Midge and Mo by Lara Williamson illustrated by Becky Cameron

Midge has changed schools. Everything is strange and all he wants to do is go back to the way things were. The teacher assigns a classmate to look after him. Mo is a happy and very positive girl. She loves the idea of showing Midge around her school but Midge just does not react to anything - not a soccer game, the school friendship flower garden, the giant sunflowers the class have been growing, or the climbing frame. Midge just sits under a tall tree in the playground. 

Through his eyes the world is a grey and sad place to be. In art he draws a sad rainy-day picture (sadly the teacher misinterprets this). After two days of trying so very hard to reach Midge, Mo talks to her teacher Mr Lupin. I love his advice:

"Don't give up Mo ... Nothing is in the right place for Midge at the moment. Perhaps he doesn't feel like he's in the right place either. New beginnings can feel like that ... You were new here once ... That's why I asked you to be Midge's buddy, because I was sure you would remember how your first day here felt, too."

Mo goes home and talks to her mum and dad and togther they come up with a really special gift for Midge and while I am sure he will still have sad days a little sparkle has entered his life at last. Oh and those huge sunflowers have now opened up and are showing off their own bright yellow happy colours. I also love the character names - Mo (I wonder if this is short for something) and Midge.

Publisher blurb: Midge doesn’t want to go to a new school. He wants everything to go back to the way it was – with his old school, his old friends and his parents back together. Mo is Midge’s buddy at his new school. She’s super smiley and can’t wait to be his friend, but the more Mo tries to make friends the more Midge retreats. It’s like there’s an invisible raincloud hanging above his head – drip-drip-drip. Then Mo remembers how she felt when she was new, and it makes her even more determined to help Midge feel happy and to show him that the sun will come out for him again soon.

This book is from the Little Tiger series published by Stripes. I have mentioned books from this series previously. I highly recommend adding lots of these titles to your school library. These are so appealing with their hardcovers, high quality paper, colour illustrations and most important of all - really good stories that are easy to read but also contain authentic and emotional narratives.

I previously talked about:

The Long way home

Little Rabbits big surprise

Little Bird Lost

Two Sides

A sea of stories

I also thought of another small chapter book from many years ago that also features a snow globe - Snow Dog by Malorie Blackman (it was a Corgi Pup title from 2001). It was reprinted with a different publisher in 2010 so you might find this in a library. 

Gozzle by Julia Donaldson illustrated by Sara Ogilvie

Bear wakes up from his hibernation. He sees an egg. He could eat this for breakfast, but then he hears it tapping and, quite suddenly, out pops a baby goose - a gosling. The bear is the first face she sees so of course she thinks this bear is her daddy. Young Goozle is "programmed" to follow and imitate the first face she sees which would usually be her own parents. To the young goose it seems obvious that Bear is her daddy. Bear is not happy but underneath his gruff exterior there are hints of his kindness and as the seasons progress it is also clear this pair are forming a strong bond. But then comes the day little Goozle is old enough to fly and then old enough to fly with her flock - it is time for the geese to migrate to a warmer place. Like all good parents, Bear worries about his young charge. Can she swim? Can she fly? Will she be safe when she flies away? And most important of all - will Bear ever see her again? Bear heads back to his cave to hibernate through the winter. Then spring arrives and so does ...

Julia Donaldson had been thinking about animal imprinting. Here is a list of animals that use this process to assist their young: geese, ducks, zebras, raccoons, guinea pigs, chickens, hyenas, and the turkey.

Here is a three minute video Q&A where Julia Donaldson talks about Gozzle. I'm sure you are very familiar with lots of Julia Donaldson picture books. My own favourites are: Follow the Swallow, The Magic Paintbrush, Tiddler, Who lives here?, Room on the Broom, and The Snail and the Whale. I have a plan to read Paper Dolls next - I gifted this to a friend for her granddaughter and then another friend mentioned it was a huge hit with her own four young children. 

I am sure you have your own Julia Donaldson book collection either at home or in your school library. Goozle is another sweet story by this master storyteller which is sure to charm young children and adults alike. The happy ending certainly made me smile.

Bookseller blurb: It's springtime. Bear has woken up hungry and finds a lost egg outside his cave. Breakfast? No! Out hatches Gozzle, a very sweet little gosling who is convinced that Bear must be her daddy – and that she should be able to climb, dig and eat honey just like him.

Sara Ogilvie was born in Edinburgh and now lives in Newcastle. She graduated with an Illustration/Printmaking degree from Edinburgh College of Art. Sarah has won numerous awards for her work including a Commonwealth Heads of Government commission, presented to Nelson Mandela and HRH Queen Elizabeth II. Her work is inspired by words, street life, antiquities, posters, old wives tales, household appliances, carpets, masks, trying to spell sounds, packaging and old second-hand bookshops… Nosy Crow  

She is the illustrator of many books including Dogs Don't Do Ballet, Do Not Enter the Monster Zoo, Once Upon a Wish and Julia Donaldson's Detective Dog.

If you are thinking of your library program it would be terrific to explore some Julia Donaldson books with your young groups and then, even better, use these as a jumping off point to explore all the different illustrators whose work is showcased via her huge body of work. I would explore illustrators such as Helen Oxenbury; Charlotte Voake; Yuval Zommer; Emily Gravett; Catherine Rayner; Sharon King-Chai; Rebecca Cobb; and of course Axel Scheffler. 

Donaldson’s collaborations beyond Axel Scheffler offer refreshing artistic variety while keeping the same warmth and playfulness that children love. In Gozzle, Ogilvie’s textured and expressive artwork is the perfect companion to Donaldson’s storytelling, helping bring to life a tale that is as visually rich as it is emotionally meaningful. Popular Picture Books

The Elephant and the Sea by Ed Vere

A charming winner about purpose, bravery, 

and making one’s dreams come true. Kirkus Star review

As a young elephant, Gabriel dreams of sailing the high seas. When he asks the sailors they say:

"You're a bit young, lad. Come back when you're older. Come back when you're stronger."

So, over the following days, months and years, Gabriel reads books about sailing, he practices his rowing and of course, because he is a young elephant, he grows bigger and stronger. I imagine you have guessed what happens when he asks the sailors again if he can join them.

"Oh, Gabriel, you've grown a bit! You're too big for the boat, lad! We're sorry."

Gabriel is not crushed. He is a problem solver. He builds his own boat and luckily it is finished just in time because a huge storm hits the coast, and the sailors are way out at sea and in danger of drowning. Our young hero Gabriel saves the day, but this is not the end. The other sailors can see his talent and so together they build an even bigger boat so everyone can join in. 

When you talk to your young library group about this book, after reading and enjoying the story, you could talk about the story structure which begins in the present when Gabriel is an old elephant remembering his past, then there is a series of flash back scenes about his childhood and journey into boat building and ultimately the rescue and then the story returns to the present with Gabriel reminiscing about his past. You can see inside this book here. This book was published in 2024 and is available here in Australia in paperback for a really affordable price so you should consider adding this little gem to your school library. If you have a music teacher in your school, it would be fun to learn some sea shanties.

There is so much to love about this book: the repeated ‘heave ho’ of the seamen; the animals in the harbour, mending nets and building boats; the lifeboat crew ... (and) it is the detail that will fascinate readers from 3 years upwards; old Gabriel has a cat called Milou, and young Gabriel is depicted with a very small cat in his duffel coat pocket, or following him as he runs through the harbour, or sitting beside him as he gazes at the sea through his window. And the seagulls alone are worth following through the book as they echo the mood of every page in this delightful fable of determination and courage. Just Imagine

If you loved the problem solving and determination of young Stella in Stellarphant then you must look for The Elephant and the Sea. 

Stellarphant

Here is another book by Ed Vere:

How to be a Lion

Spiro by Anna McGregor

This book completely surprised me. The cover made me think this would be quite a silly story about a funny spider but instead I discovered a story about persistence, patience and perseverance. These are indeed heavy topics but in Spiro this is all told with a light touch and tons of humour.

On the title page Sprio is reading a book - the title is Advanced Web Design. We are off to a good start.

Spiro needs food - a juicy fly or a scrumptious moth, or even a stink bug. I talked about this recently - did you notice I used the word (from the text) scrumptious. This is one of the reasons why it is so important to read heaps and heaps of the BEST picture books to our children - this might be the first time they hear the wonderful word - scrumptious. Then when your child says 'read it again' this word will gradually be one they use in their everyday life or if that seems too ambitious it will be word they recognise and understand. 

Spiro builds his web but unfortunately ... well three times there are three disasters and Spiro misses his prey. I have a little spider like Spiro on my veranda. He builds his web and at night the lights from my windows attract various insects. This is exactly how Spiro succeeds - the family switch on the fairy lights they have draped over the apple tree and "the insects come swarming". 

Spiro is a 2025 CBCA Early Childhood notable title. You can download some teachers notes from the publisher webpage. My friend from Kinderbookswitheverything has a very useful Pinterest collection of other picture books about spiders - which of course would be a terrific mini theme for your preschool or kindy class. It would be great to talk about the design of Spiro's web and to compare this with photos of spider webs found in non fiction books in your library [595.79]. With a slightly older group this book could also open up a discussion about prey and predators - eat or be eaten!

A perfect book to share with preschoolers and children up to 7 years old. Reading Time

The CBCA 2025 Early Childhood Picture Book judges in their report about the Notable titles said: The blend of deadpan humour in the written text and slapstick in the illustrations is masterful. 

If you are sharing this book with a young reading companion or in a school library or classroom you MUST also look for this wonderful Australian book about a spider who spins her web. In 1976 Aranea was a Picture Book of the Year commended title. I do wish the publishers would consider bringing it back into print - this year would be the perfect time because Aranea was published in 1975 - so this is the 50th Anniversary.  

Aranea

You could also share these books:

Here are some other books that you will find in your local or school library by Anna McGregor:

The Six Swans - a fairy tale by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm

I borrowed a copy of The Six Swans (illustrations by Dorothee Duntze) from a school library last week. Now I am so confused. As a child my favourite fairy tale was The Wild Swans by Hans Christian Andersen. I had this amazing copy with puppet photos and a 'hologram' cover (see below). Now I discover another fairy tale called The Six Swans by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm.  The two stories are SO similar. 

Using Wikipedia here is my comparison:

The Wild Swans

In a faraway kingdom, there lives a widowed king with his twelve children: eleven princes and one princess. One day, he decides to remarry, but marries a wicked queen who is a witch. Out of spite, the queen turns her eleven stepsons into magnificent swans who are allowed to temporarily become human only at night and forced to fly by day.

The Six Swans

A King gets lost in a forest while hunting for game. An old witch promises to help the lost King get back home, on the condition that he marry her beautiful daughter. The King suspects the mysterious maiden to be wicked but agrees to marry her. He has six sons and a daughter from his first marriage, however, and fears that the children will be abused by his new wife. So, before the wedding, the King sends his children to a hidden castle in the forest, secretly visiting them by following a magical reel of thread given to him by a wise woman. The Queen, who is also a witch, then sews seven magical white shirts. When the King leaves for an errand one day, the Queen follows the reel to the hidden castle. Mistaking her for their father, the six princes rush out to greet their stepmother who then throws the shirts over her stepsons, transforming them into swans.

In both stories, the young daughter of the King is left to save her brothers. In both stories the young girl is not allowed to speak, and she must make shirts for her brothers. This is painful and difficult work which takes years to complete. Also, in both stories the boys only appear in human form briefly. 

The Wild Swans

Elisa is guided by the queen of the fairies to gather stinging nettles in graveyards to knit into shirts that will eventually help her brothers regain their human shapes. Elisa endures painfully blistered hands from nettle stings, and she must also take a vow of silence for the duration of her task, for speaking one word will kill herself and her brothers.

The Six Swans

The princes can only take their human forms for fifteen minutes every evening. They tell their sister that they have heard of a way to lift the curse: she must not speak for six years while sewing six star-flower shirts for her brothers.

In both stories one shirt is incomplete and in both the girl is accused of witchcraft. 

The Wild Swans

When Elisa finishes the last shirt, she throws the shirts over the swans, and her brothers return to their human forms. The youngest brother has a swan's wing instead of an arm, as Elisa did not have time to finish one sleeve of his shirt.

The Six Swans

In this story the young girl marries a king and so she is now a queen but she cannot speak until the six years have passed. Even though the young Queen has sewn all six star-flower shirts, the last one lacks a left sleeve. When the girl is brought to the stake, she takes the shirts with her. Just as she is about to be burned, the six swans come flying through the air. She throws the shirts over her brothers and they regain their human form, but the youngest retains a left wing instead of an arm.

I now discover the there are lots of variations on this fairy tale. In this article the author compares three - the two I have talked about and The seven ravens. Read more here. Goodreads identify forty titles that are based around this fairy tale. 

I also read this: The tale “The Wild Swans” was written by 33-year-old Andersen in 1838 and was included in the collection “Fairy Tales Told for Children.” When creating the tale, Andersen relied on the tales of the Brothers Grimm and the Irish legend of a sister and two brothers turned by a stepmother into swans. Source

I previously talked about this book which feels very similar to The Wild Swans.

The Children of Nuala

And our Children's Book Council of Australia Picture Book of the Year for 2024 also has overtones of The Wild Swans - Paradise Sands.

The Extraordinary Gardener by Sam Boughton

Megan Daley (from Queensland, book blogger, Teacher-Librarian and podcaster) once talked about hosting an exhibition of picture book end papers. She probably only meant to include Australian books but if I could persuade her to look further the end papers in this book should be part of this (imagined) display.

As we have seen in many other books about greening an urban landscape this book begins with a seed. Joe can imagine his city filled with green plants and then one day he eats an apple and finds a seed. 

He "carefully planted the tiny seed. Then he fed it, and watered it, and quietly waited ... "

But nothing happened. Joe went away and forgot about his seed but actually the seed was growing. 

"He stepped outside and discovered that where he had planted the tiny seed now stood the most beautiful tree."

Joe has caught the bug. He gathers more seeds and soon, with his careful attention and nurture, he creates a huge garden. Of course other people notice it and soon every apartment has a balcony garden and the scene is SO huge that you have to fold open three pages. 

The more you look at this book, the more you see – the detail is awesome; and Sam Broughton’s way of using greyness and gradually bringing more and more colour into her scenes is wonderful, culminating in a glorious fold-out. Red Reading Hub

Joe’s story is full of warmth and hope but it’s the illustrations that take centre stage. The grey cityscape – created using techniques including washes, resist work, splatters and collage – forms a visually-accommodating backdrop for Sam's detailed pencil drawings of its wonderfully diverse community, and her colourful transformation of these streets and buildings (and people) is a joy to observe. Cast of Thousands

I also wanted to tell a story that was empowering for children. To show them that even if they have just ‘one’ small idea, with enough hard work they can make big changes. That their actions count and that community and nature is fundamental to our wellbeing. It felt such an important message to say, especially right now. Sam Boughton (Klaus Flugge prize short listed 2019)

Here is an interview with UK artist Sam Boughton about her book. 

Other books with the same theme/message:

The Secret Sky Garden

The Curious Garden

Amira's Suitcase (CBCA Honour Book Early Childhood 2022)

Rose's Garden

The Girl who Planted Trees

The Invisible

I was interested to read Sam Boughton loved Richard Scarry and Eric Carle as a child and today she admires Andrea D’Aquino and Canadian illustrator Sabrina Ward. Sam Boughton has some terrific looking board books - I am keen to see these:

Take a look at this Padlet of High Quality Picture Books for Cross-Curricular Planning by Matthew Tobin. There is a link (scroll down) to a set of very detailed ideas for using The Extraordinary Gardener with a group of students. 

The Little Wooden Robot and the Log Princess by Tom Gauld

Don’t miss this one. It’s irresistible. Seven Impossible things before Breakfast

 

One of the best things that can happen when you read a picture book is when the story takes a twist or a left turn that you did not see coming - a gasp aloud moment.  That is exactly what happened to me reading The Little Wooden Robot and the Log Princess.

The king and queen have no children. Yes we have read that in other classic fairy tales such as Thumbelia; The Fisherman and his Wife; and Tom Thumb. In this modern story the king consults with the royal inventor and the queen visits a clever old witch. Can you match this with the title? Yes the inventor makes a little wooden robot and, using a log from her wood pile, the witch makes a perfect little log princess. 

Both children are deeply loved but there is a small catch. When the log princess falls asleep each night she turns back into a log. Each morning it is vital to wake her with the magic words:

"Awake, little log, awake."

So every morning the wooden robot, her brother, carefully wakes up the log princess and then they enjoy their happy day together until ...  

Of course, like all great stories, we need a complication. Reading on, we discover that one morning the robot boy has been distracted by the arrival of circus. The maid can only see a log lying on the bed. Oh no! She tosses the log out of the window.  The log ends up in a wheelbarrow and then it is put onto a barge. 

"The robot ran to the barge. 'Please sir,' he said to the captain. 'My special log is in your barge. May I come aboard and search for it?"

Unfortunately the captain must set off for the far north. The robot does not find his sister on the journey so he is left on the shore with the huge pile of logs in a very cold place far, far from home. Luckily, late on the first night he finds the log that is his sister. Unluckily the pair are a very long way from their parents - the king and queen. And adding to the tension,  the robot decides it might be too frightening for his sister to awaken in this freezing place so he places her in a handcart and sets off home. 

In a series of small frames page we, the reader, are given a tiny glimpse of the little wooden robot's adventures. He encounter a Giant's Key, A Queen of Mushrooms, an Old Lady in a bottle and a Family of Robbers.  All of these could be used as writing inspiration with your students. 

Pulling the handcart is so exhausting and the wooden robot eventually collapses. 

"With the last of his strength he said the magic words."

Now it is his turn to ride in the handcart and again in a series of small frames we glimpse anther set of adventures. The log princess encounters some mischievous pixies, a haunted well, an enormous blackbird and a baby in a rosebush. 

Now for my oh no moment. As night falls the princess stops. She tries to stay awake but, yes you may have guessed, she turns back into a log. 

Meanwhile the king and queen are desperate to find their precious children. Luckily a family of beetles have been living inside the wooden robot. But is there a way the tiny insects can save the day?  And will we reach that all important happy ending?

You can see other pages from this book on Tom Gauld's web page. See more work by adult cartoonist Tom Gauld on his Instagram page. 

These are endearing characters. They hold a deep and abiding love for one another that never comes across as cloying. It’s a story with heart and adventure, and the stakes are high here. It will leave young readers gasping (the maid throws the log, who is really the princess, out of the window?!), eagerly turning pages to learn what will happen next ...  Seven Impossible things before Breakfast.

Gauld’s fairy tale feels both timeless and completely new; utterly fresh, yet like a story heard long ago and finally found again.  Enchanting. Kirkus Star review

But unlike traditional tales, this narrative contains no malevolent characters. Bad luck sets the plot spinning, and sibling love and the kindness of strangers help set everything to rights. The pictures demonstrate Gauld’s genius with simple-seeming line drawings and the crisp, clean use of ­cartoon-panel page design. Horn Book

The publisher of this book in the UK is Templar.  Here is a cake they had made to celebrate the publication of this book!

One Word from Sophia by Jim Averbeck and Yasmeen Ismail

Sophia knows exactly the right gift for her Birthday - a giraffe -  but she has four big problems. Her mother, her father, her Uncle Conrad and her Grand-mama. Sophia will not be defeated. She presents her appropriate arguments to each family member in turn.

Mother is a judge.
Father is a businessman
Uncle Conrad is a politician
Grand-mama is very strict

Sophia explains to her mother, in a long sophisticated speech sounding like a barrister in the court, that a giraffe could deliver her safely to ballet. She then explains to her father, in a pragmatic and business-like way, giraffes are a good source of manure which could be sold for a profit. For Uncle Conrad Sophia conducts a poll with her toys.  I love her results - two toys strongly agree with her proposition 'Ballerinas should ride giraffes to school.' Two others also agree but pony boy disagrees!

With each presentation Sophia uses a variety of tools such as a slideshow, graphs, a survey, and a pie chart. Her case seems compelling but each family member says no with their own words:

"your argument was too verbose."
"your presentation was far too effusive."
"And besides your report was far too loquacious."

Tutu-wearing Sophia packs determination, whimsy, and aplethora of strategies to handle a passel of impressive words.  One small, vivacious, loquacious little browngirl dreams of her One True Desire: a pet giraffe for her birthday. Kirkus Star

There are days when I pick up a book that is just SO GOOD I gasp in delight. One Word from Sophia is a superb book! This is a book about the power of words, the importance of perseverance and optimism all delivered by a little girl who will make you cheer and smile.  Look this review - Five reasons to get One word from Sophia.

This is a book that should be in EVERY Primary School library and I would add it to a High School collection too. Jim Averbeck has a set of teaching ideas on his web page. You can see the distinctive art style of Yasmeen Ismail here. You can see Jim talking about his book here.

One Word from Sophia really plays with words and hints at the power of words. It also shows many ways that information can be shared in an effort to persuade. Obviously, this makes it an excellent book to share when teaching about persuasion, persuasive writing, revision, or about advertising/marketing. The book is also a great romp to simply be enjoyed. Reading Through Life

The library which I visit each week employ a delightful idea. They add a small sticker to books that the library staff especially love - "Our Picks".  As a regular library user I really appreciate these stickers because the very special books that have a little "Our Picks" sticker are generally utter treasures. There are about 350 of them so I keep my eyes open when I am browsing hoping to spot one to borrow.

Good news there are two more books that feature feisty little Sophia - I love her!

Due for release in June 2020

I talked about Yasmeen Ismail in a previous post - Christmas for Greta and Gracie was my top Christmas book last year.

Frog finds a place by Sally Morgan and Kzekiel Kwaymullina illustrated by Dub Leffler

Who am I?

What are my talents?

Can I fly?

Is life better over there?

Where do I fit in?

There are so many children's picture books that explore these questions especially the question about flying.  My favourite also features a frog - Frog is Frog by Max Velthuijs.  Here are some other books that explore this theme and the theme of identity :

"When frog was a tadpole, a moonbeam sliced through the murky water of his pool and lit up his tiny tadpole face."

Thus begins a quest by Frog to reach the moon.  He enlists the help of three others who live near his pond. Firstly Spider who suggests making a ladder of ferns. Next Possum who suggests swinging from a vine and lastly Crow who suggests making a set of wings.

After each of these suggestions fail to work the wise old Owl returns.  Frog feels utterly defeated. "Sad and tired, Frog perched on a branch in the middle of his pool. " Owl advises him to look again.  Frog looks into the water. At last he can be with the moon and the stars.  Sometimes the things we are looking for are much closer than we realise.

Frog finds a place is another book from our CBCA 2016 Notable list.

Here is a set of detailed teaching notes.