One Word and a Bird by Stephen Michael King

"I was a long way from home and searching for a word, a big word to make me feel ... "

Or can he find an important word or a high-spirited word or a comforting word.

The boy has ideas about this word - he has such a rich vocabulary presumably from reading. Look closely you can see him reading a book as he walks across the landscape of the title page. 

This book has a repeated story structure which will make it a delight to read aloud. Along the way your young reading companion will hear so many rich words such as humongous, gargantuan, auspicious, magnanimous, dynamic and courageous. These words match the things he sees on his journey but they are not quite the right fit. In fact it almost feels as though the boy does not notice his surroundings even when the things he walks past are enormous and amazing.  Where is he going? What is he looking for? 

Also along the way, various 'friends' appear - a small bird, a little dog, a horse, and even a tiny snail. He greets each one with kindness and we see his new companions joining him on several beautiful wordless spreads. These are the quiet pages that will allow you as a reader to stop, pause, slow down and experience the wonders of the night sky. Watch as the story moves from dusk, to evening, to a stormy night and finally to the dawn.

This is a book you might overlook but can I recommend you take the time to pick it up and read it through a few times - slowly. And then find a group of children and share this book with them.  This story is sure to generate some great discussions with your library group. One Word and a Bird was published in April 2025, so I expect to see it listed as a 2026 CBCA notable title.

Here are the teachers notes from Scholastic Australia. I actually like the last question posed in these notes: What can this book teach us about life and what is important? If you had to choose the one most important thing that this book can teach us, what would it be?

This is a multi-layered story that will mean different things to different readers and can be interpreted in myriad ways. King has created an original narrative that uses powerful language and enchanting illustrations to prompt young people aged 4+ to think about what is important to them, why friendship is necessary, and how serendipity can play out in curious and surprising ways. However, in the end, like with all good journeys, the road leads home. The conclusion here is both foreseeable and heartfelt. Books and Publishing

Companion books:

Phileas's fortune

One Word from Sophia

The Word Collector

I am a huge fan of Stephen Michael King - especially of his earliest books:

Where does Thursday go?

Beetle Soup

Tishkin Silk

Henry and Amy

Amelia Ellicott's Garden

Three

Applesauce and the Christmas Miracle

Bear and Rat

Brilliant Ideas from Wonderful Women by Aitziber Lopez illustrated by Luciano Lozano

Subtitle: 15 incredible inventions from inspiring women!

This book was published in 2018 but it is still available. I suggest you act quickly - this is a one of those books that should be added to your school library.

I feel as though I have been hunting for this book (or a book just like it) for a few years. Back in 2022 a box of brand-new donated books arrived in the library where I volunteer at Westmead Children's Hospital here in Sydney, Australia. Among the treasures was a book about women and their amazing inventions. I read it and was amazed especially about windscreen wipers and syringes.  The book I have been looking for is not this book but this one that I found in a library - Brilliant Ideas from Wonderful Women - is just as good. The one that came in the donation box simply disappeared. I am not in charge of the collection or of decisions about which books we accession but I have often wondered what happened to that book I saw back in 2022.

Did you know a woman invented:

• Car heaters 1893 
• Monopoly 1904 
• Disposable diapers 1951 
• The dishwasher 1886
• Kevlar 1965 
• Maritime flares 1859
• Anti-reflective glass 1940
• Wifi 1942
• Syringes 1899
• Submarine periscopes 1945
• Diagnostic tests 1959
• Lifeboats 1882
• Windshield wipers 1903
• ebooks 1949

Each brilliant idea is presented with biographical information about the brilliant woman who came up with it, including what inspired them. Learn how Martha Coston disguised herself as a man to contact pyrotechnicians and convince them to manufacture her idea for maritime flares, how a New York tram ride on a wet winter’s day led Mary Anderson to invent the windshield wiper, and why Letitia Mumford Geer’s one-hand operated syringe was a medical breakthrough, among other fascinating facts. Full-page illustrations show the inspiration for and use of these incredible inventions in humorous detail. Lady in Read Writes

Here are some other books illustrated by Luciano Lozano.

A Different Pond by Bao Phi illustrated by Thi Bui

"a powerful, multilayered story about family, memory, and the costs of becoming a refugee". Kirkus Star review

"Both my parents worked multiple jobs to survive and support us in a country whose people did not understand why we were here at best, and blamed us for the aftermath of the war at worst. My father would sometime take us fishing with him, before the sun came up - for food, not for sport." Bao Phi

A Different Pond won a Caldecott Honour in 2018. I would share this book with older readers aged 10+. 

Bookseller blurb: Acclaimed poet Bao Phi delivers a powerful, honest glimpse into a relationship between father and son and between cultures, old and new. A Different Pond is an unforgettable story about a simple event--a long-ago fishing trip. As a young boy, Bao Phi awoke early, hours before his father's long workday began, to fish on the shores of a small pond in Minneapolis. Unlike many other anglers, Bao and his father fished for food, not recreation. A successful catch meant a fed family. Between hope-filled casts, Bao's father told him about a different pond in their homeland of Vietnam. The New York Times has said that Bao Phi's poetry "rhymes with the truth." Together with graphic novelist Thi Bui's striking, evocative art, Phi's expertly crafted prose reflects an immigrant family making its way in a new home while honoring its bonds to the past.

Image source: Let's Talk Picture Books

Spare and simple, a must-read for our times. Kirkus Star review

Can I recommend you read this book more than once. There are plot fragments in so many of the lines of text - small statements that belies huge issues or past stories.

Read these and in brackets I have added my interpretation:

"In the kitchen the bare bulb ... " (The family cannot afford to add decorations such as light covers and it may be that they are renting this very basic home).

"to me his English sounds like gentle rain". (This boy is proud of his dad and he intuitively understands his dad has had to learn a new language in this strange land. It is fantastic that this young boy can ignore the awful comments by the school bullies).

"I got a second job". (Dad is hard working and really wants to provide for his family. He is willing to work long hours and on weekends so their fishing expedition has to happen well before dawn. We also read that mum has to work all day on Saturday too).

"I feel the callouses on his hand when he squeezes mine". (Dad is hard worker - and his work is a form on manual labour. I wonder if, given different opportunities he might have been able to complete higher levels of education and perhaps have a 'better' or more highly paid job).

"One day, his brother didn't come home". (This is a fragment about the events of the Vietnam war and the devastating impact of this on his father).

"I wonder what the trees look like at that other pond in the country my dad comes from". (This sums up the power of this story).

Companion books:

Read more here.

Exhibition of End Papers at the Eric Carle Museum 2025

 

This piece is not part of the exhibition but it is from Australia!

SWOOP by Nicole Godwin, illustrated by Susannah Crispe

And it WON an Endies Award in 2022

Until November 2025 The Eric Carle Museum have an exhibition exploring end papers - boy oh boy I would love to see this!

“Every part of a picture book is meaningful, from front to back cover. If we simply begin to read where the story begins, without examining its cover, dust jacket, endpages, title page, and other front matter, we miss much meaning.” I would only add that we might also miss much delight. Dr. Lawrence R. Sipe and Bruce Handy - Eric Carle Museum End Papers exhibition

Here are some further quotes from this article:

What exactly, some readers may be wondering, are endpapers (also called end pages or end sheets)? In the narrowest sense, they are the pages pasted to a hard-bound book’s inside front and back covers. They serve a practical purpose, binding the rest of the pages to the cover (or “case,” to use the technical publishing term). But for artists and designers, endpapers can also be a gloriously blank canvas.  

Endpapers can tell a story within a larger story; they can frame the main story, suggesting its narrative or even emotional sweep; they can serve as a warm-up act or overture; they can provide background information, almost like a visual forward or epilogue, they can comment on the action or crack a joke. Some do all that at once, and more.

Here is a partial list of exhibitors and you can read an interview with the curator:

Sophie Blackall, Ashley Bryan, Virginia Lee Burton, Eric Carle, Bryan Collier, Walter Crane, Ed Emberley, Julie Flett, Deborah Freedman, Ryan T. Higgins, Carme Lemniscates, Grace Lin, Jessica Love, Corinna Luyken, Robert McCloskey, Daniel Miyares, Jerry Pinkney, Christian Robinson, Daniel Salmieri, Dan Santat, Shaun Tan, Paloma Valdivia, Brendan Wenzel, Jack Wong

Here in Australia we have lots of illustrators who do make great use of end papers - the master of this is our wonderful Bob Graham. For example in Rose Meets Mr Wintergarten:

"The opening scene for this book comes on the end papers. Bob Graham is a master of this. He does not waste one page in his picture books. On this spread we see two houses side by side. One is large, grey and imposing with huge, barbed wire fences, a cactus garden and dark foreboding windows. The other is a little friendly yellowish house with green window shutters, freshly mowed lawns and large trees in the back yard. A new family are moving into the little house. The moving van has a rainbow on the side (we all know there are good things at the end of a rainbow!) and among the furniture and family members you can see a sheep and a chook!"

Take a few minutes to read this excellent article that explains some purposes of end papers. 

Here are some endpapers I have shared on this blog (not from this exhibition):

What Stars are for by Margeaux Davis

The Pea and the Princess by Mini Grey

Timothy and Gramps by Ron Brooks

Check out more Endies winners - 2024; 2023; and 2022. 

The Missing Bunny by Holly Webb illustrated by Antonia Woodward

Bookseller blurb: Annie is really excited about her new pet rabbits and can’ t wait to welcome them into the amazing new home her dad has built for them. But when Annie is in a rush to get to school the next morning, she doesn’t check that the door to the hutch is shut properly, and one of the rabbits, Humbug, escapes. Can Annie find Humbug in time to save her from the neighbourhood fox … ?

There is just the right amount of tension and emotion in this story. Annie loves her two bunnies but it isn't really a surprise when one escapes after the hutch is not quite shut properly. Luckily little Humbug does not go to far and luckily Annie is brave enough to check her garden late that night so we can all enjoy the happy ending. 

This book is from the Little Gems series by Barrington Stoke. I love these little books for these reasons:

• The paper is the very best quality - so these books will last a long time in a library
• They have colour illustrations which will appeal to beginning readers
• Barrington Stoke ask top UK authors (and illustrators) to write these simple little stories
• The stories are easy to understand and so well written they are sure to be enjoyed by young readers and by parents too
• Every book contains a bonus puzzle or two - I do enjoy doing these
• The size is perfect - slightly smaller than a regular paperback novel
• There are so many titles in this series you are sure to find one you will enjoy
• These books are perfect for readers aged 6-8
• Here in Australia these books are priced between AUS$11 and AUS$20.

Holly Webb is the author of over 150 books for all ages not just these Little Gems. I am sure you will find some of her books in your school or public library. 

Here are two more titles she has written for the Little Gems series:

You might also look for The Beach Puppy

No Monkeys, No Chocolate by Melissa Stewart illustrated by Nicole Wang

Jacket flap blurb: When you think of chocolate, you might think of a candy bar, a birthday cake, or a glass of chocolate milk. But where does chocolate come from? Its main ingredient is actually the cocoa bean, which grows on cocoa trees in tropical rain forests. These trees can't survive without the help of the animals and other living things that share their habitat. The seeds, pods, flowers, leaves, stems and roots of the cocoa tree depend on organisms like the pollen-sucking midge, the aphid-munching anole, and ye, even the brain-eating coffin fly. In the rain forest every living thing has an important part of play. Even the monkeys.

The paperback edition of No Monkey, No Chocolate appears to be available even though it was published in 2018.  [9781580892889]. 

Bookseller blurb:  A secondary layer of text delves deeper into statements such as "Cocoa flowers can't bloom without cocoa leaves . . . and maggots," explaining the interdependence of the plants and animals in the tropical rain forests. Two wise-cracking bookworms appear on every page, adding humor and further commentary, making this book accessible to readers of different ages and reading levels.

The little book worms and their commentary on each page are why I added 'Breaking the Fourth Wall' to this book. "Is the cocoa pod like an ipod?" "Quit monkeying around I'm trying to concentrate."

Every school library should add science books by Melissa Stewart to their collection - all of her books are splendid and she has a fabulous and very practical web page. I previously talked about Thank you Moon, and Tree Hole Homes. 

Melissa Stewart has always been fascinated by the natural world and enjoys sharing it with readers of all ages. She is the award-winning author of more than 100 books for young readers and has written more than 70 articles for children and adults. Trained as a scientist and a journalist, Melissa believes that nothing brings writing to life like firsthand research. While gathering information for her books, Melissa has explored tropical forests in Costa Rica, gone on safari in East Africa, and swum with sea lions in the Galapagos Islands. She can’t imagine any job she’d rather have!

Read more here. Kirkus gave this book a Star Review. There are even more details in this School Library Journal Review. 

On a book forum this week someone asked for Easter books for their child aged 10. They specifically wanted Chapter Books but I just could not think of any to suggest. Instead I mentioned this book - The Talking Eggs - which is a long form picture book. I read this book to hundreds of Grades 4 and 5 students in my former school library but if I had seen No Monkeys, No Chocolate I would have also mentioned this even though it a non-fiction title it is so fascinating and I think a perfect addition to your Easter reading.

Take a look at this post about chocolate from my friend at Kinderbookswitheverything. Here are some other books about chocolate.

The Robot and the Bluebird by David Lucas

The illustrations convey the robot’s simple dignity, color, perspective 
and sequencing neatly choreographing the tale’s emotional trajectory. Kirkus

"There once was a Robot with a broken heart. They did their best to fix him, but it wasn't any good. SO he was sent to sit on the scrapheap with all the other old machines."

The robot is left to rust and disintegrate until one day a Bluebird arrives. She is flying south away from the freezing winter but she needs somewhere to rest. 

"There is a space where my heart used to be' he said gently. 'You can sleep there if you like."

The little bird is warm and when she flutters it feels as though the robot's heart is singing. But she can't stay here - it is way too cold.

"Then let me carry you ... I'll carry you in my heart and shelter you from the cold and storms."

The pair set off to find a warmer place. The ending of this book will, excuse the pun, utterly warm YOUR heart!

The library I visit each week has a terrific way of encouraging the children to discover books. This library is for the youngest children in the school and so rather than have the ransack the shelves it is easier to create new book displays on every possible surface and change them each week. In addition to this, once each term, she collects all the books on two popular topics and she fills a couple of shelf tubs for the children to select topics like ballet/dance; fairies; ninja; robots; and of course, dinosaurs.

That is how I came to see The Robot and the Bluebird. One of my tasks is shelving some of the returned books. What a precious discovery this book is. The Robot and the Bluebird was published in paperback in 2008 but I did find it listed with a couple of online booksellers here in Australia. If I was still working in my school library I would most certainly purchase this book - the emotional journey created by David Lucas has deeply affected me. 

Here is the website for David Lucas. Here is a video of the book which has a good pace. Click here to see more pages and the draft illustrations.

Here are some of the review comments I found on the author web page:

• ‘A profound variation on The Happy Prince’ Geraldine Brennan, T.E.S.
• ‘David Lucas’s poetic voice makes The Robot and the Bluebird sing. Lilting cadences give this tale a lightness and a fairytale touch reminiscent of Oscar Wilde, but with a Burtonesque twist.’ Irish Times
• ‘tender, touching and hopeful... this modern fable about the power of love to regenerate unfolds at a gentle pace and to great effect.’ Julia Eccleshare, Guardian
• ‘A poignant book... its simple pictures steer the story away from sentimentality, and its readers will take a while to grow out of it.’ Daily Telegraph

Green Earth Book Award 2025 short list (GEBA)

This award cycle represents NatGen's 21st year of awarding GEBA! We are proud to have created the nation's first environmental stewardship award for books that inspire children and young adults to grow a deeper understanding, respect, and responsibility for the natural environment.

NatGen is proud to unveil the 2025 GEBA Short List: a celebration of powerful storytelling that inspires the next generation of eco-heroes. These books remind us that every page turned can lead to a greener future for kids! Final Winners, Honor, and Recommended Reading will be announced on Earth Day, April 22, 2025

Nearly all of these are unfamiliar to me but this list might give you some titles to add to your school library (assuming they are not too expensive here in Australia). You might also like to look at the 2024 winners list. 

This is the 2024 Picture Book winner

Read more here

Take a look at the website for the 2025 award. I am not sure I would call this a short list there are so many fabulous titles listed here - sorry I had to split the image. 

You can access these lists here. Note there are also Young Adult titles for High School libraries. 

PICTURE BOOK – PRIMARY READERS  

Books for young readers in which the visual and verbal narratives together tell the story 

• Art & Oakie Ask: Do You Speak Bee?, by Josh Oaktree, illustrated by Josiane Vlitos (Oak Tree Comics) 
• Beauty and the Beaker, by Sue Fliess, illustrated by Petros Bouloubasis (Albert Whitman & Company) 
• Dino-Earth Day, by Lisa Wheeler, illustrated by Barry Gott (Lerner Publishing Group) 
• Gifts from the Garbage Truck, by Andrew Larsen, illustrated by Oriol Vidal (Sourcebooks) 
• Inside the Compost Bin, by Melody Sumaoang Plan, illus by Vinh Nguyen & Rong Pham (Tilbury) 
• Loop de Loopby Andrea Curtis, illus by Roozeboos  (Groundwood)
• Outdoor Farm, Indoor Farm, by Lindsay H. Metcalf, illustrated by Xin Li (Astra Young Readers)
• Ranger Hamza's Eco Quest, by Ranger Hamza, illustrated by Kate Kronreif (The Quarto Group) 
• The Wild, by Yuval Zommer (Random House Children's Books) 
• Walking Trees, by Marie-Louise Gay, illustrated by Marie-Louise Gay (Groundwood Books)
• Whalesong: The True Story of the Musician Who Talked to Orcas, by Zachariah Ohora, illustrated by Zachariah Ohora (Tundra Book Group)

PICTURE BOOK – INTEMEDIATE READERS 

Books for young readers in which the visual and verbal narratives together tell the story 

• Cactus Queen Minerva Hoyt Establishes Joshua Tree National Park, by Lori Alexander, illustrated by Jenn Ely (Calkins Creek/Astra Books for Young Readers) 
• Change is in the Air, by Debbie Levy, illustrated by Alex Boersma (Bloomsbury Publishing) 
• Frogs on the Mountain: The Mountain Yellow-Legged Frogs in Yosemite, by Adalgisa Nico and David Nico, illustrated by Andy Atkins (Mummert House Enterprises)
• Milkweed for Monarchs, by Christine Van Zandt, illustrated by Alejandra Barajas (Beaming)
• Sea Without a Shore: Life in the Sargasso, by Barb Rosenstock, illustrated by Katherine Roy (Norton Young Readers) 
• Secret Gardeners: Growing a Community and Healing the Earth, by Lina Laurent, illustrated by Maija Hurme (Pajama Press) 
• The Girl Who Planted Trees, by Caryl Hart, illustrated by Anastasia Suvorova (Nosy Crow) 
• The Last Zookeeper, by Aaron Becker, illustrated by Aaron Becker (Candlewick) 
• The Miracle Forest, by Ellen Dee Davidson, illustrated by Carolan Raleigh-Halsing (Willows)
• The Ocean Gardener, by Clara Anganuzzi, illustrated by Clara Anganuzzi (Tiger Tales) 
• Viewfinder, by Christine D.U. Chung & Salwa Majoka, illust by Christine D.U. Chung and Salwa Majoka (Tundra Book Group) 
• Water: Discovering the Precious Resource All Around Us, by Olga Fadeev, illustrated by Olga Fadeeva (Eerdmans) 
• Wild at Heart: The Story of Olaus and Mardy Murie, Defenders of Nature, by Evan Griffith, illustrated by Anna Bron (Sleeping Bear Press) 

CHILDREN'S FICTION 

Novels for young readers up to age 12 

• Emily Posts, by Tanya Lloyd Kyi (Tundra Book Group) 
• Gracie Under the Waves, by Linda Sue Park (Allida) 
• Legend Keepers: The Promise, by Bruce Smith, illustrated by Diana Smith (Hidden Shelf)
• No Time To Waste, by Carolyn Armstrong (Carolyn Armstrong Books) 
• Sylvia Doe and the 100-Year Flood, by Robert Beatty, illustrated by Jennifer Beatty (Disney Hyperion) 
• The Owl Prowl Mystery, by Diana Renn (Fitzroy Books/Regal House) 
• The Secret Language of Birds, by Lynne Kelly (Random House Children's Books)
• The Strange Wonders of Roots, by Evan Griffith, illustrated by Pascal Campion (Quill Tree)

CHILDREN'S NONFICTION  

Nonfiction books for young readers up to age 12                                              

• All Consuming: Shop Smarter for the Planet, by Erin Silver, illustrated by Suharu Ogawa (Orca)
• Galápagos Islands: The World's Living Laboratory, by Karen Romano Young, illustrated by Amy Grimes (What on Earth!) 
• In It to Win It: Sports and the Climate Crisis, by Erin Silver, illustrated by Pui Yan Fong (Orca)
• Kids Fight Extinction, by Martin Dorey, illustrated by Tim Wesson (Candlewick) 
• Let's Get Creative: Art for a Healthy Planet, by Jessica Rose, illustrated by Jarett Sitter (Orca)
• Rewild the World at Bedtime, by Emily Hawkins, illustrated by Ella Beech (The Quarto Group) 
• Taking Care of Where We Live: Restoring Ecosystems, by Merrie-Ellen Wilcox, illustrated by Amanda Key (Orca Book Publishers) 
• Whales and Us: Our Shared Journey, by India Desjardins, by Nathalie Dion (Orca)
• What Do We Eat?: How Humans Find, Grow and Share Food, by Megan Clendenan, illustrated by Meegan Lim (Orca Book Publishers) 
• What Poo Can Do: How Animals Are Fighting the Climate Crisis, by Yolanda Ridge 

Huge thanks to my IBBY Friend who was a judge for these awards (2021). I had not seen this award previously even though it has been running for 21 years. Here is the 2021 Picture Book winner:

Butterflies belong here

Mr George Baker by Amy Hest illustrated by Jon J Muth

"See this man? This one here, sitting on the porch?

That's Mr George Baker, and he's a hundred years old, no kidding."

Harry sits with Mr George Baker - it is clear this is a daily routine.

"See his pants, all baggy, baggy, baggy? What holds them up - suspenders!"

Mr George Baker is good a tying shoelaces but strangely he also has a book bag (a school bag) just like the one young Harry is carrying. There is a book inside his bag, but Mr George Baker cannot read. He is indeed a hundred years old, but he never learned how to read. Now we know where these friends are going. 

Finally, the yellow school bus arrives. There are twenty-two kids on the bus, but George always sits with Harry. Learning to read is hard but there is a gentle assurance at the end of this book that both of them will conquer this important skill with patience and perseverance. You might also like to listen to some gentle jazz tracks after reading this book - Mr George was once a fine jazz drummer and there is a lovely scene in this book where we see him dancing with his wife. 

Publisher blurb: George Baker and Harry don’t seem the likeliest of friends. Yet, sitting side by side on George’s porch, waiting for the school bus to come, the two have plenty in common, this hundred-year-old musician with the crookedy fingers going tappidy on his knees and the young schoolboy whose shoelaces always need tying. They’re both learning to read, which is hard — but what’s easy is the warm friendship they share. In an inspired pairing, a best-selling author and illustrator pay tribute to the power of language and intergenerational bonds.

I have been SO privileged to visit one of the best school libraries in an independent school here in Sydney over the last 8 years (minus those covid years) and every week I have been able to borrow new books, Australian books, picture books, translated picture books, books from Canada, books from USA, books from UK, books I will always cherish. Along the way this reading journey has led me to discover hundreds of new authors and even better hundreds of fantastic illustrators from all corners of the world. Sadly, my days of visiting this treasure trove may now be ending. Finding Mr George Baker is a great example of the books I have found in this library, and it is also a reminder that there were SO many more books I didn't discover. And it shows the joy that comes from discovering a wonderful book. Oh and yes this confirms why libraries are SO important as places that hold all kinds of books - old and new - because I am sure you have guessed Mr George Baker is long out of print. It was published in 2004 with a paperback edition in 2007. Here is the Kirkus review.

The Teacher-Librarian was curating a 'bulk loan' for the four Grade One classes in this school. A 'bulk loan' is the loan of piles of books on a theme or class topic. In this case their focus was/is a topic I call 'Life in the Olden days' with particular reference to changes to our homes, way of life, toys and clothing. As a library volunteer, I used the library catalogue (which is another excellent resource in this library) to hunt out and fill boxes with books on this topic. Along the way the Teacher-Librarian and I were talking about these two books which I had seen previously and then she mentioned Mr George Baker. 

I often cry over books and television advertisements and when little children sing at a school assembly but it is rare for me to cry over a picture book - Mr George Baker made me cry. It is a book to love and to read slowly and a book with the most beautiful illustrations. Amy Hest also made me cry over these middle grade books:

The Summer we found the baby

Remembering Mrs Rossi