Glowrushes by Roberto Piumini translated by Leah Janeczko

An entire generation of Italians was raised with his stories and has grown up to read them to their own children. But if you’re from an English-speaking country, chances are you’ve never heard of this award-winning author. World Kid Lit

Madurer is the son of a great lord, with untold wealth, but he is also the victim of a mysterious disease that means he cannot be exposed to sunlight or fresh air. He is confined to three windowless rooms inside a palace, but his doting father summons a famous artist to cover the walls of the rooms with paintings showing the world his son cannot experience for real. As the painter works on his murals, his relationship with the boy begins to deepen until they forge a firm friendship. How can he show this child the beauty of the world with only his paintbrush to work with? Glowrushes is a heartbreakingly beautiful classic of Italian children’s literature, published here in English for the first time. Pushkin Press

This is a big call but this might be my book of the year and by coincidence it is the last day of the year! Philip Pullman has a quote on the wrapper on my book which is perfect:

"I don't think I have read anything like this before - a tale of life, death, love and beauty that by the storyteller's art makes those things true, fresh, real and important. I hope this unforgettable story finds all the readers it deserves."

Thanks to Pushkin Press this book will find lots of readers because they have taken this famous Italian book from 1987 and given us an English translation in 2022. I don't speak Italian but this book does feel very authentic.

“Stralisco” is a strange word, which is not found in the dictionary: it is part of a game between Madurer – a child – and Sakumat – a painter. Madurer is ill and must always be locked up in the dark. Sakumat has the task of showing him the world through his paintings. Their relationship turns into a story of total friendship that unites a child, a man and – in the background – a father, in a very intense adventure. “Lo Stralisco” is a fable about the possible happiness of those who fully accept to look at the world through the eyes of poetry and signs of art. A tale for kids that even the adult public has been able to appreciate. UTE Korner

It is interesting that it has taken so long to produce a version of this story in English because it has already been translated into other languages:

• Netherlands- dutch language (Querido, Amsterdam 1993)
• France- french language (Hachette, Parigi 1992)
• Spain- castillan and catalan language (Edebé, Barcellona 1991)
• Germany- german language (Hanser, Monaco-Vienna)
• Japan- japanese language (Komine Shoren, Tokio)

This is a mature, deeply poignant and beautifully drawn book of love, wonder and life. We recommend this title as a thoughtful gift, and then, a wonderful story to read and know together. Book Wagon

I highly recommend this wonderful book to share with a reader aged 10+. It would be better to share this book rather than just hand it to a reader because it it so very different and there are sure to be so many important issues to talk about as you read. 

Opening sentences: "In the Turkish city of Malatya lived a painter named Sakumat, who was neither young nor even old. He was the age at which wise men know how to be their own friend without risking their friendship with others."

About the boy Madurer: "He suffers from a strange illness: every trace of sunshine and dust is harmful to him: his eyes swell, he grows short of breath, a rash and even sores form on his skin. He cannot go outdoors, and run and play in the palace gardens as my servant's children do. Furthermore, he cannot live in a room like this, with a window that lets the mountain air and sunlight enter freely and abundantly. All the doctors in Turkey who boast science and knowledge have visited this palace ... They all strongly recommend Madurer live in the most sheltered, innermost area of the palace. He can only breathe air filtered through layers of damp gauze ... and so it has been for over five years."

The task: "I would like my son's rooms to be decorated with pictures and colours."

What happens: Sakumat and Madurer work together and create an enormous mural of mountains, fields, the ocean and memorable characters and "soon there is a fabulous world on the walls, a colourful, shifting landscape people by shepherds and lover, criss-crossed by armies and pirate ships. ... Can he show this child the richness and beauty of the world and of life itself with nothing but paints and brushes?" (jacket blurb)

The title: Glowrushes come from the artist's imagination with additional idea from Madurer himself. "This is a plant I have never heard of ... it's a sort of firefly plant ... on clear nights it lights up ... the boy sat up in bed. All around him, in the darkness, hundreds of slender wisps glowed with a golden light. Bending this way and that, they shone throughout the dark meadow and seemed to sway in the wind."

Here are three Italian covers for this book with the title Lo Stralisco:

Roberto Pumini was nominated for the Hans Christian Andersen Award (IBBY) in 2020. Here are some of his books:

The Hans Christian Andersen dossier talks about Glowrushes (the Italian edition) "Sakumat is a painter, and he’s called to do a delicate job: a very rich man’ son has a serious illness that forced him to live inside a room, without ever seeing the light of the sun. The painter will have to paint him some landscapes to make him know the world and distract him. And then, maybe, won’t a contact so unbridled and continuous with creativity and imagination save him from death? The novel doesn’t answer these questions in a negative way, it demolishes them."

Everywhere Blue by Joanne Rossmassler Fritz

Yesterday I listed all the books (well nearly all) the books on my January to read pile. I know yesterday and today are officially really December but I have already begun and have finished two of the books! Yes I did say two.

Everywhere Blue is a new discovery and it is a verse novel and yes you do already know this but, I need to say it again - I love verse novels. They are fast, the are emotional, they are often very insightful and they are always so satisfying. If you are ever in a reading slump I highly recommend finding a verse novel (it's okay there are some written for adults too). 

Madrigal, you could be a metronome. You're so precise. ...

Mr Rimondi is the only one who uses

my real name.

Everyone else calls me Maddie,

except Aria calls me Mad

and Strum calls me M.

They both hate the musical

names our parents gave us.

But I like them.

They define us as a family

even if sometimes

there is dissonance.

There are some things we can take away from this text quote. Maddie lives with her musical parents and older brother and older sister. Maddie takes music lessons - she plays the oboe. This book is filled with musical references and references to classical music (I loved that part).

The dissonance is between Strum, aged 18, and his father. Strum is deeply concerned about our planet and about our human impact and of course about global warming and climate change. His dad thinks all of this is nonsense and to make things worse he seems to impose unfair rules on the family.

Maddie has a brilliant mind. She is in Grade Seven but attends a Grade Eight geometry class each week on a nearby campus. Maddie also has ambition. She wants to play the oboe solo at the upcoming concert but she is only second oboe and it seems Oliver, first oboe, will be the one to play the beautiful music from Peter and the Wolf by Prokofiev. With all the turmoil around her Maddie is anxious and her anxiety can be seen from her obsession with numbers. There are safe and lucky numbers and numbers which mean everything is sure to go wrong. Maddie is a counter (I am a counter too). She counts steps, and floorboards and really anything as a way to calm down. 

Maddie compulsively counts objects and believes that even numbers are the best. She is a gifted math student who appreciates order and regularity, eating the same precisely prepared sandwich for lunch every day. Kirkus

After her oboe lesson her mum usually picks her up but today it is her sister Aria and she has some bad news. Strum is missing. He has walked away from his university and no one knows where he has gone. Over the coming weeks Maddie watches her family disintegrate. 

Music mentioned in this book. I suggest listening to these while you read this book:

• Peter and the Wolf by Prokofiev
• Morning Mood from the Peer Gynt Suites by Edvard Greig
• String quartet No.2 in D Major by Alexander Borodin
• Adagio for strings by Samuel Barber
• Largo from Symphony No.9 by Antonin Dvorak
• Nutcracker suite by Tchaikovsky
• Rhapsody in Blue by George Geershwin
• Bolero by Maurice Ravel
• Ode to Joy from Symphony No.9 by Beethoven

I highly recommend Everywhere Blue especially for sensitive readers 10+ who enjoy verse novels and stories filled with genuine emotions. I really like the cover by Elena Megalos but it does slightly puzzle me. Strum loves butterflies and you can see they are part of the illustration. Maddie plays the oboe - yes it is there too. Strum is missing and that feels like a chasm in Maddie's life I guess and we can see a boy with a backpack striding away to a remote place. But why is there a guitar? I guess because you strum a guitar and it matches his name? Blue is Strum's favourite colour. The sadness of his loss is making the world feel blue.

This book has several awards:

• An NCTE Notable Verse Novel
• A Mighty Girl Best Book of the Year
• A Bank Street Best Children's Book of the Year
• Cybils Award Poetry Winner

I am very keen to share some companion books to go with Everywhere Blue. You could click Verse Novel in my sidebar but I really want to tell you about another book where the main character counts things as a way to cope (this is probably Counting by 7s but I am not entirely certain - my memory is of a middle grade book where the girl counts things including the bristles on her toothbrush) and also I need to mention a book I read quite recently about an absent brother - The collected works of Gretchen Oyster.

I also recommend these books which are filled with music:

Just Dance

Fly Away

The Flying Orchestra

The View from the 32nd Floor 

(this is long out of print and the cover is not especially appealing 

but I highly highly recommend this terrific book for so many reasons! 

My post has a comment by the author)

My January Reading Pile

 JANUARY

There are eleven middle grade books on my to read pile for January plus a few left over from the previous months. I also have a huge pile of picture books to read too.

Here are the titles I picked up at a recent charity book sale (many of these will be out of print but they might be in a school or public library).

Geraldine McCaughrean Tamburlaine's Elephants published 2007, 200 pages (I paid $3)

Why did I select this book?  I have read other books by Geraldine McCaughrean such as Where the world ends and A Pack of Lies; I am drawn to books about elephants with exotic settings; and this copy is a hardcover edition with a dust jacket! I have included the paperback and hardcover covers. 

Publisher blurb: Rusti is a Mongol warrior, fighting for the bloodthirsty Tamburlaine, Conqueror of the World. He intends to show the enemy neither fear nor mercy... until he comes face-to-face with his first elephant.Kavi is the elephant's rider. Captured by the terrifying Mongol Horde, he fears for his life. But the boy who takes him prisoner does not kill him. And soon it seems they might almost become...friends.Then Rusti uncovers a terrible secret, and the unlikeliest of friendships is put to the ultimate test.

Emma Carroll The Girl who walked on Air published 2014, 320 pages (I paid $3)

Why did I select this book? I have read quite a few books by Emma Carroll including very recently The Little Match Girl strikes Back (5 stars).

Blurb: Louie, who was abandoned at Chipchase's Travelling Circus as a baby, dreams of becoming a 'Showstopper', but Mr Chipchase keeps her hidden, tucked away in the ticket booth. No Death-Defying Stunts for her. But Louie has been secretly practising her act; the tightrope and dreams of being the Girl Who Walked on Air - she just needs to be given the chance to shine. And the circus needs her too - Wellbeloved's rival show is stealing their crowds. They need a Showstopper. Desperate, Mr Chipchase reluctantly lets Louie perform. She is a sensation, and gets an offer from the sinister Mr Wellbeloved himself to perform . . . over Niagara Falls. But nothing is quite as it seems and soon Louie's bravery is tested not just on the high wire but in confronting her past and the shady characters in the world of the circus.

Cynthia Kadohata Half a World Away published 2014, 225 pages (I paid $2)

Why did I select this book? I really like the cover and I have read other books by Cynthia Kadohata - Kira Kira and Weedflower.

Blurb: Eleven-year-old Jaden is adopted, and he knows he's an "epic fail." That's why his family is traveling to Kazakhstan to adopt a new baby-to replace him, he's sure. And he gets it. He is incapable of stopping his stealing, hoarding, lighting fires, aggressive running, and obsession with electricity. He knows his parents love him, but he feels...nothing. When they get to Kazakhstan, it turns out the infant they've travelled for has already been adopted, and literally within minutes are faced with having to choose from six other babies. While his parents agonise, Jaden is more interested in the toddlers. One, a little guy named Dimash, spies Jaden and barrels over to him every time he sees him. Jaden finds himself increasingly intrigued by and worried about Dimash. Already three years old and barely able to speak, Dimash will soon age out of the orphanage, and then his life will be as hopeless as Jaden feels now. For the first time in his life, Jaden actually feels something that isn't pure blinding fury, and there's no way to control it, or its power.

Ursula Dubosarsky The Golden day published 2011, 149 pages (I paid $2)

Why did I select this book? To be honest this is an Australian book I should have already read but somehow missed.  It is listed as a Young Adult title so that's probably why I didn't add it to my former library collection.

Blurb: When their teacher goes missing during an outing, eleven girls grapple with the aftermath in this haunting, exquisitely told psychological mystery. What actually happened in the seaside cave that day? And who can they tell about it? Part gripping thriller, part ethereal tale of innocence lost, The Golden Day is a poignant study of fear and friendship, and of what it takes to come of age with courage.

Penny Hall The Paperchaser published 1987, 146 pages (classified as vintage at the fair I paid $6) Post edit I have now blogged about this book here. 

Why did I select this book? I read this book back in 1987 and it has lingered with me - yes that over 34 years. I wonder if it has stood the test of time. I can see a silver sticker on the cover because this book was short listed for our CBCA Book of the Year awards in 1988.

Here are the books I picked out at Gleebooks recently because they were offering a good discount prior to moving to new premises.

Roberto Piumini Glowrushes published 2022 (original Italian title 1993) Translated by Leah Janeczko Post edit I have now blogged about this book here. 

Why did I select this book? It has a dust jacket and a smaller wrap around with an endorsement by Philip Pullman and the cover has gold leaf! I love to read books translated into English and Pushkin Press always produce fabulous books. 

Publisher blurb: Madurer is the son of a great lord, with untold wealth, but he is also the victim of a mysterious disease that means he cannot be exposed to sunlight or fresh air. He is confined to three windowless rooms inside a palace, but his doting father summons a famous artist to cover the walls of the rooms with paintings showing the world his son cannot experience for real. As the painter works on his murals, his relationship with the boy begins to deepen until they forge a firm friendship. How can he show this child the beauty of the world with only his paintbrush to work with?

Megan E. Freeman Alone published 2022, 401 pages

Why did I select this book? It is a verse novel. I do need to say that again - It is a verse novel! I adore this format. Oh and I have seen this book mentioned by many other people too.

Publisher blurb: When twelve-year-old Maddie hatches a scheme for a secret sleepover with her two best friends, she ends up waking up to a nightmare. She’s alone—left behind in a town that has been mysteriously evacuated and abandoned. With no one to rely on, no power, and no working phone lines or internet access, Maddie slowly learns to survive on her own. Her only companions are a Rottweiler named George and all the books she can read. After a rough start, Maddie learns to trust her own ingenuity and invents clever ways to survive in a place that has been deserted and forgotten. As months pass, she escapes natural disasters, looters, and wild animals. But Maddie’s most formidable enemy is the crushing loneliness she faces every day. Can Maddie’s stubborn will to survive carry her through the most frightening experience of her life?

Jean-Claude Mourlevat The Upside down River: Tomek's Journey published 2022 Translated by Ros Schwartz  Post edit I have now blogged about this book here. 

Why did I select this book? This book is by a winner of the ALMA (the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award); it was originally written in French and I do enjoy translated books. The length of 160 pages also appeals to me.

Blurb: Tomek lives a quiet life running his late parents' village store, which has everything you could ever need, and more. Then one day a girl visits. She asks Tomek if he sells something he's never heard of before: a drop of water from the magical River Qjar, which flows back to front and upside down. When he admits he has none, she slips away. Tomek is desperate to follow the mysterious girl, and so he sets out on an incredible adventure. To find the upside down river, he must journey through strange and wondrous places: the Forest of Oblivion where monstrous bears roam, a meadow of deadly scented flowers, a long-hidden island cursed by a witch, and beyond . . .

Noel Streatfeild When the Siren Wailed first published 1974 my edition 2021 Post edit I have blogged about this book here. 

Why did I select this book? You are sure to recognise this famous author. She wrote Ballet Shoes among other books. I am collecting books set during World War II because people often ask for books on this topic on online forums.

Blurb: When war breaks out in September 1939, Laura, Andy and Tim Clark are evacuated to the countryside. The Colonel's comfortable home in Dorset is a huge contrast to their cramped terraced house in London, where their loving parents struggle to put the next meal on the table. Though unused to having children around, the Colonel proves to be a kind and generous, if gruff, guardian until a terrible turn of events means the kids must move on. When they discover they are to live with Miss Justworthy, who is rumoured to feed her evacuees on cat food, Andy insists they can't risk staying. He persuades his sensible older sister and their little brother that they must run away, back to London and their mum. The children are shocked to see London now pitted with craters and ruined buildings. And no sooner have they stepped off the train than the skies are lit by searchlights and filled with the crack of bombs and the glow of fires. How will they be able to find their mum in the middle of an air raid?

Joanne Rossmassler Fritz Everywhere Blue published 2021  Post edit I have now blogged about this book here. 

Why did I select this book? Sorry to repeat myself but this is another VERSE novel! And I really like the cover.

Publisher blurb: A brother's disappearance turns one family upside down, revealing painful secrets that threaten the life they've always known. When twelve-year-old Maddie's older brother vanishes from his college campus, her carefully ordered world falls apart. Nothing will fill the void of her beloved oldest sibling, Strum. Meanwhile Maddie's older sister reacts by staying out late, and her parents are always distracted by the search for Strum. Drowning in grief and confusion, the family's musical household falls silent. Though Maddie is the youngest, she knows Strum better than anyone. He used to confide in her, sharing his fears about the climate crisis and their planet's future. So, Maddie starts looking for clues: Was Strum unhappy? Were the arguments with their dad getting worse? Or could his disappearance have something to do with those endangered butterflies he loved . . . Scared and on her own, Maddie picks up the pieces of her family's fractured lives. Maybe her parents aren't who she thought they were. Maybe her nervous thoughts and compulsive counting mean she needs help. And maybe finding Strum won't solve everything--but she knows he's out there, and she has to try.

Julie Lee Brother's Keeper published 2022

Why did I select this book? I have seen this one on heaps of book lists. I am not usually swayed by endorsements but this book has a Kirkus Star review quoted on the back cover and one from SLJ too.

Blurb: North Korea. December, 1950. Twelve-year-old Sora and her family live under an iron set of rules- No travel without a permit. No criticism of the government. No absences from Communist meetings. Wear red. Hang pictures of the Great Leader. Don't trust your neighbors. Don't speak your mind. You are being watched. But war is coming, war between North and South Korea, between the Soviets and the Americans. War causes chaos--and war is the perfect time to escape. The plan is simple- Sora and her family will walk hundreds of miles to the South Korean city of Busan from their tiny mountain village. They just need to avoid napalm, frostbite, border guards, and enemy soldiers. But they can't. And when an incendiary bombing changes everything, Sora and her little brother Young will have to get to Busan on their own. Can a twelve-year-old girl and her eight-year-old brother survive three hundred miles of warzone in winter?

The Last Cuentista by Donna Barba Higuera

This is a dystopian story that opens around the year 2150 and then the setting moves to the year 2600. Earth is in danger in 2150 and civilisation is disintegrating. It is now too late to save life on earth especially since a comet - Halley’s Comet -  is on a collision course to destroy everything. A unnamed group of officials decide to save a group of people and send them to a distant planet. These people will be 'reprogrammed' with the  hope to end all wars and unrest and make everyone equal. It will take many generations for these people to reach Sagan.  But as is always the pattern in a dystopian novel equality doesn’t mean everyone’s the same. Equality and a peaceful world sound great but the danger is in what people will do to make that happen. As a Goodreads reviewer says: "The book is political in that many, many science fiction stories are political. The book is essentially a dystopia set on a spaceship and another planet. Dystopias are almost always political because they show us power gone sour."

"You won't even know any time has passed when we're up there. ... This sleep will last three hundred and eighty years."

"One hundred and forty-six people ... is all it takes for humans to continue with enough genetic diversity ... "

Petra and her family are put into stasis pods. There are Monitors on each ship who keep it running but they won't make it to Sagan. 

"El Cognito's downloadable cognisance puts the organs and brain to sleep immediately. The gel preserves tissue indefinitely, removing senescent cells and waste. It not only provides nutrients and oxygen the body will need for such a long stay in stasis, but lidocaine in the gel numbs never endings making the gel's colder temperature comfortable upon awakening."

Over the hundreds of years in this 'frozen' state the brains are filled with information to aid survival on the new planet and old memories are supposed to be purged but Petra keeps her memories of Earth and more importantly she keeps her memories of the stories - she indeed the last storyteller - the last cuentista.  Her stories will save her life and the life of the four other surviving children. 

Sagan feels like the garden of Eden but the climate is strange with hours of dangerous winds and the possibility of dangerous animals and plants but life on this planet will be so much better then living under the control of the Monitors and paying subservience to The Collective. 

Read this School Library Journal review by Betsy Bird and this one on Charlotte's Library blog. I agree with her comment: It is not a comfortable read. It is a powerful, wrenching, disturbing one. I couldn't read it all in one sitting. I am wavering between three and four stars. 

Bookseller blurb: There lived a girl named Petra Pena, who wanted nothing more than to be a storyteller, like her abuelita. But Petra's world is ending. Earth will soon be destroyed by a comet, and only a few hundred scientists and their children - among them Petra and her family - have been chosen to journey to a new planet. They are the ones who must carry on the human race. Hundreds of years later, Petra wakes to this new planet - and the discovery that she is the only person who remembers Earth. A sinister Collective has taken over the ship during its journey, bent on erasing the sins of humanity's past. They have systematically purged the memories of all aboard - or purged them altogether. Petra alone now carries the stories of our past, and with them, any hope for our future. Can she make them live again?

Here is a very detailed set of teacher notes with questions for each chapter. 

This book has received so many award including the BIG one - the Newbery Medal.

• Winner of the John Newbery Medal 
• Winner of the Pura Belpré Award 
• Wall Street Journal’s Best of the Year 
• Minneapolis Star Tribune’s Best of the Year 
• Boston Globe’s Best of the Year 
• BookPage’s Best of the Year 
• Publishers Weekly’s Best of the Year 
• School Library Journal’s Best of the Year 
• Kirkus Reviews’ Best of the Year 
• Bank Street’s Best of the Year 
• Chicago Public Library’s Best of the Best 
• New York Public Library Best of the Year 
• A Junior Library Guild Selection 
• Cybils Award Finalist 

I did find this book quite difficult to read because I am not a fan of interwoven folktales - I keep thinking I am supposed to make important connections between these stories and Petra's present awful reality. The two covers above are the US and UK editions. 

Here are some companion reads:

This book is very old and long out of print but it is such a powerful story. 

Forbidden Memories - this book is sadly long out of print

This is an Australian book and sadly it is also long out of print.

Here is another amazing Australian Science Fiction book - and yes it is out of print

The Future Trap

The Last Human

A Sea of Stories by Sylvia Bishop illustrated by Paddy Donnelly

Roo goes to stay with grandpa for a few days. He lives in a small cottage by the sea with a wonderful view of the beach and a nearby lighthouse. In his younger days Grandpa was a fisherman and over time he has collected all sorts of interesting objects which now fill his house. Near Grandpa's house there is a small cove. It is a place Roo loves to visit but sadly Grandpa can no longer manage to clamber down the rough path.

Roo and her Grandpa do enjoy their day - playing hide and seek. In the late afternoon they settle down inside and Grandpa begins to tell Roo the most marvellous stories, true stories, using the curious objects in his collection. He begins with a gold dubloon which could be pirate treasure. 

Over the following days Grandpa shares lots of stories but Roo keeps thinking about the Cove. Grandpa loved visiting the cove and so many of his stories are set there, plus it was his favourite place to view the sun setting. Roo is a problem solver and a kind girl. When her parents return she explains the problem and her proposed solution. 

"They parked the car in the Market Square, and went to ask for help. Before long a great crew of people had assembled, carrying spades and buckets and wood and rope and tools of all sorts and sizes."

I will leave you to imagine the next scene and also to imagine the happy ending to this story. You will need to take time on the last page because there is something important and very poignant in the illustration. 

This poignant tale about a girl’s touching relationship with her grandfather is ideal for children who are moving on from picture books. Perfect to explore the concept of the past, it beautifully celebrates the value of sharing stories and memories. The vibrant, full-page illustrations have a dynamic, painterly quality and successfully evoke the wildness and beauty of the coast, bringing the text to life.  Book Trust

The illustrations are delightful, airy and with a frothy texture evoking the soft wildness of the sea in their special cove, and the scenes with the garden and the sea are just so evocative you can smell the salt and green leaves. Little Fae

This book is from a series published by Little Tiger either called Stripes of Colour Fiction. I talked about Little Rabbit's Big Surprise earlier. I really do highly recommend this series for independent reading and also as books to read aloud in a family. A Sea of Stories is aimed at a slightly older audience of 6+. The colour illustrations are especially fabulous. Paddy Donnelly is a children's picture book illustrator and author, originally from Ireland and now based in Belgium. His art reminds me of Salvatore Rubbino and especially the book Ride the Wind. 

You can see more art from this book here. 

And here are some of his books:

Little Rabbit's Big Surprise by Swapna Haddow and Alison Friend

Little Rabbit is looking for something to do. Big Rabbit, her grandfather, invites Little Rabbit to tag along. He has work to do. First off they visit the Mole family. Mole is planning a big party for Little Mole but he is worried no one will want to come along because their new tunnel is so dark. The next stop is Granny Hedgehog. She is unwell with a bad cold and feeling a little miserable. Then Big Rabbit and Little Rabbit see a family of tiny dormice who are struggling to manage they little children and find food and make a new nest from twigs. Finally the pair of rabbits visit Squirrel. She has broken her leg and cannot collect food for her young family.

Big Rabbit is a problem solver. When Little Rabbit wakes up the next day she finds a list - shiny paper, twigs and flowers. Are they going to make a kite? No, each of these things can be used to help their friends in ways that are sure to amaze and surprise your young reading companion.

This is a book you could equally read aloud to a very young child (aged 3+) and later give this book to an older child (5+) who is learning to read.

Here is the web site for Swapna Haddow. Alison Friend has illustrated many books including the Sparks series about Maggie and her horse Bramble which are perfect for young horse lovers. 

I really love this series but I am a bit uncertain about what they are called. The publisher is Little Tiger so the library I visit each week use this as the series name but inside the book they are also called Stripes and some booksellers and the publisher call them Colour Fiction. 

I highly highly recommend this splendid series. If you used to have Aussie Nibbles, Young Colour Puffin books or the Banana book series in your school library these could replace your older books, which may be looking a little worn out.  I have read lots of books from this series and every story is so satisfying and the colour illustrations are just perfect. Here are some others:

Check out my posts about:

The Long way Home

Little Bird Lost

Two Sides

The books in the Colour Fiction range from Little Tiger Group are perfect for newly independent readers aged 5 and up, especially those still struggling to find their feet. Those in search of both a meaty story and the vivid illustrations you find in a picture book. The illustrator is credited alongside the author on the cover – pictures mean business, after all. The books celebrate collaboration, exploration and extraordinary acts of kindness, challenging stereotypes and empowering children.

Eight Keys by Suzanne LaFleur

QUESTION

BELIEVE
CHOOSE TO LIVE, CHOOSE TO LOVE

KNOW WHAT YOU COME FROM
SEEK TO LEARN
UNDERSTAND THOSE YOU LOVE
TREASURE YOUR LIFE

Elise is eleven and has moved up to middle school. Middle school is a whole different world. Elise does have a very special friend - Franklin - but now some of the things they do together somehow seem childish. On the first day of the new school Elise is given her locker buddy. She is a wretched, mean, bully girl named Amanda. 

Who can Elise turn to? The homework from school is out of control. The teachers seem disinterested and even unkind. Franklin seems slightly embarrassing yet he was once her very best friend. 

When she was just born Elise's mum died and only a few years later, her father died too - from cancer. Elise lives with her beautiful Aunt Bessie and Uncle Hugh. Bessie is a wonderful cook and Hugh has so much patience and wisdom but really Elise needs time and trust in her friends and family to work out all her life problems. The delicious food in this book reminded me of the food from the previous book Love, Aubrey. 

Adding to all of this Elise finds a key with her name on the tag. In their barn, on the top floor, there are eight doors. Over time Elise finds eight keys and discovers so much about herself, her father, her mother and life in general. The rooms are rather like a puzzle and have been set up long ago by her father for when the time was just right. The different things revealed in each room is a useful story device and one which I think readers aged 10+ will really enjoy. And yes there are only seven words in the list at the start of this post - you need to read this book to discover the eighth key.

This book was published in 2011 but it is still available however here in Australia the paperback is quite expensive so perhaps you will find this book in a library. Here are three other cover designs. I am not sure I especially like any of them but, as I said with Suzanne's first book (Love, Aubrey) I would be very happy to put this book (Eight Keys) into the hands of a sensitive reader especially one of the cusp of moving to high school.

Just over two years ago I read Love, Aubrey by Suzanne LaFleur. I ordered it because I absolutely adored two other books by Susanne LaFleur - Beautiful Blue World and Threads of Blue. At a recent charity book sale I spied this book - Eight Keys - another book by Suzanne LaFleur and this morning I picked it up to read. After an outing later in the morning I came home and finished the whole book of 214 pages. This was just what I needed - to read a whole book in a day. Lately I have laboured over several 'heavier' books which I am struggling to complete. It is so satisfying when a book just sweeps you along and you want to read and read and read until you reach the end. Oh and I also love books that make me cry (just a little).

Here is an interview with Suzanne LaFleur.

In this one, small, sweet book, everything in the world that's important is revealed. It's a book about relationships: losing them, finding them, and fixing them. Dickens library

I would pair Eight Keys with these:

Things seen from Above

Are you there, Buddha?

Aster's right good things

Pieces of Georgia

Hound Dog True

If you want to book talk Eight Keys I suggest using the scene where Elise visits her parents graves. It is sad, yes, but also uplifting and healing from the end of chapter 9 and beginning of chapter 10. 

"Is it my fault you're here?' Cold stone never answered anyone. 'Well, it probably wasn't worth it. I'm bad at everything and nobody but our family likes me. I can't even keep one friend.' I wiped my nose on my sleeve. 'I'm really sorry.' I lay down on the grass, a little closer to them.  ... (That night) I didn't dream at all. That was nice. When I woke up I felt rested ... I was thinking about Franklin. I felt so much better today, and maybe what happened really wasn't his fault. We could try again."