How to Spot a Mermaid by Jane Yolen illustrated by Sally Deng

"Pack a package of Goldfish crackers and a bottle of water.

The water is for you.

Mermaids have quite enough water for their own needs.

The crackers are to share."

Mermaids are a popular topic with younger readers and dare I say mostly girls. Jane Yolen does not specify the gender of this adventurer because the story is told by an off-stage narrator. It is illustrator Sally Deng who has interpreted the book so to my eye the child could be a girl or a boy. You can see inside this book here.

Publisher blurb: Would you like to spot a mermaid? If so, you will need a few supplies and a great deal of patience. As we learn in these informative illustrated pages, mermaids are very shy and do not make friends easily. But if you find a place near the water, sit very still, and are willing to share your Goldfish crackers, you just might be lucky enough to catch a glimpse of one. And who knows . . . there may even be a mermaid, somewhere, hoping to catch a glimpse of you, too!

You will have fun when you read this book aloud because it contains the word 'fishetarians' which means they eat fish - so "try not to look like a fish." Also, actually most mermaids are vegetarians which means they eat kelp and "kelp looks like brown pasta". There is a mermaid hiding on nearly every page - readers will see this but the boy or girl keeps looking the wrong way. 

I was pleased to find this book in a public library a couple of weeks ago. It was only published in April 2025 which means this library does add new books and not only Australian titles and it might also mean someone is keeping an eye out for popular topics like mermaids. And of course, all libraries need books by master storyteller Jane Yolen author of over 400 books. 

Deng’s lovely pictures depict diverse mermaids in flowing, sea-green swaths, swimming, diving, and even waving to a potential (human) friend. A sweet addition to mermaid lore. Kirkus

In a few weeks I will be talking again about Sally Deng. She is the illustrator of a brilliant new book by Katherine Paterson about Jella Lepman the founder of IBBY.

The Last Resort by Erin Entrada Kelly

"She went up one step. Two. She felt Teddy's breath on her neck. Another step. Another. Was it her imagination or was it getting darker and darker? Up another step. And another. The stairs creaked and moaned. She imaged herself as a brave, brave warrior, completely unafraid. She reminded herself that fear was what red them ... She thought of herself covered in blood ... She felt the fear growing in the pit of her stomach, sprouting and growing, and tried to damp it down. I'm not scare. I'm not scared."

I am not really a fan of ghost stories but one thing that the story needs to have is motivation. I need to know why the ghosts are there. In this case it is due to several crimes. One hundred and fifty years ago the circus that had come to town burned to the ground and all of the performers were killed. Investigators also discovered the ring master had been shot.

The second crime is more recent. Lila along with her brother and mother and father have moved into their grandfather's home. It was actually once run as an Inn. On the first night Lila is visited by the ghost of Grandfather Clem. He tells her he did not die from a heart attack - he was murdered. All he wants now is to go back through the portal so he can be reunited with his wife who died many years ago.

Now that we have the problem we can assemble the team to solve this - Lila, her brother Caleb and the boy from next door - Teddy. 

As with all mysteries (in books and on television) I tried to solve this before reaching the end. I thought I had worked out the murderer and his motivation, but things sure did get way more complicated in those final scenes. If you have readers aged 10+ who enjoy ghost stories and like books where kids solve a mystery then this is a book you can recommend. The writing is very atmospheric and Erin entrada Kelly does conjure some very tense scenes. Erin talks about her book in this video.  Ms Yingling includes lots of plot details in her review. 

Kirkus gave this book a star review: Hauntingly good and sure to possess any horror aficionado. It wasn't quite at that level for me but as I said I am not a huge fan of ghost stories and also I found it a little odd that Lila did not recognise the circus performers even though Teddy had already told her about the fire from last century. 

This book is the first in series and it contains extra materials which you access via a QR code. Decades ago I read another book from Scholastic that included an element like this but of course over time the link has disappeared. (The Skeleton in the Creek and The Ghost in the Machine). 

I love that the kids went to the library to read old newspaper reports about the circus fire. I also enjoy books that refer readers to other books - here is the one Teddy is reading when the kids go over to talk to him:

Here is the Goodreads blurb for Wait till Helen comes (1986): Heather is such a whiny little brat. Always getting Michael and me into trouble. But since our mother married her father, we're stuck with her ... our "poor stepsister" who lost her real mother in a mysterious fire. But now something terrible has happened. Heather has found a new friend, out in the graveyard behind our home—a girl named Helen who died with her family in a mysterious fire over a hundred years ago. Now her ghost returns to lure children into the pond ... to drown! I don't want to believe in ghosts, but I've followed Heather into the graveyard and watch her talk to Helen. And I'm terrified. Not for myself, but for Heather...

Companion book (just because it contains a mirror and the quest for immortality):

The Boy who Said Wow by Todd Boss illustrated by Rashin Kheiriyeh

"A risk" says Mother

"A challenge" says Father

"An adventure" cried Grandfather

Publisher blurb: When Grandfather comes to take his grandson to a concert, Ronan is quiet as they leave the house, quiet in the car, and quiet at the concert hall. But when the performance is over and the beautiful music fades out at last, Ronan opens his mouth…and lets out a great big WOW! Not any old WOW, but Ronan’s very first WOW! That one word fills up the hearts of Ronan’s family, the musicians, the audience, and—when the recording goes viral—the world.

What was the music I hear you ask - 'Masonic Funeral music' by Mozart.

Spending time in a public library last month I spied this book which I had heard of but not read. I enjoy attending classical music concerts in special venues so it made me smile to hear the true story of this little boy who was so moved by the music he heard that in the silence after the final note from the orchestra he said 'wow'! 

This wow is huge partly because it is a beautiful and natural reaction to a special experience but more importantly because this boy was almost nonverbal and yet he used his voice to express his delight. 

I love that he took his dog to the concert, but I can imagine some adults might think this was an odd inclusion in a story that is based on real events.  Add this book to your list of stories to share when you talk about the 2026 CBCA slogan 'A Symphony of Stories'. After or even before sharing this book, I would grab your own favourite piece of classical music and ask your library group to close their eyes and just listen - perhaps one or two of the younger children might have a reaction like Ronan in this story. This is not a video of the actual book it has different illustrations, but it is worth a look because you can hear the music as the story is told. 

The Boy who Said Wow was published in 2024. As I write this post you can buy this book for a really good price here in Australia but I also sure it will be found in many public libraries.

A heartwarming testament to music’s emotional power. Kirkus

The limited colour palette of the illustrations captures the emotions of all the characters and because they are set in a seemingly timeless setting, this enables the reader to identify with the characters more closely and raise questions. Why is Ronan silent? Is it ok to be quiet most of the time? How much do we value silence? Just Imagine

Rashin Kheiriyeh has a master’s degree in graphic design and a doctorate in illustration and has illustrated more than eighty books in half a dozen languages, including Welcome Home by Aimee Reid and Story Boat by Kyo Maclear, a Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year. She was a 2017 Maurice Sendak fellow and is a lecturer at the University of Maryland. She was born in Khorramshahr, Iran, and now lives in Washington.

The Book Tree

The Great Shark Egg Case Hunt by Kasey Whitelaw illustrated by Sylvia Morris

Understanding how many sharks reproduce helps scientists and conservationists protect vulnerable species. Since sharks generally have fewer offspring than other fish, overfishing can severely reduce populations. The fact that only a few sharks lay eggs means each egg is important for the species' survival. (How Stuff Works)

Begin with the title:

• Great - in this book you will meet children from all around the world (that's pretty great).
• Shark - in Australia we are fascinated by sharks - very sadly in my local area just a couple of weeks ago a popular local resident lost his life after a shark attack. Of course not all sharks are dangerous.
• Egg case - wait a minute - do sharks lay eggs? Yes, and that is the topic of this book.
• Hunt - why are people hunting for these eggs? Is that okay? What will happen to the information? This sounds like a Citizen Science project.

Image Source: A to Z animals

Each shark produces a slightly different mermaid’s purse, so it’s possible to identify the original shark species just from this casing. Rays, chimeras, and skates also create egg cases similar in appearance to a shark casing. These are also colloquially known as a mermaid’s purse.

In this video from 2023 a CSIRO scientist explains the Citizen Science project in more detail. 

As with all good nonfiction this book will give your students (and you too) a terrific jumping off point for further investigations and research.

If I was sharing this book in a classroom or with a library group I would grab a large sized world map perhaps with more details than the one in the book (paper not on a screen) and then print out images of eight sharks from around the world to add to the map then after reading The Great Shark Egg Case Hunt I would assign groups of students to research each shark and then present a brief talk to the class using the map and the shark photo plus a photo of the egg case as props for their talk. At the end of the week when every group has presented their findings the kids could write a 3-question quiz for their classmates to see how well everyone was listening and also to discover which curious facts really grabbed everyone's attention. This book is aimed at a younger audience ages 5-9 but this was a topic I knew nothing about so even as an adult I enjoyed exploring this topic more deeply. 

Here are a few of the things I discovered from this book and from further reading:

• Puffadder Shysharks from South Africa curl up into a doughnut shape to avoid predators.
• Here's a new word - chimaera. They are also known as ghost sharks, rat fish, spook fish and rabbit fish. The Elephant Fish from New Zealand is a chimaera and this is the shark in this book. 
• Chimaera are closely related to sharks, skates and rays. But they diverged from their shark relatives around 400 million years ago.
• In Alaska there are jelly fish called Moon Jellies
• A mermaid’s purse is an empty shark egg case that washes up on shore. It looks a lot like seaweed when it is on the beach.
• This book, The Great Shark Egg Case Hunt, focuses on Oviparous Sharks: Egg-Laying Specialists but there are also Viviparous Sharks: The Live-Bearers and more sharks with more complex reproductive processes.
• Primarily slow-moving, bottom-dwelling fishes of the oceans, the skates and rays are close relatives of the sharks. All three belong to the same class of fish, Chondrichthyes—vertebrates whose skeleton is composed of cartilage, not true bone. (Source)

Image Source: A to Z animals

Bullhead sharks, Port Jackson sharks, and horn sharks are sharks that produce spiraled eggs

Huge thanks to CSIRO Publishing for this advance copy - The Great Shark Egg Case Hunt was published last week. 

Do Sharks Lay Eggs?

Around 25% of all sharks lay eggs. Most sharks do not lay eggs and instead give birth to live young that have developed inside the mother’s body. The eggs of oviparous (egg-laying) sharks are encased in leathery pouches known as “mermaid’s purses”, which protect the embryo as it develops. Some shark species spend over a year in the egg-case before hatching.

Shark egg-cases are generally rectangular in shape with a horn projecting from each corner. Some have long, string-like tendrils extending from the horns. The tendrils help to secure the egg-case to vegetation on the seabed.

The Great Eggcase Hunt is an initiative of UK-based charity The Shark Trust. It began in the UK 20 years ago and has since recorded more than 380,000 individual egg cases from around the world. Australian Geographic

There are at least 37 species of sharks and skate that lay eggs of many shapes and sizes to be found on Australian beaches. Here is a link to the detailed teachers notes. There is also a lot of good advice in this book - "look don't touch".

I found one list that identified nine types of sharks: Mackerel sharks; Ground sharks; Bullhead sharks; Carpet sharks; Angel sharks; Saw sharks; Frilled and cow sharks; Dogfish, lantern sharks and sleeper sharks and Bramble sharks. But then in The Great Shark Egg Case Hunt I read (in the back notes) about the Hornshark; the skate; and the catshark so clearly there is a lot more to discover.

What Are Some Sharks That Lay Eggs? (Also Called Oviparity) These sharks are oviparous:

• Cat Sharks
• Horn Sharks
• Bamboo Sharks
• Carpet Sharks
• Zebra Sharks
• Swell Sharks
• Port Jackson Shark
• Dogfish Sharks
• Australian Swellshark

Kasey Whitelaw is a marine biologist, educator and children’s writer. She has an interest in connecting children to science and nature, sparking their wonder and curiosity through storytelling and education.

Sylvia Morris is an illustrator and science enthusiast. She loves illustrating picture books because it combines two of her favourite activities: reading and problem solving. She is also the illustrator of Bear to the Rescue and The Opal Dinosaur.

There's a Tiger on the Train by Mariesa Dulak illustrated by Rebecca Cobb

You’ll never guess what happened

On our trip down to the sea . . .

A tiger in a top hat

Came and sat right next to me!

There is a tiger on the train but also some hippos, crocodiles, piglets, and two pugs BUT dad is so engrossed in his phone screen he misses all the fun and amazement. 

From the author web page: This text won the Faber FAB Writing Prize for Diverse writers in 2020. Rebecca Cobb is an award-winning author/illustrator who has collaborated with other authors such as Julia Donaldson, Richard Curtis and Helen Dunmore. It’s the perfect day for a seaside trip. But who invited the Tiger in the top hat… and all those other animals? And will Dad ever look up from his phone? A rhythmic, rhyming romp about the value of living in the moment and spending quality time with those you love.

You can see inside this book here and read details of the story. 

The story was inspired by my own experience of balancing full-time work with a young family and feeling that I wasn't making the most of the precious time I had with my children. "There's a Tiger on the Train" is about taking time out to connect with those you love. I hope that children reading the book will join in with the rhymes and rhythms, have fun making some new animal friends, and enjoy the ride! And I hope that their grown-ups will be reminded to look up from their phones once in a while to see what they might be missing in the wonderful world of their own child’s imagination. Mariesa Dulak

Here is the title page:

This book published in 2025 should be essential reading for parents! And at the same time young children will enjoy this wild train ride and the 'noisy sections' with words like clank, rumble, chew-chew, spish-splash and everyone should join in with the huge roar at the end as the tiger grabs that wretched mobile phone. Sadly also, though, many children will relate to the little boy in this story who just needs his dad to put down his phone and listen and look and connect with his son in a meaningful way. Please consider adding this book to your school library wish list. The paperback is slightly expensive at over AUS$28 but I really do highly recommend There's a Tiger on the Train.

Phubbing is snubbing or ignoring someone else because you are using your mobile phone. In today’s modern world, we do it without thinking, but research shows that phubbing undermines interpersonal relationships and mental health especially when parents do it to their children. A staggering 70% of parents say they feel distracted by their mobile phones when they spend time with their children. And studies show that the more parents phub their children, the more socially disconnected that child feels towards them. So, when I sat down to write a book that included phubbing, I tried to imagine what it might be like to feel ignored by the most important person in your world and being too small and powerless to do anything about it. Books for Topics

Take a look at this blog post about The Global Day of Unplugging. 

Awards:

• Shortlisted for Oscar's Book Prize 2025
• Nominated for the Carnegie Medal for Illustration 2025
• Shortlisted for the UKLA Book Award 2025
• Shortlisted for the Indie Book Award 2024
• Selected as a Books for Topics Book of the Year 2024
• Selected as a Waterstones Best Books of 2024
• Shortlisted for The Week Junior Book Award 2025

After reading There's a Tiger on the Train try to find other books illustrated by Rebecca Cobb - I am a huge fan of her art. I am keen to see her book A Wild Walk to School.  

The Empty Stocking

Who Lives Here?

Snow Day

A Kite for Moon by Jane Yolen and Heidi Stemple illustrated by Matt Phelan

If you work in a library that is filled with book treasures, how can you showcase them to your borrowers? Little children especially, cannot read book spines or browse huge book collections. There are a few things you can do. Firstly, where possible use front facing display shelves. Secondly set books out on displays and change these regularly. 

I've been working in a school library recently and constantly changing, relevant book displays is one way the teacher-librarian ensures her massive, rich book collections are discovered and circulated. She has a few distinct display spaces. I asked to set out books about the Moon on one of these and as I checked the shelves, I discovered this book. Now I hope a young child might discover it too!

Why did it catch my eye? This goes back to something I talked about at a recent conference - field knowledge. Do you know Jane Yolen? You should. Have you read her books? You should. (Owl Moon is a favourite of mine). What about her daughter Heidi Stemple or the illustrator Matt Phelan? Yes, it is true I live in Australia and these creative book people are in the US but as I have said many times, we are so lucky to speak English and have access to the best books from USA, Canada, New Zealand and the UK.

If you work in a school or a preschool this book A Kite for Moon could be a great one to add to your read aloud pile - and you could then add in some other books about kites; the moon; and astronauts. There is also a theme here about following your dream. All of that in a picture book that probably has less than 100 words.

A young boy notices the moon looks sad. He has been flying his kite, so he grabs a pencil, writes a message on his kite and then sends it up, up, up to the moon. Over the coming days he sends many more kites up to the moon.

"Days went by, years.

Moon waxed and waned.

She counted shooting stars and meteors.

She worried about peace down on earth

and strange objects whizzing by.

She eclipsed."

The moon watched this boy grow up. He went to school and studied algebra, geometry and astronomy.

"Then one day when he had learned enough, he went up, up, up in a big rocket ship ... "

Make sure you check out the dedication "For Neil Armstrong who showed us the way." And read a post by Jane Yolen about the inspiration behind her book. 

If you are reading this post and it is still October 2025 I found one online seller with a copy of A Kite for Moon for a really great price. 

Publisher blurb: What would it be like if the moon was your friend Find out as you walk alongside a little boy who journeys through life to achieve his dream of becoming an astronaut. And then blast off with your little one as you zoom to the moon together! The story begins when a little boy, who is flying his kite, notices a sad Moon. He sends up kites to her, writing notes promising he will come see her someday. This promise propels him through years of studying, learning, and training to become an astronaut. Until … he finally goes up, up, up in a big rocket ship with a fiery tail.

A kite for Moon was the winner of the 2019 Northern Book Awards. The judges said:

From its breathtaking cover to the celestial canvases and poignant prose, this book is a true treasure. The fact that stars are used instead of periods makes it even more memorable.

And here is the judging criteria:

The Northern Lights Book Awards considers children’s books to be an art form and honors books that excel in aesthetic and literary qualities with an emphasis on permanency. We are seeking works that will leave a lasting impression, stories that will resonate with the reader not only now but in years to come. NLBA accepts traditionally published and self-published children’s books from around the world regardless of copyright year. Books must be printed in English.

The Other Ducks by Ellen Yeomans illustrated by Chris Sheban

"Two is not a line. Two is a follow. A line is more ducky."

Blurb: This Duck and That Duck are inseparable, but they long for more friends to waddle with. When they discover The Other Ducks beneath the water, their excitement turns to frustration as these new companions refuse to leave the pond. With winter approaching and their feathers itching for warmth, will This Duck and That Duck find a way to bring The Other Ducks into their world? Dive into this charming tale of friendship and discovery as these ducks navigate the challenges of expanding their circle.

The two ducks in this story, male and female, are so naive about the world (something your young reading companion will both relate to and laugh over). They are only two but they want to form a line so they need more ducks. In the pond/puddle of water they discover two more companions but very strangely on cloudy days these two others disappear and for some reason they won't follow This Duck and That Duck out of the pond. Then suddenly they discover they can fly and in the sky they do find other ducks - but where are they going and why?  The final page of this book will give you the biggest smile. 

This Duck (a confident female) and That Duck (a trepidatious male) enjoy each other’s companionship in the “wadey-water” until discovering a wider world makes the extrovert wish for more friends.This Duck yearns to lead a “more ducky” line when they move about, prompting her to wish for Other Ducks. Yeomans’ language is a delightful combination of the childlike and the existential. When questioned about the meaning of “Other Ducks,” she replies, “Like us, only not us.” Sheban’s soft, textured compositions are rendered in watercolor, colored pencil, and graphite; they start out sunny, with warm greens and yellows in the foreground and cool lavender shadows and shapes on the horizon. The lighting and mood change with the seasons and situations. ... A marvelous portrayal of the humor and uncertainty surrounding growth—and the comfort in having a fellow traveler. Kirkus Star review

This book was published in 2018 so it is now out of print BUT if you can find a copy in a library (as I did) you should grab it with both hands and settle down to read this with your young reading companion or borrow it to share with your preschool group. I live near a lake/lagoon with plenty of ducks - it would be so brilliant to read this book during or after your visit to see my ducks. 

Reading a wonderful picture book with a young child is such a meaningful way to discover rich words. In this book we have rushes, lush, wadey-water, waddle, splashed and splished, fretted, and this wonderful final sentence:

"And every single one of them felt downright ducky."

Chris Sheban is the illustrator of these two books below. I would like to see Three Squeezes, Someone like me (Patricia MacLachlan) and Job Wanted. He also illustrated What to do with a box which I will borrow next term from my friend's school library AND I now discover he did the covers of Because of Winn Dixie, Tiger Rising and Paperboy. See more here.

The Lonely Book

The story of a seagull and the cat who taught her to fly