This is a Dog by Ross Collins

Ross Collins set out to write an animal book for young children. His book was going to be called My First Animal Book but some how his dog became involved. Dog had a powerful crayon and so the mischievous pup takes over every page - oh no! This book is such fun. Wait until you see the giraffe page - it's certain to give you a huge laugh.

Uh-oh! An excitable (but very loveable) dog has found his way into this First Animals book and he will NOT let any of the other animals take their turn. Dogs are far more important, after all! And when the other animals get angry, this dog comes up with a very cunning plan to outwit them . . . Nosy Crow

This is a Dog was the 2021 Bookbug winner. Here is a video where you can see the whole book and hear Ross Collins talking about this idea behind his book.

I do like books which appear to be scribbled on by their characters. Here are two others:

It is also fun to read aloud books with characters who interrupt the story:

Dreams for our Daughters by Ruth Doyle illustrated by Ashling Lindsay

 

"Born on this star-scattered night,

kissed by the cosmos - 

A child made of moonbeams."

"Never be labelled as less than you are.

Be brave and believe in your own guiding star."

"Oyster-child, your true beauty shines inside as it grows - 

You're the hidden pearl, not the shell that the mirror shows."

This book is a wonderful new discovery.  I love it. Published 2021 by Andersen Press UK Distributed in Australia by Walker Books. Add this book to your shopping list - it would be the perfect gift for a new baby. In this video Ruth Doyle reads her book. Here is an interview with Ruth. I have mentioned the Irish illustrator Ashling Doyle previously when I talked about The Night Box. 

Publisher blurb: A star-scattered night, a brand new baby girl, and all the potential in the world… This is a poetic introduction to what it means to grow up as a girl in the challenging times we live in, and all of the dazzling possibilities the world has to offer. The poignant message at the heart of this book is that we can be whoever we want to be. This lavishly foiled, inspiring picture book is the perfect gift for every key moment in a girl's life, from birth to graduation.

A lovely dream to offer any child. Kirkus

Warm, loving rhymes and tenderly detailed illustrations help readers imagine the thousands of adventures up ahead. Emma Suffield - Little blog of Library Treasures

Here is the second volume Songs for our Sons - the hardcover and paperback (due in September) editions. 

Some Pets by Angela DiTerlizzi illustrated by Brendan Wenzel

 

Here is the perfect book for your preschool animal lover. Super simple rhyming text presented using an appealing font but it is the illustrations that take this joyous celebration to another level. I also love the way every animal is collected on the last page:

From the publisher:

Some pets sit.

Some pets stay.

Some pets fetch,

And some pets play.

Come one, come all, to the pet show! With dogs and cats, horses and chickens, hamsters and chinchillas—and many, many more!—this book celebrates animal companions of all shapes and sizes. Who will take home the coveted Best in Show ribbon? Join the fun to find out!

You can see a poster for the book and some activities here.

DiTerlizzi’s spare, rhyming words give structure to Wenzel’s kaleidoscopic illustrations, which in their turn amply adorn the minimalist text. Kirkus

Some Pets was published in 2016. It is still available but sadly only as an expensive hardcover edition which here in Australia is over $32. Hope there are plans to produce this book in a more affordable paperback edition. The companion volume by Angela DiTerlizzi and Brendan Wenzel is Some bugs.

Mr Putter and Tabby pour the tea by Cynthia Rylant illustrated by Arthur Howard

 

I have mentioned the Mr Putter series in a previous post.  I adore these beginning chapter books. The stories are warm, there is just the right amount of text, they do contain 'chapters' and the colour illustrations add to the humour and emotion of the stories. I think all Primary school libraries should add the full set of these to their collection. In every way these book are perfect for newly independent readers and as a bonus they are books their parents will enjoy too. There are twenty-five Mr Putter stories and they range in price here in Australia from $11 to $14 each. 

Here are some of the titles: Mr. Putter & Tabby Bake the Cake,  Mr. Putter & Tabby Fly the Plane, Mr. Putter & Tabby Pick the Pears, Mr. Putter & Tabby Row the Boat, Mr. Putter & Tabby Take the Train, Mr. Putter & Tabby Toot the Horn, Mr. Putter & Tabby Walk the Dog, Mr. Putter & Tabby Stir the Soup, Mr. Putter & Tabby Make a Wish, Mr. Putter & Tabby Catch the Cold, Mr. Putter & Tabby Feed the Fish, Mr. Putter & Tabby Paint the Porch, Mr. Putter & Tabby Write the Book, Mr. Putter & Tabby Spin the Yarn, Mr. Putter & Tabby See the Stars.  Mr. Putter and Tabby Clear the Decks, Mr. Putter and Tabby Run the Race.

In Mr Putter and Tabby pour the tea we meet Tabby - this is the first book in the series.

"The shelter man brought Mr Putter the old yellow cat. Its bones creaked, its fur was thinning, and it seemed a little deaf. Mr Putter creaked, his hair was thinning, and he was a little deaf too. So he took the old yellow cat home. He named her Tabby. And that is how their life began."

You can see many pages from this book here. Here is an audio sample.

Thursday's Child by Noel Streatfeild

 

"One Thursday you found me on the steps of the church when I was a teeny-weeny baby. And with me in my basket were three of everything, all of the very best quality. (There was a also a note) 'This is Margaret whom I entrust to your care. Each year fifty-two pounds will be sent for her care and schooling."

When Margaret turns ten no money arrives. The kindly village rector and the two elderly ladies who have taken care of her are forced to send Margaret to an orphanage. They are sure she will be well cared for and treated with kindness but, as is the way with most children's books about orphanages, St Luke's is a dreadful place run by a corrupt and cruel matron. 

Of course Margaret escapes along with two young boys - Peter and Horatio who are the brothers of her new friend Lavinia who now works as a scullery maid for Lady Corkberry. The orphanage is terrible but the adventures are splendid as the children are taken on board a canal boat where they walk beside the canal guiding the horse that pulls the heavy boat and at one point Margaret has to assist as a 'legger'.

As the nursery rhyme states - Thursday's child does indeed have far to go.

Monday’s child is fair of face,

Tuesday’s child is full of grace,

Wednesday’s child is full of woe,

Thursdays child has far to go,

Fridays child is loving and giving,

Saturday’s child works hard for his living,

And the child that is born on the Sabbath day

Is bonny and blithe, and good and gay

I have a memory of reading this book when I was in Grade 6 - and now I see it was published in 1970 so this is entirely possible.  When I saw this new edition in a book store last week I decided to revisit this classic story. I loved every minute inside this book and I am now looking forward to reading the sequel - thank goodness there is a sequel because at the end of the first instalment Margaret is poised to become a stage actress and, more importantly, we have not yet discovered the mystery of her heritage. Who is her mother? Why was she placed in a basket on the steps of the church? And why did the money stop coming? The first book has stood the test of time. I think Thursday's Child will be enjoyed by readers aged 10+. 

Here are some past covers of Thursday's Child by Noel Streatfeild. 

I was intrigued to discover there are so many books called Thursday's child including one by Rumer Godden, and an adult book by Sonya Hartnett.

The Station Mouse by Meg McLaren

Publisher Blurb: Maurice is the Station Mouse, and so he must follow The Station Mouse Handbook:

Rule 1: A Station Mouse must remain unseen.

Rule 2: A Station Mouse must never go out in the daytime.

Rule 3: A Station Mouse must never approach the passengers.

Now, there's a reason why these rules exist: people do not like mice. And if Maurice breaks the rules, even to help a little boy who has lost something very important, there's going to be a price to pay…

This book has a delightful story and sweet illustrations filled with funny little details. Look for the book covers with titles such as 'Little Mouse on the Prairie"; "Of mice and Men pocket edition"; "Les Mouseables".  

Meg McLaren just keeps on getting better and better; this is my favourite of her stories so far. There are quirky little jokes, both visual and verbal wherever you look – even on the back cover. As well as creating superb characters, there’s an impressive sensitivity about everything she draws and she has an amazing eye for detail. Red Reading Hub

I would pair this book with:

The Lost Property Office

The library I visit each week adds small stickers to the front covers of their books showing the awards a book may have won. I find this quite delightful and often intriguing. Many school libraries would not have time to do this but as a library user I really appreciate seeing the myriad of awards awarded to children's books by different organisations around the world. Here are a few:

One of these awards, which is a new discovery for me, is the Bookbug Picture Book Prize.

The Bookbug Picture Book Prize celebrates Scottish picture books and encourages reading for pleasure. ... A free copy of each of the three books on the shortlist (are) gifted to every Primary child in the Bookbug P1 Family Bag. The winner of The Bookbug Picture Book Prize (us) chosen by children across Scotland, aged between three and seven years old, who vote for their favourite book through their class or at home.

Established in 2010, this is the eleventh year of Bookbug bags being distributed to children across Scotland. The selection of books is a year-long and robust process with an independent panel of experts shortlisting books for each of the Bookbug bags. For the P1 bag, the panel is made of up primary 1 teachers with extensive experience of working with this age group, a children’s librarian, children’s bookseller, parent and Bookbug coordinator, as well as experts from Scottish Book Trust’s Early Years team.  Panel members are asked to select books that will provide reading for pleasure while also being suitable for the age range.  Following the face to face panel, workshops take place in school classrooms across Scotland. This gives more primary 1 teachers and lots of children the opportunity to share valuable feedback on four shortlisted books to determine the final selection. Bookbug bags are then distributed through schools during Book Week Scotland in November. We do our best to ensure there is enough variety across the three shortlisted titles ​for every child to find a story they can engage with, have fun reading and enjoy.

The Station Mouse won the Bookbug Picture Book Prize in 2020. You can see other short listed books and winners here. 

Here are the short listed books and winner (This is a dog) from 2021:

Dance like a Leaf by AJ Irving illustrated by Claudia Navarro

Dance like a Leaf (2020)

Using the framework of the seasons we meet a little girl and see her spending time with her precious grandmother. The two share time among the autumn leaves and enjoy warm cups of tea. By October it is clear Grandma is beginning to fail. She no longer waves to the trees and even making a cup of tea has become difficult. By November Grandma stays in bed and sadly by December Grandma is gone. 

"Grandma's bed is empty. Our teacups sat in a tidy stack. Our scarves hang like a rainbow, quiet but vibrant. Winter turns to spring, spring turns to summer, and summer turns to autumn."

When Grandma is gone it is wonderful to see the little girl continuing their shared traditions of leaf dancing, tea drinking and waving to the trees. You can see some art from this book on the Barefoot Books web site.

If all the World were ... (2018)

This book begins in Spring. A little girl enjoys long walks hand in hand with her Grandad. The little girl wishes she could stop her Grandad growing old by rewinding his birthdays. In summer they play with a set of toy racing cars. In Autumn Grandad gives his grand daughter a blank notebook - a place to write and draw her dreams. In Winter Grandad shares the stories of his childhood. Sadly the next time they visit his chair is empty. His tales have become silent. As the family pack up the house the little girl finds treasures which work as memory triggers - dried flowers; a toy racing car; a ball of silver foil from the sweets they shared; and a packet of rainbow pencils. "A kaleidoscope of memories".

You can see some art from this book here.

This is a book which addresses the difficult issue of loss gently and with understanding. Books for Keeps

Allison Colpoys is an Australian illustrator. You may know her books Under the Love Umbrella and All the Ways to be Smart.

These two books deal with the sad topic - the death of a grand parent. Both handle this gently and focus on the very precious and important relationship children can have with an older family member. It is interesting to see that both use seasons as a way to mark the passing of time and the sadness of their loss occurs during Winter. With the topic of death and bereavement I think it is better to have read a book like this long before the actual life event. I have mentioned this previously. If you would like to read other books written for young children about death and grieving take a look at the Pinterest collection curated by my friend from Kinderbookswitheverything.

In the library where I worked today the Teacher-Librarian talked to the children briefly about the loss of two famous illustrators which happened just last week. The Teacher Librarian wisely told the young children that while these two people - Eric Carle and Lois Ehlert - were old and had reached the end of their lives we are so lucky because we will always have their beautiful books which we can read and revisit any time. We have a lasting memory.

This post is dedicated to the memory of Eric Carle (1929-2021) and Lois Ehlert (1934-2021).