Hometown by Shaun Tan

It is within this simple narrative shell that our recognition is played with and our comprehension challenged. ... What’s going on? A passage between familiarity and strangeness is opened, and the reader cannot help but ask questions in the absence of any explanation. ... Unlike a riddle, there is no clear answer to these questions, which remain open. ... For me, a successful picture book is one in which everything is presented to the reader as a speculative proposition, wrapped in invisible quotation marks, as if to say “what do you make of this?”  Shaun Tan talking about his book The Lost Thing

The opening endpapers of Hometown and the first page turn are very important - do not rush past these. Shaun Tan himself says of his work: What I like about this book in retrospect is that it is not necessarily sequential and exploits the fact that picture books ... have no specific duration - you can look at things for as long as you want, and at any point without the pressure of linear narrative. (Source)

"Here I am. Gravity keeps me here. Or love, which is kind of the same thing. I've never lived anywhere else, and even if I did, this would always be my hometown. The place where I grew up, the place where all my family are from."

These opening words of Hometown set the scene, introduce the main character and open the potential for an issue or change or a challenge. "I've never lived anywhere else" - is that about to change?

She goes on to say:

"I also love going to my secret place. Just being alone, thinking things over. Wondering if there's more to life than this. If there's more out there for someone like me."

So, what happens? Who arrives to challenge her sense of belonging? Did you see something on the first page? 

Shuan Tan is a master of the wordless book and the wordless page spread. In this book pages like this work so well to slow down your reading pace. I found myself taking a breath as I reached each of the wordless pages and one is even surprise fold out.

A spectacularly surreal coming-of-age story about choice, family, and the gravitational pull of belonging. Kirkus Star review

In addition to the wonderful story, the art is absolutely breathtaking. It’s a lovely mix of dreamy pastel colors, surreal landscapes and characters, and delicate details that warrant reading and re-reading just to enjoy it all again and pick out things you might have missed the first time through! History that Never was

Not quite a picture book, not quite a graphic novel and not quite a comic book, and, at 136 pages, significantly longer than most books of its type, Hometown pushes back against any label or box you might find for it. Older children, teens and adults will enjoy grappling with its allegorical meanings and existential questions. Book Page

For this blog post I attended two presentations by Shaun Tan - one in Melbourne with Michael Earp from The Little Bookroom and one in Sydney by Kinokuniya where he was interviewed by Phil Lesnie. I also listed to this fabulous podcast from The Children's Book Review with Bianca Schulze listen to this (or read the transcript if you are curious about the title - Hometown). AND Betsy Bird talked to Shaun too and declared The Arrival her favourite book!! (Do spend 30 minutes, this interview is so insightful). 

Some of Shaun Tan's ideas/inspirations I learnt from his presentations are explained in this blog post from the publisher Allen and Unwin. The excellent teachers notes from Allen Unwin written by Robyn Sheahan-Bright include a very extensive reading list, websites, and links to materials about Shaun Tan. 

US Publisher blurb: If a stranger arrived and told you that the world you knew-your community, your family, and your hometown-wasn't really where you belonged, would you follow them and leave it all behind? Imagine living in a perfect world. You have a loving family, a beautiful home, awesome friends and about three hundred loyal pets. Everything is just as it should be. Until one day, when a stranger arrives. A stranger who looks just like you. A stranger with a very disturbing message . . . 

Further reading: 

Kirkus - Welcome to the Strange, Surreal World of Shaun Tan

Interview with Joy Lawn for Paperbark Words

You can see early sketches for this book on Shaun Tan's web page.

Here is a seven minute video with Shaun talking about the ideas that led to his book. 

I have a couple of favourite pages - the one where the girl and the stranger reach out to touch their hands and the pages where the girl is talking to her sister with the text "I didn't know if she would even care about my problems". And the page I would like to discuss with someone is the one where it says "I love going to school." Is this image about conformity or indoctrination? Why does the girl and all her fellow classmates have their arms in the air and why are they sitting in rows all facing the front. I am also curious about the inclusion of flowers and how such a delicate, natural object could ever be found in this desolate and 'alien' looking environment.

I hope that Hometown is a book that might be read and re-read, revealing different impressions. It can be understood in a literal or metaphorical way: a story about a girl on an alien planet, or a deeper parable about individual identity, the need to ‘feel with your head and think with your heart’, as the narrator’s adoptive mother suggests, no matter what other people say you should think, feel and do. Regardless of family, friends, religion, politics and society, young people especially must always ask their own questions and make emotionally intelligent choices. That’s not always an easy thing to do, the world being a resistant place, full of contradictions, competing principles and powerful opposing forces. But art and literature remind us that there’s always a possible way through, a good and smart and fair way, if only you can imagine it. Shaun Tan Allen and Unwin blog post

In his various talks and interviews Shaun Tan mentioned so many things - here are a few from my notes:

• His early ideas for this story first appeared in a UK Comic anthology "I fell machine". His story was twenty pages with the title "Here I am" .
• In that story the lizard like creature had a name but in Hometown they are called things.
• Notice the way mum has eight arms - mum's are so good at multitasking.
• Is Hometown Science Fiction - Yes but he didn't want to include the usual Sci Fi Tropes. Shaun also mentioned a book by Ursula LeGuin "Always coming home".
• He deliberately did not include a conventional space ship.
• He had in mind a few paintings including one by Andrew Wyeth entitled Christina's World. And others by Arthur Streeton (Gorse in Bloom), Samuel Palmer Early Morning and Monet.
• A favourite picture book is The Mysteries of Harris Burdick by Chris Van Allsburg. (Take a look at my blog post where Shaun Tan contributed a similar idea in a book called Ten-Word Tiny Tales). 
• Illustrations by Arthur Rackham are also an influence. 
• What if someone says your view of reality is wrong - this is a core idea in Hometown. 

Every school and public library will add this book to their collection and for a family it could be an amazing Christmas gift to an older child or to an adult. I am enjoying imagining all the fabulous conversations you will have with your reading companions, family or class. 

IBBY Australia are enormously proud of Shaun Tan - winner of the ALMA (Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award) 2011; Hans Christian Andersen IBBY Australia Nominee; IBBY Honour book 2010 The Arrival; Dromkeen Medal 2010; and Kate Greenaway Medal Winner for Tales from the Inner City 2020. Many years ago Shaun Tan generously gifted a limited edition print to IBBY to use as a fund raiser. You can see the image here (sorry they are all sold) and you might like to compare this with one of the girl's friends in Hometown.

Check out his web page

Sketching the streets around his parents’ house, Tan realized, “Maybe art isn’t about exotic subjects, and real science fiction isn’t about exotic interplanetary worlds. It’s about what’s right in front of you.” Kirkus

As illustrator

The Pipe, by James Moloney (1996) After Dark series

The Stray Cat, by Steven Paulsen (1996) After Dark series

The Doll, by Janine Burke (1997) After Dark series

The Half Dead, by Garry Disher (1997) After Dark series

The Viewer, written by Gary Crew (1997)

The Rabbits, written by John Marsden (1998)

The Hicksville Horror, by Nette Hilton (1999) After Dark series

The Puppet, by Ian Bone (1999) After Dark series

Memorial, written by Gary Crew (1999)

Pretty Monsters by Kelly Link (2008)

If you can find this or any of the other After Dark titles they are fabulous to read aloud to Grade 6.

As author and illustrator

The Playground (1997) After Dark series

The Lost Thing (2000)

The Red Tree (2001)

The Arrival (2006)

Tales from Outer Suburbia (2008)

The Bird King and other sketches (2011)

The Oopsatoreum: inventions of Henry A. Mintox, with the Powerhouse Museum (2012)

Rules of Summer (2013)

The Singing Bones (2016)

Cicada (2018)

Tales from the Inner City (2018)

Dog (2020)

Eric (2020)

Creature (2022)

Hometown (2026)

Do imaginary objects stand up as meaningful metaphors? Do they ‘make sense’ on their own, without being pushed. Being an artist is not about manipulating objects or an audience so much as constantly assessing a series of often accidental and mysterious ideas. Source

The Christmas Book by Katherine Woodfine illustrated by Lizzy Stewart

"Grandfather had been a fisherman, but he had also been a teller of tales. He had so many stories of valiant rescues and brave deeds at sea ... But the tales the children loved hearing best of all were his legends of gods and giants, dwarves and dragons, heroes and hunters. Old tales that made the warm kitchen feel full of strange magic."

Grandfather told the children Icelandic stories about characters such as Yggdrasil (the tree); Asgard (home of the gods); and Thor, Oddin and Loki. Your local or school library might have books about Norse Mythology such as these:

YES! I am talking about a Christmas book and it is only October but this is a book I really want you to add to your gift list and then you should plan to read this book over the Christmas period as a family read aloud. AND good news - this book is a small hard cover with a dust jacket for less than AUS$20.

My copy of this book was a surprise gift this week from a book lover friend. It is so great to read a book where my plot predictions are totally wrong. I absolutely did not expect the ending of The Christmas Book - and I need to say it was utterly perfect. 

Bookseller blurb (spoiler alert): It was Christmas Eve in the little farmhouse. The air was full of good smells of spices and jam and hot cocoa. No one was expecting any presents, but there would be leaf bread, and cookies, and Grandmother's embroidered tablecloth, and they would all do what they could to make the Yuletide bright. Picking his way home across the lava field, Tomas knows that this Christmas won't be quite the same - not without his Grandfather. But as the war draws closer, Tomas devises a plan to ensure his Grandfather's stories will still be at the heart of his family's Christmas - even if it means being braver than a boy ever dreamed he could be. Donning his grandfather's jumper for courage, working hard at chores for neighbours, he takes his hard-earned pennies to shop for presents - only to find all the shops empty of stock. This is war time and rationing. There is just one shop still open ... Inspired by the Icelandic tradition of Jolabokaflod, where books are given as gifts on Christmas Eve.

The art in The Christmas Book is also truly special. You can see inside this book on Lizzy Stewart's Instagram page. 

Here are two other books illustrated by Lizzy Stewart:

I previously talked about these books by Katherine Woodfine - I highly recommend her as an author you should add to your school library.

The Mystery of the Clockwork Sparrow

Rose's Dress of Dreams

Sophie takes to the Skies

All the Ways I See by Nas Campanella and Eliza Hull illustrated by Sophie Beer

"I can't see the summer, but it's clear in my mind. I hear it, 
I feel it, in my heart all the time."

It is a summer day and so the family head to the beach - mum and dad with their two young daughters. Now it is time for sunscreen and a game with the seaweed followed by the building of a terrific sandcastle. Dad buys some hot chips and then mum and the little girl - the one you can see on the cover of the book, head into the water. 

"She lets me know when waves are coming. I smile as I hear the ocean humming ... The waves brush me lightly."

It seems somehow wrong to say this - but this book is visually so delightful. The little girl on the cover is wearing a vibrant flower design swimsuit and her face glows as she turns towards the sunshine. The end papers are filled with all the all the objects mentioned in the story - shells; ice cream; sunhat; waves; sunscreen; and chips. If you and your young reading companion linger over the end papers you might also see a white cane - go back now - it is also on the cover. My friend from Kinderbookswitheverything has just penned a blog post about white canes. 

As you read make sure you notice the way this little girl uses all her other senses - smell, touch, sound and taste. Her day at the beach is just as much fun with mum taking her hand while they swim and dad describing all the special sights. In this book the blind child is the central character - we 'see' the world through her senses.

Huge thanks to Allen and Unwin for my copy of All the Ways I See which was published this week! Make sure you add this beautiful book to your Primary or Preschool library (AUS$24.99). 

The Teachers Notes on the publisher web page have some good discussion points you could use with a group of older students along with an extensive list of related picture books, non fiction and web links.

I wish we had been able to add this book to my former school library where we had a blind student named Nelson. He would be an adult by now, but it would have been so good to share this book with each of his classes as he progressed through our school from kindergarten to Grade Six. 

All the Ways I See is a joyful, lyrical story about a day at the beach from a blind child's perspective as she experiences the baking heat, the sticky sand, the hum of the ocean, the smell of hot chips and the splash of the waves. Readings Melbourne

Most people know what the beach looks like, but could you describe the heat, the smells and the sounds? How would you describe it to someone who couldn’t see what you were looking at? This book does just that. It’s a cool way to experience the beach, and to teach readers that not everyone experiences things the way they do. But most importantly, it’s an utter joyful example of disability representation from three fabulous disabled creatives. The Book Muse

One of the many strengths of this groundbreaking book is that the creators celebrate the way the young girl experiences the beach and makes beautiful memories with her family. The story presents the protagonist as capable and independent. She confidently walks and plays with her younger sibling while using her cane. Her family provides support that empowers rather than limits her. ...  These interactions model inclusion, connection and respect, enhancing her independence and participation. Reading Opens Doors

This book is sure to be submitted by IBBY Australia for the prestigious IBBY Collection for Young People with Disabilities. This collection has two sections. All the Ways I See fits Category One and Category Two.

Category Two 

Portrayals of Disability provide examples of respectful representations of disabilities. ...  In choosing these books, we hope to encourage a more inclusive understanding of disability that gives people a new language to talk about their experiences and validates the experiences of those who are rarely represented in literature.

Nas Campanella is the ABC's National Disability Affairs Reporter. Nas is blind and lives with a neurological condition called Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) which means she can't read braille. After completing a Communications degree at the University of Technology Sydney, majoring in journalism she started with the ABC as a cadet and has worked in several senior roles since including producing, presenting and regional reporting. While working for Triple J she became the world's first blind newsreader to read news live to air. She is passionate about sharing stories from disabled people.

Here is quote from the 2025 IBBY booklet which certainly applies to this new book from Nas Campanella: "People with a specific disability or condition can usually depict their lived experience more easily and authentically than an author who has relied on research."

Category One

Accessible Books includes formats that can help a child or teen to read independently. For those who need to read with a partner, we have chosen formats that allow for as much participation as possible. These formats include braille, sign language, picture communication symbols, tactile books and easy-to-read books.

The IBBY selection committee from Toronto also said: "It is exciting to see enhanced print texts that have additional access points or information. These include QR codes, CDs or digital audio content, braille, sign language, picture communication symbols and better tactile illustrations."

All the Ways I See has accessibility features including easy-to-turn pages with rounded corners and textured elements for a tactile experience. You can feel the shells, the sand, the little girl's hat, sandy footprints, and even the waves. All the Ways I See also has a QR code for an audio and sign language version of this book and there is a website where you can order a braille edition. 

I will update this post in a few days - I am going to an event at Gleebooks where Nas Campanella will talk about her book. 

This book is for every child who experiences the world 

in their own beautiful way. Nas Campanella

Post update - at the book launch Nas recited her book while the illustrator Sophie Beer showed us her illustrations. Rachel from Gleebooks had thoughtfully laid extra copies out for people to read as we listed to Nas. The event was packed which was terrific. I do wish some one had filmed Nas reciting her book because her pace was so perfect. Teacher Education students could learn something from this - to slow down, to allow the children to spend time on each page. Of course Nas is a radio broadcaster so she has a perfect voice and it is her text but it was so moving to hear her say her words - think about that - she had memorised the whole book - but after all it is HER book. 

Nas talked about wanting joy to be at the heart of her story. To validate the experiences of her family. To give other kids the experience of reading about a family and a child enjoying a day at an Australian Beach (Sophie Beer hinted it might be Noosa). 

Nas didn't use these words but in literature we talk about windows and mirrors and this book exemplifies that idea. 

Sophie Beer loved creating the snazzy 'togs' for the main character with their flower pattern and frills - sun saife with a large straw hat. It was so funny when the NSW/Sydney audience explained we don't use the word 'togs' - we call them swimmers. I love that this is one of those words that varies across the nation. Sophie or Nas also gave me a term to use for the tactile aspect of All the Ways I See. It is called 'Sand Varnishing'. 

Eliza Hull OAM is an award-winning writer, musical artist and disability advocate based in Victoria. A proud disabled woman living with the neurological condition Charcot-Marie-Tooth, Eliza is passionate about amplifying the voices and experiences of people with disability across media, literature and the arts. Her children's book Come Over to My House, co-written with children's author Sally Rippin, celebrates friendship, accessibility and inclusive play, introducing young readers to disability through joyful and everyday experiences. It was a CBCA Notable Book and named in the Guardian top 10 children's books of all time. In 2026, Eliza received an Order of Australia Medal in recognition of her service to people with disability and the arts. 

I previously talked about this book by Sophie Beer:

Thunderhead

Companion books:

The Sound of Colours

The Seeing Stick

The Black Book of Colours

I Love Vincent

Fireworks by Matthew Burgess illustrated by Catia Chien

My dad loved the fireworks here in Sydney every New Year. He would either want to head into the city or locally there was a small hill where people gathered. When I was a young child we walked through a harborside suburb to a vantage point opposite our iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge. I even remember walking in the dark with my cousins, and I remember the special clothes I was wearing!

In this story, Fireworks, it is a very hot summer day. The two kids cool off under a fire hydrant and then they head to the park where they enjoy huge watermelon slices. 

Grandma cooks their dinner and then the kids climb to the top of their city building. 

"On this summer night, we climb the ricket ladder to the silver tar rooftop still soft from the day's sun and we wait for the first pop!"

It's a fabulous fireworks display and one of the best pages comes at the end where we see the way the colourful images are still exploding in their minds and dreams.

Bookseller blurb: As a hot day sizzles into evening, everyone on stoops and sidewalks looks skyward on this special summer night—the Fourth of July! Words and art blossom into flowers of fire across the sky, making this a perfect read for firework enthusiasts in cities and suburbs everywhere.

Is this book about the 4th of July - probably - but that's okay. We have fabulous fireworks here in Australia on New Year's Eve and at other times so really this story does translate very easily across the world. I have put some of other picture books that include fireworks at the bottom of this post. Betsy Bird also talks about this book being a book about summer heat and my own favourite US book on that topic is Come on Rain by Karen Hesse. Fireworks is set in New York city but that's okay too - our kids know about that city and others like it with tall buildings and large parks.

Think about the wonderful words your library group or young reading companion will encounter in this book: greet; venture; steamy; bodega; sax (saxophone); onlookers; salsa; rickety; finale; charcoal sniff; extinguished; and lull.

Bodega - that's a word you may not know. It is a small Spanish speaking grocery store.

Fireworks contains a gatefold - Besty Bird explains this: Let’s say you’re a children’s book author or illustrator and you wanted to put a gatefold into your book. A gatefold is a spread of pages that physically open up outside of the confines of the book’s dimensions in some manner. Historically, librarians have not been huge fans of gatefolds because they have a tendency to rip over time. What makes the gatefold in “Fireworks” so extraordinary is that it’s vertical rather than horizontal. It also tucks so perfectly into the book that it might take an adult reader a couple seconds before they realize it’s even there. Only the thickness of the paper gives away its presence. Now here’s the kicker: Did you know that a gatefold can only appear in a book at just the right moment? Because of the physical nature of how books are made (the folding of the pages together) gatefolds can only come at certain moments. So part of what’s so amazing about this book is that its gatefold comes at precisely the right moment, both physically and from a literary perspective. It’s a marvel of simultaneous engineering and storytelling.

If you share this book with a group of older readers in grades 4-6 please take the time to talk about pace and word placement - the final page turn and final word of this book is sure to have been one of the many reasons Fireworks was selected for this enormously prestigious award.

When you read enough picture books you shouldn’t allow yourself to have favorites. Still, I state loud and clear for the record, that this is without a doubt my favorite firework-related summertime picture book ever. Beautiful, weirdly touching, and utterly original. “Swish Zing Tizzle-ting POOF!”

Take a look at the book trailer on the author web page.

Read some reviews:

Kirkus Star review

Horn Book

Waking Brain Cells

You can see more books illustrated by Catia Chien here and here is the web page for Matthew Burgess. I previously talked about The Bear and the Moon;

Betsy mentions that there should be more books about fireworks. My friend from Kinderbookswitheverything shared a few in her blog post. I remembered a book from my former library which was regularly requested by our art teacher but sadly I cannot find a cover image to share here. This book is from 1983 published by A and C Black - Firework Party by Peggy Blakeley. 

Fireworks is the winner of the 2026 Caldecott Medal and yet here in Australia it is listed at over AUS$53 as the retail price - I have seen it also listed for AUS$38 but even that will be way beyond the budget of every school library her in Australia - why oh why? My friend and I have seen this issue with other Caldecott winners and honor titles - see the bottom of this post for some covers. It is true that some Caldecott titles are not really relevant for our Australian children, but Fireworks (and Watercress) most certainly are. I previously talked about past winners here.

Here two of the 2026 honor titles (there are four in total)

Every Monday Mabel

Watercress and Hot Dog

Awards for Fireworks:

     2026 Caldecott Medal

     Charlotte Zolotow Honor for Outstanding Writing in a Picture Book 

     SCBWI Golden Kite Honor for Picture Book Illustration and Text

     Society of Illustrators Gold Medal 

     A NYT/NYPL Best Illustrated Book

     Kirkus’ Best Books of 2025

     School Library Journal’s Best Books of 2025

     Publisher’s Weekly Best Picture Books of 2025

     Blue Ribbon Award 2025

You can also find fireworks in these:

See inside this book here

Noah's New Home

A Gift for Nana

Still Sal by Kevin Henkes

Sal is excited. She is about to begin Grade One. Sal has all her special supplies ready:

At the moment, the school supplies were the things in Sal’s life that made her most happy; the things that gave her a little joyful lift just by thinking about them. The box held brightly colored pencils with glittery stars on them, an eraser shaped like a cupcake for the top of a pencil, and two folders and two notebooks with photographs of baby animals on them—piglets, kittens, puppies, lambs.

Her outfit is ready too:

Sal got dressed in the outfit she’d been planning for days. Pink-and-blue plaid tights. Pale-green corduroy pants that came just below her knees. A shirt patterned with yellow and orange suns. Red sneakers. ... Sal had picked out a cloth headband—her most comfortable one. It was white with purple stripes. She was avoiding her hard plastic ones with teeth. She pushed the headband on and patted it into position. “Ready.”

Then a letter arrives and it seems Sal and her best friend in the whole world Griff (Griffen Babcock) will be in different classes. Griff will have a teacher with such a wonderful name - Ms. Flowers. Surely there is a way Sal can change classes and not be in Ms. McCormick's class.

Ms. Flowers’s hair was dark and curly like Sal’s, but cut very short and accessorized with an ABC barrette. She was wearing red sneakers, also like Sal’s, and jeans that were frayed and fringy at the bottom. Her belt appeared to be a tape measure. She looked like a fun babysitter. She smelled like strawberry jam. Sal’s heart leaped.

This is a year of change for Sal. Her baby sister Poppy has moved into her room and Sal is not happy. Griff seems to be making new friends. AND everything, just everything that can go wrong at school, goes wrong. For example my heart broke for Sal when she saw her name label was wrong (this happens me too):

She was looking at her name tag with narrow eyes. There was a new problem. Although Ms. McCormick had cut off the second L and the Y, she’d made her cut so close to the first L that if you didn’t look carefully, you might think Sal’s name was Sa. Also, there’d been a nice border around each name on the name tags, and now the border on Sal’s was gone on the right side. And, the cut edge was crooked. Sal’s name tag didn’t look professional anymore, and it was different from everyone else’s. Stinging tears came to Sal’s eyes. She knew she shouldn’t ask Ms. McCormick to fix her name tag again, but, still, she found the whole thing upsetting.

Kids in Australia are sure to enjoy all the clothes Sal wears - here children wear school uniforms. Sal's choices each day reminded me of Goonie Bird Greene. 

I love the way Sal tries to convince her parents that two-year-old Poppy should not move in:

“I just don’t think she’ll be a good resident of this room,” Sal had told her parents, trying to be as serious as possible, narrowing her eyes, tilting her head, and pitching her voice to sound important. “I just don’t think she’s responsible enough to be here.”

I also love Sal's dad - he is a parent with quiet wisdom and he can make delicious pancakes.

With a group of older kids in Grade 3 perhaps, you could use this book to talk about the way teachers are different - not to criticise just to explore different ways teachers might cover a topic or relate to their class. You could also talk about the way Sal observes the kids in her class. Oh and I cheered when Sal does speak up - she certainly is not a shy child but she does have an understanding of some adult rules such as not using the teacher's first name even though she is so delighted when she makes this discovery.

I think my hairdresser would enjoy reading chapter 19:

The hair salon was called Hair We Go and it smelled important. Like the smells of a doctor’s office and a flower shop mixed together. Brooke was the name of the woman who was to cut Sal’s hair. Brooke’s thin, straight hair was shoulder length and streaked with pink and green. Sal couldn’t take her eyes off it. She wondered how old you had to be to get pink and green hair, although she wasn’t sure if she’d actually want to have it.

As an adult reader I adored this fourth book about the Miller family - I hope young readers aged 7+ will also enjoy this book but they might find the tone used by Sal a little too mature? I need to think about this a little more. The Kirkus reviewer says: Fairly sophisticated language and observations stretch the target audience to include third and fourth graders for whom first grade may be a distant memory. I was delighted to see Kirkus gave Still Sal a Star review:

Henkes’ graceful, easy prose, sharp insights, and impressive ability to convey the way children think shine here. He invites readers to empathize with Sal, feeling her disappointment and annoyance with a world that doesn’t always understand her as well as the satisfaction with small victories that bring her back to herself: getting used to a major haircut and learning to connect with Ms. McCormick. ...  A delightful, understated triumph.

Blurb from Kevin Henkes web page: Sal has been looking forward to first grade for a long time. But her excitement quickly turns to disappointment when she learns that her best friend, Griff, is in the other first-grade classroom and has the most popular teacher. Then Sal’s name is spelled wrong on her name tag, she trips in front of the cool fifth graders, and her self-portrait doesn’t turn out the way she wanted it to. In fact, everything about school is an absolute disaster. Poor Sal! Luckily for Sal, she has understanding parents, a terrific new teacher, and empathetic friends who remind her that it takes time to adjust to change. And sure enough, after a few days, Sal feels like herself again.

Still Sal highlights themes of family, friendship, social and emotional growth, resilience, and adapting to change. The fourth stand-alone book in the Miller Family sequence includes black-and-white illustrations by Caldecott Medal winner Kevin Henkes on almost every page and is an excellent choice for early elementary grades, for readers ready for a short novel, and for family and classroom read-alouds.

AND there will be another book in this series later this year - Poppy.

If I worked in a bookshop I would love to make a window display of this series. Here are the four titles from the series so far and I also think all Primary school libraries should own every one of them - you can read more from the links below. All four of these have Kirkus Star reviews:

The Year of Billy Miller; Billy Miller makes a Wish

Click on the Kevin Henkes label on this post to read about more of his books - for all ages!

Six Weeks by Matt Goodfellow illustrated by Joe Todd Stanton

"I love you mum.

Please help me.

I don't know what to do without you."

There is such a level of tension in this verse novel that you just need to read on and on. Alfie lives with dad, his dad's new wife and their young baby Alice. Alfie's mum has died and early on we learn this happened when the baby was born about one year ago and we also read that Alfie absolutely never wants to see the man who lived with his mum ever again. As a reader you will have no idea what has happened between this man and Alfie but over the six weeks of the story Matt Goodfellow gradually lets us step into Alfie's life, and we can hear Alfie's questions which naturally are about life and death and we see first-hand complex human relationships along with the importance of grieving.

I have been a bit of a reading slump lately - I had a couple of new books to read and review but neither of them really grabbed me. I thought about the "Rights of the Reader" by Daniel Pennac. His number two rule is: The Right Not to Finish a Book – It is acceptable to stop reading a book at any point and his number ten rule is: The Right to Enjoy Reading – Above all, reading should be pleasurable and free from pressure. Facing a long day with a few serious life stresses I decided to put away the two books that I was struggling with and pick up Six Weeks. I knew this book would be good, but I didn't know just how good - I was totally absorbed by this story, and I read 150 pages in one gulp before lifting my head and 're-entering' the real world. Six Weeks is a winner! Please put this book into the hands of the readers in your life aged 10+. The powerful storytelling in this book 'blew me away'.

Matt is an exceptional storyteller, and his use of verse is incredibly effective at conveying Alfie’s internal world.  Books for Topics

Six Weeks is a book you have to just sit with after you've finished it so you can fully absorb everything. It's a book I hugged at the end (between the tears). It's a book full of heart-break, healing and hope.  K and O Bonkers about Books

When I’m asked about my favourite books, I always say lots of children’s books and that more adults should read them! Six Weeks is the exemplification for why I say that: it is a subject matter which hits young and old and it particularly resonates with the grief journey I’m on. Your heart will break for Alfie at the start and slowly, that love and hope will begin to be rebuilt. Matt is an exceptional storyteller and his use of verse is so effective to convey such important messages. Check 'em out books

If you read my blog you may know I am not a fan of book endorsements, but I wholeheartedly agree with the comments by these authors:

• 'Utterly magnificent' Liz Hyder
• 'Matt Goodfellow's best novel to date' Sarah Crossan
• 'Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant' Phil Earle
• 'Goodfellow has pulled off something astounding' Anthony McGowan
• All at once beautiful, tender, funny and sharp ... a triumph' Katya Balen

I adored these two previous verse novels by Matt Goodfellow:

The Final Year

The Beautiful Layers of me by Sophia Payne illustrated by Ruchi Mhasne

Blurb: Aunty is getting married! Ameena feels beautiful in her new salwar kameez. But when someone comments on her 'pyjamas', Ameena is suddenly a bit less sure about her traditional dress.

Ameena’s emotional twists and turns feel authentic and relatable, and her eventual pride in her outfit—and, by extension, her identity—will resonate with young people. In Mhasane’s tidily composed illustrations, the brown-skinned family’s bright ensembles pop against the relatively subdued backgrounds. Babu’s words—“These clothes are a part of our heritage”—hearten Ameena and will do the same for readers ... Kirkus

Payne does a wonderful job highlighting the inner conflict of identity in America, where one’s family and heritage are often viewed as “other” to white Americans.  Ameena initially hesitates to embrace what she truly finds beautiful because of the judgment of someone who doesn’t understand. With the support of those who do, she honors herself and takes pride in what she knows is right. The story is beautiful and tender, and while it is clearly written and centered for young Indian girls, it also serves as a good lesson for those outside of this culture. YS Book reviews

I do hope you can find, read and appreciate this book. I discovered it in the library where I work as a volunteer. The talented Teacher-Librarian uses international (and national) book lists and book awards to build her rich library collection. One of these lists is Inclusive Books for Children.

The judges said: For its sensitive and powerful exploration of belonging, cultural identity and difference, showing how children can embrace all parts of themselves. Its warm, gentle illustrations, rich narrative depth and “quiet power” were seen as emotionally resonant, educationally valuable and accessible to a wide range of children.

You will need a box of tissues when you read The Beautiful Layers of me. And I love the way this book can be both a mirror and a window. It could also be a fantastic way to talk about the power of words to harm but also heal. Take a look at my Pinterest collection called "She looks like me". 

If you are reading this book to a group in your school library you might like to talk about the salwar kameez worn by Ameena:

A salwar kameez is a traditional outfit originating from the Indian subcontinent, cherished for its comfort and elegance. It consists of three main parts: the kameez, a long tunic; the salwar, a pair of loose-fitting trousers; and often a dupatta, a matching long scarf. Widely worn in India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, this versatile ensemble can be styled for everything from daily errands to formal weddings, making it a staple in wardrobes worldwide. 

• Kameez (The Tunic): This is the top part of the outfit. A kameez can vary in length from hip-length to ankle-length and comes in a multitude of cuts, necklines, and sleeve styles. 
• Salwar (The Trousers): These are the pants worn under the kameez. The traditional salwar is pleated and voluminous at the top, tapering to a narrow cuff at the ankle. However, this component has many modern variations. 
• Dupatta (The Scarf): A long, rectangular scarf, the dupatta adds a layer of grace and can be styled in numerous ways draped over one shoulder, both shoulders, or used as a head covering. While integral to traditional sets, some contemporary styles are worn without one. 

You can see more books by Sophia Payne here. Read this review from Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books.

Here are other books illustrated by Ruchi Mhasane:

About Ruchi Mhasane: I'm an artist from India who has studied illustration at the Cambridge School of Art. I have always drawn pictures, but after my MA in Children's Book Illustration, I've realised that visual narratives are a form that I enjoy immensely and am very comfortable with. I love drawing figures, especially children, and I enjoy capturing their movements and gestures. I am now committed to a lifelong study of the form of a picture book, and to developing the way a book talks to a child (or even adult!) I hope to work on books with meaningful content that will delight and inspire young children, so they too can fall in love with books the way so many of us have.

Companion books:

Amma's Sari