The Magic Nesting Doll by Jacqueline K Oburn illustrated by Laurel Long

Katya is gifted a matryoshka, a nesting doll, by her grandmother.

"If your need is great, open the doll and help will come. But you may only do so three times. After that, the magic will be gone. Keep the doll and remember me."

Right from those words I knew Katya would use her gift wisely and unselfishly and I also knew I was in the realm of a fairytale because there are going to be a pattern of three. 

Just like in the famous story of The Snow Queen, Katya arrives in a city that is under the spell of perpetual winter, it is always night and there is no moon or dawn. The young Tsar (Tsarvetich) has been turned into living ice. He is watched over by his uncle the Grand Vizier.

"They took her into the chamber of the frozen prince. Katya had never seen a man so beautiful. His full lips were pale blue and his glassy hands long and fine. He hair glistened like frost. The only sign that he was not a statue carved of ice was the faint cloud of breath and the slight stirring of his chest."

I guess you are jumping ahead and thinking Katya will be the one to break this spell - and yes, she does but she will need help. And yes, that Grand Vizier is not to be trusted. Katya is thrown into the dungeon. It is time to use her first nesting doll - a bear. Now the snow is gone but the prince is still in his deathly sleep.

Next Katya is banished to a ravine - time to use her doll - this time the help comes from a wolf. The prince gains a little colour to his face as the moon once again appears in the sky and the Grand Visier is himself beginning to freeze. The third test comes when Katya is taken to the top of a remote mountain. Her third doll is the firebird. "Who better than a firebird to bring back the sun?"

Katya returns to the prince expecting to see him awake but alas, even though is restored - his hair is brown, his skin is warm - he is still in a deep sleep. What will she do? Be still my romantic heart!

The details of snow, birds, clothing, plants, and animals, and the lavish designs in the architecture and in the interiors, in combination with the appealing story, simply and economically told, but rich in archetypes, make this a book to be enjoyed over and over again. Kirkus

This book is from 2000 so it is 26 years old BUT it might be in your local or school library - that is a major joy of libraries that you can find 'old' treasures like this book. And I don't mean 'old' in the sense of old fashioned or outdated or worn out - I mean an 'old' book because it was published a long while ago. Of course, the story in this book is fairytale and so it is utterly timeless. I expect this Russian story has been told in many other books and forms.

Bookseller blurb: A wicked spell has changed a handsome young prince to a pale glassy figure made of "living ice," and his kingdom to a frozen landscape of night without moon, dark without dawn. Katya knows that it's up to her to rescue the prince and undo the evil spell that has banished the sun. Armed with only the magic nesting doll and her own valiant heart, she is determined to succeed. But will her courage and the mysterious nesting doll be strong enough to prevail? Laurel Long's dazzling jewel-like paintings and Jacqueline K. Ogburn's romantic original tale were inspired by Russian folk art and stories. This talented duo has created a modern classic that honors its folklore heritage while depicting a world in which a girl can be anything, including a hero.

Back when this book was first published you could buy a set of nesting dolls to match the story!

Companion books:

The Quilt Makers Gift

Cherry blossom and the Golden Bear

The Glassmakers' Daughter

Jacqueline K. Ogburn is a children's book author whose work frequently explores folklore, mythology, and creative uses of language. After earning bachelor's degrees in English and philosophy from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, she held various positions before spending a decade in New York City book publishing, primarily as a children's book editor at houses including Lothrop, Lee & Shepard and Dial Books for Young Readers. Following her move to North Carolina to raise her family, she began a second career writing picture books, where her background in editing and lifelong interest in stories shaped her approach to imaginative narratives. Ogburn's earlier titles demonstrate her engagement with mythological traditions and inventive storytelling, including retellings of Russian folklore in The Magic Nesting Doll and a Brothers Grimm-inspired tale in The Lady and the Lion, as well as original stories that blend whimsy with cultural elements. 

Laurel Long is the illustrator of many books for children, including Hans Brinker by Bruce Coville, The Magic Nesting Doll by Jacqueline K. Ogburn and The Lady & The Lion, a Grimm story. Her picture book, The Mightiest Heart by Lynn Cullen was awarded the Gold Medal by the Society of Illustrators. ... Laurel Long is a Professor in the Art Department at California State University, Northridge.

Here are some illustrations from The Magic Nesting Doll:

The Little Hummingbird by Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas

The hummingbird parable, with origins in the Quechuan people of South America, 

has become a talisman for environmentalists and activists who are committed to making meaningful change in the world. In this inspiring story, the determined hummingbird does everything she can to put out a raging fire that threatens her forest home. 

The hummingbird—symbol of wisdom and courage—

demonstrates that doing something is better than doing nothing at all.

"Here is the story of the great forest that caught on fire. The terrible fire raged and burned. All of the animals were afraid and fled from their homes. The elephant and the tiger ran. The beaver scurried and the frog leapt away. Above them the birds flew in a panic. The creatures huddled at the edge of the forest and watched. All except one."

The one is the little hummingbird. She picks up water, one drop at a time, and flies back and forth to the fire. One drop at a time. The other animals watch on convinced there is nothing they can do. The hummingbird tells them:

"I am doing what I can."

The after word for The Little Hummingbird is by Wangari Maathai - here are two books for children about her work:

The Little Hummingbird is a revised edition of a previous title: the award-winning Flight of the Hummingbird (2008) which had 64 pages (see the image at the bottom of this post). You can watch a two-minute animation of the story here. Do watch this it is fantastic. 

Bookseller blurb: This inspiring children's book is based on a South American indigenous story about a courageous hummingbird who defies fear and expectations in her attempt to save the forest from fire. The illustrated story is supplemented by a natural and cultural history of hummingbirds, as well as an inspiring message from Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Maathai. The evocative artwork by internationally renowned Haida artist Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas complements this optimistic tale that encourages everyone to take responsibility for their home and the planet.

I said this very recently - even if I live a hundred more lifetimes I will never reach the end of new and old book discoveries especially those that reside in the library where I work as a volunteer. The Little Hummingbird seems like a fairly obscure book - published in Canada in 2010 and based on an indigenous folktale from South America. Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas is a Canadian visual artist with a very distinct style called Haida Manga. I am so pleased to have discovered this book but at the same time it reinforces my thought that there are SO many other fabulous books 'out there' that I may never discover. New copies of The Little Hummingbird do seem to still be available from several online sellers. 

Here is an example of the art style found in The Little Hummingbird:

“Haida manga,” a somewhat incongruous term, describes a hybrid form of visual expression where the artist not only celebrates Haida cultural memory and merges it with Asian brush techniques, but also engages with the challenges facing all modern societies: conflict, war, the impact of human activity on the environment, climate change and intercultural relations. Yahgulanaas brings to manga a visual and stylistic technique belonging to the cultures of the Pacific Northwest coast: the formline, or figurative line. The formline is a winding line painted in black that swells and contracts, outlining the contours of the picture’s subject. Read more here.

Here is a simpler explanation: Haida manga is a cool and unique art style that mixes traditional art from the Haida people with modern Japanese manga comics. It's like a blend of old and new, bringing together amazing stories and designs from the North Pacific region with the exciting look of Japanese comics. Haida manga has become popular in many countries, including Japan, South Korea, China, Taiwan, Macao, France, and Canada.

This story has also been performed as an opera in Vancouver - perhaps that is how the Teacher-Librarian in the school in Sydney, Australia discovered this book? Here is the original version:

The Day of Ahmed's Secret by Florence Parry Heide illustrated by Ted Lewin

Image from this video (well worth watching)

"Today I have a secret, and all day long my secret will be like a friend to me. Tonight I will tell it to my family, but now I have work to do in the city."

Ahmed rides on his small cart pulled by his donkey. The city of Cairo is noisy and filled with people trading and shopping. Ahmed notices the sounds and the colours. He enjoys a quick meal of beans and noodles, but he cannot pause for long because he has deliveries to make - heavy bottles of fuel. 

With older students I would like this book with the UNICEF Rights of the Child:

28. Education: Every child has the right to an education. Primary education should be free. Secondary and higher education should be available to every child. Children should be encouraged to go to school to the highest level possible.

32. Protection from harmful work: Children have the right to be protected from doing work that is dangerous or bad for their education, health or development. If children work, they have the right to be safe and paid fairly.

When I spied this book at a recent charity book sale I knew it would be a terrific choice. As is often the way with books I pick up at the fair, I do wonder how this book came to be here in Australia. Someone has inscribed it "to Leo happy reading love Grandma Bea". I wonder if Leo read his gift. I wonder if Bea knew the author or illustrator or if she realised this book (published in 1990) contains an important story about the power of education and literacy? 

Publisher blurb (spoiler included): Ahmed drives his donkey cart through the streets of Cairo, delivering butane gas cylinders to his father's customers. He knows everyone and has a part to play in the life of the city. He is proud to be strong enough to help his family, but most of all he is proud of his precious secret, a secret that he keeps until the end of the day. The book reveals a lot about Ahmed's life, and finally his secret - that he can write his name.

Florence Parry Heide died in 2011. She wrote over 100 books including the famous series about Treehorn. The co-author of this book Judith Heide Gilland is her daughter. Ted Lewin died in 2021. He illustrated over 200 books. (Kirkus have talked about lots of them). I have already talked about his book about puffins! Here are two others:

Read about Eve Bunting here

Waiting for Goliath by Antje Damm

I spied this Gecko Press book in the library at Westmead Children's Hospital and the illustrations intrigued me.

Bear sits at the bus stop waiting for his best friend - Goliath. Night falls and Bear falls asleep. Robin tells Bear his friend is not coming. It seems that the seasons are passing. We see the tree with leaves, then fruit and then autumn leaves. A bus pulls up at the bus stop but Goliath is not a passenger. Winter arrives and the birds fly south. Bear climbs off the bus seat and falls into a deep sleep while the snow falls all around him. When he wakes up it is spring.

"He hears a noise like a hand sliding slowly across paper. Goliath is coming!"

I can hear your group of young library visitors squealing when they discover the identity of Goliath! If you can find a copy of this book from 2018 it will be a perfect read aloud in your school library or you might borrow it to share with your young reading companion at home.

An only seemingly simple but endlessly sweet meditation on patience.  Kirkus Star review (contains a spoiler)

It's a delightful story, told in simple, clear language and it highlights the meaning of true friendship which actually celebrates differences rather than allowing them to form a barrier. And Bear is so patient: he's prepared to wait for his friend, no matter what. BookBag

The gorgeous artwork comprises a mixture of cut-outs and collage combined in beautiful dioramas. The endpapers at the front show an empty road, while those at the back feature one set of pawprints leaving. Children will have really good fun predicting and guessing what or who Goliath is. In this warm little story about loyalty, faith and friendship, Damm has created a really likeable character about whom children will want to hear more. Children's Books Ireland

Gecko Press talked to Antje Damm about her illustration technique. It reminded me of the work by Soyeon Kim who also uses dioramas. 

Image Source: Instagram

My first two books with Gecko Press were constructed from paper and cardboard. For The Visitor, I made a box with figures inside and photographed each scene. Colour comes gradually into the story so I painted the figures and the room for each scene then photographed it before painting it again. The lighting effects come through a hole at the top of the box. This was a risky way to make the book, because each time I changed the scene, the earlier version was lost. If the photographs hadn’t worked out, the whole book would have been ruined!

See inside this book here

From the Walker Books webpage: Antje Damm is a celebrated children’s writer and illustrator. Born in 1965 in Wiesbaden, Germany, she now lives with her husband and four children in a half-timbered house near Giessen. She has worked as an architect and has written and illustrated over a dozen books for children. Take a look at her Instagram account. 

I do hope Gecko Press have a plan to translate more books by Antje Damm especially Füchslein im Walde - which is dedicated to the topic of dying, death and mourning.

A fox comes into the forest. He is carrying a large box filled with tomato soup cans, because he is toothless and old. The rabbits, who were first afraid of him, soon understand this, and so some get to know each other who actually have nothing in common. The fox talks about his long life and teaches the rabbits important wisdom. They, in turn, accompany him when the old fox dies. After his death, they put him in his big box, bury him and say goodbye. But he remains alive in her memories.

I am Wishing Every Minute for Christmas by Lauren Child

"I have this little sister Lola. She is small and very funny. If Lola even thinks about Christmas she can't sit still on her chair. If you breathe the word Christmas she hops up and down. If you say 'Christmas is coming' she just runs round and round."

Lola is desperate for the arrival of Christmas. She absolutely cannot wait. But it is only September. Her brother knows Christmas is a long way off but Lola has no sense of time and she simply cannot wait! Time is such an abstract concept plus there is absolutely no point in expecting Lola to be PATIENT.

Charlie has a great idea. If he can keep Lola busy with Christmas tasks the time will pass more quickly. They make Christmas lists; write Christmas cards (to everyone including Soren Lorensen Lola's imaginary friend); create decorations like paper chains and stars; then comes the decorating of the tree; and the making of an advent calendar. 

"Behind each door is a picture, if there are skates we'll go skating ..."

A new Charlie and Lola book and a new Christmas book and today is Christmas Day! Here is an interview with Lauren Child about this book which is a celebration of 25 years of Charlie and Lola. We were so lucky here in Sydney when Lauren Child spoke at our Sydney Writers Festival. 

Merry Happy Yummy Christmas to everyone. Perhaps Santa left this book under YOUR tree. 

And after Christmas you should head out to your local library to borrow and read lots more Charlie and Lola books:

Book 1: I Will Not Ever Never Eat a Tomato (2000) 

Book 2: I Am Not Sleepy and I Will Not Go to Bed (2001) 

Book 3: I Am Too Absolutely Small For School (2003) 

Book 4: I Completely Love Winter (2005)

Book 5: But Excuse Me, That Is My Book (2006)

Book 6: We Honestly Can Look After Your Dog (2006) 

Book 7: Whoops! But It Wasn't Me!  (2007)

Book 8: I’m Really Ever So Not Well (2008)

Book 9: Say Cheese (2008)

Book 10: Slightly Invisible (2010)

Book 11: This is Actually My Party (2011) 

Book 12: Look After Your Planet (2011)

Book 13: We Completely Must Go to London (2012)

Book 14: I Completely Know About Guinea Pigs (2012)

Book 15: I Will Especially Be Very Careful (2012)

Book 16: Sizzles, where are You? (2013)

Book 17: I Absolutely Love Animals 2013

Book 18: Snow Is My Favourite and My Best (2014) 

Book 19: My Best, Best Friend (2014)

Book 20: One Thing (2015)

Book 21: A Dog with Nice Ears (2018)

Plus others.

Spiro by Anna McGregor

This book completely surprised me. The cover made me think this would be quite a silly story about a funny spider but instead I discovered a story about persistence, patience and perseverance. These are indeed heavy topics but in Spiro this is all told with a light touch and tons of humour.

On the title page Sprio is reading a book - the title is Advanced Web Design. We are off to a good start.

Spiro needs food - a juicy fly or a scrumptious moth, or even a stink bug. I talked about this recently - did you notice I used the word (from the text) scrumptious. This is one of the reasons why it is so important to read heaps and heaps of the BEST picture books to our children - this might be the first time they hear the wonderful word - scrumptious. Then when your child says 'read it again' this word will gradually be one they use in their everyday life or if that seems too ambitious it will be word they recognise and understand. 

Spiro builds his web but unfortunately ... well three times there are three disasters and Spiro misses his prey. I have a little spider like Spiro on my veranda. He builds his web and at night the lights from my windows attract various insects. This is exactly how Spiro succeeds - the family switch on the fairy lights they have draped over the apple tree and "the insects come swarming". 

Spiro is a 2025 CBCA Early Childhood notable title. You can download some teachers notes from the publisher webpage. My friend from Kinderbookswitheverything has a very useful Pinterest collection of other picture books about spiders - which of course would be a terrific mini theme for your preschool or kindy class. It would be great to talk about the design of Spiro's web and to compare this with photos of spider webs found in non fiction books in your library [595.79]. With a slightly older group this book could also open up a discussion about prey and predators - eat or be eaten!

A perfect book to share with preschoolers and children up to 7 years old. Reading Time

The CBCA 2025 Early Childhood Picture Book judges in their report about the Notable titles said: The blend of deadpan humour in the written text and slapstick in the illustrations is masterful. 

If you are sharing this book with a young reading companion or in a school library or classroom you MUST also look for this wonderful Australian book about a spider who spins her web. In 1976 Aranea was a Picture Book of the Year commended title. I do wish the publishers would consider bringing it back into print - this year would be the perfect time because Aranea was published in 1975 - so this is the 50th Anniversary.  

Aranea

You could also share these books:

Here are some other books that you will find in your local or school library by Anna McGregor:

The Boy, the Troll and the Chalk by Annie Booth illustrated by David Litchfield

The title of this book sets up the plot. Yes, there is a boy. Yes, there is a box of chalk and you can see a boy drawing with the chalk on the front cover. Look closely and you will see the boy, who looks very calm, is sitting in front of a cave. But what of the Troll? Surely there is a danger here even though we cannot see this troll and yet the boy is sitting outside what might be the home of the troll. What do you know about trolls? Perhaps you have memory of that famous trickster tale of the Three Billy Goats. 

The blurb below contains a spoiler - but I am sure your class or young reading companion will be very surprised to discover the true identity of the 'troll'. The final pages of this book are such a celebration of community and happiness and coming together.

Bookseller blurb: Everybody knew that a big fierce troll lived in the cave. "Leave me alone!" it yelled. So everybody did. Only one child cannot turn their back on the troll at the edge of the playground. One day, he takes his chalks up to the mouth of the cave. He draws a flower with every petal coloured in but one, and leaves the chalk behind. The next day, the flower has been completed. Day-by-day, the boy and the troll finish each other's drawings, until they each draw a portrait, showing a boy holding hands with a fierce, scary troll. "But you're not a troll," says the boy. "You're a boy - just like me." Patience, kindness and the power of art win out in the end: the two boys wordlessly draw together. Soon all the other children gather to join in with the game. Everyone forgets that there was a troll inside the cave. Because outside the cave, there is so much to draw.

Companion book:

The Boy, the Troll and the Chalk is sure to appear on the Empathy Lab book list in 2025. The previous book by Anne Booth and David Litchfield is A shelter for Sadness - it is way more didactic than this newer book. Here is the Kirkus review. 

It is not really connected with the themes of this book but you might need to explore famous books about trolls with your library group:

You can see other versions of this story on my post. 

If you work in a library (school or public) I think it is essential to build up your field knowledge of authors and illustrators. I have been quite shocked lately when I meet staff in libraries or in children's literature related occupations who had not heard famous names I mentioned. At Seven Stories in Newcastle-on-Tyne the three young education staff members had no knowledge of the UK illustrator Brian Wildsmith. Yesterday I was at a library meeting in my local area and one of the experienced Teacher-Librarians who is an organiser for this group had not heard of Ann James or our special illustration and event space Dromkeen (Victoria). I am hopeful that if I had mentioned specific books illustrated by Ann James such as Little Humpty; Penny Pollard; I'm a dirty dinosaur; Lucy Goosey; and It's a Miroocool. 

When I saw the name David Litchfield on the cover of this book, I knew the illustrations would be splendid! I knew this because I am familiar with other books he has illustrated - I have 'field knowledge'. This comes from 40 years of working as a Teacher-Librarian, book judge and blogger, but more importantly it comes from READING tons of children's books - picture books, junior novels, middle grade books and non-fiction.

 My strongest advice if you are new in any library setting is to take books home every week or even every day so you begin to know your collection and build up your personal knowledge of authors and illustrators from Australia and more importantly from around the world. I talked about Brian Wildsmith at the library meeting yesterday - I wonder how many of the twenty participants were familiar with his gorgeous work.

Leo the Late Bloomer by Robert Kraus illustrated by Jose Aruego

From time to time, I think about Leo the Late Bloomer (1971) because it was a favourite book of a very skilled Kindergarten teacher who worked at the first school where I was appointed back in 1984 in rural NSW. I have also mentioned Leo the Late Bloomer a few times over the years here on this blog so I was pleased to pick up a copy (in close to mint condition) at a recent charity book sale. 

Leo couldn't talk. Leo couldn't draw. Leo couldn't write.  Leo couldn't read. He was also a very sloppy eater. But his mother knows they just need to wait. One day Leo will bloom! Dad just needs to be patient and listen to mum!

I love the way, when he finally does speak, Leo says a whole sentence and not just those punctuation words such as no, yes, up, down, more, mum, dad etc. 

Having reading this book again decades after I first saw it, I can now see it might be a book you could share with new parents in a preschool setting or at the start of kindergarten. If I was reading it to a group of children in a library or classroom I would talk about the concepts we associate with Growth Mindset such as "some things might take longer but that's okay"; "When I struggle I grow"; and "It's okay for me to make mistakes". And you could talk about the way we are all different and we all learn differently and the importance of patience and perseverance. This book might also fit in with your family if your child has older siblings who 'seem' to be great at everything - reading this book side by side with your young reading companion might allow you to talk about the concept of 'not yet'. Try to find the book Frog is Frog where Frog is trying to find his talent.

I now discover there was also a sequel -Leo the Late Bloomer bakes a cake (1982) but I have not found a cover image to share. 

I found these two classroom ideas.

Robert Kraus (1925-2001) wrote and illustrated over 100 books. Here are a couple of other books by Robert Kraus:

Henry's Little Sister by Jo Weaver

 

Henry is introduced to his new baby sister. He is sure she will be happy to learn all his elephant wisdom but each time he shows Celeste something important she simply 'does her own thing'. When the pair wander off to eat some delicious acacia pods a storm whips up and they are separated from the herd. It is at this point that Celeste repeats back to Henry all the things he had been trying to teach her - smelling the air for water; and trumpeting loudly to alert the herd. Luckily their mother hears their trumpeting and arrives to help them. 

"Will you teach me more about being an elephant tomorrow?' Celeste whispered sleepily. 'Of course,' said Henry, happily. 'And let's do some more playing as well,' he added, cuddling up beside her."

I eavesdropped on a library session this week where the teacher-Librarian was explaining to her young group ways to determine if a book was fiction or non-fiction. One of the criteria she showed the group was the assigning of a human name to an animal - such as in this book where the young elephant is named Henry. At the same time there are 'facts' in this book such as the way elephants use their ears to keep cool, and using dust as a sun protection. 

Henry's Little Sister is a new book published in 2023. Jo Weaver is a truly special illustrator. You could pair this book with a non-fiction book about elephants such as these [hint library Dewey number 599.67].