The High Street by Alice Melvin

Sally's in the High Street and this is what she needs ...

a yellow rose,

a garden hose,

a bunch of grapes,

some roller skates,

a cockatoo,

a tin kazoo,

a Persian rug,

a stripy jug,

a cherry tart,

a candy heart.

As you turn each page we see Sally enter each shop to make her purchases. Number one is a sweet shop; number two is a bakery; the china shop is number three; and there are antiques in number four. You can probably guess where she finds cockatoo, roller skates, grapes, and a hose but how will she find a yellow rose?

Each shop has a short rhyming text description and a fold out so readers can head inside each store. 

This shows the way the pages in this book fold open

There is something so deliciously old-fashioned about The High Street. ... From sweetshop to hardware shop, from antiques shop to greengrocer’s, for many children, looking inside these shops via the medium of this book will be a real discovery ... The High Street manages to convey the sense of wonder that a child would feel when entering these shops. The clever use of flaps allows to have first a view of the shop closed and as Sally enters, the young reader can open the flap and find himself stepping inside the shop too ... Library Mice

In 2007 you could even buy a little flat pack to go with The High Street:

From the author web page: A little girl called Sally travels down the titular High Street with a very eclectic shopping list. As she visits each shop the reader can open up the throw-out pages to reveal the life behind the shop front. I have always loved doll’s houses, and I think this book grew out of fond memories of opening up a tiny house to peep at the hidden world inside. I wanted to fill the book with details of the life both in and above the shops: the bustling café above the bakery; the band practicing in the music shop and the pigeon loft in the pet-shop roof. Now translated into nine different languages it's lovely to know that this book has been enjoyed around the world.

On social media I saw a post with a list of books that could be perfect for budding architects and this book The High Street caught my eye. Luckily for me I found it in a library this week. 

The post listed six titles - here are the other five: Georgian House Picture Book (Usborne); The House with the Little Red Door (Thames and Hudson); At Home in a Book (Penguin); Our House by Trudie Trewin (Scholastic); and Need a House call Ms Mouse.

Here are some other books I'd add to this list.:

A House that once was

If I built a house

The Hidden House

Boy oh boy I do wish I had discovered this book The High Street when it was published in 2011. I would most certainly have added it to my school library and possibly even gifted it to a friend or two AND I would have loved to put this book into the hands of a Kindergarten teacher to read alongside the Squeak Street series by Emily Rodda. This book would also be a fabulous read aloud to a preschool group. AND I now discover Alice Melvin is the illustrator of this book which I own and love:

Mouse's Wood

You could also pair The High Street with other stories about shopping lists with repeated refrains such as Shoes from Grandpa (Mem Fox); and Don't forget the bacon (Pat Hutchins).

On a Summer Night by Deborah Hopkinson illustrated by Kenard Pak

"Who has woken the air? Was it the tree? Was it the rabbit? 

Was it the dog? Was it the cat? Was it you?"

Decades ago Mark McLeod talked about the need for quiet books and inspired by this idea I created a Pinterest collection. Now I have discovered On a Summer Night and it needs to go to the top of this list.

This picture book comes from the US but the setting is universal. It is a very hot summer night. 

"the world is still. Even the crickets think it is too hot to sing."

A little girl wakes up and hears a noise. This page turn will jolt you. It has no illustration - it is all dark brown with a tiny section of cream in the corner. Watch this corner because over the coming pages this slither of light will grow.

She investigates the noise and she finds her cat stretched out on the cool surface of the kitchen table. The cat wakes up with a start having also heard a noise from outside. 

"Then you step out to the yard, where the dew tips blades of grass and silvers your toes."

Just pause for a moment and think about this sentence. 

And so, the nighttime exploration continues. 

Picture books are often wonderful excuses to slow down and share a moment of gentleness in kids’ (and parents’) busy lives; this book feels like a deep breath and offers a chance to wonder and reflect.  Deborah Hopkinson

The short, deliberate phrases of Hopkinson’s verse and the simple illustrations with their subdued overall lighting combine to slow the nocturnal episode down to a properly and irresistibly snoozy pace. Spare, rhythmic, luminous… Kirkus

Publisher blurb: On a summer night, the world is still. Even the crickets think it’s too hot to sing. But all at once, a girl wakes. In the kitchen, the cat rolls onto its soft paws. A neighbor’s small white dog yaps, a brown rabbit peeks from a hedge, and the leaves of a cherry tree begin to stir in the breeze. Readers witness and wonder: Who has woken them all? In this soothing bedtime story, the quiet of a warm summer night is brought to vivid, magical life with the soft steps of bare feet, the padding of paws, and the bright, golden light of the moon. One by one, each creature is roused and then gently returned to sleep in a lovely and lyrical exploration of wakefulness, restfulness, and the mysterious calm of the night.

Now for the bad news. I have seen this book listed between AUS$35 to AUS$50! So sadly this might be a book you look for in your local public library.  You can see inside this book here. 

I have been a fan of Kenard Pak for many years - ever since my friend who is a Teacher-Librarian introduced me to his work. The art in this book is very different from his usual style - it has been created digitally and usually that form does not appeal to me but for this book it really works to create the night time atmosphere. Here is his web page.

US author Deborah Hopkinson is the award-winning author of seventy books for young readers including picture books, middle grade historical fiction, Little Golden Book biographies, and long form nonfiction.  Her titles have won the Oregon Book Award, the SCBWI Golden Kite Award for Picture Book Text, the Jane Addams Children’s Book Award, and the Green Earth Environmental Award. You can see other picture books by Deborah Hopkinson here. I previously talked about these two:

Butterflies Belong Here

Ordinary, Extraordinary Jane Austen

What is Black and White by John Kane

This book begins on the very first page with the title question - what is black and white? Perhaps the cover has given you the answer but surely it is not that simple?

The off-stage narrator keeps asking more and more impossible questions and our intrepid little penguin keeps finding a way to show he CAN do all these things. Here is the text near the end:

"What is black and white, can't fly, likes to swim, is called Norman, is cool, fast, full, tall, warm, magic, not so dizzy and now just showing off?"

This book is a perfect example of a cumulative tale and the twist the end is simply perfect. I suggest you add this book to your library or family wish list today. And yes, all the John Kane books are still available.

The story is completely silly and heartwarming throughout and will make you laugh out loud on more than one occasion. ...  The question and answer format is ideal to use as a model for children when writing their own questions and there are lots of lovely adjectives to discuss. Books for Topics

This book made me laugh out loud. It is sure to be a huge hit with your young reading companion aged 3+. Irish author/illustrator John Kane is a new discovery for me. Read this interview. Here are four of his other funny books:

This Book is Pants - review comment Red Reading Hub: All you need to do is bag yourself a copy of the book, wear the appropriate snazzy pants as required and prepare for action: pantalicious fun assured. I forgot to mention that for the best results you’ll also need an audience of one or preferably quite a few, young listeners.

Nobody likes me by Raoul Krischanitz translated by Rosemary Lanning

"Buddy was the new dog in town. He sat outside his house with nothing to do. He was bored."

Stop reading after each of these short sentences and ask your young reading companion or group of children to think about each sentence one at a time. Buddy was new - how does this feel? How might Buddy make friends? Have you ever tried to make a new friend? What advice would you give to Buddy. 

He sat outside with nothing to do. Is this the way to make friends? Should Buddy just wait for friends to come along and talk to him? Is this likely to happen? What would you do?

What does the word bored mean? Do you have some suggestions for Buddy? 

Then Buddy sees a mouse looking out of her hole. He asks her to play but she says NO. Think about why the little mouse might react this way. I guarantee that no one will predict the true reason which is revealed at the end of the story. At this point we have only explored half of the first page of this book.

Buddy is sure the mouse doesn't like him. He walks on and tries to talk to a group of cats but you can imagine their reaction. Then he approaches three rabbits, a small flock of sheep and even another dog but in the end it is only the fox who offers to help him. The fox suggests Buddy should try again - go back and talk to the other animals and explain he is just looking for a friend or two or three or more! And YES as with all good books this one has a happy ending and a party!

Here is nearly all of the Kirkus review: Buddy is the new dog on the block, a chartreuse pudge-ball of immense visual appeal. His problem is that he can't make any friends; every creature in the vicinity - mouse to sheep, cats, rabbits, and even other dogs - either leaves him, glowers at him, or chases him off. Buddy, reduced to tears, is approached by a sympathetic fox. When Buddy relates that nobody seems to like him, the fox suggests he ask why, a question that demands courage. The fox accompanies Buddy on his friendship quest, ... , it turns out to be a case of mistaken intentions - the cats thought Buddy was going to attack them, the sheep thought he was going to herd them, and so forth. Once things get straightened out, they all become friends. Krischanitz's message - that making that second effort is fraught with emotional landmines, but might be worth the effort - is a noble one, and that it was recommended by a fox will give it the seal of approval with children.

This is a wonderful book about how to make friends and about the importance of communication. At an even deeper level it is also about stereotypes and even perhaps prejudice. AND the end papers are brilliant.

Nobody likes me was published in 1999 by North South. This company seek or sought out fabulous European books in a range of languages and then organised to translate them into English. Their picture books are all of a similar large size in hardcover. Collecting these for a library allowed our Australian children to see different illustration styles. Nobody likes me is also a cumulative tale which makes it perfect as a book to read to a group of preschool children. 

I am very keen to find Molto (published in 2001). 

Molto the tiger cat wants to be able to fly. With the help of his friends, he can fulfill his wish. But on his second try, Molto finds out that experiences are best when you can share them with friends.

Bubble Trouble by Margaret Mahy illustrated by Polly Dunbar

I mentioned yesterday that my friend and I enjoyed shopping at a charity book fair yesterday. I am a huge fan of Margaret Mahy and so I was delighted to find this book in hardcover, with a dust jacket for only $1. Oh and it is in mint condition - I don't think any human hands have actually touched this book!

The text floats across the pages in waves and arcs, and Dunbar’s joyous watercolor-and–cut-paper illustrations are wonderfully expressive, a visual treat moving apace with the text. A frothy, effervescent gift. Kirkus Star review

Margaret Mahy is a master storyteller and she delights in using words. Here is the opening of Bubble Trouble:

"Little Mabel blew a bubble and it caused a lot of trouble, such a lot of bubble trouble in a bibble-bobble way ... "

The wayward bubble picks up the baby and he heads off into the sky for an adventure.

Margaret Mahy is not afraid to use invented words and unfamiliar words - such as cavil.

"In her garden, Chrysta Gribble had begun to cry and cavil at her lazy brother, Greville, reading novels in his bed."

Cavil: to make unreasonable complaints, especially about things that are not important

Here are some other delightful words: wafted, grovelled, shrilly, scrobble, gibbering, hovel, cavorting, flum-a-diddle, nefarious intentions, dumbfounded, and prattle.

So the baby in the bubble is followed by an assortment of people from the town over to the church where is seems certain his bubble will burst on the church steeple. These scenes reminded me of The Elephant and the Bad Baby. Then a rascal  named Abel picks up a pebble, places it in his slingshot and he bursts the bubble. Luckily he is caught in a patchwork quilt held by all the people who have been following his crazy bubble ride. 

"Oh, what calculated catchwork! Baby bounced into the patchwork, where his grizzles turned to giggles and to wriggles of delight. And the people stared dumbfounded as he bobbled and rebounded, till the baby boy was grounded and his mother held him tight."

Margaret Mahy is also a master of delicious names for her characters: Chrysta Gribble; Greville Gribble; Tybal; Mr Copple; and Mrs Threeble.

I adore the illustrations in this book by Polly Dunbar - they are light, joyous, exuberant, and filled with quirky people. 

The poem of Bubble Trouble first appeared in a poetry anthology by Margaret Mahy in 1991 with illustrations by Tony Ross. The picture book edition with illustrations by Polly Dunbar was published in 2008. 

I have so many favourite books by Margaret Mahy (type Mahy into my label search) picture books here are a few:

The disgusting sandwich by Gareth Edwards and Hannah Shaw

I called into school this week to pick up a set of books for holiday reading and among them was The Disgusting Sandwich.  Such a funny book.  I will definitely add this to my Kindergarten read-a-loud collection.

"One day a boy came to the park.
He had a sandwich with him.
It had fresh white bread and peanut butter.
It was a beautiful sandwich."

But not for long.  In a cumulative tale badger watches this delectable treat as it is covered in sand, goop, squish marks, ants, feathers, slime and worse.  Finally, though, badger has the sandwich in his paws. Yum!

The back cover says :

A gloriously yucky story, 

with a wicked twist in the tale.

Teachers might be able to use this detailed analysis of the illustrations, text and list of related books.
Celebrate Sandwich Day with great ideas from my friend at Kinderbooks.

Take a look at the beautiful web page by the illustrator.  I certainly need to add more of her titles to our library collection.

Here is a page from The Disgusting Sandwich.