Frances Bloom by Katrina Nannestad illustrated by Marina Zlatanova

Recipe for Frances Bloom

• A full to the brim cup or two of Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren
• Three quarters of a cup of Gooney Bird Green by Lois Lowry
• A generous dash of Leeva at Last by Sara Pennypacker
• A quarter teaspoon of the illustrations in Maudie and Bear by Jan Ormerod illustrated by Freya Blackwood (read more here)
• A small spoonful of Clementine by Sara Pennypacker
• A tiny pinch of Matilda by Roald Dahl

Method - Pippi Longstocking lives alone and so does Frances Bloom. Pippi has special animal friends - her horse and monkey. Frances has a huge bear (and a garden gnome). Pippi speaks boldly and she enjoys her daily routines. Frances loves to swim every day, often in her clothes, and she has strong opinions about school. 

Gooney Bird Green loves to wear outrageous combinations of clothes and so does Frances. Gooney entertains her class with her tall tales. Frances is loved by her 22 Grade 3 classmates because she brings her eccentric grandparents to visit the class, she sets imaginative writing assignments and ultimately, she is responsible for 'getting rid' of their horrible teacher Ms Thistle. 

Frances is somewhat like young Leeva because she has to survive and avoid being 'found out' by adults. Maudie and Bear is about relationships - and Frances creates a special bond with her bear named Grandma Maude. And of course, Clementine and Frances are about the same age and have the same outspoken opinions and slightly naive view of the world. 

Here are some of the clothes worn by Frances Bloom. You could use these descriptions as a way to book talk Frances Bloom with your library group:

"Frances stepped from the fitting room wearing tartan shorts, a lime-green poncho with tiny pompoms along the edges, rainbow-spotted tights and purple clogs."

"She dressed in a floppy red smock, green-striped tights and bright yellow gumboots. She did not brush her hair."

"She wore long Johns, a stripy blue scarf, red lace-up boots and a green beanie."

Frances Bloom has 130+ illustrated pages, large print, short chapters, a very cheeky main character and a rollicking story so it will be a perfect addition to your library collection for readers aged 7+. I am not a huge fan of the cover but I really like the internal illustrations by Marina Zlatanova. 

To my mind this is a book for an individual child or one to share in a family but the publisher have produced some extensive teachers notes. It would be fun to talk about two of the 'naughty words' - Codswallop: an old-fashioned way of saying something is nonsense and Poppycock: another old-fashioned way of saying something is nonsense.

Frances Bloom is the first title of a planned series. 

The antics that Frances, her friends and new grandparents get up to make this book lots of fun for younger readers. The Book Muse

Frances Bloom is an appealing and likeable character. She strong, clever, resilient and loves life. She is her own person, full of fun and a tiny bit of mischief but her heart is in the right place. Read Plus

Publisher blurb: Frances Bloom lives all alone in a cottage by the sea. She's having a marvellous time until her nasty teacher, Ms Thistle, learns there is no-one looking after her. Frances needs to find a family, quick smart, or she'll be sent away to Bleak Island Home for Unwanted Children and Dogs. As hard as Frances looks, nobody meets her high standards ... until she stumbles across a large, honey-coloured bear raiding the rubbish bins ... and a garden gnome fishing in the flowerbed. Welcome, Grandma Maude and Grandpa Harold! Together, this strange trio creates a new family, writing their own rules with each misadventure!

Frances Bloom also reminded me of an earlier book written for an older audience by Katrina Nannestad - The Girl who Bought Mischief. I am a huge fan of her work - click on the label for this post to see other books. 

The Girl who Bought Mischief

Meeting Grandpa Harold (the garden gnome) also made me think of these two books which are sadly long out of print but might be in your school library:

A Home for Gnomes

Norman does Nothing

Marina Zlatanova is a Bulgarian-born designer, illustrator and printmaker living in Naarm/Melbourne, Australia. She has illustrated several picture books to date, including Charlie’s Shell, her debut as an author, which won a Speech Pathology Australia Book of the Year award. Her style is varied and eclectic, using a diverse range of media – from watercolour and inks to digital illustration and block printing – but her love for depicting the humorous and endearing always underpins her creations. Other books illustrated by Marina Zlatnaova are Gladys and Stripey: Two little fish on one BIG adventure; and Tink, Tink, Tink! (2025).

Nana Akua goes to School by Tricia Elam Walker illustrated by April Harrison

When you enter my creative world, I want you to FEEL something . A tug at the old heart strings. Perhaps a distant memory you stored away. April Harrison (illustrator)

It is Grandparents Day. This means you invite your grandparent to talk to your class. The idea is that each older person will share with the class "what makes them special."

Zura is worried. Her Grandmother - Nana Akua is her most favourite person in the world but she has seen the way other people react to the markings on Nana Akua's face.

"Nana Akua looks different. When she was younger, her parents followed an old African tradition. They put marks on her face to show which tribal family she belongs to, and to represent beauty and confidence. These marks will never go away."

Nana Akua is so wise. She suggests they take a special quilt to show the class. They will use this to explain the Adinkra symbols used by the Akan people of Ghana. You can see all of these marks on the end papers of this book. The way Nana Akua explains the markings and then finds a way to share this experience with the young children is ingenious and perfect. 

This book made me cry. I am someone who cries over many things - movies, television commercials, children singing in an assembly and novels but I cannot think of a time a picture book has made me cry. I don't think this is a bad thing - I think it is a testament to the power of this writing and the poignancy of this beautiful story. I didn't cry because I was sad I cried because this story moved me deeply. 

Harrison’s mixed-media collages use texture, line, and both neutral and bright colors to create memorable characters and moments that invite readers to linger over each spread. Here is a story that is both highly specific in the culture represented and universal in its expressions of emotion and heritage. Horn Book

A wonderful springboard for cross-cultural understanding conveyed through deeply symbolic art. Kirkus Star review

IBBY has six important goals. Here are two of them which relate to this book:

• to promote international understanding through children's books
• to give children everywhere the opportunity to have access to books with high literary and artistic standards

I am sad to see this book is very expensive here in Australia which may mean it is not able to be purchased for many school libraries but if you can spare the money I would love to see this book added to your Primary school collection. In this video Tricia and April talk about their book and and this video you can see the whole book.

Here are some other books by Tricia Elam Walker (Dream Street is due for publication in September and Ekua Holmes is her cousin); and What is Given from the heart illustrated by April Harrison.

The Keeper of Wild Words by Brooke Smith illustrated by Madeline Kloepper

Words disappear if we don't share them when we talk.

If we don't write them in our stories.

If we don't read them in our books.

If we don't use words, they can be forgotten.

And if they're forgotten ... they disappear.

Take a look at these images:

If you read a picture book about a otter then, especially if you are an Australian child, you will discover a new animal. If someone shares the brilliant Margaret Mahy book The Pumpkin Man and the crafty creeper with a child they might talk about ivy as an example of a plant that creeps. Perhaps you have willow pattern china - of course you would want to share the famous story of the willow pattern.  Otter, Willow and Ivy are just three of the words that the Oxford Junior Dictionary decided to delete a few years ago.  Here are some others:

acorn, adder, ash, beech, bluebell, buttercup, catkin, conker, cowslip, cygnet, dandelion, fern, hazel, heather, heron, ivy, kingfisher, lark, mistletoe, nectar, newt, otter, and willow. Source Listen and Learn

These deletions, Brooke Smith explains, made her feel  "disillusioned and ultimately very sad." Especially when compared with the replacement words: chatroom, voicemail, conflict, database and vandalism.

When we read a book, especially as a child, we often find new words. If you find an unfamiliar word I'm not sure I would think to grab a dictionary - perhaps a child will ask an adult or a friend, or they will 'skip' the word. Do writers use dictionaries to find inspiring words? Probably not. BUT somehow it seems wrong to remove words from a dictionary. Oxford said these words were removed because they were not in current use. These were mainly words that give names to things in nature. They argue that urban children don't use these words. Certainly an Australian child is unlikely to encounter an otter, a lark or a conker in real life but then again an Australian child is lucky because he or she can read books in English and discover these animals and plants in stories. I have fond memories of a childhood book that contained a conker. I had no idea about this but from the text (and perhaps an illustration) I could make some sense that it was a tree nut and that it was very tough and good to use for a 'smashing' game. As you can see the controversy around deleting words from a junior dictionary raises so many questions and viewpoints.  Here is what Oxford University Press said about their decision.

In this story young Brooke visits her grandmother Mimi. Mimi is a writer. She invites Brooke to come outside and help with her task as Keeper - The Keeper of Wild Words. The pair explore the countryside with a plan to find 19 words which Mimi has on her list such as doe, drake, poppy, porcupine, willow and wren.

On each page they make a new discovery. They taste blackberries, smell mint, blow a dandelion, and watch a flock of starlings high in the sky. 

By the end of the day they have found every word on the list but Mimi has one more surprise.  Remember there were 19 words on the list.

"You know my favourite wild word is not on the list ... It's standing right in front of me."  It is a BROOK.  "You were named after this tiny stream that your mother always cherished."

At the back of the book there is an envelope which you can use to keep your own 'wild words". My copy of this book came from a wonderful school library but I am quite tempted to put a few words into the envelope for the next young reader to discover.

Brooke Smith says: "Nature has always been a crucial part of my life, and my daughter Mimi’s, too. We were fortunate enough to raise her on our property in Bend, Oregon with many of these wild words naturally present. I wanted to write a book that would allow children everywhere to experience the beauty of nature and feel what it’s like to wander and explore." Nerdy Book Club

The expedition is described in vivid language, organized as free verse in single sentences or short paragraphs. Key words are printed in color in a larger display type and capital letters. Sensory details allow the protagonist to hear, see, smell, taste, and hold the wild. Kirkus

By coincidence here The Keeper of Wild Words another book which celebrates Grandmothers and it is one where we see them as young and vibrant. I talked about this in My Forever Dress earlier today.

The Keeper of Wild Words comes from the US with a Canadian illustrator Madeline Kloepper. In the UK another book inspired by the removal of words from the dictionary is the award winning The Lost Words by Robert Macfarlane illustrated by Jackie Morris. The Lost Words won the Kate Greenaway Medal in 2019 and the Beautiful Book Award in 2017.

I would pair The Keeper of Wild words with these books:

Daniel finds a poem

I am the seed that grew the tree

My Heart is a Compass by Deborah Marcero

Rose has a problem. She needs something for 'show and tell' at school. Rose longs for adventure. She wants to make discoveries and travel to places that have "never been found." She decides to draw a map starting with her own town, then moving outwards to maps of the city, sky, oceans, an island and new mountainous lands but on reaching the end of her journey she has "nothing to show. Nothing to tell".

Well that's not quite true. Rose has drawn the most fabulous maps showing all her exploring and providing her with a memory of journey. She shows these to her class and they exclaim: spectacular, amazing, bravo, magic, beautiful, sublime, a fairy tale.

If you love maps this is the PERFECT book. You will find yourself pouring over the maps and noticing the tiny details many of which are sure to make you smile. Look for the Gingerbread House; Daydreaming Grasslands; the Blue Fox Farm (filled with blue foxes!); the Lake in the Clouds; and the sky zone called Unfilled Wishes. This book should be added to every Primary school library.

I especially love the end papers showing Rose's classroom filled with books!

Marcero makes excellent use of the picture book as a storytelling vehicle. Bright, open illustrations deftly capture Rose’s quest with landscapes that effortlessly dismantle the supposed opposition between the real and the imaginary. …  Lovely, lively, and enchanting for new and veteran explorers alike. Kirkus Star review

I love the quote on the first page of this book:

Imagination will often carry us to worlds that never were, but without it we go nowhere - 

Carl Sagan

Here is a video interview with the author where she talks about her process and art techniques. Here are a very detailed set of teaching notes for My Heart is a Compass.  I recently talked about another book by Deborah Marcero - In a Jar.

I love books about using your imagination and I adore books about maps SO My Heart is a compass is simply perfect. Here are some other books with maps, show and tell and imagination that are brilliant:

Timothy and Gramps by Ron Brooks

Timothy and Gramps is on my Tuesday Treasures list for several reasons. It is a very early book by master illustrator Ron Brooks. I think it is good to show students the evolution of an illustrator and identify links between their books. Lastly, I have "been in love" with the illustrations of Ron Brooks ever since I read John Brown, Rose and the midnight cat (1977).

In his book Drawn from the Heart, Ron says: "I remember Monday morning I first saw an old man and a girl walking along holding hands to the school and, on arrival, staying a little apart from the other chatting groups, talking quietly together ... " The man was the grandfather of the little girl and thus the idea for Timothy and Gramps was born. When Ron was living in the village of Frontmell Magna in Dorset he found the perfect setting for Timothy and Gramps.

I was so thrilled to find a copy of Timothy and Gramps in a local charity book sale and it was only $1 and in mint condition.

Timothy is a lonely little boy. He finds it difficult to talk to the other children at school and he never has anything to share during 'show and tell'. Then he thinks of his Gramps. He brings him along to school but his Gramps can only say 'Good morning'.  This is not the end though. Gramps goes home and thinks about this problem, and the class and about Timothy. The next day he returns and tells a rollicking story to the class. The ice is broken. The kids enjoy these wild stories and Timothy can now enjoy being with his classmates. This is a gentle story which would be perfect to share when your school holds an event such as Grandparents or Grandfriends day. I do hope you can find a copy of this book in your school library.

Louisa May Pickett the most boring person in class by Rod Clement

Do you call it news? Do you call it Show and Tell? I'm talking about the time in the school day, usually in the morning, when members of a class take turns to talk about something or to show something precious to their friends. Teachers are always looking for ways to make these sessions more interesting. For some curious reason children do love Show and Tell but oddly they worry about performing for public speaking. These two activities are quite closely linked.  Show and Tell feels like a good way to prepare for public speaking.

Louisa May has been a champion at Show and Tell for the last three years but now she has moved to a new school - Bobbin Head Primary.  A little note to readers in Sydney, Australia - there really is a place called Bobbin Head but sadly there is no Primary school there.  It is a beautiful bush suburb. For her first Show and Tell Louisa takes along a sabre-toothed Tiger skull.

"I think I should start nice and slowly.
I don't want to look like a show-off ... well not on my first day."

There is a shock coming. Her skull is 'beaten' by the head of a Tyrannosaurus Rex bought in by Jake.  The pattern is established. Each day Louisa brings something amazing only to be gazumped by another kid in her class.  Here is a list to show how this works:

Louisa
Juggling mouse
Ruby
Tap dancing and singing rat

Louisa
Complete samurai suit
Anthony
Warrior troll outfit

Louisa
Meat-eating plant
Reginald
Black rhino - he eats her plant

She even has a talking chair that recites the complete works of Shakespeare, solider ants dressed as soldiers and an Eiffel Tower made from match sticks. But each and every time another student presents something bigger, or better or more amazing.  By May 3rd she admits defeat. She stand in front of the class and explains:

"My name is Louisa May Pickett
and I have nothing to show you and nothing to tell.
I did nothing all week.
I stayed at home with my parents.
I ate.
I slept.
I sat around and
thought about ... nothing.

And you know what?
I loved every minute 
of it!"

This is such a funny book and it is a good way to explore the concept of:

one-upmanship

I work with a small group of girls in a local school and their teacher would like them to participate in the NSW Premier's Reading Challenge this year.  I am not sure if this is the right project for these girls who all find reading very difficult but they are keen to participate and reach their goal of reading twenty books. Luckily the challenge does allow for special needs students to read books from a different book list. These girls are in Grade 5 but I am sourcing books for them from the Grade 3 and 4 lists. I shared Louisa May Pickett with them last week when we were looking at a range of possible titles to begin the challenge.

Louisa May Pickett was published in 2005 and since that time it has been given a new cover and a new title! I wonder if there was an issue with the word 'boring'? The good news is you can still purchase this book.

If you want to follow up this topic of class news try to find this terrific read aloud title -  Gooney Bird Green. Your school library might also have Whoppers by Moya Simons and the sequel Even Bigger Whoppers from the Aussie Bites series.  Here are a some other picture books about Show and Tell. Read my review of The Frank Show.

After you read Louisa May Pickett you might like to pick up an earlier book by Rod Clement - Just another Ordinary Day.  It has a similar tone and theme.  You could then read other books by Rod Clement such as Edward the Emu.  You can listen to an sample of Edward the Emu here. It is one of Rod's most famous books.