The Pencil by Susan Avingaq

When Susan's mother leaves their iglu to help a neighbour with a birth, she and her sister Rebecca and brother Peter are left in the care of their father. Play for the children includes having a jumping contest, a game of hide-and-seek and the two older girls practicing their letters on the frost surface of the ice window. But when Ataata pulls out the pencil from the special box of Anaana's things, everything changes. The pencil is already very short from Anaana's writing of letters to people in other camps, using whatever paper she might save including from tea boxes and sugar bags, but it is still gold. Anaana always said that we needed to be very careful with the pencil and that it wasn't a toy. Ataata also gives Susan a piece of paper and suggests she draw pictures for her brother. Though nervous, she draws seals and caribou and her family. Then Rebecca practices her writing, and Peter draws some scribbles and their father draws different inuksuit. The pencil gets shorter and Ataata has to sharpen it with his knife. Source: CanLit for Little Canadians

Authors Avingaq and Vsetula understand life in Nunavut, Canada, and embed in the story the importance of being responsible for belongings and caring for them wisely. A helpful glossary of the Inuktitut words (italicized on first reference within the story) is included in the backmatter. Kirkus

Listen to an audio sample here. This book (2019) is available here in Australia but sadly it will be well beyond the budget of most school libraries. 

While we were in Canada my friend and I tried to read lots of Canadian indigenous titles. The Pencil is one we found in library and it is a story that has lingered with me. My friend had talked about this book previously in this blog post. 

At the IBBY Congress in Ottawa IBBY launched their newest list: IBBY-UNESCO Collection of Remarkable Books in Indigenous and Endangered Languages.

This list links with International Decade of Indigenous Languages (2022–2032).

The Collection is both a celebration and a call to action. It invites readers, educators, publishers and institutions worldwide to discover the richness of books created in Indigenous and endangered languages, while encouraging the production and dissemination of new works. By highlighting stories rooted in diverse linguistic and cultural contexts, it affirms that languages are not only to be preserved, but to be actively used, shared and continuously reimagined. The development of this Collection has been both an ambitious and deeply enriching process. The final Collection offers a journey across regions and traditions, showcasing how children, through more than 152 languages, engage with stories that reflect their realities, imaginations and identities.

Over 500 titles were submitted from around the world and 169 were eventually selected for this inaugural list representing 150 languages. You can see the full list with detailed annotations here. I previously talked about the book by David A Robertson from Cananda that is included on this list. He was a Keynote speaker at the IBBY Congress. 

Here are the criteria for the UNESCO IBBY List:

● Books for children and young people (picture books, novels, biographies, graphic novels and nonfiction) presenting high-quality standards in terms of text and/or illustration; 

● books published between January 2018 and December 2025; 

● books originally published in an Indigenous and/or an endangered language, and original bilingual books including at least one Indigenous and/or endangered language;  

● books expressing the intention of, or relation to, one or more of the 10 outputs of the Global Action Plan of the International Decade of Indigenous Languages; and 

● books and publications that adhere to UNESCO principles and respect 

political neutrality. 

Here are a few of the Australian titles:

These books are not included in the IBBY UNESCO catalogue but they were some I read in the Bill Reid Gallery in Vancouver:

You can read more about these and many others here.

Grandma Chickenlegs by Geraldine McCaughrean illustrated by Moira Kemp

Following the tradition of Cinderella, following the death of her mother, a stepmother arrives in the home and the father heads away on business. The awful stepmother in this story is making beautiful clothes for her own two daughters and has set Tatia to menial household tasks and of course gives her no food. She then hatches a plan to 'get rid of' young Tatia. She sends her into the woods to ask the witch named Grandma Chickenlegs for a sewing needle. Young Tatia is able to take the little rag doll gifted to her by her late mother. This magic doll will be vital to her survival. 

You might expect, as I did, that Tatia would complete a series of good deeds and that Grandma Chickenlegs would reward her with treasures or a better life but alas this is not the case. Grandma Chickenlegs is evil. She sets Tatia to work weaving at the loom all night. Then we read these really chilling words:

"Heat the water and fill the bath. You know I like my food washed before I eat it." 

Perhaps I should have talked about Hansel and Gretel.

Tatia is by nature a very kind child. When Grandma Chickenlegs gives her white bread rolls, butter and bacon she readily shares these with the cat (bacon), the dog (the rolls), and the squeaky door (the butter). Later she also gifts her ribbon to the magic elm tree in the garden.

Her kindness means she is aided in four perfect ways and so she is able to escape from the witch (Grandma Chicklegs) and even better she meets her absent father at the end of her journey. On his return home he banishes the evil stepmother and her daughters and Tatia along with the cat and dog all live happily ever after.

When you share this book (I hope you can find it in a library) with your class or library group you could use this sentence to talk about word placement:

"Around the garden, on four scratching, paltry legs ran the bleak shack. Its fence was made from whitening bones, the gateposts topped with skulls. The front door swung on its hinges squealing like a thing in pain. Its keyhole gnashed tiny, tinny teeth."

Moira Kemp's illustrations are bright and colorful -- almost comical in the scenes in Grandma Chickenlegs's house, and cheerful when Tatia is at home with her father. Pictures cover most of both pages of the open book, with text integrated into one side. Little details, like the curlers in Grandma's green hair when she's awakened, her teddy bear, and the iron teeth left on the nightstand, will appeal to observant readers. MLIS Understanding

Using twisted perspectives and vigorously applied colors, Kemp creates a set of wild, garishly lit climactic scenes dominated by the grimacing, green-skinned granny—perfect counterpart to McCaughrean’s colorful prose style... Kirkus

I am a fan of Geraldine McCaughrean but looking at her web page I can see there are SO many more of her books that I need to find and read! She has written more than 170. Click here to see some I have talked about here. I especially plan to re-read Pack of Lies. 

Boy oh boy I SO wish I had discovered this book (published in 2020) back when I was in my school library - it is one that I would have loved to share with my library readers in Grade 3 or 4 and then we would have read The Talking Eggs:

The Talking eggs

My friend recommended Grandma Chickenlegs because we were talking about this Middle Grade book I read recently and I commented that I needed to know more about Baba Yaga. It is interesting that both stories involve a magical doll. 

A Wolf for a Spell

Will's Race for Home by Jewell Parker Rhodes illustrated by Olga and Aleksey Ivanov

Opening lines:

My father is a far-thinking man. He stands, feet firmly planted on ground, his hand over his eyes blocking the blinding sun. I stand to the left of him, stroking Belle, our gray mule. For what seems like hours, Father stares at the horizon. I can’t imagine what he sees. Not truly. I asked once: “What’re you looking at?” Without looking at me, he answered, “Dirt.” Dirt is all around. Not worth staring at, I think. Near or far, it’s all Texas soil.

And the story continues:

It feels as though Ma and I have a pact. I don’t know what our pact is, but Ma includes me in ways Father never does. She makes sweet treats, tucks me in bed, kisses my forehead, and, sometimes, lets me have a carrot for Belle. She talks to me calm, sensible. Yes, Father is a far-thinking man. Father’s life isn’t here or now. It’s out there, somewhere else, in a future time. I think I’m too close to him, too near to count.

Father works hard on the farm but while it is true he is no longer a slave, most of the profits from his cotton go to the landowner. Father cannot read but he brings home a notice from the market:

Father and Will set off on their long journey of 400 miles with their faithful mule Belle. "Belle will have to pull for eight hours a day for forty days.”

Nearly a month of travel, Father’s body is more relaxed. He still doesn’t talk much, but there’s an ease, a calm about him. The farther we get from Mr. Thompson’s farm, the more the wide-open, remote land stirs him with wonder.

Going back to the title - Will is racing because there is limited land and thousands of people are rushing to claim their share. It is also a race because Father hopes to make a new home for his wife and his own elderly father. Finally it is a race because three armed men are chasing them after a terrible altercation in one of the towns on their journey. Luckily their new friend Caesar, a former slave and soldier, was able to rescue Will during a robbery of their wagon and he has now joined them on the trail, but these three white cowboys are out for revenge. 

It is so sweet to read the way old Belle their mule loves Caesar's huge horse Midnight. 

Belle loves Midnight. Midnight loves Belle. Standing close to each other, they share water, hay. Belle nudges Midnight’s flank; Midnight rubs his chin against her. Ears flat, Belle is happy. Ears pointed, Midnight scans the surroundings, keeping them safe. No snake or coyote will surprise him. When Midnight is nearby, Belle tugs the wagon with extra energy. It’s like she’s showing off. Resting, like now, they keep close enough to touch.

If you are book talking Will's Race for Home, I suggest reading chapter 22 - the river crossing - it is a dramatic and life-threatening scene which will have your library group on the edge of their seats. (There is also a similar scene in One Big Open Sky but with a more devastating outcome).

Publisher blurb: It's 1889, barely twenty-five years after the Emancipation Proclamation, and a young Black family is tired of working on land they don't get to own. So when Will and his father hear about an upcoming land rush, they set out on a journey from Texas to Oklahoma, racing thousands of others to the place where land is free-if they can get to it fast enough. But the journey isn't easy-the terrain is rough, the bandits are brutal, and every interaction carries a heavy undercurrent of danger. And then there's the stranger they encounter and befriend: a mysterious soldier named Caesar, whose Union emblem brings more attention-and more trouble-than any of them need. All three are propelled by the promise of something long denied to them: freedom, land ownership, and a place to call home-but is a strong will enough to get them there?

Here is a video of Colby Sharp explaining how much he loved this book. This book is about US History but I am sure readers here in Australia aged 10+ will enjoy this thrilling tale of heroism and the wild west and as a bonus this is a fairly short book which might surprise you because it is filled with action and danger. Listen to an audio sample here. You can see more books by Jewell Parker Rhodes here. 

Here is a fabulous character description from this book that you could use as a model with your older students:

Off to the right is the first Black man I’ve seen during the journey. He reminds me of a great-tailed grackle. Long legs, face. His ankle-length coat, like a bird’s tail, sweeps and gleams iridescent—purplish black. His skin is obsidian dark; his clothes duller, more ash. Even his Stetson hat is black. He leans his shoulder against one of the posts outside the Pioneer Saloon. He doesn’t seem to mind the flow of weary travelers and loud drunks passing by. His dark eyes seem to see everything. Even me!

Jewell Parker Rhodes writes this quick, slick, gripping paean to the Western genre while also tying in fantastic historical details and an overarching tale of a boy and his father bonding at last. ... (This book is) Short and sweet, exciting and touching. Fuse8 Betsy Bird SLJ

Reading this review by Betsy Bird I learned a new term "exodusters". Read more here. 

Will’s Race for Home is a powerhouse Western and coming-of-age story set during a pivotal historical period. Populated with dynamic characters who grow impressively throughout the story, this slim historical fiction title explores an under-examined period in Black history with sensitivity and a spirit of adventure. Readers will be on the edge of their seats as the protagonist navigates moral dilemmas and leaps of faith to find a home for his family. Reading Middle Grade

The short chapters make this fast-paced and eventful ride through the West an accessible and engaging read. Kirkus Star review

Companion book:

One Big Open Sky

Waiting for the Whales by Sheryl McFarlane illustrated by Ron Lightburn

"When he spotted the orcas that year, he carried his granddaughter to the water's edge and held her up so she could see. And although she didn't understand, he told her all about the whales that he had watched since he was small."

The old man lives alone until his daughter returns with her baby. The grandfather and little girl become inseparable watching for whales, cooking and tending his large garden. As the little girl grows the old man grows weary until one day he dies but the little girl knows when she watches those glorious orca whales, she can see his spirit.

Bookseller blurb: Waiting for the Whales illuminates the unique friendship between grandparent and child and celebrates the restorative power of the natural world. An old man lives alone on a bluff overlooking the sea, tends his garden and waits. Only when the whales return each year to the bay in front of his cottage is his loneliness eased. Until, one day, an unexpected visitor arrives. Originally published over thirty years ago, this award-winning picture book is sure to enchant a whole new generation of readers.

Awards: 

1991 CLA Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon Illustrator's Award winner 

1992 Elizabeth Mrazik-Cleaver Award winner 

1991 Governor General's Literary Award - Illustration winner 

1992 IODE Book Award - Toronto Chapter winner

2015 Today's Parent's Best Canadian Kids Books list selection commendation

1991 CLA Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon Illustrator's Award winner

1991 Governor General's Literary Award - Illustration winner

1991 Canadian Library Association (CLA) Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon Illustrator's Award winner

1992 International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) Canada Canadian Picture Book Award 

2016 Today's Parent's 100 best Canadian kids' books of all time commendation

The perfect companion book is:

The Whales' Song

I was in Canada in August this year, and my friend and I visited a terrific children's bookshop on Vancouver Island in the village or town or suburb of Sidney called Tanners Books. Sheryl McFarlane lives in Victoria on Vancouver Island.

I spied another book called Jessie's Island and I purchased it then when I came home, I discovered I already own this book by Sheryl McFarlane - Waiting for the Whales - which I picked up in 1994 when I lived in Canada and had the idea to collect one book from each Providence or Territory.

Blurb: When Jessie's mother suggests they invite Thomas to visit their island, Jessie wonders glumly what she could possibly write in her letter that would sound as exciting as zoos, planetariums or video arcades. But as Jessie looks out over her island home, she sees a world of endless variety, from killer whales in the strait and bald eagles soaring overhead to anemones in tide pools and tiny hermit crabs on the shore. She thinks of countless days spent exploring, fishing, swimming and canoeing.

You can see more books illustrated by Sheena Lott here including one by David Suzuki and one about knitting which I know will intrigue my friend from Kinderbookswitheverything. 

Here are some picture books by Sheryl McFarlane:

Ron Lightburn is the illustrator of a book I used to have in my library called How Smudge Came. He also illustrated another book by Sheryl McFarlane called Eagle Dreams. You can read more about Ron Lightburn here. 

Australian Prime Minister's Literary Awards 2026 winners

 

From Facebook: Offering the richest prize in the nation, with a tax-free prize pool of $600,000, the Awards recognise the outstanding talents of Australian writers, illustrators, poets, and historians.

“Congratulations to all of this year’s winners, whose work demonstrates the depth and diversity of Australian literature. Our stories connect us across generations, cultures and communities, and allow the world to see Australia through Australian eyes.”  — Prime Minister of Australia, the Hon Anthony Albanese MP

Meet the winners: 

📗FICTION: ‘A Piece of Red Cloth’ by Leonie Norrington, Merrkiyawuy Ganambarr-Stubbs, Djawa Burarrwanga and Djawundil Maymuru 

📗NON-FICTION: ‘The Red House’ by Kate Wild 

📗POETRY: ‘Two Hundred Million Musketeers’ by Ender Başkan 

📗AUS HISTORY: ‘The Southern Frontier’ by Rohan Howitt 

📗YOUNG ADULT LIT: ‘Drift’ by Pip Harry  

📗CHILDREN'S LIT: ‘Song of a Thousand Seas’ by Zana Fraillon

I gave both of these FIVE stars and both are Verse Novels which is a form I love and admire. In 2022 the judges also selected a verse novel in the Children's Literature category - Mina and the Whole Wide world. Click the label Verse Novel on this post to discover more books using this format. I have talked about other books by Pip Harry and Zana Fraillon on this blog too. 

Drift by Pip Harry

Song of a Thousand Seas by Zana Fraillon

The Prime Minister's Literary Awards began in 2008. Some previous winners include:

2014 Silver Buttons

2015 One Minute's Silence

2016 Sister Heart

2017 Home in the Rain

2018 Pea Pod Lullaby

2019 His Name was Walter

2021 How to Make a Bird

2022 Mina and the Whole Wide World

2025 Leo and Ralph

The Swallow who Stayed by Philip Giordano translated by Arielle Aaronson

Welcome proof that seasons may come and go, but friendship is forever. Kirkus

Opening sentences. "Every spring Iris returned to the forest where she was born. She was always the first to arrive, appearing suddenly over the tops of the cherry trees."

The seasons change and it time for the swallows to fly south but Iris is worried. 

"What happens to the forest when we leave?"

The other birds fly away but for the first time Iris sees the autumn colours of red and yellow. The oldest swallow has gifted her an acorn necklace for good luck. Winter arrives:

"Now the forest seemed to be sleeping. Iris flew through the silent skies, and it felt like she was the only bird in the world."

It is so cold. Iris lies down in the snow but someone has seen the sparkling acorn - a squirrel named Sam. He gives her a warm home and comfort during the long nights - he even reads to her from his big book. The final sentence of this book will warm your heart. 

This is a book I would share with very young children but also right up to age 9. Highly recommended.

The Swallow who Stayed was originally published in French with the title L'hirondelle qui voulait voir l'hiver.

If you work with older students even at a university level this book is a perfect one to use as an example of fabulous book design and visual literacy. It also has perfect text placement and page turns. You can see more art from this book on the Canadian publisher page.

Here are some other books about bird migration that I highly recommend:

Lucy Goosey

Is this Panama?

Philip Giordano is an Italian illustrator born in a small coastal town in Liguria, of Philippine and Swiss descent. He attended the Brera Fine Arts Academy in Milan, the IED (European Institute of Design) and subsequently gained a Masters in Animation Techniques in Turin. He now lives in Japan. You can see pages from his book I Ate Sunshine for Breakfast here.

My friend spied this book The Swallow who Stayed in a bookstore in Canada - Tanner's Books. We were both very restricted with our luggage and so had to limit our purchases of picture books, especially hardcover ones. This is one of the three books my friend decided to buy and bring home. Here in Australia this book is over AUS$35 while in Canada it was CAN$24.

A modern fable about an iconoclastic swallow who decides to stay. YS Book Reviews

The Swallow who Stayed is not a Canadian picture book (although the English edition is from a Canadian publisher), but it was the editor of this book that caught our eye - Kallie George. Here are some other books by Kallie George:

Find all my blog posts about Kallie George's books here

The Fabric of Us by Aditi Anand

Papa's sewing machine fills the house with sounds and colourful fabrics but one day the house falls silent. Now it is just the little girl and her Dad and the silence seems to stretch on and on. How can the little girl help restore their happiness.

I saw this book promoted on Social Media and the illustrations looked so special. This is a new book published in 2026. The paperback from Walker Books is an affordable price.  You can see Aditi Anand speaking about her book here. You can see more art from Aditi Anand on Instagram.

Publisher blurb: The sound of Papa’s sewing machine fills the family home: Snip! Whirr! Clank! Click Click Click! But one day everything changes and the house is silent... This is a poignant and moving picture book about dealing with grief and bereavement, as a little girl copes with the death of one of her fathers. The family bond over Papa’s love for sewing, and in this sensitively told story, the little girl rediscovers this hobby with her father and together, they find a way to remember Papa.

Anand’s vibrant mixed-media illustrations, full of childlike ingenuity, supplement her spare text. Visual cues such as Hindi newsprint in the collage images, Papa’s kurta and footwear, and a turbaned Sikh man in a bazaar establish the setting as India. Color is used effectively to plot the protagonist’s emotional journey. Full-bleed spreads burst with warm hues until Papa’s death, when the colorful backgrounds become steeped in gray-blue. The final illustrations of a patchwork memory piece that Dad and the child create to remember Papa cleverly combine fuchsia, orange, and yellow patterns from the fabrics worn by this family unit and signal a return to color—and perhaps even joy. Kirkus

Anand's art is absolutely beautiful. I love the collage technique incorporating swatches of text into the image, calling to mind swatches of fabric like Papa must use as a tailor. The muted tones of the illustrations also complement the tone of the story about a girl and her father dealing with the loss (or absence) of her other father. Glass of Wine, Glass of Milk

Aditi Anand is an illustrator, author, and printmaker from India. In 2024, she graduated with distinction from the MA in Children’s Book Illustration at the Cambridge School of Art. She is the winner of the Picture This prize and in 2024 she won the Emerging Illustrator V&A prize for illustration. The Fabric of Us is her debut picture book as an author illustrator. Here is another book illustrated by Aditi Anand:

Read the Kirkus review