Tiny Tales by Kallie George illustrated by Genevieve Cote

 

I am so excited to discover this series - Tiny Tales - Spark; Flare and Splash. Flare, for example, has five short chapters spread over 32 pages. Flare is a phoenix and he boasts that he never cries. High in the sky Cloud, Sky and Wind watch over Flare. They decide they need to show Flare how to cry and so each in turn sets up a situation to "test" Flare. Cloud drops rain all over Flare but that doesn't work. Wind makes howling noises showing Flare what crying sounds like but that plan doesn't work. Now it is the turn of Sun - third time lucky. Sun takes Flare through the woods to see a tiny baby bird that has fallen out of his nest. Flare feels so sad - what can he do? He begins to cry and his tears heal the baby bird. Phoenix tears are magic.

Kallie George is the author of a wonderful series - The Heartwood Hotel. Spark, Flare and Splash are written for a much younger audience. These little treasures are perfect for newly independent readers. And of course they also contain very satisfying stories. These were published in 2014 and 2016 but they are all still available.

Here is the blurb for each book:

Book One Spark:

"Spark is a little dragon with a big problem. He can't control his fiery breath. Even practising doesn't help. Will Spark ever be able to tame his flame? The first book in an early reader series about baby magic animals, "Spark" is a gentle reminder that there is a perfect time for everything."

Kirkus Review

Book Two Flare: 

"Flare is a tough little phoenix. He never cries. But everyone needs to cry sometimes. Will his guardians, Sun, Wind and Cloud, find a way to show him how? The second book in the Tiny Tails series provides comforting reassurance that it's okay to express our emotions."

Book Three Splash: 

"Splash is a little sea serpent who makes big splashes. But sea serpents need to be quiet sometimes. Will Splash learn how to keep calm? The third book in the Tiny Tails series explores the notion of self-control in a playful way."

Click on each cover image here to read reviews of each title.

Here are two page examples so you can see the text level, text size and use of white space - all perfect ingredients for a beginner:

If, like me, you're ready for something new in easy readers, these are a perfect choice. Accessible text and lovely illustrations will make these a favorite with both parents and children. Highly recommended. Jean Little Library

Tyson the Terrible by Diane and Christyan Fox

In my last post I talked about Little Tom and the trip to the Moon.  Here is another preschool book by the talented husband and wife team of Diane and Christyan Fox.

At it's heart this is a book about preconceived ideas. The little dinosaurs have not met Tyson but they have heard some terrible rumours and seen pictures of Tyson in the Dinosaur Weekly:

"I've heard he's got six hundred razor sharp teeth."

"They say he eats seventeen dinosaurs for breakfast EVERY DAY."

"He's taller than a mountain ... his claws are like knives ... He's always really angry."

Little Stegg, Serra and Plod can hear a boom boom boom coming their way. It gets louder and louder. Finally another dinosaur arrives. Has he been making all that noise?

"Nobody ever wants to play with me!' wailed a little voice."

Did you notice the important word 'little'? These are the words of a tiny tyrannosaurus. Stegg, Serra and Plod are happy to pay football with this little guy - he is not fierce or scary at all. BUT ... then their new friend asks:

"Can my little brother play too?"  This brother is NOT little - in fact he is so big the page has to fold out and expand so we can see all of him. YES it is Tyson!  Take a look at this video to see the whole book.

Hopefully you can find this book in a well stocked library because it was first published in 2006 and so is now out of print. All preschoolers will love meeting this little band of dinosaurs and their "new" big friend Tyson.

Little Tom and the trip to the Moon by Diane and Christyan Fox

 "They're not Wellingtons, they're ... anti gravity boots"

"They're not bottles, they're ... oxygen tanks."

A few years ago our Kindergarten teachers decided the theme for the term would be based around using your imagination. Little Tom and the trip to the Moon is a delightful exploration of imaginative play. This is a book that every preschool child will love. I do hope you can find it in a library because sadly it is out of print. It was first published in 2009. I found my copy in a wonderful school library.  I loved their book A dog called Bear and I was keen to read more titles by Diane and Christyan Fox.

I love the patient mum or dad - who is off stage -  asking about each object Tom collects for his game of space travel. AND the ending will knock your socks off!

Take a look here to see all the books by this talented husband and wife team.

Out of Nowhere by Chris Naylor-Ballesteros

Beetle and his friend Caterpillar enjoy picnics on their rock. In the evenings, while Beetle sleeps, Caterpillar gazes at the moon. Stop right here - yes this is a friendship between a beetle and a caterpillar. No problem with that except it's a caterpillar!! What will happen? Now read about Farfallina and Marcel.  

Yes, the little caterpillar is going to change - he is going to make his cocoon.  Remember the famous book The Very Hungry Caterpillar ...

Beetle does not know about metamorphosis. All he knows is his friend has disappeared. Your young reader now knows more than poor old Beetle - we can all see the cocoon is under the rock ledge but Beetle does not think to look down. He sees a glimpse of red in the forest and so he picks up the very heavy picnic basket and sets off to find his true friend. It is a beautiful moment when the pair of friends are reunited. These words are so important:

 "Then I looked more closely. And I just knew. It was my friend! She had changed a little bit but it was still my friend all the same."

One of the truly special aspects of this book is the way Chris Naylor-Ballesteros allows the pictures to speak for themselves. There are four double page spreads with no text.  His pencil illustrations in black and white with an accent of the red caterpillar and later red butterfly give a 'child like' quality to this book which would be perfect to read aloud to a preschool group.

I adored The Suitcase by Chris Naylor-Ballesteros so when I saw his name on the cover of Out of Nowhere I grabbed this book!

I would pair Out of Nowhere with these:

Little Bird Lost by Patricia Hegarty illustrated by Sebastiaan Van Doninck

It is time for Little Bird to fly away with his flock but he has badly damaged his wing in a flying accident. Luckily Little Bird meets Deer and Deer kindly offers to carry Little Bird. They set off ask advice from the animals in the forest. Bear has told them the flock will be heading towards the sun to find somewhere warm.

Deer and Little Bird walk through the days of Summer, Autumn, Winter and finally in Spring Little Bird is reunited with his flock and in a beautiful moment Deer finds a special friend too. Along the way the pair of new friends play games, share stories and sing songs.

This is a perfect little easy chapter book for newly independent readers.It has a predictable structure (following the seasons), an strong emotional arc and best of all some sweet touches of humour. I especially laughed at the character of Porcupine.  It is so wonderful to see the care the publisher, Little Tiger, have taken with this book. The illustrations are vibrant and at times quite powerful (take a look a the attack of the wolf), the cover is appealing, the end papers are fun images of Little Bird and his crazy antics and most of all I appreciate the beautiful quality of the paper used in Little Bird Lost and other books in this series. There are eleven titles so far. Here are some I have on my "to read" list:

Take a look at the art of Dutch illustrator Sebastiaan Van Doninck.  I have talked about another book by Patricia Hegarty in a previous post - Bee. She is the author of several books illustrated by the brilliant illustrator Britta Teckentrup.

The Ricker Racker Club by Patrick Guest illustrated by Nathaniel Eckstrom

Rules of the Ricker Racker Club

1. Be a boy
2. Girls can join but only on Tuesdays
3. Do something incredibly brave or kind at least once a week

Brothers Max and Ollie invent their club, the rules, the secret handshake, password and mascot - a turtle named Albert. 

Poppy, their sister, would like to join this club. She is a smart smart smart girl! She is just like the suffragettes of history with their slogan "Deeds not Words". Poppy watches more and more boys join the club. Each day she quietly follows rule number three. She gives her two brothers

• two scoops of her jelly and ice cream
• cleans their bedroom
• promises to eat their vegetables for a month
• and she gives them her tooth fairy money

In the fifth week Albert, the turtle mascot, wanders into danger. The five boys try to save him but it is clever Poppy who knows just what to do. Poppy does something incredibly brave. At last the boys can see Poppy should join their club - they even make her their Queen.

I don't know how I missed this Australian children's picture book in 2016. Sadly this book is now out of print but I am sure it will be found in many Australian primary school libraries. I wonder why it was not included in the CBCA Notables of 2017 and from there the short list? Yes it is that good.

I love that this tale has an olden-day feel to it--of outdoor adventure and acts of bravery and excitement … Kids Book Review

So much to like in this book; the rhythm of the text, the bountiful illustrations, the well defined characters and the strong messages of acceptance and empathy. Reading Time

Lamont have written a set of teachers notes. If you have a Story Box library subscription you can view the whole book. You can see other books illustrated by Nathaniel Eckstrom here.

Conker and Nudge by Adria Meserve

 

Sometimes little brothers, who might bother you, can also be heroes!

Nudge loves his older brother Conker. Nudge adores his older brother. Nudge wants to be just like his brother. Nudge hangs around all day trying to copy Conker until finally Conker decides he wants to spend time with his own friends and he leaves Nudge behind. Three friends head off on an adventure and everything goes well until they are attacked by a jaguar. Capybara dives into a hole. Armadillo curls up into a ball but Conker has nowhere to hide. Can you guess who comes to his rescue?

If you are talking about sibling rivalry or you have two kids (boys perhaps) who don't always get along this is a perfect book. It is not didactic - Conker is mostly okay with young Nudge and the way his little brother copies everything Conker does. Yes in the end the two boys (anteaters) do make friends again (mostly).

I said when I started this blog in 2008 I would share new discoveries and old favourites. Conker and Nudge is a new discovery for me but it is not a new book, it was first published in 2008. Yes it is now sadly out of print. You might be lucky like me a find a copy in a well stocked library.

You can see the whole book here. 

Here is another book by Adria Meserve:

You could follow Conker and Nudge with a few simple non fiction books about the curious anteater and possibly also the capybara and armadillo: