The Spangled Drongo by Steven Herrick

Christmas wish list:

I'd like my mum and dad to be alive

Sam and I are friends.
Best friends.
Friday night roof friends.
It's good to have a boy 
for a friend.
It's a change.
He likes food
almost as much as I do.
And he's quite smart - 
he knows about the stars,
and he can name
every soccer team in Australia,
probably every team in the world!
We play 20 questions on the roof.
We each choose a subject:
me - food
Sam - soccer.
Then we ask each other a question
on the subject
until someone gets a wrong answer.
The first person to answer
20 questions correctly
gets the last chocolate biscuit
or
the last slice of cake
but 
mostly we share the winnings
because we are friends,
me and Sam,
best friends.

This verse novel has it all!  A brilliant story which is gently revealed, terrific relationships, poignancy, sadness, joy, and two kids who you will wish were your friends too.  These kids are different but they find so many things they have in common - counting the stars, playing soccer, rooftop picnics, food and friendship.

Jessica loves birds.  Sam says:
"I've seen a wattle bird,
a currawong, a kookaburra
and six sparrows.
Jessica is eager to see her favourite,
a spangled drongo! 
Yes, true.
Jess takes birdwatching very seriously."

The Spangled Drongo was first published in 1999 and has been reprinted seven times. My copy with the new jacket above, will be released early in 2020. I've put the original cover first. I have read many books by Steven Herrick, especially his verse novels, which I love but somehow I missed this one.  I read one guide which said it was for 13+ but I would make this lower and say a mature reader 10+ would enjoy this book.

You may know I adore (ADORE in capital letters) verse novels and Steven Herrick is a true master of this form.

Read my comments about some other books by Steven Herrick:

• Pookie Aleera is not my boyfriend
• Bleak boy and Hunter stand out in the rain
• Untangling Spaghetti

I also loved Do wrong Ron and Tom Jones Saves the World.

Here is a spangled drongo - they are real - they are birds but I think they should perhaps insist on a new name?

Image source: https://ebird.org/species/spadro1

The Lighthouse Santa by Sara Hoagland Hunter illustrated by Julia Miner

"I know nothing is impossible on Christmas Eve in a lighthouse."

The weather is wild. Christmas is approaching. Kate has made her Christmas wish but will the Lighthouse Santa be able to fly in these conditions? During the night Kate is woken by her father shouting about a shipwreck. Sam, Kate's older brother, and her father head out into the night.

"The wind sounds like a thousand seagulls shrieking."

Eventually Sam and Dad arrive home with a man and a small girl. She is wearing a red cap with a white fur pom pom. It's the Lighthouse Santa, Mr Snow, and his daughter Dolly. The two girls talk about their different lives. One in a town and one in a lighthouse. Dolly is impressed to see Kate has the biggest night light in the world. The weather clears and Mr Snow invites Kate to join him with Dolly to deliver the rest of the Christmas presents.  But what did Kate wish for?

"Don't you know Lighthouse Santa already bought exactly what I wished for?' I say. 
'He did?' she asks.
I nod. 'All I ever wanted was a friend."

"Nothing is impossible on Christmas Eve in a lighthouse."

I know Christmas is far away (well around 120 sleeps) but this book is also about Lighthouses! and friends and the setting is Maine. So many of my favourite things in just one book. Oh and I should also mention this is based on a true story. Edward Rowe Snow really did fly Christmas gifts out to the children living in remote lighthouses from 1936 for fifty years.

Here are the actual lighthouses mentioned in the story:

Great Point Lighthouse Nantucket

Owls Head Lighthouse Maine

Brant Point Lighthouse Nantucket

Sankaty Head Lighthouse

West Chop Lighthouse Martha's Vineyard

I am adding to this post from September (it is now the end of November) because I have just discovered another beautiful and very moving picture book about a different flying Santa - William Wincapaw who flew Christmas packages to lights in Maine's Penobscot Bay starting in 1929 and continuing to the present.

Sadly this book is out of print but if you can find copy it is a beautiful Christmas book which you could share with an older child. 

Frances, Peter and their father have moved out to Ledge Light which is on an isolated island. Christmas is just two days away. Peter is desperate for Christmas with all the trimmings but Frances worries.

"But she wasn't sure that Santa knew where Ledge Light was, here in the middle of the ocean. When Mama died in spring, Papa had taken the transferred from the mainland lighthouse. Had Santa noticed?"

Frances has another worry - their food supplies are running out and Papa has become so remote. It is decided the children should return to the mainland for Christmas but then the weather turns bad. Papa has to leave Frances in charge of the light while he goes out in the wild storm to rescue a fisherman. Frances realises she and her brother cannot leave the lighthouse. They are a lighthouse family. Their father needs them. Frances is a problem solver. She decides they can improvise and still celebrate Christmas but just as they begin to sing around the old piano they hear a small plane overhead. 

"A package fell out of the tail and landed at the water's edge. Inside was a thick later of marsh hay wrapped around a heavy burlap sack."

Inside the parcel there are real treasures - food, coffee, cocoa, crayons, books and two yo-yos. 

Here is an interview with the author Toni Buzzeo. I have now discovered Nancy Carpenter is the illustrator of one of my favourite books - Little Bear's Little Boat.

Where does Thursday go? by Janeen Brian illustrated by Stephen Michael King

Tuesday Treasure

To a very young child days of the week are a mystery. Added to this, once a year there is an especially amazing day of the week - your birthday.  Splodge (I love that name) enjoys a wonderful birthday with presents, friends, balloons and cake but at the end of the day he just wished it didn't have to end. Thursday was a brilliant day. He knows tomorrow it will be Friday but he asks the important question:

"So, wondered Splodge, what happened to it during the night? 
Where did it go?"
Where does Thursday go before Friday comes?'  he asked his friend, Humbug."

Humbug (I love that name too) agrees to follow his friend Splodge out into the night hoping they can find Thursday and say goodbye before it goes.

They look over the bridge and down at the river - oogle, gurgle, oogle gurgle.
An owl flies over the park - Toowhit! Toowhoo!
They ask a silver fish, a train that passes by and the waves at the beach.

"Is that you Thursday?' called Splodge. 
But again there was no reply."

Back home Splodge ponders this problem. He imagines Thursday - big and round like his birthday cake, bright like the candles and happy like balloons.

"There was the moon, big and round and bright, hanging like a silver balloon.
Just like Thursday."

In recent presentation at the CBCA National conference Mark McLeod talked about quiet books. Where does Thursday go? published in 2001 is a quiet book. Why oh why would this absolutely perfect book be now out of print? I do wish there was a way to alert publishers to titles like this that need to be revived.

I love everything about this book. The idea of looking for a special day; the friendship between Splodge and Humbug; the silver lettering on the front cover; and the luminous Stephen Michael King illustrations. Luninous is exactly the right word and it is used in the blurb.

I would pair this book with Bear and Chook by the Sea, On the night of the shooting star and the Houndsley and Catina series.

Wakestone Hall by Judith Rossell

The aunts have sent Stella to boarding school. As you might expect the rules are cruel, the food is disgusting and Stella is suffering. Luckily she makes friends with two girls who are also new and together they set out to solve several mysteries one of which is linked to Stella's own heritage. The final scenes will make you smile.

I loved Stella in the first two books - Withering-by-sea and Wormwood Mire - and this third volume did not let me down. You will swept away by the story. You will hold your breath during the chase scenes and marvel at the determination and bravery of our young hero - Stella and the wonderful loyalty she shows to her new friends - Ottilie and Agapanthus.  Read this detailed plot summary from Kids Book Review.

Judith Rossell is a master of description. Stella needs to find her friends Ottilie and Agapanthus who have been abducted. Stella and Joe, a young scrapper, follow some clues to a mysterious shop:

"The walls were lined with shelves of scientific instruments. Behind the counter was a workbench. Tools were arranged in rows. There were jars of screws and wheels and cogs. A microscope lay in pieces. A globe of the world was turning slowly, ticking and whirring, a tiny moon the size of a marble circled around it. A cage of delicate, twisted wire held a little bird with real feathers and eyes made of black beads. A small mechanical crocodile, of brass and ivory, stood nearby."

I should also mention the illustrations in this series are simply fabulous.

Be Kind by Naomi Shulman illustrated by Hsinping Pan

125 Kind things to say and do

You can make the world a happier place

Being kind should be the motivation for so many of the things we do. Making beds, folding washing, walking a pet - surely these are just things we do to be kind our family. Sharing a hug, listening carefully to a friend, saying thank you. Again these should be automatic things we do because we share our world with others.

Here are a few quotes from the 125 suggestions in this book:

"Smile at one more person each day. If you smile at three people today smile at four people tomorrow."

"Read a book to someone who hasn't learned how yet."

"Put the grocery cart away in the store parking lot and take back another cart while you're at it. (It's actually fun.)"

"Put a brownie in your mailbox with a note for your letter carrier.."
In Australia we would need to rewrite this as "Put a brownie on the top of your letter box with a note for the postman."

"Carry an umbrella that's big enough for two (or more)."

"Send a card to your grandparents just to say hi!"

"Keep a thankfulness jar. Every single day write down one thing you're thankful for."

I think my favourite suggestion is leave a penny on the sidewalk for someone to find. In Australia we might translate this as leave a five cent piece on the footpath. This idea links perfectly with Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli. I read this book (suitable for readers aged 11+) over a decade ago but the idea of leaving small coins on the footpath still lingers with me.

Here is one more simple, commonsense idea:

"When you leave an empty room, turn off the lights and watch the stars."

In her introduction the author says: "One of the great things about being kind is that it inspires more kindness. Go ahead and make kindness a habit: It's one you won't want to break!"

Be Kind is a book that should be added to every primary school library. Take a look at the illustrator website of Hsinping Pan. She is the illustrator of Big words for Little Geniuses. I would pair Be Kind with Kind by Alex Scheffler.  You might also like to look at these picture book lists on the topic of kindness:

30 Picture books about Kindness Imagination Soup
Children's books about Kindness Growing by the Book

Here is a sample page from the publisher website.

How am I kind? I like to invite friends to participate in events and outings, I like to post birthday cards and today (it is my birthday) I like to give everyone a small gift to say thanks for being my friend. I am giving each of my friends a book today with their name written on an old library card before we head off to a Christmas craft event!

The Lion Inside by Rachel Bright illustrated by Jim Field

"No matter your size,

We all have a mouse

AND

a lion inside."

There is SO much to love about this book.

Vocabulary
"the sand sparkled gold"
"a mighty flat rock - all craggy and old"
"tinyful"
"toothsome"

Power relationships
Lion is powerful. He has a loud roar, he is strong, he is feared. He is the King Cat.
Mouse is small and insignificant but he aspires to greatness.
Mouse needs to be brave - he knows the only way to learn to roar is to ask Lion.
"But if you want things to change, you first have to change you."
When our little mouse meets the lion he is in for a big shock. Our fearless lion is terrified of mice - now who has the power?

"The mouse, while still little, felt big in his head.
And Lion? He still roared ... but with laughter instead!"

Preschool and Kindergarten participation
As you read this book your child listener/s will anticipate the rhyme.
Everyone will enjoy joining in with a loud ROAR and later an EEEEEEAK!!

Told in rhyme this book is fun, of course, but it also has a nice message about differences and how some people (or animals) are aggressive and loud, and others are meeker and milder, and how really, of course, there's room for all sorts whether it's in your family, your nursery class, or out in the wilds of Africa. The Book Bag


Read more about Rachel Bright and Jim Field.  You may recognise some other books illustrated by Jim Field - they are some of the most popular titles in many library collections:

Reading to Preschoolers - parent talk Part Four

“Read stories to build empathy and make a better world.”  Emily Gravett (Author)

“Even more important than teaching our kids the actual skills of reading is to cultivate a deep love of stories.” Sarah Mackenzie blog
“A picture book is a piece of art created to be cherished and applauded. …  I give you permission to simply READ ALOUD – no questions, no stopping, no after-reading conversations.” Maria Walther

Here are the contents of the handout I used at my Preschool night which was sponsored by Puffin/Penguin and Beachside Books.

Read every day, read slowly, and hold the book so the children can see the illustrations

Read with joy and passion – this should not be a chore – vary your tone (soft and loud)

Practice:  “the task is more than speaking print. Knowing when to turn the page of a picture book in order to build suspense or keep pace with the flow of the text can make an enormous difference.”

Use voices, movement and songs.  Find books with a repeated refrain, encourage the children to join in. Children love to fill in missing rhyming words.

Why not make a display of the book covers you share, don’t confuse quality with quantity.

Choosing lots of different books to read aloud will build your preschooler's vocabulary, and help your children learn about different topics and understand how stories are structured and what characters do in them. Find poetry books, read nursery rhymes, match fiction and nonfiction.

Finding books - use your public library, visit book shops, charity book sales, fill your space with books.  

Before you begin, look at the cover, end papers, title page and say the title, author and illustrator names. Make this part of your routine every time you read a book to your group.

Don’t spend too long “explaining things”. You can always go back later and explore the words and ideas a little more once you’ve allowed the children to ask questions.  

Seize the moment, foster curiosity. Plan to read and re-read. “Read it again” is a huge compliment from a child.

If you want to have a discussion 

(hold off until your second reading):

Ask questions when you are reading together. For example:

• What do you see on this page?

• How do you think the characters feel?

• What do you think is going to happen next?

When you have finished, talk about how your child feels about the book:

• What did they like?

• What didn’t they like?

• What can they remember about what happened?

• Who was their favourite character? Why?

• Link the story to the children’s experiences. Can they remember when they did something similar?

Some things to think about:

·        Don’t read stories you don’t enjoy yourself. Your dislike will show up in your reading and that defeats your purpose.

·    Don’t keep reading a book once it is obvious it was a poor choice. Admit the mistake and choose another. Make sure, however, that you give the book a fair chance to get rolling. There are some books that just start off slow and get better but you can avoid this all together by reading the book yourself before reading it to your children.

·    Don’t feel like you have to tie every book you read to class work.

·    Don’t overwhelm the listener. Make sure the book you read is appropriate for the intellectual, social, and emotional level of the children you are reading to.

·    Don’t impose your interpretation of a reading onto your children. A story can be just plain enjoyable, no reasons necessary and still give you plenty to talk about.

Don’t use the book as a threat (to get the child(ren) to do or not to do something). As soon as your child or classes see that you have turned the book into a weapon, they will change their attitudes about books from positive to negative.

Reading to Preschoolers - parent talk Part Three

“Reading aloud ushers us into a third place, a safe room. It’s a room where everyone involved: the reader and the listener, can put down their defenses and lower their guard. We humans long, not just for story, not just for the flow of language, but for the connection that comes when words are read aloud. That connection provides illumination.”  – Kate DiCamillo

Picture book treasures 

old and new

Authors to explore:

Martin Waddell

Mick Inkpen

Look for other books about Kipper and then look for other books by Mick Inkpen. I love Jasper's Beanstalk and Penguin Small.

Series to explore:

Where are you Blue Kangaroo; It was you Blue Kangaroo; What shall we do Blue Kangaroo? and more.  Explore more series by Emma Chichester Clark here.

Read more about the Large family and watch as new children join them - All in one Piece; Mr Large in Charge; A Quiet Night in; A piece of Cake.

There are 29 books in this series. I especially love Elmer on Stilts and Elmer and the Hippos.

This is from the Moonbear series. Other titles are Mooncake; Moongame; Moonbear's Pet and more.

There are five books in the little bear series - You and me, Little Bear; Let's go home Little Bear; Sleep tight Little Bear; Well done Little Bear.

Professional reading about READING ALOUD

Websites to explore:

 
• Read Aloud Revival Podcast Episode 138
• Mem Fox Read Aloud commandments
• Reading Rockets - revisiting Read Alouds
• Start with a book - Read Aloud hand outs and tips
• Reading aloud artfully Scholastic
• Jim Trelease