Thoughts from a Quiet Bench by Kes Gray illustrated by Nila Aye

Publisher blurb: The Quiet Bench in the playground is the perfect place to sit and watch the world go by. It's a place to listen, think, and ask yourself questions such as . . .

What are thoughts made of?

Where does the air stop being invisible and turn into blue sky?

Can the wind blow in two different directions at once?

So next time you see someone sitting quietly, why not join them? Because there's always room for one more friend on the Quiet Bench.

This is a book you will want to add to your school library BUT I recommend shopping around because the price here in Australia seems to vary between AUS$22 up to over AUS$32. 

Kes Gray is an author of more than fifty books for children of all ages, including the acclaimed Daisy series illustrated by Nick Sharratt and Garry Parsons. As well as winning the Red House Children's Book Award for Eat Your Peas, Billy Bucket and Daisy and the Trouble With Zoos, Kes was noted by The Independent as one of the top ten children's authors in the UK only a year after publishing his first book. He is also the author of Zippo the Super Hippo illustrated by Nikki Dyson and the bestselling Oi Frog! illustrated by Jim Field. Kes lives in Essex with his wife, children and an assortment of animals.

I spied this book in a city bookshop. I picked it up. Read it. And sighed with happiness.  Aren't we lucky that children's authors and illustrators keep producing amazing books for our children. I don't usually give stars to picture books but as you can see I have given this five stars! Just look at this page - 

There are, of course, some poignant moments in this book when we see the child sitting on the bench and later a child playing alone but this is beautifully balanced with some laugh out loud moments and a beautiful story ending. One of the things I treasured in my former school library were the quiet loner (not necessarily lonely) younger children who came to my library at lunch time. I tried hard to put aside the endless lunch time task of book shelving and just sit with these kids to play a simple card or board game and then inviting other kids to join in. 

Kes Gray is the author a book I love to read aloud:

Billy's Bucket

Here are some other books by Kes Gray - surely you already have many of these in your school library!

Nila Aye was born in Rangoon, Myanmar, arriving in the UK at the age of three and spent most of her childhood dreaming and drawing pictures. Nila studied graphic design at Central St Martins in London, graduating in 1995. Nila is an award-winning illustrator, collaborating on many well-loved children's books including Nature Trail, People Need People, Story Soup and the Little Bugs Big Feelings series. Her love of visual storytelling and collaboration with authors continues to energise Nila in her mission to bring beautifully illustrated books to a new generation of young readers around the world.

Here is the Instagram page for Nila Aye - she has a few small videos about Thoughts from a quiet bench.

Companion book:

The Friendship Bench

The Girl Who Noticed Everything by Jane Porter illustrated by Maisie Paradise Shearring

There are a couple of moments in this book which made me feel very sad. Stella does notice 'everything' and at times this is lucky for her dad for example when he misplaces his hat. She is a naturally curious girl but dad sometimes feels uncomfortable when she points out differences:

"They passed a man wearing a furry hat with big ear flaps. Stella turned to look. 'Is he wearing a cat on his head?' she asked loudly. 'Shhhh! He might be embarrassed if he hears you say that,' said Dad ... "

Stella can sense she has done the wrong thing so she becomes very quiet. She stops telling dad about all the amazing things she can see on their way to the park. When they arrive she sees a lady in wearing all the colours of the rainbow but dad says:

"Let's play at NOT noticing things for a while, shall we?"

Luckily Stella does still notice things, but she keeps her thoughts to herself. That lady in the rainbow had been calling sadly 'Frankie! Frankie!'. Stella finds a beautiful blue feather and then she sees a bright flash of feathers in a tall tree. Yes - it is Frankie. She takes her dad's hand, and they find the rainbow lady then Stella leads them both back to the tree and the rainbow lady is reunited with her special companion.

Luckily all of this means dad changes his mind and indeed he begins to notice the tiny and beautiful things on their walk home.

Here is a video of the author Jane Porter talking about her book with the illustrator Maisie Paradise Shearring. This book is available in paperback (published January 2023) - a perfect addition to your library. 

The combination of dad being loving yet slightly distracted is highly relatable and Stella feels totally real to me. The adult learning from the child is a nice touch which is subtly done ... Letterbox Library

The Girl Who Noticed Everything addresses relevant (and potentially quite challenging) issues by drawing its audience in and delighting rather than instructing them. Its focus on the visual and imaginative joys of connecting and observing are particularly welcome, and embedded within the story and images are prompts for learning and discussion. Jane Porter’s cheerful text has a natural, real-world feel, and Maisie Paradise Shearring’s characters also burst with life. Plenty of location-specific spreads anchor the action in familiar settings (a rumpled sitting room, an urban street, a sandpit…) but good use is made of white backgrounds to focus attention on Stella’s internal world. Books for Keeps

Publisher blurb: Stella is a great detective. She can’t help noticing everything around her – clouds shaped like horses, wheelie bins with faces, a lonely glove on a fence, people that look like their dogs and even a man with a furry hat that looks like a cat on his head. Stella tells Dad about everything she’s seen but Dad is worried that she’s going to hurt people’s feelings. But when Stella spots a sad lady in the park she knows that speaking up is just the right thing to do.

This is a companion book to The Boy who loved Everyone.

Here are some other books illustrated by Maisie Paradise Shearring:

Everywhere, Wonder by Matthew Swanson illustrated by Bobbi Behr

"I have a story to share. It is a little gift from me to you. You might not know it, but you have a story, too. You'll find it in the things you stop to notice."

The child in this book, is reading a book. We see the page open on an illustration of the pyramids. Turn the page and voila you are there. Then on you go to Arizona, Brazil, mountains in Japan, Kenya, see salmon swimming in Alaska and you could even see that solitary footprint on the surface of the moon. 

All of these things (and many more) are now part of your story.

The polar bear "walked off this page and into your head. Now he is part of your story."

So, there are wonders in books from places around the world that you can only imagine or see in a book but also there are wonders to see all around you - close to home. Even in a bowl of soup. 

The strongest illustrations are those that play with negative space, as when a polar bear wanders off the ice and into the child’s white-walled room, the one blending seamlessly with the other. A journey of the imagination, the book could be of use as a teaching tool to encourage budding writers and creators to notice and imagine stories based on both what they know and what they dream of. Kirkus

You could perhaps use the first part of this book to explore the 2024 CBCA slogan - Reading is Magic. This book was published in 2017 and it is still available but sadly I think it may be way too expensive for a school library here in Australia. You can see inside this book here. Here is the web page for husband and wife team - Matthew Swanson and Robbi Behr. They have made 84 books together - 70 self published. You can see them here talking in a video (19 minutes) and reading Everywhere, wonder with tiny animated moments.

Wings, Waves and Webs: Patterns in Nature by Robin Mitchell Cranfield

Image from the author web page

Teachers of the preschool groups who visit the library I visit each week often ask for books about patterns. I am guessing this topic must be part of their curriculum. 

My friend from kinderbookswitheverything has a fabulous collection of books about patterns. This one is very special. 

What is a pattern? "Anything repeated in a regular way can form a pattern. A circular shape repeated again and again becomes a dotty pattern we call spots. .... This book is about patterns we can see in nature; some are big, some wild, some beautiful, in rivers and snowflakes and eggshells and clouds."

Publisher blurb: From the dots on a ladybug to the spiral on a snail, patterns in nature can be found anywhere. This simple and playful concept book introduces the littlest of readers to both math and nature while engaging their creative potential. By the end, kids will be able to identify:

• Spots and stripes
• Spirals and symmetry
• Waves and honeycombs
• And more

Simple and bright, the artwork pleases the eye as much as it invites young readers to try their hands at copying patterns in their own drawings. The end result is a thoroughly grounded introduction that takes readers a step beyond shape recognition. The final spread depicts a cheerful nature scene and encourages readers to identify as many patterns as they can. A surefire way to get children excited about observing their world. Kirkus

On the author page you will find a link to teachers notes plus other examples of pages from this book. 

Here is part of the end paper image:

I would pair this book with:

My First book of Patterns

Have you seen Dinosaur? by David Barrow

This is one of those terrific books where your young reading companion (aged 2+) will know way more than the main character.  Yes, there are plenty of dinosaurs but the little boy keeps missing them. You will even see one on the end papers.

I counted seven dinosaurs on the final page. Why not head to your library now and go to the non fiction shelf [567.9] and grab a few dinosaur books and then try to identify the dinosaurs in this book. There are other visual jokes too - such as the pigeon and the dog on each page. Watch out - the pigeon is riding a skateboard. I also love all the characters on the train especially the punk girl with her spiked hair and nose ring. This is a book you could also share with a slightly older group who might identify all the environmental print - street signs, newspapers, even number plates!

The joy of this book lies in the interplay between the dead-pan words on the page: ‘None here. Let’s keep looking.’, the images and the reader’s engagement with the search. ... This is a book to share time and again with readers from two or three upwards who won’t get tired of dinosaur hide and seek. Just Imagine

This is also a lovely story about friendship, and Barrow’s artwork is dreamy, painterly and stunning as well as being totally perfect for young readers. A fabulous read for any time of day, which will definitely get plenty of repeat reads. Book Trust

Here is an interview with David Barrow. He lists his own favourite illustrators as:  Brian Wildsmith, Alice and Martin Provensen, Evaline Ness, and David McKee. I’m also drawn to modern artists with a unique visual language, such as Isabelle Arsenault, Marta Altés and Birgitta Sif.

Have you seen Dinosaur is the sequel to this:

Wait! Wait! by Hatsue Nakawaki illustrated by Komako Sakai translated by Yuki Kaneko

A young child sees a fluttering butterfly. We hear the off-stage voice saying Wait! Wait! On the next page the child lifts their arms and looks up as the butterfly flutters away. Moving along the child spies a small lizard on the path. Wait! Wait! Oh no - he has wiggled away. But this is not a problem because now there are three pigeons ready to distract the child but the warning of Wait! Wait! is ignored and so the pigeons flap their wings and fly away. Perhaps these two cats will want to play? No. Never mind there are plenty of other things to explore now that we see all of these tiny moments have been happening at their local park. It is a simple day but it is a day of joy between a father and child with green grass, sunshine and tiny moments to explore and experience. 

There are only thirty words in this book but, as with the very best children's picture books, so much more is going on. This is a book you just have to talk about as you read it with a very young child. Begin with the cover - did you spy the little bee?

Dressed in white overalls, a striped shirt, and chunky shoes, the toddler (who could easily be a boy or a girl) is the star of every spread. ... A lovely and intimate study of a child’s growing sense of independence, capability, and curiosity.  Publisher's Weekly

Sakai’s soft, delicate acrylic-and–oil-pencil illustrations are breathtaking. The butterfly, lizard, pigeons and cats are brilliantly depicted in vivid, accurate detail, while the child is all expressive softness and yearning as she encounters each new experience. Each double-page spread is a sea of white, with a single large-print sentence and a lightly drawn hint of setting, allowing the characters and action to hold center stage. Parents and their little ones will snuggle together to read this joyous evocation of the newness and wonder of the world over and over again. Tender and wistful and glorious. Kirkus Star review

This simple little book captures so nicely the speed of a toddler’s thoughts and the way that they can keep so busy with new discoveries in their day.  There is a wonderful gentleness to the book, where the animals and then the adult are just as much fun and intriguing as one another.  At the same time, there is a sense of discovery and awe as each new creature is found. Waking Brain Cells

When I saw the art of Komako Sakai in The Bear and the Wildcat I fell in love with her work. This book Wait! Wait! was waiting for me at a recent charity book sale. It was published in 2013 and luckily for me this copy is in mint condition and only cost $2! I love this book SO much. My dilemma is do I keep this book - my own shelves are packed full - or do I gift this to a young child?

Here is the Japanese cover  こりゃまてまて

 And the German edition has an entirely different cover:

Naturopolis by Deborah Frenkel illustrated Ingrid Bartkowiak

 

Nature + 'metropolis’ = Naturopolis

"Look! The great grey city. All steel and stone. Tile and Tar. But wait! 

Look closer, look with care and you may find a forest.

The illustrations in this book are so appealing. Such fine details - the pages look scientific but also artistic. It is fun to keep hunting for the tiny ant on each page and in each setting. I do like the dandelions; the close-up page of moss; and the gum blossoms. The three rectangles which show close, closer, closest is so effective.  My favourite part of each page is the inclusion of a small tag - a bit like a tag that might be added to a specimen in a museum. I found this image to show you what I mean.

I was not sure what the spiders were eating when the text says “sharing the spoils of their hunt”? But spiders make me shudder, so I didn't want to look too closely at all those spiders.

Readers will enjoy all the tiny details in the illustrations and the way Ingrid paints textured surfaces. There is also a pleasing consistency in her use of colour. We see tiny glimpses of pink for example on the gum blossoms on one page, the gum nuts on another and then on a leaf tip on the final page. On her web page Ingrid Bartkowiak mentions “the arts and crafts movement”. The way she is able to draw and paint leaves did remind me of William Morris.

The wording of the text itself is lyrical and text fragments such as “tile and tar”; “cumbersome crumb”; “leaves like the teeth of a lion”; “tangle and tumble of froth”; and “the silence is easily bruised”. This book is a perfect combination of narrative and non-fiction.  

I really appreciate the intention of this book to make us slow down and notice the minutiae of life. I like the ethos of the Canberra publisher Story Torch Press: “books that promote resilience, sustainability and community engagement".

Curious readers will want to discover more about the Gravel Ant, dandelions, maidenhair fern, zooplankton, Silver Moss, Ghost Mushrooms, Wild Fennel, the Social Huntsman Spider, the Penny Lizard, the Ringtail Possum and the Tiny Logania. You can read more about each of these in the back matter. I had never heard of gravel ants - they are also known as meat ants!

Each page carefully reveals its wonders, paying particular attention to scale. We see the animal or plant from our point of view and then in closeup.  Each animal and plant is given its botanical name and some salient fact. Storylinks

Packed with gorgeous hand-painted fine art illustrations by Ingrid Bartkowiak and a beautiful story by Deborah Frenkel that blends fact with fiction, this is a heart-warming book with themes of hope, the environment and resilience. Better Reading

Here is an interview with Deborah Frenkel and Reading with a Chance of Tacos. And here is a video made for the publisher Story Torch Press where you can see the illustrator at work. And here is her webpage.

Naturopolis was shortlisted for the CBCA (Children's Book Council of Australia) New Illustrator award for 2023. Here are the judges' comments (I was a judge for this round):

Bartkowiak brings to life the title of this book in a very assured style with high-quality, hand-painted fine art illustrations. The tactile front cover and endpapers are incredibly appealing and tempt the reader to peer into the world described in the written text. The whimsical illustrations and confident use of design convey convincing scenes of the human world juxtaposed effectively with the often-unseen natural world. The reader is invited to zoom into the tiny details of the natural environment with plenty to explore on each page, including hunting for the tiny ant in each setting which keeps the reader engaged. Bartkowiak uses a sublime repeating technique of three rectangles which illustrate close, closer, closest. There is also a pleasing consistency in the use of colour with tiny glimpses of pink on the gum blossoms, the gum nuts and later on a leaf tip.

It was also a Notable title in the Eve Pownall category. Here are some teachers notes.

Companion books:

A Song Full of Sky by Ruth Doyle illustrated by Britta Teckentrup

"Smell the sun on soft petals, taste berries warm and sweet ... 

Feel the tickles of tadpoles as the stream cools your feet."

Image Source: Amazon UK

If I was still working in a school library I think I might try to purchase every book illustrated by Britta Teckentrup. I adore her art and if often accompanies a beautifully crafted text. Here is another sample from this book:

"See the owl surfing sky like a moon-dappled kite ...

Horses racing the clouds with their manes catching light."

About Britta: Britta Teckentrup is an illustrator, fine artist and writer. She was born in Hamburg, Germany, and went on to study at St. Martin's College and the Royal College of Art in London. Britta has created over 40 books, translated in 20 languages worldwide, and her artwork has been shown at exhibitions all over the world. She lives and works in Berlin with her artist husband and their son.

I have previously talked about:

Little Mouse and the Red Wall

How big is the World?

We are Together

Birds and their Feathers

Bee

I have also mentioned a previous book by Ruth Doyle - Dreams for our Daughters.

The man with the Violin by Kathy Stinson illustrated by Dušan Petričić

Young Dylan and his mother are walking through the subway. A man is playing the violin and Dylan is swept away by the beauty of the music but his mother is rushing and will not stop to listen. Later at home Dylan hears the same music on the radio. It is the man from the subway - Joshua Bell and he was "playing some of the most elegant music ever written, on one of the most valuable violins ever made." 

Imaginatively illustrated and beautifully written, this offbeat ode to the power of music is a winner. Kirkus Star review

Stinson’s text, brimming with life, is filled with onomatopoeia that places the reader in the subway station with the bustling crowds. The text centres on sounds Dylan hears throughout the day, as interpreted by Petricic's watercolour illustrations. The violinist’s music, the noise of the crowd, the roar of a train, the buzz of the radio – all are represented as sweeping lines, squiggles, zigzags, and ribbons. Quill and Quire

This book is based on a true story. Musician Joshua Bell played his violin in a Washington DC metro station on 12 January, 2007. Not just any violin a Stradivarius. It was part of an experiment to see what would happen if one of the best violinists in the world performed dressed like an ordinary street musician. He played for 43 minutes, 1000 people walked past and by the end $32.17 had been placed in his violin case. Most adults just hurried past but children tried to stop and listen. All of this gave rise to this gentle, bitter sweet story.

Just look at all the prizes this book has won:

• Winner, Digital Book Award 2014
• Joint winner, Best Books for Kids & Teens, Canadian Children’s Book Centre 2014
• Joint winner, Independent Publisher Book Award, Gold 2014
• Winner, TD Children’s Literature Award 2014
• Runner-up, Nautilus Award, Silver 2014
• Joint winner, Next Generation Indie Book Award 2014
• Joint winner, White Ravens Collection, International Youth Library, Munich 2014
• Joint winner, 100 Best Canadian Kids’ Books, Today’s Parent Magazine 2014
• Joint winner, National Parenting Publications Award 2014
• Commended, Best Bets List, Honourable Mention, Ontario Library Association 2014
• Joint winner, Best Book List, Kirkus Reviews 2014
• Joint winner, Storytelling World Honor Book 2014
• Commended, Foreword Indies Book of the Year Award, Honorable Mention 2014
• Joint winner, Notable Book for a Global Society 2014

Listen to Joshua Bell while you read this book which was published in 2013 - I hope you can find it in a well stocked library. Be sure to check the library catalogue because it might be shelved with the music books at 813. 

Ave Maria

Estrellita

Song to the Moon

The Man with the Violin is published by Annick Press from Canada. They always produce fabulous books. Dušan Petričić, from Serbia, is the illustrator of Mud Puddle. Here is an interview with Kathy Stinson where she talks about this book and you can hear the illustrator Dušan Petričić too. 

Here is the sequel which tells the story of Joshua Bell's early musical experiences.

Kathy Stinson is the author of The Lady with the Books which is based on the work of Jella Yepman founder of IBBY.

The Man with the Violin reminded me of these books where young children also notice things which are missed by their adult companions:

Grandpa's Gift by Fiona Lumbers

The subtitle of this book is "Finding Magic in everyday."  The magic in this story comes from the beautiful relationship between this young child, they could be a boy or a girl, and their grandfather. There is also magic in the unstated parts of this story.  

The young child has moved to the city. The words of the opening sentence resonate with unspoken events and unhappiness:

"The City had been home to me for three weeks."

Where has this child come from?

Why are they with their grandfather?

Has something sad happened to the rest of the family?

The child and grandfather enter a shop of curiosities. As the child looks more closely he or she begins to see there are interesting things in this second hand shop. Grandfather finds a small treasure. 

"It might just look like a boring, grey stone to you, but when I was younger, about your age, my grandma told me beauty and magic and be found in the most unexpected of places. You just need to look for it."

On the way home the child does begin to look. There are puddles and flowers, birds and statues, a fountain and a rainbow. Best off all there is a playground to explore and a new friend waiting.

"We were surrounded by the everyday fantastic, and for the first time in three weeks and four days, I felt hopeful."

This is a beautiful book to share with a young child. It could be a gift given to a grandfather to share with a grandchild. 

I adore the illustrations in this book by Fiona Lumbers. She is the illustration of The Secret sky Garden which is a book I absolutely love and the quirky and splendid book  I like bees, I don't like honey.

Fiona also illustrated the Luna books:

Fiona Lumbers words resonate with me:

I think the shared experience of a picture book is fundamental in a childs development. Even before a child can read, they are able to formulate stories from the illustrations. Picture books are their first introduction to literature, to the experience of storytelling, of being read to and of reading to others. They spark curiosity and they are windows into new worlds and experiences. CLIP