Charlotte's Web by EB White illustrated by Garth Williams

“Attention, please!” he said in a loud, firm voice. “Will the party who addressed me at bedtime last night kindly make himself or herself known by giving an appropriate sign or signal!”

Wilbur has been wishing, out loud, for a friend. Charlotte quietly says she will be his friend, and she tells Wilbur she will meet him the morning. The lines above are from Wilbur - and yes it is the next morning. He wants to find the owner of the voice from last night. Wilbur is about to meet the most special friend - a spider named Charlotte. 

You are sure to remember the classic opening lines of Charlotte's Web:

Where's Papa going with that ax?” said Fern to her mother as they were setting the table for breakfast. “Out to the hoghouse,” replied Mrs. Arable. “Some pigs were born last night.” “I don’t see why he needs an ax,” continued Fern, who was only eight. “Well,” said her mother, “one of the pigs is a runt. It’s very small and weak, and it will never amount to anything. So your father has decided to do away with it.” “Do away with it?” shrieked Fern. “You mean kill it? Just because it’s smaller than the others?”

Think about the fact that Fern is eight years old. When she confronts her father about the new baby pig she sure does use some sophisticated and persuasive language:

“But it’s unfair,” cried Fern. “The pig couldn’t help being born small, could it? If I had been very small at birth, would you have killed me?” Mr. Arable smiled. “Certainly not,” he said, looking down at his daughter with love. “But this is different. A little girl is one thing, a little runty pig is another.” “I see no difference,” replied Fern, still hanging on to the ax. “This is the most terrible case of injustice I ever heard of.”

Fern is also a farm kid. She goes inside and mum has breakfast ready and one of the offerings is bacon! I guess only adults will see this as a little ironic.

EB White is a master of sensory descriptions - take a look at this example:

It smelled of hay and it smelled of manure. It smelled of the perspiration of tired horses and the wonderful sweet breath of patient cows. It often had a sort of peaceful smell—as though nothing bad could happen ever again in the world. It smelled of grain and of harness dressing and of axle grease and of rubber boots and of new rope. And whenever the cat was given a fish-head to eat, the barn would smell of fish. But mostly it smelled of hay, for there was always hay in the great loft up overhead.

You could also talk to your writing group about the way EB White makes use of lists in this story:

it was full of all sorts of things that you find in barns: ladders, grindstones, pitch forks, monkey wrenches, scythes, lawn mowers, snow shovels, ax handles, milk pails, water buckets, empty grain sacks, and rusty rat traps.

Flies, bugs, grasshoppers, choice beetles, moths, butterflies, tasty cockroaches, gnats, midges, daddy longlegs, centipedes, mosquitoes, crickets—anything that is careless enough to get caught in my web. I have to live, don’t I?

It was a delicious meal—skim milk, wheat middlings, leftover pancakes, half a doughnut, the rind of a summer squash, two pieces of stale toast, a third of a gingersnap, a fish tail, one orange peel, several noodles from a noodle soup, the scum off a cup of cocoa, an ancient jelly roll, a strip of paper from the lining of the garbage pail, and a spoonful of raspberry jello.

Here, in a small clearing hidden by young alders and wild raspberry bushes, was an astonishing pile of old bottles and empty tin cans and dirty rags and bits of metal and broken bottles and broken hinges and broken springs and dead batteries and last month’s magazines and old discarded dishmops and tattered overalls and rusty spikes and leaky pails and forgotten stoppers and useless junk of all kinds, including a wrong-size crank for a broken ice-cream freezer.

I participate in a children's book club on Facebook and the book for June was Charlotte's Web. I'm fairly sure I didn't read this 1952 book as a child - I think I probably first read it in the 1980s. Today, in preparation for participating in the discussion I re-read Charlotte's Web on my bus trip into the city and then finished the final half this afternoon.

I was very surprised about the parts of the story that I had forgotten, and I was also surprised that I didn't have my expected emotional reaction to the death of beautiful Charlotte. This might be my third reading of this classic book. I did talk about Charlotte's Web here on this blog back in 2012. In that past post I shared some text quotes. Today I read this book on my Kindle so I was easily able to highlight passages that resonated with me - and they are quite different from the ones in my previous post. 

There are some rich words used in this book such as these examples: endure, objectionable, meekly, salutations, a jubilee time, sincere, scruples, compunctions, gullible, forsake, and untenable.

And also some words that are sure to be unfamiliar to young Australian children - wheat middlings, popover, midway, hominy, provender, timothy (it's a type of grass used for hay), and Crackerjack.

I had also forgotten the maths references - money given to the children at the fair and the exact number of eggs in Charlotte's egg sack.

Here is another quote that resonated with me:

Wilbur was modest; fame did not spoil him. He still worried some about the future, as he could hardly believe that a mere spider would be able to save his life. Sometimes at night he would have a bad dream. He would dream that men were coming to get him with knives and guns. But that was only a dream. In the daytime, Wilbur usually felt happy and confident. No pig ever had truer friends, and he realized that friendship is one of the most satisfying things in the world.

Companion books:

Aranea

Some Writer

Here are the famous Charlotte's Web quotes that you are sure to recognise:

“You have been my friend,” replied Charlotte. “That in itself is a tremendous thing. I wove my webs for you because I liked you. After all, what’s a life, anyway? We’re born, we live a little while, we die. A spider’s life can’t help being something of a mess, with all this trapping and eating flies. By helping you, perhaps I was trying to lift up my life a trifle. Heaven knows anyone’s life can stand a little of that.”

It is not often that someone comes along who is a true friend and a good writer. Charlotte was both.

A House in the Woods by Inga Moore

Two little pigs build their houses in the woods. Sadly, after a day of exploring, they return to find Bear has moved into one house and it is wrecked and Moose has moved into the other house and that one is wrecked too. This all means the two pigs and Bear and Moose have nowhere to live. Then Moose suggests they could work together and build one big and perfect house for all of them. Well yes they could attempt this project but really they need some experts 

"so Moose called the Beavers on the telephone ... "

The Beavers are happy to help but in exchange they want peanut butter sandwiches. This is agreed and so the construction begins. 

"and by tea time the roof was on. (The lunch and tea times were on different days of course. Beavers are fast, but not that fast.)"

The sweet happy ending and those six plates of peanut butter sandwiches make this a perfect book to read aloud to your preschool or Kindergarten group.

Betsy Bird says: Now I have read A House in the Woods by Inga Moore and I can already tell you that twenty or thirty or forty years from now a man or woman will be asked what their favorite picture book was as a child and they will describe the images here. Maybe they won’t remember the exact title. Maybe they’ll blank on the author’s name. But what they won’t forget is the feeling of perfect contentment and peace brought about through Moore’s combination of image and text. This is the picture book equivalent of a warm, soothing bubble bath.

When you open this book make sure you take time to linger over the end papers. And if uou read the review by Betsy Bird you will be alerted to look for some other tiny details. 

A House in the Woods is an old book and of course it is sadly now out of print but you might be lucky and find a copy in a library. A House in the Woods is a NSW Premier's Reading Challenge book K-2 [24439].

Companion books:

Waiting for Winter

A House for Wombats

Decades ago I saw my first book illustrated by Inga Moore and I fell in love with her art style.

The Vegetable Thieves

In my former libraries I had copies of Aktil's Big Swim and Aktil's Bicycle Ride. Other books illustrated by Inga Moore are:

Six Dinner Sid

Here is a full list of books illustrated and written by Inga Moore:

• Aktil's Big Swim (Oxford University Press, 1980)
• Aktil's Rescue (Oxford University Press, 1982)
• The Vegetable Thieves (Andersen Press Ltd, 1983; Viking Press, 1984, ISBN 9780670743803)
• A Big Day for Little Jack (1984)
• The Truffle Hunter (Andersen Press Ltd, 1985)
• Fifty Red Night-caps (Walker, 1988, ISBN 9780744517835)
• Rose and the Nightingale (London: Andersen Press, 1988)
• The Sorcerer’s Apprentice (Prentice Hall, 1989)
• Six-Dinner Sid (Simon & Schuster, 1990, ISBN 9780750003049)
• Oh, Little Jack (1992)
• The Little Apple Tree (1994)
• Six Dinner Sid: A Highland Adventure (2010)
• A House in the Woods (Candlewick Press, 2011)
• Captain Cat (Walker Books, 2012, ISBN 9781406337303)
• Moose's Book Bus (Candlewick Press, 2021)

You might also look for her editions of Wind in the Willows; The Secret Garden; Anne of Green Gables and The Reluctant Dragon. For a short time Inga Moore lived in Australia but she now lives in the UK. 

A Perfect Pig by Katrin Drieling

Begin with the cover - you can see the ribbons awarded to Anton, his neat clothing and perfectly combed hair. Perfect order is implied by the graph paper used to fill the word PIG. But wait something is not quite right. There are problems with the word perfect. The "R" is hanging by a thread; the "f" is in lower case and the "T" is about to fall of the cover. Perhaps Anton is not quite so perfect?

Taking a close look at Anton's room on the first page it is clear he enjoys keeping everything in his life in strict order. He has his three ribbons on his wall, three first place ribbons, to prove he most certainly is a perfect pig! His books are perfectly arranged. His hats and bow ties are neatly placed on the shelf. There is also a hint, thought, that Anton does have a soft side - we can see his little teddy bear lying on the bed. 

As we read on we discover he is also kind and a generous friend. It is Lola's birthday and even though Anton does not like surprises he knows Lola will love a surprise party! There will be a lot to organise in a short time. The only cake left at the bakery is a wedding cake. It is now raining and Anton is getting soaked. His beautiful bicycle is covered in mud.  It is a disaster. 

"His eye won't stop twitching and his stomach feels like a big rolling barrel of worries. He grabs the cake but his feel get tangled in the fairy lights."

Of course it all turns out okay in the end. Lola love the crazy mess and everyone joins in with the dancing. Oh and his eye stops twitching.

Pig has a generous heart. Young readers will enjoy the impending sense of disaster as we watch our Pig hero load a tiered wedding cake onto his bicycle. There is a lesson here perhaps about the genuine surprises that life can provide. The inclusion of the bold and fun fonts, provide an emphasis to some words.  The font changes links neatly with Anton's twisty tail.  The final page turn is perfect. The end papers reflect the order Pig enjoys in this life at the beginning and the little touch of graffiti at the end adds a fun twist. The cross reference to the white rabbit and his all-important pocket watch from Alice in wonderland will be appreciated by adults who share this book with young children. The digital watch displaying the word late is also a clever touch. 

The word choices, skilled use of digital illustrations, choices of fonts, and other design elements become gradually more and more chaotic as Anton’s day progresses, creating some perfect changes in pace and mood. 

This story has a joyful energy and a warm heart. The wonderful thing is, despite the challenges, Anton never gives up because he wants to surprise his friend.

Here is the web site for the author/illustrator Katrin Dreiling. Read more about the process of making this book here. 

A Perfect Pig is a joyous and highly appealing read-a-loud picture book for young readers aged 4-7 years. With themes of embracing change, adapting to uncertainty, and learning to let go and live in the moment, it is a book that can be enjoyed not only at home but also in the classroom setting. Reading Time

A Perfect Pig is illustrated in a marvellous mix of media with a crafty cut and paste feel. A mix of textures, wobbly lines and pops of pink create motion and movement in unity with the text. Kids' Book Review

I would pair this book with these:

Agnes and Clarabelle

Sometimes Cake

What if, Pig?

Agnes and Clarabelle by Adele Griffin and Courtney Sheinmel illustrated by Sara Palacios

There are four short seasonal stories in this colourful beginner chapter book. Agnes is a little pig and Clarabelle is a chicken and they are the best of friends. I especially liked the way each story had an unexpected ending. Yes the stories do meet the criteria of "happily every after" but things don't always feel perfect and this is okay.

1. Spring: Surprise Party

It's Clarabelle's birthday. She'd love a "surprise" party. The pair work out the plan for the venue, food, decorations, games and guests. BUT Clarabelle has one big worry. What if her friend Willa forgets to come? The party is a huge success but indeed Willa does not arrive. "That's okay ... even if my birthday's not perfect, it's still perfect."

2. Summer: Beach Day

Agnes does not like new experiences, she does not want to go to the beach. Clarabelle is such a great friend and she works so hard to make the day wonderful. When they arrive Clarabelle just cannot go onto the sand or into the water. Agnes decides to set up their towels and umbrella in the carpark. It's not quite perfect but it's close enough.

3. Fall: New Sneakers

Clarabelle needs new sneakers. Her toes are peeking through the old ones so the pair of friends head off to the big department store. Clarabelle is scared but Agnes promises to stay close. In all the crowds the pair are separated. Clarabelle is frantic. She cannot find her friend. Agnes is a resourceful friend. She uses the store announcement system to guide Clarabelle back to the main floor and the information desk. Clarabelle finds her way but she is so upset she cannot focus on sneakers. No problem Agnes has a spare pair which will be just fine.

4. Winter: Perfect Pizza

Making pizza is a great idea with chestnuts, popcorn, cheese and white chocolate chips. It looks too good to eat!

Read the Kirkus review. And one in the School Library Journal. You can see some work by the illustrator Sara Palacios on her web site. Here is the second book about this pair of unlikely (but very special) friends.

Lady Lollipop by Dick King Smith illustrated by Jill Barton

Characters: Princess Penelope; The King; The Queen; Johnny (wise pig owner); and Lollipop (she is one very special pig).

The Queen does not want a pig in her castle. Princess Penelope always gets her way. The King just wants everyone to be happy. Luckily Johnny has trained his special pig friend Lollipop and he is wise enough to understand that Penelope needs training too - it just has to be done carefully.  Three cheers for Johnny!

Here is the blurb: "Princess Penelope is a right royal brat. What would she like for her birthday? 'I wanna pig!' she yells. And she gets one. But Lollipop is no ordinary pig. When people look into Lollipop's bright, intelligent eyes, it seems to change them. For the better."

This is a perfect easy chapter book for a newly independent reader or you could use it as a class or family read aloud book.  Audio sample.

This is a silly, quick read. Definitely a good one for the younger end of the crowd.  The chapters are short and there are plenty of line drawings tucked in throughout the story.  The princess is definitely naughty but being shocked at her behavior is half the fun of the book. The other half, at least if you are six years old, is the fact that pig dung is mentioned more than once.  It’s good for the royal roses, which is critical in winning the Queen over to the Lollipop side. Mother Read at Home

There are big pigs and small pigs, pigs with upright ears and some with droopy ears…But the one that catches the little princess’ fancy is a dirty white skinny pig! “Want that one,” she announces. The King and Queen are in shock! However can they indulge their beloved child this time? But when the pig owner, Johnny Skinner, a long skinny boy, proclaims that his pig is the cleverest brightest pig anyone could have ever seen, there is not much the King and Queen can do to change Penelope’s mind. Little Bookworms

Take a look at the web site of prolific author Dick King Smith (1922-2011).  My favourite books by this UK author are Happy Mouse Day; Smasher; The Hodgeheg; Warlock Watson; A mouse called Wolf; The Finger Eater; and Aristotle.

Here is the sequel to Lady Lollipop:

Wolfie's Secret by Nicola Senior

Wolfie was no ordinary wolf.

He was a wolf with a secret.

He was a wolf who loved baking!

Wolfie knows he has to keep his baking a secret. He is supposed to be growly, tough, mean and of course to enjoy eating grandmas. He just cannot do this. It is not in his nature. One day, as he closes the curtains and gets on with his delicious baking the smells waft outside. Three brothers have plans to build a house next door. You might recognise these guys - it is in fact our old friends the three little pigs. They know all about wolves and so they worry that this spot is not a safe place for their new home. Those smells, though, are so tempting. The trio tip toe up to the window and look inside. What they see is so shocking. A wolf in a pinny! A wolf making a chocolate cake!

This is a scandal. The three pigs make a plan to expose this impostor. They stalk him day and night taking photographs and making notes - gathering proof. Once they have everything they need they send it off to the local newspaper. On Saturday morning Wolfie sees the disastrous headline in the newspaper - WOLF IN CAKE BAKING SCANDAL.

Wolfie is devastated. He climbs into bed and retreats from the world. Then the most unexpected thing happens. Letters start to arrive. Readers of the newspaper love his recipes and are keen for more.The newspaper editor offers Wolfie a job. What about those pigs next door? I am happy to say they make peace with their new friend by gifting him a super cake mixer.

There is a recipe in this book for scones and if you look closely you will spy other delicious baked treats such as battenberg cake, and a Victoria Sponge.  Here is the book trailer. There are four activity pages on the publisher web site - Allen and Unwin.

Wolfie's kitchen is wonderful. This is a story to share with a young child followed by the sharing of some delicious home made cake.

This is a debut book from Nicola Senior. I do hope she has plans for more delicious treats like this.

The exquisite illustrations throughout expertly portray Wolfie’s emotions, from his love of baking, the expressions on his face as he concentrates and his horror and disappointment at being found out. Child Care and Education Expo

I would follow this book with The Fairytale News by Colin and Jackie Hawkins.

Albert and Lila by Rafik Schami illustrated by Els Cools and Oliver Streich

Tuesday Treasure

"The chickens and pigs were very polite to each other ... but the chicken never played with the pigs ... the pigs never played with the chickens either."

Things are happy on the farm but occasionally a fox breaks in and carries off a hen and this means the hens are not quite as happy as they could be. The fox does not worry the pigs and so all of them are perfectly happy. Well not quite all. Albert is not a happy pig. Albert is born white not pink like the other pigs. He is ridiculed and isolated. Luckily one day Albert meets Lila. Lila is an old hen and she is in danger from the farmer's cooking pot. The other hens won't help and the rooster chases her away. Albert and Lila become very special friends and together they are able to ignore the mockery and laughter of the hens and pigs.

One evening while they are sitting together gazing over the farm Lila sees the dreaded fox. She knows he is headed for the hen house. Albert has a brilliant idea. Lila opens the hen house door and Albert slips inside. Meanwhile Lila herself heads over the pigsty. When the fox looks in the broken window of the hen house he sees a huge pig. Albert explains to the fox:

"... we pigs are living here now. The chickens have been moved to what used to be the pigsty. ... but watch out, those chickens have put on a lot of weight recently."

The fox heads over to the pigsty. He takes a great leap and finds himself surrounded by kicking pigs. "This farm must be bewitched!' groaned the fox. 'The chickens have changed into pigs!"

Albert and Lila have saved the day. That fox will never return. The pigs are proud of Albert and the rooster thanks Lila but none of that really matters to our pair of friends who continue to enjoy life on this farm - together!

Albert and Lila is a wonderful trickster tale. Albert is a problem solver. That fox is a very real problem. It doesn't matter about the silly comments from the pigs and chickens, Albert and Lila are true friends and true friends help one another.

Have you ever thought about the ways you can identify a good book:

• The cover of course and this one is colourful and quirky.
• The creators - perhaps you know them perhaps you don't. In the case of Albert and Lila none of these names are familiar to me. I love researching authors and illustrators.
• The publisher - in this case it is North South and if I was making a list of top international publishers of children's book North South would be near the top of my list along with Nosy Crow, Andersen Press, Walker/Candlewick Books, Gecko Press, Chicken House, Penguin Random House and Dirt Lane Press.
• Books translated into English are often intriguing and different. Albert and Lila was originally published in Switzerland under the title Albin and Lila. The English edition was translated by Anthea Bell.

Rafik Schami was born in Syria. He moved to Germany when he was 25 and taught himself to write in German.  His book A Handful of Stars won the Mildred L Batchelder Award in 1991. In 2018 Albert and Lila was made into a play. I hope you can find this book in a library. It would be good to roll back time and restore this book to my former school library - this is a very special book with a funny and yet poignant story with terrific lively illustrations.

I do enjoy books about chickens.  Some favourite titles are:

Sloppy Kisses by Elizabeth Withrop illustrated by Anne Burgess

Tuesday Treasure

"Emmy Lou's family loved to kiss."  

When she arrives at school, Rosemary sees Papa giving Emmy Lou a great big sloppy kiss.

"EEEE-YEW!' said Rosemary.
'Your father still kisses you? That's just for babies.'
'Is it?' asked Emmy Lou.
'Kissing is yukky,' said Rosemary.
And she went off to hang up her coat.
'It is?' Emmy Lou whispered."

Everything changes in this moment for Emmy Lou. She tells her family she does not want to be kissed any more. She informs them that kissing is for babies. So that night, after Papa and Mama kiss her sister Dolly they give Emmy Lou a little pat on the shoulder. Poor Emmy Lou - she finds it so hard to get to sleep. Day after day and night after night Emmy Lou refuses to be kissed until finally one night she just cannot get to sleep.

Papa and Mama try all the things you would expect - Is Emmy Lou thirsty?; Does she need another blanket?; How about a story?  Then Papa steps in and picks up Emmy Lou and he "gave her a great big sloppy kiss. Then he handed her to her mother, who gave Emmy Lou a nice soft warm kiss. Emmy Lou smiled."

Emmy Lou has a wonderful sleep but what will happen at school when Papa drops her off and what can she do about Rosemary?

Here is a photo of the last page:

I cannot think why I have not talked about this book here on this blog. It is an absolute favourite of mine hence it is a Tuesday Treasure. If I don't convince you this is a treasure here is a little trivia to think about. I spied a copy of Sloppy Kisses for sale (paperback) for US$135. The original paperback from 1980 cost US$3.95 and strangely less here in Australia only Au$3.50.

Elizabeth Winthrop has a Ted Talk on her web site. She is the author of over sixty books. Here is a Spaghetti Book Club review of Sloppy Kisses by two readers aged 6 and 7.  Back in 2008 I was thrilled when Elizabeth Winthrop commented on my blog after I mentioned Sloppy Kisses should come back into print.

My friend at Kinderbookswithevery thing has a post about Kisses. Here are some of the books from her splendid library.

Beryl goes wild by Jane Simmons

Beryl sat in her sty. It was the only place she had ever known; she had lived in it all her life. It was the sty where her mother had lost her life when Beryl was born. It was the sty where she'd seen them take her father away.

Beryl goes Wild or Beryl: A pigs tale as it is called in America is sadly long out of print but you should check your nearest library because this is a little book young readers will enjoy.

Beryl is living on a farm.  Her mother has died and her aptly named Aunt Misery and cousin make sure every day is a misery for little Beryl. When the farmer comes to select pigs to be taken away Aunt Misery makes sure Beryl is marked with his large sticker. She is placed into a truck with a crowd of other pigs. When the lorry crashes, Beryl is the only pig with enough curiosity, gumption, sense to seize freedom. Living as a 'pink' she has been told lots of cautionary tales about wild pigs. She is terrified of being eaten by them and so she is very suspicious when she meets a young wild pig called Amber. Beryl does not realise that very soon Amber will become more than a friend.

There are a group pigs living in the settlement called The Sisterhood of the Mystic Boar. They use stones to foretell the future. Moonshine, mother of Dew,  is one member of the Sisterhood and she explains Beryl is The Chosen One! This might be true but if Beryl stays with this group of wild pigs she will be breaking Rule Number One: "no other type of animals allowed into the settlement."  The council banish Beryl, Amber and her family along with the Sisterhood and a few other supporters. Uncle Bert explains why they must now leave:

"This isn't about the safety of the settlement! It's about prejudice! We need to work out a better way for the rules to protect us all. and I for one, won't stay where the rules are not for the protection of all pigs!"

There are so many interesting topics covered in this book. The idea of factory farms raising pigs for the abattoir, the prejudices and preconceived ideas about others which can be dispelled by a simple friendly conversation and the politics of control.

The Book Bag has more plot details and here is a very detailed review which might give you ideas for discussion questions with older students or among adults.  Your older students might follow Beryl goes Wild with another book series by Stephen Measday which begins with A pig called Francis Bacon. Sadly these books are also out of print but you might be lucky and find them in a school library.  You should also look for all the wonderful picture books by Jane Simmons including Ebb and Flow (try to find the DVD) and Daisy.

This is a tender adventure story about fears, finding yourself, being a leader and risking change to make your world a better place. A Book and a Hug

Mouse Cookies and more - a Treasury by Laura Numeroff illustrated by Felicia Bond

Every now and then a new book arrives in our school library that makes me almost jump for joy. Mouse Cookies and more - a Treasury is one of these books.

I have been a fan of Laura Numeroff and her 'circle' stories for many years and love to read If you give a mouse a cookie and many others to our Kindergarten students each year.  I bought little cassette tapes of these stories but the tapes are now quite worn out and it can be difficult to find an old cassette player.  Mouse Cookies and More - has it all.  The full text and illustrations for four Numeroff stories, a CD with readings by people like David Hyde Pierce, recipes, craft ideas, teaching activities and even the music for the mouse cookie song.

Here is a list of some recipes :
Mum's old fashioned Oatmeal cookies
Uncle Sydney's Snickerdoodles
Pop's peanut butter Munches
Ice Cream pancakes with Strawberry Sauce
Corny Corn muffins
Chocolate mud muffins
and more

I have talked about this series previously.  This treasury would make a lovely gift for a young child - especially if you own a piano and can enjoy the songs too.  You can see some sample pages here.

In Japan they even have a Mouse Cookie Bus.

Pigsticks and Harold and the incredible journey by Alex Milway

There are not many books that I can say with absolute certainty "this book is a winner" but Pigsticks and Harold and the incredible journey truly is a WINNER!  The opening sentence sets the tone and quickly establishes the humour.

"Pigsticks was the last in a noble line of pigs.  His ancestors had done great things, but Pigsticks hadn't done anything yet.  As he sat in his study, reading about his fore pigs, Pigsticks made a momentous decision."

Pigsticks decides to travel to the ends of the earth but he will need an assistant - to carry his gear, cook the food and generally cope with all manner of hazards that are sure to arise on this adventure.  None of the local candidates seem suitable and then unexpectedly Harold, a young Hamster, arrives at Pigstick's door.  Harold has no interest in travel but the offer of cake (three cakes including a Battenberg) is very tempting.  And so this intrepid pair set off to the ends of the earth.  I have put an image of this cake below (BBC Food) because if you have dipped into my blog you will know, just like Harold, I also love cake.

Here is a very funny little video where you will see Pigsticks and Harold themselves promoting their book.

If you enjoy Pigsticks and Harold and the incredible journey you should also look for The Trip to Panama by Janosh and The Clumsies by Sorrel Anderson.  Here is a web site from the author which begins with his visit to Tales on Moon Lane.  I visited this special children's bookshop in London recently so I was excited to see Alex Milway had prepared a special window display.  If I have not yet convinced you to read this warm-hearted little story please take a minute and read this review in The School Library Journal.  This book would make a great read-a-loud for a younger class.  I wonder if Alex Milway has plans for more books in this series.

King Pig by Nick Bland

The most interesting character in King Pig has no name and almost no voice. If you look very closely you will see the tip of his little jester hat just above the grass as he walks behind his King.  On the next page we see a little more of the King with his sheep crook and a tiny corner of the page you can see that same hat some distance back from the King who is approaching his castle.  On the first page all is revealed.  The King has forced his subjects - the sheep - to make  a bridge from planks strapped to their backs.  This servitude combined with the haughty demeanor of King Pig himself certainly sets the tone and relationship between King Pig and his subjects - the sheep.  Our tiny hero is also a sheep but he will be allowed to enter the castle contrary to the sign above the castle door.

Once inside our faithful little friend prepares a delicious hot dog lunch for his master but King Pig is far more interested in those sheep who never seem to listen and worse who seem to make fun of him.  King Pig is a bully so he commands the sheep to wash his castle in the middle of the night "but he just couldn't make them like him."

Just like the Emperor in the famous fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen, King Pig decides he needs new and fancier clothes. Again it is the middle of the night but he summons the sheep and puts them to work dyeing and knitting the new fancy clothes.  Yes the new outfits are indeed spectacular but still his subjects are not impressed.  "What do I have to do to make you like me!"

King Pig does feel remorse but the ending is certainly open to further discussion.  Make sure you take time to notice the hats, the topiary trees outside the castle, the tent used as a shelter by the freezing sheep and the television antenna on top of the castle.

Here are some teaching notes.  You might also discuss the double meaning in the title.  Here is a detailed review.  This book has been short listed for our CBCA Awards for 2014.

The true story of the 3 little pigs! by A. Wolf as told to Jon Scieszka illustrated by Lane Smith

Every part of this book is a cheeky delight.  On the cover you can see a pig reading a newspaper called Daily Wolf. Our hero A. Wolf - you can call me Al -  is seen huffing and puffing and two pigs are flying through the air. The back cover is a collage of newsprint with a central illustration of the scenes of the crimes - three little houses of straw, sticks and brick.

Reading this book aloud I seem drawn to using an American accent. Al wants to set the record straight. In his version he begins the day making a birthday cake for his "dear old granny".  He runs out of sugar and so sets off to borrow a cup from his neighbor  a pig who has built his house from straw.  Al has a bad cold and  his knocking dislodges a little dust. Al has a coughing fit and the straw house falls down.  "And right in the middle of the pile of straw was the First Little Pig - dead as a doormat!"  Al can see no reason to leave a ham dinner lying in the straw.  "So I ate it up."  He moves on through the neighborhood still in search of that cup of sugar.  The Second Little Pig has a house made of sticks.  Once again Al is overcome with a sneezing fit "And you're not going to believe it, but this guy's house fell down just like his brother's.  When the dust cleared there was the Second Little Pig - dead as a doornail."  Al now moves onto to the last house made from brick. The Third Little Pig is home and he calls out a terrible insult aimed at Al's dear old granny.  This makes Al mad, the police arrive with the media in tow and the rest as they say is history.

You can read an excellent detailed review and see some illustrations.  Here are some questions to use with a senior primary class.  There have been many theater productions of this book and here is a television advertisement you could share with senior students.  This book might also be a fun way to show how Venn diagrams work.

Susie and Alfred in the Night of the Paper Bag Monsters by Helen Craig

Accidents do happen. Should you retaliate or forgive? This is one message at the heart of Suzie and Alfred in the Night of the Paper Bag monsters by Helen Craig. Yes you do know Helen Craig she is the wonderful illustrator of all those Angelina Ballerina books.

In Susie and Alfred the two friends are preparing for a fancy dress party. They are working together at Alfred’s house and in the shed they find some very large and very strong paper bags. These will make perfect costumes. As they begin to paint the bags disaster strikes and a paint can is overturned. A fight ensues and both children head off sulking. Back in their respective homes they make their costumes unaware that each is making a monster disguise. When they meet on the street, as they head off to the party, each gets a terrible fright until they recognize each other's voice. Needless to say Suzie and Alfred make up, have a wonderful time at the party and they even win first prize together as Mr and Mrs Monster. The really delicious twist is a visual joke. I will quote the line but you really need to see this illustration to understand what is going on. “Nobody knew the little person who came third. He must have come from the other side of town.”

Suzie and Alfred in the Night of the Paper bag monsters is one book in a series of three about these friends. You might also look for The Knight, the Princess and the Dragon and Susie and Alfred in a Welcome for Annie. This second title is a good one to use for a discussion about bullying. Luckily these books were all republished a few years ago. I also recommend trying a little paper bag craft. We have some terrific books with paper bag craft ideas in our school library.