The rescuer of Tiny Creatures by Curtis Manley illustrated by Lucy Ruth Cummins

Roberta sees the world in a different way - she notices the tiny creatures that everyone else seems to ignore or avoid or worse.

"I rescue tiny creatures. It's a special job. A job no one else seems to care about."

She rescues tiny caterpillars, earth worms, spiders and I love her words to the ladybird:

"I carry the ladybug outside. Fly away home, I whisper. And it does."

There is a bit of a nasty bite from a dragonfly and sadly sometimes she is too late for some of these tiny creatures. But the dead bumblebee and beetle are good to study under her microscope.

Then one day the classroom wall is covered in hundreds of spiderlings. Luckily Roberta is brave and clever, and she knows exactly what to do. She shows everyone how to fold small origami boxes (instructions in the back of the book) and one by one each child watches the tiny spiders climb inside. Then the children watch a miracle of nature when, on the roof of their building, the children set the little baby spiders free. Each unfurl their spider silk and they float away like balloons to "new homes far away." While all of this is happening, one little girl in the class - Maria - is clearly not afraid. The next day Maria and Roberta have a conversation about a honeybee named fluffy. Roberta has found a true friend. The final scenes will make you laugh out loud and on the final page there is the promise of a third friend too. 

Here is the Kirkus review. Read more review comments on the web page of Curtis Manley. This is a book that children in preschool, Kindergarten and Grade One are sure to enjoy. 

You could pair this book with a poem I once taught my Grade Three class:

Hey, Bug! by Lilian Moore

Hey, bug, stay!
Don't run away.
I know a game that we can play.

I'll hold my fingers very still
And you can climb a finger-hill.

No, no.
Don't go.
Here's a wall - a tower, too,
A tiny bug town, just for you.
I've a cookie. You have some.
Take this oatmeal cookie crumb.
Hey, bug, stay!
Hey, bug!
Hey!

And here are a couple of other special poems about insects and minibeasts:

Hurt no living thing by Christina Rosetti

Hurt no living thing:

Ladybird, nor butterfly,

Nor moth with dusty wing,

Nor cricket chirping cheerily,

Nor grasshopper so light of leap,

Nor dancing gnat, nor beetle fat,

Nor harmless worms that creep.

The Bug by Marjorie Barrows

And when the rain had gone away

And it was shining everywhere,

I ran out on the walk to play

And found a little bug was there.

And he was running just as fast

As any little bug could run,

Until he stopped for breath at last,

All black and shiny in the sun.

And then he chirped a song to me

And gave his wings a little tug,

And that's the way he showed that he

Was very glad to be a bug!

Ladybug by Joan Walsh Anglund

A small speckled visitor

Wearing a crimson cape.

Brighter than a cherry

Smaller than a grape.

Tiny Ladybug

A polka-dotted someone

Walking on my wall.

A black-hooded lady

In a scarlet shawl.

A Dragonfly by Eleanor Farjeon

When the heat of the summer

Made drowsy the land,

A dragon-fly came

And sat on my hand,

With its blue jointed body,

And wings like spun glass,

It lit on my fingers

As though they were grass.

Lucy Ruth Cummins is the illustrator of another book I really love:

Birdsong by Katya Balen

Annie has been in a very serious car accident and while she and her mother have survived, Annie has been badly hurt and now she can no longer play her precious flute. Music is her comfort and her identity. She is talented, a composer and did plan to attend a prestigious music school - but now it seems her dreams cannot come true.

Annie and her mother move to a smaller apartment because mum has lost her job - mainly because she had to spend so much time caring for Annie after the accident. Annie feels alone and displaced but one day she spies a young boy in the bushes below her building. When she investigates she discovers he is caring for a pair of blackbirds who have built a nest ready for a new clutch of eggs. The blackbirds are also rehearsing their own symphony.  Noah discovers Annie's dream and he encourages her to try her music again. 

The blurb hints at a tragedy and yes this does happen but that only adds that all important delicious layer of tension to the story and of course keeps readers turning the pages.

This book is a delightful discovery.  It is a perfect story for a reader aged 9+ and especially for young readers who do not yet have very much reading stamina.  In some ways this reads like a short story but in a single volume. It is only 97 pages with a few interspersed illustrations. It is also a book for readers who are interested and, as I am, also fascinated by birds. This is a very emotional story. I read the whole book in one short sitting.

Some books are enjoyed, some are learned from, and the best find a little crack in your mind and live there longer than you think. Birdsong is such a book. Days after reading it, I kept coming back to the themes and prose. Katya Balen is a master craftsperson when it comes to scribing stories. The Great British Bookworm

Read more about the common Blackbird here

I did enjoy an earlier book by Katya Balen - October October.

Gus makes a fuss: Pet Sitters Book One by Ella Shine illustrated by Lisa Flanagan

Cassie and Lina do not own a pet. The girls are best friends. Both sets of parents say no to pet ownership but Cassie and Lina are desperate especially since their town of Barefoot Springs is about to hold a Pet Parade. 

As chance would have it the lady down the road has a cat and he needs pet sitting.  Gus is a rather special cat. He has one grey ear and one white one, "a cute little nose and a bit of a frowny face. He's like a grumpy little fur-ball." You can probably imagine Gus in your 'mind's eye' but you will never guess the other thing that makes Gus rather special. He can TALK but only if both girls are in the same room. Being able to talk means Gus can make his demands known. He is not happy that his owner seems to regularly abandon him. On the day of his arrival Gus escapes and then his owner returns earlier than expected. It's a pet sitting disaster.

Will the girls be able to attend the Pet Parade - with a pet? Can they ever be trusted to pet sit ever again? And what about grumpy Gus?

Gus Makes a Fuss is the first book in the Pet Sitters series. I am always on the look out for easy chapter books with good stories.  This book is not quite at the level I search for but the story did hold my interest. I think it will suit readers aged 7+ to read independently or 5+ if the story is shared by an adult.  I did enjoy the cheeky and bossy voice of Gus. At the end of Gus makes a fuss the stage is set for further adventures and pets!

Here are some books which I would suggest to readers as companion books to go with Gus makes a fuss. There are several books in the Lulu series; The Bed and Biscuit series; Pet Hotel; and Daisy Dawson (she can talk to animals).

You can hear the first chapter on the publisher web site - Puddle Dog Press. This series are also available as ebooks.

This is the first time I have been sent a book by an author. I have explained to "Ella Shine" whose real name is Penny Reeve that I am excited to read her book written with Cecily Paterson but I will only talk about it here if I enjoy it. I avoid negative comments. If I read a book (and I do read heaps of books every week) and I don't really enjoy it then I just don't mention it here. I was interested to discover the authors (who run Puddle Dog Press) sent their book to the television presenter Pip Rasmussen. Pip is my friend's daughter and she was a presenter on ABC Me. I wonder if she talked about this series on her program? 

"Pet Sitters: Gus Makes A Fuss is cheeky little story that will have you wanting more - more Gus, more chaos, more pets!"  Pip Rasmussen

Here is the message from Penny:

I saw your link to your book review group on Your Kids Next Read. I'm one half of the author team behind the pen name 'Ella Shine'. We've recently published a new early chapter book series for 6-9 year olds called Pet Sitters. I was wondering if you'd be interested in reviewing one of our new books.  The books are available in ebook, audio and print - you can see more information on them at our website www.puddledogpress.com 

Thanks, Penny

Here is the full set of Pet Sitters titles. I think they would make a good addition to a Primary School library. The covers are bright and appealing and the pace of the story means readers will keep turning those pages. 

A Letter to Father Christmas by Rose Impey and Sue Porter

Day 11
Charlotte loves to write, but since she cannot read, she just likes copy things written by other people - notes from the plumber, telephone messages, and shopping lists. As Christmas approaches she carefully copies the letter her mother writes to Father Christmas.

Dear Father Christmas
I am writing to tell you what I would like in my stocking. When you come to my house on Christmas Eve you mustn't look for me in my bedroom because Grandma and Grandad will be there. I will be in Ben's room (next to the bathroom). Ben is too small to write his own letter so I have put some things for him on my list. Also would you bring me a surprise? I like surprises best of all.
Lots of Love,
Miss Charlotte Ruth Hall x

There is a rush after the letter is done. Charlotte needs to get it into the envelope. She picks up a list thinking it is her Christmas list along with her letter and her father posts it up their chimney.  When Father Christmas reads the letter he admires the neat writing but the list puzzles him. "Why it looks more like somebody's shopping list,' he thought. And of course that's exactly what it was."

Bread
Carrots
Fish
Nuts
Hot water bottle

The day before Christmas is very cold and thick snow covers the area around the house. Charlotte is worried about the donkey who lives in the next field - she wishes she could bring him in out of the cold. She is worried about the cat. He looks hungry but Charlotte would be so sad if he ate the birds. The birds are hungry too and there are only a few berries left on the holly bushes.

Can you match each gift from the shopping list with her animal friends. The presents in her stocking are certainly a surprise but there is also a special gift for Charlotte - and it is perfect.

This is an old book - the newest copy was published in 1997 - but there are plenty of fairly cheap used copies still available. This book is also sure to be found in many school library collections.

Here are some other books with letters to Santa:

A boy called Bat by Elana K Arnold illustrated by Charles Santoso

"Do you know what I see when I look into your eyes?" "Brown and black," Bat said. "With white all around."
"Yes," said Mom. "I do see that. But I also see your sweetness. And your thoughtful nature. And your busy, busy mind."

Can you see the animal on the front cover of this book A boy called Bat?  It is a baby skunk. Here in Australia we do not have skunks and so for me this interesting creature joins others we find in US and UK titles such as badgers, raccoons and hedgehogs.  I would like to think US and UK children would be equally fascinated by our koala, kangaroo, echidna, and platypus.

Bat (Bixby Alexander Tam) sees the world in a different way from others. He needs order and routine. He does not like loud sounds and "there was also the way he sometime flapped his hands, when he was nervous or excited or thinking about something interesting."

Animals are Bat's favorite thing and luckily for Bat his mum is a vet. Bat loves going to her clinic and spending time with the cats and dogs but today mum has bought a baby skunk home. The mother has died and this is the only surviving kit. Bat immediately falls in love with this tiny baby which his sister names Thor. The problem is Thor can only stay with the family for one month until he is old enough to be taken by the rescue center prior to his release back into the wild. Bat needs to convince his mum to let Thor stay with him for much longer.  Could Thor become his pet?  Can Bat become his caretaker?

Bat has a set of animal encyclopedias and he begins to read about skunks. One of the key questions is Do Skunks make good pets?  The answer in his book is from Dr Jerry Dragoo who works for the aptly named Institute for the Betterment of Skunks and Skunk Reputations.  At school the next day his kind teacher Mr Grayson notices Bat is very distracted. At recess he offers to help Bat write an email to Dr Dragoo.  Eventually an email arrives with an answer which is not quite as definitive as Bat would like.

Take a look here for some photos and facts about skunks. Here is an interview with Elana K Arnold. Here is a set of teaching notes with ideas for further reading.

This is an easy to read short chapter book with a gentle message about difference and perseverance. Older children might follow this book with Loser by Jerry Spinelli and Goldfish Boy. The 'voice' of Bat reminded me of Waylon which is a book for a younger audience.



Comfortably familiar and quietly groundbreaking, this introduction to Bat should charm readers, who will likely look forward to more opportunities to explore life from Bat’s particular point of view.  Kirkus


Here is the cover of the second book which has just been published.

Moo a novel by Sharon Creech

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

Moo - why was I keen to read this book?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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