My true love gave to me illustrated by Scott McKowen

This small velvet covered book caught my eye at a recent charity book sale. The title is a little misleading - the real title is My true love gave to me: Twelve Days of Christmas. I have already talked about a number of versions of this famous song.

Book seller blurb: From a partridge in a pear tree to 12 drummers drumming, a beautifully illustrated celebration of the most festive time of the year. One of the most popular holiday songs of all time, The Twelve Days of Christmas probably originated in France during the late Middle Ages and became popular in England as a chant sung without music. The 12 days are traditionally those following Christmas, with the last day being the end of the season. Over the years the lyrics have changed but the song remains a perennial favourite, recorded by everyone from Frank Sinatra to Alvin and the Chipmunks. My True Love Gave to Me is an exquisitely illustrated edition of the song's famous lyrics, featuring the art of Scott McKowen, an award-winning illustrator and graphic designer. Each day is accompanied by a richly detailed-and often whimsical-full-page scratchboard illustration of its grand and unusual gift. Populated by a partridge, turtle doves, French hens, calling birds, golden rings, geese, swans, maids a-milking, ladies dancing, lords a-leaping, pipers piping and drummers drumming ...

You already know the words but here is some of the scrumptious art. This book was published in 2014 but it is still available. [9781770852310]

Five Gold Rings

Nine Ladies Dancing

Eleven Pipers Piping

One Little Duck by Katrina Germein illustrated by Danny Snell

"One little duck went out one day, over the hills and far away. Mother duck said ..."

Wait a minute mother duck said - moo moo moo - no no no - what is going on here? A cow now joins the group. 

"Two happy friends went out one day, under the fence and through the hay. Mother duck said ..."

Bow-wow wow-wow! and so a dog joins them along with a chicken, a lamb, a donkey and a pig - seven happy friends. But what about Mother Duck? She is still calling for her baby - but it is okay "Mum I'm back!"  This long parade of farm animals reminded me of Who sank the Boat?

One Little Duck has been shortlisted for our CBCA (Children's Book Council of Australia) Early Childhood Picture Book award. This category is for children aged 0-6 and One Little Duck is certainly a preschool book. It will fit in well with all the Nursery Rhymes I hope preschool educators share with their groups every day. With very young children you should also notice the animals in the scene near the end are reading a famous book - The Three Little Pigs. Also, all the way through the mother duck has been shopping and, in each scene, the hungry animals are holding out their bowls waiting for her delicious food. It might be fun to talk with your group and try to guess what she has been making. I love the way Danny Snell has added another story layer with his illustrations in this book. 

Each evening, as she tries to find her quack, the roll at the tea table grows in length and diversity but she remains unflappable, just getting out a bigger cooking pot and more dishes and cutlery each time.  Until one night… The Bottom Shelf

One more thing - did you spy a lighthouse in some of the illustrations?

Here are some teachers notes from the publisher. And some others are here. 

You can read the judges' critique: Children acquainted with the traditional rhyme, Five Little Ducks, will be delighted with this inventive and surprising picture book about a mother duck who has forgotten how to quack! The familiarity of a farmyard setting is used throughout and the amusing farm animals are the heroes of this story. Page design and an engaging illustration layout together with the endpapers subtly connecting to wallpaper inside the duck house, combine with the lively, humorous text to create a cohesive and enjoyable reading (or singing!) experience. Every element of this book has been carefully considered, from the narrative pace to the visual humour, providing countless opportunities to revisit and retell stories, and to discuss and explore concepts such as sequencing and counting.

The award-winning author and illustrators have done a remarkable job in reimagining one of our favourite nursery rhymes. This is a much-loved picture book, one which all families should add to their collection. Reading Time

Here is the original Nursery Rhyme:

Five little ducks went out one day

Over the hill and far away

Mama duck said quack, quack, quack, quack

But only four little ducks came back

Four little ducks went out one day

Over the hill and far away

Mama duck said quack, quack, quack, quack

But only three little ducks came back

Three little ducks went out one day

Over the hill and far away

Mama duck said quack, quack, quack, quack

But only two little ducks came back

Two little ducks went out one day

Over the hill and far away

Mama duck said quack, quack, quack, quack

But only one little duck came back

One little ducks went out one day

Over the hill and far away

Mama duck said quack, quack, quack, quack

But none of the five little ducks came back

Sad mother duck went out one day

Over the hill and far away

Sad mother duck said quack, quack, quack, quack

And all the five little ducks came back

Image source Itsy Bitsy Music

I have a very small Pinterest collection of Songs in Picture Books. I would also look for these books by Tony Wilson:

See more books illustrated by Danny Snell. Here are two other books by Katrina Germein I have previously talked about:

Before you were born

Bev and Kev

The Whales' Song by Dyan Sheldon illustrated by Gary Blythe

Lilly's grandmother tells her about the whales who once used to visit the bay near their home. Lilly's grandmother explains to Lilly if you want to see and more importantly hear the whales you need to leave them a gift - a perfect shell or a beautiful stone.

Sadly, Lilly's old Uncle Frederick has no time for these fanciful tales. In his view the whales were hunted for their meat, bones and blubber. He is sure all of the whales are long gone. 

Lilly's dreams are filled with whales and so in the morning she drops a yellow flower into the water at the end of the jetty. That night something magical happens:

"Her heart was pounding as she reached the sea. There enormous in the ocean, were the whales. They leapt and jumped and spun across the moon. Their singing filled up the night. Lilly saw her yellow flower dancing on the spray."

Sheldon captures a child's wonder at these magnificent creatures, echoed, in a splendid debut, in Blythe's generously broad oil paintings. His whales- -viewed from near, unusual vantage points—are benignly heroic while, from dawn to moonlight, his sea and sky are beautifully observed; best are his lovely, perceptive portraits of the old woman's wise, lined face and Lilly's tousled curls and expressive eyes. Outstanding. Kirkus

The Whales' Song was first published in 1990 but I am happy to see a paperback edition is still available. This is also a book you are sure to find in a library. I have mentioned The Whales' Song in a past blog post  and again here but today I realised I have not dedicated a post to this richly illustrated text.

Dyan Sheldon was born in America but now lives in London. I own another of her books also illustrated by Gary - The Garden or in another edition Under the Moon. The Whales' Song was Gary Blythe's first picture book. 

Here is another book illustrated by Gary Blythe:

Moon River illustrated by Tim Hopgood

"Moon River, wider than a mile I'm crossing you in style some day.

Oh, dream maker, you heart breaker. wherever you're going, I'm going your way.

Two drifters, off to see the world. There's such a lot of world to see."

Song by Johnny Mercer and Henry Mancini

When publishers produce books based on music and songs I do think it is important to include the CD so when I looked in the back of Moon River my heart sang. Take a look here to see the art and hear the song. Or you might like to listen to the Andy Williams version which is the one used on the CD. Tim Hopgood has made a series of these - Walking in a winter wonderland; What a wonderful world; and Singing in the Rain.

I am in a small recorder (yes descant recorder) group and one of our songs is Moon River. That was partly my motivation for purchasing this beautifully illustrated book last week from Lost in Books at Fairfield. I also think this book, which feels like a lullaby, will make a beautiful gift. 

In the opening scene we see a small child in bed. Their room is filled with moonlight. The beams of light touch the child's rocking horse and so the child climbs onto the horse with her teddy bear and they set off into the night - setting off to see the world. The beams of light become a river and after some rowing the friends rest on a cloud. The journey then continues across the world. You will see the Colosseum in Rome, the Statue of Liberty in New York and the Eiffel tower in Paris until eventually their long journey along the moonlight leads them safely back home.

I adore the art by Tim Hopgood - take a look here to see more of his books.

Our Big Blue Sofa

Big

Little Answer

Born from memories of a Southern, rural childhood, these classic lyrics evoke simplicity, dreams, and a shimmering journey with a “huckleberry friend. Kirkus

Arlo: The lion who couldn't sleep by Catherine Rayner

This book reads just like a lullaby for a young child with delightful lyrics repeated three times throughout the text. Here are a couple of verses:

Relax your whole body, slow your breathing right down,

Imagine you're sinking into the soft ground ...

As you fall into calmness so comfy and deep,

Your mind will rest and you'll drift off to sleep."

Arlo cannot fall asleep. He is so tired but the grass feels prickly, the earth is hard, the trees are noisy and the desert is way too quiet. His wife, the lioness, and his cubs are all too restless. Thank goodness for the wise owl who sings the all important lullaby. Arlo stretches and relaxes and lets his mind wander to all the places he would like to visit and before he knows it he has fallen into a delicious long sleep. He races over to thank his new friend the owl but it is daytime and the owl should be asleep so Arlo repays the favour and sings the song himself. Owl then falls in to a deep sleep. When he wakes up, Arlo and Owl share their song with the lioness and cubs.

Recently a friend of mine was talking about the glorious art found in children's books by Edward Ardizzone. I passionately want children to experience the best art in the picture books that we share with them. I would add the work of other illustrators who have very fine hand drawn illustrations to this list such as Brian Wildsmith, Ron Brooks, Charlotte Voake, Patrick Benson, Quentin Blake, John Burningham, Helen Oxenbury and Christian Birmingham.  I could of course, list heaps of others but my point here is you need to also know Catherine Rayner - her work is equal to the work of these other famous names. Take a look at Catherine's web pages.

Image Source; My Book Corner

Here are some other examples of art found in picture books by Catherine Rayner:

The Blue Songbird by Vern Kousky

"Once there lived a blue songbird. 
every morning she would wake up, hop to the edge of a high branch, and listen to her sisters' lovely songs. 
The songbird always tried to join in with them, but she could never sing like they could sing."

The blue songbird is not mute. Her song is not yet formed. Her wise mother suggests the songbird needs to find her own special song - "that only you can sing."

Songbird sets off, leaving her home and traveling great distances. She asks every bird she meets how she can find her own special song. The Crane sends her to the wisest bird who lives beyond the mountains.

Image Source: Brainpickings.

Songbird finds the wise bird - the Owl - but his only answer is 'whoooo'.  She flies on asking other birds, the pigeons and penguins, until finally she meets Mr Scary Bird - the Crow. He tells her to keep flying east to a small island.

"She flew through 
storm and wind,
through night 
and day, until she
was more tired 
than she had ever
been. But the
songbird did not
rest, for she
knew that soon
she'd find her
special song."

When she arrives at the island she makes an amazing discovery. Songbird has flown around the whole world. The island is her home. Her mother is waiting for her and now, after all those adventures, songbird has her own special song to sing.

When I saw this book during a recent library visit it instantly appealed to me. The cover has such a simply image and as one reviewer suggested it looks quite Japanese.  what I did not expect was such a powerful story about identity, self discovery and most importantly perseverance and tenacity.  This book is at heart a fable. It covers topics we've seen before - who am I, why am I here, there's no place like home, life is a journey of self discovery, experiences give us stories to share.

The paperback copy of this book is not expensive. I highly recommend this book as a great addition to any school library.

Kousky’s watercolor illustrations have a delicacy that matches both his prose and his heroine, simply rendered with daubs of light blue onto which are painted a little beak and dots for eyes. Kirkus

After reading this book I am now adding these two books to my "to read" pile.  One is by Vern Kousky and the other was suggested by Maria Popova in her detailed review (for Brainpickings) of The Blue Songbird.

Somewhere in Australia by Marcello Pennacchio illustrated by Danny Snell

Do you know this little song?

Over in the meadow in a pond in the sun,
Lived an old mother duck and her little duck one,
Quack said the mother,
Quack said the one,
And they quacked and were happy in their pond in the sun.

Somewhere in Australia is an innovation on this classic text adding a decidedly Australian flavour.

I am making a collection of picture books to read to our youngest classes as we explore the CBCA slogan of 2016

Australia: Story Country

Here is the text for the first verse of this version :

Somewhere in Australia, in a land of scorching sun,
Lived a mother kangaroo and her little joey one.
'Hop,' said the mother. 'I hop,' said the one,
as they hopped over land scorched by the hot sun.

Next we meet two kookaburra chicks, three platypus babies (platy-pups), four Tassie devils, five dingo pups and so on all the way to ten red-back spiders.

Teachers could make excellent use of the verbs in this book :
hop, laugh, swim, growl, howl, slither, bask, run, jump and hunt.

You could also make a list of other Australian animals and write more verses for the song perhaps.

For international readers baby platypus are not called platy-pups - they are called puggles but in this story Marcello Pennacchio needed to maintain his rhyming scheme and I do like the idea of platy-pups.

Danny Snell adds fabulous illustrations to this book.  Take a look at my previous review of his book Seagull.  Jeremy (about a rescued kookaburra) was a popular book during Book Week in 2014.

The final lines of this book match perfectly with our 2016 slogan :

All across Australia, in the dreams of sleepy little ones,

Are sand and sea, bush and desert, the land of the scorching sun.

The mummer's song by Bud Davidge and Ian Wallace

In Australia our Christmas is very different from the one celebrated by our Northern Hemisphere cousins.  The day will be sunny and in some places very hot.  Families may enjoy prawns or a barbecue  and children will wake early to the sound of birds and the light of sunshine.  Oddly though we still have trees with snow on our Christmas cards and pictures of stockings hanging beside warm fires.

This is why I enjoy finding books with different Christmas traditions.  When I was in Canada many years ago I bought this book The Mummer's Song.  Mummers are a Christmas tradition in Newfoundland bought there by the early settlers from Ireland and West Country of England.

For 12 days after Christmas you can expect a knock at the door. You will be greeted by a group of local people in outlandish fancy dress.  Invite them in and try to guess who they are.  Share some hospitality and fruit cake and enjoy some music and dancing.  My copy of this book came with a cassette tape but you can hear the song here.

Christmas in the Trenches by John McCutcheon

ANZAC Day is the good time to add music to our literature sessions as we listen to the Last Post and sing songs at school assemblies. A book I love to read at this time of year is Christmas in the trenches. This important picture book is based on a song by John McCutcheon and his song in turn is based on real events of World War One when troops on both sides met in no mans land at Christmas to play a friendly soccer game and exchange simple gifts. These young men forgot about sides and enemies and for a moment their true humanity shone through.

Using the voice of Frances Tolliver, John McCutcheon gives an important insight into this event. You can also read about this time in a book by Michael Foreman called War game - we have this one in our library too.

I first heard John McCutcheon sing one of my favourite poems 'The Kindergarten Wall' on the radio. When I finally tracked down the album with this song “Water from another time” I was so excited to also find this moving song about World War I. A few years later I discovered the book illustrated by Henri Sorensen with a CD inside with the song.  I have also found a video to complete this package.