On a Summer Night by Deborah Hopkinson illustrated by Kenard Pak

"Who has woken the air? Was it the tree? Was it the rabbit? 

Was it the dog? Was it the cat? Was it you?"

Decades ago Mark McLeod talked about the need for quiet books and inspired by this idea I created a Pinterest collection. Now I have discovered On a Summer Night and it needs to go to the top of this list.

This picture book comes from the US but the setting is universal. It is a very hot summer night. 

"the world is still. Even the crickets think it is too hot to sing."

A little girl wakes up and hears a noise. This page turn will jolt you. It has no illustration - it is all dark brown with a tiny section of cream in the corner. Watch this corner because over the coming pages this slither of light will grow.

She investigates the noise and she finds her cat stretched out on the cool surface of the kitchen table. The cat wakes up with a start having also heard a noise from outside. 

"Then you step out to the yard, where the dew tips blades of grass and silvers your toes."

Just pause for a moment and think about this sentence. 

And so, the nighttime exploration continues. 

Picture books are often wonderful excuses to slow down and share a moment of gentleness in kids’ (and parents’) busy lives; this book feels like a deep breath and offers a chance to wonder and reflect.  Deborah Hopkinson

The short, deliberate phrases of Hopkinson’s verse and the simple illustrations with their subdued overall lighting combine to slow the nocturnal episode down to a properly and irresistibly snoozy pace. Spare, rhythmic, luminous… Kirkus

Publisher blurb: On a summer night, the world is still. Even the crickets think it’s too hot to sing. But all at once, a girl wakes. In the kitchen, the cat rolls onto its soft paws. A neighbor’s small white dog yaps, a brown rabbit peeks from a hedge, and the leaves of a cherry tree begin to stir in the breeze. Readers witness and wonder: Who has woken them all? In this soothing bedtime story, the quiet of a warm summer night is brought to vivid, magical life with the soft steps of bare feet, the padding of paws, and the bright, golden light of the moon. One by one, each creature is roused and then gently returned to sleep in a lovely and lyrical exploration of wakefulness, restfulness, and the mysterious calm of the night.

Now for the bad news. I have seen this book listed between AUS$35 to AUS$50! So sadly this might be a book you look for in your local public library.  You can see inside this book here. 

I have been a fan of Kenard Pak for many years - ever since my friend who is a Teacher-Librarian introduced me to his work. The art in this book is very different from his usual style - it has been created digitally and usually that form does not appeal to me but for this book it really works to create the night time atmosphere. Here is his web page.

US author Deborah Hopkinson is the award-winning author of seventy books for young readers including picture books, middle grade historical fiction, Little Golden Book biographies, and long form nonfiction.  Her titles have won the Oregon Book Award, the SCBWI Golden Kite Award for Picture Book Text, the Jane Addams Children’s Book Award, and the Green Earth Environmental Award. You can see other picture books by Deborah Hopkinson here. I previously talked about these two:

Butterflies Belong Here

Ordinary, Extraordinary Jane Austen

Carnival of the Animals by Marianne Dubuc

The title of this book did mislead me but in a good way. I immediately thought of the famous music Carnival of the Animals by Camille Saint-Saëns and so I thought this book could be linked to the 2026 CBCA slogan A Symphony of Stories. I do have a small collection of picture books that feature this famous piece of music in a Pinterest collection. 

I picked up this book by Marianne Dubuc at a recent charity book sale. It was published in 2012 and so is long out of print. This book is fun, but it does not readily relate to the famous music or the book week slogan. 

The elephant dresses up as a parrot

The parrot dresses up as a tortoise

Each double spread in this book shows an animal and then on the next page the animal is seen in fancy dress. Australian children will laugh over the platypus and everyone will enjoy the final party or carnival scene. I have put illustrations here are from the French edition of this book.

Carnical of the Animals was considered for the Governor General's Award for French-language children's illustration. The English version is called Animal Masquerade (2012). It was named an Outstanding International Book by the USBBY.

Marianne Dubuc (born 1980) is a talented Canadian writer and illustrator. She creates wonderful books for children. Marianne lives in Quebec, Canada. She was born in Montreal. She studied graphic design at the Université du Québec à Montréal. This helped her learn how to design and draw. Her very first book was La mer (2006). It was later translated into English as The Sea (2012). Her second book, Devant ma maison, became very popular. It was translated into more than 15 languages! Today, her books are available in 25 different languages around the world.

I previously talked about these books by Marianne Dubuc:

Up the Mountain

The Lion and the Bird

The Bus Ride

Here the CBCA 2026 poster:

Sydney Morning Herald - School Libraries and inequality

Illustration by Craig Smith from Black Dog by Christobel Mattingley

"For some students, a school library 

will be their only access to books."

Here is the full headline from the Sydney Morning Herald 6th May 2026:

Young people are being let down by lack of school libraries 

SMH opinion piece by Cathie Warburton Chief executive of ALIA 
(The Australian Library and Information Association)

I worked in NSW Department of Education primary schools in their school libraries from 1985-2017 in various libraries from small rural schools, a larger country town and a huge metropolitan campus. I have visited school libraries in NSW and in Canada and I currently volunteer in two libraries for children. The topic of this piece in the newspaper today is a very important one and a personal one too.

It is very easy to spot a great school library - the ingredients are not mysterious - a current, well-organised and attractively displayed book collection in a warm welcoming space AND a Teacher-Librarian - not just someone with specialised qualifications (I have these) but also a Teacher-Librarian who is passionate about reading and about providing children (and their teachers) with the best books and other resources available.

The barriers are not mysterious either - disinterested or ignorant school executives, limited budgets, inappropriate staffing, inadequate spaces, and of course the saddest situation of all when a school has no library or a library but no appropriate library staff. 

Some points that resonated with me in this article:

• In every State and Territory in Australia there is currently no legal requirement for a school to have a library.

• The NSW Department of Education has a school library policy BUT it is not mandated in law (so) the existence of a school library is largely dependent on the school system followed by the school principal.

[I have worked with every 'type' of Principal from the deeply committed to the apathetic and the openly hostile. At times, justifying my role and the importance of the school library felt like a daily battle]

• What is a modern school library? It is a physical and digital and wellbeing space with well-resourced collections and qualified staff who work with the school community to enhance all aspects of teaching and learning.

[This was one of the huge joys of my role - finding resources for teachers and encouraging new staff to read books and extend/develop their teaching repertoire]

• (Currently there is no data) on the number of schools with a library and qualified staff ... (in Australia).

• Wealthier independent schools are able to support well-resourced, often multi-campus school libraries and employ teams of qualified staff ...

• The lack of school libraries (in government schools) contributes to a widening gap in academic and wellbeing outcomes (for our students).

• The value of literacy initiatives focusing on reading for pleasure as a key driver of child and adult literacy have also become increasingly known ...

Tonight on the news the reporter named the "best" performing schools in Sydney as measured by a test called NAPLAN - I totally disagree with this testing of very young children BUT I would love to know about the library provisions in each of these 'top' schools - the news item named Beecroft PS; Lindfield East PS; and St Ives North PS among the 'top' three.

Cathie Warburton reinforces this measure when she says "Research by the ACER shows that students in schools with qualified teacher librarians achieve higher NAPLAN literacy outcomes and well-resourced, staff libraries are linked to higher student achievement overall."

If you are reading this AND you are a parent in Australia with a school aged child, make sure you check out the situation in YOUR school. Ask to see the library if you are touring a school, find out the name of the Teacher-Librarian, talk to your child - do they visit the school library every week? what happens when they visit? who works there? are books coming home? If you don't get 'great' answers to these questions ASK why.

I have talked about aspects of this issue previously:

Australian School Library Day

Library Snapshot Day 1st April

The Final Chapter SMH Good Weekend Magazine 

Reading is in the news they say we need a revolution - lets revolt!

"Children are forgetting the joy of reading books"

Libraries, books, time for reading, and more

The Moon's Revenge by Joan Aiken illustrated by Alan Lee

Seppy is the seventh son of a seventh son. His father is a coach-maker and he expects Seppy will follow this trade but Seppy's first love is music - playing his small, hand made violin. One night Seppy decides to visit an old ruined house in his small seaport town. He has the idea to ask the voices people say can be heard from inside:

"How can I learn to be the best fiddler in the country?"

The reply is strange:

"Throw your shoe at the moon. ... Each night for seven nights, throw your shoe at the moon."

Seppy's family are poor but he does have six elder brothers and his mother has kept all their shoes. They are inside the grandfather clock. 

I love the shoes that Seppy takes down to the beach each night: "a pair of tiny, soft, kid-skin shoes that he had worn when he was one-year old"; a "small rabbit-skin boot"; "a red crocodile-skin slipper that a lord's wife had given his mother"; "a doe-skin boot that a travelling musician had gien his mother in exchange for a plate of stew"; "a shiny calf-skin shoe with a pewter buckle"; "a sheep-skin slipper"; and on the seventh night he threw up one of his hog-skin clogs.

Each time he leaves the remaining shoe on the sea wall. And when he looks up on the final night he sees that the moon is now dirtied all over. Seppy has angered the moon. 

"Yes! I have to give you a wish, you impertinent boy! But you have marked my face for ever, with your dirt shoes, and for that I shall punish you. You must go barefoot for seven years. And until the day when you put those shoes back in the clock, your sister will not speak. And you and all your family will be in great danger, but I shan't tell you what it's going to be. You can just wait and see."

But Seppy does have a sister - or does he?

Things to think about - what does it mean to be the seventh son of a seventh son, and what about the word revenge, and the power of that curse, how the shoes might be linked to this, how Seppy (he is a hero of the story after all) might save the day or save his family and help his beloved sister to speak. And in the end will he gain his heart's desire and become a famous musician?

Here are some illustrations from this book:

I stumbled on an Instagrammer who is posting her favourite picture books from the past. She shared The Mirrorstone by Michael Palin illustrated by Alan Lee a couple of weeks ago. This book was one of two from a series - the other being The Moon's Revenge. I checked my blog and was slightly shocked to discover I had never shared this book here. I have read this book to hundreds of Grade 2 and 3 children in my school library. It is a winner as a read aloud and a terrific way to talk about fantasy stories. I also discovered I did not own this book and so I ordered a copy from Better World Books in the US and one week later my copy arrived. The Moon's Revenge was published in 1987 and so is long out of print. 

The Mirrorstone

Tales from Outer Suburbia by Shaun Tan

These are fairy tales for modern times, in which there is valor, love and wisdom—without dragons and castles. The accompanying illustrations vary widely in style, medium and palette, reflecting both the events and the mood of each story, while hewing to a unifying sense of the surreal. ...  Graphic-novel and text enthusiasts alike will be drawn to this breathtaking combination of words and images. Kirkus Star review

Tales from Outer Suburbia is an anthology of fifteen short illustrated stories based on my memories of growing up in the northern suburbs of Perth, Western Australia. Each one is about a strange situation or event that occurs in an otherwise familiar suburban world; a visit from a nut-sized foreign exchange student, a sea creature on someone’s front lawn, a new room discovered in a family home, a sinister machine installed in a park, a wise buffalo that lives in a vacant lot. The real subject of each story is how ordinary people react to these incidents, and how their significance is discovered, ignored or simply misunderstood. Shaun Tan

Stories in this book are: The Water Buffalo; Eric; Broken Toys; Distant Rain; Undertow; Grandpa's Story; No other country; The Nameless Holiday; The Amnesia Machine; Stick figures; Alert but Not Alarmed; Wake; Make your own pet; Our expedition; Night of the Turtle Rescue.

I was already familiar with many of the stories in this collection especially Eric which I love (and I gifted to a young friend named Eric). 

On a recent visit to Gleebooks a customer called in to ask about Shaun Tan and Rachel Robson mentioned Tales from Outer Suburbia to the customer. She talked about binging the whole television series over one weekend and how she really thought this production deserved a lot more attention. Now jump forward a few weeks. I was visiting our local charity book sale and spied a copy of Tales from Outer Suburbia for just AUS$2 - a mint condition paperback copy. 

If you are a casual or substitute teachers try to find a copy of this book - these short stories will create magic with any class.

The story ‘Broken Toys’ developed from a drawing of an old-fashioned deep-sea diver approaching a suburban corner deli (one near my home), which naturally raised for me the question of why he was there, and where he came from. A second idea came from the fact that as children, my brother and I often lost toys over the back fence into a  neighbour’s yard, although I’m happy to say that they never came back chopped in half as they do in the story. Shaun Tan

The real idea for this story came from an anecdote told to me by a taxi-driver one day on my way to an airport. He described an incident in Lebanon where a dud missile had somehow ended up in the middle of a suburban street, and some local people seized the opportunity to take it home, disassemble it and sell it off as scrap metal. It provoked a secondary scenario in my mind, of children finding an unexploded missile, and converting it into a ‘space rocket’ cubby-house. Shaun Tan

I am sure you have seen and read many books by Shaun Tan - he won the Astrid Lindgren Memorial award in 2011. 

Here are two quotes that resonated with me from Shaun Tan's ALMA acceptance essay:

Books offer the freedom to make up our own minds, the best stories being not at all instructive or moralizing but rather asking very well-crafted questions in an entertaining way, inspiring further creative thought. 

If my work has a collective theme, it’s something like this: ‘reality is just another strange story’. It’s something we constantly narrate to ourselves through this peculiar invention of language and pictures; a project that begins in childhood and never really ends. Great books become part of our own map of experience: through reading we grasp the power and unity of our own thought and feeling. We are invited to empathise with others, to see the world from alternative angles, to wonder what it would be like to live differently, and to not feel alone when we constantly ask: ‘what if?’ 

After you read the BOOK of Tales from Outer Suburbia switch on your television and enjoy the fantastic animated series. There are ten episodes of about 20 minutes each.

I’ve always been open to the idea of taking ideas from a book transferring and transforming them into different dramatic forms. The important thing for me is not plot or even character; it’s a certain sense of place, a certain spirit, a certain way of seeing things. Shaun Tan

Tales from Outer Suburbia is full of the bizarre, presented without fanfare: deep sea divers take a walk to the corner milk bar; a tiny pointy-headed visitor moves into the crockery cupboard; sparkling goldfish swirl through the night sky. But while there are frequent fantastical elements, the story is simultaneously firmly planted in everyday suburban life. ABC News

Read this interview with Shaun Tan and the Australian Children's Television Foundation. 

I would follow Tales from Outer Suburbia with these two (one has a page from Shaun Tan):

Ten-word Tiny Tales

Ten-Word Tiny Tales of Love

The Day of Ahmed's Secret by Florence Parry Heide illustrated by Ted Lewin

Image from this video (well worth watching)

"Today I have a secret, and all day long my secret will be like a friend to me. Tonight I will tell it to my family, but now I have work to do in the city."

Ahmed rides on his small cart pulled by his donkey. The city of Cairo is noisy and filled with people trading and shopping. Ahmed notices the sounds and the colours. He enjoys a quick meal of beans and noodles, but he cannot pause for long because he has deliveries to make - heavy bottles of fuel. 

With older students I would like this book with the UNICEF Rights of the Child:

28. Education: Every child has the right to an education. Primary education should be free. Secondary and higher education should be available to every child. Children should be encouraged to go to school to the highest level possible.

32. Protection from harmful work: Children have the right to be protected from doing work that is dangerous or bad for their education, health or development. If children work, they have the right to be safe and paid fairly.

When I spied this book at a recent charity book sale I knew it would be a terrific choice. As is often the way with books I pick up at the fair, I do wonder how this book came to be here in Australia. Someone has inscribed it "to Leo happy reading love Grandma Bea". I wonder if Leo read his gift. I wonder if Bea knew the author or illustrator or if she realised this book (published in 1990) contains an important story about the power of education and literacy? 

Publisher blurb (spoiler included): Ahmed drives his donkey cart through the streets of Cairo, delivering butane gas cylinders to his father's customers. He knows everyone and has a part to play in the life of the city. He is proud to be strong enough to help his family, but most of all he is proud of his precious secret, a secret that he keeps until the end of the day. The book reveals a lot about Ahmed's life, and finally his secret - that he can write his name.

Florence Parry Heide died in 2011. She wrote over 100 books including the famous series about Treehorn. The co-author of this book Judith Heide Gilland is her daughter. Ted Lewin died in 2021. He illustrated over 200 books. (Kirkus have talked about lots of them). I have already talked about his book about puffins! Here are two others:

Read about Eve Bunting here

I Survived the Dust Bowl, 1935 by Lauren Tarshis

Ray and his best friend Dolly live in Texas in the area called the Panhandle. 

As the cover says the year is 1935 which means America (and other places in the world) are in the grip of the Great Depression. In this small town, businesses are closing and Ray's mum and dad are struggling on their farm with money issues and with a long running drought. In this area and other parts of the US the soil survived over the centuries because there were huge areas of native grasses which kept it locked down but with the arrival of farms and the growing of wheat the grasses are now all gone setting up the perfect conditions for huge and destructive dust storms. 

This story is told by dates and it begins April 14th 1935 then switches back to March 30th. You will feel as though you are living through each dust storm because the descriptions are so intense:

"The wind wacked him down. Ray gasped as dirt and dust rushed into his nose and mouth, clawed his eyes. He flipped over, curling himself into a tight ball. But it did no good. Powerful waves of dirt and dust crashed into him. He couldn't see. He couldn't breathe. He was drowning ... in dust."

"It raged through the morning - brutal winds, whirling dust and dirt, and darkness. As usual Ma and Pa and Ray did their best to seal up the house with sheets and rags. But dust still filled the air and poured down on their heads with every gust of wind."

It was another whole day before the wind died down and the dust stopped swirling. ... A knee-high pile of dust blocked the doorway. ... Their truck was buried up to the windshield. It was going to be a long day of cleaning up."

Plot summary: It is 1935, and Ray and Dolly, best friends, live in a small farming town in the Texas Panhandle. Things had been fine until a drought began. Now, people are losing farms and small businesses to the bank. Many people leave town. Matthew, a nice older boy at school, rides the rails to California to get work. The dust storms are more frequent and severe, and they damage property and people’s health as well. Dolly’s little brother, Skippy, ends up in the hospital with dust pneumonia. The doctors say he can’t stay in Texas any longer, so Dolly’s family is moving away. Ray finds out his parents owe money to the bank, and they might lose the farm. Ray feels like his world is falling apart.

See Lauren Tarshis reading an extract here. 

Late last year I read The Higher Power of Lucky by Susan Patron Illustrated by Matt Phelan which is set during the depression and on the Texas Panhandle. That's where I read about these horrible and life-threatening dust storms that ravaged parts of the US in the 1930s. When I saw this book from the I survived series in the library where I volunteer I knew it would be a terrific follow-up. 

The Higher Power of Lucky

The "I survived series" are short historical novels and they are  a perfect way to introduce young readers aged 9+ to major events in history BUT my big advice is don't read the end notes before you read the fictionalised version. I didn't know much about the dust bowl of 1935 so I read the notes first. Sadly this meant as I read this Lauren Tarshis story I found myself ticking off a mental checklist of all the things she had mentioned in her notes. The story really held my attention but I think I would have found it more gripping and perhaps it might have felt less simplified if I did not have the 'facts' rolling around in my head. I will read of the I survived books and next time I won't read the historical information until the end. 

Kirkus explains this in their review of the Titanic book from this series: The plot involves too many convenient coincidences, but the fast pace and intrinsically fascinating disaster story will keep readers turning the pages ...

Having said wait to read the back notes I was very impressed to read the depth of research by Lauren Tarshis and the way, in the case of this book, she took the time to visit a small town in Texas, to talk to the librarian, the historical society and one resident who lived through these times. 

The story of Ray and Dolly is one that young readers will relate to and sympathize with. It is a great way for kids to learn about the history of the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl. Like all the I Survived books, this one is short, well-written, and compelling. Chicago Book Review 5 Stars

The best part of the I Survived books are the historical back matter, which includes period photos and much discussion of a variety of topics. I would have avidly saved my allowance to purchase these titles in elementary school! Ms Yingling (she has a good plot summary too)

I am very very late coming to the series "I survived" and I also now need to read the graphic novels from this series too.  There are over 28 titles published so far all by Lauren Tarshis. The series began in 2010 with I Survived the Shark Attacks of 1916 and I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic, 1912. I Survived the Dust Bowl, 1935 is a new title published in 2025. I plan to find I Survived the Black Death, 1348 to read next. 

About the series:

The I Survived series by Lauren Tarshis presents historical fiction stories focused on children placed in life-threatening events. Each book centers on a different disaster, such as the Titanic sinking, Hurricane Katrina, or the American Revolution. The main conflict involves survival under extreme conditions, often blending factual events with fictional characters. The structure emphasizes action, resilience, and decision-making in crisis situations.

The I Survived series books in order are not required, as each story is fully self-contained with its own beginning, conflict, and resolution. There is no overarching storyline or shared character development across the books. Each installment introduces a new protagonist and historical setting without relying on previous entries. Reading out of order does not affect understanding or enjoyment.

The tone is fast-paced and suspenseful, designed to engage younger readers while presenting serious events. Themes include survival, courage, resilience, and the impact of historical events on ordinary people. Many stories highlight quick thinking and emotional strength in dangerous situations. The writing balances tension with accessibility.

Here are some of the Graphic Novels from this series. I watched The Contoured librarian today and she said the readers in her library rate these very highly. Colby Sharp often mentions these books too.