Duck, Apple, Egg by Glenda Millard illustrated by Martina Heiduczek

Here is part of text of this book. 

Duck on the green,

sun in the sky,

egg in the nest,

apple on the tree,

and me.

Duck in the sky,

sun in the nest,

egg on the tree,

apple on the green,

and me. ...

Me on the green

under the sun

beneath the sky

beside the tree

with the duck

on her egg

in the nest.

Apple in a pie.

Pie in me.

When you see the name Glenda Millard on the cover of a book you know you are in for a treat. Glenda has such a rich grasp of the way language works - the power of a single word perfectly placed. Receiving this text, which I imagine was just one typed page, would surely be daunting for any illustrator. The way authors and illustrators are paired is somewhat of a mystery but often the process is controlled by the publisher. If that is the case here, then I offer huge congratulations to Harper Collins and ABC Books. It is so important for a picture book to employ equal partners - the author pens a brilliant text and the illustrator creates images both worthy of the words but also images that take young readers beyond the words into another realm of imagination. I had not heard of Martina Heiduczek but she has made this simple picture book truly special. I love the limited colour palette especially the moss green grass, the blue house roof which matches the pants worn by the small child and the perfect red she has used for the shiny apples. 

Image source: Booktopia

I now discover Martina did the illustrations for the wonderful Senior Primary novel - We are Wolves by Katrina Nannestad.

I am going to predict Duck, Apple, Egg will be included on the CBCA 2021 Notable titles which will shortly be announced.  Take a look the teacher notes. This book should be added to every Preschool book shelf and it would make a joyous gift for a young child too.

The illustrations have a charming slightly European feel to it – that green is so very fresh but Australian children will love it. StoryLinks

You can’t help but smile when you read this picture book. It pulls you back into your childhood and the delights of being in nature, doing nothing in particular and loving it. Kids Book Review

Glenda Millard is the author of the wonderful Tishkin Silk series along with these picture books:

Duck and the Darklings

Lightning Jack

Are your Stars like my Stars? by Leslie Helakoski illustrated by Heidi Woodward Sheffield

"When you look at the world everyday,

You and me.

Do we see the same things?

Do you see what I see?"

What do these children see? Colours - blue, yellow, brown, green, red, pink, black and white.

"When you stare at the stars,

do you see the same light?

Does it glow in the darkness?

Is your white ... like my white?"

Blurb: "Picture the wonderful colours you see every day and imagine how others experience them. No matter where you live, all children gaze at a blue sky, bask in the warmth of a golden sun, dig in rich brown dirt, and stare at white glowing stars. But do you think all of us, everywhere, share the very same colours of the world? This gentle poetic read-aloud book encourages young children to consider how colour is experienced all over the world."

I love the gentle "message" of this book and the collage illustrations by Heidi Woodward Sheffield are rich and luxurious. I should also mention the origami stars on the end papers are just beautiful.

The best feature of the book is the highly textured,collage-style illustrations, many of which contain soft strokes of color that give the images a pleasantly dreamlike quality. Kirkus

I would pair this book any books in your library about colours along with this book:

Image Source: Book Mama.

Leslie Helakoski is a new discovery of mine. Here are some of her other books:

Ten Seeds by Ruth Brown

What do we have here?  A simple counting book? Counting down from ten to one, yes. A book about nature? Yes, and a book that shows the circle of life. BUT this simple board book is SO MUCH more.  I was talking with a colleague about children's book preferences. These seem to have changed in recent years perhaps because of the rise of screens and digital images. It seems to me, though, that we can show kids the most glorious art through picture books and in this way, hopefully, influence their "taste" or develop their "eye" for a beautifully created image.

Ruth Brown is, in my view, a truly fine artist. In Ten Seeds (first published in 2001) the viewer is taken in close to see the seeds in a cross section of soil.  We see the seeds and plants in the same way that the pigeon, mouse, mole, cat, puppy, ball and greenfly see them. The title is presented on a seed packet and the wriggly worms move across each page.

And look at the glorious language your child will hear in this book: shoots, seedlings, small plants, big plants and buds. Here is a video of the whole book. I am also happy to report his book is still available.

Here are some other books by Ruth Brown:

The UK edition of this book is called Ladybird Ladybird

I was pleased to see the cover of the French edition:

Spot by Eric Hill - Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday

Today I read that Spot just turned 40! I can hardly believe this little pup is so old. Luckily for all readers he never ages - Spot will always be a little mischievous pup with beautiful patient parents (Sally and Sam) and very special friends.

When Christopher was two, Eric made up a story to read to him at bedtime about a small puppy. The extraordinary success of Where's Spot?, published in 1980, gave Eric Hill the confidence to work full-time as an author. The second title, Spot's first Walk, was published a year later. The publishing phenomenon that is Spot was born! There are over 40 million books in print read by children in more than 100 countries. The adventures of Spot have been translated into 65 languages … Penguin 

Here is Eric Hill reading his book on the occasion of the 30th anniversary. Here is a review from the Bottom Shelf which contains a video of Kathy Lette reading Where's Spot. The Penguin Random House website lists 42 Spot books.  The new 40th Anniversary edition has a beautiful ruby foil cover. Here are a few more titles from the Spot series:

Eric Hill was born in London in 1927. He moved to Arizona in 1983 and he died at the age of 86 in 2014. The Spot stories were made into a series of television shows and even a live theatre production.

I often think someone could write a PhD thesis on the universal appeal of Spot.  Those flaps and voices are just magic when you read to a child - mysterious magic!

What is part this, part that? by Harriet Ziefert illustrated by Tom Slaughter

A hug is part squeeze and also part hold.

Read the title slowly - What is part this, part that?  Perhaps these examples will help:

Just like a bee is part buzz and part sting,
a rap song is part talk and part sing.

An empty glass is part empty or is it part full?
Is this swing part push or is it part pull?

Here are some other lines from What is part this, part that? which resonate with me:

When you talk to a friend it's part listen and part say.
What time of day is part wash and part play?

A rocking chair goes part back and part forth.
When you stand on the equator you're part south and part north.

At the back of the book there are twenty part this and part that ideas presented as puzzles. Can you solve these:

What's the word that means part yes and part no?
What beaked animal is part swoop and part "whooo"?

Harriet Ziefert is the author of over 300 books. Here are some I would like to read:

What is part this, part that? works so well because the graphic illustrations are brightly coloured, and often surprising.  Here are some other examples books illustrated by Tom Slaughter.

You can read a tribute to Tom Slaughter by clicking this quote about his work. Tom illustrated twenty books for children.  He sadly died in 2014.

Slaughter’s work, with its seemingly effortless whimsy rendered with a strong sense of line, color, and rhythm, has also been comparedto Matisse. His Pop-inflected drawings, prints, paintings, and illustrations convey his love of life as he relentlessly explored the complexities of the urban scene or the simple pleasures of boating.

If you are reading my post and not too much time has passed an Australian online bookshop has this book for a greatly reduced price ($35.99 down to $7.99).  This is probably because this book was published in 2013 and is now out of print. If I had a young friend aged 4-6 I would rush out and buy this book quickly. I should mention this book does contain flaps which are always SO popular with young children.

I do enjoy concept books, especially when they can be equally enjoyed by young readers and adults alike.  Here are two other examples:

Before After

My First book of Patterns

Boa's Bad Birthday by Jeanne Willis illustrated by Tony Ross

What do you want for your birthday? Think about the most perfect present you ever received. Now think about the giver of this gift. I imagine the giver really thought about YOU and the the gift was a perfect fit. Even now, years later, you may still treasure this gift.

Now imagine you are a boa!  It is your birthday. All your friends have gifts but are they the right ones and are they given with you in mind?  Would you like a grand piano; a pair of sunglasses; colourful mittens; or perhaps a new hairbrush?

"It was Boa's worst birthday ever.

All his gifts were rubbish."

Then one more friend arrives. It's Dung Beetle and his gift (I know you have already guessed) is a pile of ...  It is true a dung ball is not the perfect gift but inside is a wonderful surprise.

The moral of this story is, ‘Never turn your nose up at a stinky present; you never know what delights it might hold in store.’ The sight of Ross’s Boa, sporting his conical party hat and showing a whole range of expressions from sobbing despair to snaky smiles is a real treat as are his depictions of the other animals bearing their self-centred offerings. Red Reading Hub

I would pair Boa's Bad Birthday with The Silver Christmas Tree by Pat Hutchins because this is also about anticipating and hoping for a perfect gift. Another book to look out for would be Thank you for my Yukky Present by Meredith Hooper illustrated by Emma Quay. You might also like to take a look at this little animated film - The Present - which would be good to use with an older group of students.

Jeanne Willis and Tony Ross are a perfect pair of book creators. They have collaborated on a large number of terrific books. My favourite is Mayfly Day.

If you are looking for other books about Boa Constrictors here are a few you might find in a school or public library. This could be a topic to explore as a mini theme with younger students and of course you would include some non fiction titles in your book bag too. Go to [597.967] to find them.