Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters by John Steptoe

A beautiful book, deserving a permanent place in library collections. Kirkus Star review

"A man named Muraro lived in his village with his two daughters, who were called Manyaya and Nyasha. Everyone agreed Manyaya and Nyasha were very beautiful."

The twin girls might look beautiful but only one has a kind heart. Manyara boasts to her sister that when she becomes the queen Nyasha will be her servant. She even says these terrible words: "I'm certain that father loves you best. But when I am a queen, everyone will know that your silly kindness is only weakness."

Nyasha does not let these harsh words affect her. She tends her garden, sings over her work and even befriends a small garden snake. 

One morning a messenger arrives - the time has come for the King to select a wife. Manyaya is sure she will be picked so she sets off before everyone else is awake. On the way several things happen. She meets a boy who asks for food - she yells at him and moves on. She meets an old woman who tries to give her advice. As with the young boy, she scolds the woman and rushes away. The old woman has told Manyaya not to laugh at the trees and to be polite to the man who has his head under his arm. Of course she disregards this advice. 

Nyasha makes the same journey but her actions are the opposite. She shares food with the young boy; she listens to the old woman and shares some sunflower seeds with her. On arrival at the city her sister rushes out to warn her about a great monster with five heads, but when Nyasha enters the chamber she finds her garden snake - and then watches as he transforms into the King.

If this story feels familiar you might be thinking of Cinderella. My friend from Kinderbookswitheverything has a fantastic Pinterest collection of Cinderella stories. 

Your school or public library are such important places. Yes they will have many of the newest books and the popular books but they should also have older books - treasures like this one from 1988. I picked up my copy at a recent charity book sale for just AUS$2. I did have this book in my former school library so I might gift this one to a different school. This book is still available but it costs between AUS$35 and AUS$50.

Awards for Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters:

• Caldecott Honor Book
• Parents' Choice Silver Honor
• Horn Book Fanfare
• Boston Globe–Horn Book Award
• Coretta Scott King Award (Illustrator)
• Reading Rainbow Book
• ALA Notable Children’s Book

Bookseller blurb: Inspired by a traditional African folktale, this is the story of Mufaro, who is proud of his two beautiful daughters. Nyasha is kind and considerate, but everyone-except Mufaro-knows that Manyara is selfish and bad-tempered. When the Great King decides to take a wife and invites the most worthy and beautiful daughters in the land to appear before him, Mufaro brings both of his daughters-but only one can be queen. Who will the king choose

John Steptoe (1950 - 1989) was also born in Brooklyn, but unfortunately his life was short, as he died when he was only 38. He began his first book (Stevie) when he was only sixteen. All of his published work (which included 15 picture books in 20 years) deals with the African American experience, issues and concerns. Very few authors and illustrators were African Americans at that time and he helped to change the stereotypical view of his people. He used his own family as models for the characters in his best known and Caldecott Honor book Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters: An African Tale. This beautiful book is a retelling of the Cinderella story set in ancient Africa among the ruins of Zimbabwe. Kinderbookswitheverything

Betsy Bird and her sister talk about Mufaro's Beautiful Sisters on their podcast episode 8.

Here is the cover of the paperback edition:

Companion books:

The Talking eggs

The Girl with a brave heart

Ruby's Web by Ellen van Neerven

This is a heartfelt story which covers some very important and disturbing themes. The audience for this book is most certainly High School students although I do wonder if the cover will appeal to this audience.

At times, reading Ruby's Web I became a little overwhelmed by all the issues and extra plot details that the author included in a book of just 126 pages. The timing of this story is the 2023 Voice Referendum. Ruby lives with her mum. Her dad has sadly died. In Primary School Ruby had special friends including her confident and outspoken cousin Amber, but now, in Year Seven, Amber has told Ruby she no longer wants to 'hang out' with her.

There are other indigenous kids at this school but not many. For reasons that are not really explained one girl in Ruby's class - Zara - has decided to bully and ridicule Ruby and she does this via a school based social media platform called Quik. I sincerely hope this program does not really exist but of course there are plenty of other 'dangerous' forms of social media on the internet. You might ask why doesn't Ruby just decide not to interact with this platform but unfortunately (and for me slightly unbelievably) this is the place where students access their class assignments. Wait a minute doesn't the school have a duty of care and a social media policy? This book does paint a very bleak picture of the inaction of teachers and school authorities.

"When Ms Hall asked me if there was anything else she could help me out with, I thought about mentioning Zara and the others who were posting comments about me on Quik. How come Ms Hall hadn't mentioned their posts and online behaviour but she had bought me into her office to talk about the anonymous trolls, people I didn't know? Was it because Zara's comments weren't as bad? Or because Zara was a kid? Or she just hadn't seen them?"

Ruby decides to fight back with a social media post that identifies the web of bullies - think about the title. Meanwhile at home Nan is unwell and she has moved in with Ruby and her mother. Nan shares important cultural traditions and she helps Ruby understand the importance of the YES vote (the 2023 referendum sadly failed). 

By the end of this book Ruby does find her voice. A big piece of the puzzle in this story is a poem written by Ruby that has been entered into a competition. I really wanted to read this poem and expected to find it on the final pages of the book but alas no - we never get to read Ruby's winning poem. 

Here are some text quotes to give you a flavour of the writing in this book. It took me a while to settle into the style of the writing and in fact I ended up reading Ruby's Web twice (which is not something I usually do).

"The school became a Monopoly board at lunch. Where you could and couldn't sit was was revealed. The spaces were divided up and ranked. The popular group had access to the nice clean spaces, like the new wooden benches in the friendship garden. The cool sporty kids got access to the oval and the area around the basketball courts. The mid-tier kids sat on the benches outside the auditorium. And then there were kids like me."

Zara "was constantly posting stuff about me on Quik and controlling who could see the comments. She would write comments to my classmates about how messy my hair was and how many pimples I had. She took secret photos of my torn second-hand clothing and posted them ... "

"I knew what Zara had posted was about me being Indigenous and it wasn't right or funny. It wasn't fair, no matter if it was me or someone else who was the target."

"I had seen the comments last night. I was old enough to understand that they were attacking my identity. They used words I know were deeply offensive about Indigenous people, like 'Abo', and they even said they would 'kill me'."

Thanks to Magabala for my review copy. Here is the book blurb from their web page: And here are some very detailed teachers notes. My view is Ruby's Web is for readers aged 13+. There is a reference suicidal thoughts and actions by one boy, Jimmy, in Ruby's class although this is not mentioned in the teachers notes. Nan helps to find Jimmy and then she tells Ruby and her cousin Amber:

"No one is more or less Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander. It's not a competition. We don't make someone feel bad for who they are or whether they have light or dark skin. That's what the colonisers did to us."

Blurb: Starting high school has been anything but smooth for Ruby. Not only has she become a social outcast for no apparent reason, but her cousin Amber has started pretending not to know her and she has no idea why. When Ruby becomes the subject of vicious racism and bullying on the school’s online platform, she longs more than ever to be invisible and left alone. But as events spiral out of control, online and off, she finds herself more and more in the spotlight…  'Ruby’s Web' is a powerful story about finding your voice, seeking help, and addressing cyberbullying and victimisation.

Ruby's English teacher gives her some interesting books to read: Robin Wall Kimmerer’s Braiding 
Sweetgrass and in class they are reading books by Seamus Healey, Annie Dillard, Kirli Saunders and Ali Cobby Eckermann. 

If you share this book in a High School class you should talk about 14-year-old Dolly Everett.

I have a good friend who works for Djirra which was founded in 2002. "Djirra is a place where culture is shared and celebrated, and where practical support is available to all Aboriginal women and particularly to Aboriginal people who are currently experiencing family violence or have in the past."  I have a plan to send Ruby's Web to my friend because I would love to hear her thoughts about this Young Adult novel. I am also keen to share this book with the Teacher-Librarian at one of my local High Schools which hosts Indigenous students from remote regional areas in NSW. The students live in a nearby hostel. I wonder how they might react to this book - Ruby's Web.

Ellen van Neerven (they/them) is an author, editor and educator of Mununjali and Dutch heritage. Ellen‘s first book, Heat and Light (UQP, 2014, was the recipient of the David Unaipon Award, the Dobbie Literary Award and the NSW Premier’s Literary Awards Indigenous Writers Prize. Their first poetry collection Comfort Food (UQP, 2016) won the Tina Kane Emergent Award and was shortlisted for the NSW Premier’s Literary Awards Kenneth Slessor Prize. Throat (UQP, 2020) was the recipient of Book of the Year, the Kenneth Slessor Prize and the Multicultural Award at 2021 NSW Literary Awards and the inaugural Quentin Bryce Award. Personal Score: Sport, Culture, Identity (UQP, 2023), a book that weaves history, memoir, journalism and poetry, received the Victorian Premier’s Literary Award for Non Fiction and was released in North America in 2024 through Two Dollar Radio. They are the editor of three collections, including Flock: First Nations Storytelling Then and Now, Homeland Calling: Words from a New Generation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voices and Unlimited Futures with Rafeif Ismail.

A Place called Perfect by Helena Duggan

About halfway through this book I was sure I would give it five stars but then things became a little too tangled and complicated, so I have settled on four stars. This book is fast paced and so I read it all in one day. I would be very happy to recommend this book to readers aged 10+.

The premise that the whole town is controlled taking away the sight of every citizen and then providing them with special glasses that allow them to see, is intriguing. Yes, the glasses do work, the way people view the world through these lenses has been manipulated and so the people see perfection everywhere in the town of Perfect. And the glasses have another even more sinister function. They contain a device that robs everyone of their imagination. Imaginations are stored in glass jars after being collected late at the night. How did everyone become blind? It is all linked to some special tea which is provided to everyone, every day, several times each day. Even the children in school stop for regular 'tea' breaks. The tea is addictive and delicious because it tastes like your personal favourite flavour. 

There is an issue though with these glasses.  They only work when they are kept on your face. No one would be prepared to wear glasses in bed, so every night there is curfew which is designed to stop people hearing any sounds from the other side of the wall. This is where any people have been sent who haven't conformed to the regime imposed by Edward and George Archer. Why have they set up these schemes to manipulate the people in this town? Of course it is all about power and also we learn it is about jealousy. The people in No-Mans-Land are only allowed out at night and they are guarded by thugs called Watchers. They seem to have lost any urge to rebel. 

Violet becomes caught up in all of this because her father is a skilled ophthalmologist. She has moved with her father and mother to Perfect. Her mother very quickly changes into a 'perfect' person baking cakes and joining community events such as a the local book club but right from the start Violet is suspicious of the brothers, of the tea, and of this seemingly perfect town. 

Meanwhile (spoiler alert) the Archer brothers are working on making or growing eyes (you can see them on the cover). They have this very disturbing plan to operate and transplant these 'special' eyes into everyone. Luckily Violet meets Boy - he is an orphan who lives in No-Mans-Land and he is desperate to uncover the evil work by the Archers. It will take courage, teamwork, and determination to stop these evil men. You will be sitting on the edge of your seat because Helena Duggan makes her reader live through every terrifying situation. There were so many times when I was sure Violet and Boy would be captured and punished by the Archers. 

Publisher blurb (Usborne): Violet never wanted to move to Perfect. Who wants to live in a town where everyone has to wear glasses to stop them going blind? And who wants to be neat and tidy and perfectly behaved all the time? But Violet quickly discovers there's something weird going on in the town - she keeps hearing voices, her mam is acting strange and her dad has disappeared. When she meets Boy she realizes that her dad is not the only person to have vanished... and that the mysterious Watchers are guarding a perfectly creepy secret!

A place called Perfect was published in 2017. I picked up my copy for just AUS$3 at a charity book fair. 

This quirky, creepy mystery adventure story is an original debut that should intrigue 9+ readers who like their stories with an offbeat, uneasy atmosphere.  There are plenty of macabre details, particularly to do with eyes, and some fast-paced action but the plot does become rather over-complicated by the end and readers will need to concentrate.  This book provides plenty of dark humour amidst the action and some key messages about not following the crowd, being brave, looking beneath the surface and resisting controlling bullies.  Books for Keeps

I have now discovered there are three books in the series:

This book opens with a terrific map:

Helena Duggan is a children's author, graphic designer and illustrator from Kilkenny, a medieval town in Ireland, which was the inspiration for A Place Called Perfect. She writes in a treehouse built by her husband Robbie and his brother in the bottom of their garden.

Companion books:

Eventown

Masterminds

Simon Sort of Says

Lost Evangeline by Kate Di Camillo illustrated by Sophie Blackall

"The shoemaker and his wife had no children, and they had long given up hoping for them. And so it seemed an entirely miraculous thing when one day, the cobbler sat down to work on repairing an old boot and found, hidden in its squared-off toe, 

an extremely small child."

No one comes back to claim the boots or the child. The shoemaker creates tiny clothes, shoes, furniture and a miniature ship's lantern and he names her Evangeline but his wife does not like the child. 

The small ship's lantern "was surely the shoemaker's finest creation. It was accurate in every detail, smaller than a thimble, and painted bright red. Within the lamp waws a wick of fabric that could be raised and lowered with a small knob, and the lamp, when it was lit, gave off a steady, gentle light."

Reader I need to take a small detour at this point and draw your attention to the word placement in this sentence - think about those words - steady and gentle. As with all good stories we know something is sure to happen - will this lamp help young Evangeline when she is faced with great danger? Of course you may have already anticipated this from the title.

Long ago the shoemaker dreamed of a life filled with adventure, of journeys to far away lands on ships that anchor in the harbor. Evangeline does not grow bigger, but she does become a wonderful daughter to the shoemaker and together they watch the ships and talk of future adventures, but the shoemaker knows there could be danger if Evangeline is discovered. He keeps her well-hidden and makes sure she knows how to hide if a customer enters his store - the door hinge is rusty and the sound alerts Evangeline that she must 'make herself disappear'. I actually gasped when the shoemaker's wife oiled the hinges:

"And so, without telling her husband, the shoemaker's wife oiled the hinges on the door ... She opened the door and closed it again and the hinges made no sound at all."

Meanwhile in a different part of the town an elderly rich widow has a dream about some fabulous shoes that will grant immortality. Oh no are you following along with this story - we have some dangerous ingredients here - jealousy, pride, greed, and the desire for immortality. Surely little Evangeline is heading towards a disaster.

The rich widow Mrs Penrith-Smith sends her servant to visit the cobbler BUT of course the door longer alerts Evangeline to hide and so she is seen by the aptly named Gristle. He takes the news of the tiny girl back to his mistress.

"I think I understand now ... the dream of the shoes was merely a vehicle. The dream served to bring you to the cobbler's so that you might see this wonder. The shoes are not the point. I will have her come here and sing to me, and then I will get better. Her song will cure me ... I will have her."

And so the adventures begin. Yes, Evangeline is stolen; she escapes; she persuades a huge ginger cat to help her; she is stolen again by a truly despicable man; and then she finds a friend and a way to fulfill the dream she shared with her father.  So many twists and turns and all in just 152 pages.

"The cat had seen the girl of course. That little morsel of humanity had led her to the sea, to this wondrous place she had not even known existed. And, too, the cat knew exactly what had become of Evangeline. She had witnessed her demise. ... The cat recognised the man for what he was: a predator. ... She had watched as he captured the girl, watched as a single tiny shoe went flying through the air and landed on a rock."

Before or perhaps after you read Lost Evangeline it would be good to revisit classic fairy tales - The Eves and the Shoemaker and also Thumbelina. You might also think of Pinocchio and Snow White. I read one Good Readers review that said "This (book) had all the whimsy and heartbreak of a Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale."

Author blurb: When a shoemaker discovers a tiny girl (as small as a mouse!) in his shop, he takes her in, names her Evangeline, and raises her as his own. The shoemaker’s wife, however, fears that Evangeline has bewitched her husband, so when an opportunity arises to rid herself of the girl, she takes it. Evangeline finds herself far from her adopted father and her home, a tiny girl lost in the wide world. But she is brave, and she is resourceful, and with the help of those she meets on her journey — including a disdainful and self-satisfied cat — she may just find her way again. Kate DiCamillo

This is the third Norendy Tale and it is the one I loved the best but be warned this tale does not quite have that all important or expected happy ending although I am sure all readers will be able to imagine one. Kirkus explain this:

In true DiCamillo fashion, the ending is suffused with the gentlest melancholy, allowing readers to either believe in their reunion or dismiss it entirely. ...  There are no easy answers in a Norendy tale, but there is great courage, even when it comes in the smallest of packages.

Readers who aren’t used to a story with an ambiguous ending may feel cheated by the lack of an on-page reunion, but upon reflection, they will likely see how it is exactly the right end for such a dreamy little novel that prioritizes the whimsical vibes of Norendy over answering every question raised within it. Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

The feeling of a fairy tale is enhanced by the very atmospheric illustrations which show the spirals of song which weave their way through the story right to the end. Although there is no instant happy ending with father and daughter reunited once more, it is through the final illustration which the reader is left with a thread of hope that this might yet happen. Through the Bookshelf

Here is a link to a set of discussion questions from the publisher.

I do need to mention the rich vocabulary you will encounter in this book. Here are a few examples: misspoke, due haste, marooned, morsel, modicum of alacrity, vermin, scrutinized, treachery, intercede, consumed, dolt, somber, and penury.

Each of the Norendy Tales features a different, fabulous illustrator. This one is Sophie Blackall. Previously we had Julia Sarda and Julie Morstad. It would be so special to display all three of these on your family bookshelves.

The Puppets of Spelhorst

The Hotel Balzaar

All the Blues in the Sky Renee Watson

"I didn't know

best friends could die"

"You will miss her every day of your life.

Sometimes, the memories will bring tears and sometimes a smile.

The memories won't always overwhelm you,

they will bring comfort too."

You HAVE to let this novel, which is partly told in free verse, unfold slowly. Yes, on the day of Sage's 13th birthday her best friend has died but the when and where and how why are found in the journey you take as a reader.

Sage is grappling with her grief and the adults don't seem to have any answers:

If I live long enough to be an adult

and if I have children when I am an adult

I will tell them.

And I will tell them that sometimes

you go to sleep crying

and wake up crying

and that life after losing someone you love

feels like one big ocean of sorrow

and you might feel like you are

drowning,

but always there is something 

to hold on to 

to keep you afloat.

Sage meets four other students in her school grief group. Ebony's dad died suddenly from a heart attack; Zay's grandmother died in her sleep after a long illness; Ana's twin sister died from leukemia; and DD's brother was murdered by the police. Sage feels that she can relate to Ebony and DD because in both cases the death came suddenly, and these deaths were totally unfair. Sage is sure the death of HER friend is all her fault but how can a car accident be her fault?

There are two rules in the grief group - everyone shares openly and everyone listens with compassion.

DD's brother was murdered:

Now she is a sister familiar with words she's never had to say

so often, know so well; police brutality, death, rage, injustice, press conference

obituary, funeral, casket, hearse, graveyard, protect, indictment, trial, jury, verdict, guilty, sentence,

involuntary manslaughter, memorial, closure?, closure?,

grief, grief.

Sage has her own set of words such as vehicular manslaughter, hit and run, and criminally negligent homicide.

Blue is the empty chair at the desk in the classroom where my best friend used to sit.

Blue is the ache in my heart when I pick up the phone to call her and remember she's gone.

Blue is Aunt Ini's warm hugs.

Blue is a hot mug of cocoa on a cold stormy day.

Blue is all the calm, all the heartbreak,

all the hope

all the tears, all the laughter. ...

For all the blues in the sky,

there are as many blues in the heart.

Just a warning you will be sobbing by the final pages of this book.

Bookseller blurb: Sage's thirteenth birthday was supposed to be about movies and treats, staying up late with her best friend and watching the sunrise together. Instead, it was the day her best friend died. Without the person she had to hold her secrets and dream with, Sage is lost. In a counseling group with other girls who have lost someone close to them, she learns that not all losses are the same, and healing isn't predictable. There is sadness, loneliness, anxiety, guilt, pain, love. And even as Sage grieves, new, good things enter her life -- and she just may find a way to know that she can feel it all. In accessible, engaging verse and prose, this is an important story of a girl's journey to heal, grow, and forgive herself. To read it is to see how many shades there are in grief, and to know that someone understands.

This is a verse novel from 2025 for sensitive mature readers aged 12+ but sadly here in Australia you will need to wait for the paperback edition - the hardcover will be well beyond the budget of most school libraries. 

A heartfelt portrait of the complexities of grief and the indomitable human spirit. Kirkus Star review

The counselling group in All the Blues in the Sky reminded me of this book:

Just Like Jackie

Other books by Renee Watson:

Music Camp by Penny Tangey

This is a brand-new Australian book - published this week. The best part of the story happens very close to the end of the book so readers will need to 'stick with' this book so they can enjoy the emotional scenes of the final chapters.

I learnt recorder as a child and then after I retired I joined an adult class and ensemble group, so I do not need to be convinced that the recorder is a worthy musical instrument. I also attended music camps (playing the viola), and I was in several orchestras as a child and teenager so there were a few parts of this book that did resonate with me. 

This book is told from two perspectives. Miley plays the recorder and Juliet plays the flute. Both of them have complex family issues. Miley wants other people to see value in the recorder and Juliet loudly proclaims the recorder does not belong in an orchestra and even more a recorder player should not be selected to perform a solo at the end of camp concert. Juliet is certain she will be the one who wins the audition for concert soloists. Ollie, who plays the cello - it is almost as big as his ego - is also sure he will be the main star at the concert.

Meanwhile there have been terrible floods in this area and now Miley and her mum live in a caravan having lost everything. Miley's mum cannot pay for this music camp, but Miley is awarded a scholarship. Miley hopes the camp will give her another chance to prove the worth of her tenor recorder:

"I mean I get it. They hear a class of kids playing Pachelbel's Canon on plastic descant recorders and it sounds like ferrets flighting in a cave, so they assume it's the recorder's fault. But really the problem is forcing kids with no musical training to play high-pitched instruments. If the government spent more money on music education and equipment then recorder ensembles would sound better. Recorders can sound as good as any other instrument. And way better than the flute."

There are a lot of issues in this book and at times they were a little overwhelming - climate change is one example. The recent floods are most certainly a result of climate change. The camp is also flooded out sorry for the spoiler. The company that sponsors the camp and the scholarships is also contributing to climate change. This creates an interesting tension between the camp leaders. Juliet has her own issues coping with the death of her father who was also a musician and also trying to navigate her mother's own deep grief. And we meet Renee. She is clearly neurodivergent, but this is not directly stated. It is a real strength of this book that readers just need to gradually understand Renee experiences the world in a different way. There are hints in the food she eats, the clothes she wears and the way she needs to keep her hands clean. I really wanted to know more about Renee - she was the character I liked the best. 

If you are book talking Music Camp with a group of Grade Six readers I would begin by playing something 'cool' that shows how terrific a recorder ensemble can sound. Maybe just share the sound not the video of this one. Ask about the instruments and ask if the students enjoy this sound. Or let them hear some tenor recorders. 

Music Camp is a gorgeous story about friendship, music, and finding your voice. Finding a way to fit in when you feel like you don’t, because you’re into something that others might not see as cool. Any interest is cool, because it can connect us with friends and passion to bring out the best in us. It’s a delightful novel, filled with great friendships and the power to encourage people to follow their dreams. The Book Muse

Thank you to UQP (University of Queensland Press) for the advance reader copy. Here is the author webpage. Here are some very detailed teachers notes and questions (I would not use all of these with a class but you could select some to use with a small book discussion group). I think mature readers aged 10+ especially those navigating complex friendships which often happen at the end of Primary school but I do wonder if the cover will appeal to the intended demographic. As an adult reader I am sorry to say it really does not appeal to me perhaps because of the choice of disparate colours. Here are the notes from Lamont Standing orders. 

It would be good to explore the concert program at the back of the book with a music class if you have one in your school. We had an amazing music teacher in a primary school where I worked previously. Read more here. Turn the sound up loud (don't show the video) and listen to this glorious piece from the concert. 

Publisher blurb: Miley and Juliet have nothing in common, apart from a love of music. Miley can’t afford the five-day Music Camp because she lost her home in a flood, but she’s won a scholarship to attend. This is her chance to prove to everyone that the recorder is a serious instrument. Flautist Juliet comes from classical music royalty. Her late father was an esteemed clarinet player and she wants to honour his legacy. She’s also keen to make friends with people who don’t know about her tragic past – though perhaps not with that girl who thinks the recorder is a serious instrument. Over the week, Miley and Juliet don’t always see eye to eye, especially when they both audition for the only woodwind solo at the final night’s concert. But with torrential rain threatening to flood the camp, their dreams might get washed away. How can they put their differences aside and face the music together?

Magnolia Wu Unfolds It All by Chanel Miller

Magnolia was not a trench-coat-wearing, magnifying-glass-holding detective. She wore a simple T-shirt and reasonable sneakers, and her strengths were asking questions and being able to talk to people. Most importantly, for the first time in a long time, she had a friend, 

someone who believed in her before she did, which is a powerful thing.

Magnolia's parents run a laundry in New York City. Her parents are migrants from China and so this means they love living in America but they do work very very hard - seven days a week. Magnolia is not unhappy but she would love her parents to spend more time with her and also she wishes they could take a little time off now and again. 

People often leave things behind at the laundromat. Magnolia collects these strange things and she also collects single socks. She has put these on a display board in the laundromat in the hope that someone will come back and claim their sock but so far no one has done this. 

A new family move into the neighborhood and Magnolia's mum organises a visit hoping Magnolia might make a new friend. Magnolia is very inexperienced with the whole process of friendship but very quickly she and Iris do form a connection. Just before Iris arrives the board of sock crashed onto the floor and Magnolia is so upset by the way a rude customer has just treated her mum that she throws the sock board out with the trash. Iris sees the socks and comes up with a splendid plan. Perhaps Magnolia and Iris could spend their summer holidays tracking down the owners of these socks. AND so a wonder story begins - Magnolia and Iris become great friends, Magnolia makes a series of amazing discoveries about her neighbors and about her parents and their past lives and Magnolia learns that first impressions of the kids from school are not actually even close to correct.

I love the title - yes mum folds the washing but also Magnolia unfolds the sock mystery with the help of her friend and in the process she unfolds herself - opens herself to making new friends and opening herself to a better understanding of her parents. The chapters are named after the socks - that's fun too - The Pink Knitted Sock, The Flamingo Sock, and The Ice Cream Sock

Here are some text quotes - I highlighted so many fabulous passages in this book - that is one great feature of reading on a Kindle.

Magnolia Wu was almost ten. She was eager to turn ten, because the number 9 looked like a sprout coming out of the ground, small and easily stomped. Ten was a strong, two-digit number that looked like a sword and a shield that belonged to someone who was about to conquer the world.

To Magnolia, each sock was a mystery, and she waited for the day that their owners would return to claim them. She wondered where the socks had been, if they’d trekked through mud or snow, climbed a flowering hillside, or danced on Broadway stages. But so far no one had come back, the socks forgotten or replaced by whatever other important things adults were out there doing.

When Magnolia saw the laundromat through a classmate’s eyes, she became self-conscious of the smallest things. The Christmas ornaments dangling from their potted plants year-round. The statue of Guan Gong in his shrine, surrounded by oranges and burning incense set out as offerings. The pile of strangers’ underwear stacked on the counter. The recycled peanut butter jars they used as pencil holders. The way her dad wore a Snoopy sweater and floppy sandals, while other dads strode down the street buttoned up in crisp collars and polished shoes.

So I’m going to help you return each sock to its rightful owner, and you’re going to show me around New York City.” It had never occurred to Magnolia to take action to return the socks herself. She thought of life as something that unfolded around her and happened to her while she was content being an observer.

Suddenly, with a knapsack of socks on her back and a friend by her side, Magnolia felt like anything was going to be possible this summer.

Magnolia had never had a best friend and didn’t know the responsibilities of her new position. How did best friends make up? Did they shake hands or high-five? Did fighting mean the end of things? Did people recover from these kinds of wounds?

Wildly funny, charming, and deeply heartfelt. Kirkus Star review

Today I took a bus ride to the city. If the bus driver gives me a fairly calm trip I can read a book on my Kindle. I started Magnolia Wu Unfolds it all and I was transported. I read half of the book on the way into the city and the other half on the way home. THIS BOOK IS FABULOUS. Sorry to shout. No wonder it won a Newbery honour. Now for the sad news. So far this book is only available as a hardcover edition and so here in Australia it is way too expensive (AUS$40). There is a paperback edition [9780593624531] but it does not seem to have arrived here. I am not a fan of the cover - but please do not let this stop you hunting out this book. 

Here is a quote from the author: Remember, stories can be found everywhere in your life. Pay attention to the details in your day-to-day routines and the people you interact with; build adventures out of them. Celebrate your history and connectedness. I hope you can tell how much I enjoyed writing this whimsical, emotional, slightly nonsensical story, spending time with two girls who are capable of solving the impossible. You can too.

You can read a sample of this book on the publisher page. Here are some teachers notes from the US publisher. I follow a children's book discussion group on Facebook - we used these questions for our discussion.  Here are a few questions and my answers:

1. Iris brings in the sock board from the street, saying she wants to help find the socks’ missing owners. This idea surprises Magnolia because “it had never occurred to Magnolia to take action to return the socks herself. She thought of life as something that unfolded around her and happened to her while she was content being an observer” (p. 24). Do you recall times, as a child, that life unfolded around you? As an adult? Were there times when you took action instead?

I’m probably more of an observer but if someone suggested taking action like Iris I think I’d join in.

2. Magnolia is embarrassed after suggesting the wrong spelling for a word in Lisa’s crossword puzzle. However, Lisa says her error was “a creative act” and evidence of how smart she is (p. 36). How might our mistakes show our imagination and intelligence?

I love authors who create characters with emotional intelligence. Readers of this book will see a “different” way to react. Hooray!

3. While searching for the owner of the flamingo sock, Magnolia and Iris run into Aspen, a boy from school. How does Aspen act toward Magnolia and the laundromat? The story about his stuffed animal Otto and Magnolia’s father explains the reason for his actions but doesn't excuse the racist taunts and bullying. What is Miller trying to show child readers in this scenario?

Everyone has two sides. Humans are complex! I loved discovering his “soft side”.

4. Aspen tells Magnolia and Iris that flamingos are naturally gray but turn pink after eating shrimp. He says, “Flamingos become what they consume,” and Iris writes him a note that says she hopes he stays gray (pp. 86–87). What does she mean by this? What are some things you consume (literally or figuratively), and how have they made you who you are?

I really do not enjoy books that are overly didactic but this scene does not feel like that at all. I loved the quiet wisdom of this idea. And he way Magnolia and Iris have to take a journey to find this reflects in a small way the enormity of the journey to understanding taken by Aspen.

I have two favourite picture books about visiting Laundromats - A pocket for Corduroy; and Knuffle Bunny. Small confession - I am slightly crazy about socks and I do have quite a large collection including some special ones from Japan and some I bought in Paris! Last year I visited a wonderful Laundromat in Portsmouth Laundrycare (145 Albert Rd, Southsea, Portsmouth, Southsea PO4 0JW, United Kingdom). I highly recommend them if you are in the area.

Here is a poem about missing socks:

The Missing Sock by Angela Wybrow

This afternoon, I had quite a big shock: 
I discovered that I have a missing sock! 
I put my socks inside the washing machine, 
But now one sock is nowhere to be seen.

I started my hunt earlier - had a scout around, 
But, as yet, the missing sock is still to be found.
It's not hung on the line or the clothes airer.
It needs to be reunited with me: its wearer.

The socks were one of my favourite pairs: 
Light blue with a snowy white polar bear.
They also had stars sewn with silvery thread.
I've looked on the floor and inside my bed.

With a missing sock, I've no peace of mind; 
That missing sock, I simply need to find.
It has to be somewhere within the house -
Or maybe it has been stolen by a mouse! 

That poor little sock is all lonely and lost; 
I'll do anything to retrieve it: whatever the cost.
I'm feeling quite upset, as I really do hate
The thought of it coping without its mate.

With the missing sock, I am quite obsessed, 
And, until I have found it, I will not rest.
That missing sock, I will keep looking for
Until it's safe and sound back in its drawer. 

Saskia Spark-Lee Trading Trouble by Rebecka Sharpe Shelberg

I picked this book up by mistake. The second book from this series is a CBCA Younger Readers Notable title but anyway I did enjoy this first installment (published 2023). In fact this easy chapter book was a total surprise. I expected it would be a fairly light weight story, but this story explores deeper themes of honesty, jealousy, problem solving and remorse.

Saskia is a collector especially of things that sparkle (think about her name). She lives with her two dads. One is a great cook. Saskia has a wonderful friend at school and each day the pair of them have fun guessing what might be in their lunch boxes and then swapping the different treats and sandwiches. At lunch time one day Saskia sees a girl from her class with a wonderful large piece of sparkling quartz. It would be a fabulous addition to her collection. Without thinking about the consequences Saskia tells Athena about the real diamond she has at home. Saskia offers to swap her tiny diamond for the lovely piece of quartz. Does Saskia really have a diamond? No. But how can she undo this terrible lie.

I love the role adults play in this story. Dad (Da) has a great idea about how to tell the truth but also smooth over this relationship. At the same time, unknown to Saskia, Athena's mum also has a solution which means as readers we can all enjoy the resolution to this problem and it feels realistic, kind and very satisfying. 

Here are the Scholastic Standing Order teachers notes. 

I have been reading my way through the 2025 CBCA Younger Readers Notable titles. Saskia Spark-Lee Trading trouble is the first book in this series featuring Saskia Spark-Lee. The second book Fundraiser Fail is a CBCA Notable and tomorrow the short-listed books will be announced. There are 14 books in this category I have not read (although I did browse through a few of the pop titles - reading just their first few pages until the word 'fart' was mentioned then I thought I should really spend my time on books that I think meet the CBCA criteria because this is a literary award not a pop one). I will need to hunt out this book because it is an important part of the CBCA judging that books from a series must stand alone. Here is the webpage for Rebecka Sharpe Shelberg. 

Here is the notable title from the CBCA 2025 Younger Readers list:

Publisher blurb: Saskia Spark-Lee loves animals – she’s almost adopted a whole zoo-worth! But when Da and Dee say they can’t add another to the collection, she must come up with a new plan to continue supporting her furry friends. With some help from Nanna, and the amazing fundraising skills of her friends, Saskia may find where there's a will there's a way!

The Younger Readers 2025 CBCA judges said: This book is ideal for the younger end of the category. Although only 64 pages, it’s packed with substance – excellent plotting with tension maintained throughout, and good authentic characterisation with a strong voice. The topics are appealing to the age level, and the book is accessible with illustrations in halftone and line. The themes of prioritising competing values, animal conservation, advocacy and charity are explored in a way that is accessible to the intended audience and this series does not talk down to readers. Similarly, it includes some vocabulary that will challenge readers such as ‘solemn’ and ‘dilemma’. There is also a diverse representation of characters including Saskia’s two dads and her multicultural classmates. This book will entice but not intimidate younger readers.

We are the Wibbly! A Tadpole's Tale by Sarah Tagholm illustrated by Jane McGuinness

This book just begs to be read aloud. Our young narrator always seems to come last. Youngest siblings are sure to relate to this and other children will sympathise with his feelings of being slow to catch up with the group. As Kirkus says: While some life cycle books feel dry, this one is enlivened by humor and the modest but compelling narrative, which follows a distinctive pink-cheeked tadpole who’s decidedly ambivalent about this whole metamorphosis business.

I love his individual voice and the way he uses invented words. This is an absolutely perfect book to consider for any preschool library or bookshelf. It is a terrific way to talk about the lifecycle of frogs and the art in this book is just so very appealing. It reminds me of a preschool art technique blowing bubbles through paint. See more books illustrated by Jane McGuiness here. 

Image source: Jane McGuiness

Invented words and fun phrases: water-flying; hunger-muncher; 'you will not do believing this'; juiceable dinners; I am the fasterest; 'oh my crikeys'; air-swimming.

Look at this diagram and you can see the changes he goes through:

Publisher blurb: OH MY CRIKEYS! Doesn't life move fast? One moment you're in the Wibbly, relaxing with your Wibbly friends. The next, they've all grown tails and turned into tadpoles! And what's more, they are bursting OUT of the Wibbly ... AND you've got to keep up! Some tadpoles don't feel ready to become frogs. And some never wanted to become tadpoles in the first place.

Frequent exclamation points propel the springy narrative, and sprinkles of quirky invented words and unconventional grammar feel very froglike indeed. ...  Splashy illustrations in ink, mixed-media, and Photoshop leap with energy, while the gently rounded, big-eyed frogs are cute yet still accurately rendered. A page of backmatter nicely summarizes the frog’s life cycle. A hopping good book perfect for budding biologists. Kirkus Star review

Here is a very extensive Pinterest collection of books about frogs and toads from my friend Kinderbookswitheverything. 

I would pair We are Wibbly with this book:

One Tiny Tree Frog

The Six Swans - a fairy tale by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm

I borrowed a copy of The Six Swans (illustrations by Dorothee Duntze) from a school library last week. Now I am so confused. As a child my favourite fairy tale was The Wild Swans by Hans Christian Andersen. I had this amazing copy with puppet photos and a 'hologram' cover (see below). Now I discover another fairy tale called The Six Swans by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm.  The two stories are SO similar. 

Using Wikipedia here is my comparison:

The Wild Swans

In a faraway kingdom, there lives a widowed king with his twelve children: eleven princes and one princess. One day, he decides to remarry, but marries a wicked queen who is a witch. Out of spite, the queen turns her eleven stepsons into magnificent swans who are allowed to temporarily become human only at night and forced to fly by day.

The Six Swans

A King gets lost in a forest while hunting for game. An old witch promises to help the lost King get back home, on the condition that he marry her beautiful daughter. The King suspects the mysterious maiden to be wicked but agrees to marry her. He has six sons and a daughter from his first marriage, however, and fears that the children will be abused by his new wife. So, before the wedding, the King sends his children to a hidden castle in the forest, secretly visiting them by following a magical reel of thread given to him by a wise woman. The Queen, who is also a witch, then sews seven magical white shirts. When the King leaves for an errand one day, the Queen follows the reel to the hidden castle. Mistaking her for their father, the six princes rush out to greet their stepmother who then throws the shirts over her stepsons, transforming them into swans.

In both stories, the young daughter of the King is left to save her brothers. In both stories the young girl is not allowed to speak, and she must make shirts for her brothers. This is painful and difficult work which takes years to complete. Also, in both stories the boys only appear in human form briefly. 

The Wild Swans

Elisa is guided by the queen of the fairies to gather stinging nettles in graveyards to knit into shirts that will eventually help her brothers regain their human shapes. Elisa endures painfully blistered hands from nettle stings, and she must also take a vow of silence for the duration of her task, for speaking one word will kill herself and her brothers.

The Six Swans

The princes can only take their human forms for fifteen minutes every evening. They tell their sister that they have heard of a way to lift the curse: she must not speak for six years while sewing six star-flower shirts for her brothers.

In both stories one shirt is incomplete and in both the girl is accused of witchcraft. 

The Wild Swans

When Elisa finishes the last shirt, she throws the shirts over the swans, and her brothers return to their human forms. The youngest brother has a swan's wing instead of an arm, as Elisa did not have time to finish one sleeve of his shirt.

The Six Swans

In this story the young girl marries a king and so she is now a queen but she cannot speak until the six years have passed. Even though the young Queen has sewn all six star-flower shirts, the last one lacks a left sleeve. When the girl is brought to the stake, she takes the shirts with her. Just as she is about to be burned, the six swans come flying through the air. She throws the shirts over her brothers and they regain their human form, but the youngest retains a left wing instead of an arm.

I now discover the there are lots of variations on this fairy tale. In this article the author compares three - the two I have talked about and The seven ravens. Read more here. Goodreads identify forty titles that are based around this fairy tale. 

I also read this: The tale “The Wild Swans” was written by 33-year-old Andersen in 1838 and was included in the collection “Fairy Tales Told for Children.” When creating the tale, Andersen relied on the tales of the Brothers Grimm and the Irish legend of a sister and two brothers turned by a stepmother into swans. Source

I previously talked about this book which feels very similar to The Wild Swans.

The Children of Nuala

And our Children's Book Council of Australia Picture Book of the Year for 2024 also has overtones of The Wild Swans - Paradise Sands.

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: