Duck, Duck, Goose by Tad Hills

 

Duck and Goose are best friends. Goose is a sensitive soul who loves tiny things in the world such as butterflies - especially that beautiful blue butterfly that has just landed on his head! He can't wait to show his friend Duck, but Goose does know he needs to move carefully and speak very softly so as not to startle the butterfly. 

Meanwhile Duck has found a new friend and she is wild! Thistle lives to compete, and she lives to win! She is a huge boaster and has to 'out do' everyone. 

The three play all day but Goose is not having fun. Every game turns into a competition and every time Thistle just has to win. Eventually (in a deeply emotional moment) Goose just walks away. Your young reading companions might gasp when they hear what Thistle says about this:

"Oh, that guy was going to lose anyway."

Notice how Thistle doesn't even know his name and Duck is so keen to please his new friend he does not notice his friend's reactions. BUT when they do finally talk, they hatch the perfect plan to trick young Thistle.

There are quite a few books about Duck and Goose - Duck, Duck, Goose is the second book in the series which began with this one.

Blurb from author page: Duck & Goose, Goose & Duck. Feathered friends forever . . . or are they? That’s what we discover in this charming and hilarious follow-up to the bestselling Duck & Goose. You see, there’s a challenge to their friendship: a little whippersnapper of a duck named Thistle. Thistle’s good at everything (or so she thinks), from math to holding her breath to standing on her head. Duck thinks she’s fantastic. But Goose does not! And so Goose is faced with a problem close to the hearts of children everywhere: what happens when your best friend makes a new friend?

One hopes that in the next installment, Thistle may learn a thing or two, but at least Duck and Goose have figured out how to handle her. The charming illustrations portray this tale of friendship perfectly ... Kirkus

My only tiny reservation about this story based on the concept of 'twos company, threes a crowd' is that nothing is really resolved at the end. Duck and Goose have tricked Thistle but what happens when she wakes up - this is certainly a great moment in the story for a discussion with your preschool or Kindergarten group.

Tad Hills is the #1 New York Times bestselling author and illustrator of the Rocket and Duck & Goose series, including the New York Times bestselling picture books How Rocket Learned to Read; Rocket Writes a Story; R Is for Rocket; Duck & Goose; Duck, Duck, Goose; Duck & Goose Go to the Beach; and Duck & Goose, Honk! Quack! Boo! ... Tad lives in Brooklyn, New York, with his wife, two children, and his real-life dog, Rocket, who has not yet learned to read. Penguin Random House

Listen to Tad Hills here talking about his books. You will love seeing the full size Duck and Goose. 

Duck, Duck Goose was published in the US in 2007 and reprinted here in Australia in 2009 so sadly it is no longer in print. I picked up my copy for just 50 cents at a recent charity book sale. I am keen to gift this book to the grandchild of a friend and I will keep an eye out for any board books by Tad Hills - I think they would make good gifts for very young children.

A Squiggly Line by Robert Vescio illustrated by Kathy Creamer

 

Is this book meant to convey some really deep meaning or life message? The words of the text do seem slightly philosophical, but it just doesn’t quite work for me at that deeper level perhaps because the illustrations, while fun and creative, seem to be aimed at a very young audience. 

There are other books about pencils and drawing which break the fourth wall like this one – Bear Hunt by Anthony Browne and the classic book Harold and the Purple crayon. 

This book actually seems a little derivative of those earlier and famous titles. 

Some of my questions when I read this book:

• Where did the sailor hat come from? 
• What is the role of the dog – a bystander? He seems quite threatening at times.
• Why did the mouse draw a boat? Is he preparing for an adventure?
• Where did the red ball come from? The size seems out of proportion with the mouse but if it is smaller than the mouse then it might be swallowed by the dog (if indeed it is his plaything?).
• If the mouse is offering advice to the dog, then the final illustration does not make sense because the dog looks worried about what he is seeing and for some strange reason his eyes have red vein lines? 

I also found the blue fluffy coat worn by the dog a little odd. 

Book design: I wish the designer had not included all of those full stops.   

I found the final page quite confusing.  The mouse says "ta-daa!" because he has successfully drawn his boat and is now able to sail away from the dog? Oh, and notice his pencil keeps changing from blue to brown to red back to blue and finally green. I guess this is hinted at in the pencil shavings on the front end paper.

Publisher blurb: A Squiggly Line is a story about the pursuit of one’s dream to create a masterpiece, similar to the rules of taming the life we live. The boy in the story starts with a blank page…he doesn’t know much about what he’s about to draw, but he knows he has a grasp on how to make it happen. During the process, even though his drawing may seem squiggly and messy at first, he soon discovers surprises along the way–surprises that he never thought existed. And from that moment, his creation comes to play.

But having said all of that I think it would be good to add this book to a preschool or infants school library and I like the pencil itself, I really like the end papers which, as I said, are littered with pencil shavings, and the stark white pages work well. Here are some teachers notes with very detailed art ideas. 

You could pair The Squiggly Line with this book by Anthony Browne:

You can tell that this book confuses me - which is strange because it is surely a simple idea. I read the comments of one commentator who really liked this book. She said it could be aimed at unlocking emerging (and reluctant) writers? I confess this idea is a little to obscure or intellectual for me.

Here is a comment by another reviewer: The lines the mouse creates shows that when things are in your way, go high. Or when things are tough pause and be clever. Robert Vescio shows us that imagination is a good thing and staying the course, going with the flow, and sometimes changing directions will eventually get you where you need to be. Cannonball Read (Raising funds for the American Cancer Society).

And the US bookseller Barnes and Noble said: Told in a unique way full of play and creativity, the story will send a powerful message about the endless possibilities of having fun with one’s imagination. It will help children to explore how they can turn a simple squiggly line into a playful idea. A Squiggly Line is a fun and entertaining story about how life is very much the same as a squiggly line. Our squiggly line, our life, is shaped by the directions we take in our lives and how we can develop the confidence and ingenuity to overcome the problems that try to trip us up. A Squiggly Line is a story about embracing life’s journey and creating the life you want. It shares lessons for life. It offers great advice for anyone. It’s a simple message about life and what it entails to sail on a pursuit of one’s dreams. This story will appeal to children graduating, celebrating a milestone or mastering the first day of school. It’s a great inspirational story to motivate children. Like the brave little mouse in the story, we all have a life that yearns to be created!

Here is a previous Robert Vescio book that I really enjoyed:

Finding You

Tomorrow by Nadine Kaadan

"In my mind I did this book for Syrian kids ... but when I read it here in the UK it was an amazing experience ... children are curious about what's going on ... they empathise in a beautiful way." Nadine Kaadine

"The whole idea of the book (is) how do you go out of your dark space. How do you deal with what's going on around you? ... You can do drawing and painting.  And tomorrow will be better." Nadine Kaadine

Yazan wants to play outside. He wants to go to the park. He wants to ride his bike. He wants his mum and dad to spend time with him. He wants things to back back to the way they were before.

"Now the minute (his mum) woke up she would watch the news with the volume turned up so loud."

Yazan tries to keep busy with drawing and the construction of a pillow castle but looking at his red bike his need to get outside becomes quite desperate. 

"He knew his mother would be angry if he left without her permission."

Yazan steps outside but everything is different. There are no other children playing on the street, the food vendors are gone. Yazan does not know where to go or what to do. Then his father arrives and takes him back inside. No one is cross. His mother picks up her paintbrushes and paints and the pair head into Yazan's room where she paints the park of his dreams. For now it is not safe to go outside but there is a sense of hope that one day, perhaps even tomorrow, that might change.

Tomorrow was originally written in Arabic. Lantana, the publisher do not list a translator so I am assuming that since Nadine now lives in London she may have done the translation herself. I purchased this book as part of my preparation for a library conference on the topic International Picture books. The organisers have asked me to focus on books for students aged 10-14. 

The war in Syria is one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world today. As of March 2020, nearly 600 thousand people have been killed or are missing as a result of the war. More than 2 million people have been injured and now live with permanent disabilities. 

More than 6.7 million people have had to leave their homes due to violence, but remain in Syria and are known as internally displaced persons. Another 6.6 million people have had to leave Syria, becoming refugees. Together, that’s more than 13.5 million people who have fled their homes. That number is more than half of Syria’s pre-war population. Since the war started, more than 1 million Syrian children have been born in neighbouring countries as refugees. Kidsboostimmunity

Tomorrow is a book you could share with a group of younger children aged 7+ but I think it could also be used as a discussion starter with an older group. You might like to use this video as a way to help your students understand a little more about the impact of the war in Syria and how it has affected the children. 

Kaadan crafts a happy ending within an active war context, no easy feat ... Kirkus

Yazan used to go to the park, he used to ride his bike, he used to paint pictures with his mother but things have changed; now his mother watches the television news with the sound turned up loud and his father makes lots of phone calls.  Simple, stark, gloomy and dark watercolor and pencil illustrations show Yazan’s empty world where he is not even allowed to go outside.  It is not safe.  There is a war on.  This is Syria and it is the present day.  As the author tells us, many Syrian children are living a life like Yazan’s, waiting and hoping for a better, happier tomorrow. Youth Services Book reviews

This story is unique in a number of ways. Instead of focusing on people fleeing their country it focuses on the experience of a boy in his home as it is besieged by war. Reading Pebbles

A book which promotes empathy and gives children a space to ask questions about the more frightening things in the world. Book Murmurmation

In this video Nadine talks about the impact of the war in Syria on her work. You can see Nadine's other books here on her website. Only two are available in English - Tomorrow and The Jasmine Sneeze.  Nadine was born in Syria but moved to the UK in 2012 when the war began. You can read more about this experience here.  In this interview, Nadine talks about the importance of book translation and the implications for publishers. You can hear Nadine read he book in Arabic and then English on this video (I suggest you begin around the 19 minute mark). 

Companion reads:

Azzi in Between

The Colour of Home

Vanishing Colors

If you are working with a group of older students you might introduce them to these middle grade novels about the war in Syria:

No Ballet Shoes in Syria

The Fox Girl and the White Gazelle

A House without Walls

Tree houses in Picture Books and easy chapter books for young readers

 

A House for Wombats is probably my favourite tree house picture book and I would guess nearly every child in Australia has heard of the Tree House series by Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton which begins with the 13-Storey Treehouse.

Do you have a memory of your very own tree house? Perhaps you have one in your back yard now? These cute structures have always held a fascination for me even though I didn't actually have a tree house myself probably because we didn't have a suitable tree in our garden. I did have a terrific cubby house (under our house) and a wonderful "Indian" tent which afforded the kids in my neighbourhood tons of fun. If you want to read a terrific Australian book about a cubby house try to find Junk Castle by Robin Klein. 

Here is a poem to get this topic off to a good start and then I have put a few covers of picture books and junior novels which feature tree houses recently collected by my friend from Kinderbookswitheverything.

A tree house, a tree house,

A secret you and me house,

A high up in the leafy branches

Cozy as can be house.

A street house, a neat house,

Be sure and wipe your feet house

Is not my kind of house at all—

Let’s go live in a tree house.

Tree House by Shel Silverstein from the poetry book Sing a Song of Popcorn.

Happy Mouse Day

These two are the same - one is the Australian edition and the other the US cover with the different title Audrey's Tree House.

Kaline Klattermaster's Tree House

Illustration from Andrew Henry's Meadow

Strictly no Elephants

Our tree named Steve

The story of Chicken Licken by Jan Ormerod

Tuesday Treasure

When it was published (1985) this book was quite revolutionary (it was on the CBCA short list in 1986). There are three participants - the kids on stage performing a play of Chicken Licken, the audience of parents some of whom fall asleep and the reader who is observing everything.  It is a story within a story within a story. When you share this book with a child you need to read the book right through several times because there is so much to see. Initially there is the classic folk tale of Chicken Licken, the little hen who thinks the sky is falling. This story is also called Chicken Little or Henny Penny. Perhaps you could compare this version with some others:

Then there is the story of the audience of mums and dads and siblings who are watching the play. One story thread is shown here. You also get a glimpse of the layout - stage in full colour, audience in silhouette. There is a baby in a basket which is behind the seats. The baby is supposedly asleep but watch what happens as we turn each page:

If The Story of Chicken Licken is in your school library please treasure it and share it with a group of young children. Everyone will be richer for this shared experience.

I was surprised and delighted to discover The Terrible Plop by Ursula Dubosarsy is based on the Tibetan version of this folk tale.

Jan Ormerod (1946-2013) is the author of one of my most treasured books - Sunshine.

Here is a quote from Jan Omerod:

"My task as a visual storyteller is to observe, record and edit. Some images go straight from life into a book. Most need to be carefully sifted, reinvented, reorganized. Telling a story with words and pictures is a little like watching a movie, then selecting the evocative moment, like a still taken from a film. I need to capture the moment that has clarity and simplicity, invites empathy, and allows the reader to bring her own knowledge to that moment, to enrich it and develop it according to her own life experiences."

My Lazy Cat by Christine Roussey

What did you do today?

I think picture book authors and illustrators walk a fine line when they create a picture book with "a message". This is not a new trend but the topic of mindfulness is new and so many picture books have jumped on this popular bandwagon. I do agree we all need to slow down, we all need to stop and see the tiny things around us, we all need moments of stillness but I don't need a picture book that lectures me, or a child, about this.

My Lazy Cat works because, for me, the message (I guess there is one) is delivered with humour. This book truly made me smile.

I should have known something was up with this little girl when I read:

"I don't have a minute to waste. I have judo, swimming, yoga, painting, and pottery. Knitting, soccer and biking with my friends. I have a full day and I can't be late."

Boomer the cat is huge. His days are slow.

He's a slug,
a sloth,
a slacker.
A lounger,
a loafer,
a lazybones.
He snoozes and slumbers, dozes and drowses. No one does it better.

Luckily one day the little girl is forced to slow down and see the world as Boomer sees it. She trips over him in her rush and this is where the story becomes interesting or could lead to an interesting discussion. How will she react? Anger, impatience, frustration or perhaps she can just laugh?

My favourite page shows them both lying on the grass watching the clouds. I would be great to compare this with the illustrations by Kazuo Niizaka from the book Clouds by Peggy Blakeley.

I picked this book out in the public library the other day because it is a translated book. It was originally written in French with the title 'Mon Chat Boudin'.

Christine Roussey is the illustrator of a number of very special books especially the series by Jo Witek. You can see some below. I will try to find My Stinky Dog, which looks like a companion volume to My Lazy Cat, and share it with you here soon.

Kirkus says My Lazy Cat "presents a portrait of a friendship and a celebration of slowing down. Her goofy, bright illustrations are childlike in their simplicity but full of details to search through during a quiet read."

Kids' Book Review says: "The message Roussey gives readers in her story My Lazy Cat is profound. She reminds us of the importance of making time in our over busy lives to have fun doing 'lazy things' with the ones that we love. During this slow time we are able to be more mindful about our environment and what our body and soul really needs."

Ella May and the Wishing Stone by Cary Fagan illustrated by Genevieve Cote

Ella May comes home from the beach with a stone. It seems special because it has a line going all the way around.  She sings a little song:

Wish, wish, I'm making a wish

On my wishing stone.

And it will come true, oh yes it will,

Because I bought you home.

While Ella May is sitting on her porch her best friend Manuel comes past. He invites Ella May to play a game of hopscotch but she says no. Other friends arrive but Ella May will not share her stone so the children go looking for their own. Ella May declares their stone are no good.

"Nope and double nope ... none of your stones has a line going all-all-all the way around it."

Manuel is not defeated. He goes home and returns with a cart and for just one penny he offers to make wishing stones for everyone. The children are so pleased to have their own wishing stones. They make their wishes for a pony and a walk on the moon. Ella May is very put out. She wants her stone to be the only wishing stone. Then it starts to rain and something happens to those stones.

"Once again Ella May was the only one with a wishing stone, but she didn't feel as happy as she thought she would."

Now we have a beautiful plot twist.  Ella May is not defeated. She goes inside her house and comes out with a crate of assorted objects such as a broom which can be transformed into a pony and empty egg cartons which feel just like the lunar surface. Can you guess how the children might now use their stones?

This book is such a discovery for me.  I want to rush out and share Ella May and the Wishing Stone with a group of young children and buy some copies to pop into the library collections of my friends. You can see a video of the whole book here.

One more thing -  as I sat down now to talk about Ella May and the Wishing stone, the cover of Little Blue Chair also by Cary Fagan appeared on the Canadian Children's Book Centre Facebook page. Cary Fagan has written a number of picture books and novels. I previously talked about Wolfie and Fly. I now need to hunt out some more books by Cary Fagan there are sure to be some others just as splendid as Ella May and the Wishing Stone.

Refreshingly, these lessons are not delivered in a didactic or moralistic tone but emerge serendipitously, rather like appearance of the stone, itself. University of Manitoba

The net result is an original and imaginative treatment of one of the hardest lessons of early childhood – sharing – in a colourful package that’s likely to charm kids and adults alike. Quill and Quire

Fagan believably captures the delicate balance of friendship in the very young and lets the story pay out with welcome complexity. Kirkus