Amira's Suitcase by Vikki Conley illustrated by Nicky Johnston

Amira finds a tiny plant in her suitcase. Why does she have a suitcase? Where do Amira and her family seem to live? This is a strange place filled with make-shift shelters and dirt floors yet it seems to be her new home. Amira, we read, had been looking for a place to hide but now, instead, she has a tiny life to nurture. She makes sure the fragile seedling has sunlight and water. Each day the tiny plant grows a little bigger and curiosity about her suitcase plant draws attracts the attention of living in this place. Amira meets Nala and she shares the happiness of watching her plant grow. Nala shares a seed and they plant this inside the suitcase. Then Tien joins the girls and he passes on another small seed. 

Over the following pages we watch as the plants grow so tall they no longer fit into their suitcase.

So "together they dug a new home for the plants. Together they smiled at the flourishing leaves. And together they climbed up, up, up towards the sun."

From the front cover this book looks so inviting. The colours are appealing and the design elements will help make a reader curious. There are hints of a journey along with the small shadow of a plant. I agree with the words of the blurb which say this is "a gentle, thought-provoking tale about friendship and hope".

I love the way the cover looks like the suitcase – the words ‘tratar con cuidado’ means ‘handle with care’ in Spanish. The end papers match the suitcase lining. 

On the half title page, it is clear the suitcase is heavy – the story has started before we even reach the first page of print. Amira does not talk about where she lives or why but the background images of corrugated iron and dirt and the way she has no shoes speak volumes about her situation and the situation of her family. This is reinforced when we see the mattress on the floor of their ‘new home’ and the way the family possessions are in cloth bundles and recycled boxes. 

Please take a few minutes to read this piece where the author talks about the inspiration for this book.

Every line of the text has been placed carefully on the page and the illustrations move from large to small to double page spreads. There is a strong emotional component to this story. When Amira smiles at her plant something blossoms inside her. And there is a sense of hope conveyed through the growth of the plant and the new friendships. The language is also very special – word placement such as ‘a finger of sunlight’; ‘a bud of warmth’ and ‘Amira’s hand quivered and tingled’. 

I like the way the image from the title page is repeated near the end but this time with the addition of her two new friends. The sequence page where we see the plant growing is another page is the perfect way to show the passing of time. This book will also give readers things to think about – Why was Amira hiding? Where is this happening? And most importantly What will happen next?

This is one of those deceptively simple books that, with close reading, reveals a deeper story. You could share this book with your youngest students but it is your older upper primary students who will see further possibities as you guide the discussion. 

The family’s struggles are presented in an age-appropriate and relatable way, as is Amira’s ability to adapt and find hope in her new environment. ... A poignant tale of new beginnings.  Kirkus

Amira's Suitcase has been shortlisted for the 2022 CBCA Book of the Year awards (Early Childhood). Here are a set of teaching notes where you will find some discussion questions which might be useful for a group of very young children. Read the judges report here. 

I would pair this book with any of these:

Found You

Mustafa

My name is not Refugee

Amira's Magpie

Salih

Teacup

You could also explore books which feature seeds and plant growth:

The Secret Sky Garden

The Girl who Planted Trees

The Flower

Rose's Garden

A Medieval Feast by Aliki

Blurb: The King is coming to visit! For the lord and lady of Camdenton Manor, the announcement from the palace is an awesome challenge. The King travels with his Queen and court: rooms must be readied, tents set up, fields fenced for the royal horses-and above all, there is the great feast to concoct.The preparations take weeks. There is hunting and hawking, milling and baking, brewing and churning .... Then, in the great vaulted kitchen, the cooking begins in earnest! One after another the sumptuous dishes emerge -- succulent roasts, birds baked in Pies, and fantastic sculptures of pastry and marzipan. And to the music of minstrels, while jugglers juggle and jesters jest, the guests in the Great Hall eat their way through it all. The lord gives his King a feast to remember!With A Medieval Feast Aliki creates a joyful extravaganza to bring the character and colour of a distant world tantalisingly close.

The illustrations in this book match the medieval setting with illuminated letters and pretty embellishments on each page. There are also tiny captions for each illustration.  The story is set in 1400. You can see inside this book here. 

I spied this book in a school library yesterday and I knew it would be the perfect companion book to pair with The Amazing Meals of Martha Maloney. Sadly, though, I do need to report this book very ole but you might find a copy for sale. It was first published in 1983. How lucky the library I visited had kept it all this time. 

About Aliki. She was born in 1929 and is the author of some fabulous books. I found a list of all her titles.  Here are a few you might find in a school or public library:

At my Door by Deb Fitzpatrick

This book has less than 100 pages but it still manages to pack a punch.  I am currently ploughing my way through a 400 page middle grade novel, so it felt like a bit of a relief to read this whole book in less than half an hour.

Very late one night a toddler is left on the doorstep of a home in the suburbs. Inside live Poppy, her brother Harry and their mum and dad. This story works like a tiny glimpse into their lives. All of the action takes place over less than 24 hours. 

Poppy listens in as her parents contact the police. When they arrive she hears her parents asking to keep the little girl just for one night. Back in her room Poppy grabs her notebook and she writes this list:

Things Mai will need:

• somewhere to sleep (a cot)
• a toothbrush
• soft toys
• board books (box under mum's bed)
• clothes (top shelf of the linen cupboard)

Poppy, our narrator, shows enormous empathy and compassion as the family grapple with the authorities. Eventually little Mai is allowed to stay for just one night. 

Mei is settled on the lounge and after all her furious and distressing tears she finally falls asleep. Mum tells Poppy and Harry they can miss school. Everyone sleeps in. Mum is exhausted because she has been up and down to little Mei all through the night. In the morning it is clear the authorities will need to return and that Mei will be taken away. Photos of Mei have been sent to the media. Everyone is looking for her mother. But Poppy knows this little girl, right now, just needs friendly smiles and perhaps a toy or too. 

Eventually Mei is taken away to the home of a foster family and later still Poppy's family hear Mei's mother has been found but there will always be those lingering unanswered questions:

"... sometimes families in trouble do desperate things ... Maybe they felt that Mei was safer with another family ... There could be financial difficulties, ... or a physical threat. Abuse perhaps. Or some sort of criminal activity that put the child in danger."

"For whatever reason, Mei's mum was having trouble coping. She might have had depression or some other health problem."

This book would be perfect to read to a class of students aged 9+. Here are a set of teaching notes. You can see more books by Deb Fitzpatrick here.

This is gentle exploration of some potentially weighty issues, a mix which will draw readers in to the story as well as opening up lots of discussion. Aussie Reviews

I loved the honest of this story and the occasional colloquial language: "far out brussel sprout"; "holy guacamole"; and "yes indeedy". 

Huge thanks to my colleague from the Westmead Children's Hospital Book Bunker who shared this book with me today. I think it might be about to go out of print so you should act quickly to add this book to your library or classroom. It is a NSW Premier's Reading Challenge title on the 3-4 list. 

Bear and Rat by Christopher Cheng illustrated by Stephen Michael King

In this book we, as readers, are invited to listen to an important conversation between these two old friends. The pair engage in simple activities together, caring for one another as they move through the seasons and different landscapes. The love, patience and respect they have for each other is something to treasure and perhaps to aspire to in all our relationships. We see this pair continuing their life journey together knowing one day it will end but not today. 

This book has such a perfect pace and a comforting message. Echoing the way love is an enormous emotion, the end papers that show the enormity of the sky and the sea.  Stephen Michael King has created illustrations which are delicate and sparse. With just a few lines he is able to create such a believable relationship between Bear and Rat. The choice of a rat instead of a mouse, coupled with Bear being a Panda - and there being lots of bamboo - gives it a very Asian feel. I also love the raindrops; snowflakes; windy days and most especially the way Bear and Rat hold hands. Little Rat takes such comfort from his huge friend bear - there is a wonderful sense of trust between these two. 

Although adults will read it as a story about parting and grieving, children will not necessarily see this. This is a lovely story which explores what friendship is and what it truly means to love someone.  Whether this ‘loss’ is through death or isolation, this is a book which will help readers work through some of the issues of our current global situation, and life more generally. Sadly this book is based on real life events. 

Bear and Rat is a heartfelt, emotion-filled, tear triggering masterpiece. It explores the true meaning of friendship and love and loss and grief. But it does it in a way children will understand and relate to. Kids' Book Review

But often our children need the sort of reassurance that Rat does – that regardless of what they do or say or experience, someone will be there for them through everything because real love is unconditional and enduring. Barbara Braxton The Bottom Shelf

Bear and Rat is a 2022 CBCA Notable book. Christopher Cheng has three books listed as Notables for 2022 - Bear and Rat; Wombat and The Imagineer. 

Stephen Michael King loves to include umbrellas in his illustrations and he uses them to great effect in this book. There is one page filled with snow flakes and from our birds eye view we can see the top of the two umbrellas - one red and one yellow joined by their two hands. And on another page we can glimpse the colourful umbrellas behind the huge stand of bamboo. 

Image Source: Manning Regional Gallery

Companion books:

Up the Mountain

Ida Always

If all the world were

A Rabbit named Harris

Always, Sometimes, Rarely, Never

 

This week children in NSW State schools will bring home their school reports. One section of the report might be about library borrowing and it might contain the words at the top of this post.

The word list above makes me despair. Several times over the last few weeks classroom teachers and Teacher-Librarians have commented that their students in Grade 6 are not borrowing from the school library. I have strong reservations about our school reporting system and especially labels like these which are used to rate the borrowing of students but it also makes me very sad to hear one Grade 6 teacher say that the Teacher-Librarian at her school had given the majority of Grade 6 children a 'rarely' or 'never' rating. These rating are often based on statistics (quantity not quality) but if so many students are rated as rarely or never I would hope something could happen?

In my former school this result would most certainly have galvanised me into action. Some important things are perhaps lacking if students in Grade 6, who can read, choose not to.

So what would I do:

• The library needs to be filled with great books (new and old but in great condition)
• Give students the freedom to choose
• Books need to be displayed in an inviting way showcasing as many front covers as possible
• Displays need to be changed very very regularly
• Have high expectations that the students will read and will borrow - cajole, coerce, command but in a positive way with a smile!
• Teacher-Librarians are busy and they are teachers as well as staff with responsibilities for running the library but in my view Teacher-Librarians do need to also be readers - your enthusiasm can be contagious.
• In the library students need time for book selection and they need guidance (think of hand selling in a book shop). 
• Other students are powerful tools to use - asking them to recommend books to their friends can be an effective strategy - this can be formal and informal
• In the classroom, teachers need to be enthusiastic about reading and model their own reading of books from the school library
• Classrooms need to be filled with books too - books that are borrowed from the school library and displayed in attractive ways
• Teachers need to read aloud to their class every day no what what grade: Children need to hear stories read out loud by people who do so with relish and enthusiasm; by teachers who adore books. They need to be inducted into a community of literature lovers and story enthusiasts. This is especially true for the many children who do not get read to at home. TeachWire

• TIME is a big factor. We have to give students time at school for sustained silent reading. In many cases this type of reading no longer happens outside of school and if you want students to read a book of over 200 or 300 pages it does take time and dedication. 
• When the students are in the library there needs to be time for book talks and viewing book trailers and the sharing of new books that have arrived. Even reading the blurb of a book can be a useful tool.
• Ask the students to make shelf talkers

• Use the power of your library catalogue - ours here in NSW allows students to write very short book reviews and give books a star rating - teach your students how to do this and encourage them to add their (positive) reviews. 
• Have you thought about asking the Grade 6 students why they are not borrowing, not reading etc. I am certain they will mention time!

Have you notice I have highlighted on magic word = time! Please think about this. Seriously please think about how to give your students (and children at home) time for reading. 

Here are a few resources:

Colby Sharp YouTube

What is a book talk?

Tips for student led book talks

Nancy Keane examples of book talks (hundreds of US titles)

Parents try to find the book Raising Readers by Megan Daley

Your 5 step guide to a great school library

UK Literacy Trust

10 Ways to Cultivate a Love of Reading in Students Edutopia

10 Ways to promote reading in your classroom and school

One last word which I would like to throw in aside from time - we need to build up reading stamina in our students because from this they will discover the joy of reading a truly wonderful book. Oh wait a minute how do we build our stamina - it takes - yes you have guess my famous buzz word - TIME!

The Deadly Daylight by Ash Harrier

Alice England lives in a house that is part of a funeral home. Her dad Thaddeus is the owner of Tranquillity Funerals. Alice is twelve years old but she is able to work as his assistant.  Alice was born a twin but her sister had already died before their birth. Alice, herself, has weak leg because the umbilical cord cut off the circulation in the womb and her leg was not able to develop properly. Alice is often in pain and this reminded me of another book I read recently - The Great Fox Illusion by Justyn Edwards. Alice has one special gift. when she holds objects owned by dead people in the funeral home she can sometimes feel  or "see" parts of their previous life - the objects are resonant. 

This is why Alice is desperate to find out the truth about George Devenish. He has died just after sunrise down near the docks where he works as a night watchman. George always works through the night but on the day of his death his skin has been exposed to light. George is the uncle of Violet and Violet now sits with Alice at lunch time. Violet, her brother, father and uncle suffer from Solar Urticaria - an allergy to sunlight. You are probably thinking that this allergy has just been invented by Ash Harrier but it has not. In fact the daughter of a teacher at my former school has this terrible affliction. 

Solar Urticaria: Sufferers develop hives, which are very itchy circular bumps, within 5 to 10 min of exposure to light. Hives usually develop on areas that are directly exposed to the sun, such as the face and hands. Solar urticaria happens because the immune system overreacts to light, treating it as an invader In very rare cases it can cause anaphylaxis and even death.

Outside of her own home Violet has to wear long sleeves, long pants, gloves and a hat with a shade-cloth veil which covers her face. Inside her own home all the windows are covered and the light is artificial not UVB. UVB is the light that comes from the sun. Candlelight is safe and so is firelight. 

Reading this book is such a rich experience as Ash Harrier weaves in so many details especially about the lives of Alice and her new friend Violet. The story contains a tiny touch of magical realism and this adds a delicious layer to the mystery. 

Ash Harrier also fills her book with utterly delicious words which are mostly uttered by Alice who has a delightful adult-like mode of speech no doubt acquired from listening to her dad at the funeral home. Here are some of the rich words you will find in this book - shenanigans; tact; underhanded; lax; obnoxious; collate; unbeknownst; pensively; ludicrous; bemusement; soiree; infiltrating; fraternise; intrude; umbrage; endearment; and discombobulate.

I have been grabbing minutes over the last few days so I could keep reading this terrific book. It took great restraint on my part not to jump to the end to discover the truth about the death of George Devenish. I did eventually guess aspects of the ending but not until chapter 24 (out of 27 chapters in total) and then I could see how skilfully Ash Harrier had laid down all the clues but as with the way of all good mysteries/crime thrillers - every person we meet seems to be a plausible suspect until the final scene when all is revealed. 

This book is a terrific detective mystery that will be enjoyed by readers aged 10+. It is a new Australian children's book published by Pantera Press and will be available in August, 2022. Thanks to Beachside Bookshop for my advance copy. I am a CBCA Book of the Year judge but not for the Younger Readers category so I am going to say I do hope the publisher enters this book for the 2023 awards because I am going to predict it will most certainly be a 2023 Notable title and perhaps even reach the shortlist of six. The Deadly Daylight seems to the first in a planned series called The Alice England Mysteries.

Publisher blurb:  Twelve-year-old Alice England is curious, truthful and smart, but when you work in your father’s funeral home and you get messages from the dead, it can be difficult to make friends. When she comes across the peculiar case of George Devenish, who was allergic to sunlight, Alice is convinced there’s more to his death than meets the eye. With the help of George’s niece, ‘Violet the Vampire’, who shares her uncle’s allergy, and a boy named Cal, who has secrets of his own, Alice begins to investigate. Who were the teenagers under the dock when George died? How is the sinister Doctor Grampian involved? And what about George’s wife, Helen, whose baking is delicious but possibly poisonous? It seems the truth of George’s death may never see the light of day – unless Alice and her companions can put the clues together and solve a mystery much bigger than anybody expected.

One slightly quirky aspect of this story that I really enjoyed was when Alice imaged perfect coffins for other people. If the idea of a child making coffins is of interest I also recommend this very different but also very moving Canadian book - here are two different covers:

The Heaven Shop

Post update - I have just read The Ice Garden by Guy Jones published by Chicken House. This is another book where the main character is allergic to sunlight.

I also thought of several books which feature a character named Violet who is involved in solving a crime:

A Case of Grave Danger

Violet and the Pearl of the Orient

Finally the special relationship (adult and child) between Alice and her father Thaddeus reminded me of the wonderful book Because of Winn Dixie. Kate DiCamillo also includes a funeral home in her book Louisiana's Way Home.

Because of Winn Dixie

CBCA Short list companion book ideas

PLCC AH PD = Primary Libraries: Creative Collaboration After Hours Professional Development

Exploring the CBCA shortlist - discuss the shortlisted books from various categories and provide some information about how we will be approaching a specific book with our students.  Will we focus on engagement, visual literacy, text analysis?

Tonight I was pleased to participate in a professional development session for Teacher-Librarians focusing on ideas for using the CBCA Book of the Year short listed titles.

As a 2021-23 judge I am not able to comment on any of the six Picture Book or six New Illustrator titles in detail until after book week so the focus of this post will be on other books you could share with a group in your library to extend your discussion of each short listed book.

When you think about activities to extend children's understanding and appreciation of a book you are sharing, in my view, it is very important to design activities which link back to the book and this link should be made explicit to your students.  I don't see any real purpose in colouring pages or find-a-word sheets except as busy work.  If time permits it is also terrific if you can read a short listed book to your students more than once.  (As a judge I read each of the notables and short listed books over ten times each!),

Some things to explore: Talk about the title, the choice of font, end papers, use of white space (picture books), the placement of illustrations on the page, the blurb, the colour palette, the implied audience, the title page and half title page, and can we explore other books by this author or illustrator? I'm sure you can add to this list. For example - Have you thought about the book shape? Why is this important? 

Questions to ask before reading:

What do you think might happen in this story? 

What makes you think this? 

Does this look like a book you would borrow or want to read? Explain?

Possible ideas for questions to ask after reading: 

What was your favourite part of the book? 

Who was your favourite character? 

What was the most interesting thing you learned from the book?

Does anything in this book seem familiar to you?

Why do you think the author wrote this book?

Would you have ended the book differently?

Can you think of any other books like this one?

I suggest one way to explore the short listed picture books could be to look at companion titles but please note I have not limited these to Australian books because we are so lucky in Australia - speaking English we have access to the best books published in UK, USA, Canada, New Zealand and South Africa.

The CBCA winning picture book in 1982 was Sunshine by Jan Ormerod. 

I love the link to 2022 where we once again have a wordless book to explore - The Boy and the Elephant by Freya Blackwood.

Books to share after reading The Boy and the Elephant. You could focus on other wordless books such as these:

Here are links to my posts: Stormy, Dandelion's Dream, Aquarium, The Midnight Fair. You are sure to have other wordless books in your library. Here is my extensive Pinterest. And here is a link to the IBBY Silent book project. 

Or you could read books about community action and the action of the individual to save trees or preserve the natural environment:

Here are links to my post: The Curious Garden

Blue Flower by Sonya Hartnett illustrated by Gabriel Evans

Companion reads which explore the themes of individuality, confidence, shyness, self esteem, fitting in and acceptance of self:

Here are links to my previous posts: Maxine; Found You; The Blue Songbird.

Stellaphant by James Folley has so many levels of meaning to explore. Notice the sheep janitor; the white male gatekeeper and managers with their identical ties and hostile reaction to Stella's dream and find the pot plant and watch it grow as time moves on and Stella keeps hold of her dream. You could explore books about girl power too. Take a look at the A Mighty Girl web pages. 

Link to my posts Mighty Min; Beautiful; Animals in space.

As judges we felt The Inheritance by Armin Greder is a book more suited to a High School context. 

I suggest exploring other books by Armin Greder and also planning your discussion of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. 

Please note Joseph's Yard is a very old book (1969) and so it is long out of print but it does have the most amazing illustrations. Here is my post about This thing called life?

Just One Bee is another book that rewards very close study. There are so many tiny details in the illustrations and this might be the first time your students have encountered a picture book with a dystopian landscape. 

For this book I have suggested some picture books and a couple of middle grade novels.

Links to blog posts: How to Bee; Where the river runs Gold; Bee; The Thing.  For older students in Grade 6 I also highly recommend you try to find Sparrow Girl by Sara Pennypacker (2009). There are so many terrific books you can read about bees. Here is my Pinterest. You could also look at The Duck and the Darklings by Glenda Millard illustrated by Stephen Michael King. 

Iceberg is a book that you could easily compare with other books about Antarctica comparing illustration styles and the depiction of this icy environment.

Here are a few books I had in my former library which I would share alongside Iceberg:

I hope you have explored the CBCA short list page. There are links to teachers notes and book reviews and most importantly our judging critique for each book - this would be fabulous to share with older students after your class has studied each book and perhaps formed their own judgements.

More possible questions from What We Do all Day to use that ensure you keep referring to the book under discussion. Of course you would never use all of these - just pick the ones that will work the the text you are exploring and of course the questions which will elicit the best discussion from your group of learners.

• What do you think the author wanted us to take away from this book?
• Describe your favourite part of the book.
• Was there anything in the book that surprised you?
• If you could be a character in the book for one day, who would you chose to be? Why?
• If this book was turned into a movie, which actors would like to see play each character?
• If one of the characters could come to your house for dinner, who would you like to have visit?
• If you had to pick one colour to describe the book, what colour would you pick? Why?
• If you had to describe this book in one word, what word would you choose?
• How did the setting of the story impact the characters?
• Were you satisfied with the ending of the story? Why?
• Were there any new words that you learned from reading the book?
• If you could ask the author one question, what would you ask?
• What questions do you have after reading the book?
• Do you have a friend who you think would like this book? Who is it? Why?