Bea, Bart and the Birds by Katrina Nannestad illustrated by Cheryl Orsini

Alliterative siblings Bea and Bart have a knack for attracting lost birds. Fortunately, they live in a mansion and so there is plenty of room for all these different creatures - Boo the owl; Polly the rhyming parrot; Doornail the peacock; Crumbs the sparrow; Squish the fairy wren; and Rosy the crow. Unfortunately having these creatures inside the house does lead to daily chaos. Mum keeps fainting; the butler keeps dropping plates of food and Nanny cannot get any sleep with the noisy parrot in the house. Oh, and I need to talk about Doornail. Doornail is a peacock and when the children find him, they think he is dead - dead as a doornail. In fact pretending to be dead is a clever defense mechanism for peacocks and the children soon discover this bird is actually alive. I have some country friends who have a peacock in their large back garden. He moved in about a year ago. I think they would like him to move on and no one really knows where he came from. The fun thing about having him living there is his almost daily feather show which delights the small children (and adults) who visit this house. 

Living in mansion might mean these children's parents are rich. They do have a nanny and a butler! A lady sees the kids with all their bird friends in the park, and she hatches a plan to kidnap the children and ask for a ransom. More chaos ensues and the children are rescued. 

This is a sweet story with an old-fashioned feel (think about having a butler and a nanny). It is easy to read with a good print size and plenty of illustrations along with short chapters. Bee, Bart and the Birds will also work as a family (very short) read aloud. The font changes will help readers identify words to emphasise such as in this sentence: "The birds bobbed and chirped. They loved walkies in the park."

This book, Bea, Bart and the Birds, comes from a new series from Affirm Press (Simon and Schuster). The three authors/commentators behind the Facebook and Podcast group "Your Kids Next Read" were asked, I think, or perhaps it was their idea, to develop some simple and hopefully appealing junior chapter books. The series name is taken from their group name. 

Katrina Nannestad talks about her book here.

Here are the blurbs of the first four titles which were released this week: 

The Lonely Lunch Club (Friends, School and Funny Stories) One lunchtime, Benji goes to the worst bench in the whole school instead of playing footy. There he meets a girl named Alice and a spider named Mabel. And Mabel needs their help! But can Benji and Alice do it alone? 

The Missing Pencil Case (Mystery, Family and Funny Stories) Lea has lost her pencil case. It's full of money she has collected for charity! Lea must search all over her apartment block for the missing pencil case. Where could it be?

Will Finn Win? (Animals, Sport and Friends) Fin never wins anything. On school sports day, a naughty puppy stops Fin from coming first in his race. Will Fin ever win? Or will he learn that there are more important things than medals? 

Bea, Bart and the Birds (Animals, Family and Surprising Stories) It all starts with Boo, the owl. Bea and Bart take her home and love her. Soon, they have a feathered family! But Bea and Bart are not the only ones interested in these unusual birds … 

In July last year Joy Lawn (Paperbark Words) interviewed the YKNR team about their book series plans. Allison Tait, Megan Daley and Allison Rushby have quite lofty goals for their series. I have only read one title so far so I will reserve my judgment as to whether their goals have been met: 

• ‘We are thrilled to be part of the development of this incredible series, which offers a wide reading experience for young readers from creators whose work we love and admire. Your Next Read will provide adults with a one-stop shop for quality books for junior readers, while offering young readers books that are fun, exciting and aimed at building a love of literature.’
• Alongside a phonics-based approach to learning the skills of reading comes the most critical part of a child’s reading journey: the desire to keep reading. That’s where Your Next Read comes in – a bold new series designed to ensure every child learns to love reading.

Reading these two statements I find I am very confused - why did the series creators feel the need to produce very detailed 'Teacher's Notes'? This makes me think these books are also intended to be class readers and not literature? I was also distressed to see the team behind the Your Next Read series promoting the sales of their books through BigW which is a department-style chain store here in Australia. Authors and illustrators receive very little payment for their books, and we desperately also need to support our independent book sellers. BigW are selling these books for AUS$8 which is way below the retail price of AUS$13. It seems sad and wrong to me that purchasing these books from a discount department store is being promoted. And there will be a lot of promotion over the coming years since there is a plan for 36 titles in total. If I am right the author and illustrator of these books share $2.50 of the full retail price or 10% and only 5% for the discounted copy. 

If you are looking for junior series that most certainly could 'build a love of literature' see if your library has Aussie Nibbles and the Solo series which are perfect for younger readers and most certainly do contain 'fun' and very satisfying stories. 

Quirky things to notice about the Your Next Read books:

The shape - with rounded corners - this harks back to the wonderful series I just mentioned that we had here in Australia in the past called Aussie Nibbles, Aussie Bites and Aussie Chomps. The rounded corners are possibly intended to make the books stand out as different and I did read they are meant to look like collectors cards. There is spot varnish on the cover - silver for the first titles in the series.

Each book has a set of 'genre' labels on the cover - my book is listed as animals, family and surprising stories. I am not a fan of generifying school library collections but these little labels might help a young reader anticipate the plot of their book. 

I saw this promotional bookmark as part of the book display for this series

At the back of the book readers are invited to take a survey and this then tells them which book could be Your Next Read. 

There is a plan, as I said, to have 36 titles for this series and they are coded silver and gold. These colours link with suggested ages Silver=ages 5-8 Gold=ages 7-9.

Of the four titles from this first batch it seems the creators have somewhat deliberately tried to have 2 "girl" title and two "boy" titles. 

You might recognise some of the author and illustrator names. I purchased Bea, Bart and the Birds (it's a fun alliterative title as I already noted) because I have read nearly every book (for older readers) by Katrina Nannestad and I do love art by Cheryl Orsini. I am so glad that each book will have a different authors and illustrators. Your young readers might then go on to explore other titles by these creators. 

I was pleased to see Affirm Press have kept the price at a lower level for the series at AUS$13 each.  I did spy them for just AUS$10 each in a chain store today and online from the YKNR team for even less at AUS$8. I do wish the paper was slightly higher quality but I guess you need to balance this against a lower price and also consider the intended audience is home ownership not library collections perhaps.

Here are some of the authors and illustrators who will contribute to this series: Peter Cheong, Jane Godwin, Jade Goodwin, Anita Heiss, Kylie Howarth, Tom Jellett, Maddy Mara, Jasmin McGaughey, Katrina Nannestad, Cheryl Orsini, A. L. Tait, Kate & Jol Temple, Amelia Mellor, Jess Racklyeft and Briony Stewart. In one bookshop today the four titles from 'Your Next Read' were all placed together and in a different shop they were scattered among the junior chapter titles in alphabetical order. If you do add these to your school library I would pop them all together in a series box or on a series display spinner. 

Jane Godwin was previously the author of several titles from the Aussie Nibbles and Aussie Bites series including one of my huge favourites Poor Fish. Here's a list of all her books. 

Here are the next two titles due out in June:

A Song for the King by Katrina Nannestad illustrated by Freya Blackwood

Day Twelve 12 Christmas Donkeys

"Oh, how Netta loved to sing. 

From dawn to dusk. 

In villas and vineyards. 

In stables and streets. 

In taverns and tents. 

In markets and meadows. 

And from the top of the hill that overlooked the town."

Publisher blurb: Netta the donkey loves to sing with her friends, Esther the sheep and Uzi the camel. They frolic around town from dawn till dusk, braying, bleating and gurgling. But sadly, not everyone likes to listen. Netta falls silent until something so wondrous happens that her song bursts forth once more.

Reviews:

This is a heart-warming story that will gladden the hearts of those who read it or listen to it. I loved how the narrative vividly described what was happening with the animals and how enthusiastic they are about singing and how despondent they are when they are taken to market. Blackwood’s soft water colour illustrations complement the text. The three baby animals are the focus of the story and I loved their expressions, the enjoyment they had in singing and working together. The illustrations also brought the countryside, the people and the markets to life, while adding depth with tiny details like chickens flying and a gorgeous little cat curled up on the stable. Read Plus

A book filled with love and joy to share at any time of the year. Story Links

I have talked about nearly every book by Katrina Nannestad on this blog - click on the label for this post. Read more about Freya Blackwood (our IBBY Australia honour book recipient for Banjo and Ruby Red and her book features in the IBBY Silent Books collections). Freya generously donated a postcard sized art work for our recent IBBY Australia mini masterpiece art auction - and YES I am now the proud owner.

Frances Bloom by Katrina Nannestad illustrated by Marina Zlatanova

Recipe for Frances Bloom

• A full to the brim cup or two of Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren
• Three quarters of a cup of Gooney Bird Green by Lois Lowry
• A generous dash of Leeva at Last by Sara Pennypacker
• A quarter teaspoon of the illustrations in Maudie and Bear by Jan Ormerod illustrated by Freya Blackwood (read more here)
• A small spoonful of Clementine by Sara Pennypacker
• A tiny pinch of Matilda by Roald Dahl

Method - Pippi Longstocking lives alone and so does Frances Bloom. Pippi has special animal friends - her horse and monkey. Frances has a huge bear (and a garden gnome). Pippi speaks boldly and she enjoys her daily routines. Frances loves to swim every day, often in her clothes, and she has strong opinions about school. 

Gooney Bird Green loves to wear outrageous combinations of clothes and so does Frances. Gooney entertains her class with her tall tales. Frances is loved by her 22 Grade 3 classmates because she brings her eccentric grandparents to visit the class, she sets imaginative writing assignments and ultimately, she is responsible for 'getting rid' of their horrible teacher Ms Thistle. 

Frances is somewhat like young Leeva because she has to survive and avoid being 'found out' by adults. Maudie and Bear is about relationships - and Frances creates a special bond with her bear named Grandma Maude. And of course, Clementine and Frances are about the same age and have the same outspoken opinions and slightly naive view of the world. 

Here are some of the clothes worn by Frances Bloom. You could use these descriptions as a way to book talk Frances Bloom with your library group:

"Frances stepped from the fitting room wearing tartan shorts, a lime-green poncho with tiny pompoms along the edges, rainbow-spotted tights and purple clogs."

"She dressed in a floppy red smock, green-striped tights and bright yellow gumboots. She did not brush her hair."

"She wore long Johns, a stripy blue scarf, red lace-up boots and a green beanie."

Frances Bloom has 130+ illustrated pages, large print, short chapters, a very cheeky main character and a rollicking story so it will be a perfect addition to your library collection for readers aged 7+. I am not a huge fan of the cover but I really like the internal illustrations by Marina Zlatanova. 

To my mind this is a book for an individual child or one to share in a family but the publisher have produced some extensive teachers notes. It would be fun to talk about two of the 'naughty words' - Codswallop: an old-fashioned way of saying something is nonsense and Poppycock: another old-fashioned way of saying something is nonsense.

Frances Bloom is the first title of a planned series. 

The antics that Frances, her friends and new grandparents get up to make this book lots of fun for younger readers. The Book Muse

Frances Bloom is an appealing and likeable character. She strong, clever, resilient and loves life. She is her own person, full of fun and a tiny bit of mischief but her heart is in the right place. Read Plus

Publisher blurb: Frances Bloom lives all alone in a cottage by the sea. She's having a marvellous time until her nasty teacher, Ms Thistle, learns there is no-one looking after her. Frances needs to find a family, quick smart, or she'll be sent away to Bleak Island Home for Unwanted Children and Dogs. As hard as Frances looks, nobody meets her high standards ... until she stumbles across a large, honey-coloured bear raiding the rubbish bins ... and a garden gnome fishing in the flowerbed. Welcome, Grandma Maude and Grandpa Harold! Together, this strange trio creates a new family, writing their own rules with each misadventure!

Frances Bloom also reminded me of an earlier book written for an older audience by Katrina Nannestad - The Girl who Bought Mischief. I am a huge fan of her work - click on the label for this post to see other books. 

The Girl who Bought Mischief

Meeting Grandpa Harold (the garden gnome) also made me think of these two books which are sadly long out of print but might be in your school library:

A Home for Gnomes

Norman does Nothing

Marina Zlatanova is a Bulgarian-born designer, illustrator and printmaker living in Naarm/Melbourne, Australia. She has illustrated several picture books to date, including Charlie’s Shell, her debut as an author, which won a Speech Pathology Australia Book of the Year award. Her style is varied and eclectic, using a diverse range of media – from watercolour and inks to digital illustration and block printing – but her love for depicting the humorous and endearing always underpins her creations. Other books illustrated by Marina Zlatnaova are Gladys and Stripey: Two little fish on one BIG adventure; and Tink, Tink, Tink! (2025).

IBBY Australia Mini Masterpiece Art Auction - meet Martina Heiduczek

Check out the auction site - bidding begins on 14th November 

You could own this gorgeous original illustration by Martina Heiduczek. It is titled Porcine Passengers. It would be fun to share this illustration with your library group and then perhaps read Who Sank the Boat? by Pamela Allen. 

Here are other books illustrated by Martina Heiduczek:

Duck, Apple, Egg

Under the red Shawl

What do you call your grandpa?

Katrina Nannestad "All the Beautiful Things" plus these three

The Riding Gallery

And I am keen to see these:

And this one is only in Dutch so far - look at the wonderful end papers - the English title is Shell Girl.

All the Beautiful Things by Katrina Nannestad illustrated by Martina Heiduczek

"It feels like all the beautiful things have to be hidden away ... "

"The world is a jigsaw puzzle, every person a unique piece. There's a space for each one, but it must be the space made just for them. And if we leave one piece out, no matter how small, plain, insignificant or odd it may seem, the jigsaw puzzled remains incomplete. 

The picture looks ugly because there is a gap."

In the world of Germany in 1939 to 1945 every child has to be perfect. Anna is perfect - the perfect German girl. She is athletic, clever and has that perfect blonde hair and bright blue eyes. Her sister however is not perfect. She has a disability and Mutti and Anna know if little Eva is found she will be taken away. 

"Eva was born with a disability that weakens her body and makes it hard for her to learn new things. Eva didn't walk for a long time and she's still a bit wobbly. Words came much later .... It's unlikely she'll ever learn to read. And she's so very small and thin, more like a toddler than a seven-year-old."

Eva takes delight in making paper dolls. The family have to keep her hidden, but Anna is able to collect tiny treasures - a piece of lace, a ribbon, a small piece of coloured paper - and Anna weaves a magical story for Eva as they work together to create new outfits for dolly. 

"Eva fetches her square biscuit tin and returns to the kitchen table. She opens the lid and gasps with delight even though she knows exactly what's inside - Dolly, a flat cardboard doll with woollen hair and tissue paper underwear, and eight flat dresses. They're all made from scrap paper and other treasures Mutti and I have scrounged from floors, streets, bins, barns. ... Every piece of the dress needs a story."

Anna and her friend Udo work hard to keep Eva a secret but there is danger everywhere. A boy in their neighborhood - Manfred is especially dangerous. "He is fourteen, tall, strong and handsome. He is in the special patrol group, Hitler Youth's very own police." 

Woven into All the Beautiful things we meet Eva Braun, visit the countryside home of Hitler, and in some awful scenes witness the indoctrination of the children in class against anyone who is not perfect - people with disabilities, people who are different and of course Jewish people. In one scene we see brave Anna quietly taking Nazi propaganda posters from her school and at home she burns them.

Luckily Anna and Udo do find friends in their town and one of these is seamstress Fraulein Linz. Little do they know that this lovely woman will be the one to hide little Eva when it becomes too hard to keep her at home and keep her safe. Fraulein Linz is living a double life. The Nazi wives visit to have her make their beautiful clothes and she even appears to be friendly with Eva Braun but this is all just a ruse. 

"How do we tell the monsters and the angels apart?"

This book has 327 pages, and I read it all in one sitting - YES, it is that good. In fact, this book is wonderful! I actually read this book about 3 weeks ago but I just wanted to sit and think and let it settle before penning something here on my blog. I actually feel I am quite inadequate as a blogger and lover of middle grade children's books to even begin to talk about this amazing book. One of the most precious parts of this story is the emotional intelligence of young Eva. 

There are some quite terrifying scenes in this book which I think demonstrates the power of this writing. One that has lingered with me is when Anna is stopped and told to empty her pockets by a member of the Gestapo. They have been watching Udo. He is part of the resistance and their communication is via train tickets. Udo has slipped it into Anna's pocket and now Anna needs to take it to Pastor Almendinger.

"The railway station's a perfect exchange for messages. Always busy. ... I'm there all the time, looking for discarded tickets for Dolly's dresses. In fact, there are four in my pockets right now. ... 'I'd like to see what's in your pockets.' ... I stick my hands into my pockets, grab the lining at the bottoms and turn them inside out. Everything that was inside spills. The tiny folding scissors, bottle tops, acorns and buttons fall into the snow, but the wind grabs the rest and sends it fluttering along the street. Including the very important train ticket for Pastor Almendinger."  

All the Gestapo see is a collection of rubbish.  

Here are a couple of text quotes:

"We're crying for Eva, who is safe, but whose life has grown smaller yet again. How many times must her world darken and shrink? How long can she live this way without the light in her eyes fading, before hugs in her arms slacken?"

"And then I shudder. Not because of Manfred's fanaticism. That's old news. It's just I've never been called a traitor before. I realise that a person can be both a hero and a traitor. It depends on your point of view. To Eva and Mutti, I'm a hero. To Hitler and Manfred, I'm a traitor." 

All the Beautiful Things is certain to be a CBCA Younger Readers Notable, and I am also sure it will be shortlisted. Here are a set of teachers notes from the publisher. I highly recommend All the Beautiful Things for readers aged 11+. 

This is a great read, suffused with love and humour. As usual Nannestad has got the balance just right, presenting the reader with thought provoking situations while keeping them enthralled with suspense, some mystery, and lots of giggles. A must for every school  and home library. Storylinks

All the Beautiful Things is as much a story of resistance as it is about loyalty and family, but also, finding out what it means when the rules you think exist start to crumble, and your world changes in so many ways. It is a book that will make you question prejudices and what we assume disabled people are like, and ponder how we can help people who need it. And I think makes us ask ourselves what we would do if we ever found ourselves in a similar situation. Another wonderful novel from Katrina Nannestad. The Book Muse

History can be tough to understand, especially when it comes to things like war and prejudice. But Nannestad takes the real stories of the past and wraps them up in a way that is both accessible and heartwarming for kids. You’ll not only get to see the struggles of people who lived through WWII, but you’ll also learn about what it was like to be different in a world where difference meant danger. Better Reading

Some things to think about:

• It is interesting that Katrina named Anna's little sister Eva and Anna also meets and 'befriends' the famous Eva Braun. 
• When you read a book like this as a reader you put your trust in the author that there will be a 'happy ending' and that characters you love will be kept safe. What happens if this 'rule' is broken?

In November I attended a terrific 'fireside' chat at Gleebooks Kids with Katrina Nannestad.  Here are some things I discovered:

• Katrina will appear at our Sydney Writer's Festival in May 2025
• Her favourite character from her books so far is Udo (from All the Beautiful Things) and also Sasha from Rabbit Angel Soldier Thief
• Silver Linings is her personal family story and a sequel is planned
• Katrina reads and researches history through personal accounts. She likes to find lesser-known stories of World War II
• She plots her stories and has a clear plan of the way the plot will be structured
• When Katrina is writing one of her novels, she writes every day of the week and often becomes totally absorbed in the journey of her characters. Each book from this series takes 8-9 months to write.
• Her new books - another Lottie Perkins title and a new series about a character named Frances Bloom.

In November Katrina Nannestad ran a competition where people sent in their own paper doll creations. Take a look here.

After reading All the Beautiful Things you will want to read every book by Katrina Nannestad especially her stories set during World War II -   

Rabbit, Soldier, Angel, Thief; Waiting for the Storks; We are Wolves

Here are some other companion books:

The Little Riders

I am reading this one at the moment so I will talk further about it here in the coming weeks. 

Check out the Kirkus review.

Mim and the Anxious Artist by Katrinia Nannestad illustrated by Cheryl Orsini

Mim, Nat (her brother) and dad along with their accompanying menagerie of animals have arrived in Paris with their horse drawn bookshop. Mim marvels at the beautiful city and Nat loves the idea of the Awful Tower, his new discovery of French culinary treats and the way he can find his favourite letter 'S' in just about any situation.

They meet a very talented artist named Pierre. His portrait art is captivating but once a painting is completed, he simply cannot give it away or give it to the person who has paid him. This is one of several dilemmas that Mim need to solve with the help of the seemingly mismatched books her father sells each customer from his bookshop. How on earth can a book about gardening help Pierre? Why does the rich lady need The Happy Handyman? And a book about bridges for a famous chef? Surely not. 

In 2021 I read the first first installment of The Travelling Bookshop series. Such a charming story with yummy cakes and the idea of giving the perfect book to a reader! I picked up this one - book three - at a recent charity book sale. I did wonder if I should have read the second installment first but no, the books in this series do stand alone - but IF you can try to get the whole set and then settled down for a delicious week or two of reading. 

In this video Katrina Nannestad talks about her series. Here is her website. You can see more of my posts which feature books by Katrina Nannestad by clicking on the label the bottom of this post. I also adore the illustrations and bright covers by Cheryl Orsini of this book and all the other titles from the series. 

This series is filled with such hope and whimsy, bringing words and the world to life for us. It is a series that I have been following since the beginning, and I am looking forward to seeing where Mim and her family go next with their wonderful bookshop. It’s such a fun series and readers of all ages will get something wonderful out of it. The Book Muse

This is the newest installment published March, 2024

Bookseller blurb: Mim Cohen roams the world in a travelling bookshop, with her dad and brother and a horse called Flossy. Flossy leads them where she will, to the place where they're needed most ... the place where the perfect book will find its way home. Now Mim has arrived in wonderful Venice, city of canals, palaces, bridges, boats and ... quarrels. Gondolier battles, cat nappings and laundry theft are just the beginning. The Magnifico family and the Forte family are at war. Mim knows they're here to help the feuding families. To show them a better way to behave. To bring an end to the vicious vendetta. If only Mim could find each of them the right book. If only they'd all stop reading the wrong books.

Silver Linings by Katrina Nannestad

Nettie (Lynette) Sweeny lives with her three sisters and her dad on a farm. The year is 1952 and in a few months Princess Elizabeth will be crowned queen and shortly after this she will visit Australia and in particular rural Australia - coming to a town near where Nettie lives. Nettie's mum died in childbirth. Nettie longs for the love of a mother and so it is wonderful to read that when Nettie turns five her father remarries. Alice is a perfect mum to all the girls but especially to young Nettie. I think Alice is my favourite character in this story along with young Nettie of course oh and the wise bus driver. Here are some text quotes about Alice:

"Dinner is filled with happy chatter. Every time Alice puts her knife down, I weave my fingers in and out of hers. Eventually overcome by the thrill of having my own real mother, I slip out of my chair and hang off her neck. I spend the rest of the meal running my knuckles along the pearls on her necklace ... and planting kisses on her cheek."

"Alice gives us one more kiss, which makes the skin on my forehead tingle with happiness ... "

"Mum spends heaps of time sitting on the lounge or in bed because Billy's always hungry and needs a lot of feeding. She uses one arm for holding Billy, so there's always a spare one for wrapping around me and plenty of room for Muriel if she wants to snuggle up too. Which she does."

The Australian vernacular in this story is so endearing and I didn't tire of the sweet 'joke' about babies and storks and Nettie's sweet misunderstandings and earnest little letters sent to the stork asking for a baby. 

I wonder what readers from other places in the world will make of expressions like these:

'whacko the diddly-oh!'
'stone the crows'

chooks (chickens)

'ruddy cold'

'that's a porky' (tall tale or a lie)

crook (unwell)

yarn (a story)

duffer (fool)

This story has terrific descriptions of life in a small rural school. I really enjoyed the scenes where the kids are preparing their Christmas play and also getting ready to meet the young Queen Elizabeth. The importance of supporting neighbours during times of hardship and disasters such as floods is also a theme and there are references to the damage done to the minds of returning soldiers - which we now call PTSD. I think Aunty Edith may have had a Victorian upbringing - she has such strict beliefs about the behaviour of children. She is also attached to lace hankies and the importance of eating peas. There are some truly funny moments when Nettie uses her doll Fancy Nancy to voice her frustrations about Aunty Edith. Fancy Nancy can say all the naughty words that the children might think but they would never dare to say!

You will find a link to some very good teacher's notes here. Katrina Nannestead says: "This story is fiction but inspired by family history."

Publisher blurb: A new heartwarming novel set in 1950s Australia from bestselling author Katrina Nannestad. Nettie Sweeney has a dad, three big sisters, a farm full of cows and a cat called Mittens. But it’s not enough. She longs for a mother. One with a gentle touch and sparkles in her eyes. Instead, she has Aunty Edith with slappy hands, a sharp tongue and the disturbing belief that peas are proper food. When Dad marries Alice, all Nettie’s dreams come true. The Sweeney home overflows with laughter, love and, in time, a baby brother. Billy. The love of Nettie’s life. Then tragedy strikes. The Sweeney family crumbles. Nettie tries to make things right, but has she made everything so much worse?

An emotionally rich narrative with big, complex themes, told in a way that’s irresistibly immersive for middle-grade readers. Nettie is a captivating protagonist with a huge heart. While her naive innocence at the beginning of the book makes her immediately endearing, the resilience and courage she develops over the course of the book’s tragic events will earn her a special forever-place in readers’ hearts. Better Reading

I am adding this book to my list of CBCA (Children's Book Council of Australia) notable and short list predictions. This book will warm your heart, then break your heart and then on the final pages, while the sadness is still there, you will be given a small glimpse of a better future. This book is sure to become a classic in the same way Seven Little Australian's captured our hearts last century.  I recommend this book for readers aged 11+. Note there are some suggestions of domestic violence in the home of their neighbours the Parkes.

Other books by Katrina Nannestad - I have LOVED all of them.

The Girl who Bought mischief

We are Wolves

Rabbit, Solider, Angel, Thief

Waiting for the Storks

Olive of Groves

The Travelling Bookshop

Waiting for the Storks by Katrina Nannestad

"Then he takes a smaller tool, like a ruler with little sliding bits, and measures my ears 

and ear holes and earlobes, the thickness of my lips, the distance between my eyes, 

the length and width of my nose and lots of other bits in between. 

Herr Doktor takes one last lap around me, staring, then declares, 

'It is a perfect head!"

Krakow, Poland is a dangerous place. Zofia Ulinski, her Mama and Tata (father) know there are huge risks now that the Nazis have invaded their city. Zofia and her family are Catholic not fewish but these German conquerors have banned so many every day things.

"They marched into Krakow, acting as though it was their city, not ours. ... they started closing libraries and schools, radio stations and newspapers, synagogues and universities ... burned books (and) ... started rounding up teachers and writers and doctors and artists and priests and professors and sending them off to concentration camps."

Tata is a tailor and he is also working for the resistance. As this story opens there are some parcels that need to be delivered. Mama and Zofia offer to take them and of course they promise to stay in the shadows and avoid crowded busy streets. They carry the carefully wrapped parcels in two baskets. One parcel contains a green striped velvet suit for Mr Wojcik. It is almost impossible to find materials for new clothes so this strange colourful suit has been made from his dining room curtains. On their way to make their deliveries they meet three German soldiers. I think I held my breath through the whole scene as the SS guards ripped open the parcels and threw their precious contents onto the muddy gutter. Zofia knows should stay quiet, she should not draw attention to herself but this is all so outrageous. She screams stop - and she screams it in German. 

"The first soldier puts his finger under my chin and lifts my face. He gazes into my eyes and his smile widens. ... The second soldier pulls off my headscarf. He takes one of my long blonde plaits in his hand and holds it out. All three chatter about my clear blue eyes, my pale skin, my shiny golden hair."

What does all of this mean? Read this statement (found on the very first page of this book):

"I really do have the intention to gather Germanic blood from the whole world, to rob it, to steal it wherever I can. Heinrich Himmler, Commander of the SS, 1938."

Little eight year old Zofia has no idea that she is about to be kidnapped, taken to Germany, held in an orphanage where she will be re-educated as a perfect German child.  In this horrid place the children (all blonde and perfect) are given clothes, shoes, and plenty of food but the punishments are brutal and their are constant medical and psychological tests. She will be told, over and over again, a new story about her life and a will be given a new name and new identity. And of course there is the constant cry of Heil Hitler. 

During one of the medical examinations, an important doctor arrives - Doctor Engels (adult readers are sure to shudder at the mention of this infamous name). He takes a special interest in young Zofria who is now named Sophia Ullman. 

"Once I was Zofia Ulinaki, a stupid Polish pig. Now I am Sophia Ullman, a good German girl, a princess, with a perfect head, golden hair, blue eyes and hairless arms."

Doctor Engels takes Zofia to his home. Bavaria looks like the land of fairy tales. At his farm she meets her new Mutti (mother).

"This is just like a fairy tale where a girl thinks she's an orphan but, after many years of hardship is found by her mother and father and not only are they kind and loving, but they are also the queen and king of a very grand kingdom. Of course this isn't a fairy tale. This is a lie. The girl is me and I'm not an orphan or a long-lost princess, but a Polish girl who already has a mother and a father. But the lie is all I have. It's the only thing that will keep me safe".

Yesterday I picked up Waiting for the Storks and by 8pm I had read the whole book - yes it is, as I expected, another fabulous page turner from Katrina Nannestad and another book where she gave me an insight into an aspect of history - specifically of World War II and dreadful programs in Germany, which were entirely new to me.  Each section of the book is prefaced with a question which mirrors a game Zofia used to play with her parents - a game of choices:

• Cream on your salami or gravy on your poppyseed cake? Make a choice!
• German or Polish? Make a choice!
• Real life or a fairy tale? Make a choice!
• A sausage dog in a bonnet or a cat in a cardigan? Make a choice!
• A happy traitor or a miserable hero? Make a choice!
• A crimson spotted velvet skirt or a green striped velvet coat? Make a choice!

There were times in this book when I was SO tempted to jump to the end. I always know I am safe inside a middle grade book and that the author will protect me (and keep the loved character safe) but I deeply feared a sad ending. I just couldn't imagine how Zofia could possibly escape from this dreadful situation return to her real life. I am going to predict that this book will be a Children's Book Council of Australia Younger Readers notable title and I am sure it will also be short listed (6 books). 

Nannestad refuses to patronise her readership (while remaining age-appropriate) and her clarity and emotional intelligence will make it easy for younger readers to put themselves in Zofia’s shoes. Sydney Morning Herald

I think this is a powerful and important book that can start conversations and introduce readers to a different aspect of history that they may not know about or know much about – and that is why I love Katrina Nannestad’s historical fiction books. They give voices to people who might have been left out of history and allow us to gain insight into important history that might not be taught often. The Book Muse

Further reading:

US Holocaust Memorial Museum

The Lebensborn program also became involved in the kidnappings of thousands of foreign children. During the war, the SS sought out ethnic Germans living in foreign countries and “repatriated” them to the Third Reich. Thousands of children—mostly from eastern and southeastern Europe—were kidnapped because they had German ancestry or simply the “appropriate racial features.” The Lebensborn program then helped place these children with German families. Adopting families believed that the children had been orphaned by the war.

New York Times, November 2006

Teaching notes for Waiting for the Storks from the publisher

When you share this book or gift or borrow this book for a mature reader aged 11+ try to also find a copy of the Aesop fable - The Fox and the Stork.

You will want to read these previous books by Katrina Nannestad which also explore the impact of events during World War II on young children. I love these covers by Martina Heiduczek. This morning I discovered the Star review by Kirkus of We are Wolves. 

We are Wolves

Rabbit, Soldier, Angel, Thief

In all three novels Nannestad shows the intense personal cost to children caught up in wars not of their making, forced to adapt and become strangers to their true selves in order to survive. Storylinks

Carefully and sensitively written, meticulously researched, the whole is a dissection of how the choices we make every day affect our lives and the lives of those we love. This (Waiting for the Storks) is the bleakest of these three novels but also the most powerful, most moving and most memorable. Storylinks

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