Midge and Mo by Lara Williamson illustrated by Becky Cameron

Midge has changed schools. Everything is strange and all he wants to do is go back to the way things were. The teacher assigns a classmate to look after him. Mo is a happy and very positive girl. She loves the idea of showing Midge around her school but Midge just does not react to anything - not a soccer game, the school friendship flower garden, the giant sunflowers the class have been growing, or the climbing frame. Midge just sits under a tall tree in the playground. 

Through his eyes the world is a grey and sad place to be. In art he draws a sad rainy-day picture (sadly the teacher misinterprets this). After two days of trying so very hard to reach Midge, Mo talks to her teacher Mr Lupin. I love his advice:

"Don't give up Mo ... Nothing is in the right place for Midge at the moment. Perhaps he doesn't feel like he's in the right place either. New beginnings can feel like that ... You were new here once ... That's why I asked you to be Midge's buddy, because I was sure you would remember how your first day here felt, too."

Mo goes home and talks to her mum and dad and togther they come up with a really special gift for Midge and while I am sure he will still have sad days a little sparkle has entered his life at last. Oh and those huge sunflowers have now opened up and are showing off their own bright yellow happy colours. I also love the character names - Mo (I wonder if this is short for something) and Midge.

Publisher blurb: Midge doesn’t want to go to a new school. He wants everything to go back to the way it was – with his old school, his old friends and his parents back together. Mo is Midge’s buddy at his new school. She’s super smiley and can’t wait to be his friend, but the more Mo tries to make friends the more Midge retreats. It’s like there’s an invisible raincloud hanging above his head – drip-drip-drip. Then Mo remembers how she felt when she was new, and it makes her even more determined to help Midge feel happy and to show him that the sun will come out for him again soon.

This book is from the Little Tiger series published by Stripes. I have mentioned books from this series previously. I highly recommend adding lots of these titles to your school library. These are so appealing with their hardcovers, high quality paper, colour illustrations and most important of all - really good stories that are easy to read but also contain authentic and emotional narratives.

I previously talked about:

The Long way home

Little Rabbits big surprise

Little Bird Lost

Two Sides

A sea of stories

I also thought of another small chapter book from many years ago that also features a snow globe - Snow Dog by Malorie Blackman (it was a Corgi Pup title from 2001). It was reprinted with a different publisher in 2010 so you might find this in a library. 

Just One Little Light by Kat Yeh illustrated Isabelle Arsenault

"When you find yourself in the dark the deepest dark the deepest dark

remind yourself you always have a light and as you wander you will wonder

how something so small can be enough when everything around you feels so big.

But one little light just one little light is enough to light the way and reveal what lies in your path.

If you are afraid just take one breath and hold these words safely within

One little light cannot light the whole sky ... but it is enough to begin."

Each page turn of this book is like welcoming dawn. The narrator comforts the child:

"You will remind yourself whenever it's dark that you can always find the light

And you will wander in the wonder that something so small was enough to start something BIG."

Image source: Isabelle Arsenault

Here is a Storymakers interview. You will think about the words wander and wonder in a very different way after watching this 6 minute presentation which includes a simple but effective craft activity.

The delicate, lovely illustrations, rendered in gouache, charcoal, and pastel, feature spirited, racially diverse children. As the text proceeds, more light and colors pervade the pages.  A sweet, upbeat guide to cultivating optimism in young children. Kirkus

In this book, both author and illustrator come together seamlessly as they encourage readers to move through the thick, dark cloud that alludes to the heavy emotions that sometimes stop us in our tracks and just don’t seem to go away. ...  every breath we take and every reminder about the courage we have within chips away at the darkness, revealing the bright, colourful beauty that lies on the other side. Montreal review of Books

I talked about Canadian illustrator Isabelle Arsenault in a previous post. She was shortlisted for the Hans Christian Andersen award in 2020.  Her art in Just one little light is truly special. This is another one of those books where I marvel at the way the illustrator has taken a brief, but also lyrical text, and given it another whole dimension. Here are other books illustrated by Isabelle Arsenault:

Grumble Boats by Susannah McFarlane illustrated by Tamsin Ainslie

Emma is not allowed to go to a pirate party with her older brother. Mum and dad drop her off at Grandma's house. Emma is furious. Luckily Grandma is very wise and patient and she has a terrific trick up her sleeve. She grabs her coat (her pockets are bulging with things - you can see this on the cover) and she takes Emma and her dog Bella and they head to the beach. It is a cold day but the sun is shining. 

Grandma explains she is grumpy too because her favourite tea cup broke that morning. Grandma has some paper and texta (marker) pens. She shows Emma how to draw grumbles. They both scribble on their paper until ...

"Emma stopped drawing. She looked at her paper and smiled"

But they are not finished. Grandma shows Emma how to fold her paper into a small boat - a grumble boat. They launch their boats into the ocean and watch them float away. Then, as in all good books, they head home for a warm drink and something delicious to eat.

At the back of this book there are instructions for making paper boats. I love the cover of this book and the way the end papers are different at the front and back. Little Emma has wonderful body language and funny mismatched clothes. Grandma is wise. I love her jeans and desert boots. Her home is filled with pretty cushions and floor rugs emphasising her nurturing personality. 

Grumble Boats was a 2022 CBCA Early Childhood notable title. I remember my friend who is a Teacher-Librarian in a K-2 campus telling me how much she loved this book. She was sure it would be shortlisted but alas it was not. I agree with her - this is a book that should have "made the cut".  The winner and honour books for 2022 were Jetty Jumping, Walk of the Whales and Amira's suitcase.

Other books  illustrated by Tamsin Ainslie. In my Garden is her new book due for publication in August:

Mo and Crow by Jo Kasch illustrated by Jonathan Bentley

Curmudgeonly Mo lives alone in a tiny wooden shack behind a huge stone wall. 

The wall "was stronger than wind. It was stronger than rain. It kept everything out he wanted kept out."

BUT of course we need a complication. Mo hears someone tapping on his wall. It is a huge black crow and he is trying to demolish Mo's wall. Mo is furious. He yells at the crow. He even throws a rock at the crow but the crow does not fly away. Mo retreats inside his home. When he steps outside, some time later, the crow is gone. Mo begins to rebuild his wall but as he steps up to the gap he finally sees the world outside his wall. He thinks about the crow. Mo calls out and crow returns. Perhaps Mo doesn't need his wall any more. 

Now "Mo lives with Crow and they like it this way."

The slightly absurdist plot of this book makes this story funny but there is also a deeper theme. Young readers are sure to wonder why the crow doesn’t just fly over the wall if he/she simply wants to make friends with Mo but perhaps Crow has a different motivation. Is the wall symbolic? Is Mo really happy living alone in his closed environment? Do hermits need company? The open ending where we see Mo looking out to the world beyond his little wooden house gives a sense of optimism and the possibility of further adventures with his new companion and this idea is reinforced by the end papers filled with stones at the beginning and blue skies at the end. 

Mo has such a huge beard but the illustrator has used this to great effect as a way to show the frustration of Mo as he tries to oust the pesky crow. The illustrations extend the text for example when Mo is in bed asleep, we can see a painting of his wife on the wall and she is carrying a backpack. In the past Mo must have led a more adventurous and hopefully happy life. The bright colours enhance the tone of this story especially the colour of the sky which becomes brighter as each page is turned symbolising hope for their shared future.

Hopefully you now have lots of questions - many of which can be answered by a very close examination of the illustrations in this book.

• Why does Mo live alone?
• Why does he shun any form of company?
• Is he afraid of meeting others?
• Is the wall keeping strangers out or locking Mo away?
• Why does crow persevere to make friends with Mo?
• What does this wall represent?
• How and why did Mo change over the course of the story?

More ideas can be found in the teachers notes on the publisher web site - Allen and Unwin. 

Mo and Crow is one of those perfect picture books that you can share with a young child and then explore in a much deeper way with a group of older students. Here is an interview with the author and Paperbark words.  You can see Jonathan Bentley's books here. 

Mo and Crow is a CBCA 2022 Notable book.

My friend from Kinderbookswitheverything has a terrific Pinterest of picture books which feature walls - they could be used for a very interesting mini unit or theme in a classroom or library.

Here are some to use with Mo and Crow:

Littlelight

Little Mouse and the Red Wall

Use this one with older students - Upper Primary and High School

The way the crow helps Mo overcome his bad temper, helps him find a friend and helps him welcome someone into his life reminded me of the Bear and Mouse books by Bonnie Becker and the Badger book series by Moritz Petz and the Bear and Duck series by Suzanne Bloom and also the books about Bear and Duck by Jory John.

The Go-Away Bird by Julia Donaldson illustrated by Catherine Rayner

The Go-Away bird rejects every offer of friendship from her rain forest companions. 

"I am the Chit-Chit bird. Will you chat with me? We can talk of the weather and other things like the colour of eggs, the the ache in our wings."

"I'm the Peck-Peck bird. Will you eat with me? There are juicy berries on every twig. We can peck, peck til we both grow big."

The four potential friends are each rejected and then along comes a huge brown bird - the Get-You Bird. This huge bird will not go away simply because the Go-Away bird demands this. Luckily the rejected friends see the danger. They form a team and save the day. But what of the Go-Away bird? Her life has been saved - how will she react? How should she react? I love stories that contain a life lesson but not in a didactic way. With an older group you should take a look at Shelter which is a perfect book if you want to talk about rejection and forgiveness. 

Everything about this book is of the highest quality as you would expect from the team of Julia Donaldson and Catherine Rayner. Too many authors attempt rhyme and it just fails but rhyme in the hands of a master like Julia Donaldson can sing. In fact in this book the words do feel like a song. The rhyme is not used for every line and the repetition of "go away" is simply a perfect way to engage young children.  This is a book that should be added to preschool read aloud program.

Make sure you take time to notice the fern leaf pattern on the end papers which is repeated on the title page and then used in various ways throughout the book. 

This is a delightful story about the value of friends especially in times of need. Kids' Book Review

A lovely tale about needing time to oneself, but also the value of friendship and teamwork. Lovely. Rogan's Books

This is a stellar author/artist partnership. Julia’s witty, bouncy rhyming text is pure pleasure to read aloud and highly join-in-able; and Catherine’s art is simply awesome – richly coloured and textured, superbly expressive: every spread is a joy to linger over – after you’ve read the story aloud once first. Red Reading Hub

Companion reads:

The Bad Mood

Oddbird

Little Wise Wolf

Welcome

Elmore

The Seed of Doubt by Irena Brignull illustrated by Richard Jones

A young boy lives with his father on the farm. He dreams of the wider world. "A world where he could do anything and be anyone." The boy plants a seed and it grows into a huge tree. But as the tree grows so do the boy's fears and doubts. His beautiful optimism about the future dwindles into pessimism and a deep reluctance to take any risks. Luckily his father is kind and wise. 

"Doubt is like a seed. It starts off tiny but it sure grows fast." BUT you need to "remember what I've always told you? You can do anything, anything you want."

Image Source: Painted Mouse

There is a fine line in picture books between having something an adult (author) would like to share with children or something an author thinks might assist them - some words of wisdom and other authors who write books that are laden-down, burdened with didactic messages. Books that are so heavy with good intentions that any joy that should come from reading, any beauty that can come from an exquisitely told tale - is lost. 

Didactic: intended to teach people a moral lesson; something that is didactic is intended to teach people something, especially a moral lesson.

Luckily The Seed of Doubt is not a heavily didactic story. It is a gentle fable of hope, love and the importance of a positive attitude. 

This is not a book about climbing trees even though that might be your impression from the cover. Instead this is a book about:

• Following your dreams
• Giving yourself permission to take risks
• Belief in your own abilities
• Courage
• Parental love and guidance
• Patience
• Goal setting

When you read through this list and then read this book I hope you will agree this is a book to share with a group of older Primary students - they are sure to be inspired. It could even be a book to read at the start of a new school year.

Publisher blurb: A little boy dreams of a world beyond the farm where he lives – a world full of mountain ranges, oceans and cities, where he could do anything. But one day he plants a seed from which doubts start to grow. Instead of thinking of all that he could do, he thinks more of what he could not. Can he overcome his fears and chase his dreams?

Read an interview with the author.

Movingly told is this beautiful story of a boy’s journey back to self-belief, equally movingly illustrated by Richard Jones. ...  It’s all too easy to let those small seeds of self-doubt take root and this book is a lovely starting point for talking about faith in oneself, determination and positiveness either at home or in the classroom. Red Reading Hub

Here are two other books illustrated by Richard Jones:

The Proper Way to meet a Hedgehog

Whale in a Fishbowl

The illustrations in The Seed of Doubt are very special. Thinking about the importance of illustrations in a picture book here are a few quotes from Evaluating Illustrations in Reviews of International Picture Books  Cheri Anderson, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona:

Illustrations create a depth of meaning within picture books that are essential to the reading experience for that book.

Through skilful use of visual elements, such as colour, line, space, and perspective, the illustrator engages the emotions of the reader and directs the reader’s attention. 

... we believe picture books involve an exquisite weave of both words and images

Badger books by Moritz Petz illustrated by Amélie Jackowski

I will begin with The Bad Mood! Badger wakes up in a bad mood and he decides everyone needs to know he is feeling miserable. Along the way he meets many of his forest friends. His bad mood means he treats each of them with awful and angry words, bad manners and unkindness. Eventually his bad mood lifts but when he sets off to talk to his friends again he discovers they are all now in a bad mood. What can Badger do? 

Blackbird has the perfect solution. He flies off and tells everyone - "Party tonight! ... Everyone who is in a bad mood is invited. Come to the clearing at moonrise for a bad mood party."

At the party Badger is able to ask his friends to forgive him and then everyone has a happy evening.

In the second book poor Badger is having a dreadful day. Everything seems to be going wrong. His favourite cup is smashed, his pencils are missing, then he trips over his wheelbarrow.  Badger decides to visit his friends only to discover each of them is having a bad day too. Badger repairs Racoon's clothes line, he finds a lost ball for Stag, and he puts a bandage on a scratch for Squirrel. When Badger returns home he is in for a terrific surprise. Squirrel has repaired his broken cup, Stag has found the missing pencils and little Mouse has baked a fresh cake.

These books would be perfect to share with preschoolers aged 3+. 

Amélie Jackowski was born in Toulon, France. Her best-known picture book, The Bad Mood has been translated into over ten languages.

Moritz Petz is the pen name of Udo Weigelt. He was born in Germany and today lives in Switzerland. The Bad Mood! was originally published under the title Der Dachs hat heute schlechte Laune! in 2004. The Day everything went Wrong was originally titled Der Dachs hat heute einfach Pech in 2015.

I am also keen to see these two books by Udo Weigelt:

The third book in this series featuring Badger will be published early next year:

A Splendid Friend, indeed by Suzanne Bloom

What are you doing? 

Are you reading?

I like to read.

Do you want to hear me read?

Now what are you doing? 

Writing?

Bear has his book. He is happy reading. Along comes Duck - noisy, curious, effusive Duck. Bear tries to write. He tries to think.  Duck decides to make a snack. He arrives with the snack and a picnic rug and a note for bear:

I like you.

Indeed I do,

You are my splendid friend.

A Splendid Friend, Indeed was the inaugural winner of the Theodor Seuss Geisel award in 2006. I love this book and the others from the series. I am so happy to have discovered this book which would be utterly perfect to share with a preschool child.

A more perfect union between giggle-inducing but reassuringimages and a text of very few words is hard to conjure. Kirkus Star

I would pair this book with It's a Book.

Here are all the books in this series by Suzanne Bloom.

In Treasure, Bear has a map. Duck decides he should join the treasure hunt but after an extensive search - digging and diving - no treasure is found. That is until the quietly spoken bear explains he did find some treasure - Duck himself is the real treasure.

Oh! What a surprise is similar to The Silver Christmas Tree by Pat Hutchins. Presents are being wrapped - Fox is excited - surely these presents are his!