Dawn by Marc Martin

Less a story and more a series of illustrations paired with poetic text, 

the book is a testament to Martin’s immense artistic talents.

Truly stunning. Kirkus Star review

The series of single words in this book feel like a visual poem:

dawn

dew

deer

sound

spring

still

conceal 

reveal

Other words resonate with richness and meaning such as glimmer; shimmer; forage; formation and chorus.

Blurb from author web page: As the sun slowly rises, many things happen in a small window of time. The world comes alive with the actions of animals, plants, clouds, and sky. A deer drinks, an owl wakes, a dandelion shimmers in the light. A ladybug climbs, a fish jumps, birds call in a chorus. Geese fly away in formation. A flower blooms. Beautifully illustrated with glowing imagery and written with a charming simplicity holding appeal for new readers, Marc Martin’s ode to the slow-blooming beauty of a sunrise and the life that unfolds in its radiance narrows the lens to show the wonder of time passing.

You can see inside Dawn here. See more of his work on Instagram.

The book’s thoughtful visual pacing echoes its rhythmic text. Martin mixes single-image scenes with combinations of vertical and horizontal panels to guide readers through small, quick happenings—for example, a series of four vertical panels depicting snapshots of a ladybug climbing a dew-laced blade of grass (“climb / quench / drip / drop”), and bigger events that demand pause, such as the panoramic final full-bleed, double-page spread of the rising sun. Horn Book Star review

When you share this book with your young reading companion you should slow down and take your time and then on subsequent readings notice the way the frames of the illustrations change and the way the light increases and also the link between the dewdrop and the ladybird from the title page with other images later in the book. Then get up early and watch the dawn - it usually takes about ten minutes - notice the light, but also listen for the dawn chorus and maybe do this more than once to see changes over different seasons. This idea reminds me of The Night Walk by Marie Dorléans. I also need to mention the beautiful book design and wonderful paper quality. This is a book to own, to cherish and of course to also add to your school library.

Image source: Marc Martin

You can see and hear Marc Martin sharing his book on Instagram.

One of the best parts of attending an author or illustrator talk is the discovery of the back-story about the writing of a book. Here are some things I learnt today at Gleebooks Kids about Marc Martin (this is my third post about him so you would think I know all of this, but I didn't. Click on his name in the labels for this post to read about other books and more):

• Trivia - his first job was at KMart and he likes eating coffee eclairs.
• Books - his new book due in October is about Antarctica - I should have asked "Have you been there?"
• A staff member from Candlewick posted some photos over a period of just seven minutes to show the dawn - this gave Marc Martin the idea for his book. (I would love to find those photos).
• The text came first then the illustrations and it took three years to make this book. (It is always good to tell this to your students - the craft of writing and illustrating takes time)
• This book is not a traditional narrative but Marc Martin hopes it will open up conversations between children and their parents.
• His own favourite page has the text treetops and tree trunks and beautifully shows two different perspectives of the forest with the deer from earlier in the book looking straight at the reader but also ready to run if startled. The page with the dandelion blowing in the breeze took the most time to create. He included a deer to give this book a universal feel and also because this book comes from a US publisher Candlewick.  (Here in Australia and the UK this publisher is called Walker Books). 
• As an illustrator he has a filmic perspective. His illustrations allow the viewer/reader to zoom in and out just like a camera. 
• His favourite films are from Studio Ghibli such as My Neighbor Totoro; Kiki’s Delivery Service and Spirited Away. He also mentioned The tree of life by Terrence Malick.
• The US copy of this book from Candlewick comes with a dust jacket - what a pity our Australia copies do not include this - and under the dust jacket is a different image - I should have taken a photo!
• The US edition also has a subtitle: Watch the World Awaken
• He writes and illustrates his books, but some have a text by another writers such as We are Starlings by Donna Jo Napoli and Every child a Song by Nicola Davies. 

As always the event at Gleebooks here in Sydney was so well organised by Rachel Robson. She had a display of the page layouts used by Marc Martin, a set of Marc's books with fairy lights, an art activity for the children (and adults) and really fun prompts to encourage participants to draw sequences like the ones Marc Martin used in Dawn. I liked the prompts - "Unwrapping a present"; "Blowing out a candle"; and "Playing in the rain".

Hope I don't jinx Marc and his book but I am sure this will be a 2026 CBCA Picture Book Notable and surely also make the shortlist. Check out my previous post about picture books like Dawn that I called Poetry with Pictures. 

If you listen by Charlotte Zolotow illustrated by Stefano Vitale

"If you listen hard you'll feel someone far away sending love to you."

"The little girl's father had been away a long time."

I love that we are left to think about why. Is dad away for work? Has dad sadly died? Has dad left the family because of a divorce? Whatever the reason mum suggests there is a way to keep dad close even though he is not here.

"If I can't see him, or hear him, or feel his hugs, how can I know he loves me when he isn't here?"

Her mum tells the little girl to stop and listen. They can hear the church bells even though they cannot see the actual church. Or you hear foghorn of a ship far out at sea or a dog barking over in the hills. 

"Or you're sitting alone in the living room not thinking about anything at all and one petal falls of a rose in the vase on the coffee table."

Bookseller description: This loving tale about loss from two-time Caldecott Honor winner Charlotte Zolotow is a gentle, reassuring approach to a subject that's always challenging for parents to discuss with children. In it, a mother comforts her daughter about the absence of the child's father by explaining that if she listens hard, she'll feel him far away sending love to her.

Charlotte Zolotow (1915-2013) wrote over 70 books. The 1980 edition of If you listen had a different illustrator: Marc Simont. My newer copy is from 2002. You can see inside this book here. 

I picked this book up at a recent charity book sale. Part of my mind, when I search through all the boxes of books at these fairs, is thinking about very special books I had in my former school library.  

Here is another book by Charlotte Zolotow also illustrated by Stefano Vitale:

No Longer Alone by Joseph Coelho illustrated by Robyn Wilson-Owen

There are three little girls on the cover of this book - can you tell which one feels alone? Can you guess why she feels this way? 

This book is a gentle exploration of loss and grief. It was published in 2019 and I think it should be added to all Primary school library collections. The library I visit each week have shelved this with parent reference books but I do think it could be added to your general collection. 

Mum has obviously died but this is not stated anywhere in the story we just know the little girl narrator is acting differently, she is sad and confused. Others do observe her new behavious this but they don't seem to understand. Finally her beautiful father sits down with the little girl and we see all the family photos on the wall behind their lounge and as readers we begin to understand what may have happened.

"Dad says ... 'Try to be the old you, the get-up-an-go you. The loud-and-active you, the happy you, the you, you used to be.'"

"I tell him how I don't feel myself right now, how I feel different, like someone else. I tell him all the things that are worrying me, upsetting me, making me feel alone. And he listens ... like the sun listens to leaves, like the ocean listens to raindrops, like the stars listen to the glide of their plants. And right NOW starts to feel different."

Bookseller blurb: A new picture book from award-winning performance poet, Joseph Coelho. This touching picture book subtly deals with big emotions such as loss, with an uplifting and hopeful message about being yourself and the importance of family and talking about worries. Told through the voice of a little girl who is labelled as quiet and shy, No Longer Alone follows her tumult of emotions as she navigates the world around her. But when she finally shares her feelings and tells her Dad all the things that are worrying her, she no longer feels so alone. Joseph's warm, authentic voice offers an insightful take on the way children feel and how they perceive the world and it's perfectly complimented by gorgeous artwork from talented new illustrator, Robyn Wilson-Owen.

Now take at the UK cover for this book - which one do you prefer?

I have talked about another book by Joseph Coelho:

My Beautiful Voice

Wonder Walkers by Micha Archer

The text of this book, as with all truly special picture books, reads like a poem.

"Wonder walk? Sure.

Is the sun the world's light bulb?

Is fog the river's blanket?

Do mountains have bones? Are forests the mountain's fur?

I wonder ... Me too."

My favourite lines read: "Is the wind the world breathing?" "Is the moon the world's night-light?"

Image Source: New York Times

Excellent for enriching vocabulary, developing creative thinking, and enhancing a love of nature. Kirkus Star review

Beautifully rendered — and wonderful in every way. Horn Book

Exquisite details require readers to pause at each page turn. Librarian's Quest

Kirkus describe the art in the book as "luminous ink-and-collage illustrations (which) are lush and vivid, perfectly suiting the text." Micha Archer, from Massachusetts, is a collage artist.  In this short video you can see how Micha makes her art. You can see art from this book here and here. I have previously talked about her books:

A New Green Day by Antoinette Portis

This book by Antoinette Portis contains a series of poetic riddles. Here are a few:

"Morning lays me on you pillow, an invitation, square and war. Come out and play!" (sunlight)

"I'm a sweet sucked smooth in the river's mouth. Let me roll in your pocket." (pebble)

"I'm a chorus of a million tiny voices. Come and splash in my song." (rain)

Blurb: "Over the course of a summer's day, voices from the natural world pose a series of riddles to a curious little girl and, so too, the reader."

This book would make a beautiful addition to a Primary School or Preschool library. In this video Antoinette talks about her book which she created many years ago during a picture book writing course. Here is a audio interview with Antoinette. You could use this book with a group of older students to explain or explore the use of page turning and a pace. Here is a set of teaching ideas from the publisher.

Simple, poetic, and fun. Kirkus

Here are some other books by Antoinette Portis:

With a group of older children I would pair this book with Leaf Stone Beetle.

The Road Home by Katie Cotton illustrated by Sarah Jacoby

"For safety is a precious place, a place to call our own. This road is hard, this road is long, this road that leads us home."

Reviewers have described this book as poetic, sober, dark, elegant, spare, meditative and beautiful.  

As I read this book I pondered... 

Was the text of this book actually a famous poem? One that I should perhaps already know? Was the text of this book a song? A gentle ballad sung long ago?

None of these things are true. Katie Cotton has penned an original and beautiful poem about nature and the need to feel safe. As for music - while there is no music written for these words - I think someone should transform this text into a gentle song.

"Fly with me to far away, where sun still warms the ground. For winter's in the daytime light and in that windswept sound."

You can see many of the pages and illustrations from this book on this blog post by Books and Umbrellas.

Here is the publisher blurb: As winter approaches, a bird flees with her chick, a mouse builds a nest for her child and rabbits run from wolves that roam in the darkening woods. The road home is long and hard, but the animals have each other in this poetic meditation on nature, survival and love. 

Katie Cotton is a UK author and Sarah Jacoby lives in Philadelphia.

Now take a look at the two cover images above. Which one do you like? The UK edition (second image) actually has gold embossed lettering.

The struggle to survive and find a home in nature is told in verse. For those who don't appreciate children’s books that sugarcoat the harsh truths of survival in the wild, there's this spare and beautiful book in which a bird, a rabbit, a mouse, and a wolf travel with their respective offspring, trying to find a home … Kirkus Star

Katie Cotton and Sarah Jacoby's glorious "The Road Home" has the sort of inner voice that feels like a drop of honey on the end of the tongue, or the brush of a feather on your bare foot. Read it Again Daddy

Delicate water colours suffused with light, are fused against soft layers of landscape. Birds fly south, shrews build nests, rabbits scamper and wolves howl as harsh winter approaches. Books for Keeps

Katie Cotton is the author of 24 books including Dear Bunny.

In a Jar by Deborah Marcero

Stunning - Kirkus

Two rabbits sitting in a field of bluebells. They each have a jar and have collected a couple of bluebell stems.

The end papers show leaves scattering in the wind but the simple addition of colour to these pages also shows the passing of time as the leaves change from bright green, to yellow, to dark orange and olive green and back to bright green.

Now turn to the first page and you can see these same autumn leaves scattered across the page. If you flip to the final page it is Autumn once again - so a whole year has passed.

Llewellyn loves collecting things. He collects things and puts them in jars. He collects beautiful and poetic things such as heart-shaped stones, the sky "the color of tart cherry syrup", and the "wind just before snow falls" . When Llewellyn looks back at each of his jars he can enjoy the memories they hold. As with all the best things in life, the joy of collecting is even better when shared. Llewellyn shares his jars with Evelyn and together they collect wondrous things but one day Evelyn tells Llewellyn she is moving away.

"With Evelyn gone, Llewllyn's heart felt like an empty jar."

This is not the end of the story. There is a solution to this problem. Llewllyn decides to post a jar to Evelyn. He fills it with a meteor shower on a moonless night. In return Evelyn fills jars with the sights, sounds and smells of her new city environment and she posts her parcel to Llewllyn. Once again, though, this is not the end of the story.  I hope the last page makes you sigh with happiness. You can listen to Deborah talking about her book on The Children's Book Podcast.

The two bunnies, with their rectangular, anthropomorphized shapes and straight antennae ears, are cozy yet also endearingly offbeat. Bulletin of the Centre for Children’s Books

In a surreal touch, the jars themselves become frames containing rainbows, cups of hot chocolate, lightning strikes, a family of ducks, ski slopes and the tight squeeze of a subway car. Enchanting, indeed.  In a Jar does what all the best picture books do: It captivates, entertains and leaves you with a reminder of magic still shimmering around the edges. Book Page

The art here is tremendously gorgeous. Marcero creates pages of meteor showers, sunsets filled with birds soaring, and entire seasons on two pages that are filled with moments of wonder and amazement, and yet that are also moments we could all have and share. Waking Brain Cells

If you read this book with a young child you are sure to want to grab some jars and go outside and begin collecting.  You can see this idea in action at This Picture Book Life.  I love the idea of collecting things - especially the idea of collecting things in jars.

I talked about collectors and collecting in one of my most favourite picture books A friend like Ed and in the junior novel - Donovan's word jar.

For a younger child try to find a copy of the Australian book Collecting Sunshine by Rachel Flynn illustrated by Tamsin Ainslie (2018).

Here is another book by Deborah Marcero.

The night box by Louise Greig illustrated by Ashling Lindsay

The lock waits for a key!

Here are the first lines from this lyrical picture book:

Day is yawning.
Quiet settles in the trees.
The birds fold their wings,
the singing stops.

Then read this:

Day slips out of the leaves,
out of the pond,
out of the pink rose
and the blue ball.
Max waves goodbye.

Max holds the key. He owns the box. When the time is right, Max opens the box and lifts the lid and day slips inside while night sweeps out. The night is beautiful and gradually all the nocturnal animals emerge. For Max, night means sleeping in his warm bed with his teddy bear. Eventually night needs to fall asleep so Max opens his box again and night slips inside as day sweeps out.

The idea of night and day held in a box to be released by a small boy who holds the key is a beautiful idea. If you are a collector of picture books or you need a special book to give as a gift I highly recommend The Night Box. There are wonderful little details in the illustrations and the writing is poetic and reassuring.

Max’s power to take charge of night and to celebrate as helets day out “and a new song begins” is evocative, simple, and reassuring. Kirkus Star review

The gentle, lyrical text dances across each page,complemented by the luminous illustrations that shine like the 'thousand stars'in the sky. Kids’ Book Review

If you have a child at home who gets nervous about the dark or worked up before bed, try this story. It is calming to read, adding a sense of tranquility and peace to a time that can be fraught with anxiety. Happily Ever Elephants

Sometimes a picture book text just flows over you, like the gentle lapping of a stream's cool currents or the whisper of a summer breeze. ReaditDaddy

The night box was short listed for many awards including the 2018 Klaus Flugge Prize and the paperback edition is currently available. Here are are set of very detailed teaching notes which focus on the language used in The night box.

Louise Greig and Ashling Lindsay have another book - Between Tick and Tock.

Owl Moon by Jane Yolen illustrated by John Schoenherr

If you go owling

you have to be quiet

and make your own heat.

When you go owling

you have to be brave.

When you go owling

you don't need words

or warm

or anything but hope.

That's what Pa says.

Image source : https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/302185/owl-moon-by-jane-yolen/9780399214578/

Owl Moon is a book to treasure and revisit often. It is the perfect book to read on a quiet winter night even if you live (as I do) in a place where it never snows. Owl Moon was first published in 1987 and was the winner of the prestigious Caldecott Medal in 1988. Happy 30th Birthday Owl Moon!

Once again here is a book that perfectly demonstrates the ideal marriage of poetry or poetic language in a picture book.

Our feet crunched
over the crisp snow
and little grey footprints
followed us.
Pa made a long shadow
but mine was short and round.
I had to run after him
every now and then
to keep up,
and my short, round shadow
bumped after me.

Look at the word placement here. Our feet crunched. This is the perfect word for the sound of shoes on snow. I had to run every now and then - short legs and long strides - this gives the right rhythm to their walk. Her shadow bumped an echo of the shadow's round shape.

Here is another beautiful piece of poetic prose:

The moon was high above us.
It seemed to fit
exactly
over the centre of the clearing
and the snow below it
was whiter than the milk
in a cereal bowl.

I was amazed to discover you can read a Jane Yolen book every day of the year - yes she has 365 titles ranging from picture books, junior titles such as Sleeping Ugly, Middle Grade novels such as A Plague of Unicorns, adult books and non fiction.

If you have not seen this book try to find it in a library. Once you have read the printed book and looked at the beautiful illustrations take a look at this gentle video. Here are some teaching ideas.  Here is a magical song - listen to this after you read the book - I guarantee you will shiver.

The illustrations make you shiver from the cold and want to pull your scarf up over your mouth.  New York Times

In this extraordinary title, Jane Yolen captures the magical moment when two people come face to face with a wild creature, a beautiful owl in its natural habitat. She also explores, in simple words packed with imagery, the bond that connects the little girl and her father as they take a special journey under an Owl Moon. Looking Glass Review

Yolen hints at a philosophical overtone ("When you go owling you don't need words or warm or anything but hope. . .the kind of hope that flies on silent wings. . ."), but the shared experience of the mysterious, natural night-world seems the more important message of this lovely, quiet book. Kirkus 

When the world is dreaming by Rita Gray pictures by Kenard Pak

What does Little Deer dream
at the end of the day?
After the walking,
the grazing, the play.
In a bed of feathery ferns
beside her twin, she gently turns.
What does Little Deer dream?
Rushing rain from a rumbling cloud,
the sky is flashing; the sky is loud!
But tucked beneath our mushroom cap,
we're safe from every thunderclap.
Sleep, Little Deer,
safe and warm.
Dream until the light of morn.

This exquisite lyrical text asks this same question of Little Snake, Little Newt, Little Rabbit, Little Mouse, Little Turtle and Little Dreamer. You can see them on the cover. Each set of pages end with the refrain "Sleep Little ____, safe and warm. Dream until the light of morn."  I long for someone to set this lullaby to music. Changing colour and font also adds the dimension of another voice to this text - the voice of the dream itself.  Here is the dream of the snake:

Catching the wind, the kite sets sail;
and trailing behind, I am the tail!
Soaring above the tallest trees,
I dip and ripple in the breeze.

A perfect picture book is a marriage of art and words. The art in When the World is Dreaming is an example of this perfection.

Add this title to your list. It would be a beautiful gift for a young child and one that will be treasured. Read this review. Another reviewer uses the words ethereal and dreamy which seem the perfect description. Kenard Pak has collaborated on other books with Rita Gray - Have you heard the Nesting Bird? and Flowers are calling.

I recently saw a book written and illustrated by Kenard Pak and fell in love with his art and now I discover Kenard did the cover for The Poet's Dog which is a book I adored. These connections make me so happy. Here are two other books illustrated by Kenard Pak.

Mayfly Day by Jeanne Willis illustrated by Tony Ross

I am going to quote some sections from this exquisite book :

Here is Mayfly.
It is her first day on earth.
It is also her last.

Mayflies only live for one day.
But is she sad? Not at all.
She is happy to be alive!

This isn't any old day.
This is the best of days.
She lives for each moment.

We talk about mindfulness and mediation.  Mayfly Day is the perfect book to share for an understanding of these abstract ideas.

This is another of those little treasured books I lifted off our shelves as we work our way through our large picture book collection.

Here are the final lines :

Mayfly lays her eggs
It is a peaceful night.
The best of nights.

She makes one last wish:
'Little ones, may all your tomorrows
be as perfect as my yesterday!'

Mayfly watches the moon come up
and the stars go out.
And is thankful for her wonderful life.

Tony Ross has done gentle pastel illustrations for this book. He has worked with Jeanne Willis on several books including Tadpole's promise and Caterpillar dreams.  Here is one page from Mayfly Day :

You could pair this book with Silence or Someday by Eileen Spinelli.

One more interesting thing to share with you.  Inside many of our books we have little presentation stickers because we hold an annual donate-a-book event each year.  Recently some older students returned to our school for work experience and one was the girl who donated this book. Wish I had found it in time to show her.  It was donated in 2007 when she was in Year One.

In the evening by Edwina Wyatt illustrated by Gaye Chapman

Yesterday here in Australia our Children's Book Council announced the Notable books for 2016. From this list a short list will be announced in May and then during Book Week in August the winners will be revealed.  This is quite a different process from past years and means I have an enormous pile of books to read.

Early Childhood 23 titles
Younger Readers 14 titles
Information books 15 titles
Picture Book of the Year 22 titles

I probably won't talk about all of these books.  Some are for a younger audience and some don't especially appeal to me but I did pick up a selection from school today.

In the evening is on the Picture Book of the Year list. At first glance this book seems better suited to the Early Childhood category but on further reading I have changed my mind about this.  The lyrical language, emotional arc and relationship of the artwork to this Emily Dickinson poem mean I am sure to find great discussion points for our middle primary students.

There's a certain Slant of light, (320)

Related Poem Content Details

BY EMILY DICKINSON

There's a certain Slant of light, 

Winter Afternoons – 

That oppresses, like the Heft 

Of Cathedral Tunes – 

Heavenly Hurt, it gives us – 

We can find no scar, 

But internal difference – 

Where the Meanings, are – 

None may teach it – Any – 

'Tis the seal Despair – 

An imperial affliction 

Sent us of the Air – 

When it comes, the Landscape listens – 

Shadows – hold their breath – 

When it goes, 'tis like the Distance 

On the look of Death –

In this story we meet two squirrels.  Oscar is shy, cautious and house bound.  Charlie is lively, gregarious and outgoing.  Charlie approaches Oscar offering friendship but Oscar does not know what to do, he is overcome by his shyness and so rejects each overture. Every day Charlie tries to reach out to Oscar but each time Oscar hides or pretends to be asleep and finally in his confusion and fear he makes a big mistake

"On Friday evening, when Oscar was sipping his tea, a face appeared at the front window 'Hello!'. Oscar leapt to his feet.  His cup and saucer smashed to pieces. Oscar didn't know what to do. So he shouted 'Leave me alone!'

Now it is Charlie who retreats into his home and when Oscar looks out in the evening the chair on the verandah is empty.  It takes enormous courage for Oscar to step outside and make his own overture of friendship.  Oscar "opened the door. Counted to ten. And stepped outside."

At its heart In the evening is about our need for connection. 

The opening words of this book are written like a poem.

"In the evening, cars rumbled into driveways.

In the evening, windows lit up.

In the evening, chimney tops puffed.

In the evening, the clouds were purple and pink."

When you turn to the final page you will see an echo of these opening lines including one line which lingers with me "That evening, spoons went back for thirds."

Another thing to notice in this book is the use of longer and very short sentences (see the example above) and the lyrical language.  Here is an example to savour and read slowly "the shapes and shades and shadows of the evening floated by."

There are some wonderful books in this section - Picture book of the Year and only six will make up the short list but I do hope In the evening will be selected because it deals with issues which at time confront all of us - the need for connection and the confusion of shyness.  Over the next few days I will discuss some of the other books in this category.  Here is a review of In the evening and another with some extra details about the art found in this book.  Here is the web site for Edwina Wyatt.  

You can see the covers of two other books in our library with beautiful illustrations by Gaye Chapman.

If you share this book with a younger audience you might compare it with the series of books about Bear and Mouse by Bonnie Becker, the books about Mouse and Mole, Those Pesky rabbits, and the Bear and Chook books.

Our Village in the Sky by Janeen Brian illustrated by Anne Spudvilas

Picture book readers will know the best examples of this genre often feel like poems. Our Village in the sky really is a set of poems which together share the daily life of a small group of children who live in a remote village in the Himalayan mountains.

I am so tempted to quote extensively from this text - every page contains tiny writing jewels.  Here are a few lines to tempt you :

"I am a drummer.
My hands make noise
that echoes through the village.

Sometimes my fingers flutter
like small, brown butterflies
and the sound is their heartbeat."

"Hands can 
pitch stones
grab cows' tails
wave to friends
tie scarves
shake mats
and tickle!

Feet can
chase goats
jump puddles
kick dust
dance anyhow
and run away!"


You can listen to a very special reading of the whole book here.  Children from Immanuel College in South Australia bring these touching poems to life. Here is a very comprehensive set of teaching notes including ideas you can use for Visual Literacy.

I will make an early prediction that Village in the Sky will be short listed for the CBCA prize in 2015 it certainly deserves this honour.  This book would be an excellent way show how children from other lands follow their daily routines, routines which are very different to those of children from suburban Australia.  We see the children at work washing and drying clothes, preparing dung for burning, breaking rocks, caring for animals and most of all having fun with games, dance and music.
The illustrations are especially beautiful showing the landscape and warm smiles of the children. This is a book to treasure and it is a book that will enrich the lives of all readers.

The little boat by Kathy Henderson illustrated by Patrick Benson

Imaginative play is such an important part of childhood.  In this book the little boy finds a piece of polystyrene plastic to which he adds a stick for a mast and some string for a sail.  He happily plays with his boat all day down by the edge of the sea until the wind pulls the boat far away from the shore and on towards the oceans far from land.

"On sailed the little boat all alone and the further it sailed the bigger grew the ocean until all around was sea and not a sign of land not a leaf not a bird not a sound just the wind"

The little boats journeys on through storms until it is grabbed by a great fish and then spat out. The little boat eventually washes up on a new shore where is it found by a girl and "all day long she splashed and and she played with the boat she'd found at the edge of the sea singing 'We are unsinkable my boat and me!"

The little boat is a wonderful book to read aloud and the illustrations perfectly capture the journey of the boat, the changing landscapes and the immense size of the oceans around the world.

The Man whose Mother was a Pirate by Margaret Mahy illustrated by Margaret Chamberlain

“The little man could only stare. He hadn’t dreamed of the BIGNESS of the sea. He hadn’t dreamed of the blueness of it. He hadn’t thought it would roll like kettledrums, and swish itself on to the beach. He opened his mouth and the drift and the dream of it, the weave and the wave of it, the fume and foam of it never left him again. At his feet the sea stroked the sand with soft little paws. Farther out, the great, graceful breakers moved like kings into court, trailing the peacock-patterned sea behind them.”

These lines continue to ring through my ears years after the first time I read The Man whose Mother was a pirate by Margaret Mahy to a class of Grade One children. The imagery and alliteration are perfect. I always include this book in my story bag when we explore this talented writer from New Zealand.

Margaret Mahy is a true master of language. This is one of the reasons I often ponder our good fortune of speaking English in Australia and sharing this with so many countries in the world. This gives us enormous quantities of quality children’s books from which to find our favorites.

The little man in this story has never seen the sea even though is mother is a pirate. One day he decides to dispense with his sensible brown suit and shoes, his books of figures and routines and along with his mother travel to see the sea. His boss gives him two weeks leave with the threat that if he fails to return he will be replaced by a computer! This is especially funny when you realize this book was first published in 1985.

Loading his mother into a wheelbarrow they set off for the sea. His mother tries to tell the little man about the sea but her words cannot fully prepare him for the wonder of it. There are of course some obstacles along the way. At one point they need to use a kite to fly over a river. Then they meet a pessimist who warns “The wonderful things are never as wonderful as you hope they’ll be. The sea is less warm, the joke less funny, the taste is never as good as the smell.” But they are determined to travel on. Suddenly as they come over the hill the little man sees the sea.

They join a rosy sea captain and the little man finally discovers his true destiny and his real name – Sailor Sam. Needless to say he does not go back to the office. In the final scene Sam sends a letter to his boss in a green glass bottle. “Having a wonderful time … Why don’t you run off to sea, too?” We have a huge collection of books by Margaret Mahy in our school library - why not borrow one today?