Tacky the penguin by Helen Lester illustrated by Lynn Munsinger

Have you met this cute penguin?  His name is Tacky.  He is very different from his companions but this difference is something to be celebrated.  "Tacky was a odd bird but a very nice bird to have around."

In this first installment the hunters arrive.  They are determined to catch some pretty penguins but they are greeted by the unconventional Tacky.  He drives them away with his awful singing - "How many toes does a fish have and how many wings on a cow?" and his huge splashy cannonball dives.

At the beginning of each year I love to introduce Tacky to my Grade One students.  Luckily for me there are ten titles in this series including a new one I have just discovered Tacky and the Haunted Igloo.

You can find a list of all the books Helen Lester here and if you hover over the title you can see a cover image.

You can buy an interactive version of Tacky the Penguin for use on your device. It is very well done and we use it with our classes.  Here is a play of the story and some penguin poems. Here are some teacher notes.  I also have a few craft and teaching ideas for this book series in my Pinterest collection.  You could follow the reading of Tacky the Penguin with Elmer on Stilts which also looks at ingenious ways to foil animal hunters.

This is my last post for 2015 - see you again in 2016 and Happy New Year!

Wombat Divine by Mem Fox illustrated by Kerry Argent

The most famous Mem Fox book is of course Possum Magic but in my view Wombat Divine, published in 1989, is equally special.  I love the premise of Australian animals auditioning for the nativity play and the determination of one little wombat to gain a part.  The little repeated phrase works so well when you read this book aloud to young children.

"Never mind, Wombat!  Don't lose heart.  

Why not try for a different part?"

I seem to be following a wombat theme this week.  This is quite accidental but since I have 98 reviews for 2015 and in about 4 hours it will be 2016 I thought I might squeeze in two more reviews and reach 100 books for the year.

What part will Wombat take for this important play?  "With his heart full of hope and his head full of dreams, he hurried along to the auditions."

Wombat tries out for the Archangel Gabriel but he is too heavy
Wombat tries out for the role of Mary but he is too big
Wombat would like to be one of the three kings but he is considered too short to be a king
He is also rejected for the roles of Joseph, the inn keeper and one of the shepherds

"And then there were no parts left.  Wombat hung his head and hoped he wouldn't cry."

Here is a drama lesson based on Wombat Divine.

Here is the US cover and an illustration by the very talented Kerry Argent.

In 2006 Wombat Divine featured in the Myer Christmas window in Melbourne.  How amazing!

Rain for Christmas by Richard Tulloch illustrated by Wayne Harris

Even though Christmas is now past I wanted to mention Rain for Christmas because all around the world our news has been dominated by catastrophic weather events.  Here in Australia we lurch from drought to flood, from wild thunderstorms to bushfires. This is best captured by the famous poet Dorothea Mackellar in the second verse of her poem My Country.

I love a sunburnt country, 
A land of sweeping plains, 
Of ragged mountain ranges, 
Of droughts and flooding rains. 
I love her far horizons, 
I love her jewel-sea, 
Her beauty and her terror 
The wide brown land for me!

Rain for Christmas takes this theme of drought which Dorothea Mackellar explains in the fifth verse of her poem.

Core of my heart, my country! 
Her pitiless blue sky, 
When, sick at heart, around us 
We see the cattle die 
But then the grey clouds gather, 
And we can bless again 
The drumming of an army, 
The steady soaking rain.

As this story opens Sally is writing her annual Christmas letter to Santa.  She asks for a long list of special gifts including a little boat to sail in the rock pool in the creek near her outback home.  While this is a lovely idea Sally knows she will not be able to sail her boat.  "The creek had no water and the rock pool was nothing but a patch of sticky mud."  Sally sees the bush animals have come close to the house in the hope of some water.  You can see them gathering near the water tank in the illustration below.

Sally re-writes her Christmas letter.

Dear Santa.
I don't want any presents this year, but please, please, please could you make it rain on Christmas Day?
Your friend Sally.

Just as Santa is about to set off from the North Pole he sees Sally's letter in the snow.  He is puzzled at first but then he has a splendid idea.  "We can take a giant snowball to Australia!"

This is an old book first published in 1989 but you might be lucky and find a copy in your library. Please don't wait until next Christmas - this book is worth hunting for now.

Richard Tulloch uses a brilliant word in this book and I will use it to sum up Rain for Christmas :

fantabulous!

A House for Wombats by Jane Burrell illustrated by Michael Dugan

Earlier this week I talked about Sebastian lives in a Hat.  I saw new copies of this book today in a shop with a big sticker on the front to celebrate its 30th birthday.

One of my other most favourite wombat picture books is A House for Wombats.  I thought I must have talked about this book previously. Luckily I have a copy of my own. This is a book to treasure and read over and over again to your young reading companion. 

Sadly, thought, this book is now out of print but I want you to go into a library and search for A House for Wombats. I am fairly sure this book will still be found in many school libraries. 

Kate is sorry the wombats have to live in holes in the ground.  She decides to build them a tree house. Her father has a shed full of wonderful materials.  

"It's full of things for building tree houses.  If you use some of them, I might be able to fit something else in."

Kate sets to work.  She builds a floor between the branches, a roof so the wombats stay dry, walls and a window with curtains, a chimney and finally a spiral staircase.  She asks her dad to come and take a look when she is finished.  This next page is the surprise.  Young children will gasp out loud and so will you!

Here is one page from the book showing the wombats all settled into their new and splendid home.  On the table is a book - Australian audiences will see the joke here.  The book you can see if you look carefully is The Muddle-headed wombat which is an Australian classic.  Below you can see another page featuring beautiful Australian gum blossoms.

Celebration!

It is nearly 2016 and I am celebrating because my little blog has been featured on one of the very best Australian web sites for teachers!!!

Click here.  Scroll down and you will find my little blog.  Then take some time to explore this whole site.  It is a wealth of information, links, resources and wonderful ideas to enhance your teaching and learning programs.  Shellie has been generously featuring my blog for quite a long while but today she surprised me by compiling my reviews into groups.

Big change for Stuart by Lissa Evans

Last night I picked up the sequel to Small Change for Stuart,  which is a book I thoroughly enjoyed.  It is now the middle of the day and I have just finished Big Change for Stuart and I am happy to report that it is every bit as good as the first installment.

I thought I might just quote from a few reviews so you can read more about this book.

The Guardian

... short chapters keep the pace whipping along, as Stuart inches ever closer to his prize, as well as the greater goals of winning some friends and managing to tell the triplets apart. A smart book for a smart young reader.

Books for Keeps

This is a satisfying read: it combines real life with a touch of magic through lively characterisation, brisk prose and plenty of dialogue, ensuring the young reader will keep turning the pages from the immediacy of the opening to the very satisfying conclusion. It is not often that sequels are as good as the first book (or even better) but Big Change for Stuart certainly qualifies. Highly recommended. 

The Bookbag

I liked their different characters and there's lots of humour between the sisters! Stuart's dad plays a role again too, and I do enjoy the long, convoluted way he has of speaking and I thought it was an interesting twist that when he found himself involved in one of the adventures he was only able to speak in monosyllabic words - quite a challenge for him!

Sebastian lives in a hat by Thelma Catterwell illustrated by Kerry Argent

This year is rapidly disappearing and so I was reviewing my blog entries for the last twelve months.  I am slightly dismayed to discover I have not done as many entries as last year (112) or 2013 (143) so I am doing a little catching up today.

I had a look at my own book shelves and I have picked out a few treasures to share with you.

Sebastian lives in a hat is a book I love to read aloud.  It is made more special by the way it features a cute Australian animal - the wombat.  Children also love to discover that this special picture book is based on a true incident.

"When Sebastian was discovered beside the body of his dead mother on the side of a road, he was just four months old. Near death himself, the tiny wombat was nursed by the author until he reached full maturity, and finally returned to the wild."

This story is told very simply with touches of real humour.  You need to see the picture here to appreciate the perfect marriage of text and illustration.

"Sometimes Sebastian has to change his brown hat for a grey hat.  

We won't say why.

But when the brown hat is dry Sebastian has it back again and he is happy."

This is a very old book first published in 1985 but it has remained in print and would now be considered an Australian classic.

Our slogan for 2016 Book Week is Australia: Story Country.  I will read Sebastian Lives in a Hat to our younger students as we explore this theme throughout the year.

Here are some other wombat books to enjoy:

You could also share these classic books about our quirky Australian animals such as Possum Magic, Koala Lou, Edward the Emu and a personal favourite Miss Lily's fabulous Pink Feather Boa.  Please look in your library for one more wombat book - A house for Wombats.  It is a real treasure - long out of print but well worth the search.