The Book Without a Story by Carolina Rabei

This could be the perfect book to read to your younger groups in your school library at the beginning of the year. What do the children think happens to a library book when it is borrowed? Of course it has an adventure and then when the book is returned this adventure is shared with all the other library books.

I thought of the Bluey episode Bob Bilby Season One episode 12 called Bob Bilby where Bingo brings a class toy home and the family record Bob's weekend with the family. Following this idea and the one in A Book without a Story the children write an adventure for their library book - showing plenty of reading time and sharing!

Blurb from author page: When the library closes, and the last librarian has gone home to bed . . . the books come alive and tell stories of their adventures. But Dusty the book has never been borrowed and dreams of finding someone to share his story with . . .   Will he find his perfect reader?

Readers will find themselves wanting to hug a book after reading this story. Kirkus

Companion book:

Sorry Miss Folio

You can see more books by Carolina Rabei here. She lives in the UK. These three are especially worth hunting out plus Snow also by Walter de la Mare:

Fish and Crab by Marianna Coppo

You could begin with the dedication by Marianna Coppo - "To all insomniacs, for one reason or another." - or better yet share this after reading this book with a group of older children and then talk about what this means.

Fish and Crab are tucked up in their aquarium beds. Crab turns out the light. Then Fish hears a noise and his fears bubble to the surface. Could it be an owl? Do owls eat fish? Could it be a mouse? Crab explains there are no owls and no mice in their aquarium also there are "no lions, in case you were wondering." Clearly it is going to be a long night so Crab gets out of bed to make a cup of herbal tea.

"then I want you to tell me ALL your worries. ALL OF THEM, all at once. And when you're done, we will both finally go to sleep."

Fish has a wild imagination involving capture by aliens, black holes, and even the possibility of catching chickenpox. And then he has the most terrifying thought of all:

"WHAT IF WE ARE CHARACTERS IN A BOOK?"

After all this sharing Fish now feels able to fall asleep but what about Crab. His brain is now filled with all of these crazy ideas - will he be able to go to sleep? That final question is an especially disturbing one!

Take a look at the labels I have assigned this book. These might give you ideas about ways to share this book - you could use it as a stimulus for a writing activity involving dialogue. Or with older students there is a whole topic of 'breaking the fourth wall'. And of course, this book is also about the way our worries can take over our thoughts and the importance of sharing.

Now for the bad news. This book [9781797204437] was published in 2023 so it is still in print but here in Australia the price ranges from AUS$32 up to AUS$47.

Silly what-if questions arranged into a light but visually appealing bedtime story. Kirkus 

Parents and children alike will relate to the two best friends, reassuring readers that it is always best to share any worries with those closest to us, to help the fears go away. Coppo’s effective illustrations have a wonderful attention to detail and perfectly capture the conversations and bursts of Fish’s imagination, with clever use of black and white images too. This fun picture book will be one to share and enjoy for many bedtimes to come. Books for Keeps

I previously talked about Petra by Marianna Coppo. Marianna Coppo is an author-illustrator from Italy. She studied editorial illustration at MiMaster in Milan, and now focuses on freelance illustration in Rome.

In this interview Marianna Coppo talks about Petra

Here is another (slightly more serious) book featuring an aquarium:

Aquarium

Which one doesn't belong? Playing with shapes by Christopher Danielson

This is one shape book that will both challenge readers’ thinking and encourage them to think outside the box. Kirkus Star review

I do love to browse the non fiction shelves in the library I visit each week - I always find so many quirky books.  If I was using this book with a class I would copy each page to display - one per week over a term and then invite the children to talk about their 'answers'. Actually the author explains there are no 'right' answers here - you just need to be able to justify your ideas.

This brightly coloured book has four shapes on each page with the question - which one doesn't belong. This book was published in 2019 but it is still available in paperback for a good price. 

Bookseller blurb: Written by a celebrated math educator, this innovative inquiry encourages critical thinking and sparks memorable mathematical conversations. Children and their parents answer the same question about each set of four shapes- "Which one doesn't belong?" There's no one right answer--the important thing is to have a reason why. Kids might describe the shapes as squished, smooshed, dented, or even goofy. But when they justify their thinking, they're talking math! Winner of the Mathical Book Prize for books that inspire children to see math all around them.

There is also a version of this book available with a teachers guide:

In the companion teacher's guide, (9781625310811) Danielson shows how to facilitate rich discussions and teach mathematical argumentation using Which One Doesn't Belong? He models how to listen closely and respectfully to students' ideas about shapes. Danielson synthesizes research about how children learn geometry, discusses the role of geometry in the mathematics curriculum, and gives plenty of practical advice about different ways to implement Which One Doesn't Belong? in classrooms.

Christopher Danielson has a PhD in Mathematics. Take a look at his webpage. He is clearly a very passionate educator. In this video (3 minutes) he talks about the inspiration for Which one doesn't belong? and as a bonus you can see inside the book. 

I am keen to look for this book too:

Escargot by Dashka Slater illustrated by Sydney Hanson

"Bonjour! I see you are staring at me! I don't mind. My name is Escargot, and I am such a beautiful French snail that every stares at me."

Did you see my post about the Eric Carle exhibition featuring books that 'break the fourth wall'? That's where I saw this book mentioned and so this week I borrowed two from the series (actually there are three) and I fell in love with cheeky little Miss Escargot.

I love the way she speaks directly to the reader:

"Right now, I am traveling to the salad at the end of this book. It is a beautiful salad, with croutons and a light vinaigrette. You should come! I just need a little push to help me start."

She even invites you to give her a little kiss! 

And she explains why she should be your favourite animal. Also you do need to know it is very important to never put any carrot in a salad. Oh no by the end of the book you and Escargot do arrive at the salad with a few croutons and a light vinaigrette but oh no it contains carrot!

Watch out for the slime covered end papers! Read more on the author web page. There is a plush toy of little Escargot - it would be such fun to own this in your preschool or prep library. A couple of the titles are also available as Board Books. 

The spare but cheekily charming prose will make children and parents smile, and the refined watercolor illustrations will easily draw in readers. Everything is very chic and understated, as is befitting this continental French snail. Once you finish, children will want it read again, giving you the perfect chance to refine your French pronunciation. The Children's Book Review

This book begs to be read aloud - I wish I had been able to do that in my former school library. It was published in 2017 but the good news is all three books are still available. 

These books should be added to your library shelves - they are sure to be SO popular or if you see one of these in library grab it quickly and take it home to share with your young reading companions. 

I am not surprised to see that Escargot won a Wanda Gag Read aloud award. I said there are three books in this series but I now discover the fourth book - Escargot and the search for Spring. I am not sure if it is available yet. Here is a lesson plan for using Escargot to talk about persuasion. 

REVIEWS

Love Escargot "Breaking right through the fourth wall, the stylish snail encourages readers to embrace their snail selves . . . Sweet art means that when Escargot winsomely tells readers, 'You can kiss me if you like,' it’ll be hard for them to pass up the chance...  Though love and snails rarely go together, it’s easy to be won over by this mighty mollusk." Kirkus

Little Treasure by Chanelle Gosper illustrated by Jennifer Goldsmith

 

Publisher blurb: A mother and child explore a deserted beach on a windy day. It is an afternoon they will both treasure always. A poetic and tender book about how the small moments spent together are often the most precious.

One of the important "outcomes" that comes from reading a well written and beautifully illustrated picture book to a child (of any age) is they will hear rich language.  Look at these examples from Little Treasure:

"A smooth purple pebble with silvery lines, a seaweed strand with beads so fine, blue sea glass in the shape of a bell, and a tiny pale pink heart-shaped shell."

"A piece of the night sky that fell from the stars, a necklace of green stones sparkling like glass, a precious sapphire as blue as can be, and a perfectly pink charm of the sea."

I don’t think there is one straight line anywhere in any of the images in the book. The illustrations have a fluidity that capture the shifting nature of the beach setting and the make-believe scenes from the characters’ imaginations. Towards the end of the book, we begin to grasp the dual meaning of the title, Little Treasure. For while the child is lost in her world of seaside treasures, the mother is treasuring the experience of being with her innocent, inquisitive daughter. Reading Time

The ordinary becomes the extraordinary as shells and seaweed become a mermaids’ jewels; a ship on the horizon transports treasure to unknown places; footsteps in the sand become pathways to new adventures and undiscovered worlds.  And throughout it all, is threaded the unending love between mother and child fed by the small moments that become memories and the joy of sharing them in a timeless bubble, reminding us that those are the most precious things of all. The Bottom Shelf

Stop and look at the end papers and then next time you visit the seaside you might look for this seaweed that is like a string of pearls. I found the scientific name for Neptunes Pearls Hormosira banksii.

Image source iNaturalist New Zealand

Little Treasure is a 2024 CBCA Notable Picture Book. 

Norman didn't do it! (yes he did) by Ryan T Higgins

"Norman was a porcupine. Norman's best friend was Mildred. Mildred was a tree."

Norman has always done everything with Mildred - games, reading bedtime stories and talking. BUT one day another tree pops up out of the ground. 

"Suddenly, it was no longer just Norman and Mildred. Now it was Norman and Mildred and the other tree. This did not sit well with Norman."

Over time we watch as the other tree grows taller and seemingly closer until one day their leaves touch. For Norman this is the last straw! (Even though in this case there were no straws. Just branches.)

Norman is desperate so he makes a plan. He needs to get rid of this other tree - can you guess what he does? He digs it up and transplants it very very very far away on a tiny island in the middle of the river. BUT now Norman feels dreadful. He feels guilty. And should he think about how Mildred might be feeling. And what about the other tree all alone so far away. Oh and what if someone saw him move the little tree. They might tell Mildred!

"What if digging up your friend's friend in the middle of the night and taking that friend very very far away was NOT the right thing to do? What if it was the WRONG thing to do?"

The library I am lucky enough to visit each week adds a little sticker to the front cover of books they especially love - the sticker says "Our Picks" and Norman Didn't do it (yes he did) has very appropriately earned one of these stickers. This book should be added to your school library and preschool bookshelf and you should also borrow it from your local library or badger them to purchase it. I do have to add, though, that very sadly this book costs over AUS$35 here in Australia so you might need to wait for the paperback edition. My copy was published in September, 2021 so hopefully the paperback is not too far away. This book could also be one to read aloud in your library or as a discussion starter about friendship, jealousy, and fixing our mistakes. And of course you will talk about the issue of 'twos company - threes a crowd' and how best to navigate changes in friendship groups. 

Ryan T. Higgins' signature wit, whimsy, and humor brilliantly explore the depths and complexities of friendship. Publisher comment

Here are some other books by Ryan T Higgins:

Do You Wonder by Wallace Edwards

"Sometimes I wonder about the mysteries of the sky."

"Sometimes I wonder why some songs make me happy."

"Sometimes I wonder how to join the conversation."

This is a book that should be added to EVERY Primary school library. It is a gentle reminder of things that are important. We all need to slow down, help each other, persevere, acknowledge our emotions, and also spend a little time, from time to time, pondering the BIG questions of life. 

Do You Wonder? raises some potentially sensitive issues as well, subtly asking questions about why we sometimes experience feelings of sadness, loneliness, ambition, competition, and anxiety. There is no narrative linking the pages in this gentle picture book, nor are there any answers to the questions, but the very open-endedness provides ample opportunities for conversation between parent/caregiver and child, and also opens the door for children to share their experiences and ask their own questions about the world. Highly Recommended Canadian Review of Materials

This book was published in Canada in 2022 and it is available for a reduced price (October 2023). I found a copy here and also here. Sadly, Wallace Edwards died late in 2022 aged 65. 

Wallace Edwards was a Canadian illustrator and writer who won the 2002 Governor General's Award for his first children's book Alphabeasts. Here are four of his other books:

The text of this book is wonderful, but it is the illustrations that will really 'blow your mind'. Wallace Edwards interprets each piece of text in a quirky, humorous, clever, and thought-provoking way.

Questions, Questions by Marcus Pfister

I am collecting books that are filled with open-ended questions like this one. They could be used in a classroom as discussion starters or as writing ideas or even as a model for writing your own questions.

Marcus Pfister wrote this book in 2011 so it is long out of print but if you can find it in a library, I would even suggest copying the pages to use for a class or library display.

Here are some of the thirteen rhyming questions I enjoyed:

• How do seeds know how to grow. To reach up from the earth below?
• Who paints the colours on the flowers that lift their heads to sun and showers?
• What turns the rain on in the sky and brings the sun to make things dry?
• Do apple seeds dream happily of growing up to be a tree?
• Does a whale make up a song so other whales will sing along?

In 2016 a Goodreads reviewer said: This book is filled with rhyming couplets. There are serious questions, silly questions, and questions students may never have thought to ask. I enjoy this book because it begins to spark curiosity for students as they think about the world around them. I would use this book to teach students how to write a question and how to use a question mark. We could create a book with our own questions in it and then look up the answers and create a book of answers. We could compare and contrast the questions in our book to the answers in the other.

Another thing to notice with this book is that every page and the cover have a tiny fragment of silver foil. It adds a sparkle, but it could also engage your young reading companion to hunt for this glint on every page. This addition should not surprise you when you realise Marcus Pfister is the creator of The Rainbow Fish. 

Marcus Pfister was born in Bern, Switzerland. After studying at the Art School of Bern, he apprenticed as a graphic designer and worked in an advertising agency before becoming self-employed in 1984. His debut picture book, The Sleepy Owl, was published by NorthSouth in 1986, but his big breakthrough came six years later with The Rainbow Fish. Marcus has illustrated over sixty-five books that have been translated into more than sixty languages and received countless international awards. He lives with his wife, Debora, and their children in Bern.

I am a Tiger by Karl Newson illustrated by Ross Collins

Go out and grab this book now if you have a preschool aged child in you life - this book is one they are sure to laugh and giggle and exclaim over. The paperback copy of this book is only AUS$15 so there is no excuse or even better check your library and if they don't have this book tell them to buy it - libraries do like patrons with book ideas. 

You almost need two people to read this book aloud because it is a conversation.

"I am a tiger."

"No, you're not! A tiger is much bigger than you are and it has a bit more GRRRR!"

"Tigers can be small, too. GRRRR!"

"Not that small!And a tiger has stripes."

"Some do. This one doesn't. So there. I am a tiger."

Blurb: A hilarious and original story about a little mouse with big ideas – she believes she is a tiger! She manages to convince a raccoon, a fox, a snake and a bird that she is a tiger, and that they are not what they think they are! But when a real tiger turns up, can the persuasive little rodent manage to persuade the tiger that he is a mouse!

Here is a Reading Rocket video of the whole book. 

Awards:

• Georgia Children’s Book Award - WINNER 2022
• South Dakota Children’s Book Award - WINNER 2022
• Leicester ‘Our Best Picture Book’ Award - WINNER 2019
• West Sussex Picture Book Award - WINNER 2019
• CILIP Greenaway Medal - Nominated 2020
• UKLA Book Awards - Longlisted 2020
• Booktrust Storytime Prize  - Shortlisted 2020
• Oscar’s Book Prize - Shortlisted 2020
• Shrewsbury Bookfest Picture Book Award - Shortlisted 2020
• Stockport ‘Best Picture Book’ Award - Shortlisted 2020
• Nottingham Children’s Book Award - Shortlisted 2020
• North Somerset Teachers’ Book Award - Shortlisted 2019
• Children’s and Teen Choice Book Awards - Finalist 2020
• Kentucky Bluegrass Award - 2nd Place 2021

Here is the full series:

Check out Karl Newson's web page and if you click on I am a Tiger you will see a selection of review comments and videos. And here are the web pages for Ross Collins. 

Curiosity

 

Inquisitive Interested Inquiring

How, why and what? Who? Where? When? So many questions! All. The. Time.

 Little Miss Curious just wants to know everything.

My friends and I were talking yesterday about how children seem to have lost their curiosity. Sadly I think this might be one of the negative consequences of mobile phones and other devices. So many opportunities for conversations that spring from young children's questions about their world and the people they meet are being lost as parents seem too distracted to talk and instead they thrust devices into the hands of the youngest children.

If you agree this is an issue I have a few picture books to suggest that might reignite your child's curiosity, their questioning and their interest in the world around them.

The Children's Library Lady lists these outcomes when we foster curiosity. Children become:

• Interested in what they see around them
• Motivated to learn more and find the answers to questions
• Passionate about certain topics and researching all they can about it.
• Proactive in asking questions, socially and in the classroom
• Enthusiastic about new discoveries
• Interested in reading and learning new things

I also found this list - you read more about each of these points here;

Tips for Nurturing Curiosity

• Model interest in the world around you. ...
• Follow your child's lead. ...
• Answer questions simply and clearly and according to your child's development. ...
• Use the library! ...
• Stimulate your child with open-ended questions. ...
• Create an interesting environment. ...
• Redirect, don't discourage.

When you visit the library make sure to pick up one or two non fiction books - these can be a wonderful way to inspire curiosity. My sidebar has non fiction as a search term. 

For example I mentioned this amazing book recently:

Crossings

Mindfulness can foster curiosity as can STEM activities. You could also hunt out picture book biographies which often feature people who discover new things because they were/are curious. 

Stories that I call "grass is greener" which feature characters heading off to explore their world beyond the comfort of home are also examples of curiosity in action. Look at Daisy; Once upon a small Rhinoceros; Veronica; Wendy; Louise the Adventures of a Chicken.

Don't forget borrow wordless or textless books - these are terrific conversation starters. The link on my sidebar says Silent Books (this is the term used by IBBY). 

WORDS RELATED TO CURIOSITY

inquisitiveness interest eagerness investigation questioning searching

Here are some books from this blog or books that I have read and enjoyed that you could also explore. These are just the 'tip of a huge iceberg' - there are hundreds or perhaps thousands of books you could share with a child that will foster their curiosity.  

Ask me

Zoom

I like bees, I don't like honey

If only ...

I am very keen to see this new poetry book which will be published later this year;

Can I keep him? by Steven Kellog

Arnold would like a pet or a friend or just someone to talk to. This is such a relevant theme right now as I watch parents and other adults on their phones - and not interacting with their young children. Little Arnold even says to his mother:

"I'm lonely. Will you play with me?"

I would like to shake his mum who says:

"I'd like to, Arnold, but I'm busy. Why don't you run outside and play on the swing or ride your bike or dig in the sandbox."

Is mum truly busy? - NO she is just washing dishes (and in earlier scenes she is on the phone, dusting her house, cleaning the toilet, stacking cans of yams, and vacuuming). Some of these images might seem a little dated especially when we see her in her frilly apron - but looking past this I think this page alone - the one where she is washing the dishes -  could generate some terrific discussion with a class about the concepts of busy and time and loneliness and a possible alternate reactions/conversations between mum and Arnold.

Prior to this final scene Arnold has bought home a succession of pets. Some are the usual suspects - dog and cat. Then things get a little more exotic and creative- fawn, baby bear, tiger cub, and python. At every turn though, mum has a reason to say NO. Then Arnold brings home the best pet of all:

"In Alaska I saw a scientist chipping a dinosaur out of the ice. When the dinosaur defrosted, he was still alive. The museum didn't want a live dinosaur, so I bought him home. He doesn't bark, he has no fur, he has soft big feet, he doesn't shed ... "

This finally gets mum's attention. This reminded me of Not Now Bernard by David McKee - "When were you ever in Alaska? And who ever heard of a dinosaur for a pet?"

Arnold does not find a pet (or does he? Check out the final page) but he does find a friend - which was, as I said, the whole point really. 

I picked up this book from a library this week - they have a tub of wonderful books that have sadly been rarely or even never borrowed.  Can I keep him? is just delightful and it would be terrific to read to a class. Steven Kellogg has a very appealing art style and the little boy in this book has a wonderful range of facial expressions. The colours on the cover are used through out the book and alternate with sepia line drawings. I have previously talked about The Rattlebang Picnic also illustrated by Steven Kellogg. 

Our NSW Primary teachers have to teach specific forms of writing one of which is persuasion. Can I keep him? is a book that is sure to be found in many of our school libraries because it is a persuasive text even though it was written in 1971. Sadly, though it is now out of print. 

I have a Pinterest collection of picture books and other resources teachers can use for their learning activities when they are working on this text type. 

Here are some companion reads:

The best pet of all

Wanted: The perfect pet

Let's get a pup

A Dog called Bear

Strictly no elephants