Pip Street A Whiskery mystery by Jo Simmons

If you are in need of a really funny book that is very easy to read grab A Whiskery Mystery.  If you enjoy a good mystery and you like to read about young crime solvers grab this book.  If you own a cat - grab this book.  If you need a book to read aloud to your child - grab this book!!

A big thank you must go to Bloomin' books in Carringbah.  The owner Kate Colley found this gem and included it with the parcel she sends us each term.

This book is full of jokes.... Here is the beginning of Chapter two :

"Bobby Cobbler was a little boy, about this big with a sprinkling of freckles and teeth as white as snow (and everywhere that Bobby went, his teeth were sure to go).  He had sharp eyes (but not sharp enough to cut yourself on), and a mind as curious as a kitten's and fifty times as smart."

Bobby's dad sells sweets and when the market dries up the family need to move on so Bobby has spent his whole life moving from one town to another.  Luckily he has his beloved cat, Conkers, to keep him company. As this story begins the family have moved into Pip Street but after just one night Conkers goes missing.

Bobby makes a new friend - his neighbour - a girl called Imelda Alice Marjorie Small "(Which if you write it out, makes I AM Small - and she was)."  Imelda suggests they should make missing cat posters to put up around the street.  Bobby thinks this is a splendid idea but as they race around the street putting up their posters they discover there are missing posters everywhere and nearly all of them are about missing cats.

Bobby and Imelda are now on the trail of a mystery.  There are many possible suspects among their neighbours.  There is a man who writes chalk messages on the footpath, an old lady who blinks a lot and a man who rides a wild mobility scooter.

Even the chapter titles in this book are perfect - A plan is planned, He thought he saw a pussycat, A right Royal snoop around and A street called Pip.

I am excited to discover a second adventure is available - A Crumpety Calamity.

If you enjoy this book - and you will -  you should  also look for the Claude series which have a similar sense of fun.

The twenty-seventh Annual African Hippopotamus race by Morris Lurie

A colleague of mine has been reading the classic story The Twenty-Seventh Annual African Hippopotamus Race to our Grade 2 classes over the last few weeks so I decided it was time to listen to the audio book.

This story is such a treat.  You just know from the beginning that Edward is destined to win this important race along the Zamboola River. It is a long journey to race day but Edward never looses his happy manner and joyful wonder. "Gosh" is his favourite word and each time it is repeated I just smiled and smiled.  I know when we were reading this book in the library everyone was cheering as Edward reached the last stages of his race.

It might amaze you to discover this book is 44 years old.  Here is a web quest based on this book. Here is a set of worksheets and a story extract.

I have been recommending this book, especially during Olympic years, for a long time.  I am glad I found our CD so I could listen to this terrific story of courage and determination.  One more thing to mention.  Edward has brilliant support from his whole family - mum, dad and his special grandfather who is himself a former race winner.

The Walker book of Poetry for Children (Review number 500!)

Today is the day I reached 500 reviews/posts on my blog.  I set myself the target of four books per month back in 2009 but last year I decided to try and reach 500 posts by the end of 2012.  I am six months late but all I can say is better late than never.  I have been thinking over the last few days about which book I might use to celebrate post 500 and I have selected a poetry book.

I have owned this book for nearly thirty years and it continues to be a book that I regularly use from my book shelf.  If I need a poem this anthology nearly always has a wonderful example.

The full title of this book is The Walker book of Poetry for Children a Treasury of 572 poems for Today's child selected by Jack Prelutsky and illustrated by Arnold Lobel.  Here is the blurb and it really sums up why I 'treasure' this book :

"This book is a treasure chest.  In one beautifully illustrated volume there are 572 poems to suit a child's every mood: nonsense poems and poems about pets; nature poems and goblin poems and even poems about chocolate!  Here are traditional favorites as well as poems of today - all brought to life with enchanting illustrations by Caldecott Medal winner Arnold Lobel.  Children, as well as adults, will delight in page after page of splendid rhythm, rhyme and imagery."

I first used this book with my Grade three class - we were asked to perform for a small school event and so we learnt two poems from this book and even now I can still recite them.  One is called Rules by Karla Kuskin and the other is Me also by Karla Kuskin.  This poetry collection contains three essential devices - an index of poets, an index of first lines and a subject index - which is brilliant.

Our school library copy of this book has an interesting history.  When I arrived in my current school we already had a copy of this special poetry collection.  I was so happy to see my favorite book. A student teacher called into the library asking for a poem to read to his class so I loaned him The Walker book of Poetry and we never saw the book again.  This was in 1997 and this book was out of print.  I was in despair.  Luckily about ten years later my poetry book appeared again - the title is slightly different but the content is the same.  I wonder if this young man became a teacher - I do hope he has enjoyed using this book.

I will finish my 500th post with the last poem in this book :

Keep a poem in your pocket by Beatrice Schenk de Regniers

Keep a poem in your pocket
and a picture in your head
and you'll never feel lonely
at night when you're in bed

The little poem will sing to you
the little picture bring to you
a dozen dreams to dance to you
at night when you're in bed

So-
Keep a picture in your pocket
and a poem in your head
and you'll never feel lonely
at night when you're in bed.

SLOB by Ellen Potter

SLOB is an amazing book.  Ellen Potter has written a plot that is impossible to second guess. I had no idea what was would happen in this story.

Owen Birnbaum is fat but he is also a very intelligent boy and an inventor.  School is an especially tough place for Owen and things become even harder when a new kid arrives.  This new student has dreadful scars down one side of his face and an reputation for violence.  The worst lesson of the day for Owen is PE.  The teacher is deliberately cruel to Owen and every session is torture.  Now it seems the teacher is also attacking Mason.

At home Owen is working on an elaborate invention which will help him solve a mystery.  He is using parts scavenged from building sites to make an electronic device which can pick up signals sent into space from earth over one year ago.

Owen's family is another complex dimension to this story. His sister has joined a group of girls at school called the GWAB - girls who are boys.

"There are seven other girls in the club and they have all changed their names to boys' names. They only wear boys' clothes and cut their hair in boy haircuts."

Joining this group means conflict at home between Caitlin now called Jeremy and Mom.

This is a book that a senior primary student will enjoy.  In our school library we will mark this book Grade six only as there are some violent scenes.  My friend Mr K has written a terrific review and he gives this book five out of five.

If you enjoy SLOB - and I sincerely recommend you try to get your hands on this book - then you might also enjoy two Australian books The Tuckshop kid by Pat Flynn and Fat Four-eyed and useless by David Hill.  You might also look for 35 Kilos of hope which has a similar tone.  Finally the Kirkus review below mentions Jerry Spinelli and yes if you read SLOB your next author should be Spinelli.

An intriguingly offbeat mystery concerning the theft of cookies from a boy’s lunch, at turns humorous, suspenseful and poignant. 

Bailey by Harry Bliss

At the start of each school year I enjoy putting together a huge box filled with books about starting school to be read to our new Kindergarten students. I have some favourites including Tom goes to Kindergarten by Margaret Wild, Countdown to Kindergarten also illustrated by Harry Bliss and Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes.   In fact I even have a pinterest collection with all our titles.

Now I have found Bailey and this book is definitely another perfect book to begin the year.  Bailey is heading off to Champlain Elementary School.  "The early bird wakes Bailey up.  It is time to start the day and get ready for school."

There are so many pages that just made me smile.  Bailey brushes his fur counting 98, 99, 100.  He chooses what to wear from his extensive wardrobe of coloured collars. After a short distraction Bailey manages to catch the bus and he arrives at school in time for a greeting by the Principal.  "Good Morning Bailey! Try not to lick anyone today."

Bailey has a gift for his teacher - a bone.  As you might expect a dog ate his homework so Bailey finds himself with a severe tummy ache.  Back in class Bailey presents his news, enjoys a maths lesson and an art lesson and lunch and playtime.  He even has a special talent for dancing.  The day ends with reading time.  Then Bailey catches the bus home happy in the knowledge that tomorrow will be another great day.  Here is a special review in the New York Times.

Because by Richard Torrey

When you read a picture book to a young child it should be an opportunity for a conversation.  Because is the perfect book for this because nothing is explained.  The reader has to fill in all the gaps.

"My mum says 'because' is not a real answer.  But I think it is."

Our little hero needs to find the toy in the cereal box, make a washing basket spaceship and experiment with a whole box of band-aids. Along the way he and his dog make a a great amount of mess and have a lot of fun.  My favourite page is when Jack has to send his dog to the naughty corner for cheating at checkers.

This book has perfect and joyful illustrations.  It reminded me of the wonderful Barney Saltzberg and his character Cornelius P Mud.

There are two other books in this series - Why? and Almost so we will need to add them to our shopping list.

The summer of May by Cecilia Gallant

"That time in class when you said I laughed at you about this poem?"  ... 'Do you remember what it was you said?'  I remembered perfectly.  It had been one of those rare days when I hadn't exactly felt like trying, and I definitely didn't care one way or the other, but I'd been listening with half an ear anyway.  Movado the Avocado had read 'Harlem' three times aloud to the class and now she was packing up and down the length of the room, shouting out questions. There were a few timid answers, but most of the students just stared down at the poem.  'Why do you think Mr Hughes asks so many questions in this poem?' she'd asked at one point.  I raised my hand ..."

May lives with her dad and her grandmother.  May's mother has left.  As this story opens May really has gone too far.  This lesson, like so many others lately has gone badly wrong and May has been caught painting graffiti on the classroom wall.  Now she is facing expulsion or Summer school with the dreaded Movado the Avocado.  She has no choice and so May goes to Summer school each day for a series of rather surprising English lessons and along the way she discovers important things about herself, her family and Miss Movado - things that are sure to surprise you.

The Summer of May is a novel for a senior reader.  I read this book in one sitting - yes it is that good. Here is a detailed review.

After reading this book you might like to look for The Year Mrs Montague cried which also deals with the subject of deep grief. You should also read one of the next books I am reviewing Slob by Ellen Potter.  I also thought of Ida B when I was reading this book because Ida is another character who has to deal with anger and the world of adults.