Bear and Bird: The Secret and other stories by Jarvis

The List - Bear is upset that everyone else has a great nickname. In a moment of temper she writes a list of really awful names about her friend Bird. Rabbit arrives and offers to do the shopping and somehow the two lists are mixed up. How lucky because Bird gets the shopping list and wait till you see what happened to the nasty list.

The Lasagna - it is okay to like different things. Bird likes tambourines, a film about worms on holiday and the sounds of eating banana. The friends can't seem to agree so they decide to write their own lists of things they don't like. The contents of their lists are hilarious - slug slime shampoo; the word serious; that book about an alligator with false teeth and the word armadillo. Can the friends resolve their differences?

Secrets - this one ends with a Birthday Party! I reminded me of Pat Hutchins The Surprise Party; Max Velthuis Frog and the Surprise Party and Got to get to Bears. Take a look at this post.

The tree - this is a story about how (not) to play Hide and Seek. (Click that label attached to this post to find lots more hide and seek stories).

Publisher blurb: Best friends Bear and Bird may not always understand each other, but they always want the other to be happy. So when Bird feels left out because Bear has given a cute nickname to everyone but her, she’s relieved when her hasty list of names for Bear doesn’t reach him (Stinky Sock Muffin, anyone?). And when the two of them learn they have zero dislikes in common—from lasagna to chess to the word armadillo—and wonder if they can still be friends, they soon realize there’s one important dislike they can both agree on. Whether the challenge is being hopeless at keeping a secret (Bear), or getting befuddled about the rules for hide-and-seek (Bear again), this ever-endearing pair continue to charm in a sixth set of gentle stories.

Take a look at my previous post about the author illustrator Jarvis.

The world needs more books like this! The Bear and Bird series are written for newly independent readers who need to read real books not 'readers'. They contain short chapters which are self-contained stories and even better they have glorious colour illustrations. If you work in a Primary School library, please please pop this book series onto your shopping list. They only cost around AUS$16 each so for less then $100 you will have six splendid books to share with your young readers. 

Here are the titles in order: 

• Bear and Bird: The Picnic and Other Stories
• Bear and Bird: The Stars and Other Stories
• Bear and Bird: The Adventure and Other Stories
• Bear and Bird: The Stick and Other Stories
• Bear and Bird: The Cave and Other Stories
• Bear and Bird: The Secret and Other Stories

Plus a picture book - The Cloud: A Bear and Bird

Blurb: When Bear arrives at the Woody Woods for the first time, he is looking for a friend. But it seems like all the friends are already taken. Then he meets Bird, who is looking for something, too—the Puffy Fluffy Octopus Cloud! Bear decides to help her look for it, and so begins an unexpected adventure . . . Will they ever find that octopus-shaped cloud? 

Perhaps they might find something even better!

The Little Things I love? Sydney Morning Herald Saturday September 20th

I love libraries - Julia Baird

On Saturday I read this opinion piece by Julia Baird. She based her piece on a poem by the late US poet Andrea Gibson who penned a Substack filled with the things they loved. 

Julia decided to make her own list - she spent ten minutes and came up with a huge variety of "life's loves" many of which are sure to make you nod or smile. When I read her list of over 60 'loves', I immediately related many of them to favourite children's picture books - as you will know Picture Books are the "not so little" things I love. So here are some of the loves from Julia's list (she did have lots more) with my book additions:

I love the first sip of hot tea.

Luli and the Language of Tea

I love the light in people's eyes when they see something 
beautiful, a dolphin, or newborn, constellation or baby bird.

These little feet

I love the ridiculous racket cockatoos make.

I love the way children paint.

The Concrete Garden

I love grandfathers who keep lollies in their pockets ...

A hatful of Dreams

I love sunrises and sunsets.

Dawn

I love hope.

Hope

I love knitters of beanies and bears.

Sebastian lives in a hat

I love red autumn leaves.

Fletcher and the falling leaves

I love spiders that can spin webs as strong as steel from tiny frames.

Aranea A story about a spider

I love that trees talk to each other.

Apple and Magnolia

I love that bees communicate through two kinds of dance ...

Bee

I love the sound of whale song.

The Whales' Song

I love the weird, flabby ugliness of blob fish.

Blob The Ugliest animal in the World

I love newspaper letter writers

A page in the Wind

Of course, for every book I have put there are potentially so many more but as Julia suggested I only spent a few minutes thinking and these were the first titles I thought of. I was not able to share the link to the piece by Julia Baird because you need a newspaper subscription.

For my own list I love picture books; I love lighthouses; I love puffins; I love pelicans; I love to visit small islands; and of course, visiting a library or a bookshop is utterly and completely my happy place.

Puffling

I also need to mention this very special book that was written by Sophie Blackal during covid:

Things to look forward to: 52 large and small joys for today and every day

Small Acts by Kate Gordon and Kate Foster

What if

we are all

searching for meaning

in all the wrong places.

What if we are

looking

in

mirrors,

websites

and catalogues

when meaning is not a thing that can be seen,

or clicked on 

or bought.

What if it is only something that can be given,

pushed out

into the world.

What if our own,

individual

meaning

does not exist,

but can only be shared,

like air,

like breath.

What if the only true meaning

is kindness?

In Small Acts we meet two kids - Josh and Ollie (Olivia). Both have issues and both find school and life itself can be difficult to cope with. Luckily in their Grade Five class they have the most wonderful teacher Mr Parham. As an aside if I could meet Mr Parham I would like to give him a huge hug and thank him for his kindness towards Josh and Ollie. He does not make a fuss about their autism - he just sets things in place which help both of them cope with their school day and he is always ready to listen. Oh, and unlike Josh, I think if I met him, I might make a comment about liking his red things - marker, socks, tie etc. 

Josh and Ollie do have things in common such as their autism and the fact that both of them have lost their very best friend - a truly devastating life change. But I love the way this book shows or tries to show that autism affects kids in very different ways and also the ways these two kids set up their own coping strategies are very different. And another interesting addition to this story is the character of Auntie Olive who is an autistic adult. Ollie's mum is her sister and when Aunty Olive was young she was lost in the bush for several days. This explains why Ollie's mum is so very protective her daughter Ollie. 

Both kids, independently of each other, decide the best way to get on in the world is to be kind. Josh is desperate to join one of the many clubs at school but none of them seem like a good fit. He decides to start a club of his own based around kindness. Meanwhile Ollie loves art. She sees a boy in the park who looks lost and alone. Her heart reaches out to him but she is so shy there is no way she could easily talk to this stranger so instead she makes a small sculpture and leaves it on the park bench for him to find. 

Here are some text quotes from Small Acts which is a narrative with a few sections in the form of a verse novel:

"Ollie was autistic like him and had been at Emu River as long as Josh, but he'd never really paid her much attention."

"It's okay. I was running with my eyes closed.' The boy smiled. It was like sunshine."

"Why was it so hard to make Ollie smile? Maybe he was only making Ollie smile on the inside. But how would he every know? He needed an outside smile."

"Ollie was more like Josh than he realised. Actually, Ollie was better at doing kind things than he was! Wow. Kindness was ... was contagious. That was a great word. Maybe doing kind acts wasn't only about making people smile; it was also to encourage other people to do kind things as well."

"I don't want to be one of your small acts ... I want to do Small Acts of Kindness, myself."

"... on that day Millie had broken her heart (and) Ollie had decided that she didn't deserve kindness. She didn't deserve friends. She didn't deserve people to like her. And so she would do everything she oculd to make sure nobody showed her kindness again."

If you are reading this book and you have not heard about the television series Bluey you will need to hunt out the episode called Sticky Gecko (referred to on page 133). Ollie also talks about her favourite book about a witch - The Worst Witch by Jill Murphy.

Small Acts will at times, break your heart, but under the skillful care of Kate Gordon and Kate Foster it will be made whole again by the end of the book not in a fairy tale way but in a very emotionally satisfying way. I highly recommend Small Acts for readers aged 10+. If this book was published in the UK I am certain it would be included on the Empathy Lab book list. If you read this book with a class your students could write their own lists of kind acts - and it would be even more powerful if they each did a small act of kindness anonymously. It seems obvious but an important part of reading a book about children autism (or any other 'disability') is that the story allows a child reader to enter the world of another child with a different set of life experiences or it shows a child who feels a like Josh or Ollie that they are not alone. If child is struggling with a 'label' like autism I'm not saying this book will make the experience any easier but perhaps it will help to both see the different ways Josh and Ollie experience peer relationships, the way they work hard to understand themselves, each other and others and also the way they bring others together through kindness.

The two Kates have collaborated to create an inspiring and optimistic, yet simple story, explaining how to learn what acts of kindness are; their value to those who receive, and equally, if not more, to those who offer them. Kids' Book Review

The book tackles significant real-world issues such as mental health, disability, and the impact of acts of kindness. By addressing these topics with sensitivity, the book offers readers a thought-provoking exploration of how individual actions can influence and improve the lives of others. It’s a compelling read that encourages empathy and understanding. Better Reading

Small Acts is a CBCA 2025 Younger Readers Notable title. I would not be surprised to see it make the shortlist of six.

Companion books:

The Unlikely Heroes Club (notice this is also by Kate Foster)

The Kindness Project

If you want to read another book about an inspirational teacher try to find this one:

Zoe, Max and the Bicycle Bus

Laughter is the Best Ending by Maryam Master illustrated by Astred Hicks

"They had sent me to a kids' camp so that I would find kid friends but I came out the other side, proudly announcing that I was now besties with an 80-year-old potential villain who was about to kick the bucket." 

Zee, short for Ziba, has a worried mother. Mum thinks Zee has no friends (this could be true) so she decides Zee needs to go to a holiday camp. This is a camp called Youth Fusion and their brochure promises the kids who attend will make new friends.

On the first night of the camp the kids are told they will play a game of 'Murder in the Dark'. They are told to form themselves into teams of four. Zee has been sitting beside a girl called Tifanee (with two ees). She is a bold confident and funny character and Zee is sure it would be good to link up with her over the five days of this camp. (By the way Zee absolutely does not want to be here). On the other side of the camp fire the girls see a couple of boys - perhaps they will join their team of four.

Then the camp authorities announce one of the kids has gone missing and so the focus shifts and Zee, Tifanee, along with twins Moses and Jonah, decide they need to find this kid. That involves searching an old run-down mansion that is rumored to house a woman who murders children and perhaps even eats them! (Yes I agree this plot line sounds okay for Primary school readers but I will explain my thoughts in a moment). 

Here are some teachers notes from the publisher. Listen to a sample of the audio.

You might like to read a few reviews:

• Kids' Book Review
• Paperbark Words (Joy Lawn) - interview
• Reading Time
• What book next

I will begin with the things I liked about this book. The cover is terrific. Use of Fluro orange is very eye catching and the title written on a pile of books links well with some aspects of this story especially the ending. The title is also perfect and enticing. And it is true Zee does laugh at the funeral (but to find out why you have to read the whole book). If you flip inside this book you can see the book design is quirky, interesting and appealing, with changes of font and you will see the way conversations are presented as play scripts. Zee makes lots of lists which appear in frames and at times these are very funny.

Now for the aspects of this story that I liked but which I think make it a better fit for a reader aged 12+.

Zee is crazy about Oscar Wilde (I am fairly sure no Primary school aged reader will have read or have any interest in him). In fact the title of this book is adaptation of a quote from The Picture of Dorian Gray "Laughter is not at all a bad beginning for a friendship and it is the best ending for one."

Zee talks about liking old language such as the writing of Jane Austen. And she recognises the camp chaos is closely like the plot from Lord of the Flies (not a book I would share in a Primary school library - I am still traumatised). 

Zee goes to high school and much of commentary about peer group relationships relates to her experiences there: "School is a cesspool of people checking each other out. Judging each other. Rating each other. And it's 99 percent based on looks .... I hate a lot of things about it, but the grotesque catwalk of who's hot and who's not bothers me most."

I really liked Zee but her tone is totally teenage: "whenever I'm dreading something, like really, truly, genuinely dreading something, whether it be the first day at a new school for zombies or root canal with a demon dentist, I get super sleepy."

Here's an example from Tifanee "I'm Tifanee by the way. Spelt with two ee's cause my parents are idiots. Any idea how we can break free from this touchy-feely hellhole?" Tifanee is an Instagram influencer.

Zee mentions her favourite poets - Kahil Gilbran; Rumi; and Maya Angelou. 

Zee and Dame Viv (she's the 80-year-old I mentioned in my opening quote) visit a state library to view a rare folio of Shakespeare's work and then they watch the Alfred Hitchcock movie The Birds. 

Companion books:

The Unexplainable disappearance of Mars Patel

The Parker Inheritance

Walking with Miss Millie

Laughter is the Best Ending has been listed as a 2025 CBCA Notable title BUT in my view it is in the wrong category - it is listed as a Younger Readers title but all of the content I have explained above surely shows this is a Young Adult title and it should perhaps have been entered and judged as an Older Readers book. I really did enjoy Laughter is the Best Ending but it think it better suits a High School library and High School readers. Here are the criteria for you to compare.

From the CBCA awards:

8.1 Judging criteria for CBCA Book of the Year: Older Readers 

Entries in this category are books for young people aged between 13 and 18 years (secondary school 

level). Readers require a degree of maturity to appreciate the themes and scope of emotional 

involvement. Books in this category may be fiction, drama, illustrated text, poetry or graphic novels. 

Age appropriateness: The story is written in a way that would engage 13–18-year-olds (or a sub-age group within). Mature topics are explored and give the readers the opportunity to be challenged with alternative points of view or perspectives. The writing extends the reader’s experience and may help the reader understand more about themselves and the world. 

8.2 Judging criteria for CBCA Book of the Year: Younger Readers 

Entries in this category are books published for children in the age range from 7 to 12 years (lower to 

upper primary school level). Books in the category may be fiction, drama, graphic novels, illustrated 

text or poetry. 

Age appropriateness: The story is written in a way that would engage 7–12-year-olds. (or a sub-age group within) Light introduction of mature topics might be explored and may give the readers the opportunity to be challenged. The writing is engaging, stimulating and extends the reader’s 

experience and/or imagination. It also may help the reader understand more about themselves and the world. 

I previously read and enjoyed these books by Maryam Master:

Exit Through the Gift Shop

(I also list this as a YA title)

No words

One more thing to think about. I recently talked about endorsements on books (these are not blurbs). On the back cover of Laughter is the Best Ending it has this praise by Anna Fienberg - no problem she is a fantastic writer - but why say she is the author of the Tashi series - those books are for very young readers and have no relationship with this book by Maryam Master. I'm puzzled. 

'I found it so energising! Zee plays with words like a gymnast. We click with her from the very start - she's funny, frank, fair and feisty! This story will be a hit with young readers.' Anna Fienberg, author of the Tashi series

Cora Seen and Heard by Zanni Louise

"Do you ever feel like you're living inside a shell? Something hard and impenetrable? You think it's transparent - that people can see you. Then you realise they can't. No one can see you. The real you."

I read this book in one sitting and for an hour or two I was right inside Cora's head listening to her worries and the way she tries to navigate relationships with her peers and her family.

Readers who have had previous experience with books like this - realistic middle grade fiction - are sure to work out the major plot point long before the main character but that just adds to your reading enjoyment as you keep turning the pages desperate for Cora to 'see the obvious' about the old lady who lives just down the road from her new home and also understand why Elle has secrets. 

Just after grandad dies, Cora, her sister Bekah, along with mum Wendy and Dad Hank, have moved from Queensland to a small town in Tasmania. Dad has a talent for renovation, but this project could test him. They have bought an old, run down, disused theatre. In past years this was an important place in the town because it is where the famous jazz singer Clair de Lune once performed. 

Cora finds school difficult - she is always on the outside and she finds it very hard to make friends. Moving to a new school and new town Cora is determined to reinvent herself - moving from Cora 1.0 to Cora 2.0. She does have some ideas about how to do this but once again so many things go wrong. Luckily the kids in her new class, especially Elle, do know how to make a new friend and before long Cora finds herself part of a small team who are chosen to take on a community project. 

Cora 1.0 survived in her previous school by hiding out in the library. When things go wrong in the new school she finds the library again but then the Teacher-Librarian tells her the library is going to be changed into a classroom and there will be no Teacher-Librarian employed next year. Cora knows this has to be her community project. As an aside it is interesting to see which library books are mentioned in this story - Goosebumps; Heartstopper (Young Adult graphic novel); and Okay for Now by Gary D Schmidt. There are also lots of popular culture references to current musicians and bands and television shows such as The Voice. 

Here is some life advice from Cora:

• The louder your voice, the stronger you become.
• Flick your hair confidently as you follow your bestie onto the bus.
• Be amazing. You've got this.
• Find a cause.

Publisher blurb: Cora Lane gets tongue-tied, is often ignored and would rather hide in the library than step onto a stage. However, when her parents decide to renovate an old theatre in small-town Tasmania, Cora realises this is the perfect opportunity for her to reinvent her personality. Enter Cora 2.0, stage left.

When Cora quickly slips back into her old ways and has once again made friends with the librarian. rather than kids her own age, she feels lost. Frustrated she’s not the person she wants to be, she shares her deepest feelings with her imaginary pen pal. The last thing she’d expect is for her letters to go missing. And now, the real Cora Lane is about to go public, but is she ready?

This is one of those books that I have found difficult to pin down in terms of a suggested reader. Soiler alert - Cora does get her first period so that means I would say this book is for 11+. Her sister decides she is bisexual and forms a new relationship with her girlfriend. That means I would say this book is a Young Adult title. It also feels at times there is just one issue to many for the characters to grapple with - Elle has dyslexia; grandma is an alcoholic; and mum is trying to cope with the raw grief of losing her father and helping her elderly mother who now lives over 2000km away. 

The publisher offers this advice: This novel contains references to alcoholism, sexuality, puberty, abuse.

Here is a set of detailed Teacher Notes from the publisher Walker Books Australia. 

Each of these reviews has more plot details:

Brilliant in every way, Zanni Louise has created another amazing novel with a chain of personal stories and happenings about reinvention, loneliness, friendship, and family being the twine that binds things together. Kids' Book Review

Zanni Louise’s latest middle grade book focuses on the confusing feelings young people have at the age of about twelve, when primary school is finishing, when they’re hitting puberty and girls are going through lots of emotional changes and conflicts with friends and family, and where big changes can mean great upheaval – and not just a physical move or change. ... This story is as much about acceptance of the flaws in others as it is about flaws in ourselves, and the coming together of communities to celebrate the past and future. The Book Muse

What a very lovely and warm journey of self-discovery it is, and I am supremely sure that young readers will embrace this one ... Just So Stories

It was rather difficult writing the synopsis of Cora Seen and Heard as it has so many themes, all of which are explored with sensitivity, insight, and cleverly crafted writing. Reading Time

Here is another Australian book with the title Clair de Lune.  You are sure to know the famous music by Debussy but that is not especially relevant to this book because this character Clare de Lune is a jazz singer. I previously talked about another book by Zanni Louise - Queenie in seven moves. 

Companion books:

The Sideways Orbit of Evie Hart

Ode to a Nobody

The Curious book of Lists by Tracey Turner and Caroline Selmes

It tells me on the cover this book contains 263 fun, fascinating and fact-filled lists.  Two hundred and sixty-three is an odd number - I guess their lists just evolved. They sure are random!

I do enjoy books like this that are filled with trivia but my Teacher-Librarian brain would have liked the list to be arranged in some sort of order. On any one page there is an assortment of unrelated lists. Here are a few examples. 

The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World; Cures for Hiccups; Three really big spiders; African countries; and Ancient Olympic sports.

Nobel Prize winners; Weird waterfalls; deadly snakes; Landlocked countries; and Very small cars.

Rulers with unflattering nicknames (Ivaylo the Cabbage from Bulgaria); Seven facts about cockroaches; Popular cat breeds; and Types of bears.

Luckily this book does have an index so if you have a favourite topic, you might find it on the list or you could use the index as a serendipitous way to explore this book.

Among the topics in the index that I would like to explore further I see:

• Animal astronauts
• Biggest gem stones
• Odd book titles
• Cheeses
• The meaning of flowers
• Fungai
• Hot air balloons
• Megacities
• Interesting animal names
• Sayings from around the world
• Superstitions

I borrowed this 2019 book from a library, so I am sorry to report that it is now out of print! If you can find it in your school or local library I think children who enjoy quirky facts would find this book a very absorbing one to read or dip into.

 Publisher blurb: Do you want to know about eight of the world’s deadliest snakes, forty-nine countries without a coastline and five fearless female warriors? Then look no further because The Curious Book of Lists by Tracey Turner is absolutely bursting with eye-popping and informative lists from around the world, guaranteed to keep you entertained and increase your general knowledge at the same time! Discover Ancient Greek monsters, presidential pets, dizzying mountain peaks, super-fast animals … and what not to mention at a donkey’s house.

The Starting School list by Kitty Black illustrated by Cate James

You’ll learn where the loos are, and all about bugs.

You’ll learn a sad friend could do with a hug.

You’ll learn the best spot for sand that is slushy.

You’ll learn that tomato makes sandwiches mushy.

School begins in just over a week and so this is a PERFECT book to share TODAY. 

If you have a new child starting to Kindergarten (big school) please try to find this book. 

I especially enjoyed following the story of the different children in the class room - watch out for the little boy who sits alone and then you will smile when he finally makes a friend. 

Here is the website for Cate James. I have talked about her work in a previous post. Here is an interview with the author Kitty Black. 

I do hope this book has been entered into our CBCA (Children's Book Council of Australia) awards - in Early Childhood and if it has I expect to see it listed as a Notable title when they are announced on 27th February. It could/should even make the short list!

I have a Pinterest collection of Starting School books. 

If you share The Starting School list with an older child (maybe Grade 2 and up) it would be fun to compare the kindness of the older brother with the advice given in this book (1988 so out of print but it might be in a library).

Twelve days of Letters to Santa Day Three - A letter to Father Christmas

 Dear Father Christmas - I would like a Cindy Doll. Love Margot

Dear Father Christmas

I am writing to tell you what I would like in my stocking. When you come to my house on Christmas Eve you mustn't look for me in my bedroom because Grandma and Grandad will be there. I will be in Ben's room (next to the bathroom). Ben is too small to write his own letter so I have put some things for him on my list. Also would you bring me a surprise? I like surprises best of all.

Lots of Love,

Miss Charlotte Ruth Hall x

There is a rush after the letter is done. Charlotte needs to get it into the envelope. She picks up a list thinking it is her Christmas list along with her letter and her father posts it up their chimney. Charlotte is good at copying writing but she is too young to be able to read. When Father Christmas reads the letter he admires the neat writing but the list puzzles him. 

"Why it looks more like somebody's shopping list,' he thought. And of course, that's exactly what it was."

• Bread
• Carrots
• Fish
• Nuts
• Hot water bottle

The day before Christmas is very cold and thick snow covers the area around the house. Charlotte is worried about the donkey who lives in the next field - she wishes she could bring him in out of the cold. She is worried about the cat. He looks hungry but Charlotte would be so sad if he ate the birds. The birds are hungry too and there are only a few berries left on the holly bushes.

Can you match each gift from the shopping list with her animal friends. The presents in her stocking are certainly a surprise but there is also a special gift for Charlotte - and it is perfect.

This is an old book - the newest copy was published in 1997 - but there are plenty of fairly cheap used copies still available. This book is also sure to be found in many school library collections.

Here is an alternate cover from the US - I laughed when I watched the video read and realised this UK book had been changed for children in America - tap=faucet, Mum=Mom, Tea=Supper for example:

Celebration!

1. SCBWI Blog Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators
2. Kids' Book Review
3. The Children's Book Council of Australia
4. Tania McCartney Blog
5. Literacy, Families and Learning Trevor Cairney
6. Readings Blog » Kids Melbourne
7. Just Write for Kids Blog
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10. Reading Australia » Children's Books
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13. Paperbark » Children's Series

Click here to find links to each of these sites. 

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