Landslide by Betty Cully

 

“Protestors have a right to be there, same as the dump, Nathan. Unless people stop making it, garbage has to go somewhere,” Dad says. “It’s always gonna be in someone’s backyard.”

You know that old saying don't judge a book by its cover? Well in the case of this book I totally misjudged the book by the title. YES there is a landslide but not of the kind involving huge mountains and perhaps catastrophic damage to a small town or village below the disaster. In this case the landslide is a huge or I should say enormous pile of rubbish or garbage that is piled up at the local dump on the edge of town. Perhaps no will notice the pile getting bigger or the pile actually beginning to move but one boy does notice because he lives right across the street!

How did that happen? Where I live the local dump is no not near any houses but Nathan does live there:

Our house on Route 4 in Crawley, Maine, is right across the road from the dump. There wasn’t always a dump there. It used to be the other half of my grandparents’ land, and in the summer we’d look out our front windows and see a big field full of tall grass and wildflowers. In the winter we’d watch deer and foxes. Mom doesn’t blame her sister for selling it. Aunt Del had no idea what would happen. But now it’s the place for everyone’s trash. 

And the complication is Nathan's dad works for the dump company called on Route 4 in Crawley, Maine, is right across the road from the dump. There wasn’t always a dump there. It used to be the other half of my grandparents’ land, and in the summer we’d look out our front windows and see a big field full of tall grass and wildflowers. In the winter we’d watch deer and foxes. Mom doesn’t blame her sister for selling it. Aunt Del had no idea what would happen. But now it’s the place for everyone’s trash. Last week protestors started gathering at the entrance, under the metal sign that says Homefront Municipal Waste Management.  

Nathan begins to read about the way these huge mountains of trash have begun to collapse in other places even leading to a death. Nathan needs a way to gather evidence and also he desperately needs to keep his dad safe. His dad's job is right on top of the pile - he works on huge equipment which tries to flatten the pile as more and more refuse is added each day. And this refuse is not just household waste.

Sometimes trucks from down south start lining up as early as six a.m. with special waste, solid waste, sludge, demolition debris, oily debris, asbestos, fly ash, dirty dirt. ... thing—dirty dirt means contaminated soil.

Luckily Nathan is a very observant boy (he calls this his I-sight) and he also has a terrific tool - a phone that he can use to take photos and timelapse videos. He also has a new friend - a boy names Wilder Bacon who needs a friend as much as Nathan needs someone to help him with this urgent issue. 

He told more glacier facts. Glaciers get so big the pressure of their own tremendous weight causes them to move. Glaciers are solids that flow like a liquid. That’s when I realized the garbage hill doesn’t move like a baseball or a hockey puck or a zip line. What it moves like the most is a glacier. Sometimes it moves fast and other times slow. Check. A glacier is constantly being topped off by fresh snowfall that keeps it flowing downhill, and the landfill always has more garbage being added. Check. If these things make the landfill like a glacier, then the other thing I learned might be true, too—that it is unstoppable.

I have good news and bad news about this book - yes it one I highly recommend and yes it is available here in Australia. It was published this year - 2026 BUT because it is from the US and because so far it is only available in hardcover it is way too expensive for a school library at AUS$35. If you can find this book in a library, I am certain readers aged 10+ will be hooked - Nathan is a kid who has real concerns, he loves his dad, he cares about his community and friendships and his activism as a kid is wonderful to witness. 

Adding to the power of this story the end notes explain the actual real-life situation that led to Betty Cully researching and writing this book. 

Culley grounds the story in solid environmental education, explaining rural landfills’ acceptance of out-of-state waste and the cumulative dangers of exposure to environmental waste and landfill gases. The plot builds steadily, and Nathan’s voice remains absorbing throughout, capturing a kid’s determination to protect his family while grappling with complex community politics. The environmental message is clear but never heavy-handed ... Kirkus

“This book has a lot of information about garbage, landfills, trash removal, and the impact of a landfill on the environment, but it’s also a story of friendship, family, and kindness. The characters are interesting and well developed and are portrayed as loving people who want to do the best for their families as well as the community. . . An excellent choice for libraries needing realistic middle grade fiction, particularly with environmental or social emotional themes.” —School Library Journal, starred review

I found Landslide on a shelf at my public library earlier this week. I’m so glad I did! It’s about a boy named Nathan that lives across the street from the landfill that his dad works at. As you can image, living right next to a landfill comes with some challenges. The characters in this one are easy to root for. Great book! Colby Sharp

Here is a longer review with comments about the writing of this book by the author. Here is the web page for Betty Cully - she lives in Maine.

Change the World before Bedtime by Mark Kimball Moulton, Josh Chambers and Karen Good

Summary: A call to arms for social justice, this story’s inspirational message, multicultural ethos, practical approach, accessibility for the junior classes and simple, engaging rhyme persuasively show how small actions (such as a smile, a kind word, a simple deed) by everyone can help change the world. Each page of this book allows for learning and discussion about aspects of an ethical life, recycling, visiting old and sick people, farmers’ markets, planting trees, ...  But the central message that our actions make a difference can build both responsibility and self-belief in children. 50 Picture Books to Change the World

This book was published in 2012 so it is out of print but you might find it in a library as I did. The title caught my attention and then when I looked inside each page was filled with vibrant and very appealing collage art. I am not a fan of rhyme in picture books unless it is done really well - so I pleased to see it really does work in this book:

"Change the world before bedtime. It's easy. You'll see. Sharing a part of your heart is the key. So leap out of bed. Cape on. Let's show our true colour before the day's gone."

The illustrations are as busy as the kids' energy and consist of a mixture of water colors and real life materials to give them an interesting depth. There is always something to look at, making this a nice book to flip through time and again. Book Worm for Kids

You could use this book with a preschool group or classes up to Grade Two and perhaps share one double page spread each day as a discussion starter. 

I haven't found much information about the illustrator who I think is Mark Kimball Moulton - the cover just lists three names with no indication of their roles. He has a few books listed on Goodreads but then I also found books illustrated by Karen Hillard Good which look similar to the art in Change the World before Bedtime. A second edition of this book was published in 2018 [9780764355813]: The updated second edition includes eight additional pages packed with interactive activities that encourage creativity and empower children to unleash their superhero potential. From a space to draw their self-portrait, to a make-your-own superhero cape activity, young readers can fully immerse themselves in the world of superheroes and express their unique identities.

Anna May's Blue Cloak by Christiane Cicioli illustrated by Susan Pearson

When she was a young girl Anna May's Grandmother made her a beautiful blue cloak. The fabric on the cover makes it look so tactile - perhaps it is velvet. Anna May is young and so for now the cloak is a perfect fit over her dress. But over time Anna May grows.

"Soon the cloak, still beautiful, was too small. Her mother carefully folded it up and put it away in her wooden chest."

Years later Anna May became a mum to a baby girl. Anna May remembered the beautiful cloak. Now is the time for the cloak to be used for another garment. You can see her here using her grandmother's sewing machine - my own little Nan had one just like this.

Anna May uses the cloak fabric to make a dress for her daughter, but she also carefully puts the left-over pieces back into the wooden chest. Anna May's daughter loves her dress but over time it becomes too small. Many years later Anna May's daughter had a baby - a son. Luckily there was enough fabric left from the cloak to make him a handsome blue jacket. 

Have you worked out the pattern here. YES - and then Anna May's son becomes a father.

"Anna May wanted him to stay warm ... she remembered her blue cloak ... she took out the fabric that was left after making the dress and the jacket."

I wonder what she made? And what about the tiny fragments of fabric that are still left over?

I have a friend who is volunteering at one of our local charity shops. She mentioned the idea of following the journey of a piece of clothing could be a great idea for a picture book - she needs to see this book.

You could also use this book to talk about family relationships and the way we can show this using a family tree. If I was sharing this book with a class, I would bring in a collection of things made by my grandmother Amy - a set of beautiful doll clothes including silk pyjamas, casual shorts with a matching top, a lace dressing gown and brown corduroy trousers. 

Anna May's Cloak is a Canadian picture book. It was published in 2013 but it is still available. If you are reading this close to the time, I have penned this post I found one copy available from an online Australian book seller for a great price - but they only have one copy. 

Christiane Cicioli, born in Quebec, has lived both in Canada and the United States. One of the most enjoyable activities she has shared with her family and three now grown children has been to hear and recount the tales and customs of grandparents, great-grandparents, and other relatives of previous generations. Those inspirational moments have become the source of her writing. After working with children in elementary schools for many years, she is now a freelance writer and translator. Susan Pearson lives in Vancouver, BC, with her husband Ed. She creates images for children's books and teaches watercolor painting classes.

Companion books:

The Copper Tin Cup

My forever dress

One Little Bag by Henry Cole

One Little Bag is a wordless book - these are sometimes referred to as textless books and IBBY call them Silent Books - but of course they are far from silent. This one for example contains a really complex and very satisfying story about the creation of a paper bag beginning with a tree in the forest and then moving from the factory to the grocery store. This is not the end, however, because this bag is used and reused over and over again and even becomes a part of the generational story of one family. 

"On the very first Earth Day my entire school celebrated. ... That day ... my lunch was packed in a small paper bag. On that first Earth Day, however, I did not throw my bag away after lunch. Instead, I folded in and slipped it back into my back pocket. ... The next day I used that same little bag to carry my lunch to school again. And the next day. And the next day. For three years. ... It looked a little weather beaten with all the stapes and scotch tape I used to keep it together. I figure that bag was used about seven hundred times."  Henry Cole

This book needs to be added to your school library BUT here in Australia it is way too expensive. This book was published in 2020 and while it is still available it now costs AUS$53+. Back in 2021 the library where I borrowed this book paid AUS$32.

Here is the blurb by Henry Cole: From a tall tree growing in the forest-- to the checkout counter at the grocery store-- one little bag finds its way into the hands of a young boy on the eve of his first day of school. And so begins an incredible journey of one little bag that is used and reused and reused again. In a three-generation family, the bag is transporter of objects and keeper of memories. And when Grandfather comes to the end of his life, the family finds a meaningful new way for the battered, but much-loved little bag to continue its journey in the circle of life.

In this video Colby Sharp talks about reading this book to his class. Take a look at the Kirkus Star review. Here is the webpage for Henry Cole. 

Cole beautifully shows how small acts of reusing something can become tradition in a family. The book never seems like a lecture, always just showing and demonstrating how reuse is possible and its great potential as well. The paper bag in the story if remarkably resilient for so much use by generations, but I think we all have items in our families that survive despite being used by everyone, to be handed to the next generation. Told in images only, the book is filled with fine-line drawings that shine with light. The paper bag is the only color on the page, its brown color becoming all the more warm and glowing and the red hearts popping with color. A truly great wordless picture book. Waking Brain Cells

I previously talked about Nesting by Henry Cole.

Bird to Bird by Claire Saxby illustrated by Wayne Harris

Begin with the cover - notice the bird flying in the air and the other bird, possibly made from wood, held in a hand above the ocean.

These things come together in this book but you need to read the text to make all the connections. A bird drops a seed, it grows into a tree, the wood from the tree is used to make bunk beds on a ship, this is a ship filled with convicts heading to Australia. The ship falls into disrepair and so the wood from the bunk beds is now used to make a weaving loom because clothes are desperately needed in the new colony. Wool is woven into fabric and then the fabric is made into suits. Eventually the loom is no longer in use and so this wood is now used as part of a kitchen roof. Over time the old home crumbles but a crafter finds the wood and carves a small bird. I just sighed over this perfect ending. 

Here is a set of teachers notes.

There's also a gently delivered message about treating our world with respect and being responsible with its resources. The story's words are used sparingly, which when combined with a series of beautifully painted images, evoke a sense of looking down on places and events as time passes. Bird to Bird is a book that packs a powerful punch. Kids' Book Review

I recently spent a few spare hours in a local library and I took the time to make notes about several picture books which I am now sharing here months later. I had not seen Bird to Bird even though it was published in 2018 but by then I had left my former school library. This book would be SO perfect to share with a Grade Three or Four class as a part of their topic on Australian history especially alongside another book by Claire Saxby My name is Lizzie Flynn. Take a look at the NCACL annotation. 

Other books by Claire Saxby:

Iceberg

Secrets of the Saltmarsh

Other books illustrated by Wayne Harris:

Read about Wayne Harris in this post

General Waste by Michel Streich

When you pick up this book don't rush to open it. Spend a little time - stretch out the cover; touch the cover (it is embossed) and then stop and think about the meanings of the title. Now turn to the hectic end papers which are filled with - yes waste! Can you and your young reading companion or library group identify some of these objects - I see a toaster, clothing, toys, a hair dryer, plants, a stapler, a flower vase, a trombone, a bucket, several pots and pans, a toy dinosaur (at least I hope it's a toy), a arrow, a fish, chicken drumsticks, a spade, an electric toothbrush, a golf club, pliers, assorted cutlery, and so much more.

Turn the page to meet the man himself - General Waste. 

"He had a different toothbrush for every day of the week, six hairdryers, (and) his house was filled with a myriad of machines, power tools, widgets and contraptions. There were so many he could hardly remember what they were used for."

"Every day, General Waste took a very long shower, just for fun. He called it the 'hour of shower'."

General Waste lives on the top floor of the house - meanwhile on the bottom floor we meet Gram-Gram and she lives an opposite life.

"Gram-Gram saved every morsel of food, and she carefully stored leftovers in the fridge. She had a pantry ... filled with preserved vegetables, meats and fruits."

Gram-Gram rides her bicycle everywhere and she carefully mends her well worn clothes so they can last a lot longer.

An astute reader will know something has to happen - especially when we see the enormous pile of packaging in the yard and even more when General Waste himself is burried in all those boxes and packets. 

Luckily Gram-Gram is sensible, brave, and resourceful. She rescues the silly little man and then sets about showing him other ways of living. How to repair broken stuff, how to make new things from old stuff, how to cook, how to create, and how to grow a productive garden filled with food to share.

This book is didactic but it is also funny and wise and the illustrations are so lively. I think a class could find a lot to talk about on topics like consumerism, pollution, waste disposal, environmental action, packaging, and so on. 

Bookseller blurb: General Waste loves stuff! Wasting lots of stuff! He tosses away apples after one bite, he has hour-long showers, he must have the latest uniform fashion, and he rides around in a monster truck! He shares a house with Gram-Gram. She always saves her leftovers, does her own repairs and cycles everywhere! One day, when General Waste finds himself trapped under a mountain of his own stuff, Gram-Gram comes to the rescue ... General Waste is a hilarious tale about how to find joy in the simple things in life.

I picked up this book because I loved a precious book by Michel Streich. I also talked about The worst dog in the world.

Scary Bird

About Michel: I was born in the Westphalia region of Germany, where I grew up and studied visual communication and graphic design, specializing in illustration. After graduating, I moved to London and started my career as a freelance illustrator. Three years later, in 2000, I relocated to Australia, first basing myself in Sydney, and now in the Blue Mountains West of Sydney.

The Color Collector by Nicholas Solis illustrated by Renia Metallinou

"We came here for a better life. I miss home, though. 

I miss the sounds and smells. And I miss the colors."

The world is black and white until one day a young boy notices Violet, a girl from his class. She is picking up bits and pieces from the footpath - brightly coloured things but things that are mostly rubbish. 

"What do you do with it all?" "All of what?" "The wrappers and trash and leaves."

Violet invites the boy to her home which is an apartment at the top of a New York brownstone. Violet opens the door to her room and the colour explode. She has made a most wonderful art work on every  wall of her room showing images of her home far away. This could be a sad book but it ends in hope as we can be sure that this young boy will be a wonderful friend to Violet and she will find a path to happiness in her new country.  

 

Now for the bad news. I want to say this book would be a great addition to your school library but here in Australia it costs more then AUS$35 so sadly very few library will feel able to include this gentle story into their collection. Some of my spelling friends may also have a little trouble with color and not colour but really I think that is unimportant. This book is not really about colour it is about friendship, acceptance of difference, sharing, immigration, home, and trust. 

Here is the author web page. And here is the website for Renia Metallinou from Greece. Please try to find this book to read before you read The Color Collector:

Anita and the dragons

My Forever Dress by Harriet Ziefert illustrated by Liz Mrurphy

Did you watch the ABC television series here in Australia called "The War on Waste"? The episode that resonated most strongly with me was the one that focused on fashion waste. We have become, in the Western world, people who treat clothing as though it were fast food.  Here is an excellent segment from our ABC Television series BTN (Behind the News) which explains this issue to Primary students. Here is a set of activities to use with this video.

This is such an important topic and this book provides a perfect way to raise awareness of recycling our clothes for a very young reader. It is also a beautiful book that shows a grandmother sharing her skills and love with her grand daughter.

As the story begins our narrator is six years old and her beautiful (young looking) grandmother offers to make her a dress. I well remember my mum measuring me for the dresses she made. This new dress is splendid and the little girl enjoys wearing it to a party for her cousin.

One year later her grandmother suggests they should modify the dress.

"We need to do our part, ... we should use new material only if we have to. You're no wider, just taller, so let's start with what we have and add to it."

The new (modified) dress is perfect and especially comfortable when worn with pink leggins.

Another year goes by.

"Now I am eight. Grandma offers to make me a new dress, but I don't really want one. I like my old dress ... and I live helping the environment."

Grandma is a skilled seamstress. She pulls the dress apart and changes it again.

This time she also knits a sweater from wool purchased a "long long time" ago. The new outfit is perfect for her ninth birthday party (it's the one on the front cover) but:

"Now I am early ten. My shape is changing. I am growing all around. I ask Grandma to measure me for a new dress."  Her old dress with not go to waste, though. She offers it to her little cousin.

Here is a video of the whole book although sadly they did not include the glorious end papers. My forever Dress was published in 2009 so it is now out of print. I really love the art in this book but I haven't found many other books illustrated by Liz Murphy.

You could use My forever Dress as a focus for Earth Day or any unit of work on the environment. Here are some other books about recycling clothing.

Ada's violin by Susan Hood illustrated by Sally Wern Comport

Picture books are given formidable tasks to perform for their young readers – to entertain, to offer new experiences, to expand emotional vocabulary and empathy, to explore their own worlds or the worlds beyond. 

Ada’s Violin accomplishes all with clear language, impressive story, and stunning art.  Nerdy Book Club

Everything about this book is important.  The wonderful vision of one man to form an orchestra, the making of instruments from materials found in the garbage, the possibility of a different life for these young orchestra members and the simply stunning illustrations.

Start with this little film.  You will hear the wonderful sounds these children can make using instruments made from an amazing assortment of recycled materials.  Here is a report from US Sixty Minutes.

Ada's grandmother sees an advertisement for music lessons.  There are no music instruments.  There are so many children who want to learn.  Favio Chavez is not defeated.  He enlists help to make instruments from the junk dropped daily at the dump near their town and so the orchestra begins.

This book is based on the true life story of Ada Rios and the children in her town of Cateura in Paraguay.  You can read more about this at the back of the book along with further reading and web links.

I would pair this book with Magic Trash, The paper house and the senior novel Trash by Andy Mulligan.

Malkin Moonlight by Emma Cox

Every journey begins with one paw step.

Malkin is a true hero.  He is a cat with nine lives, but early in his life one is lost.  He knows he has a destiny - he feels the tug of some unseen force.  The moon explains this :

"There is a kindness inside you, little cat, and peace.  ... You will be brave, even when those around you are afraid. And you will make great sacrifices for friendship - you will be a true friend."

As a young kitten he is nearly downed, along with his brothers and sister, by his owner.  Luckily Malkin escapes and finds his way to an inn where he meets Roux.

"Malkin has not seen a cat that looks like this before. She is the colour of cream and smoke. Her fur is longer than his and softer looking. ... She smells of wet grass and small flowers."

When the Inn is sold Roux and Malkin move to the recycling centre.  He finds a group of cats living there and while they welcome this new pair they warn of  danger over the wall.  Malkin knows, however, this is the place, over the wall, that he needs to go.  He must use his gifts to reunite this group of cats - the wild and the domestic, the clean and the unclean, but first come some terrible fights between this group of recycling cats and the Putrescibles.  These are the cats who have been exiled to live in the garbage dump beside the recycling centre.  It is a truly terrible place.  These cats, led by the aptly named Toxic, are starving and smell utterly putrid.

Some things you need to know about the cats in this book :

• They have nine lives as you might expect but when a life is lost is quite harrowing
• Their senses are very keen but can be 'turned off' which is lucky when Malkin ventures over the wall
• Cats have a sixth sense which allows one cat to 'read' another
• The moon is a special friend to all cats

There are a lot of themes in Malkin Moonlight but the love story between Malkin and Roux is especially beautiful.  The scenes at in the garbage dump are also well described and I almost needed to hold my breath so I would not smell the putrid environment.  The names used for each section in the recycling centre will make you smile - glass bottles and jars, mattresses, mixed textiles and clothes and my favourite section - Newspapers where the cats go to read the news each day.

Here is a set of writing ideas based on each chapter.  After reading Malkin Moonlight I recommend you look for Varjak Paw and The story of a seagull and the cat who taught her to fly.  I am not really a cat person but I thoroughly enjoyed Malkin Moonlight.  If you pick up this book and you are not sure about reading it take a look at chapter 36 and 37 - they will give you an excellent idea of the emotions and action in this story.

Emma Cox’s debut novel is a stunning animal adventure full of philosophical wisdom and life skills. It is a journey of hope, transition, and love. Kids Book Review

Friendship, kindness, bravery and family are central to this story as is the importance of looking after our environment.  A must read for anyone who likes cats!  The Bookactivist

The patchwork bike by Maxine Beneba Clarke and Van T Rudd

I found learning to ride a bike was very difficult.  I know this was because I am so uncoordinated. Huge thanks to my patient dad who spent hours 'holding on' while I wobbled down a traffic-free and straight wide road near our house. My bike was brand new unlike this bike made from bits and pieces of found materials.  Patchwork seems to be the perfect name.  Riding this bike is such a joy for these children who ride under the stretching-out sky and live near the no-go desert.

• Their bike can shicketty shake over sandhills.
• The wood-cut wheels winketty wonk through fields.
• It can bumpetty bump through the village.

It will be fun to act all this out with our younger children riding our imaginary bikes around the library landscape.  With older children we will have discussions about poverty, recycling, wealth, material possessions, drought and developing nations.

The Patchwork Bike has been short listed for our CBCA 2017 awards.

The illustrations in this book have been painted on cardboard and then photographed.  I know the children will think they can actually feel the corrugated bumps.  I especially like the paint smudges on the end papers - they give a sense of movement, racing those bikes as fast as they can go.

The setting for this book is gently revealed.

• The narrator lives in a village.
• His home has mud walls.
• There is just one tree in the no-go desert.
• His mum looks like this :

It will be a joy this term to read books about bikes and bike riding. We have a good collection and I have this little bike made in Africa and sold at a Oxfam shops.  It is about 10cm long.

You can see more books about bicycles on this Pinterest Collection made by my friend from Kinderbookswitheverything.

If I was reading The Patchwork bike with a senior class or even a High School group we might also explore The Green Bicycle by Haifaa Al Mansour.  With a younger group you might dip into the series about the No. 1 Car spotter by Atinuke and compare the setting.  With all classes we will also look at Galimoto by Karen Lynn Williams along with this video.

You can read more about the author in this article from The Australian newspaper.  Van T Rudd is a street artist - I wonder how he came to illustrate this book?  His web site would be good to explore with a High School class and yes he is related to our former PM Kevin Rudd.

Take a look at these reviews :

Kids Book Review
The Patchwork Bike is a keeper, not only for the sheer joy of story but also for the conversations it will trigger: about life in Africa, the irrepressible joy of children despite their lack of commercial possessions and the satisfaction of recycling.

Children's Books Daley
 the resolution of the printing is so sharp that after multiple readings I still run my fingers over the paint and corrugated card, sure that I’ll feel the texture.


Here are some of the books we will explore alongside The Patchwork Bike.

The very important idea by Emma Dodson

This is a story about problem solving.  It is also very funny.  Mr Fat Cat has a very important idea which he promptly forgets following a small catastrophe in the office kitchen caused the new employee Rat.

Rat, ever anxious to be helpful, scurries off to find a a new 'VERY IMPORTANT IDEA'.  Naturally his search begins at his favourite place - the local tip.  "It was a rat's paradise - everything you could ever want."  Rat finds a wonderful sock which he takes back to the office where he makes a formal presentation using a large flip board.  Mr Fat Cat is horrified.  He does not want a sticky old sock. Rat goes back to the tip where he finds an even better sock which has so many uses from fashion accessory to hammock.  This sock is of course rejected immediately by Mr Fat Cat but Rat has one more idea.  He swaps the latest sock for a magic sock which he uses like a snake charmer.  It is at this moment Mr Fat Cat remembers his very important idea.  Perhaps you have already guessed what it is! I am happy to say no rats were harmed in the making of this book.

I would link this book with Strat and Chatto.  It also made me think of Letters from A Mouse which is a tiny chapter book that I adore.  It is long out of print but we are lucky to have two copies in our school library.
 
I think socks are a wonderful mini theme idea for younger students.  Here are some titles you might find in your library and here are some amazing ways to use old and odd socks.

Why not add a poem when you read this book.  Here is one about lost socks.

The Missing Sock by Angela Wybrow

This afternoon, I had quite a big shock: 

I discovered that I have a missing sock! 

I put my socks inside the washing machine, 

But now one sock is nowhere to be seen.

I started my hunt earlier - had a scout around, 

But, as yet, the missing sock is still to be found.

It's not hung on the line or the clothes airer.

It needs to be reunited with me: its wearer.

The socks were one of my favourite pairs: 

Light blue with a snowy white polar bear.

They also had stars sewn with silvery thread.

I've looked on the floor and inside my bed.

With a missing sock, I've no peace of mind; 

That missing sock, I simply need to find.

It has to be somewhere within the house -

Or maybe it has been stolen by a mouse! 

That poor little sock is all lonely and lost; 

I'll do anything to retrieve it: whatever the cost.

I'm feeling quite upset, as I really do hate

The thought of it coping without its mate.

With the missing sock, I am quite obsessed, 

And, until I have found it, I will not rest.

That missing sock, I will keep looking for

Until it's safe and sound back in its drawer.