Eat my Dust by Neridah McMullin illustrated by Lucia Masciullo

In 1928, Jean Robertson and Kathleen Howell broke the land speed record when they traveled from Perth to Adelaide 2824km in two days, nine hours and 57 minutes. They broke the record by five hours driving their Italian Lancia Lambda car.

"Intrepid, dynamic, pioneering, Jean and Kathleen broke down gender stereotypes by excelling at driving, discovering Australia by car, and conquering what was considered a male-dominated frontier." (endnotes)

Eat my Dust recreates the journey by these pioneer women. It also explores the bias/sexism of the times - against women.

"I bet you're back by dinnertime,' sniggers the official."

You could build a writing lesson around the power of the word choice here - sniggers.

Later we read this:

"You two are dreamin'. You'll get lost out there in five minutes and I won't be coming to find ya."

On the other hand - you are sure to be cheering when the two women blow a tyre and without a second thought they jump out of the car and quickly execute a repair. And when their car seems to fly through the air.  I love the colloquial Aussie slang too:

"The saltbush is a silver blur as they go like the clappers."

This book is certain to be a CBCA (Children's Book Council of Australia) Eve Pownall (non-fiction) notable title and I am sure it will also be shortlisted. Add this book to your library shopping list today and plan to read it to groups of students as soon as it arrives. 

Congratulations to Neridah McMullin for finding, researching and sharing this story. Congratulations to Lucia Masciullo for her fabulous illustrations - you can almost feel the heat and smell the dust. And finally congratulations to Walker Books Australia for publishing this book so children can read this story about the history of our continent. Read some review comments on their webpage. Also congratulations to Walker on teaming Lucia and Neridah together - just a perfect pairing of illustrator and author. Here are some teachers notes and an interview with Lucia Masciullo about this book. 

This is a story of perseverance and resilience, and an important yet relatively unknown part of Australian history. Read Eat My Dust! with your kids, it's a story that deserves to be celebrated.  Kids' Book Review

A great addition to any library ... Reading Time

With the 2023 CBCA Book Week theme of Read. Grow. Inspire still fresh in our minds, this is another story that allows young readers to meet the pioneers who followed their dreams, inspired others and  made something “abnormal” normal for today’s generations.  The Bottom Shelf

Lucia Mascuillo has a piece of art in our IBBY Australia Mini Masterpiece art auction (18th November 2023). 

I have talked about other books by Neridah McMullin:

Drover

Fabish

Evie and Rhino

And I have talked about these books illustrated by Lucia Masciullo:

Go Home, Cat!

Olive of Groves

The Imagineer

The Hole

Night Lunch by Eric Fan illustrated by Dena Seiferling

Begin with the title - Night Lunch - what could that mean?  We don't eat lunch at night. Hold on - look closely at the cover. You can see an owl and a tiny mouse. Owls are creatures of the night. Mice - oh no - they are usually food for owls. Is this little mouse with his tiny broom going to be the actual lunch for the owl? I'm not sure I am brave enough to read this book.

When you open this book, several things will stand out. The nighttime colour palette - plum, purple, chocolate brown, golden yellow and touches of cream to highlight the lamps and candles. You will also notice the page design where the text is under every double spread on a white strip - black text on white - very easy to read and also allows readers to linger over the illustrations. You can almost hear the clip clop of the horse pulling the cart along the cobbled streets - think about the way Dena Seiferling has interpreted the text from Eric Fan. I continue to marvel at this process where an illustrator is sent words on a page (possibly just one piece of paper) and using their imagination they create a whole story world. 

Now look at the text and this repeated pattern - 

Clip clop, a midnight moon.
Sweep sweep, dust and leaf. 
Drip drop, coffee's hot.

The night lunch cart rolls into the deserted streets and the nocturnal animals gather for their lunch. Who arrives? Porcupine, fox, badger, moths, bats, possums, and cats. Where is the owl? Where is the mouse? The owl is the cook - making sandwiches, eggs, sausages, puddings, butter rolls and biscuits. You will also spy cinnamon scrolls in the illustrations and delicious looking pies. 

As dawn approaches the night lunch cart packs up. There are crumbs that need sweeping. Do you remember the mouse had a broom? 

Blurb from the author site: “Noses sniff the air as mouthwatering smells waft down city streets, luring growling bellies to the Night Owl. Inside this elegant, horse-drawn establishment, a feathery cook works the grill, serving up tasty dishes for shift-workers and opera-goers alike: a mince pie for Fox, a ham sandwich for Badger and puddings for little Possums. Mouse, a poor street sweeper, watches as the line of customers swells, ever hopeful that someone will drop a morsel of food — but Owl’s cooking is far too delicious for more than a crumb to be found. As the evening’s service winds down, weary Owl spots trembling Mouse. Has he found his own night lunch, or will he invite this small sweeper inside for a midnight feast for two?  From the imagination of two acclaimed picture book creators, together for the first time, this dreamlike picture book is a magical ode to Victorian lunch wagons. Evoking the sounds, sights, smells and tastes of the city at night, Night Lunch reveals how empathy and kindness as well as dignity and gratitude can be found — and savored — in the most unexpected places.”

Awards: 

• New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Books 2022
• 2022 Elizabeth Mrazik-Cleaver Canadian Picture Book Award.
• Quill & Quire’s Books of the Year.
• Powell’s Best Books of 2022.
• Indigo’s Best Kids Books.
• Chicago Public Library’s Best Picture Books

Night Lunch is a beautiful hardcover book, but I was happy to see it is available for less than AUS$25 here in Australia. 

Through verse with the cadence of a nursery rhyme, Night Lunch tells of a late-night food cart – drawn by a single white horse and operated by an enormous barn owl – that feeds the animal denizens of a Victorian city. Quill and Quire

Adults and children alike who appreciate a quiet read will enjoy the subtle nuances of the book and the soft warmth of the characters. This is a good choice for a pajama storytime or bedtime tale, though it may leave readers craving their own midnight snacks. Kirkus

I love what the art does with light here. It’s also a great book for any child who has a parent that’s a night worker. A fortuitous pairing in a strangely comforting little book.  Betsy Bird

I adore ALL books by the Fan Brothers and one day I will be able to buy Scarecrow (it is way too expensive here in Australia at AU$40).

Ocean Meets Sky

The Barnabus Project

Lizzy and the Cloud

It Fell from the Sky

And Dena Seiferling is the illustrator of this gem:

King Mouse

Am I Yours? by Alex Latimer

An egg rolls off the side of a volcano and in the format of 'Are you my Mother?' it travels across the landscape looking for an identity or a mother.  This egg is not a Stegosaurus; not a Brachiosaurus; not a Triceratops; not a Corythosaurus; and most certainly not a Tyrannosaurus:

"What do you look like inside that shell?
I can't see in so I can't tell.
Do you have a mouth of teeth?
Sharp up top and sharp beneath?"

Luckily the egg finally rolls over to the real parents and your young reading companion will be cheering!

Do you know a young dinosaur fan? Here is a book you must add to their shelf or grab next time you visit the library. AND after you enjoy this book head over to the non-fiction shelves [567.9] and grab piles of other dinosaur books. My own favourite is our Australian dinosaur the Muttaburrasaurus. 

Bookseller blurb: A rhythmic, rhyming story about dinosaurs. 'Excuse me, please, but am I yours? I'm sure I am a dinosaur's!' When an icy wind pushes an egg from its nest, five friendly dinosaurs must get it home before dark. But who does the lost egg belong to? And will they figure it out in time? The stunning artwork and gentle introduction to a host of dinosaur species make this a book to be truly treasured.

This book was published in 2018 but it is still available, and I am sure it will be found in many libraries to. 

City of Light by Julia Lawrinson illustrated by Heather Potter and Mark Jackson

On February 20, 1962, more than 10 months after Russia sent the first man into space and after 10 aborted attempts at lift-off, Lt-Col Glenn was squeezed inside the Friendship 7 capsule and blasted into orbit. Bill King, a journalist atThe West Australian, was looking for a local angle on the story and suggested Perth residents leave their lights on to see if the city would be visible from space.

Have you read My Place in Space (an old book from 1992)? City of Light begins with the same idea - 

"Here we are. In the place where we live. A city called Perth. Western Australia. The World. The universe."

The two children really want the astronaut to see them, but mum explains "We're too far away. We're too small." Luckily these two children are problem solvers. They are sure their hero in space will see them if they create something BIG. 

"All over our city. All the lights are shining bright."

My friend has an utterly wonderful and comprehensive collection of Picture Book Biographies. I was tasked with finding some specific titles last week and so I took the opportunity to borrow a few for myself one of which was this very new book City of Light. This book is beautifully presented and covers an event that was completely new to me but unfortunately the book designer did not include a page or two of back matter so I had to do a little of my own research but so far, I cannot find any details about these two children - the city was indeed lit up, but I think this was an idea from a newspaper reporter. 

February 20th, 1962 is a date that is significant for those interested in space exploration, for it was the day that astronaut John Glenn became the first American to orbit the Earth in a space capsule named Friendship 7. ... John Glenn’s flight was notable for Perth in particular as the population, in empathy with feelings of isolation and distance from home of the space traveler, turned on their lights to provide a welcome light which Glenn commented on during his first orbit as he was being tracked by Muchea. This symbolic event has become a highlight in Perth’s history, earning the city the name “City of Light.

From the author web page: City of Light tells the true story of how two children from Perth captured the imagination of the residents of their city, with the idea to leave their lights on so that astronaut John Glenn could see Perth from space, during his first human orbit of Earth on 20 February 1962. And so, it’s a heartening story of community collaboration during a time of fascination with early advances in outer space travel.

Here is a set of very comprehensive teachers notes with lots of web links to explore. Here is an interview with Julia Lawrinson and Alphabet Soup. Here is the Kids' Book Review. This book will fit really well into many class topics - Life in the past; Space Exploration; and any science unit about light. 

I am sure we will see this book listed as a CBCA (Children's Book Council of Australia) Eve Pownall notable and perhaps even as a short-listed title.

Foxlight by Katya Balen

"I feel like I'm looking at something I have known forever and something I don't know at all. It's like a golden thread of light is spinning out from my chest and right into the eyes of this wild creature 

and we are joined and connected by something fragile and strange and familiar. The fox is freedom."

Two babies are found in the wilderness near a home for abandoned babies. 

"Rey and I were found at foxlight. That's what Lissa tells us. Right at that very moment when quiet twilight met the dawn and the sun and the moon and the stars wove their own light together and the orange streaks of foxes could be seen brushing against the awakening sky. ... We were curled up small and quiet like question marks in a swirl of snow and orange fur and white teeth. Lissa nearly didn't see us because she wasn't looking for babies out there right at that wild untamed border."

Lissa is the gentle carer of young found children. Each of the other children has a story and each has been found with a note from their mother - all except Rey and her sister Fen (our narrator). 

On Sunday nights Zaki, Alex, Jasmine, Alice, and Robin write letters to their mothers. Lisa has given each of these children a middle name that links with the time they were found but Fen and Rey were not found with a note or keepsake from their mother. It is Lissa who names them Fen and Rey but they feel desolate every Sunday evening because they have no one to write to.

Let's just take a minute to notice these prophetic names. Rey made me think of the folktale name Reynard. And with Fen I thought of the fennec fox.

To comfort themselves the girls have created a whole imaged world featuring their mother. Every night they tell each other stories. It is a game they call "Let's play imagine". 

It seems a little bit trite to use this expression, but I thought of the words 'loose lips sink ships' when Rey and Fen overhear something said by an elderly man who visits to repair the broken fence after an attack by a fox who has killed one of their precious chickens. 

"That blinking woman used to feed them, the wild one, no shoes, wandered the wildlands with the rest of those nutters."

"There was a group of them once, load of blinking barefooters. Wilders, they called themselves. Living out there ... they thought they could bring it all back to life. Those lands been dead longer than I've been alive. ... No one comes back from the wildlands."

Go back to the quote at the top of this post. The girls, especially Fen, believe the fox can lead them to their mother. This woman described by Marl surely is their mother. The believe their mother is waiting in the wilderness for them to return. Finding their mother will give them answers to all their life questions. Taking very few supplies they set off walking into the unknown. 

This is such a different reading experience. The whole story has the feel of a fable. The name of the house hints at this:

"The house is called the Light House because it's the only flickering glow in a wild and empty land and everyone knows how to find it. Its light guides the mothers towards it so they can leave their babies safely."

The first night the sisters sleep outside and an animal, possibly the fox, ransacks their supplies. This broke my heart but then on the second night they find a small cabin. It has clearly been abandoned but it contains food, a can opener and a map! They discover that the wilderness contains many small houses or huts. 

The pace of this story is also interesting. The girls make their journey to find their longed-for mother but, apart from daily survival, there is no real urgency to their journey. I'm sure you have noticed most stories involving a journey or a quest have a layer of time - a deadline - which moves the plot along with a sense of dread that time is running out. There is no real deadline here except the girls' desperate search for answers and for the mother of their imagining. 

I also loved the way Katya Balen gave each girl a different personality - one quiet and contemplative and the other impetuous and boisterous. But then this changes and we see Rey express herself in an unexpected way. Fen finds herself alone. This was the part enjoyed because it was such an unexpected plot twist and because as twins these two girls feel like two parts of a whole. With one girl missing everything felt out of balance. I think I held my breath from pages 176 to page 212 (36 pages). 

"I feel so small and alone. There is not second heartbeat, no quiet wild sister. We have never been apart for more than minutes. I keep opening my mouth to talk to empty air. It feels like I have been ripped in two and my edges are jagged."

The writing in this book is so atmospheric. It is also interesting to think about point of view in a first-person narrative. I'm not sure I would read this book to a group of students, but it would be a beautiful one to read aloud in a family or to put into the hands of an avid reader aged 10+ especially a reader who is looking for a gentle, emotional reading experience.

Author blurb: Fen and Rey were found curled up small and tight in the fiery fur of the foxes at the very edge of the wildlands. Fen is loud and fierce and free. She feels a connection to foxes and a calling from the wild that she's desperate to return to. Rey is quiet and shy and an expert on nature. She reads about the birds, feeds the lands and nurtures the world around her. They are twin sisters. Different and the same. Separate and connected. They will always have each other, even if they don't have a mother and don't know their beginning. But they do want answers. Answers to who their mother is and where she might be. What their story is and how it began. So when a fox appears late one night at the house, Fen and Rey see it as a sign - it's here to lead them to their truth, find their real family and fill the missing piece they have felt since they were born. But the wildlands are exactly that: wild. They are wicked and cruel and brutal and this journey will be harder and more life changing than either Fen or Rey ever imagined ...

There is an almost mystical quality to this story ...  I found it compelling, and incredibly moving, and I cannot emphasise enough how utterly beautiful the writing is. ... there are no whizz-bang adventures or dramatic encounters with dangerous beasts or whatever. The challenges that face these two girls are more of their own making often, though it is true they are also battling the elements, which are truly wild and often brutal.  ... Perfectly engrossing and enchanting in equal measure.

Read October October also by Katya Balen.

October October

The Red Piano by André Leblanc illustrated by Barroux translated by Justine Werner

"In the hut, the cramped rooms reek of warm sweat, the foul smell of extinguished coal fires and packed earth. Crammed together, the comrades are already sleeping on the bare ground. Taking small careful steps, the young girl leaves the communal house."

"The music rises, free yet encased by the thick walls. Tonight marks the end of her fifth year in exile. ... pianos are criminal. Pianists are criminals. Schools are closed down. The Communist party is re-educating everyone."

How did they manage to bring a piano to this desolate place? How can this little girl practice each evening? Where will she get her music? And - most awful of all - what will happen when she is discovered?

Discover the answers in The Red Piano but be prepared to have your heart broken. 

The Cultural Revolution was started by Chinese leader Mao Tstung in 1966 to make China's people follow his idea of the way they should live. ... Young people left school and became Red Guards, roaming the country to search for and destroy the 'four olds' - old customs, old culture, old habits and old ideas. People, like the little girl in this book, were sent to the countryside to work with the peasants. (from the preamble)

"For seven years now, educated young people have been going to re-education camps, occasionally with enthusiasm but more often under duress. Their mission: to eradicate elitism through manual labour alongside poor farmers and by studying Chairman Mao's political works."

There are several things I miss now that I no longer work in my school library. I desperately miss reading aloud to groups of students. I miss sharing books with individual readers. And I miss creating lessons to unpack complex books like this one which I read to groups of our Grade Six students as a part of their work on Asian studies. Read this review for more plot details. 

This extraordinary (I don't use that word lightly) story was inspired by the true story of girl who grew up during the Chinese Cultural Revolution. Her name is/was Zhu Xiao-Mei. I first read this book several decades ago but the story has lingered with me. I highly recommend this for readers aged 11+ and for all high school libraries. 

Dazzling collage, pencil and paint illustrations from Barroux create a beautiful chiaroscuro of tension and release. Kirkus

Bookseller blurb: Stirring and inspiring, this picture book relates the story of a gifted young girl's passion for the piano in a time of historic turmoil. During China's Cultural Revolution a young girl is taken from her family and sent to a far-off labor camp. Forbidden to play the piano, she nevertheless finds a way of smuggling handwritten music into the camp and sneaking away at night to practice a piano in a secret location—until, one night, she is caught. Inspired by the amazing true story of international concert pianist Zhu Xiao-Mei, this acclaimed picture book poetically relates an astonishing story of perseverance set against a cataclysmic period of history.

I thought about this book all over again when I recently read Alias Anna because Anna is a musician and while music saves her it continually also threatens to expose her as a Jewish child. I also thought of Mao and the Cultural Revolution when I read Two Sparrowhawk's in a Lonely Sky by Rebecca Lim. And I thought of the similarities of the historical context from The Red Piano when I read My Brigadista Year by Katherine Paterson.

The Red Piano was published in 2008 so yes, it is out of print, but this book is sure to be in many school and public libraries. I picked up my copy at a recent charity book sale.

Phyllis and Grace by Nigel Gray illustrated by Bethan Welby

"Grace's mum baked a cake. She asked Grace to take a slice to Phyllis. Phyllis lived next door."

Love Reading4Kids: Grace is a little girl; Phyllis is the old lady next door. Phyllis lives alone and her memory is fading, but that doesn't stop Grace from liking her. They find that, despite the gap in their ages, they have much in common and a moving and enduring friendship is born. This is a deeply touching story for all the family of how a little girl befriends her elderly neighbour who has dementia ...

Nigel Gray gives readers heartbreaking insights into Phyllis and her memory loss/dementia:

"Phyllis poured milk from a carton into the kettle. The milk smelt sour. Phyllis came and sat down at the table again without switching on the kettle."

"Finally, she found the slice of cake that Grace's mother had made. It was furry with mould."

"She rolled up the painting and put it in the fridge."

Strengths of this story:

• Nigel Gray does not shy away from a focus on a complex issue - dementia and also neglect (do her family ever visit - we know the house needs repairs)
• Grace is a beautiful child who is so very, very patient with Phyllis
• The story is an important portrait of kindness in action
• Gentle appealing illustrations
• A sweet ending but not one that unnecessarily tries to solve the main issue of memory loss and dementia

Things that could cause concern:

• Grace's parents do not seem to notice that Phyllis needs more help not just an occasional piece of cake or a small container of food
• Do the parents ask Grace about her visit to Phyllis - surely this young child is puzzled by the questions Phyllis asks over and over again especially about her children, husband and even her own name?
• Grace's dad comes over and repairs the broken electrical fuse but the page turn is a little abrupt - clearly Phyllis is so confused about this strange man in her house
• What does Phyllis eat? Is someone actually caring for her on a regular basis? 
• Is this story too distressing for a very young child? Or am I just adding a layer of my own adult sensibilities. We watch Phyllis decline even further over the course of the story but I guess it is good that mostly her mood is portrayed as fairly happy. 
• Reading this book could lead to difficult questions - I know these are important but that is why you need to consider the age of the child - where is her husband? Where are the children? Are they really upstairs? Why is Phyllis doing all these strange things?

This is a book you could share with one child (not a class). It does have a lot of text but more importantly you need to leave lots of room for questions. I would say this book is suitable for ages 7+ but most reviewers seem to say 3 or 4+.

Basing the story on the experience of his own granddaughter and her neighbour, author Nigel Gray’s story is told with great sensitivity and equally sensitively illustrated in Bethan Welby’s gentle watercolour scenes. Together words and pictures beautifully document the progression of dementia and how it might appear, from a young child’s viewpoint. A book for adults and children to share and discuss as gently as it’s presented by its creators. Red Reading Hub

I love this book for its gentleness, its compassionate view of the world, so much an expression of its author. What I also like so much is the respect the author shows for his readers, never lecturing or hectoring, never stating categorically what we must think, but assuming that his thoughts on the subject will be gleaned from the story itself. Living arts Canberra

I mentioned Phyllis and Grace when I talked about the 2023 White Ravens titles. 

Companion books:

Newspaper Hats

The author Nigel Gray is interesting - he was born in the UK and now lives in Western Australia but taking a look at his book list so many of his titles have UK illustrators and UK publishers. Here is an audio interview with Living Arts Canberra. Here is a sixteen minute video of the author reading his book. 

I arrived in Western Australia in 1988 (more than twenty-five years later than I’d intended) having migrated with my wife and my sons Sam and Jo, under the special category of artists and sports people of international reputation, and we have been Australian citizens since 1990.

When my friend from Kinderbookswitheverything asked if we were sent any books by Nigel Gray for CBCA (Children's Book Council of Australia) judging I was puzzled because I didn't think he was Australian.

Look at this list of illustrators:

• Jane Ray
• Philippe Dupasquier
• Michael Foreman
• Helen Craig

Bethan Welby who illustrated Phyllis and Grace lives in Devon, UK.

But then we have BIG Australian names such as:

• Bob Graham
• Elise Hurst
• Craig Smith
• Gregory Rogers
• Andrew McLean
• Anna Pignatoro

Amelia Ellicott's Garden by Liliana Stafford illustrated by Stephen Michael King

Opening sentence: A long time ago, Amelia Ellicott's family owned most of Sampson Street, from the fish-and-chip shop on the corner to the roundabout on the main road.

But over time the street has changed and now number fifty-six is overshadowed by a block of flats and a high fence. In the past Amelia knew her neighbours but now she is all alone. Amelia has grown old and her garden as become hard to maintain. There are weeds and the roses badly need pruning. At least her chickens are happy. Every evening Amelia sits with her chickens and has a chat about her day.

"They are Pekin Bantams, the colour of sunshine and marigolds."

Sadly when the new chicks hatch, there is no one to share the joy. Her cat Mustafah refuses to be interest in chickens. 

Meanwhile, in those high-rise flats next door Tony Timponi watches the chickens too. He used to live in Italy and he had chickens and goats and fruit trees. Adrian Pop looks down too. He would love a garden where he could grow cabbage and zucchinis. Lin Li would love to see some ducks paddling in Amelia's little pond and the Martinovitch children dream of making a tyre swing in the big mulberry tree. 

"But no one ever says a word. They are too shy. And besides Amelia Ellicott never gives them the time of day"

Now pause. You have read about the problem which at its heart are themes of loneliness and longing. What would you add to the story to facilitate a change? Liliana Stafford adds a wild storm. Remember those neighbours have been watching the garden. Now they spring into action. 

"And there in the pouring rain are all the neighbours running around chasing chickens or trying to catch bits of Amelia Ellicott's garden." 

And the best thing, apart from everyone meeting over cups of tea, is that the fence that once separated residents of the high-rise flats from Amelia Ellicott and her garden, has fallen down. Go back and read all those dreams - a tree swing, a vegetable garden, sharing baby chicks, and friends - all of those dreams can now come true!

Amelia Ellicott's Garden was first published in 2000. The illustrations by Stephen Michael King are fresh and vibrant - I think his early books were among his best - I am thinking of The Man who loved Boxes, Henry and Amy, Mutt Dog, Pocket Dogs, Beetle Soup, Where does Thursday go? and Applesauce and the Christmas Miracle. Click this link to see the posts about lots of books illustrated by Stephen Michael King. 

When you open Amelia Ellicott's Garden spend some time on the first page, the imprint page, and the gloriously decorated title. I picked up Amelia Ellicott's garden at a recent charity book sale because I have always loved it. Sadly this book is now out of print, but I am sure it will be in most Australian school libraries. Here is a heart-felt review with teaching ideas from Children's Books Daily. In this video for the State Library of NSW Stephen Michael King talks about his book. 

Companion books (or perhaps you could read these as part of a mini theme about community life):

The Biscuit Maker

The Song for everyone

The Invisible

Old Fellow

I Have the Right by Reza Dalvand

"This book is particularly important to me because it carries the voice of children 

and makes their rights known. It is a tribute to all the children of the world, 

without distinction of language, ethnicity or religion"

I have the Right was originally published in French with the title; J'ai le droit. The author/illustrator blurb says: I have the right to have a name, a nationality, an identity. I have the right to be treated and protected from illness. I have the right to go to school. I have the right to have a roof over my head. I have the right to be protected from racism, the right not to be excluded because of my skin color or nationality. I have the right not to be rejected because of my religion, my family. I have the right to be surrounded, to have a family. And I have the right to be loved.

When you open this book the end papers are filled with the rights in multiple languages handwritten by children. My favourite pages are "I have the right to nutritious foods" where we see a huge table with males on every shape and size of plate you might imagine. On the page "I have a right to a home where I can thrive" we see a parent reading a book to a child - a power image that you could use for a poster or in a parent newsletter. And as you would expect the page "I have the right not to be forced to fight wars" has an image that is sure to linger with you long after you close the pages of this book.

In a previous post I explored work by internationally acclaimed Iranan illustrator Reza Dalvand. 

Mrs Bibi's Elephant

What could that be?

If I was still working in my school library, I would be tempted to create a permanent display of non-fiction books which focus on the UN Rights of the Child. These books are important and as a bonus they usually have scrumptious illustrations.

I discovered this book (I Have the Right) because I spent a little time last week looking through three of our Australian Standing Order services - Scholastic (Australian Standing Orders ASO); Pegi Williams (South Australia); and Lamont Books.

Here are some other favourite Rights of the Child books:

I've made a list of Australian and International Picture books released in 2023 that I would now like to read:

• Remarkable Remy by Melanie Hayworth illustrated by Nathaniel Eckstrom
• Cloudspotting by Samantha Tidy illustrated by Susannah Crispe
• Satin by Sophie Masson - previously mentioned here
• Little Treasure by Chanelle Gosper illustrated by Susannah Goldsmith
• The Useless Tune by Chris Uhlmann illustrated by Paul Uhlmann
• The World's greatest Tackle by Bruce Walker illustrated by Nettie Lodge
• Mizuto and the wind by Kaye Baillie illustrated by Luisa Gioffre-Suzuki
• Sunday Skating by Andrea Rowe illustrated by Hannah Sommerville
• Alice's Shoe by Julie Thorndyke illustrated by Jennifer Harrison
• The day the moon came to stay by Gary Eck illustrated by Nick O'Sullivan
• Every night at midnight by Peter Cheong
• Nightsong by Sally Soweol Han
• Raised by Moths by Charlie Archbold illustrated by Michelle Conn
• The New kid by Jennifer Bain illustrated by Deborah Brown
• The Kiss by Polly Dunbar
• Gigantic by Bob Biddulph
• That's Nice, Love by Owen Gent
• Henry and the Machine Isabelle Marinov illustrated by Olga Shtonda
• Salat in Secret by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow illustrated by Hatem Aly
• Anchored by Deborah Tidball illustrated by Arielle Li
• The Lucky Shack Apsara Baldovino illustrated by Jennifer Falkner
• When You're a boy by Blake Nuto
• The Little Things by Penny Harrison illustrated by Hannah Sommerville
• Downtown Sewertown by Tull Suwannakit
• Freckle by Catherine Jinks illustrated by Jennifer Goldsmith
• Blue by Sarah Christou

And here are a few middle grade novels:

• The Lost language by Claudia Mills
• Huda was here by H Hayek
• Indigo in the storm by Kate Gordon
• Temora and the Wordsnatcher by Kate Gordon and sequel Tamora and the Dreamers
• Safiyyah's War by Hiba Noor Khan 
• When clouds touch us (Verse novel might be YA).