In the Tree House by Andrew Larsen illustrated by Dušan Petričić

"It's hot. Really hot. I crunch on an ice cube to cool off. There's more ice melting in the bowl beside me. I can see the whole neighborhood from up here. It's pretty nice. There are lots of big, old trees. But there's only one tree house."

The family have moved to a new house and the best thing for the two brothers is the discovery of a huge tree just perfect for the building of a treehouse. The boys talk to their father and because he once wanted a treehouse too the three of them draw up some terrific plans and begin construction. As night falls the younger boy notices that here in the city there are no stars showing the sky. Why?

"My brother and I spent most of that summer in the tree house. It was the best summer ever. We had comics. We had cards."

But as time passes the older brother becomes less interested in the tree house and doesn't spend time playing with his younger brother any more until one night all the city lights go out. It is a blackout and suddenly all the stars in the sky can shine. The street turns into a party with torches and games and ice cream and best of all his brother climbs back up into the tree house - just like old times. 

Awards for In the Tree House:

• Jean Throop Book Award, Municipal Chapter of Toronto IODE Winner 2014
• TD Canadian Children's Literature Award, CBC Fan Choice Award, CBC Centre Awards Winner 2014
• Bank Street Children's Book Committee Winner 2014
• Shining Willow Award, The Saskatchewan Young Readers' Choice Award Short-listed 2014
• Book of the Year 2013: Books for Young People, Quill & Quire Winner 2013
• Blue Spruce Award, Ontario Library Association Short-listed 2014

There are a few good ideas/life experiences in this book. Brothers who outgrow one another; seeing the night sky or actually not seeing the night sky because our city lights do not allow them to shine; and the wonder of changes that can happen in a community after a shared event such as a blackout.

Oddly the Kirkus reviewer did not really like this book but I think it could be a good addition to your school library. I have put a few other treehouse books in this post. My friend from Kinderbookwitheverything has a splendid Pinterest collection of picture books about Treehouses.

In the Tree House was published in 2018 BUT for once I have good news. The paperback edition is still available (check here).

A House for wombats

Happy Mouse Day

I previously talked about these books illustrated by Dušan Petričić:

Mud Puddle

The Man with the Violin

You can see books by Andrew Larsen here.

You might also try to find this book:

Water is Water by Miranda Paul illustrated by Jason Chin

Here is a strange suggestion - do not read the words in this book when you pick it up for the first time. Just turn the pages slowly and enjoy the scrumptious illustrations and do not skip past the first page, the title page and the dedication page. As you move through the story you will notice the seasonal changes and way these children embrace their outdoor environment. 

You can see nearly every page from this book here. 

Now go back and read the lyrical text. Miranda Paul has incorporated all aspects of the water cycle into a very satisfying narrative. This book is a science lesson but it absolutely does not feel like one. All of the water 'facts' are reserved for the final pages along with a further reading list.

"Puddles are puddles unless ... puddles freeze. Glide. Slide. Put on the brakes! Ice is ice unless ... it forms flakes."

If you have an audible subscription the audio version of Water is Water is well worth exploring. Here is the website for Miranda Paul. Check out my previous post. Scroll down through this site to find teaching resources for Water is Water. 

Chin’s realistic watercolor-and-gouache illustrations offer repeat readers seemingly endless new details, like the brother’s propensity for finding small animals with which to torment his sister. ... An engaging and lyrical look at the water cycle. Kirkus

Water is Water exemplifies how a complex subject shared through story engages the child, leap frogs all the diagrams and other didactics, and goes straight to the brain! Rather than “following the drop,” as many water cycle books do, this one analogously follows the constant motion of children, each on their own unique path. The children play and explore finding their relationship with nature – joining in as the natural story unfolds around them. Paul and Chin bring home to their readers a story of enormous proportions, one that is largely invisible to all of us, by focusing on children doing what they do outdoors. Brilliant! Montessori Images

Companion books:

Water can Be

Hey Water

Summer Blue

I have a huge 'want to read' collection on Pinterest. In a moment of enormous generosity my friend from Kinderbookswitheverything hunted out a heap of these titles from her library for me to borrow over the summer. Water is Water was one of those titles.  Water is Water is still in print but sadly it is way too expensive for school libraries here in Australia. 

Jason Chin is an award-winning illustrator. Here in Australia very few libraries hold copies of his Caldecott winner - Watercress - but is a book I really want to explore more closely. 

Would you come too? by Liz Garton Scanlon illustrated by Diana Sudyka

 

I guess this book is meant to be a reaction to our dependence on devices - to encourage children and the adults in their lives to switch off and head outside but for me this is also a book that could use used as a wonderful writing stimulus. 

Every page has the words "If we were ... "

If we were walls ...
If we were a pond ...
If we were tadpoles ...
If we were a nest ...
If we were seeds ...

This book will also encourage you to head outside and hopefully be more observant of the natural environment. 

The strength of this book to my eye, though, comes from the illustrations. The style reminds me of Julia Sarda and Felicita Sala. See inside books illustrated by Diana Sudyka here. You might like to follow her on Instagram. Her book Sometimes Rain has a Kirkus Star review. In this interview Diana Sudyka talks to Betsy Bird (they both live in Chicago). 

A lyrical meditation on the magic of outdoor play that’s creditable for its back-to-nature message. Kirkus

This whimsical and poignant picture book celebrates playing outside and invites readers to grab some friends, gear up their imaginations, and immerse themselves in nature. A Book and a Hug

Here are other books by Liz Garton Scanlon

Read more about Kate, the girl who tamed the Wind

Ruby's Sword by Jacqueline Véissid illustrated by Paola Zakimi

Ruby would love to play with her two brothers but they keep either ignoring or rebuffing her. Then she finds three sword shaped sticks in the grass. 

"I found dragon fighting swords!' she announced. Her brothers jumped down to take a closer look. Ruby granted them each a sword."

Two swords, two boys - Ruby is excluded again so she sets off to make her own games. With her trusty sword she spears some apples from a tall tree and then she fights against the wind and rumbling clouds. She catches a wind blown sheet off the clothes line and builds a tent. Her brothers arrive to see what she is doing. Can they play too? Ruby is not sure. Click Clack was all they heard. The boys head off and return with some "honourable offerings of twigs, rocks and dandelions" and the three children begin a wonderful game of knights and castles.

Zakimi’s beautifully illustrated double-page spreads capture Ruby’s bouncy bob, the anger in her eyes, and the windy, leaf-strewing storm. Kirkus

This is a wonderful book to share with young children about relationships between siblings and more importantly about imaginative play. It might inspire you to go outside and hunt for sword sticks for your own game of knight, dragons and castles. I have a Pinterest of picture books about using your imagination. Ruby's Sword was published in 2019 and while it is available here in Australia it is quite expensive which is very disappointing. Update I did find a discount book seller (11th April 2023) with copies for just AUS$15 but you would need to act quickly. 

Take a look inside Ruby's Sword. Here is the image under the dust jacket - I do love books where removing the dust jacket reveals a surprise.

Here are some quotes from Happily Ever Elephants about imaginative play:

Kids learn empathy by taking on new personas and stepping into another’s shoes. They explore scary situations while nestled in safe spaces. They experiment with language when they act as parents or teachers, or, even better, when they make up their own languages while pretending to be animals or fairies. They even learn to problem solve when they determine how build a castle or how to perfect a jump shot high enough to knock down a star.

So often, we underestimate the power of play. Yet it is play – pretend play, imaginative play, playing “make-believe” – that helps our children make sense of their worlds. Kids learn not just by doing, but by imagining.

Ruby's Sword is a debut picture book by US Author Jacquelin Véissid. The illustrations are by Paola Zakimi comes from Argentina.  She also illustrated Teddy and Co. by Cynthia Voigt - please note very sadly this book is not available in Australia. I am not sure why. 

Sing me the Summer by Jane Godwin illustrated by Alison Lester

"Sing me the summer

The sparkling sea

Our buckets and spades on the sand.

Shells by the rock pools

where tiny fish swim

and a crab scuttles over my hand."

Affirm Press have a wonderful video on their web site where Alison Lester shows in great detail the process she used to illustrate this book. It is especially interesting to see Jane Godwin's original text typed over a couple of pages. On this page Jane talks about her text and collaboration with Alison.

When you explore this book with a group of young children be sure to grab all the copies you can find of other books by Alison Lester. In Sing me the Summer you are sure to spy Noni the Pony; Bigsy; and the night time sky from Kissed by the Moon. I'm also sure many of the children have appeared in the series that began with Clive eats Alligators and also the little family in Are we there Yet? I found a Pinterest filled with images from Alison's work.

If you have a music teacher in your school it would be fabulous to set the words of this rhyming story to music. You could easily develop this story into a vibrant class item for a school assembly or other event.

Stories with repeated refrains work so well with preschool children and, whether you are reading to a group or just one little friend, everyone is sure to anticipate the words as you turn the page:

Here is the day ...  and here is the night.

This book would make a beautiful gift for a child living overseas. You will find  references to Australia such as wattle; paddock; gum trees; and roos. I am pleased to see there is no snow on the winter scenes while we do have a little snow in Australia the majority of the population do not see snow during the winter.

A huge amount of work has gone into the book design of Sing me the Summer. The end papers are covered with colourful leaves and show a subtle difference between night and day. The cover has embossed lettering. I love the way it feels. And the landscape format allows Alison to stretch her bright and lively illustrations right across two pages giving a full view of the beach; a outdoor birthday party; sunset on bonfire night; and camping out under the stars on a warm summer night.

If you have ever wanted to own a glorious illustration by Alison Lester take a look at the Melbourne based company Books Illustrated. 

The Snowman's wish by Sophie Masson illustrated by Ronak Taher

Please begin with my post about Sonam and the Silence. I really want Sonam and the Silence (2019) book to be shared with ALL children. I was desperately upset when it was not selected by our CBCA as a Notable or short listed book. It is a truly special book and the reason I mention it here is that it is also illustrated by Ronak Taher.  She is a talented illustrator who was born in Iran and now lives in Melbourne.

Now we can turn our attention to The Snowman's Wish. Sophie Masson explores the seasons and senses in her lyrical text.

The story begins in Winter: "he loved what he saw"
Winter continues:  and he "loved what he heard"
Spring starts: and he "loved what he felt"
Early summer: and flowers burst forth and he "loved what he smelled"

"How I wish I could stay"

But this is a snowman, made from snow, and so eventually he melts away. This is sad of course but the snowman leaves a beautiful memory gift for the children just as he promised.

As a teacher using this book with a class here are some things to notice and discuss:

End papers - they are brilliant. Winter at the beginning with ice covered leaves and Summer at the end where we see the page filled with bright orange and red flowers.

Title - Notice the font, the use of capital letters, the apostrophe, the children using a ladder to 'dress' the huge snowman.

Snowman - where might the story be set? Have you built a snowman? Can you describe the process? What are some problems with building a snowman? Is this a Christmas book? Why or why not? Did you notice the words "sleigh bells"?

Northern hemisphere - look for the animal and plant references in the illustrations. Think about the colour palette. Sophie Masson is an Australian author. You could write some questions to ask her about the setting for The Snowman's Wish.

Themes - seasons, nature, outdoor play, snow, loss, hope, gifts, promises.  Sophie Masson also says her book explores "the notion of death". Do you agree? Would the words 'circle of life' be a better description? 

Here is an in-depth and highly thoughtful review recorded by Ursula Dubosarsky.

Now go back and explore the lyrical text:
"White ground with black shadows under a silky starry sky."
"days lengthened, shadows slipped away."
"earth waking to warmth"

Take a look here - Ronak shares some of the collage illustrations from her book.

You could pair this book with these:

If you want to explore collage and snowmen try to find this beautiful book:

Cork and Fuzz by Dori Chaconas illustrated by Lisa McCue

"Do you know why I like you?' Cork said. 'Because you make me feel good in my heart and you always make me laugh."


Acceptance of difference + the fun of a playing together + team work =  FRIENDSHIP

Cork is a muskrat. He is short and he collects stones. Loves water. Slightly serious personality.
Fuzz is a possum. He is tall and he collects stones and lots of other things. Afraid of water. Can be a joker at times.

There are ten books in this delightful series. I have only read two but I am certain they would be the most perfect addition to any Primary School library. Each book has four short chapters, large print and very expressive illustrations.

Sadly quite a few are out of print but you might find them in a library. There are Kindle versions too. My lucky Teacher-Librarian friend found these two at a charity book sale today for fifty cents each! Here are all the titles:

I found a set of teaching notes for the first book - Best Friends. Read some review quotes on Dori's web page.

In their reviews Kirkus use words like "Sweet and funny"; "the evergreen theme of unlikely friendships"; these will make "learning to read a pleasure"; "illustrations reminiscent of Garth Williams"; "a simple sweet tale"; "timeless sensibility".

You can read more about each book here.

Blurb Book One Best Friends Cork is a muskrat. Fuzz is a possum. Cork eats only veggie stuff. Fuzz eats beetles and worms. Cork likes to play hide-and-seek. Fuzz likes to play find-and-eat. Cork and Fuzz have nothing in common. Or do they?

Blurb Book Two Short and Tall  Even though Cork is a short muskrat and Fuzz is a tall possum, they can still be best friends. Or can they? "I am older," Cork said. "I need to be taller. It is a rule." Can friendship break such rules?

Blurb Book Three Good Sports  Cork is a short muskrat who likes to win at games. Fuzz is a tall possum who also likes to win at games. Two best friends. Both like to win. What will happen when they play games against each other?

Blurb Book Four The Collectors  Cork is a short muskrat who likes to collect shiny stones. Fuzz is a tall possum who also likes to collect shiny stones. Fuzz tries to collect a stone from a duck's nest and, in turn, the mama duck tries to collect him. Will Cork be able to save his friend?

I am really keen to read the Christmas picture book about this pair of odd ball friends:

Here are some other books (all simple beginner level like Cork and Fuzz) about unlikely friends. Their friendship also reminds me of the Toot and Puddle books.

Winnie-the-Pooh's 50 things to do before you're 5 3/4

Full of adventure, expotitions and muddy puddles

I spied this book in an art gallery in Inverness. The title looked appealing. I think I will gift this to a young family who have a new son. There are so many terrific and easy ideas in this little book and it is filled with Winnie-the-Pooh quotes and EH Sheppard original illustrations. If I was with a young child or two for the day I would like to invent cloud stories, host a teddy bears picnic, play hopscotch and feed the ducks at my lake. I think that would be a very satisfying day indeed.

Image source: https://www.worldbookday.com/2019/01/winnie-the-poohs-words-of-wisdom/

"Without Pooh' said Rabbit solemnly as he sharpened his pencil, 'the adventure would be impossible."

"Christopher Robin was sitting outside his door, putting on his Big Boots. As soon as he saw the Big Boots, Pooh knew that an Adventure was going to happen."

"Tracks,' said Piglet. 'Pawmarks.' He gave a little squeak of excitement. 'Oh, Pooh! Do you thing it's a -a-a- Woozle?"


Here are some easy ideas:
34 Play Hide and Seek
31 Skipping
37 Make a hum
18 Bounce like Tigger
27 Cloud stories

Here are some creative ideas:
4 Forest in a bottle
11 Pebble pets
14 Shadow puppets
6 Fingerprint animals
2 Trunk patterns

Here are some outdoor ideas:
30 Watch the sunrise and sunset
45 Fly a kite
35 Build a sandcastle
43 Poohsticks
50 Camp out

This book is a nostalgic, sweet reminder to get on those wellies, breath in some beautiful fresh air and go on a mini adventure! Mum of Two Bumbling Through

Here is a companion volume:

A Proper Little Lady by Nette Hilton illustrated by Cathy Wilcox

All children love to dress up. Annabella is no different. She decides this is the day to put on her finery and head off into the world. She has a beautiful dress, the special hat, a long gold chain, lacy white gloves and socks with frilly edges. She looks so fabulous but perhaps this is not quite the right outfit for climbing trees, riding a billy-cart or a game of soccer.

I mentioned Nette Hilton in a recent post. While I was working at the Children's hospital Book Bunker this week I took the opportunity to revisit some books by Nette Hilton.

A Proper Little Lady was published in 1989 and short listed by the CBCA in 1990.  The winner that year was The Very Best of Friends by Margaret Wild illustrated by Julie Vivas. Nette Hilton has had many titles listed for CBCA awards/short lists and nearly all of them appear now on the Premier's Reading Challenge lists except, oddly, not A Proper Little Lady. I wonder why it has been left off. You can see a video of the whole book here.

A Proper Little Lady is illustrated by Cathy Wilcox. Cathy is the illustrator of one of my future Tuesday Treasures and sadly another title recently culled from my former library - The Weird things in Nanna's house.  Kirkus writes this book has:  "Wilcox's economical, skillfully drafted illustrations."
Her clever cartoons regularly appear in our Sydney newspapers.

Nette Hilton has a new book series which begins with The First Adventures of Princess Peony and she said at a recent CBCA event that A Proper Little Lady was her inspiration.  If you need a book to explain/demonstrate onomatopoeia in action this is the perfect book. Take a look at this word list:

swish swish swish
tap tap tap
chink chink chink
flop flop flop
chink snap dangle

You could pair this book with Polly's Pink Pyjamas and the poetry collection 15 Ways to get Dressed.

My Lazy Cat by Christine Roussey

What did you do today?

I think picture book authors and illustrators walk a fine line when they create a picture book with "a message". This is not a new trend but the topic of mindfulness is new and so many picture books have jumped on this popular bandwagon. I do agree we all need to slow down, we all need to stop and see the tiny things around us, we all need moments of stillness but I don't need a picture book that lectures me, or a child, about this.

My Lazy Cat works because, for me, the message (I guess there is one) is delivered with humour. This book truly made me smile.

I should have known something was up with this little girl when I read:

"I don't have a minute to waste. I have judo, swimming, yoga, painting, and pottery. Knitting, soccer and biking with my friends. I have a full day and I can't be late."

Boomer the cat is huge. His days are slow.

He's a slug,
a sloth,
a slacker.
A lounger,
a loafer,
a lazybones.
He snoozes and slumbers, dozes and drowses. No one does it better.

Luckily one day the little girl is forced to slow down and see the world as Boomer sees it. She trips over him in her rush and this is where the story becomes interesting or could lead to an interesting discussion. How will she react? Anger, impatience, frustration or perhaps she can just laugh?

My favourite page shows them both lying on the grass watching the clouds. I would be great to compare this with the illustrations by Kazuo Niizaka from the book Clouds by Peggy Blakeley.

I picked this book out in the public library the other day because it is a translated book. It was originally written in French with the title 'Mon Chat Boudin'.

Christine Roussey is the illustrator of a number of very special books especially the series by Jo Witek. You can see some below. I will try to find My Stinky Dog, which looks like a companion volume to My Lazy Cat, and share it with you here soon.

Kirkus says My Lazy Cat "presents a portrait of a friendship and a celebration of slowing down. Her goofy, bright illustrations are childlike in their simplicity but full of details to search through during a quiet read."

Kids' Book Review says: "The message Roussey gives readers in her story My Lazy Cat is profound. She reminds us of the importance of making time in our over busy lives to have fun doing 'lazy things' with the ones that we love. During this slow time we are able to be more mindful about our environment and what our body and soul really needs."