Sometimes Cake by Edwina Wyatt illustrated by Tamsin Ainslie

Audrey finds Lion. He has a balloon. It is not his birthday. It is not Audrey's birthday but they sing the birthday song anyway. On Tuesday Audrey finds Lion again. He has a delicious looking cake. Audrey asks about the celebration. Lion explains he is celebrating Tuesdays and also coconut. The friends sit down to enjoy a slice of cake (the icing is coconut - yum).

The story pattern continues. Lion is wearing a hat and celebrating orange and yellow and Audrey suggests they could add in purple. Then comes one powerful word:

"The next time Audrey found Lion, he didn't have a balloon or a cake. He wasn't wearing a hat. 'What are you celebrating?' said Audrey. 'Nothing,' sniffed Lion. Today is just an ordinary day." 

Sniffed!! - lion is sad. He looks sad in the illustration on the next page. BUT our Audrey is a problem solver. She creates the best celebration ever - a celebration of ordinary days and lions. 

The tone of this book feels a little like Winnie the Pooh's wisdom.

Just before this Walker book was released a friend sent me the title knowing I am a huge fan of cakes! With all the story elements which are perfect for preschoolers and perfect to read aloud features such as  patterns, an emotional arc, bright and lively illustrations, and a little girl who could be your friend, I just have to give this book five stars. I also like the look of the cake on the title page. 

I predict this book will reach the 2021 CBCA Notable list and Early Childhood short list - yes it is that good. Fingers crossed for Edwina Wyatt and Tamsin.  I did make this prediction back in 2016 about In the Evening and I was wrong - let's hope I don't jinx Sometimes Cake.

Make sure you look at all of the socks worn by Audrey. They are a good way to mark the passing of time but also they are intriguing. Audrey likes to wear odd socks that don't match just like many preschool aged children, but one sock is missing. I have searched high and low but I cannot find her red and white striped sock in the final scene. Can you?

Here are the author and illustrator web sites.

I would pair this book with these:

Where does Thursday Go?

The Terribly Friendly Fox by Susannah Lloyd and Ellie Snowdon

Take a minute to look at the cover illustration and title.  Terribly, terrible? Can a fox be friendly especially when it's the evening of the Annual Woodland Creatures Ball. The Fox named The Wiley Fox claims he is a reformed character. He has adopted a new name - Gerald and he tells his host he is now a vegetarian.

This book contains a dual narrative.  You can read the words such as "Gerald turned out to be the life and soul of the party .. and boy, that fox could sing!"

Now check out the party guests.  There are five hens in the foyer of the house and five empty seats later at the dinner table. When the host mouse clears the table he finds two delicious puddings have been left uneaten. Playing a game of musical chairs for some reason it seems there are too many chairs. As you turn each page the crowd of happy party goers is shrinking. By the time the dancing starts there are only nine guests left out of twenty-four. Then we watch the conga line shrink - seven then six. Finally only our host is left.

"But how rude I was. ... I almost forgot to offer Gerald one of our little nibbles. He said not to worry, the other guests had been keeping him well-fed. In fact, he was a trifle full ... "

By the end of the party the guests have all "disappeared" and the exhausted host mouse heads off to bed. Gerald meanwhile lies trapped under fallen party decorations and the heavy chandelier.

Is there a happy ending? Perhaps yes if you imagine the guests might escape from inside the fox or perhaps no!

The Terribly Friendly Fox is a delightfully dark tale which is sure to make you laugh! My Book Corner

Dark humour can be a tricky balance sometimes in children’s books. Roald Dahl was the master at it and Susanna Lloyd has, in this story given us something that harks back to that, with a touch of Brothers Grimm thrown in too. David Ballard Picture Books

Susannah Lloyd has some activities for The Terribly Friendly Fox on her web site. You can see some of the charming illustrations from this book on Ellie Snowdon's web site.

The Secret Birthday by Rosemary Wells

I was delighted many years ago to meet little Yoko. Now I discover there are ten 'spin off' titles featuring Yoko and her classmates. In this book the main character is Nora. We met her first in Noisy Nora. 

Sadly the ten books from the series Yoko and Friends School Days are quite old and so they out of print but you might be lucky, as I was, and find one or two in a public or school library.

The dilemma in The Secret Birthday will be recognised by many children. Who do you invite to your birthday party?  Especially when you simply cannot ask everyone in the class. This issue has become quite serious at Yoko's school and so the topic of birthday parties is banned -  "no birthday talk at school" is the rule.

Nora's mum is keeping the birthday guest list a secret. She delivers the invitations and does not tell Nora who is coming. BUT this secret is just so distressing for Nora. She can't wait three days until her party she wants to know NOW just who is coming so Nora breaks the rule and the day before the party, while they are in the girls bathroom, she quietly asks her friend Yoko did she get an invite. Nora does not realise Grace has overheard this conversation. Word of who is and who is not coming to the party quickly spreads around the class.  Nora is miserable. She is a sensitive girl and all of the aggression and nasty comments about her birthday are really hurting her. The Franks even make up a teasing song on the bus.

Luckily, the next day, Nora has a conversation about her problem with bus driver Henry. Driving past the local hospital Nora has a brilliant idea. Kids in hospital have birthdays too. The hospital has a large cafeteria. Is there a way to invite everyone to the birthday party? 

The party foods link perfectly with the foods you may have seen in Yoko. Henry drives his bus on Saturday and picks up everyone:

"First he picked up Nora and her mother. They had birthday cakes.
Then he picked up Timothy. Timothy had fifteen bags of chips.
Claude was next. He had jelly beans.
Yoko's mother had made special sushi. 
Charles bought ice cream.
Fritz had chocolate sauce.
Doris lugged squeeze cheese and crackers.
The Franks' dad had cooked up a pot of franks and beans."

These are perfect little easy chapter or beginner books for a newly independent reader with the bonus of a very satisfying story and very sweet illustrations.  Here are some of the other titles in this series Yoko and Friends School Days:

View from the 32nd Floor by Emma Cameron

This is my second reading and second post about this utterly splendid middle grade novel. I wish the publisher, Walker Books, would consider a reprint with a better cover - I'm sure the cover (which in my view is not very appealing)  is why this book did not receive the attention it deserved. I was visiting Beachside Bookshop last weekend and I spied The View from the 32nd Floor. Actually I have seen it there on previous visits.  This gem of a book has been waiting for a new home since December 2016. Did you know you can often see the date a book arrives in a store on the price sticker? As you have guessed this shop copy now has a new home with me!

I originally talked about this book in 2013 and when I read my comments from then nothing has changed.  Reading this book all over again was just a joy. I did predict this book would be short listed by our CBCA - sadly this did not happen but The View from the 32nd Floor did make the notable list which means it should be in most Australian Primary school libraries - I certainly hope you can find it. I think it is still in print too.

Here are some excellent teaches notes produced by Walker Books. The best part of these notes, in my view, is that you will find a list of all the music that William hears each morning. In my first post I mentioned William's dad sets up some music for William to enjoy each morning over breakfast. I adore this idea.

Page 13: Up on the Roof by Carol King or The Drifters

Page 45: Forever Young by Bob Dylan
Page 51: What a Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong
Page 67: That’s Just the Way It Is by Bruce Hornsby
Page 71: Comes a Time by Neil Young
Page 91: Sound of Silence by Simon and Garfunkel
Page 103: I Can See Clearly Now by Johnny Nash, Jimmy Cliff or Bob Marley
Page 111: Clean Up Time by John Lennon
Page 116: I Could Have Danced All Night from My Fair Lady
Page 121: From Big Things Little Things Grow by Paul Kelly
Page 123: I Like to Move It by Sacha Baron Cohen from Madagascar
Page 126: Dance With Me by Orleans

I should also mention there is so much delicious food in this book:

"Mrs Stavros ... opened the fridge. 'I give this one to you.' She offered a long tray that held three small pastry triangles. William did not want to be rude so he chose one. The sweet gooey insides tasted of magic and he felt as though his brain might float away."

Read these beautiful words from the author Emma Cameron:

I know the joy of growing sunflowers alongside blueberries, feel a jolt inside when a bird flies into a windowpane, think dictionaries are beautiful books and hope the sky never falls down.

Armadillo and Hare by Jeremy Strong illustrated by Rebecca Bagley

Get ready, get set, this book is FUN FUN FUN!  Settle down and prepare to read. There are ten short chapters in this book. Each is a stand alone story with diverse characters such as Elephant, Wombat, Invisible Stick Insect, Lobster, Jaguar and of course our heroes Armadillo and Hare. You could read one chapter each night for ten nights! Or you could sit down now and read the whole book as I did. Before you do that, though, you need to make a cheese sandwich. The full instructions are in the back of the book but I am putting them here so you can be prepared.

Two Slices of Bread
NOTE 1: Must be the same size so the cheese doesn't fall out.

Cheese
NOTE 2: Obviously. Cheddar is non-stinky best, Stilton is stinky best. Camembert is sloppy and stinky best.

Method:
Place cheese between slices of bread.
NOTE 3: No butter required. Mustn't spoil the full flavour of the cheese.

Eat. Place in mouth between teeth. Grip tightly. Pull off large chunk. Chew.

Swallow
NOTE 4: Close eyes and emit sighs of intense pleasure
NOTE 5: Offer similar sandwich to Hare but not so big. He has small teeth.
NOTE 6: Chutney can be added but sparingly.

IMPORTANT: Obey the Golden Rule.
NOTE 7: The Golden Rule. Never leave the fridge without any cheese in it.

In the first story someone has broken The Golden Rule, all the cheese is gone and, as an added complication, the fridge light is not working. Armadillo is in despair. He is desperate to eat a cheese sandwich. He leaves the fridge door open:

"I thought some cheese might jump in. If I left it open. ... I didn't think it would. It was just a chance. A tiny, tiny possibility that some cheese might come wandering along and think: Oh, that looks like a nice fridge. It could sit inside and keep cool. This warm sun is making me melt. How kind of someone to leave the door open for me. I'll just hop inside."

Hare suggests instead of eating cheese sandwiches, Armadillo would be better off doing exercises and perhaps finding a hobby.  The exercises are a bit of a disaster but Armadillo finds the perfect hobby - painting cheese sandwiches.  Make sure you take a close look the the jacket fly leaf. Mona Lisa Cheese Sandwich.

One of the truly delightful story ideas in this book is the tuba played by Hare. Every time he plays things pop out. They do disappear quite quickly but some of them are so quirky and some are just for fun! Think about empty saucepans, toilet rolls and a lady's swimming costume. I also love Hare's ears which he straightens and twists.

Image source: https://bagleyart.com/portfolio/armadilloandhare/

The relationship between Hare and Armadillo is also delightful. During the big storm Armadillo knows Hare will be scared so he offers to make chamomile tea. They climb into bed together while Armadillo explains about lightning and thunder and of course eventually the storm moves away. At the Nobody's birthday party, Hare sits with Armadillo even though he would dearly love to dance. He is loyal to his friend. Perhaps Armadillo will never learn to dance but that doesn't matter at all. The end of this chapter will give you a huge smile.

This is my new favourite book for those children who are ready for chapter books and for those children who ready for fun!  Australian children will be pleased Jeremy Strong included a wombat in his cast of characters.  Here is an audio sample to give you the flavour of this story. Here is an interview with Jeremy Strong. Read this review for more story details.

This is the story of a wonderful friendship. It is a glorious book, highly recommended for readers of all ages.’Armadillo and Hare‘ is an ideal early chapter book for less experienced readers. It is bound to be laughed over, enjoyed, reread and cherished. Bookwagon

If you are reading this book with a class you could compare the chapter A Flood and a Cardigan with Frog is a Hero by Max Velthuijs.

This book continues the tradition of unlikely friendships - take a look at these:

When you read about Invisible Stick Insect in Armadillo and Hare you should also grab this unlikely friends book -  Pig and Small.