The Fire, the Water, and Maudie McGinn by Sally J. Pla

I thought my summer would be safe. 

That I’d left all my troubles behind in Texas. 

But maybe troubles trail along with me like sparks along a fuse. 

Maybe I’m the trouble. 

Bad luck all the way around. 

What if there is no safe place for me to be?

Maudie spends term time with her mum and dangerous step father and holidays with her dad in a different part of the US. Her time with her dad is joyous and calm but just as she arrives a wildfire breaks out, her dad's cabin is burnt to the ground and so Maudie and her dad are forced to move to a caravan part at the beach in California. The park is in the area where her dad grew up. Dad finds it hard to get work which means money and food are scarce but Maudie discovers she can surf. At the end of summer this town hosts a famous surfing competition and one category is beginner. The prize money would certainly help Maudie's dad - so now she has a goal - to win!

Maudie has a very dysfunctional mother (and as a said a dangerous and abusive step father). Her mother is all about fame and appearances. She tolerates her but it is so clear that she wishes Maudie could change into the perfect daughter she imagined. Her mother fancies herself as a star of social media. 

I remember once Mom told her viewers, “Imagine if your only child refuses to give you so much as a hug,” which was a lie. Mrs. Jills, my therapist, trained me up to hug. So I’ll do it. But Mom told the camera: “Having a child like Maudie? I confess, while I love her dearly, sometimes it feels like God is testing me.” Well, I sort of think maybe God is testing me, too. The year I was ten, Mom put lots of blush on my pale cheeks so I would look healthier and made me come on her show with her. She said to the camera, “Maudie’s growing up so much! We hardly ever have to deal with her meltdowns or tantrums anymore. She’s so much more under control!” Then she grabbed my hand and swung it up, as if we’d won a race. Which was weird.

Obeying Mom was my job. Obeying Mom. Obeying Mrs. Jills. And now, I guess, obeying Ron.

A perceptive, poignant tale of self-discovery. Kirkus

I like the use of the word perceptive in the Kirkus review final sentence. Maudie does have autism but she is also deeply self-aware and this helps the reader gain a deeper insight into her reactions to other people and to the changes in her life. One thing you will quickly notice is that the autism makes Maudie hyper aware of smells and sounds. 

The Australian distributor has the first five chapters of The Fire, the Water and Maudie McGinn on their webpage. One of the great features of this book for readers is that while there are 72 chapters each chapter is only a page or two. This book is also a hybrid with verse novel sections interspersed between the narrative pages.

Here are a few text quotes:

I hate it when Mom calls Dad a lump of clay. If that’s what he is, then Mom’s a beautiful shard of glass: so pretty, you forget about her sharp, jagged edges. I’d rather be clay, like Dad. If you’re clay, you can mold and adapt to the new. And that’s what I always do. Mold myself into this or that kind of kid. Adapt. For teachers, for Mom, for Mrs. Jills, for Ron, for the other kids at school . . . I try hard to be the right kind of Maudie for each situation, for each thing. I’ve always felt sort of ashamed of this, but maybe it’s also a skill. To remold, instead of shatter. So yeah, there may be different versions of me for different times and different people, but they’re all made from the same clay of me.

I remember Ron swearing and swooping me off the step. Don’t remember much of anything else. Just a sort of tornado of rage. His hands grabbing my arms. His blood-red face. And I remember feeling like I deserved it all. That I was a dirty, broken kid. Not a nice, capable, normal kid. That’s why my mom had to hide herself, close herself off from me. She was ashamed of me. She had given up on me. That’s why we needed Ron, I guess. Because I was too much trouble for Mom to handle alone. I was too big a disappointment.

About why Dad and I understand each other so well and have a special bond. He hyperfocuses on woodworking, I hyperfocus on reading or writing or surfing. Dad gets overwhelmed sometimes, and so do I. He has a scatter-brain about some things, and a hyperorderly brain about other things. So do I. And we both are deeply uncomfortable around new people and new situations. . . . My insides are all squiggly with strange new feelings. I’m a little irritated, to tell the truth. I wish Dad had talked more to me about this before now. It would have helped me to feel less alone.

If I still worked in my former school library I would be very keen to share this book with Grade Six students because that school was located beside the beach and many of the students were keen surfers. In The Fire, the water and Maudie McGinn, Maudie learns to surf, displays some talent, and she is mentored by a surfing champion. Every surfing scene felt so authentic.

Before I know it, I’ve paddled out past the break, my arms pumping like machines. It’s choppy out here, but I turn and watch the horizon, watch the sets, and I find my waves. I pounce on everything I can possibly ride. I feel supercharged, like I’m in some kind of high-energy trance. I fall a few times, but I definitely get in a few good runs, too.

Awards:

• American Library Association Schneider Family Book Award
• Children’s Literature Council of SoCal Juvenile Fiction Award
• Publishers Weekly Starred Review
• NY Public Library Best Book
• Bank Street Best Book (starred for outstanding merit)
• Cybils Awards Finalist
• Oklahoma Sequoyah Award Finalist
• Alabama Yellowhammer Award – Honor Book
• 2024 Dog-Eared Book Award Winner
• “Reading MG” Top 15 Books of the Year
• Imagination Soup Best Books of the Year
• Mr. Colby Sharp’s Best Books of the Year

Bookseller blurb: Maudie always looks forward to the summers she spends in California with her dad. But this year, she must keep a troubling secret about her home life—one that her mom warned her never to tell. Maudie wants to confide in her dad about her stepdad's anger, but she’s scared. When a wildfire strikes, Maudie and her dad are forced to evacuate to the beach town where he grew up. It’s another turbulent wave of change. But now, every morning, from their camper, Maudie can see surfers bobbing in the water. She desperately wants to learn, but could she ever be brave enough? As Maudie navigates unfamiliar waters, she makes friends—and her autism no longer feels like the big deal her mom makes it out to be. But her secret is still threatening to sink her. Will Maudie find the strength to reveal the awful truth—and maybe even find some way to stay with Dad—before summer is over?

Read this detailed review from Ms Yingling. And here is an audio interview with the author.

Here is a quote from the interview:

I wanted it to be a book of hope and overcoming and realizing how important it is to speak out. And I guess maybe that’s partly from my own. I got diagnosed on the autism spectrum as an adult, and it took me a while to be able to speak out about it myself. And once I was able to talk about all the failures and the struggles of my past and what brought me to this point and all that stuff, it’s just so healthy to be able to talk about that, just to be open.

Given the physical and verbal abuse Ron has apparently dished out regularly, being trashed by waves is kid’s play for Maudie. It sure feels like Maudie has found her passion, and it is easy to imagine her and Dad together full-time, living in this great coastside town. Could that ever really happen? You can’t help wondering and hoping for a big break for Maudie and Dad (and a few broken bones for Ron). A Book and a hug

I picked up The Fire, the Water and Maudie McGinn because I previously really enjoyed this book by Sally J Pla:

The Someday Birds

Our Friend Hedgehog series by Lauren Castillo

“I have never, ever been without Mutty, and he has never been without me,” Hedgehog explained. “We need each other.” Mole was a very good listener. She nodded in all the right places and rested a comforting paw on Hedgehog’s quills. It felt good to have someone to talk to in this big, scary forest.

The cover will help you anticipate some of this plot. You can see a woodland setting, a toy dog wearing a jumper (sweater), a girl with a camera, an owl, beaver, mole and some chickens. With only ten short chapters and 128 pages this is a perfect book for a newly independent reader. And as a bonus it begins with a map! I also loved the way each character has a distinct voice and personality and Lauren Castillo has included some little jokes along the way. 

Here is an example: “Peep!” Chick Two bounced off Chick One. “Peep, peep!” Chick One bounced off Chick Two. And the two leap-chicked right back into the brush. “For peep’s sake!” groaned Beaver.

Opening sentence - Notice the way the narrator speaks directly to the reader:

Sometimes you make a friend and it feels like you have known that friend your entire life. Hedgehog, Mutty, Mole, Owl, Beaver, Hen and Chicks, and me, Annika Mae. You might think it has always been this way, but it has not. There was a series of events that brought us all together. This is our friendship story. This is the story of us.

Blurb from author page: Hedgehog lives on a teeny-tiny island with only her stuffed dog, Mutty, for company. When a great storm carries Mutty away, she embarks on a quest to find her friend. Following the trail of clues Mutty left behind, brave Hedgehog meets a wiggly Mole, a wordy Owl, a curmudgeonly Beaver, a scatterbrained Hen and Chicks, and a girl who's new to the neighborhood, Annika May. With bravery and teamwork, there's nothing that can stop these seven from finding Mutty, but along the way they discover something even more important: each other.

You will need to talk to your young reading companion about instamatic or Polaroid cameras!

Awards:

• Junior Library Guild Selection
• Bank Street College Best Children’s Book of the Year SELECTION 2021
• Chicago Public Library Best Books SELECTION 2020
• Kirkus Reviews Best Children’s Books SELECTION 2020
• School Library Journal Best Book of the Year SELECTION 2020
• ALSC Notable Children’s Books LONGLIST 2021

I saw the third book from this series mentioned on social media and I was curious BUT here in Australia these books are way outside the budget of a school library at over AUS$45 each. That's why I purchased the ebook version of Book One. I really enjoyed my dip into this series SO if these ever arrive here in paperback for a better price you might consider adding them to your school library - I am always on the hunt for simple early chapter books with colour illustrations and most importantly appealing stories.

Bookseller blurb: Autumn leaves are falling in Hedge Hollow, and the change in season brings with it a spiny surprise... another hedgehog! Is it friend or foe? Or is it . . . family? On the one paw, Hedgehog is excited to meet one of her own kind, but on the other paw, she has never felt so different—or distant—from her old friends. Where does Hedgehog belong, and who does she belong with? A journey upriver through an unfamiliar forest just might lead her home…

Bookseller blurb: When the humans of Hedge Hollow head off to school, Hedgehog and her furry, feathery friends decide to start a school of their very own! Owl will teach reading. Beaver will teach shop. Mole will teach geography. Hen will teach math. And Hedgehog . . . Hedgehog isn't so sure. After all, you have to be an expert to teach a class, don't you? Hedgehog doesn't feel like an expert in anything. Lucky for Hedgehog her friends are happy to lend a paw, sharing laughter and kind words as they figure out a solution.

Lauren Castillo studied illustration at the Maryland Institute College of Art and received her MFA from the School of Visual Arts in New York City. She is the author and illustrator of the 2015 Caldecott Honor winning book, Nana in the City, and new chapter book series, Our Friend Hedgehog. Lauren has also illustrated several critically acclaimed picture books, including Kirkus Prize finalist Imagine by Juan Felipe Herrera, Twenty Yawns by Jane Smiley, and Yard Sale by Eve Bunting. She currently draws and dreams in Harrisburg, PA.

Country by Aunty Fay Muir and Sue Lawson illustrated by Cheryl Davison

Country is past, present, future.

Country is songs and stories, art and ceremony.

Country is earth and sky, moon and stars.

Country is waterholes, creeks and rivers. Ocean and beaches. ...

Country is all living creatures. ...

Country is all of us. Country is how we behave, how we care for each other.

Just after this book was published I was in a bookshop with a friend and she commented that she would love to have a piece of art from this book Country. That certainly made me take a closer look. 

Fast forward to October this year and I spied Country at our local charity book sale - for just AUS$3 (retail price AUS$25). And yes, once again the copy is in mint condition so now I am the happy owner of this very special book.

There is a detailed annotation for Country on the National Centre for Children's Literature Indigenous books database. 

Image source: Artessence Gallery

Here are some teachers notes from Lamont. If you subscribe to Story Box Library you could share this book as a video - but in my view you should explore the print book (slowly) first.

Aunty Fay Stewart-Muir is an Elder and Traditional Owner of Boon Wurrung Country. She is the senior linguist at the Victorian Aboriginal Corporation for Languages in Melbourne. Fay is working with her own Boon Wurrung language, recording and putting language into the database for future and present generations. She presents language-related workshops to community members who are reclaiming their languages, as well as universities and TAFEs that are interested in understanding the many and challenging aspects of language reclamation. She also goes out to schools to educate the students about language and culture and to teach language. 

The images in this book are outstanding. The style employs the traditional dot style of indigenous art, with some additional flourishes. The palette is very earthy, black, white, oranges, reds, olive greens and browns. The depicted scenes vary from night time to ocean, to treetops with images of birds, fish, people, bats and other living creatures, giving readers a complete picture of what ‘country’ is.There is a quiet reverence that emanates from this book, and I can see it being used not just to learn about indigenous beliefs and culture, but also for mindfulness and connection. Reading Time

Other books by Aunty Fay Muir:

What the Sky Knows by Nike Bourke illustrated by Stella Danalis

 

My friend and I recently visited an enormous secondhand bookshop in the Southern NSW town of Berrigan. There were so many children's (and adult) book treasures. That is where I spied an old copy of What the Sky knows. Once upon a time this book was a library book (the date due slip is still inside) and it lived in Barooga which is near Berrigan - down on the Murray River.

I read this book to heaps of children in my former school library back in 2006 and twenty years later it has lingered with me (see my post from 2019). What the Sky Knows was published in 2005 and it was shortlisted in two categories for the CBCA’s Book of the Year (Early Childhood and Picture Book) in 2006. YES, I can heart you saying - but this book is long out of print and that is true - but I worry so much about our rush to find the newest book or newest thing or newest fad - which can mean older things like this scrumptious picture book are overlooked or lost in all the 'noise'. 

There are two things to notice about this book - one is the brief, but beautifully poetic text and the other is the retro-style collage illustrations. You can see the style of illustrations on this web page from Stella Danalis. 

I want to know what the sky knows

How to be blue

or grey

or pink

How to make clouds

or stars

Have tea with the angels

Hold the sun like an orange

or carry birds

I want to know how to make rain fall

or leaves dance

How to be so loud mum can hardly hear herself think

or so quiet she can't find me

I want to sail to the ends of the earth

And ride the wild winds home

If you can find this book in your school or local library it would be a wonderful text to use in an art lesson - you could share the text without the illustrations. Let the group work on their own creative images and then share the work by Stella Danalis. I would then share Mallee Sky as a contrasting text.

Bookseller blurb: This stunning picture book invites the reader to fly with birds and angels, float with clouds and balloons, to change colours, blow breezes and stir up storms. What the Sky Knows challenges the traditional way of reading picture and text. Stella Danalis has used visual tricks and jokes in a very contemporary manner which will immediately engage young readers. The illustrations are bright and vivacious, and like the text, full of imagination, curiosity and wonder. They make a strong initial impact through bold images and good use of primary colours. The variety of shades, patterns and textures, which are skillfully embedded within the pictures, create a collage effect. This additional detail contributes to the richness of the picture book and its ability to engage the reader. Follow a dreamer's journey through the vibrant landscapes of a child's world.

I think this might be the only picture book by Nike Bourke. Stella Danalis also illustrated Schumann the Shoeman.

2010 Shortlisted CBCA Picture Book of Year

IBBY Australia Mini Masterpiece art auction - Meet Judy Watson

 

Auction of 48 Mini Masterpiece art works runs from 14th - 28th November 2025

Judy was born in 1966 and grew up in an outdoorsy veterinary family, passionate about animals, art and books. She worked as a veterinary nurse while studying literature and art history at the University of Melbourne before travelling overseas. There she worked in a London theatre and painted in a garret in Brixton. After returning to Australia in 1995 she worked in revegetation and Landcare, whilst developing a graphic design business and found her way into children’s book illustration.   

Judy’s fine art practice typically incorporates mixed media techniques including printmaking and collage for her smaller pieces. But she also paints larger works in acrylics. These are often painted on found panels or upcycled surfaces.

Judy Watson has illustrated a number of children's books, including Goodnight Mice! by Frances Watts, which won the Prime Minister's Literary Award for Children's Fiction in 2012, Searching for Cicadas by Lesley Gibbes, shortlisted for the Eve Pownall Award for Information Books in the 2020 CBCA Book of the Year awards, and Leonard Doesn't Dance by Frances Watts which was selected by the International Youth Library for the White Ravens 2020 Catalogue. She lives and works in Frankston, Victoria. (Source Allen and Unwin).  Here is her Instagram page. 

When I was judging the CBCA Book of the Year award we were sent When You're Older and I just marveled at the colourful and lively illustrations. In fact, I loved this book so much that I gifted it to a young family with two little boys. Read the Kirkus review.

When you're Older

Here are edited comments by one of the judges:

The boldness of the design and illustration of the wrap around front cover grabbed me from the start. There were visual references to Elmer and Max from Where the Wild Things Are.  The body language of the bored and frustrated older sibling is captured so effortlessly. The shapes of the digital collage pieces have different textures and ratios of size (e.g. the squiggles on the baby suit are much finer than the pattern on the plant pot.) - this gives an illusion of depth and solidity of scene. This blue then turns to teal and peacock green on the following pages, but once again acts as a path or vein to follow across the pages.  All the other creatures and plants are highly patterned, but the dog has a very flat and plane shape and texture - linking him back to the reality of the opening scene. There is such movement on the opening with the seagulls hovering across the top of the page and the crab pincers up, stealing the hot chips. Judy Watson's use of texture for the water creates a sense of shimmering on the ocean. The negative space of the white used to create the glacier is quite extraordinary. The wild dogs pulling their sleds race across the page from left to right indicating a wildness of speed. The design of the binoculars framing the close up of the seal in ingenious. Simple yet sophisticated. 

Page from the French edition of When you're older (Source)

I have a beautiful art piece in my home from the book Thunderstorm Dancing. 

Blurb: When a sunny day at the beach turns stormy, a little girl runs for cover. Her daddy and brothers are wild in the wind and lightning, and her poppy is as loud as thunder. They fill the house with stamping and crashing while Granny plays piano to their riotous thunderstorm dancing, until the storm passes and they all fall down. Then, in the stillness, the girl is ready to play. What will she be, now that the rain has stopped and there's a glimmer of sunlight? Read more here

Now there is an opportunity to own another. Judy talks about our auction in a 13th November blog post and she has generously donated five pieces to our IBBY Australia Mini Masterpiece art auction. Here are two of them:

Faces at the pet parade

Unicorn at the pet parade

Judy Watson illustrated Searching for Cicadas for the Walker Nature Storybook series - this is a book that should be in every Australian library because Cicadas are such a quintessential part of our Australian Summer.

From the few book examples I have shared here you can see Judy Watson is a master of many forms of illustration. Here are more images of her work. Now take a look at another piece she has contributed to our auction (she has five pieces).

"Trent"

Description from Judy Watson: Trent is sometimes gloomy at parties. The music is not to his taste, or the tomato sauce runs out before he gets his hot dog, or the host’s children ask impertinent questions about his feet. (He’s sensitive about his feet.) When Trent is gloomy, he stands beside the door to the kitchen – not inside the kitchen where the lights are bright and people may ask him to help slice celery. It’s better just outside, where he can snatch a sausage roll off the tray at the moment it comes through the door. If someone speaks to him, he points to his beak and makes apologetic munching sounds.  But today Trent is not gloomy. He has eaten two hot dogs with an abundance of tomato sauce, and Madness are playing at just the right volume. Trent has taken over the dance floor in just the way he used to at kindergarten. Back then, the teacher scolded him for waving his wings about with a ‘total disregard for others’. Today there is no teacher, everyone else has shuffled back to the walls and Trent is the life of the party. 

Leonard doesn't dance

Blurb: All the birds are excited about the Big Beaky Bird Ball -- except Leonard. His warble-warble waltz with the magpies is more wobble-wobble, and his caw-caw can-can with the crows is a can't-can't. The puffins are prancing, the rosellas are rocking and you should see the flamingo go-go-go! Everyone is jumping and jiving, but not Leonard. Leonard doesn't dance. Then an unexpected encounter changes everything ...

Here is a new book illustrated by Judy Watson:

Read the Kids' Book Review review

Her newest picture book is Jo and the No by Kyle Mewburn. 

Runt and the Diabolical Dognapping by Craig Silvey

"How are you feeling?

Annie looks down.

Nobody looks back up at her.

Because there is a Runt-shaped hole in her world."

Recently Craig Silvey spoke at an event here in Sydney and a few days later I bought myself a copy of his new book (sequel to Runt). I started my reading that day but after just 31 pages I stopped. I first read Runt back in 2022 and since that time I have read hundreds of other books and so many small plot details from Runt have evaporated from my memory. Thank goodness the library where I work as a volunteer had a copy of Runt and so on Tuesday last week I revisited the first installment of Runt. With 342 pages, and a few detours into other books on my enormous to read pile, I finished Runt for the second time on Sunday morning. It is now Tuesday afternoon and I have just finished Runt the Diabolical Dognapping which has a whopping 406 pages. Readers do need knowledge of the first book about Runt to really appreciate all the twists and turns and motivations and drama of the second installment. 

Craig Silvey has done it again. He kept me reading and reading desperate to discover how all his disparate story elements could possibly reach that all important happy ending. This is also one of those books where the clock is ticking - Annie only has one month to win another competition and hopefully be reunited with her precious friend. 

This latest book is filled with heroes, tales of past deeds, deceptions, new friendships, puns, jokes, determination, and of course it culminates in another all-important dog competition. The story rips along because it stars Annie who we all adore from the first book but in this tale Runt is missing. As the title tells you - he has been dognapped. Of course, this new story does need a dog - we met this puppy at the end of the first book. She arrived with Bernadette Box - her name is Little Annie. Oh, and there is also a new competition - have you heard of this - it is called "dances with dogs" and yes, it is a real thing. Craig Silvey explained in his Sydney talk that he watched hundreds of hours of competitions so that he could include accurate details in his story.

BUT wait there is more to Runt and the Diabolical Dognapping. If you have read Runt you may have been left with a few questions - the answers to all of these and many more form the framework for the second book. I wonder if Craig Silvey is a plotter - did be map all his story threads out before writing his book?

Here are some of the questions that you might want answered (but there are lots more):

• Where was Runt before he met Annie?
• How did Runt learn to perform 'tricks'?
• What makes Runt such a loyal friend?
• Why does Runt adore Mush dog food?
• And there is question (spoiler maybe) about the real fate of the terrible villain - Earl Robert- Baron?

I love the cast of characters from Upson Downs. The policeman Detective Bayleaf reminded me of the bumbling policeman in the television show Doc Martin: Joe Penhale the local police officer in the town of Portwenn. The Mayor Barry Casserole made me think of the local politician Bill Heslop from Muriel's Wedding and also one of the pompous judges from Strictly Ballroom - Barry Fyfe with (in the movie) his silly toupee. It is easy to see that this second book is very cinematic - I know there is a movie of Runt and a play will be presented in 2026. After reading this second installment I'm sure there will be a second movie. 

In this book I also enjoyed all the puns, funny names with double meanings, foreshadowing, subplots, flashbacks and side stories, and the way Rupert Broadsheet sounds like he has swallowed a thesaurus. 

Another thing that Craig Silvey includes in his book are heaps of wonderful descriptions of clothing - they are all so 'over the top' and yet it is funny that at every author event Craig himself always wears the same plain long-sleeved navy tee shirt. Here are a few examples:

"Camilla is resplendent in a cream satin dress and a silver necklace. Doreen is vividly tropical in a teal polyester pantsuit, neon mango lipstick and polished brass seashell earrings. She has a fresh perm, a teased fringe and a voice like a started macaw."

"Barry wears a yellow shirt tucked into high brown shorts. His head is host to a thick and conspicuous toupee. His large glasses slide slowly down his nose, causing him to periodically scrunch his face in a manner that reminds Annie Shearer of a nervous rabbit."

"He wears a peach short-sleeved shirt, a eucalyptus green tie, mustard coloured shorts, white knee-high socks, black leather sandals and his official chain of office."

"The man wears a powder blue seersucker jacket, plum corduroy pants, a crisp cream shirt and leather loafers. He is tall, with ivory skin and a sensible haircut."

If you are looking for a fantastic present for a young reader why not buy both books about Runt. I adore their cover illustrations by Sara Acton, and the publisher has added a dust jacket which is a rare thing here in Australia, and the end papers are perfect and if you pop these two books side by side on your bookshelf they will look very impressive. Here is the Instagram account for Sara Acton where you can see some illustrations from the second book about Runt.  Note if you are in the US Runt has a different cover, title and a different illustrator. 

IBBY Australia are holding an online auction as a fund raiser. If you are reading this post in Australia between 14 and 28 November 2025 take a look at our Auction page. This is the illustration kindly donated to the auction by Sara Acton.

There is a link to the very detailed teaching notes on the publisher web page and also an interview with Craig Silvey and the notes also have some video links to explore.

Publisher blurb: Six weeks have passed since Annie Shearer and Runt competed valiantly at the Krumpets Dog Show. The town of Upson Downs is rejuvenated. The grass is green. The rivers are flowing. And a Tournament of Champions has just been announced, with the world's best canine talent invited to showcase their skills in the Grand Ballroom of the abandoned Robert-Barren estate. But as preparations for the event get underway, Runt mysteriously goes missing, and a trail of suspicious clues surround his doghouse. Annie's worst fears are confirmed when she discovers a ransom note with a peculiar demand: she must win it all to see her friend again. It's up to Annie and her brother Max – now an intrepid investigative reporter with the Upson Downs Speculator – to rescue Runt before it's too late.

This sequel also delivers in spades Silvey’s trademark sharp wordplay and clever wit. This story is a shining example of the power of unwavering kindness, selfless compassion and empathy. It illustrates how these virtues can be a catalyst for profound change to embrace the gift of second chances and experience life with a renewed purpose and richness. Reading Opens Doors

With a cleverly constructed plot, hilarious, corny characters, and more mysteries than you can shake a bone at, this sequel left me with warm fuzzies from top to toe. There are stories within the story which are wonderful themselves, which are then effortlessly woven into the heart wrenching finale. What Book Next

The Walker Treasury of First Rhymes

There are twenty-three rhymes, nursery rhymes, action rhymes, nonsense rhymes and poems in this small anthology. Many come from picture books such as a double page spread from Ten Little Fingers Ten Little toes illustrated by Helen Oxenbury. This book was also released with a different cover and title - The Walker Book of First Rhymes. 

The Walker Treasury of First Rhymes is from 1996 (my edition 2002) so it is out of print but I am talking about it here because this book is a perfect springboard to discover authors and illustrators - hopefully you already know lots of these names - but in my mind, in a family, if you do find this book you could make a list of the contributors and then take that list to your local library and find more books to share with your young reading companions. This also harks back to one of my topics this year - building your field knowledge. I have read that this book is the second in a series from Walker Books - there was also one filled with Animal stories; The Walker Book of Bear stories; and The Walker Book of Bedtime stories.

This is a very distorted picture of the contents:

Who is inside this book? There are lots of names I know really well. Creators who have written and illustrated books that I highly recommend:

Helen Craig is famous for her Angelina Ballerina book series. I also love her three books that begin with The Night of the Paper Bag monsters. 

Suzie and Alfred in The Night of the Paper Bag Monsters

Nicola Bayley has illustrated other nursery rhyme books, but my personal favourite is The Mousehole Cat.

Emma Chichester Clark has illustrated so many books but for this post I will mention her Blue Kangaroo series which are perfect to read aloud.

It was You Blue Kangaroo

Sarah Fox-Davies another illustrator whose work I love. Look for Little Beaver and the Echo.

Arnold Lobel this is one hugely famous name - think of Frog and Toad and his Little Bear series. I also own a wonderful poetry anthology with his illustrations.

Michael Foreman illustrates a wide range of books. You often see his work inside books by Michael Morpurgo. My own favourite is for slightly older readers:

War and Peas

Charlotte Voake - check out my recent Meet the Illustrator post.

Clara Vulliamy is the daughter of Shirley Hughes. She has created some terrific junior book series which I highly recommend you add to your school library such as Mango and Bambang and Dixie O'Day.

Mango and Bambang

Shirley Hughes - here is my tribute post.

Michael Rosen - you know him for so many books but probably his most famous is We're going on Bear hunt illustrated by Helen Oxenbury. And this year they have teamed up again to create another picture book together very reminiscent of the classic book by Pat Hutchins Don't forget the Bacon.

Helen Oxenbury - read more here. My favourites are the very old series about Tom and Pippo - if you ever find these hold them close - they are truly SO special and should never have gone out of print.

Catherine and Laurence Anholt have written over 200 books. You are certain to find some in your local library. 

Quentin Blake has written and illustrated over 500 books. Right now you can visit exhibitions of his work in Dorset UK, Salford UK and in Marseille in France! You have seen his work in books by Roald Dahl.

Nick Sharratt