The Black Cockatoo with one Feather Blue by Jodie McLeod illustrated by Eloise Short

If you begin with the title, you might anticipate this book is told in rhyme. "One Feather Blue" not one blue feather. Then turn the page and read the rhyming text:

"It was a magic feather, powering her wings. With her feather she could do incredible things."

BUT later we read

"When her feather disappeared, her dazzle did too. Her courage, her cleverness poof! - into the blue."

So, the cockatoo sets off to find her feather asking all the bush animals to help her - the wise emu, the brave kangaroo, and the kind quolls. This repetition means this book will be enjoyed by children aged 4+. And the happy ending will give everyone a smile.

The end notes in this book explain there are five different species of Black Cockatoo in Australia. They can have red, yellow, orange or white markings. The bird featured in this book is a female red-tailed black cockatoo. Currently four of the five species are under threat due to land clearing for agriculture, mining or logging. There is also the huge issue of bushfires.

The Cockatoo with one Feather Blue is a CBCA 2024 Notable title. Here are the comments by the judges:

A delightful narrative that explores themes of identity, friendship and kindness through anthropomorphic Australian characters that embark on an adventurous quest. From its  attractive cover and appealing silhouette endpapers, to its heart-warming resolution, this high-quality production is suited to younger readers. The undulating rhyme and almost musical rhythm flows wonderfully, with the clever use of alliteration and repetition adding to its read-aloud appeal. The highly accomplished illustrations, using muted and earthy tones, complement and enhance the written verse and facilitate a joyful celebration of 

the Australian bush setting. The final page of the book provides readers with further information about black cockatoos in Australia and urges readers to help save the habitat of black cockatoos.

Author webpage. Illustrator webpage. And here are some teaching notes. Or try this link.  This is not perfect but if you look at this video you can see inside this book. Read more about Australian cockatoos here. 

The themes of friendship, resilience and identity plus the connection with nature are ones that will easily transfer to either home or classroom setting and offer children much to consider.  Kids' Book Review

The book serves as both a calming read before naptime for young children, and an educational one for older children. Gracefully exploring themes such as iconic Australian birds, kindness, friendship, and letting go of things that no longer serve us, The black cockatoo with one feather blue is a timely message that we are greater than ourselves, and capable of truly incredible things. Reading Time

Companion books:

Paradise Sands by Levi Pinfold

"White roses we follow, towards Teller's Hollow

Dead earth to a spring, the house of a King

A sip from the chalice, we enter his palace

Break bread for the Keeper now we descend deeper

Washed clean in his pool we fall under his rule

Away from what is, we all now are his"

These children/adolescents have clearly heard the opening six-line rhyme recited by their mother many times but instead of listening to the words and recognising they are warning or a prophecy, the words have become a little like a jingle that they sing along to in their car. Only the young girl knows there are warnings in these words. 

This is a story of enchantment, entrapment, courage, wisdom, patience, belief, temptation and above all love. The young girl will rescue her brothers no matter what the personal cost rather like the girl in the Wild Swans fairy tale. Water is an important underlying theme here too. The landscape is a desert but there is water in this mysterious place. The boys are eager to jump in cool water of the pool. Then we don’t see the boys again once the Teller issues his challenge. For three days the girl does not drink. Her body language shows her determination to succeed against The Teller. But I felt such shock when her act of compassion towards the flowers, when she gives them a drink, has unexpected and dire consequences. 

The sepia hyper realistic art with touches of blue and pink are reminiscent of art by Chris van Allsburg, Shaun Tan and Steven Woolman (The Watertower). 

This story has biblical overtones, it feels like a parable, and it has references to fairy tales such as Beauty and the Beast. Notice the repeated pattern of three – three days, three broken columns, three banquet scene, three brothers and three dolphins. The setting and time period are open-ended although we do recognise this is an older model car and the cinder blocks on the house also hint at a time from the recent past.

Right from the beginning the young girl, in her pale blue dress, shows she has a higher level of responsibility. Think about how she stops to lock the door to their house. 

Take a close look at the cover: golden fruit (Adam and Eve perhaps); the shadow of the girl is cut in half; the young girl wears blue dress does this signify innocence? I thought of the phrase - "the little child shall lead them”. There is a chalice in the corner of the cover. I associate this with the ceremony in a church where wine is shared during communion to represent the blood of Christ. The girl looks sad, and her gaze is directed toward the towering lion. He also looks sad or even perhaps resigned. 

Looking at the dust jacket the image stretches out and the face of the lion looks strangely like the face of a man in profile. The three pages where we see the banquet table are very interesting. On the first we have domestic animals eating human food. The next day, enormous exotic animals arrive. On the third day, though, the food is all gone, and the crows have arrived – do they symbolise death? Is the lion an echo of Aslan? Is this about free will? The dry remote forbidding landscape in this book is also a character. There are so many interesting shadows and sharp angles in the illustrations. 

Readers will have so many questions and they will be eager to revisit the story and illustrations. Have the children visited their mother before; where and what is this hospital; and did the meeting with The Teller and his dreadful bargain also happen to their mother in the past? So, the ending is bittersweet as the girl both succeeds and fails. 

If you are sharing this book with a group of High School students you could consider exploring these possible references - a painting of the Last Supper; fairy tales such as Beauty & the Beast, Hansel and Gretel and The Wild Swans. You might thing about Orpheus in the Underworld and classic literature such as Aslan from the Narnia books. Thinking about pop culture you could relate this story to music or television such as 'Don't pay the Ferryman', 'Hotel California', 'Breaking Bad' (the desert setting), 'Game of Thrones' (Ziggurat type building). 

Every part of this book design has been created with care. There is a different image under the dust jacket. The end papers are the same blue as the girl's dress. 

Paradise Sands is a CBCA (Children's Book Council of Australia) Honour Book. Here is the report from the judges (I was one for this round):

Right from the beginning, the young girl, in her pale blue dress, shows she has a higher level of responsibility. The characters have clearly heard the opening six-line rhyme many times, but instead of recognising they are a warning, the words have become a jingle they sing along to in their car. This is a story of enchantment, entrapment, courage, wisdom, patience, belief, temptation and, above all, love. The young girl will rescue her brothers no matter what the personal cost. An almost unbearable sense of bleakness is created through the dry barren landscapes and even the starkness of the house and hospital room. The landscape in this book becomes a character. Older readers will be eager to revisit the story and the exquisite, masterful illustrations. This book has the look and feel of a classic.

In her post on her blog Paperbark Words Joy Lawn gives some excellent suggestions for ways to explore this book with your older students. I would say this book is for mature readers aged 11 and that it should be added to every High School library. Read this interview where Levi Pinfold talks with Kirkus. See some of the art from this book and here are some review comments:

This one has all the hallmarks of a book that someone will buy for a child, the child will read and reread for years, and it’ll embed itself in the deepest folds and crevices of that child’s brain. ... If you need something beautiful and odd to give to a child, you could hardly do better than this. Betsy Bird Fuse 8

This is a truly eerie tale with much left for the reader to ponder upon. Pinfold’s illustrations are mesmerising, unsettling and haunting, drawing us to them again and again in search of further meanings. Red Reading Hub

The meticulous nature of Pinfold's art lures the reader's eye to the tiniest illustrative details, such as the texture of the Teller's mane, dirt-caked fissures in the marble columns and the girl's heartbreaking and resigned facial expressions. Cool blue endpapers stand in stark contrast to the leathery dryness of the sepia palette dominating this stunning and heavily symbolic story. Shelf Awareness

This mesmerizing work offers potential jumping-off points to discuss many topics, including magical realism, symbolism, family relationships and roles, and mental health. Kirkus star review

The washout-desert palette in the hauntingly beautiful realistic mixed-media illustrations creates an eerie sense of foreboding (carried through to the ambiguous ending) that cues readers into the otherworldliness of the story. Horn Book star review

This book has been added to the NCACL database of Picture Books for Older Readers. I highly recommend you explore this resource.

Companion books:

The Secret of the Magic Pearl by Elisa Sabatinelli illustrated by Iacopo Bruno translated by Christopher Turner

Publisher blurb: Hector lives with his family at the Marina in an Italian coastal town where they organize tourist expeditions to explore the many wonders of the sea. Hector’s dream is to become a deep-sea diver, just like his father. Then, one day, an unscrupulous entrepreneur opens a much newer center next door, forcing them to close their business. This man has a single purpose, to find the legendary Pearl in order to sell it and make money. Hector decides to find a way to thwart the plan and save what matters most to him: the sea, his family, and his dream.

This book was published in 2021 but it is a new discovery for me. I'm sure I have seen the cover on Social Media so when I saw this in the library I visit each week [they purchased it in March 2023] I grabbed it quickly. The format of this book is one I really love. A large size illustrated story - not a picture book and not quite a small junior novel - although that is the intended audience. The story is told in just seventy pages with a colourful illustration or two on every page. 

The chapters are divided using a full page illustration based on Nautical flags and each chapter has a heading which gives you an idea of the plot line:

1."About why the story of the Pearl is the truest"

2. "About why Amedeo Limonta is the bad guy in this story."

7. "About why sinking in the sea is like walking on the moon."

13. "About why I am, and always will be, a deep sea diver."

Here is the deep sea diving suit used by Hector's dad:

Here are some text quotes from this book:

"I have tomatoes on toast for breakfast. I put on my diving suit and Mom takes a photo of me near the fridge and next to Dad's diving suit. Before she lets me go, she gives me a hug and says 'Be careful! Keep your eyes wide open. You're going to see marvelous things down there! Break a leg!' She always says this thing about breaking a leg. I've go no idea what it means."

"The moment I'm in the water I feel a unique silence - as if someone has closed off the world with a stopper. How much water is in the sea? I'd love to measure it."

"The first day is a big success.  Hundreds of people line up to see the Pearl, which shines with a glow that takes everyone's breath away. No one needs a flash to take a photo; the Pearl shines a light of her own."

The Kirkus Star review said: Beautiful, remarkable, amazing, and wonderful in every way. 

The setting for this story reminded me of this picture book:

For Love

This book was originally written in Italian with the title Mio padre e un palombaro. 

Now for the bad news [again sorry]. Here in Australia this book costs over AUS$35 and so I am sure it is going to be way too expensive for the average Primary School to consider. Perhaps it will be released in paperback soon and if that happens I highly recommend this as a splendid addition to your collection. It could also be a terrific read aloud for Grades 3 or 4. You can see inside this book here [in Italian]. Here is a delightful short video with subtitles where the author and illustrator introduce their book. Read more about Red Comet Press here. I am very keen to see Peng's Vase by Paolo Proietti which is a book from this publisher.  It looks like a terrific companion book to go with The Empty Pot by Demi.

Review comments for The Secret of the Magic Pearl:

“Beautifully illustrated with magical pictures by Iacopo Bruno, this Italian fantasy by Elisa Sabatinelli takes us to a village out of time with a boy who loves the ocean and dreams of diving like his father and grandfather before him. Keep an eye out for this book and the other titles from Red Comet Press! Bravo!”  – Brian Selznick, Caldecott Medal Winner

Spellbinding. Sabatinelli creates an energetic and guileless voice in Hector, as he describes the settings and unique characters surrounding him with beautiful, evocative language; readers are transported to windswept coastal Italy, witness to small town shenanigans and stormy sea journeys with the turn of each page. Bruno’s illustrations are equally immersive, seamlessly weaving through the chapters with spreads and margin artwork that is sometimes educational, sometimes comical, and always captivating. Baby Book Worm

If you like the idea of large format illustrated books with splendid stories look for these:

Mysterious Traveller

Night Sky Dragons

My Strange Shrinking Parents by Zeno Sworder

Let's begin with the dedication on the first page of this book:

"To my immigrant parents. And to all parents who burden and narrow their own lives in the hope that their children will be free to go further."

On the fourth page these words continue to resonate with me long after my first reading of this book:

" ... my parents had come from far off lands. They had old shoes and empty pockets."

The parents have made enormous sacrifices to give their child a future in this foreign place – their promised land. The whole book is a celebration of this love and self-denial, which many children of immigrant families may recognise, and for other children this book may or dare I say should, help build empathy. 

The text is understated and powerful and the illustrations are invested with enormous emotion. This story is tragic and beautiful. My Strange Shrinking Parents epitomises the perfect picture book.

Every part of this book design has been crafted with enormous care - the tall shape of the book, the tactile cover, the scrumptious end papers of teapots and the poignancy of the tiny one on the back end paper. The muted backgrounds imply hazy or slightly unreliable memories. Notice the parents on the cover - mum is looking at the reader, dad is looking at his wife, we can see their enormous son as a young boy and mum is even sitting on his shoe. This cover invites so much discussion and you might also notice the wording under the title - "a tall tale".  Now flip to the back cover - your students might like to investigate the significance of the chrysanthemum flower and also notice the red cups and tea pot which are the same shade as the mother's dress. 

The pages have many Asian art references (cherry blossom flowers, woodblock prints of Hokusai and Hiroshige [The Great Wave off Kanagawa]) along with willow pattern story echoes and the implied fairy tale layer where we have a reference to the Japanese folk tale about the Peach Boy. I love the way clothes are drawn using light and shade to show the fabric creases. Notice the subtitle: "My Strange Shrinking Parents - being a picture story told in 38 pages." on the title page.

The metaphor of size is repeated through the illustrations beginning with an iconic bonsai tree. Then early on we see the boy is so small because he is peering over the table top watching his dad carving cedar toys. Later we have the confronting image of the tiny parents selling fruit or perhaps orange carved objects (the price implies they are worthless and unwanted) surrounded by towering grey figures who it seems might even trample them. 

Near the end there is the heart-breaking image of the father reaching out to hold his huge grandchild – an action that is now impossible. Take a minute to compare this with the first two pages of the book which shows the same scene with the boy as a baby at home with his full sized parents.

There are echoes here of Faust and his pact with the devil. I shivered when I saw the ugly baker and the name of his shop – Troll. The six vignettes marking the ‘expenses’, over the years that the boy is at school, warrant close study. Each of the providers of shirts, shoes and books holds up their hand showing the payment they require. 

The landscape page with the bright moon and tiny window, where we see the family dancing, gives readers a glimpse that there have been moments of joy and happiness for this family, although perhaps these moments are hidden from the world around them. The illustration where the boy is looking out of a window and we can see the trees reflected in the glass is a masterpiece. 

I wonder if the song, which book-ends the text, is a traditional Chinese lullaby? 

Zeno Sworder has some questions to use as you read My Strange Shrinking parents on his web page. See inside the book at the publisher web site. 

Please read this review by Betsy Bird in Fuse 8. I especially love her comments about the cover and also I am jealous that her copy must have had a dust jacket because she talks about finding the tiny teapot under the back jacket flap. Here are some quotes:

Reading Zeno Sworder’s haunting and magical metaphor for immigration ...

It is, in fact, one of the best takes on the experiences of children of immigrant parents I’ve ever seen in a picture book form. It stands, as I say, tall.

My Strange Shrinking Parents is unique. It shouldn’t have to be. We should have reams of stories that cover similar territory. But if I had to have just one (not like I have a choice, but still) I would want it to be this book. Tone, image, story, and metaphor. Each piece of this book fits snugly together with every other piece, like a well-constructed puzzle. Simple enough for children to understand. Layered enough for adult readers to appreciate. Strangely perfect.

Here are the judges comments from the CBCA. They may seem similar to my comments here because I was a judge and some of my words were incorporated into the final critique. Read some other reviews:

Asian Review of Books

New York Times

Social Justice Books

Kirkus star review

National Centre for Australian Children's Literature annotation Picture books for older readers

Here are a few questions - some with answers others to ponder.

• Who is the audience for My Strange Shrinking Parents?

In my view it is readers aged 10+ who will appreciate the layers of meaning in this fable. Very young children will have no idea what it means when the baker asks for 5 centimetres and then on the next page where we see the tailor, shoemaker, and bookseller holding their hands up to show how many centimetres they require from these parents. It is even worse if you think about the school Principal who wants 8 centimetres for every year of school attendance.  So with this in mind I was dismayed to read booksellers have listed this book for very young children for example Booktopia and Amazon say ages 4-8; Readings in Melbourne say ages 4 to adult; and Kirkus ages 9-14. 

• Who is Zeno Sworder and what motivated him to write this very personal story?

The answer in part is explained in the end notes. "I came from immigrant parents, one from the East and the other from the West. They were both remarkable people who showed me how to be in the world and weather its hardships. ... My story owes a great debt to my close circle of friends who came from all over the world ... In them I saw my own parents' sacrifices and I learned something about the strange nature of love; when given it enlarges both the giver and the receiver. In this way our parents were giants."

His bio says: Zeno Sworder is a writer and artist who lives in Melbourne, Australia. He is a husband, and father of two very creative daughters. He was awarded CBCA New Illustrator of the Year in 2021. He has worked as a window washer, journalist, English language teacher, consular officer, tribunal advocate for refugees and immigrants and a jewellery designer. But he is most at home sitting at his desk drawing pictures and making up stories.

• Read more about Zeno Sworder:

His own web page

Let's talk Picture Books

Roaring Stories

Thames and Hudson - five questions with Zeno Sworder

• One last question [without an answer] - what is the significance of the stamp-like framing of the title which is centred on the cover?

The Little Black Fish by Samad Behrangi illustrated by Farshid Mesghali translator Azita Rassi

ماهی سیاه کوچولو

"There was something wrong with Little Black Fish. He ached with longing to go beyond the stream, and to discover for himself what might be there. ... 'I must swim beyond the stream. I want to see if the stream goes on and on, or whether it comes to an end."

Everyone in this part of the stream warns Little Black Fish against the ridiculous, dangerous and unnecessary idea of leaving.  Little Black Fish tells his mother: "Perhaps there is more to life, and perhaps the world is more than our stream.' (No) 'Our stream is the world!' said his mother." Finally Little Black fish takes the plunge and and he slides down the waterfall. His journey has begun and, yes, the is a world beyond his home. He meets other creatures such as tadpoles, a frog, a crab and a shepherd boy with his sheep. A lizard warns him about the dangers that will be ahead - especially the danger of pelicans and later the danger of seabirds.

The lizard kindly gives Little Black Fish a small knife which he explains can be used to cut his way out of the pelican's pouch. 

"The more that Little Black Fish found out about the world, the more he realised that it was a dangerous as well as a beautiful place."

I am not going to share the ending because it is sure to shock you and lead to some very interesting discussions with your reading companion or senior Primary class. 

Publisher blurb Tiny Owl: Little Black Fish may be small, but he has big questions and a determination to find answers to them. While his fellow fish are too scared to do anything different from their set routine, Little Black Fish swims over the edge of the pool, into the stream and river which will show him much more of the world. He meets wonders and adventures, dangers and beauty. He makes it all the way to the sea, and finds his answers.

In 2012 I attended the IBBY Congress in London.  In one of the concurrent sessions the presenter Rosana Faría from Venezuela (illustrator of The Black Book of Colours) talked about her book Jacaraca, Perereca och Tiririca which she described as: An examination of the process of illustrating a story by Brazilian author Ana Maria Machado which resonated with the situation in Venezuela, a country which received immigrants in the 19th & 20th centuries and is now experiencing emigration. The story shows that strength is in unity and perseverance.  This session has lingered with me all these years later because Rosana astonished me when she explained how this book was actually a way to share a very powerful political message and how proud she was that the government authorities had not detected this. Her book could so easily have been banned but it was dismissed as a simple children's book - and therefore harmless!

When I ordered and received The Little Black Fish I thought again about Rosana's book.  The Little Black Fish could also be viewed as a simple fable for children but in this case Samad Behrangi's book written in 1968, did come to the attention of the authorities in Iran and it was banned but today it is one of their most famous children's books. I know the banning of books is a shocking thing but in this instance I am cheering because it shows this is not just a children's book - it can a powerful device with an important and a message!

Here is a quote from the final pages of The Little Black Fish: 

" First published in 1968, The Little Black Fish was written and read as a allegory for a nation in which is was dangerous to dare to be politically different. The book was banned in pre-revolutionary Iran. The simplicity of a 'children's story' about a fish daring to mix with other kids of creatures and other ways of life, offers a useful case for discussion by all ages about the big questions at the heart of political debate. Meanwhile, younger children will engage with the more individual experience of Little Black Fish. Would they dare go against what their protective mothers tell them? Can that ever be a good idea? The dangers are clear in this story, but so too are the rewards. Can they imagine what it was like for Little Black Fish, seeing new creatures and places for the first time? Being attacked and making new friends?"

You can see more art from this book here on Seven Impossible Things before Breakfast. And take a look at the book trailer from Tiny Owl. 

About the author and illustrator: Samad Behrangi was an Azeri teacher born in Tabriz. He collected folk tales and wrote tales for children in Azeri, Turkish and Persian. He was one of Iran's most influential authors and teachers. His tragically early death, rumoured to have been ordered by the Iranian government, has given him a legendary status. Farshid Mesghali is an Iranian animator, graphic designer, illustrator, animator and writer. In 1974, he received the international Hans Christian Andersen Medal for his "lasting contribution" as a children's illustrator.

At long last, books beloved by Iranian children can be enjoyed by children. ... It’s a book is about freedom, confinement, human possibility.  Like all the best picture books, it is both simple and profound. David Almond

Here is the cover from Iran:

The Quilt Maker's Gift by Jeff Brumbeau illustrated by Gail de Marcken

Over the years the King collected thousands of gifts. Some were practical, some were mysterious and some were whimsical. But the King was not happy. He was sure there was something, some special gift, that would make him happy. Then he heard about the quilts made by an old lady who lived at the top of a mountain. He demanded that she give him a quilt. When she refused he had her captured and chained inside a cave with a huge sleeping bear. 

The old woman was as wise as she was kind. She can see the old bear needs some comfort so from her shawl and pine needles she makes him a soft pillow. The King is now enraged. He orders his soldiers to  place the old woman on a tiny island, barely big enough for her feet to stand, in the middle of the ocean. A tiny bird lands on her shoulder and she makes him a coat from a scrap of her vest. The little sparrow is so grateful he summons hundreds of his friends and they lift the old woman off the island and carry her back to the shore. 

The woman explains to the King the only way she will give him a quilt is if he gives away all of his treasures. As each treasure is gifted she will sew a new square onto his quilt. 

"I give my quilts to those who are poor or homeless ... They are not for the rich."

It takes years and years but eventually all of his treasures are given away and finally the quilt is completed. 

"As I promised you long ago,' the woman said, 'when the day came that you yourself were poor, only then would I give you a quilt.' The king's great sunny laugh made green apples fall and flowers turn his way. 'But I am not poor,' he said. 'I may look poor, but in truth my heart is full to bursting, filled with memories of all the happiness I've given and received. I'm the richest man I know."

If ever a book might inspire you to take up quilting surely this is the one! There is also a strong case for allowing readers to pull the dust jacket off this scrumptious book because hiding underneath is a list of all the treasures collected by the king as represented by quilt pattern names.

I love this rich description of the quilt colours:

"The blues seemed to come from the deepest part of the ocean, the whites from the northernmost snows, the greens and purples from the abundant wildflowers, the reds, oranges, and pinks from the most wonderful sunsets."

I have mentioned The Quilt Makers Gift in previous posts so it seemed odd that I had not talked about this book here in any detail. This is a book I have read to my library groups for many years.  I found this video of the whole book which is really well done. Here are some companion reads:

The Greatest Treasure of Charlemagne the King

The Glassmaker's daughter

The Minstrel and the Dragon Pup

The Most Wonderful Thing

Each page in The Quilt Maker's Gift begins with a small quilt image in the corner reminiscent of illuminated letters found in ancient texts.

I do like the names used for some quilting patterns:

Windblown Square

Northwind

Snail's Trail

Baby's Block

The two books with quilting instructions inspired by this picture book are long out of print but they certainly look very interesting to me (a non quilter).

There is a sequel or actually a prequel to The Quilt Maker's Gift and I will explore this is a future post. 

The Magic Ball of Wool by Susanna Isern illustrated by Nora Hilb translated by Jon Brokenbrow

One night a ball of wool lands on a sleeping hedgehog. In the morning a spider sees the wool and suggests the hedgehog might like to use it for knitting.  In the following scenes (as you may have seen in the wonderful book Extra Yarn by Mac Barnett) the hedgehog makes special and kind garments for his forest friends. 

He makes a sweater for a small mouse; fancy mittens for the frog; a big balaclava for his friend the bear and one hundred socks for the centipede. But as each gift is given something magic happens. The wool is able to grant wishes and so the sweater turns into delicious cheese; the mittens become a mirror; the balaclava is now a huge sea shell and those hundred socks turn into castanets!

All of this is great fun but now comes the twist. A crab arrives. He needs a strong rope because a huge blue whale is stranded on the beach. What can hedgehog do? There is only one tiny piece of wool left. Luckily the forest animals are compassionate. They arrive at hedgehogs door and return their magic gifts. Now all that hedgehog has to do is pull the thread from each gift and he will have the whole ball of wool again. Now you have probably guessed that the whale is indeed rescued and hedgehog is able to knit the strong rope but you will gasp when you see the rope is transformed into something completely unexpected - a butterfly.

Here are some activities to use with The Magic Ball of wool. 

The Magic Ball of Wool was originally published in Spanish with the title El ovillo mágico in 2013. I did find a paperback edition of the English translation published in 2019 and this may be available.

The Magic Ball of wool won a Silver Medal in 2013 in the Moonbeam awards.

The Moonbeam contest began in 2006 as a way to open up awards in children’s publishing to all types of publishers and genres. By developing a contest that would recognise winners in each of the nuanced categories of children’s publishing, it was hoped to bring attention to the under-sung children’s books and their creators who fell between the cracks in larger, more general contests.

I talked about Susanna Isern in a previous post where I explored her book A Mystery in the Forest.

Here is a collection of books which feature knitting called Yarn Yarns from my friend at Kinderbookswitheverything. Knitting is a fun mini theme to use with classes in Kindergarten up to Year 2 especially if you can take along a little knitting, wool and knitting needles to show the children how knitting works. Take a look at some other books by Argentinian illustrator Nora Hilb.

Boris and Stella and the Perfect Gift by Dara Goldman

Today is the 1st December so it is time to start talking about Christmas Books. You may have read my post about Sarah's Two Nativities.  That new book from Australia blends two traditions - Christian and Muslim. 

Boris and Stella and the Perfect Gift looks at the traditions of Christmas and Hanukkah. Boris is from Russia. He is getting ready to celebrate Hanukkah. Stella has fond memories of her childhood Christmas in Italy.  These two are wonderful friends. Boris plays beautiful music. Stella is a baker. They both like hats and scary movies. Stella empties her savings bank but there are not enough coins for a gift. Stella decides to sell the pine tree that she has grown from a seedling. "Stella didn't need a tree to remind her of her family during Christmas. They were always in her heart." She knows the lady in the flower shop will love to use it in her Christmas window. Now Stella has enough money to buy Boris the perfect gift.

"She hurried across town to a shop that sold dreidels. The shopkeeper had only one left. It was from Israel. ... It was the prefect gift!"

In a parallel story Boris checks his savings bank and he only has a few coins too. He decides to sell his dreidel collection.

"Boris got enough money to buy Stella a special gift. He didn't need the dreidels to remind him of his family during Hanukkah. They would always be in his heart."

Perhaps you have guessed how these two friends and their gifts will collide. Boris buys Stella a glass star for her Christmas Tree. That night at home Boris makes delicious potato latkes with a giant dollop of sour cream and Stella, over in her bakery, makes a panettone with hazelnuts and chocolate.

Finally it is Christmas eve. It is also the last night of Hanukkah. Boris arrives with the star for the tree but Stella has no tree. Stella gives Boris the Dreidel for his collection.

"Bozhe moi!"   Oh no! in Russian
"Mamma Mia" from Stella in Italian

But all is not lost. Boris knows he can now start a new dreidel collection and Stella spies a left over pinecone from her tree and so from the seeds she can grow a new Christmas tree.

I would pair this book for older children with a couple of versions of The Gift of the Magi by O Henry.

Even though Boris and Stella and the Perfect Gift was published in 2013 it is still in print! I think it would be a good addition to your Christmas collection either in a family or in a library. Here is a trailer made by the author.  I don't usually talk about publishers but this one has a beautiful name - Sleeping Bear Press. On their web site you can read an extract from this book.

Inviting illustrations are filled with the details of the bears’ cozy apartment and their joint celebration of the eighth night of Hanukkah and Christmas Eve, complete with potato latkes and Italian panettone cake. Kirkus

The girl who drank the moon by Kelly Barnhill

An epic coming-of-age fairy tale destined to be a modern classic.

If you only read one book this year - grab this one.  The writing and storytelling are breathtaking - no wonder it just won the Newbery Medal. I also love books about the subversive use of power.  In this case fear and sorrow are used to control the populace while the Elders enjoy rich food and status. This is also a story about destiny.  Babies are left in the forest each year to satisfy the witch, or so the villagers are told. But Xan, the witch, rescues the babies and takes them to another village.

"Xan took her time selecting the proper family for each child, making sure their characters and inclinations and sense of humour were a good match for the little life that she had cared for over the course of such a long journey. And the Star Children, as they were called, grew from happy infants to kind adolescents to gracious adults."

Xan rescues Luna but she accidentally fills her with moonlight and she also falls deeply in love with this tiny baby so instead of taking her to the village she takes her home.  Meanwhile Luna's mother is mad with grief and so she is locked in a high tower where the Sisters of the Star live.  Their leader is Sister Ignatia and she is truly evil but I won't tell you more.

You will need to set aside time to read this book.  It took me over a week partly because there are over 380 pages, partly because I kept gasping at the events in the story especially towards the end and partly because, while the rewards are great, this story does require some concentration. Reading just before bed was not the ideal time for this complex story.

You can hear the whole book here - eight hours of audio book.  Here is an interview with the author where the interviewer talks about the depth of the characters and the way you have to do so much thinking as you read this book as you untangle the motivations and connections between them.  I also recommend you read this review from the Nerdy Book Club.

Here are a few quotes from the text which I think demonstrate the beautiful craft of Kelly Barnhill:

"Luna's grandmother used to be bulbous and squat - all soft hugs and squishy cuddles. Now she was fragile and delicate and light - dry grasses wrapped in a crumbling paper that might fall apart in a gust of wind."

"A man with a scratched-up face and a swollen lower lip and bloody bald sports across his skull where his hair had been torn out in clumps met them at the door. ... his tongue went instinctively to the gap where a tooth had just recently been."

"There is magic in starlight, of course. This is well known. But because the light travels such a long distance, the magic in it is fragile ... it is enough to bless, but not too enmagic. Moonlight, however. That is a different story."

It is worth clicking on each of the quotes below to read the reviews and more plot details of this engrossing book.

After reading The girl who drank the moon I would look for Fire Girl, The Thickety (mature readers) and Dragon Keeper by Carole Wilkinson (and the sequels).  You might also like to try the trilogy by Anna Ciddor which begins with Runestone.

Replete with traditional motifs, this nontraditional fairy tale boasts sinister and endearing characters, magical elements, strong storytelling, and unleashed forces. Kirkus


Barnhill’s language is lyrical and reminiscent of traditional fairy tales, but ­never childish or stereotypical. She writes impressively from a variety of points of view, not only those of Luna and Xan, but also of Sister Ignatia and the ­mother who has lost her mind. Magic abounds, both beautiful and dangerous.  New York Times