Two Turtles by Kiah Thomas illustrated by Jack A Minton

Terrence and Frank are serious rivals. Everything is a competition. If you have siblings you might relate to this. 

"Who has the shiniest shell ... Who can walk the slowest ... Who is the best at pretending to be a shark?"

Then Frank falls off the cliff or perhaps he rolls off - is this an accident? - he cannot bear to lose so he turns this mishap into a competition too and calls out to Terrence 'Bet I can beat you to the bottom'. 

Naturally Frank takes up the challenge and he also jumps off the cliff. Luckily (or perhaps it could be a disaster) this is a very very high cliff. This means there is time to think. About halfway they both realise this could end very badly. At this point you, the reader, are invited to offer some help.

Both turtles have lots of things inside their shells. There are things they have stowed that can could save them but ... you and your young audience need to shout:

HEY, TERRANCE AND FRANK! JUST WORK TOGETHER!

What did they have in their shells? Do they land safely? And most important of all did they learn a life lesson about cooperation (not competition)?

Two Turtles is listed on TWO CBCA 2025 Notables lists - Picture Book of the Year and the Early Childhood list so I thought it must be an amazing book - sorry but I was slightly disappointed. First off I disagree that this is a book for very young readers aged 0-6. 

I made similar comments about Jetty Jumping (here are the teachers notes) and the inclusion of risk-taking behaviours for an audience of very young children. Jetty Jumping is a beautifully illustrated book and it tells a special story but I worried about it being listed for very young children. 

Secondly, Two Turtles is overtly didactic with its lesson about the importance of cooperation, but the ending shows the two turtles are not going to change that that their propensity to see every aspect of their relationship as a competition and it seems their rivalry will continue.

I do like:

• the way this book 'breaks the fourth wall'
• the expressive faces on the two turtles (and the bird)
• the humour - packing a toaster
• the wise little bird watching these silly turtles - you could write a whole story from his/her perspective
• the wordless page
• and there is room here to read other books such as The Hare and the Tortoise (text reference: who can walk the slowest); and The Great White Man-eating Shark by Margaret Mahy (text reference: who is best at pretending to be a shark). 
• The story structure is interesting moving from the present back to the past and then ending where the story started.

I'm not such a fan of:

• Repeated digital illustrations (you can see inside this book here)
• The sudden arrival of extra birds on the second last page - where did they come from?
• Two pages of black showing the side of the tall cliff
• The patterned end papers - do they relate to the story or are they decorative?
• I'm not sure how the four pigs fit into the narrative and also there is a puzzling wire frame around the tree stump where the bird is trying to catch a worm
• There are tiny butterfly decorations on some pages - are these necessary?

The Kids' Book Reviewer totally disagrees with me. 

The illustrations are stunners, with a gorgeous green and brown palette throughout and the funkiest of animal pals. A birdy spectator features on the pages, expressing its own views about the juvenile turtles with the most entertaining facial expressions. ... Two Turtles is a story for everyone. It’s a story about all of us. I highly recommend you grab a copy. It’s an award winner for sure!

What Book Next.com say: But instead of this becoming a tale of a terrible tragedy, readers will laugh out loud at the antics of two rival turtles. ... Entertaining to the last possible moment!  

Other reviewers liken Two Turtles to books by Jon Klassen such as This is not my Hat. Some other (better) books about rivalry for readers aged 6+ are:

The Real Winner

Best Test

I previously read and enjoyed a middle grade novel by Kiah Thomas - The Callers.

The Callers (five stars from me)

Jake A Minton entered this book in the CBCA New Illustrator award 2023. It didn't win but I was one of the judges and we all agreed this book had very special illustrations. 

There's no such book

Queenie in Seven Moves by Zanni Louise

Let's begin with the title of this book. I thought it would be a book about chess. Yes, that famous game is mentioned, but Queenie is actually the name of the main character and seven moves refers to the way Queenie and her mum keep having to move either to a new house, or a share house and even a run-down caravan.

Homelessness is a VERY serious topic. When we meet Queenie Jean Anderson and her mum we discover they have to leave the home they have rented for many years. Queenie has named this house Peachy but the owner, who is also their neighbour and a friend, has decided to sell it and move on. Mum works in an aged care village and luckily one of the small homes in the village, named Diamonds, will be empty for the next couple of weeks so they can move in there even though this cannot become their home for very long. Once the new owner arrives in the village the mother and daughter move again into a share house with the Elliots.

"The truth is, the Elliots aren't Sarah's friends as such. Sarah's friend's neighbour's cat heard there was a family looking to share for a bit because the dad lost his job during COVID. When I quizzed mum more, she didn't know anything about the Elliots, which seems like a very dicey living arrangement." page 70

The cat heard? I am a bit confused. Also, it turns out the son of the Elliot family is a boy in Queenie's class - why didn't she recognise the surname? It is the end of Year Six so I would expect her to know the names of every student in her class. Queenie is aged eleven or twelve and so is Dory so, sorry to be negative, but I did wonder why her mum would have no concerns about a boy and girl sharing a room? 

"So, I am going from never talking to a guy-who-is- vaguely-good-looking in my life to sharing a bedroom with him."

This arrangement comes to an end quickly when the adults see Dory and Queenie kissing! Next stop - an old run-down caravan.

"Mum jostles the door of Terry's caravan. It takes a few goes, but eventually comes unstuck. True to the description, the caravan is leaky. A stream of water trickles down one wall. A line of mould decorates one of the other walls. The kitchen bench is saggy with moisture ... the place smells of mould and rotting leaf litter."

Remember my comment homelessness is a very serious topic - well I was quite dismayed by the way mum just seemed to accept living in this dreadful caravan. I expected to get some sense of her despair. Especially when all of their possessions are destroyed after the caravan collapses in the wild weather. 

There are a couple more moves after the caravan is wrecked and then finally, we reach the happy ending. I won't spoil this except to say Queenie and her mum do find a proper place to live. Can you count seven moves? Diamonds; Elliots; Caravan; Ruthie's house (the owner of the Caravan); and Dimitri's place equals five. Briefly they move to a tent so Queenie can enter a singing contest - that is move six. Then the happy ending is move seven.

I had a small problem with the Christmas scene in this book. Queenie and her mum head to a market on Christmas Day and there are lots of other people there. Here in Australia Christmas is in the Summer so a market at the beach makes sense but I am fairly sure there are no towns where a market would be held on the 25th December. Yes, there are plenty of Christmas markets, but these happen over the days leading up to big day. I guess you just need to go with the flow - the market does sound like fun with food and rides and Santa. 

"The beachside Christmas market is every year on Christmas Day. It's like an orphans' Christmas, for people who don't have big families to spend Christmas with. There are lots of tourists and young people."

I am not sure I entirely agree with these four reviewers, but I suspect this book might be a CBCA (Children's Book Council of Australia) 2024 Younger Readers Notable title and so to balance my review comments I am sharing these links. I read Queenie in Seven Moves quite quickly and it did hold my attention, but I cannot give it five or even four stars.

Mother and daughter are enriched by the diversity of the characters they encounter with each of their moves. Their homelessness exposes them to the many definitions of homelessness. Both reassess their understanding of friendship. Queenie in Seven Moves is a compassionate tale filled with images of human kindness, and the acceptance and change that seems to surface frequently in times of crisis. Beautifully written. A great read! Kids' Book Review

Queenie in Seven Moves is such a gorgeous story and twelve-year-old Queenie is a treat with her moods and possessiveness of her mother. It's all so relatable! Little Squirrels Bookshelf

This is a book about resilience, family, friendships and self-belief. Readers will enjoy this modern-day tale of urban adventure and quiet heroism. Georgina Gye

This is a well-paced, engaging and emotionally satisfying book, that hits all the right notes (excuse the pun). But if Zanni ever gets bored with writing books, she could easily move on to song writing. The song lyrics included in the book are a clever reflection of Queenie’s experiences and emotions and add to the tenor of the story (sorry, another pun). Storylinks

Here are some other books that explore this complex topic of homelessness. You can pop each title into my side bar to read more or click this link to a post which refers to nearly all of these:

Here are some picture books about homelessness - I highly recommend you share some of these with your students:

If you are in Australia you are sure to know some of these picture books by Zanni Louise. 

And here is her new junior book series:

I read her website and a few interviews with this author and I had one question - is this her real name?  I now discover her first name is Suzannah but is Louise really her surname?  Here are some interviews with Zanni Louise - I was surprised no one asked her about the name Zanni?

Reading With a Chance of Tacos

Your Kid's Next Read episode 81

Australian Writers Centre episode 169

Positive Parenting

Lionel and Me by Corinne Fenton illustrated by Tracie Grimwod

 

"In the beginning life was perfect ... a warm, comfy bed, yummy food, long walks, frolics along the sand and, best of all, anywhere, anytime LOVE. Life was perfect but then came Lionel."

Maverick, a large golden shaggy dog, loves his family but then a new pup arrives. Lional is a pup - small, young, and adorable. At first things don't change for Maverick but then, as the pup grows, the family seem to have lost interest in their old friend. They became 'Lionel-busy'. 

"I put up with it as long as I could. Then one day, I'd had enough!"

Oh no - poor Maverick is banished to the doghouse in the back garden and it is raining and cold and so so so lonely. But pups will be pups and one day, finally, little Lionel does something slightly naughty and he is banished to the back garden. Is there now a way Maverick and make friends with Lionel?

This book was short listed for our Children's Book Council of Australia (CBCA) award - Early Childhood. 

The Judges said: The theme of the younger/new addition to the family is highly relatable to the age level of this audience, adding the themes of an animal protagonist/antagonist and animal angst. The title and imprint pages cleverly set up the conflict and tension before the narrative begins. Narrated by the dog Maverick, the language is simple and clear, with lovely pauses and bold words for directed emphasis and expression. Many young children may be able to identify with Maverick’s emotions, allowing them tor self-reflect and connect. Whilst this book is about a pet dog learning to accept a new puppy into the household, it would also provide a very useful tool in supporting discussions about a new family member, and the mixed feelings that come with this. The narrative arch is well-sustained and draws the reader in, leading to a perfectly pitched and delightfully surprising resolution. The pencil and watercolour illustrations are beautiful, full of movement, and perfectly convey the mood and emotions.

You can see inside this book here on Tracie Grimwood's webpage. Tracie did the cover of a book I really enjoyed - Eloise and the Bucket of Stars. Read about the real Lionel and Maverick in this post on Paperbark Words with Joy Lawn. Here are the teachers notes from the publisher. If you want to extend your ideas about this book to include any new arrival in a family such as a new baby brother or sister take a look at my Pinterest collection. Take a look here to see other books by Corinne Fenton. I recently talked about Subbie and his mate. I also love an older book Queenie: One Elephant’s Story illustrated by Peter Gouldthorpe. 

This gorgeous book packs a very big punch. Tracie Grimwood’s delightfully engaging and simply beautiful illustrations, bring the story to life in a multitude of clever ways.  Kids' Book Review

This is a book that is perfect for your preschool reading companion and for all preschool library/book collections. 

You might also enjoy these:

The Real Winner by Charise Neugebauer illustrated by Barbara Nascimbeni

"Nobody wants to play with me. Humphrey wasn't surprised. Rocky turned everything into a contest, and if he didn't win he whined and cried."

Humphrey is a patient friend. He is not concerned about the way Rocky behaves. He is a kind soul who moves gently through the world. As Humphrey and Rocky head down to the river Rockys races ahead keen to be first to arrive at the bridge but Humphrey sees a little bird that has fallen out of the nest. He lifts it up carefully and places it back safely in its home. So Rocky is first to arrive at the bridge (but does this matter?). Then they come to a stream. Rocky is sure he can be the first to reach the other side. Humphrey hears someone crying. It is a little lost duck. 

"Gently, Humphrey guided the little duck around the rocks ... Swim, little duck, swim."

So again Rocky wins and he is first across the stream. At the fishing pond Rocky is sure he will catch the first fish. A small frog needs to be rescued from a bucket, so Humphrey stops fishing and helps the tiny creature. The pair of friends then sit on the bank together but the fish are not biting today so Rocky suggests they should climb into a boat. Again, there are no fish. Rocky is beside himself - he just has to catch a fish, the first fish. Luckily Humphrey is wise and patient. He tells Rocky to slow down, to stop worrying about winning and think about the fish. And yes - Rocky catches a fish - just a small one. 

"Congratulations, Rocky. You caught the first fish. You win."

But something is wrong. Rocky looks unhappy. 

"Rocky thought about the little fish squirming to free itself from his grasp. He thought about the little bird, the little duck, and the little frog. Humphrey had been their friend."

What discovery has Rocky made? YES!! winning isn't everything. And then he tosses the little fish back into the river. 

Yes, this story is didactic, but it is also a warm-hearted and gentle story about patience and friendship and kindness. And the illustrations are bold and very appealing. I especially like the way Barbara Nascimbeni shows Humphrey and Rocky at the end of the day bathed in moonlight. 

I'm sure you might have guessed but yes sadly this book is out of print (published in 2000) but it is so brilliant I just had to share it here. Once again, we have the publishing company North South and their commitment to bringing children the best European books. The original title was Wer gewinnt?

Take a look here to see art by Italian illustrator Barbara Nascimbeni.

There are two other books in this series about Humphrey - I do hope they will be in the library where I found The Real Winner. One day I will visit the International Youth Library in Munich - I am sure they will have a huge collection of all the wonderful books published by North South.

Santa's gift

On the back cover it says The Real Winner is a Michael Neugebauer Book. I did a little digging and discovered another book with this label that I used to enjoy reading to Kindergarten groups in my school library  - How will we get to the beach. And also the wonderful Non-Fiction title Precious Water a book of thanks. FInaly I am really keen to find this third book by Jane Goodall - The Eagle and the Wren - it is another North South Book and is listed as a Michael Neugebauer Book. 

Pizza and Taco who's the best by Stephen Shaskan

My friend and I have a Pinterest of books which feature Unlikely Friends. Pizza and Taco sure are very unlikely friends who discover differences can be fun.

There are five short chapters in this book and the text is presented as a dialogue between the four characters - Pizza, Taco of course and minor side kicks Hamburger and Hotdog. 

• Chapter One - Pizza and Taco are best friends
• Chapter Two - Pizza and Taco: who is the best?
• Chapter Three - Pizza and Taco Vote for the best
• Chapter Four - Pizza and Taco prove who's the best
• Chapter Five - Pizza and Taco: The true meaning of being the best

Chapter three is a fun commentary on how elections work which you could share with a group of older students perhaps. 

There are six books in this series and they are perfect for newly independent readers. These fun and attractive books would be a fabulous addition to any school library. Here is the web site for Stephen Shaskan. These books are also the perfect introduction to graphic novels. My friend calls them Toon and she has a large collection of them in her library. 

These books were first published in US but the first title has now published here in Australia by Scholastic for a really good price of AUS$11. I hope they have a plan to bring us the other books in the series which are way too expensive at AUS$25 for the hardcover editions. 

Sunshine on Vinegar Street by Karen Comer

Sport fans, especially fans of basketball and netball are sure to enjoy this new Australian verse novel due for publication in June 2023. This is the second book I have read by Karen Comer and I was happy to discover this one relied a little less on familiarity with Melbourne.

There are a few reasons I enjoy verse novels. They are quick to read of course but more than that they usually contain quite emotional stories. Sunshine on Vinegar Street didn't quite touch my heart but I did relate to Freya's fear of riding in lifts. At her age of twelve, I had a fear of riding on escalators. 

Back to the setting of this book. Freya has moved with her mother to the eleventh floor of a city apartment building. She has to navigate a lot of stairs each day and worse, she now has to navigate relationships in a new school. Especially relationships with awful girls who plan to be selected for the A Grade basketball team. Freya loves basketball and she is a skilled player but Val is determined to see her fail. Freya also has to cope with desperately missing her dad who is working in Broome. 

Across the road from their new apartment there is a Melbourne landmark - The Skipping Girl Sign or Skipping Girl Vinegar Sign, colloquially known as Little Audrey - an historic animated neon sign in the inner suburb of Abbotsford, Melbourne. You can read more about Little Audrey here. Turn off the sound and watch this video of the neon sign in action. 

Publisher blurb: Freya's world is turned upside down when she and her mum move to inner-city Melbourne. Now she's ... Stuck in a new apartment on the eleventh floor and Freya is afraid of lifts. Stuck in a new basketball team where not everyone likes a killer new player.  Stuck in a classroom of kids who don't know Freya is a donor-conceived baby. Stuck, just like little Audrey in the Skipping Girl sign suspended in mid-air over the suburb of Abbotsford. Being the new girl makes Freya feel like a dark cloud on a summer's day. Can she figure out how to belong on Vinegar Street?

Here is Karen Comer's previous book which was also a verse novel but aimed at an older reader:

Song of the Far Isles by Nicholas Bowling

Music is everything in the community. On Little Drum everyone is born with a birth instrument and this stays with them right through their life. This tiny island is also home to the dead - the ghasts. The ghasts sing songs to help the community with decisions and they guard the Great Barrow which contains eight of the nine ancient musical instruments - fiddle, barrow fiddle, seahorn, bombard, reed pipe, bagpies, bodhran, and handpan. 

One instrument is missing - the cithara. This is Oran's birth instrument and she is one of the most skilled players on the island. The ancient instrument was stolen many years ago and is it now on the Headland, at the Court, home to the Duchess. 

One evening when everyone is gathered in the local tavern the Duchess, ruler of the Far Isles arrives. She declare all music illegal and instructs her guards to confiscate every musical instrument on the island. Oran refuses. Now read this, the first of many harrowing scenes in this book:

"She felt a tug. She missed a beat, and the tune faltered. Then another, and Lord Magmalley wrenched her birth instrument from her hands. ... With the ragged edges of the tune still trailing in the air, Magmalley swung the cithara against the trunk of the tree. It held together at first. One of its curved arms became crooked, the bridge came loose, the strings slackened. He hurled it again, more violently, and this time the wood snapped completely with a sound like bones breaking ... He smashed the instrument against the tree over and over until it was in five or six splinterd pieces."

Oran decides to travel to the Headland, retrieve the ancient cithara, play it for the Duchess and through music change her decision and restore her community.  All of these are lofty and worthy goals but Oran can never anticipate all the things that will go wrong on her quest.

She and her friend, a young ghast called Alik, set off in her small boat. Early into the voyage they are attacked by enormous creatures called wispfish. They devour everything - the boat and her supplies. Luckily she is able to save the urn which contains Alik's ashes - carrying these off the island is the only way he can travel with her. Equally luckily Oran and Alik are rescued by the the Opera. This is a sailing boat filled with performers who also double as pirates. They are heading to the Headland because they plan to steal back all of the confiscated instruments. As a reader at this point you might relax - Oran has a ride, the Opera performers are a friendly group and surely it will be easy to retrieve the ancient cithara.

Of course everything goes wrong. Oran is captured and thrown into an underground dungeon.  She does, however meet Dugald, son of the Duchess. He is able to take her to the attic room containing all of the precious musical instruments but the pair are discovered and the next day Oran is taken into the town where the hangman and his noose are waiting.

The landscape and the characters come crashing down on you in a sweeping melody. ... the story is infused with myths and folklore and has an excellent plot that will make you tap your feet to the story's unique rhythm. ... Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books.

There are so many twists and turns in this story and such a brilliant invented world - I am happy that I have discovered Song of the Far Isles. Another gem of a book from Chicken House!

Take a look here on Etsy to see a cithara. You can hear this ancient instrument here (Scroll forward to 3.58). I was not surprised to read Nicholas Bowling is a musician. 

Other books by Nicholas Bowling:

The Hatmakers by Tamzin Merchant

The Hatmakers are commissioned to make a special hat for the King. Every component is important. For example Cordelia helps Aunt Ariadne add spider silk from the Brown Study Spider to the hat. Spiders work hard to spin their silk and so this is added to the hat to help the King work hard. It is specifically from a Brown Study Spider because this spider likes paper and silence and the king needs paper and silence to concentrate. Next Cordelia heads off to fetch a fresh flower from the St Aegis Vine but the most important thing is missing - the ear feather from the Athenian Owl - the wisest bird in the world which would have kept the King focused on his work and keen to remain undisturbed.

In the world of this book there are makers commissioned by the royal family - hatmakers, bootmakers, watchmakers, glovemakers, and cloakmakers. Once these artisans worked together in cooperation but something has happened and now they avoid one another and if they do meet there is suspicion and anger. The King himself seems to be losing his mind. He is sent away and his daughter Princess Georgina must now meet with the King of France. War is threatened and it seems one of the royal advisers is fuelling a fire. Lord Witloof appears to want a war. Cordelia is so worried about her father who has been reported drowned. She teams up with a young member of the bootmakers called Goose, and they form a team to thwart the evil intentions of Lord Witloof and to prevent a disastrous war with France. Along the way they will also need to make sense of the rift between the makers and learn who they can truly trust.

Publisher Blurb: Cordelia comes from a long line of magical milliners, who weave alchemy and enchantment into every hat. In Cordelia's world, Making - crafting items such as hats, cloaks, watches, boots and gloves from magical ingredients - is a rare and ancient skill, and only a few special Maker families remain.  When Cordelia's father Prospero and his ship, the Jolly Bonnet, are lost at sea during a mission to collect hat ingredients, Cordelia is determined to find him. But Uncle Tiberius and Aunt Ariadne have no time to help the littlest Hatmaker, for an ancient rivalry between the Maker families is threatening to surface. Worse, someone seems to be using Maker magic to start a war.  It's up to Cordelia to find out who, and why...

This is a new book and it is such fun.  I love the idea of hats that contain extra powers. 

A swashbuckling romp for lovers of history and magic. Kirkus

Merchant's writing is stunning and vivid, written with a beautiful prose style that is both accessible and full of elegance and wit. Forever Lost in Literature

You can read Chapter One here. This book is the first in a planned series. I highly recommend it for readers aged 10+. In this short video Tamzin talks about her book. You could use this to book talk The Hatmakers with your students. I should also mention there are some delicious food references in this story and there is a detailed, and highly imaginative glossary describing the various hat embellishments. Here is an example:

"Starlight - Lux stellaria - when strained through glass into a silver bowl, starlight is used to give hope and guidance to lost souls. Sprinkled on a hat, it fills the mind with sparkling ideas for adventures that promise to renew the spirit."

 I also love that Tamzin uses a very rich vocabulary in her story with words like grimoires; tomes; eldritch; jollity; rue; creatrix; and phaeton. 

Don't fidget a feather! by Erica Silverman illustrated by SD Schindler

Duck and Gander challenge each other with a series of, well challenges such as who can fly the highest or swim the fastest. Then Duck makes a suggestion:

"Let's have a freeze-in-place contest ... don't move. Don't talk. Don't fidget a feather! And the winner will be the one and only, true and forever champion of champions".

These two are very strong characters. A buzzing bee does not distract either Duck or Gander. A bunch of bunnies arrive and they sit on Ganders head and tap Duck's beak but neither fidget one feather. A cluster of crows land near the pair. They flutter and tickle and caw caw caw but neither fidget one feather. Then "along came fox". Gander and Duck are placed in a sack and taken to his den where the cooking pot is ready with carrots, potatoes, celery, squash, beans, salt and pepper. 

"Fox carried Gander over to the pot. Gander has to move now, thought Duck. But Gander did not."

Who will save the day? Who will win the freeze competition? Can there perhaps be two winners?

When the Teacher-Librarian from the library I visit each week exclaims "haven't you read that book" or "this book is wonderful" or "you will love this one it's one of my favourites" it makes me so excited I can hardly wait to dive into the book - old (Don't Fidget a Feather is from 1998) or new that's not important - I know the book she is recommending will be splendid. The downside is this is just one of those truly special books. There are sure to be more. There are sure to be thousands. How will I ever discover them? Oh well I will just keep chipping away at this library collection- picking up piles of picture books each week and sharing my wondrous finds here.

I am making a collection of stories about foxes. This one is a winner. It would be perfect to read aloud. The story has just the right amount of tension and fun with the addition of a very special conclusion. I read one reviewer who likened this book to The Tale of the Turnip. You can see the whole book here.

SD Schindler is the illustrator of the Catwings series by Ursula LeGuin and the wonderful non fiction book The Story of Salt by Mark Kurlansky which was a book I treasured in my former school library.

You might find Skeleton Hiccups in a school or local library:

Erica Silverman is the author of the Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa series.

The Pain and the Great One by Judy Blume illustrated by Irene Trivas

Judy Blume is famous for her book Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing. The Pain and the Great one is her only picture book. It was published in 1974.

Recently there was a post on #classroombookaday where the teacher asked about books that show point of view. I think The Pain and the Great one is a perfect way to explore this idea as we hear from a big sister aged 8 talking about her brother aged 6 and then the little brother talking about his sister.

Here is the publisher blurb:

MEET THE PAIN My sister's name is Abigail. I call her The Great One because she thinks she's so great. Who cares if she's in third grade and I'm just in first? MEET THE GREAT ONE My brother's name is Jacob Edward, but everyone calls him Jake. Everyone but me. I call him The Pain because that's what he is. He's a first-grade pain. I'll always know exactly what he's thinking. That's just the way it is. 

You can see the whole book on a video reading here.

"I think they love him better than me."

"I think they love her better than me."

There were four chapter book spin offs after this picture book. Here are two of them:

My favourite Judy Blume book is Freckle Juice.  I collected lots of copies in my previous school as a way to explore cover designs.  Here are a few you could use with a class:

The Brilliant ideas of Lily Green by Lisa Siberry

Lily's mum owns a hairdressing and beauty salon. Lily's older sister Faye works there too. Faye loves all the fuss over hair styles, nail polish and beauty treatments. None of this interests Lily but she does love to invent. It is her job to clean the salon and so she is very familiar with the ingredients in the products sold in the salon. Lily does not like the idea of crushed beetles in nail polish so she sets about creating her own 'natural' formula for skin cream and lip gloss.

One day when she is cleaning an expensive bottle of shampoo crashes to the floor. Lily hides this disaster by refilling the bottle with a concoction of her own. She uses ingredients from the kitchen but it does not smell right. She needs to add orange. There is an orange tree hanging over the back fence with one perfect orange. Lily picks the orange and straight away we know this shampoo is going to be special - in a good way or perhaps in a disastrous way.

"I stood on tiptoe and plucked the orange. The air was still, but I could have sworn the jagged tooth-like leaves of the tree shivered."

Lily and Faye only have one week to save the salon which is also their home. Business has been bad since a rival salon opened at the shopping mall.  Perhaps this new shampoo will save the day.

The Brilliant ideas of Lily Green is a delicious romp filled with friendships (old and new), delightful combinations of ingredients which make the beauty products sound appealing and a little touch of magic (good and bad) that comes from the plants that gown in the mysterious garden next door.

I really enjoyed all the names of the beauty products, their wild ingredients and the crazy results from using them:

Glue Goo - holds your style in place after you shampoo no hair spray or gel needed
Happy Hair Sparkle Mist - no more hair tangles
Lip Switch - lip gloss to match your mood
Spraynbow - rainbow hair to match your mood (watch out this one is dangerous)

A refreshing, inventive story full of mischief and dollops of gloop for readers aged 9+. Readings

This book was the winner of the Ampersand Prize in 2017. You can listen to an interview with Lisa Siberry here. Another Ampersand winner that I loved last year was Ottilie Colter and the Narroway Hunt.