Willodeen by Katherine Applegate illustrated by Charles Santoso

Willodeen's mother, father and younger brother have been killed in a fierce fire. Willodeen now lives with two elderly ladies from the village - Mae and Birdie. They are kind and loving and they share their quiet wisdom with Willodeen while also giving her freedom to be herself.

The village of Perchance is a special place because every year hummingbears arrive to nest in unique trees found near the town - blue willow trees. Their nests are made using the leaves from these trees. The hummingbears chew the willow leaves and blow bubbles which they then stack into nests. Doesn't this sound magical. People come from far and wide to visit Perchance each year to see these small winged creatures and their nests and during this time the villages hold markets and fairs. This is their main source of income.

BUT (you knew there would be a but) there is another creature that lives in this area - screechers. Yes they do make a dreadful screeching noise, but worse than that, they spray a dreadful smell:

"The smell is hard to describe. Put a hundred rotten eggs in your mind. Then add some scoops of dead fish and a splash of skunk spray. You'll have a general sense of things."

Unfortunately a tourist has fallen victim to this dreadful stench and so the town council have offered a bounty for every screecher that is killed. Now go back and think about the balance of nature. The sceechers are nearly all gone, very few hummingbears have arrived, wildfires are more prevalent, and this year the village won't make any money from the visiting tourists. 

Willodeen cares for a small hummingbear with damaged wings which she names Duuzuu. She also acquires, in a slightly magical way, a baby screecher which she names Quinby. Willodeen is a scientist. She observes the behaviour of screechers and of course she knows, because of the bounty the screechers are nearly all gone. This year no hummingbears have arrived. She also notices Quinby loves one special food - peacock snails and peacock snails live under the roots of those blue willow trees. With all the hunting of the screechers, nature is out of balance but can Willodeen convince the council that she has solved this problem and that they need to stop killing the screechers. screechers, humingbears, willow trees and peacock snails are all connected. 

Willodeen has a wonderful friend in a boy named Connor. He is clever with crafts. He actually made a model screecher as a birthday gift for Willodeen not knowing Willodeen's tears would have a magical effect.

I have had this book on my to buy/to read list since I first saw it in 2021. The publishing industry is a mystery to me. The US hardcover edition of this book costs AUS$36 which was way beyond my personal book budget. Now the UK have published copy in paperback and it has arrived here in Australia for only AUS$15. The US publisher is Macmillan but luckily for readers in Australia this book has been found by Welbeck Flame from London. AND also luckily the cover was not changed because, apart from the wonderful author Katherine Applegate, it was the cover that first attracted me to this book. When you buy or borrow this book make sure you take time to read the quote from Greta Thuberg - you could use this as a way to introduce this book to your students. 

When I was a child my family used to rent a tiny garage sized holiday house. The house, as is often the way, had an odd and old collection of books on their shelves. One I read around age 12 was Silent Spring by Rachel Carson. All through Willodeen I kept thinking about the way nature is in a fine balance and the way Rachel Carson alerted the world to the ramifications of our human actions on animals, plants and habitats.  These are the huge themes explored in this book but they are explored in a way that is very accessible for younger readers aged 8+. 

Here is a delightful video where Katherine Applegate talks about Willodeeen.

The young folk and (of course) the animals are engagingly wrought in this tale with a strong ecological message. Kirkus

Katherine Applegate is the author of The One and Only Ivan and many other wonderful books including Odder and the book I recommend highly to everyone - Wishtree. You should also add her Endling series to your reading pile. 

The Remarkable Secret of Aurelie Bonhoffen by Deborah Abela

 

This is the second time I have read this book and the second time I have talked about it here on my blog. After I read Deborah Abela's latest book - The Book of Wondrous Possibilities -  I had my eye out for The Remarkable Secret of Aurelie Bonhoffen which I read back in 2010. By chance I spied a copy at a recent charity book sale and it was only $2. I am happy to say, though, this book is still in print so you can buy a copy for yourself, your reading companion and your school library. It may already be there because it was a CBCA Notable in 2010.

I suggest you begin by reading my previous post. In this new post I am just going to quote some of the text to give you a flavour of this wonderful rich writing:

Lucien B Crook (the aptly named villian): "His black hair was waxed into a neatly coiffed wave and sat obediently beneath a stiff hat. He stood tall. Some might have described him as good-looking. His trim face was cleanly shaven except for a pencil-thin moustache drawing a neat line beneath his tapered nose."

Take a minute to think about the word choices used here by Deborah Abela: coiffed, obediently, stiff, pencil-thin, tapered nose. 

Mrs Sneed (teacher) : "was a tall, colourless woman, except for the splatter of red paint now on her dress, parts of her face and tightly wound hair. Even her silhouette was harsh, a collection of strict and measured lines. She likes maths not children."

The opening sentence of this book is brilliant: "The girl lay in her coffin with a faint smile on her powder-white face. She had been carefully laid out. Gentle hands smoothed down her white silk dress,k combed her soft curls and brushed on her make-up so that her cheeks look like two faintly pink cherry blossoms."

Mayor Finnigus Bog "wasn't a thin man and, in point of fact, he'd been called, in not-so-polite circles, pudgy, rotund, even chubby. Some say he was worn into shortness by the controlling nature of his wife. Others said it was because his pockets were heavy from the weight of too much money."

This is a story that will quickly become a family favourite. Kids' Book Review

This is a wonderful book and Abela herself is the real magician. Sandy Fussell

Pied Piper of Hamelin retold by Michael Morpurgo illustrated by Emma Chichester Clark

“Instead of rubbish tips I want to see parks where all the children can play, and schools where all the children can learn. I want to see fairness and kindness. I want to see the happiness that only fairness and kindness can bring. Only when I know that Hamelin is a fit place for children to grow up, can the children go home again.”

Do you recognise this from The Pied Piper of Hamlin?  As an added bonus this retelling is by master story teller Michael Morpurgo with joyous illustrations by Emma Chichester Clark.  I have adored Emma Chichester Clark ever since I met her work in the Blue Kangaroo series so when I spied this new book at the IBBY Congress I knew it had to join my growing pile of purchases.

To quote from one reviewer :

(This versions is) a nuanced and substantial retelling of the well-known morality tale; young readers can identify with the resourceful narrator, and adults may find relevance, given current economic woes. 

If you are new to this timeless story or if you just need to update your own worn copy this new version would be the perfect choice.  We have a number of interesting versions of the Pied Piper in our school library including  a simple reader style retelling from the Leapfrog series, a fun version by Tony Ross, a spoof called The fried Piper of Hamstring and as a contrast a version illustrated by Drahos Zak.

I had forgotten the ending which is so satisfying.  Stories like this are an important part of our western culture.  Look for this version in your library.