All Through the Night by Polly Faber illustrated by Harriet Hobday

"The sky is getting dark. In a big city, a little girl is eating her dinner, brushing her teeth and getting ready for bed. Meanwhile her mother is putting on her coat and getting ready to go to work. 

But where will she go?"  Blurb

I so appreciate the way Polly Faber sustains this narrative using reader curiosity. On the first page mum heads off the work. We are told she has "an important job to do".  Then over the following ten double page spreads our narrator, her daughter, talks about all the people who work through the night in her city but of course as a reader we really want to know where mum has gone.

I loved the way the child gives each worker a personal name. Sammy is an office cleaner; Georgio is a security guard (I have a soft spot for security guards which I always link with the book Corduroy); Hassan and Amina are police on patrol; Kisi is a news reporter; Lem plays the saxophone in a band on an outdoor stage; Eva sells hot pies, coffee and doughnuts from her van; Ravi is a delivery diver; Luigi uses flour and eggs to make bread ready for breakfast tomorrow; Jonny, Dot and Isaac complete repairs to the trainline: Dani and Todd drive their ambulance to the hospital where Fiona works to welcome new babies to the world. But what about Mum?  What has she been doing all night?

Sorry I am not going to tell you except to say there is a hint on the front cover and on every page! Oh and we have diversity done so naturally and women and men in all kinds of roles (no stereotypes here).

You can see inside this book on the Nosy Crow (they do such fabulous books) page. Here is a video where Polly Faber talks about her book (perfect to share with a young class).  Polly Faber is the author of the charming book series Mango and Bambang. You can see more art from All Through the Night on the illustrator (Harriet Hobday) web site. 

Image Source: Harriet Hobday

A comforting bedtime story, especially if parents are heading out to work. ...  This reassuring tale also calls attention to people who might be overlooked.  Kirkus

Read All Through the Night alongside these:

Nights with Dad

While You're Sleeping

Tilda by Sue Whiting

This book has all the ingredients you would expect to find in an orphan/orphanage story.

• A young girl who is sure she is NOT an orphan (Matilda known as Tilda)
• Small objects which have great significance in sorting out the destiny of the main character (a photograph and a locket)
• A good friend who supports the main character especially against the evil matron (Annie Smith)
• A matron of the orphanage who is a bully in the most despicable ways to the main character (Sister Agatha)
• Locking the "naughty" orphan in a dark small space with rats and spiders (the boot room)
• One kind staff member at the orphanage (Sister Geraldine)
• Stolen letters (from Papa who is now fighting in the Boer War)
• An escape (with help from a new friend)
• A glorious happy ending where the evil matron gets her "comeuppance"

Author site blurb: Tilda Moss refuses to believe her papa has abandoned her and left her, alone and orphaned, in Brushwood Convent and Orphanage for Girls, no matter what Sister Agatha says. A promise is a promise and Papa promised he would be back for her as soon as he returns from the war. But Tilda is convinced the dreadful Sister Agatha is out to get her. Why is she so hateful all the time? She insists that Matilda declare to all at the convent that she is an orphan. She is not an orphan and she will never say it! Something is amiss and Tilda and her best friend Annie need to find out what before it is too late.

There are delightful little interludes in this book presented as extracts from Tilda's diary. These added a tension for me because I was sure the matron would find her book and then later I hoped the rich benefactor would find the diary and realise the orphanage was a wretched place. Here is a sample:

"Facts of Brushwood by Matilda Moss Opinions by Annie Smith

Sister Agatha is the head nun at Brushwood. There is not a lot I can write about Sister Agatha that isn't coloured with my disdain, so I will stick with the facts of her physical appearance.  ... Her nose is sharp and her eyes dark and squinty, and she uses them to fix me with looks that could turn fresh milk sour. (This may sound like hyperbole but for me it is is a fact.) It is also a face I have no affection for Sister Agatha and I have evidence that the feeling is mutual.

Annie says that Sister Agatha is strict but fair with everyone except me and she doesn't understand why Sister singles me out. It makes her furious that Sister Agatha makes my life utterly miserable."

This book will be published on 6th September, 2022.  I almost read the whole book in one sitting. Do you like the cover (by Martina Heideczek)? I hope it will appeal to the target audience (girls aged 10+). If I still worked in my library I would be very happy to recommend this to individual readers who enjoy books about orphans, orphanages and historical fiction.  The blurb likens this book to A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett. I talked about this classic book in a previous post. 

I think these could be better companion reads:

The Runaways of Haddington Hall

Eloise and the Bucket of Stars

Sweet Adversity

Thursday's Child

Take a look at my post about another book by Sue Whiting - The Book of Chance.

The Stories Behind the Stories by Danielle Higley

"In my research of these authors, I began to see that our most treasured children's books weren't just built on creativity and imagination - many were born from an extraordinary persistence and grit."

I thought I knew many of these back stories - but I didn't. Reading this book I made so many delightful discoveries.

Did Clement Clark Moore really write The Night Before Christmas? 

Why is there a black telephone in the room (Goodnight Moon)? After all this is perhaps supposed to be a bedroom.

Do you recognise the name Bennett Cerf?  I had no idea he was the co-founder of Random House who published books by Dr Suess (Theodor Geisel). He is also the man who set Dr Seuss the 50 word challenge which led to Green Eggs and Ham.

"When CS Lewis (The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe) was sixteen, a image of a faun carrying parcels and an umbrella through a snowy wood popped into his mind."

Wilson Rawls (Where the Red Fern Grows) loved Call of the Wild which his mother read to him. He had very little education, could not spell and had no idea about punctuation or paragraphs. His burnt all his work which he had spent years writing. Luckily his wife encouraged him to rewrite his stories and she helped him with the paragraphs etc. 

Eric Carle (The Very Hungry Caterpillar) lived in Stuttgart, Germany during World War II. "There were no colours. ... Everything was greys and greens and brown greens and grey greens. ... (with the Very Hungry Caterpillar) the child inside me - who had been so suddenly and sharply uprooted and repressed - was beginning to come joyfully back to life."

When he was a young school boy Cadbury had a chocolate factory near Roald Dahl's school. The children were sometimes asked to taste the new chocolate creations. Have you made a link here?

I do like the way the Table of Contents page is presented.  The art in this book has been created using collage and fragments of book covers.  You can see inside this book on the publisher page. 

There are twenty-nine books explored here and nearly all are titles I am sure you would expect to see. Here are a few:

• Charlotte's web
• The Lion the Witch and the wardrobe
• Green Eggs and Ham
• A Wrinkle in Time
• Where the Wild things are
• The Tale of Peter Rabbit
• Peter Pan and Wendy
• Winnie-the-pooh
• Goodnight Moon
• Curious George
• The Hobbit
• Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
• Harry Potter 

And then there are other books which, while very familiar, may surprise you:

• To Kill a Mockingbird
• Henry Huggins
• Where the Red Fern Grows
• Diary of a Wimpy Kid
• Percy Jackson
• A series of Unfortunate Events
• The Boxcar children
• Nancy Drew mysteries
• The Giving Tree
• Roll of Thunder hear my Cry
• Captain Underpants
• The Magic School Bus

I have had this book on my "to buy" list for over a year. Last week I decided this could be my Book Week gift to myself even though the books inside are not Australian. 

There is a detailed bibliography at the back of this book which you could use for extra research.

A visually stunning look at how timeless stories are made. Baby Bookworm

The publisher Bushel and Peck Books donate one book to kids in need for every book they sell. They give books to schools, libraries, shelters, and other organisations. Isn't that wonderful!

Imagine: The Wonder of Picture Books State Library of NSW

State Library of New South Wales 

9 July 2022 to 9 July 2023

FREE and open every day 10.00am - 5.00pm

This week I travelled into the city to visit the newest exhibition at our State Library of New South Wales entitled Imagine; The wonder of picture books.  I am very happy to say I was blown away - it is fabulous. This was a terrific way to start Book Week 2022. 

If you meet your friends, as I did, at the library shop make sure you take the stairs to the next level because there are trails of ants to show you the way taken from the book March of the Ants by Ursula Dubosarsky illustrated by Tohby Riddle. You do need to look down!

The exhibition is arranged in themes but I am going to admit that my companion (also a retired Teacher-Librarian) and I were so busy exclaiming over the illustrations and favourite books and new discoveries that we did not notice this arrangement until we were about to leave. Themes: Our Natural world, Families, Adventures, Making choices, Belonging and Courage, 

For each of the illustrators the exhibition focuses on one picture book. You can see original art from the book and other wonderful objects such as this actual paint box used by Ida Rentoul Outhwaite. And this shoe which features in the poignant book Grandma's Treasured Shoes. 

One of the first things we saw was the art from Felix and Alexander by Terry Denton. I absolutely adore this book and read it to groups in my library for over 30 years. Here is a close up of little Felix but you can read more about this book on my blog post. 

The exhibition includes activities for children: Younger visitors can enjoy our dedicated activity space, brimming with fun things to do. Learn how to draw popular book characters and make a zine, read books from the exhibition (including 10 with braille), and play with the giant textured tree and magnetic wall.  

Here is the official site where you can find a pdf of the catalogue. Here is a video with some of the featured illustrators. It goes for 15 minutes and can be viewed at the exhibition. You can read an extended interview by Catherine Keenan where she discusses the changes in picture books with a number of experts and authors. 

I won't try to list every illustrator from the exhibition but here are a few with very special works:

Circle illustrated and written by Jeannie Baker Walker Books, 2016

My Two Blankets illustrated by Freya Blackwood and written by Irena Kobald Little Hare Books, 2014

A Soldier, a Dog and a Boy illustrated by Phil Lesnie and written by Libby Hathorn Hachette, 2016

Possum Magic illustrated by Julie Vivas and written by Mem Fox Omnibus Books, 1983

Amelia Ellicott’s Garden illustrated by Stephen Michael King written by Liliana Stafford Margaret Hamilton Books, 2000

Grandma’s Treasured Shoes illustrated by Christina Huynh and written by Coral Vass NLA Publishing, 2019

A Boy and a Ball illustrated by Phil Lesnie and written by Phil Cummings Scholastic Australia 2020.

Viewing the exhibition, which is set over two large rooms, you will discover some wonderful indigenous authors, books in braille and small collection with even more picture books which you can sit and read. 

Look out for these:

There is also an audio guide - click here. 

Finally there were a few books in the display I need to explore further: The Ballad of Dexi Lee; Waiting for Later; and Incredibilia. I am heading back to the exhibition next week with some IBBY committee members an IBBY delegate from Chile.

A Dress with Pockets by Lily Murray illustrated by Jenny Løvlie

Aunt Augusta takes Lucy shopping for a new dress. They go to the Fabulous Fashion Store and the manager proceeds to show a myriad of fancy dresses to Lucy. It is scene adults might link with the shopping one in Pretty Woman.

Apart from the title, there is a huge hint about Lily and her need for pockets when you look at the end papers - they are filled with tiny bits n' pieces perfect for placing in pockets!

"Sun dresses, fun dresses, blue dresses, green. Titchy dresses, witchy dresses, very very itchy dresses! Swirly-twirly-whirly dresses, fit for a queen.

Finally after all the flurry of over the top dresses, Lucy whispers her true desire - a dress with pockets! Lucy is an outdoor girl. She collects bugs, beetles, shells, feathers and leaves. Pockets are essential. 

Luckily the shop keeper has just the right dress - although I was hoping he might suggest something different such as pair of overalls or jeans. Anyway, Lily is delighted and so is Aunt Augusta - in fact they take two of these dresses - one each. 

It is fun to think about the way the author uses her own name for her young character. 

Gently whimsical and humorous, and underscored with a subtle feminist message, this is a joyous ‘read it again’ book and one that if shared with more than one child at a time, must be taken sufficiently slowly to allow for enjoying the wealth of detail and ongoing canine capers shown in every scene. Red Reading Hub

Jenny Løvlie is originally from Norway. She now lives in the UK. Here is her web site. 

Pockets are so useful and I find now, when I always need to carry a face mask (Covid), I appreciate pants and dresses with pockets even more.

Here are some other books about pockets - you could perhaps include this as a mini library theme:

Keep a poem in your pocket by Beatrice Schenk de Regniers

Keep a poem in your pocket

and a picture in your head

and you'll never feel lonely

at night when you're in bed

The little poem will sing to you

the little picture bring to you

a dozen dreams to dance to you

at night when you're in bed

So-

Keep a picture in your pocket

and a poem in your head

and you'll never feel lonely

at night when you're in bed.

All Four Quarters of the Moon by Shirley Marr

Peijing and her little sister Biju have moved to Australia with their parents Ma Ma, Ba Ba and her grandmother Ah Ma. Everyone in the family has to make huge adjustments in order to cope with this new place. Peijing loves her Ah Ma but Ah Ma is beginning to act strangely as her memory deteriorates. None of the adults seem able to talk to Peijing about this. Back in Singapore Ma Ma was popular and confident but with little or no English here in Australia she has retreated into her home. It is so difficult to mesh traditional family customs and expectations with the new life Peijing is experiencing at her school. And also she has new levels of responsibility towards her sister and her mother. 

Peijing and Biju share a Little World. It is all made from paper and they love to add new creatures and invent stories as they play.

"Little World was something familiar. Something safe. Something to escape into. Where minutes could become hours and hours grow into days. Where in the blink of an eye, ecosystems could grow and flourish and collapse again back into the ocean, and large herds of beasts that only existed in your mind could cross from one continent to another. Where something you made yourself could be your home, even just for a while."

"There were zoos and farms and a network of underground burrows and branches of trees made of many pieces of paper sticky-taped together. There were oceans, rivers and lakes too but some of them were so big they stretched from one side of the room to the other."

In a moment that lingers with me, on the day the family leave for Australia, everything in their Little World box is gone. Peijing knows that her mother has done this. Biuj is distraught but the girls find one paper rabbit hidden under a flap in the box. Peijing tells Biuj to hide the rabbit so they can take him to Australia. There is such a raw honesty to this scene that it must be a memory from Shirley Marr's own childhood. In fact I wonder how much of this story is autobiographical such as the scene where Biju refuses to use chopsticks (chapter 10). I also adored the unfold friendship between Peijing and Joanna. Every story needs a special and kind friend like Joanna. 

"Peijing's heart was beating fast. She wanted to yell at the boy to take back what he said about Joanna. She wanted to punch him in the face for saying what he did about her. Then she wanted to run out of the school gates, run until she reached the ocean and, even though she could now swim, make it impossibly back home."

Interspersed between chapters are Biju’s own retellings of myths and fables, offering the sisters a chance to consider elements of Chinese culture as Peijing seeks to navigate between the values of her family and their teachings and what she learns in Australia. And we also witness a transformation of each family member - Ba Ba softens, cooks and forms a relationship with his daughters and Ma Ma finds a job at the Asian Mart. 

This is a read with tons of heart. Peijing, is a kind and family orientated girl, who tries her best to keep a positive outlook but often feels like she's sinking, instead. She struggles not only with the new environment and language but can't seem to find her place in school. Still, she does her best and keeps an inspiring and heart-warming attitude...even when it proves difficult, at times. Especially her relationship with her younger sister touches the heart (even when things aren't always smooth) and makes this a wonderful read about the sisterly bond. Book Worm for Kids

There are so many things to say about this book – it’s lyrical, magical, beautiful, and comforting – because it reassures all readers that we are not alone in feeling like we don’t fit in, and lets readers know that we can find a way to fit in and be ourselves. The Book Muse

As I write this it is Book Week here in Australia and one of the major things that happens this week is the announcement of our National children's book award winners by the Children's Book Council of Australia.  There are six categories of awards and one of these is for Younger Readers (in the US you might call this elementary school).  The winner for 2022 is by Shirley Marr - A Glasshouse of Stars.  

When you read both of these book I recommend you should then try to find books by Gabrielle Wang and Grace Lin (especially Where the Mountain meets the Moon). 

The Stranded Whale by Jane Yolen illustrated by Melanie Cataldo

"The whale's eye, the size of a bicycle tyre, turned towards us. It looked like it was weeping."

"I was too mad to cry. Mad at the unforgiving ocean rushing away from the shore. Mad at our short arms and the whale's long body. Made that we didn't have a boat, a winch, long ropes to pull it into the sea. Mad at everything."

This is such a profound and brave book. Most books, in fact every book I have ever read, about stranded whales end with a successful rescue but not this one. The three children find a stranded whale on a beach in Maine (but really it could be anywhere).  It is 1971 so they don't have mobile phone. One boy runs half a mile to alert the coast guard. A team of adults arrive but sadly they are unable to save this beautiful creature. Later someone comes to their home to present all three kids with a medal. But Sally does not want a medal - the whale died. She does not want a medal she wanted this amazing creature to live and to enjoy swimming in the depths of the ocean again. Her emotions are raw and honest and very very real. 

I am so happy that my friend at Kinderbookswitheverything shared this book with me. She set out a big book display of books about whales a couple of weeks ago and we were searching for this book which I had not heard of but of course I do adore Jane Yolen. Fast forward one week and she had found The Stranded Whale and kindly saved it for me. 

In this blog post Jane Yolen talks about her book. Mel Cataldo talks about her processes. In 2016 The Stranded Whale won the Green Earth Book Award. I do need to tell you The Stranded Whale (published in 2015) may be difficult to purchase. 

A moving, memorable addition to the nature collection. Kirkus

A brave book that does not shy away from grief or wonder.  Waking Brain Cells

Yolen carefully chooses her language. Her text is rich, lyrical and carries you like a poem. Melanie Cataldo’s uses muted tones in her oil and pencil illustrations. They contribute to the emotion and vulnerability of the story. Children's Books Heal

Take a look at this comprehensive Pinterest collection of Whale books. Here are some I have mentioned on this blog.  There are links to all of these and many others here: