McTavish sharing her worries about the family and in turn McTavish comes up with three plans - A, B and C. As each plan is implemented the family move one step closer to normality and perhaps gain some of the wisdom Ma Peachley herself has been seeking through her yoga. McTavish, however,  remains a true dog throughout the story - he cannot talk, his special bond with Betty is just one of love between a child and her dog - but he can do doggy things such as chew shoes, hide clothes, bark and in plan C even stop eating.

One tiny warning - if you are planning to read this book aloud to a class there is one use of the word 'goddam' which may offend. On a happier note Meg Rosoff also includes delicious words such as clinched, matriarchal oppression, melancholy, foray, existential, rampage, hooligan and invigorating.

Meg Rosoff is the winner of one of the most prestigious Children's Literature awards - The Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award. Here is an interview with Meg.

Read some reviews of Good Dog McTavish:
The Bookbag
LoveReading4Kids

At the back of Good Dog McTavish you will find a page of dog care instructions because "A dog is for life, not just for Easter."  There is also some information about Blue Cross which is a UK dog rescue organisation. Another book in our school library with a dog narrator is Dog by Daniel Pennac - translated from French. Whenever I find a senior primary student who loves dogs I place this book into their hands and nearly every reader comes back with a smile. You could also follow this theme by reading A dog's life by Ann Martin.  I would also pair this book with Let's get a pup by Bob Graham.

Good news, we will be able to meet McTavish again in his second book due mid 2018.

The Wild Robot by Peter Brown

"And then came the last crate. It followed the same path as the others, but instead of crashing against the rocks, it sloshed against the remains of the first four crates. Soon, more waves were heaving it up out of the water. It soared through the air, spinning and glistening until it slammed down onto a tall shelf of rock. The crate was cracked and crumpled, but the robot inside was safe."

I love reading a book where I have an internal dialogue with the author.  All though The Wild Robot I was having a discussion with Peter Brown about his inventive plot choices.  Crates of robots wash up on an island after a ship wreck but only one unit survives - ROSSUM unit 7134 or Roz for short.  Roz sets about using her computer brain to make sense of her environment and find ways to communicate with the animals she encounters. Luckily for Roz this island has no human inhabitants.

"Once fully activated, I will be able to move and communicate and learn. Simply give me a task and I will complete it. Over time, I will find better ways of completing my tasks. I will become a better robot."

Readers can only guess the real purpose of a robot like Roz but she certainly has an important role on this island. Even though Roz cannot really feel emotions herself there are some very powerful emotional scenes in this story.  One example early in the story is when Roz accidentally falls down a cliff onto some trees and she smashes into a goose nest. The geese are dead and four eggs are smashed but one egg survives.

"The robot gently cradled the fragile thin in her hand. Without a family, the unhatched gosling inside would surely die."

The gosling hatches but Roz does not know how to care for him so she has to ask the forest animals for help.  They are all very suspicious of this monster and they find it incredulous that Roz does not want to eat them in fact she does not eat at all. Roz and Brightbill, however, seem made for each other. Roz has so much to learn, Brightbill is learning as he grows and their shared paths help forge their new friendship and lead to understanding among the other animals too. Roz brings 'human' things to the island such as fire, shelter and she even uses the skills of the beavers to fashion a new foot when hers is lost. Island life is hard but it does feel like utopia until the day an airship arrives carrying three RECOs who have been sent to claim the lost cargo.  Here is a shortened version of the first conversation with Roz.

'We are here to retrieve all ROZZUM units.'
'Where have you come from?'
'Do not ask questions,'
'Where will you take me?'
'Do not ask questions.'
'Why must I leave?'
'Do not ask questions.'

I said earlier there are no humans on the island.  For me this is an important point. Peter Brown is exploring the dynamics between a man made machine in this case a robot and nature. The inclusion of humans would have given us an entirely different story - possibly one that would not be so powerful or interesting.  This is a story with layers which at times feels like a fable.

The stage is set for book two which I am hoping to grab as soon as it becomes available next month.

Brown has written a lively tale that is sure to engage young readers.   New York Times

This book would make a perfect class read-aloud. Here is a set of teachers notes. This review examines the way Peter Brown prepared to write his story of a robot in the wilderness. The School Library Journal also has a detailed review. Karen Yingling  interviewed Peter Brown for SLJ. I think this book is destined to become a classic - I do hope so.

I also enjoyed the way each chapter begins with italics and the generous illustrations which one commentator rightly suggested would look even better in colour.

Our story begins
As you might know
I should remind you

I do have a fascination with books about robots.  One of the books on my top book list is Eager by Helen Fox and the sequels.

Charlie and Mouse by Laurel Snyder illustrated by Emily Hughes

Have you ever heard of a bedtime banana?  

Find out more - read Charlie and Mouse today.

This is my favourite thing - discovering a very satisfying story inside a book for a beginning reader. Charlie and Mouse is a perfect book.  It balances humour with events and relationships that the youngest children will identify with.

Chapter One begins with Charlie - there is a lump in his bed.

"Are you awake?' Charlie asked.
'No,' said the lump. 'I am sleeping.'
'How can you be sleeping?' asked Charlie.
'You are talking.'
The lump stopped talking."

Charlie convinces his brother it is time to get up because today is the neighborhood party and everyone will be there. As the pair head down to the park everyone joins their parade.  The park is empty but this group of kids are ready for fun.  "It was the best party ever."

The next day Charlie decides the boys need money and he proposes selling rocks. The boys set off with their rocks but things do not quite go to plan. Instead of selling rocks they end up collecting rocks and even though they are paid $2 by their neighbors they become so engrossed in getting those rocks home they miss a perfect ice cream opportunity.

Are you still wondering about that bedtime banana? Sorry all I can say is find this book!

The other strength of Charlie and Mouse is the wonderful words such as sustain and moaned used by Laurel Snyder author of Orphan Island a book, for older students, which I adored.  Here are a very detailed set of teaching notes from the publisher.

Here are some review comments :

Yet when I read this story what I found was a quietly subversive, infinitely charming, eerily rereadable early chapter book not just worth reading but worth owning.  School Library Journal

A top-notch early reader, with words and art in perfect step. Kirkus

The adventures we share with the brothers are simple, and at the same time they are rich. Through the looking Glass


Charlie and Mouse is the winner of the (Theodore Seuss) Geisel Award.  Try to find some past winners if you are looking for utterly perfect books for your youngest readers.  I am looking forward to reading the second book in this series. 

Moo a novel by Sharon Creech

Newbery Medalist Creech touches on themes of loss, friendship, and belonging in this appealing tale of a young girl’s unlikely relationship with Zora, an enormous belted Galloway. Kirkus

Moo - why was I keen to read this book?

• It is by the wonderful Sharon Creech
• Sharon Creech once commented on this blog making me love her even more!
• I adore belted Galloway cows (even though I have never seen one)
• Moo is a partly written as a verse novel. I so admire writers who use this genre.
• Ever since I read The Homecoming and Dicey's Song by Cynthia Voigt I have sought out books set in Maine

Driving through city traffic Reena's mum says "let's get out of here".  She means let's leave this hectic city life.  But where will they go. Reena says Maine.

"My parents met in Maine many years ago and when they spoke of Maine their voices had the glint of sea and sky. In the car that day, Maine just popped out of my head. I hadn't expected they would take me seriously. I'm glad I didn't say Siberia."

Friends, family, neighbors, strangers all warn against the perils of Maine - especially the cold. But there are also good things - lobsters, blueberries, coastlines and mountains.  When the family arrive mum and dad send Reena and her brother Luke (a seven-year-old complexity) off for a ride around the town - this is unheard of freedom. 

In the city where we'd lived
there were few safe places
for us to ride - 
few places where we weren't competing
with cars and trucks and buses
and surprise clumps of kids
armed with sticks and stone
or wobbly bearded men spitting

but here in this little town by the sea
there were wide sidewalks
and quiet, curving lanes
spreading like tree limbs
from the trunk of the town centre
and you could ride and ride
the whole day long.

Their mother meets the eccentric Mrs Falala and volunteers Reena and Luke to help with a cow called Zora.  Reena and Luke know nothing about cows. Zora is ornery, moody and stubborn not to mention caked with mud and dust.  Somehow Reena and Luke need to make friends with the strangely abrasive Mrs Falala and with Zora, her cow, and then complete the seemingly impossible task of preparing Zora for the country show. But please don't go thinking this is just a book about kids and a cow - it is so much more. Read this book slowly, then read it again. This is story telling at its best.

Listen to an audio sample here from the first few pages of this book.  I would follow Moo with The girl who Bought Mischief and Fly Away.   Of course you should also pick up Love that Dog and Hate that Cat by Sharon Creech.


A heartfelt tale that will be embraced by Creech’s fans, work well as a classroom read-aloud, and find a spot in book groups. School Library Journal

Many children’s books depict a quest or journey, or a huge event in the main character’s life. With MOO, Creech acknowledges the fact that an unlikely friendship with an elderly woman --- and an ornery cow --- is all the drama a children’s book needs in order to shine. KidsReads

Hark, it's me, Ruby Lee! by Lisa Shanahan and Binny

By the end of the book, you’ll feel as if Ruby Lee is a real person — that you know her personally. Her hopes, dreams, disappointments and flaws are all exposed, pulling you into the story so you experience the same sadness, joy and pride as Ruby Lee does through the book. Kids Book Review

Children love to take on class 'jobs' such as lunch monitor, line leader or messenger.  Ruby Lee is desperate to be the messenger. She is the best in her class at announcing :

Hark, it's me, Ruby Lee

Fear not I am the bearer of good news

For some reason Mrs Majestic-Jones never seems to pick Ruby Lee. Her friend, with the delightful name George Papadopoulos, tries to help but on Monday Siena is chosen again and Ruby Lee is made litter patrol officer. At least the birds love her because she shares the lunch scraps. On Tuesday Siena is absent. George suggests Ruby Lee try sitting quietly as still as a mouse. It works and she is now the class messenger but her excitement and exuberance means things do not quite go to plan.

This little cautionary tale is a delight to read aloud.  It is filled with delicious invented words like:

Spockled Frocklewockle!
Squinker
Shlurgle

I especially enjoyed the opening sentences :
Ruby Lee loves pockets, peaches, puddles and polka dots.
She loves humming and hopping and handstands at dusk.

It would be fun to read this book with a class at the start of the school year or term when you are deciding on your class roles and responsibilities. Perhaps you could make a chart with the jobs and then add the personal qualities required for each task and compare these with Ruby Lee and her classmates.

I wonder if this book might be short listed for our CBCA awards which will be announced in a few weeks - it certainly deserves to be. You can see some of the illustrations here. You might also take a look at the illustrator web site.  Lisa Shanahan is the author of one of my favourite read aloud titles Bear and Chook by the sea.

After reading Hark, it's me, Ruby Lee try to find Jennie's hat by Ezra Jack Keats.

My reading pile

Leaving my school library last year I knew I would miss having access to new (and old) books but I seem to have found plenty from other sources and somehow my reading pile is now quite huge.  I will talk about some or all of these over the coming weeks.

The Most important Thing by Avi
From the blurb : Avi introduces seven boys seeking acceptance, guidance, or just someone to look up to. ... Each story shines a different light on the question 'What's the most important thing a father can do for his son?'
Kirkus give this book a star review. I have read the first two stories and I am hooked.
Source - my public library

Prisoner of the Black Hawke - The Mapmaker Chronicles Book Two A.L. Tait
From the blurb : In the second book in this thrilling series, mapmaker Quinn is far from home in an exotic land filled with dangerous creatures and ruthless enemies. When he is betrayed by someone close to him and comes face to face with boodthirsty pirates, he has to decide once and for all who is a friend and who is a foe.
Check out my review of the first book in this series.
Source - a friend


Moo by Sharon Creech
I am a massive fan of everything Sharon Creech has written.  When I saw this on a review site last year I knew I wanted to read it especially since it is partly written as a verse novel.
From the blurb : When twelve year old Reena, her little brother, Luke, and their parents move to Maine, Reena doesn't know what to expect. She's ready for beaches, blueberries, and all the lobster she can idea. Instead her parents 'volunteer' her to work for an eccentric neighbor named Mrs Falala, who one very ornery cow named Zora.
Kirkus give Moo a star review.
Source - Gleebooks


The Gallery by Laura Marx Fitzgerald
I picked this up because the cover looked good and the blur intrigued me.  I know realise it by the author of Under the Egg which I read last year.
From the blurb : Nothing is what it seems and no one is who they say they are. A eccentric recluse. A self-absorbed newspaper tycoon. A shady footman. A mansion with a secret. And one girl who has the moxie to see everything for what it is.
The Kirkus reviewer enjoyed this book.
Source - local bookshop



The house of Months and Years by Emma Trevayne
I picked this up because the cover looked interesting and this is a new book published in 2017.
From the blurb : It was a special house, assembled stone by stone and brick by brick. Twelve rooms, seven fireplaces, a floor for each season. Horatio, the immortal who built  it stood in the sunlight streaming through fifty-two windows and was pleased with himself. A perfect Calendar House, ideal for its purpose.

The Kirkus review says this book is satisfying.
Source - my public library



The Wild Robot by Peter Brown
I have seen this book mentioned several times in book lists and in the School Library Journal review Elizabeth Bird gave it a very positive review.  I do like the art of Peter Brown and we have several of his picture books in our school library including The Curious Garden, Children make terrible pets and My Teacher is a monster.
From the blurb : When robot Roz opens her eyes for the first time, she discovers that she is alone on a remote, wild island. She has no idea how she got there or what her purpose is - but she knows she needs to survive. But as Roz slowly befriends the animals, the island starts to feel like home - until one day, her mysterious past comes back to haunt her.
Kirkus gave The Wild Robot a star review.
Source - Gleebooks

A case in any case by Ulf Nilsson illustrated by Gitte Spee

I am just going to talk about this book - number three in the Detective Gordon series - very briefly because you can read how much I enjoyed the first installment.  My main message is go out and grab this book and read it with or to your young child as soon as you can. I guarantee both of you will enjoy every page.

Gordon has taken a holiday (a long holiday) and left Police Chief Buffy in charge of the station. She is missing Gordon. One night she hears some mysterious sounds late in the night right outside her window.  She sees a large shapeless figure disappearing through the garden. When all of this happens again on the second night Buffy decides to head over to Gordon and ask his advice. Gordon is delighted to see her but just as they begin to discuss the case (Gordon knows more than he is letting on) a kindergarten group arrive with their teacher.  Two of the little students are missing. A squirrel named Evert and a young rabbit named Karen. 

It is lucky Gordon and Buffy are working together on the case but while they are piecing together all the clues your young reader will delight in solving this one themselves well before our intrepid heroes.  I suggest you begin this series with book one and continue in reading order.


 Nilsson’s third Detective Gordon mystery is as charming and droll as the first two. Filled with silly and sweet songs, anthropomorphic animals who all get along (except the fox), and a naïve sensibility, it should easily please fans of the first.  Kirkus

 Life lessons are imparted within these pages but with a gentleness and brevity that allow a simple yet engaging plot to move forward. School Library Journal

Brambly Hedge series by Jill Barklem

I was so sad to hear that Jill Barklem, creator of the Brambly Hedge book series died late last year.  I loved having these sweet books in my school library. The idea of living in the hedgerow seems so special especially to a reader from Australia where we have no hedgerows.   Yesterday I visited an excellent Vintage book store and I found two little Brambly Hedge stories - Summer Story and Autumn Story.

In Summer story, after many months of quiet meetings beside the mill stream Miss Poppy Eyebright and Mr Dusty Dogwood "officially announced their engagement."  Everyone is involved in the preparations for the midsummer day event which will take place on the river.  Dusty makes a 'raft' using a flat piece of bark which is tethered with plaited rush and nettle ropes.  In the kitchens cool summer foods are prepared such as cold watercress soup, fresh dandelion salad, syllabubs and meringues with wild strawberries and special wines.  Reading this book to a young child there would be so much to explore and perhaps even cook.

On the day of the wedding everything goes well until the vigorous dancing makes the ropes holding the raft snap.

"The raft floated gently past fields of buttercups and meadowsweet. ... Eventually, the raft was caught in a leafy clump of rushes and forget-me-nots. The ropes were made fast, and the dancing began again."

The mice set off to collect ripe blackberries in Autumn Story.  Young Primrose, daughter of Lord and Lady Woodmouse, becomes lost just as a storm is about to begin. Primrose has become distracted as she collected flowers and she finds herself in the home of two elderly harvest ice. "They sat Primrose down, gave her a slice of cake, and handed her their album of family portraits to look at."  After this delightful visit she continues on her way and spies an interesting hole. Inside is a maze of tunnels and Primrose quickly becomes lost.  Eventually she finds the way back outside but she is so exhausted and the rain is falling so she huddles under the brambles and tries to stay brave "when to her horror she saw five little flickering lights coming through the woods towards her. She could just make out five strange figures behind them. They were shapeless and bulgy, and seemed to have no heads at all."  The five are in fact her family and friends and Primrose is rescued. Her mother takes her home, puts her in a clean nightie  and they share a mug of hot acorn coffee.

You can watch a little of the television series here.  Once you could even buy Brambly Hedge china from Royal Doulton.  You could follow the Brambly Hedge books with a visit to Beatrix Potter and her famous titles and also the Tumtum and Nutmeg books.

A great big cuddle - Poems for the very young by Michael Rosen illustrated by Chris Riddell

It feels like there’s something for everyone in this collection, but the takeaway is how well it holds together. A treasure in a treasury.

It is also worth noting that without including any verbal instructions, even the dullest of parental readers will catch on pretty early that many of these poems are interactive. 

Delightful to read aloud again and again (a good thing since I’m afraid you will have to, if only to please your rabid pint-sized audience) and lovely to the eye, Rosen and Riddell aim for the earliest of ages and end up creating a contemporary classic in the process.

School Library Journal

Here is an absolutely perfect, must own, must read, must buy poetry book for children aged 2-6. I loved every single poem by the amazing Michael Rosen. The large format and the funny, colourful illustrations Chris Riddell are perfect for each of the 35 poems.  Here is the Kirkus review and one from Kids Book Review.

Here are a few poems I enoyed :

Inside Out

Inside out
Outside in
You can't lose
I can't win

I've got a sausage
You've got a pie
I can't whistle
And I don't know why.

I've got a letter
You've got a phone
You like sandwiches
I like to moan.

Moan
moan
Moan
Moan
Moan
moan
Moan
moan.

Your voice needs to get softer and softer towards the end.

Mrs Hobson-Jobson Says :

Itty-bitty . Bat . Tittle-tattle . Tat
Shilly-shally . Shout . Dilly-Dally . Out
Willy-nilly . Woo . Silly Billy . Boo!
Roly-poly . Rip . Pitter-patter . Pip
Wibble-wobble . Woe . Namby-pamby . No
Hunky-dory. Hop . Topsy-turvey
Stop

Meet at the Ark at Eight by Ulrich Hub illustrated by Jörg Mühle

Not for every reader, but sweet in its own way. Kirkus

I think I smiled right through this little quirky book but here is a warning some people might find all the questions about the existence and role of God quite confronting and yet I would say the questions are probably the same ones all humans (young and old) have had at some time.

Three penguins are living in the land of ice and snow and snow and ice and ice and snow. A butterfly arrives and the three begin to ponder the existence of God. 

Here is an abridged version of their conversation :

"So who is God?
Oh, God ... that's a difficult question
Well, God is great and very, very powerful. He came with with all sorts of rules and can become quite grumpy if you don't stick to them. Other than that, he's very friendly.
There's just one small disadvantage to God
What's that?
God is invisible.
Well, that's a huge disadvantage ... If you can't see God, you can't be sure whether he really exists."

As this dialogue continues a dove arrives with news of Noah and his ark.  He tells the penguins to meet at the ark at eight.  The problem is God and Noah only want two penguins. The first two decide to take their friend in their suitcase. The are worried about drowning and are in a rush to get over to the ark. (Take a minute to think about this).

Hiding the third penguin on the ship gives rise to a hilarious series of events. Of course the flood eventually subsides after the obligatory 40 days. The three penguins are saved but what about the dove. She kept having a niggling thought that she was missing something :

"I've got it, at last! The whole time, I've had this funny feeling I'd forgotten something!"

Read an interview with the publisher here.  Here is a review by a young reader. Try to find some books by Nicholas Allen if Meet at the Ark at Eight tickles your funny bone.  You could also read Meet at the Ark at Eight to a class familiar with the story of Noah's Ark then you might look for these other odd ball versions too.

I think kids will enjoy this version of Noah’s Ark, if not for the questions it will raise, then  for the humorous story of three best friends trying to help each other through life. KidLit reviews