Monday, January 8, 2024

Focus on one Author or Illustrator

 


Bob Graham illustration from Let's get a Pup

A question was asked on a Facebook forum:

If you could purchase a complete set of one Australian Author books for a primary school library (picture or fiction) what author would you choose?

I was curious so I asked WHY? Here is the reply:

I would like to make author boxes so teacher can read specific author books in class or I can display in library. At my previous school we had these where the teachers and students loved them by reading the books from that author. I was getting author ideas to purchase.

I have a few concerns about this?

  • I'm all for promoting our Australian authors and illustrators but if I did set out to do this in my library, I would want to include so many fabulous international names too. (Julia Donaldson; and Pamela Allen were suggested in the thread but there are so many more). Just off the top of my head I would list these international names (this list could be way longer) David McKee, Mick Inkpen, Suzy Lee, David Weisner, Pat Hutchins, Michael Foreman, The Fan Brothers, Janosch, Margaret Mahy.
  • If books are popped into boxes does that take them out of circulation or does the library need to hold two copies of each book? Or are these collections just shelved in a different part of the library or just lent out once or twice each term as requested to classes?
  • The question asked for one Australian author but clearly the plan is to collate quite a few sets so there will need to be more names?
  • If the focus is an author who writes longer novels is there an expectation class teachers will read these books to their class? With the new NSW (Australia) curriculum requirements especially for English I cannot imagine how (sadly) any class teacher would have time for this? I think it might be better to make picture books the focus of this project. 

SO which authors and illustrators were mentioned? I will only focus on the picture book creators who others listed because their works can be shared easily with all grades.

From the Facebook post:

  • Jackie French 
  • Alison Lester
  • Phil Bunting
  • Matt Cosgrove
  • Aaron Blabey
  • Chris Cheng
  • Nick Bland
  • Mem Fox
  • Aura Parker


Here are a few of the names I would suggest (Australian)

  • Margaret Wild (you could expand a focus on Margaret Wild this to include many of the people who have illustrated her books such as Kerry Argent; Ann James, Donna Rawlins, Ron Brooks)




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