Little Man finds a Home by Max Velthuijs translated by Rosemary Lanning

Dutch edition of Little Man Finds a Home

"There was once a tiny little man who lived in an old carboard shoe box. He was happy there."

But then the rain comes and it rains so much his little house is destroyed. So, he sets off to find a new home. He tries living with a bird in a tree but alas he falls out. He tries living in a glass jar with a frog (our Frog is Frog character) but alas it is much too hot. He joins a rabbit in his cosy burrow but alas when thirteen baby rabbits arrive it is way too crowded. Then he meets a Little Woman picking apples and she offers him the perfect home and the perfect place for a party with all of his new friends.

Little Man finds a Home was published in 1983 under the title Klein-Mannchen hat kein Haus.

This book is such a special one to have found at a recent charity book fair. You might already know I am a huge fan of the Frog is Frog series by Max Velthuijs. When I read Little Man finds a Home, I saw the familiar little frog in his striking boardshorts - could this book have been written before the famous series? I went hunting and discovered that YES that is how we come to have Frog.

And I think there were other books in this original series, Klein Mannetje helpt een vriend (Little Man helps find a friend); Klein-Mannetje vindt het geluk (Little Man finds happiness); Klein-Mannetje heeft geen huis (Little Man has no House); Klein Männchen und das Glück: Drei liebenswerte Geschichten (Little Man and Happiness - three stories).

I read this on the IBBY International page - Max Velthuijus won the IBBY Hans Christian Andersen Medal in 2004. He sadly died in 2005 aged 81.

Frog started as a secondary character in the books about ‘Klein-Mannetje’ (Klein-Männchen), but beginning with Kikker is verliefd (Frog in Love, 1989 Andersen Press, London) he became a character of his own, with his own feelings and thoughts. The stories about Frog and his friends contain elements of fairy tale and fable. Just like in a traditional fable there is a message in his books but presented as a general and universal truth. Not a finger raised in warning. Velthuijs doesn’t warn his readers he shows them how the world is organized and how people react. Without closing his eyes to how people can treat others unjustly, he always comes with a positive solution for the dilemmas of Frog and his friends.

In his Frog books Velthuijs brings existential themes/subjects in words and pictures back to their essence. Kikker en het vogeltje (Frog and the Birdsong) is a beautifully simple account of the mystery of death and the need to celebrate the joys of being alive. This complex and challenging idea is presented with strong, dramatic pictures. Kikker en de Vreemdeling (Frog and the Stranger) deserves a special mention for the way this story deals with prejudice and fear for outsiders, racism and mutual understanding. Lovesickness is the central theme in Kikker is verliefd (Frog in love); solidarity in Kikker in de kou (Frog in Winter); and fear in Kikker is bang (Frog is frightened).

The animals in the picture books are, as Velthuijs said, ‘a kind of children of me, they have their own personality in which there is always a part of myself.’ Frog is childlike wide-eyed, Pig is home-loving, Hare is the intellectual one who always has a thoughtful judgement and Rat is an adventurer, perhaps the most enterprising animal in the Frog books. All Velthuijs’ stories are suffused with a sense of security, and the moral of each story is presented with gentle humour. It is this humour and security – in words and pictures, which the Frog books show to perfection.

I also own some drinking glasses with images from Frog is Frog - they were a truly special gift from a friend a few years ago! They almost look like this - we both wondered how they came to be in a charity shop here in Sydney Australia. 

Tomorrow Most Likely by Dave Eggers illustrated by Lane Smith

"Tomorrow most likely there will be a sky. And chances are it will be blue.

Tomorrow most likely there will be a squirrel. And chances are his name is Stu."

There will also be a meal, a door (that leads to the world), a song, a plane, a bright blue bug, an interesting smell, a stone, or you might ride a whale. 

"Tomorrow most likely will be a great day because you are in it and Stu is okay."

This book is sadly out of print (published in 2019) but you might find a copy in a library - I sure hope you do! Here is the Kirkus review. See more pages inside this book here. 

Written by celebrated author Dave Eggers and illustrated by Caldecott honoree Lane Smith, Tomorrow Most Likely is a heartfelt (and not-so-quiet) bedtime story that brings affirmation and comfort to young audiences. By juxtaposing the small and the grand, the familiar and the odd, what is and what can be, author and illustrator provide confidence to a little boy facing the big, wide world. Good Reads with Ronna

You could share Tomorrow Most Likely as a bedtime read aloud in your family or you could use it as a writing idea with a group of older students after a discussion about optimism!

My friend spied this treasure at a recent charity book sale - Lane Smith - I am a huge fan and Dave Eggers - his book for middle grade readers The Eyes and the Impossible is a book that still lingers with me over three years since I read it.

The Eyes and the Impossible

Companion book:

And try to find these:

The Big Question

Things to look forward to

Pablo Neruda Book of Questions

Do you Wonder?

Who is the world for?

This Way Little Badger by Phil McMylor illustrated by Cliff Wright

"As the sun goes down and night draw in, Little Badger goes out into the wood for the very first time."

He is not alone. His big sister Belle is with him but somehow they get separated and now Little Badger is lost. He keeps hearing voices calling - 'Hurry home, Little Badger!'. But he has no idea which way to go. He meets an owl, a rabbit, a magpie, and a mouse. Then he finds himself trapped in a deep hole. Luckily he remembers something important his sister told him:

"A badger's claws are made for digging."

I know we don't have badgers here in Australia but I do enjoy books about forest animals and the illustrations in this heartwarming book are fabulous. 

About Cliff Wright:

In 1989 he published his first work in the UK and USA, a children's book called When the World Sleeps, written and illustrated by himself and which was runner-up in the Mother Goose Award for best debut.  Between 1990 to 2008 he produced a further nine titles, including the drawing manual, The Magic of Drawing and the Little Bear series of children’s books. As an illustrator, he has worked on volumes by authors such as Kenneth Grahame for Ladybird's edition of The Wind in the Willows and Gerald Durrell. In the two-year period 1998-1999 he designed the covers of the original British editions of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, published by Bloomsbury.

This book was published in 1997 but I found an almost mint condition copy at a recent charity book sale. This would be a terrific book to share with a very young child along side one of my all time favourite books about fear of the dark:

The Emperor's Elephant by C Walter Hodges

"Long ago in the city of Bagdad there lived an elephant. His name was Abu-ul-Abbas - or Abu for short. He was the biggest of all the elephants belonging to the Caliph who then ruled Bagdad. ... The Caliph's name was Haroun of Raschid. He was the most famous of all the rulers of the Eastern world. ... At the same time, far away in the West, there was another empire ruled by a mighty Emperor called Charles the Great. (He is often known nowadays as Charlemagne)."

Three ambassadors have arrived in Bagdad with gifts of gold and ivory. They are amazed to see elephants - no one from the West at this time had seen such creatures. The Caliph (in a gesture that feels both diplomatic and egotistical) decides to gift his largest elephant to Charles the Great. The journey is long - travelling through different cities and countries and across the ocean. Abu is accompanied by his young handler Selim. 

Image source (three images in this post) Full Table

In this picture book version Abu arrives to great fanfare and later he travels with the Emperor to war. 

"He became one of the wonders of the Western Empire, as the Caliph had promised, and he lived in fame and comfort with his friend Selim to look after him."

In reality "Abul-Abbas lived for at least eight years after his arrival, according to later accounts. In 810, the elephant accompanied Charlemagne’s army during a campaign against the Danes, when he died suddenly near the Rhine, but the exact cause is not known. Scholars have suggested illness or cold weather as likely factors. Nevertheless, his death ended a remarkable journey that had carried him across Asia, the Middle East, and Europe." History Skills

Charlemagne’s contemporary was a man named Harun al-Rashid, the caliph of Baghdad, who ruled over Baghdad and the Abbasid Caliphate from 786 CE until he died in 809. Well-respected and regarded as a “wise and just ruler,” Harun al-Rashid was a patron of the arts, music, and poetry throughout his life. During his reign, Baghdad flourished in terms of architecture, where Harun al-Rashid built the most beautiful palace of his time in the city, and his reign was one of peace and stability. These rulers had one thing in common: their thirst for knowledge. They both pushed for education. Charlemagne insisted on improving literacy among his subjects as well as their learning of Latin. Meanwhile, Harun al-Rashid’s patronage of the arts and literature followed his desire to establish his House of Wisdom. This House, where books from far and wide were compiled and translated into Arabic, was an institution that could be compared with the Library of Alexandria. Charlemagne and Harun al-Rashid were curious about the world around them hundreds of years before the Renaissance. The Collector

This book is from 1975. I found it in a library because I have been sorting and culling pictures of book covers. You could easily overlook this book because first of all it does look old, and secondly there is no back matter, so unless you are curious, as I was, you may have no idea that Charlemagne was actually gifted a real elephant. This is a book that you should share with your class followed by the two other titles below. A book like The Emperor's Elephant is a fantastic way to bring history to life for young students. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time dipping into this aspect of world history.

Companion book:

The Greatest Treasure of Charlemagne the King

This book reminded me of this wonderful title:

A Giraffe for France

C. Walter Hodges first came to prominence as the author/illustrator of Columbus Sails in 1939, which the “Junior Bookshelf” hailed as “The best book never to have been awarded the Carnegie Medal.” Widely acclaimed for the treatment of its subject matter, its powerful narration, and accompanying dramatic line illustrations, Columbus Sails was the first of a number of vivid historical novels written and illustrated by Hodges, including The Namesake (nominated for the 1964 Carnegie Medal), The Marsh King (1967), and The Overland Launch (1969). He is internationally recognised both for his indispensable and learned books about the Elizabethan theatre (for which he gained the Kate Greenaway Medal for illustration in 1964) and his vital illustrations to other authors' texts. 

I now discover he did the cover of one of my favourite childhood books - The Little White Horse by Elizabeth Goudge and other famous covers such as The Silver Sword. 

Meet the illustrator Giles Laroche

Giles creates his award-winning books with paper collages in a process that is truly amazing. He starts with a sketch and then cuts, paints, and glues, to create illustrations that have as many as 7 or 8 layers. He adds spacers (small pieces of cardboard) to give his collages even more depth. Giles calls his technique “paper relief”.

Page from Extreme Places: The most remote homes on Earth

My friend saw the book Extreme Places (cover below) on our recent visit to Gleebooks (a wonderful independent bookstore in Sydney), and she exclaimed because she really loves art by Giles Laroche.

Bookseller blurb for Extreme Places: Journey around the world to some of the most challenging and remote spots on Earth in this stunningly illustrated book that celebrates human ingenuity, community, and the people who call these places home. Would you be lonely living atop a steep, snowbound mountain or bored in a tiny island village Could you find your way home through a dense jungle or a blinding desert sandstorm Our planet has many places where everyday life is made difficult by severe climates, isolation, or natural forces such as volcanic eruptions and earthquakes. Yet in these secluded locations, families learn how to band together and rely on each other, and this spirit of teamwork helps to sustain extreme living. Master of cut-paper collage artwork Giles Laroche transports readers to the world's most extreme places through his exquisite illustrations and succinct explorations of what it takes to survive and thrive there.

Kirkus said: A brilliant and informative introduction to humans’ architectural and social adaptability.

The Giles Laroche book What's Inside: Fascinating Structures Around the World has a fabulous picture of the inside of our Sydney Opera House. It also has: Tomb of Tutankhamun in Thebes, Egypt The Parthenon in Athens, Greece Temple of Kukulcan in Chichen Itza, Mexico Buddha's Place in Shanxi Province, China Walled city of Toledo in Spain Alcazar Castle in Segovia, Spain Independence Hall in Philadelphia Shaker dairy barn in Hancock, MA A Circus big top tent, which traveled to many American cities The Guggenheim Museum in NYC The Petrona Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia The Georgia Aquarium in Georgia, Atlanta.

I went hunting for other books and more details about this US illustrator. He has a book from 1998 called Bridges are to Cross - I would love to see that one too. Kirkus said: (Bridges are to Cross) will open young eyes to the marvels of bridge-building and carry readers to a whole wide world of wonder.

Here is a list of his books (this is not up to date)

WRITTEN AND ILLUSTRATED BY GILES LAROCHE

If You Lived Here: Houses of the World, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, available October 25, 2011

What's Inside? Fascinating Structures Around the World, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2009

ILLUSTRATED BY GILES LAROCHE

Now You See Them, Now You Don't: Poems About Animals That Hide, by David Harrison Charlesbridge 2016

What Do Wheels Do All Day? by April Jones Prince, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2006

Down To The Sea In Ships, by Philemon Sturges, G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2005

Who sees the Lighthouse? by Ann Fearrington, G. P. Putnam's Sons, 2002

Sacred Places, by Philemon Sturges, G. P. Putnam's Sons, 2000

Bridges Are To Cross, by Philemon Sturges, G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1998

The Color Box, by Dayle Ann Dodds, Little, Brown & Co., 1992

A Road Might Lead To Anywhere, by Rachel Field, Little Brown & Co., 1990

General Store, by Rachel Field, Little, Brown & Co., 1988

Sing a Song of People, by Lois Lenski, Little, Brown & Co., 1987

Here is a page from Who Sees the Lighthouse:

Image source: Giles Laroche

If you want to explore other illustrators who use paper techniques you might look for David Miller (Australia); Robert Sabuda; Clover Robin; the amazing book The Story of Snowflake and Inkdrop; and Susan Roth just to name a few. 

Image source: Gallerix (see more pages inside this book)

This is the Bear by Sarah Hayes illustrated by Helen Craig

This is the Bear is a perfect preschool book. It has a cumulative tale format. Sadly this book is out of print. It was originally published in 1986 - so this is the 40th anniversary!  I do wish Walker Books UK would republish this book and others from the 'This is the Bear' series. These books were also produced in a Big Book format and set out to read as a play. 

This is the bear who fell in the bin. This is the dog who pushed him in.

This is the man who picked up the sack. This is the driver who would not come back.

This is the bear who went to the dump and fell on the pile with a bit of a bump.

Companion book:

Dougal the Garbage Dump Bear

Here are the other books in this series:

Walker Books UK published these books for their series called "Reading Time".  There were titles such as Big Bad Pig by Allan Ahlberg; Our Dog by Helen Oxenbury; and Have you seen Crocodile? by Colin West.

You may already know art by Helen Craig. 

The Pumpkin man and the Crafty Creeper

(This book is a fabulous one to read aloud)

Jam

The Night of the Paper bag Monsters

This goes with Charlie and Tyler at the Seaside

There are 67 Angelina Ballerina books!

The ABC Book of Lullabies

This is an old book from 2008 but what I love about books like this is the way they allow you to explore a range of illustrators - in this case illustrators from Australia:

Tamsin Ainslie, Jonathan Bentley, Gaye Chapman, Janine Dawson, Wayne Harris, Ann James, Stephen Michael King, Alison Lester, Caroline Magerl, Kilmeny Niland, Anna Pignataro, Cheryl Orsini, and Emma Quay. 

The cover art is by Emma Quay:

Here is the illustration from Stephen Michael King:

Illustration by Stephen Michael King for Golden Slumbers

I wonder who selected the illustrators to include in this book? I wonder if they were able to select their lullaby to illustrate? I did enjoy reading the end notes where each illustrator talks each specific lullaby. The ABC of the title refers to the publisher's name and not the organisation of the lullabies.

Books like The ABC Book of Lullabies are produced for two audiences simultaneously: the child who focuses on the images as the words are read to them and the adult (usually) who is reading. Each will take different things from the reading. An adult may well be interested in the differences between the images and the differing styles of each illustrator. Short bios, including sketches and photos are included in the final pages for those readers. Each illustrator shares a little about what they do and why, and why they’ve chosen the particular lullaby. Children will enjoy this collection whatever time they read or are read to, but it does make a lovely bedtime collection. For adults, The ABC Book of Lullabies is a bit like a sampler, introducing the work of some of Australia’s most talented illustrators. Or perhaps an illustrators’ version of an anthology. Aussie Reviews

If you have this book in your library and you have a small display space you could copy the pages from this book as a way to explore the CBCA 2026 slogan "Symphony of Stories". Lullabies are often examples of simple stories and hopefully also of familiar stories.

Here are a couple of examples:

Rock-a-bye Baby

Rock-a-bye, baby, in the treetop,

When the wind blows the cradle will rock;

When the bough breaks the cradle will fall,

And down will come baby, cradle and all.

Baby is drowsing, cosy and fair.

Mother sits near, in her rocking chair.

Forward and back the cradle she swings,

And though baby sleeps, he hears what she sings.

From the high rooftops down to the sea,

No one's as dear as baby to me.

Wee little fingers, eyes wide and bright --

Now sound asleep until morning light.

Hush Little Baby

Hush, little baby, don't say a word,

Mama's going to buy you a mockingbird.

And if that mockingbird don't sing,

Mama's going to buy you a diamond ring.

And if that diamond ring turns brass,

Mama's going to buy you a looking glass.

And if that looking glass gets broke,

Mama's going to buy you a billy goat.

And if that billy goat won't pull,

Mama's going to buy you a cart and bull.

And if that cart and bull turn over,

Mama's going to buy you a dog named Rover.

And if that dog named Rover won't bark,

Mama's going to buy you a horse and cart.

And if that horse and cart fall down,

You'll still be the sweetest little baby in town.

I imagine most of these names are very familiar to you. There was only one illustrator that I had not heard of - or perhaps I knew the books but not their names? - Janine Dawson is the illustrator of Pudding and Chips; Bobbie Dazzler and Junkyard Dogs. She also did illustrations for the Aussie Nibble Pippa's Perfect Picnic and the covers of the Lily Quench series. 

Here is one book from each of the illustrators who have work in this book. In most cases you can pop a title into my search bar to read more: