What do you do with a Chance? by Kobi Yamada illustrated by Mae Besom

"I thought about it a lot. I wished I had taken my chance. 

I realized I had wanted it,

but I still didn't know if I had the courage."

"I promised myself that if I ever got another chance,

I wasn't going to hold back. If I got another chance,

I was going to be ready."

I've seen these books on lists and in library displays but it has taken me until now to pick up a book by Kobi Yamada to read. I am blown away!

When I was younger, I took more chances but with age, I have become way more cautious and at times even fearful. I wonder does experience make you braver or the opposite - filling your head with ideas of what might go wrong. These are deep questions and demonstrate that the What do you do with a chance? is one for all ages - young children up to adults. You might like to preview this book from this gentle video reading. 

"So what do you do with a chance? You take it ... 
because it just might be the start of something incredible."

After I read the book aloud, I don’t need to go through a long justification of why picture books work well in middle and high schools. What I like about this series is that each book is different from the other two. They overlap in their conceptualization and they all are remarkable choices for the instruction of symbolism and creating writing–but they all teach very different, big ideas. Unleashing Readers

Through the use of color, the watercolor-and-pencil illustrations vividly accentuate the contrast between the drabness of a risk-free life and the brilliant intensity of one fully lived.  Kirkus

Here is an interview with Kobi Yamada. 

What do you do with a Chance? is the third book in the series. What you do Matters is the three book set:

All our Australian school libraries - Primary and High school - should add these books to their collections.

Our Australian illustrator Elise Hurst is now illustrating books written by Kobi Yamada - how wonderful. 

Meet the illustrator Melissa Greenwood

This is Melissa's newest book due out in March, 2024

Melissa Greenwood is a Gumbaynggirr, Bundjalung, Dunghutti women from the mid north coast of NSW, with a background community services, education, community development and events. Melissa has been living and working in the Victorian Aboriginal community for over 7 years.

Melissa works with her mother Lauren Jarrett to create colourful designs for a range of products from original artworks, to clothing, and homeware items. Some of their successful business adventures include a partnership with skincare brand Jurlique and a collection with retailer Adairs. In this interview Melissa talks about her inspiration. 

This week the CBCA (Children's Book Council of Australia) announced the 2024 Notables or long list for our children's book awards.  It was good to see a number of indigenous titles (see below) but the two latest books by Melissa Greenwood missed the cut and my friend who works in a school library was surprised. 

Miimi Marrall Mother Earth

Miimi Marraal, she created us, you and me ...

From Gumbaynggirr artist Melissa Greenwood, of mother-daughter art and design label Miimi and Jiinda, comes a deeply felt and heart-stirring picture book about the connection between mothers, babies and Miimi Marraal, Mother Earth.

We were sent this book for the 2022 CBCA judging. Here are my comments:

The tactile cover of this book is so appealing as are the soft pastel colours. The author explains this text is deeply personal but the story does have a universal feel. It reads like an intimate lullaby sung to a new baby. It is filled with hope, wisdom and love. I especially like the art on the page “you will always have sunshine, and water and beautiful places to play, swim and dance.” It would be good to pair this book with Baby Business by Jasmine Seymour.

Reading this book is like being invited to share an intimate moment between mother and child. The book welcomes readers into a special conversation and leaves you feeling warm, protected and inspired to live your best life. It’s simply beautiful.  Kids' Book Review

Giinagay Gaagal, Hello Ocean

Gaagal (ocean) is our special place, we love to swim in the waves. We'll catch some yamaarr (fish), eat, dance and play games.

"We see whales singing up their babies and dolphins splashing through the waves. They are our totems, you see, they make us feel safe."

The artwork complementing this story is spectacular, starting with the wavelike endpapers. Each page is a feast of colour, with bold black used for emphasis, inviting the young reader to explore, comment and maybe reflect on their own experience of a day at the beach. StoryLinks

My Little Barlaagany Sunshine

As the sun shines throughout the day, it warms your cheeks while we play. As the sun sets in the evening sky, say, 'Yaarri Yarraang, goodbye.'

This gentle bedtime story follows the journey a mother and child take across a day and into the Dreamtime - finding special places to visit, creatures to meet and new things to discover.

Read this review. Here is a quote: This picture book is exquisitely stunning, both visually and lyrically. Greenwood takes young readers by the hand into the Dreamtime, on a voyage that inspires yet lulls them to sleep. This moving story demonstrates the strong connection between parent and child, and also the power of storytelling. Greenwood uses abstract and dot paintings to vibrantly showcase Aboriginal Dreamtime art, complementing the prose beautifully. 

Greenwood’s art is stunning. Gorgeous colours, shapes and patterns fill every page, each with precise and special meaning that helps tell the story. This is art that speaks to your soul, and combined with Greenwood’s words, this story is a gift to all children of all cultures. Kids' Book Review

Miimi and Buwaarr, Mother and Baby

Being your miimi (mother) is the most precious gift life can give. When you were born you opened my heart as wide as the ocean.

Join Miimi (Mother) as she shares stories with her Buwaarr (baby) about the environment, language and totems; passing on the wisdom of Gumbaynggirr culture and a mother's hopes for baby's future.

Spending time with this book set today I have a renewed appreciation of these very special books. All four titles should be added to your school library. 

Here are the 2024 CBCA Indigenous Notable titles:

How to Build a Hug by Amy Gugliemo and Jacqueline Tourville illustrated by Giselle Potter

How to Build a Hug: Temple Grandin and her amazing squeeze machine 

Many Grade 4 classes here in NSW are reading a book called The Thing about Oliver which is a story told from the point of view of Oliver's sister. Oliver is severely autistic and this makes life very hard for Tilly. It seems everything they do is organised around the needs of her brother. Tilly lives on edge feeling responsible to keep her brother safe. Her own dreams are always pushed into the background.

Publisher blurb for How to Build a Hug: As a young girl, Temple Grandin loved folding paper kites, making obstacle courses, and building lean-tos. But she really didn’t like hugs. Temple wanted to be held—but to her, hugs felt like being stuffed inside the scratchiest sock in the world; like a tidal wave of dentist drills, sandpaper, and awful cologne, coming at her all at once. Would she ever get to enjoy the comfort of a hug? Then one day, Temple had an idea. If she couldn’t receive a hug, she would make one…she would build a hug machine!

You can see inside this book here. You can hear the book here - it begins at minute 4.25. How to Build a Hug was published in 2018. It is still available but sadly it is quite expensive here in Australia. 

I think it would be excellent to share How to Build a Hug after reading The Thing about Oliver. Temple Grandin is an autistic woman (albeit not as severely affected as Oliver) and this book we read about how she makes a success of her life. Dr Temple Grandin is now a professor of animal science and an advocate who shares her personal experiences of autism. Reading this book may give students a more balanced view of autism and other neurodivergent conditions. Also, this story is told from Temple's point of view which could allow some good discussion and comparison with The Thing about Oliver. 

"Sometimes when Temple was having a really bad day, she crawled under the sofa cushions and asked her little sister to hop on top. The smoosh of the heavy pillows felt cozy."

Temple Grandin is well-known for being an autism advocate, and this peek into her younger years, and her aversion to hugs is wonderfully done. We see the bright little girl struggling to enjoy something she knows others enjoy and how hard that is for her to live with. Stories like these help children understand how other children on the spectrum might think of touch and sound and could be comforting for children struggling to avoid touch – they are, after all, not alone. The Children's Book Review

You might like to explore other books illustrated by Giselle Potter. If you are interested in reading more picture book biographies (perhaps of people like Temple who I had not heard of) my friend from Kinderbookswitheverything has a splendid Pinterest collection which is well worth exploring. 

I do not agree with the way our NSW English units intensively study one text but if you want to see the Grade 4 (Stage 2) unit on the book The Thing about Oliver here is the link. I do wish the syllabus writers had considered including a list of other books to read either after or alongside The Thing about Oliver such as How to build a Hug.

The First Summer of Callie McGee by AL Tait

Callie is on the cusp of her teen years. She will begin at the High School next year although not at the High School she was supposed to attend. As an only child there seems be a lot of extra pressure on her from her mother. Callie is a very intelligent girl who finds it hard to fit in with her peer group. Over the course of this week, we see her grow in confidence as she navigates complex relationships with her peers.

Every summer her family visit a holiday house at the beach and two other families come along too. The adults love this summer week spent fishing, golfing, walking and reminiscing about their former days. Every summer the group follow a series of traditions. The kids are forced together but really, they are not friends. In fact, one of the boys regularly teases Callie in quite a vicious way. This summer Callie (full name Calliope-Jean) has decided to reinvent herself beginning with her name. She wants her parents, their friends and the other kids to now call her Callie. So, this is not their first summer staying at Sawyer's Point, but it is the first summer of her new identity as Callie. 

Among the group of kids there is a teenage girl named Sasha. Early in the story Sasha takes Callie's very old mobile phone. Sasha loads her own apps on to the phone because her own phone has been confiscated by her parents. Sasha has a plan to stay in touch with her friends and to set up meetings with one of the local boys. As a reader I knew this would most certainly end in disaster.

"Still staring at her screen, Callie opened her mouth to protest and then shut it. whatever she said would be wrong. She didn't want to be part of Sasha's duplicity but she also didn't want her friend to think she was a complete loser."

This summer another boy has joined the group. He is Mitch's cousin. Mitch is the kid who is always so mean to Callie but somehow perhaps because they are close in age these three form an alliance. When they hear someone has been robbing the holiday houses over the summer Owen, Mitch and Callie decide to track down the culprit but this does mean they need to wander the streets of this sleeping seaside village very late at night. And it does mean they see a gang of local kids, their elderly neighbor assisting others with plumbing issues at midnight and later they witness Sasha who should not be out this late at night and who is now in a very a dangerous situation.

This book is easy to read and I think it will be enjoyed by readers aged 11+ who enjoy realistic fiction with a touch of mystery and danger. 

Blurb from the author page:  It’s the last summer before Callie starts high school and she’s been dragged along to yet another ‘family friends’ holiday. Determined to change her nerdy reputation, Callie sets out to make waves but nothing is quite as she expects. Her usual ally, Sasha, has outgrown Callie; her nemesis, Mitch, has brought his cousin Owen along; and the boring south coast town of Sawyer’s Point has been rocked by a series of burglaries. Callie, Owen and Mitch decide to investigate the robberies, bringing them face to face with a local gang … and a possible ghost. But when Sasha goes missing, Callie must draw on all her smarts to find her friend, and (she) discovers that being Callie McGee has its benefits.

Navigating the tricky passage from child to young adult is never easy and with the added pressure of a helicopter parent and the pressure of expectations on an only (and bright) child, even more difficult. Callie’s experience and concerns will no doubt strike a chord with many readers, even if they are not in exactly the same position. Kids Book Review

Companion books:

This book was published in 1974. The robberies are far more serious but it is a book that has lingered with me. It will probably be very difficult to find unfortunately.

Junonia.

This book is on my top ten list of favourites. There are so many similar plot points in this story 

but it has a deeper emotional resonance.  Very highly recommended.

Shouting at the Rain

Half a chance

Return to Gone-away

This is another very old book first published in 1961.

The Empathy Lab award winners

 

Okay everyone listen up - this is one of the BEST resources you will EVER find as a source wonderful books for your library. There are lists from 2017 up to 2024 so no excuses for not identifying really amazing books you should/can/must add to your school library.  

Why read for empathy?

• The world needs more empathy: to help us all understand and connect to each other better. 
• New approaches are badly needed, with the recent rise in hate crimes. 

Without empathy children won’t thrive: 

• psychologists say it is an essential life skill. 
• you can use stories to build this skill: as you read with your child, you can build their emotional skills at the same time, because scientific evidence shows that reading builds real-life empathy. 
• and as you read you can help with identifying with book characters, children learn to see things from other points of view.

EmpathyLab’s work is based on scientific research showing that empathy is learnable, and that books help to build it: identifying with fictional characters’ feelings helps build real-life empathy.

These book lists are compiled in the UK but they contain books from all around the world including some from Australia! Under each of these brochure banners you will find a link to the pdf and the full list of annotated titles - picture books and novels and I have also added links to some of the books I have featured on this blog. After exploring all of these rich lists my own reading list has grown exponentially. Huge thanks to my friend from Kinderbookswitheverything and her wonderful library which is how I discovered this resource. As a Teacher-Librarian she has filled a display box with titles from these lists and she has added the Empathy Lab logo to the front cover of each book. Staff can also search her library catalogue for titles selected for these lists. 

2017 list

Mirror

Welcome

One dog and his boy

The Goldfish boy

The unforgotten coat

The Journey (The picture book makers)

2018 list

Leo: A ghost story

My name is not refugee

The No. 1 car spotter

The wild robot

Ballerina Dreams

El Deafo

The Island at the end of Everything

Charlie and me

The song from Somewhere else

2019 list

Elmer

Joy

How to be a lion

A great big cuddle

The Tale of Angelino Brown

Beyond the bright sea

The boy at the back of the class

The white fox

The fox girl and the white gazelle

2020 list

The Rabbit listened

It's a no money day

No longer alone

Pie in the sky

The last human

Two sides

Planet Omar

No ballet shoes in Syria

Captain Rosalie

2021 list

The Suitcase

Ride the wind

Too Small Tola

The Faraway truth

Talking to the Moon

The star outside my window

2022 list

Last: The story of a white rhino

The invisible

My beautiful voice

Front desk

Danny Chung does not do maths

The girl who stole an elephant

The last bear

2023 list

What if, Pig?

The River

I am the subway

Sidney makes a wish

2024 list

Here are the 2024 titles for ages 3-11: 

Understanding & sharing emotions

• Be More Dog Caroline Crowe & Carlos Velez Floris Books
• Beneath Cori Doerrfeld Scallywag Press
• Blue Sarah Christou Faber
• Geoffrey Gets the Jitters Nadia Shireen Puffin
• I Will Swim Next Time Emily Joof & Matilda Ruta Floris Books
• The Spaces In Between Jaspreet Kaur, illustrated by Manjit Thapp Big Picture Press
• Victor, the Wolf with Worries Catherine Rayner Macmillan
• When I Feel Surprised Illustrator Paula Bowles Child’s Play

Picture Books

• Gina Kaminski Saves the Wolf Craig Barr-Green, illustrated by Francis Martin Little Tiger
• Grandpa and the Kingfisher Anna Wilson, illustrated by Sarah Massini Nosy Crow
• I Am Nefertiti Annemarie Anang Natelle Quek Five Quills
• My Baba’s Garden Jordan Scott, illustrated by Sydney Smith Walker
• Nour’s Secret Library Wafa’ Tarnowska Vali Mintzi Barefoot
• To the Other Side Erika Meza Hodder

Early Readers

• Bear and Bird –The Picnic and Other Stories Jarvis Walker
• Budgie Joseph Coelho Barrington Stoke
• Dimple and the Boo Pip Jones, illustrated by Paula Bowles Barrington Stoke
• The Girl Who Became a Fish Polly Ho Yen Illustrator Sojung Kim-McCarthy

Novels

• City of Stolen Magic Nazeen Ahmed Pathak Puffin
• Cosima Unfortunate Steals a Star Laura Noakes Flavia Sorrentino HarperCollins
• Fablehouse E.L. Norry Bloomsbury
• Finding Bear Hannah Gold HarperCollins
• Glitter Boy Ian Eagleton Scholastic
• How to Be More Hedgehog Anne-Marie Conway, illustrated by Raahat Kaduji UCLan
• Jamie L.D. Lapinski Orion
• Kofi and the Rap Battle Summer Jeffrey Boakye Faber
• My Life on Fire Cath Howe Nosy Crow
• The Mystery of the Missing Mum Frances Moloney Pushkin Press 
• Until the Road Ends Phil Earle Andersen Press
• Where the River Takes Us Lesley Parr Bloomsbury

Verse Novels

• The Final Year Matt Goodfellow, illustrated by Joe Todd-Stanton Otter-Barry
• The Way of Dog Zana Fraillon Chicken House

Poetry

• My Heart is a Poem Various Little Tiger
• What You Need to Be Warm Neil Gaiman, illustrated by Various Bloomsbury

Graphic Novels

• Finding My Voice Aoife Dooley Scholastic
• It’s Her Story: Irena Sendler Margaret Littman, illustrated by Sara Luna Sunbird

Non-fiction

• A Child Like You Na’ima B. Robert, illustrated by Nadine Kaadan Otter-Barry
• All Bodies are Wonderful Beth Cox, illustrated by Vicky Barker
• Lift-the-flap Questions and Answers about Refugees Katie Dayne & Ashe de Sousa, illustrated by Oksana Drachkovska Usborne
• Our Story Starts in Africa Patrice Lawrence, Magic Cat

There are also lists of books for High School libraries from 2017-2024 - if this is your context please take time to explore the fabulous titles. 

Night Watch by Jodi Toering illustrated by Tannya Harricks

As night falls the Tawny Frogmouth sets off to fly home. I imagine this pair are hunting for food for their chicks. Along the way other night animals, many with their own young, look up from below or from their own nest - cockatoo, koala, emu, echidna, wallaby, numbat, and pygmy possum. You can almost feel the swoosh of their wings when they finally reach their home and land on the branch with their three fluffy babies.

Very, very occasionally a tawny frogmouth has landed on my verandah rail. These wonderful, camouflaged birds sit so still and of course they arrive in the evening with the darkness making it even harder to see them. The tawny frogmouth looks like an owl but it is not an owl. 

The scientific name of the Tawny Frogmouth is Podargus strigoides. "The genus name, Podargus, is from the Greek work for gout. Why? Unlike owls they don't have curved talons on their feet; in fact, their feet are small, and they’re said to walk like a gout-ridden man! Their species name, strigoides, means owl-like." 

"More closely related to the nightjar than the owl, the tawny frogmouth is mottled grey, white, black, and rufous, allowing them to easily become camouflaged with the bark of a tree. Like owls, their feathers are soft which helps them fly silently through the air, but they lack the strong, curved talons that owls are renown for."

Further reading

• Australian Museum
• Bush Heritage
• Australian Geographic
• Birdlife Australia

You can see and hear a family of Tawny Frogmouths here and 

read more on this site Gizmodo.

I wonder why Walker Books Australia didn't format this book for inclusion in their wonderful Nature Storybook series or if this wasn't the choice of the author then perhaps they could have added a fact page at the back of the book. While I have heard of and seen the tawny frogmouth I did not know very much about them. There are also lots of Australian animals mentioned in this book many of which could be unfamiliar to an internation audience. Do we have native quail in Australia? 

When you reach the final page of Night Watch please grab a copy of Owl Babies by Martin Waddell illustrated by Patrick Benson. I know I said a Tawny Frogmouth is not an owl but the final scene with the parents and babies sitting on a branch strongly resembles the scene when the mother returns in Owl Babies.

If you are using this book with a group of older students it might be interesting to discuss the way Jodi Toering adds capital letters to her text. 

"Dusk whispers softly, soothing Day to slumber as the last of Sunset's flames smoulder slowly skyward. Tawny Frogmouth wakens." 

Moon is a character with a female gender. Also talk about expressive phrases such as liquid moonlight; blanketing the earth; drenched in silver starlight; stretching infinite; and rushing crystal clear.

Try to find this splendid book by Narelle Oliver to read alongside Night Watch:

I own a few art pieces by Australian children's book illustrators but I would love to add a piece by Tannya Harricks. I have greatly admired her work ever since I saw this book:

Mallee Sky

Look for this book also illustrated by Tannya Harricks about one of our iconic Australian birds - the Kookaburra.

Kookaburra

Here is the web page for Jodi Toering and also for Tannya Harricks. 

To Change a Planet by Christina Soontornvat illustrated by Rahele Jomepour Bell

 

This book has a powerful text but it is the illustrations that really bring this important message to life.

Here is part of the text:

"Our planet. Big, tough, dependable. Our planet has spun through eons of time. Mere moments ago, we arrived. One person. Small, quiet, insignificant. But when one person, and one person and one person become many, they can change a planet."

From the author web page: Spare, poetic text and breathtaking pictures invite readers on a stirring journey that gently illuminates the causes of climate change as well as how our individual and collective actions can make the world better. Meticulously researched and brimming with beauty, hope, and hands-on solutions that will edify and empower even the youngest readers, this loving ode to our planet is vital for every child and family.

The final two pages have answers to five key questions:

• What is climate change?
• What is causing climate change?
• How will rising temperatures affect life on earth?
• How do we know all this?
• What can we do to take action?

Take a look at the Kirkus Star review.

Rahele Jomepour Bell’s illustrations are stunning. From their depiction of the carbon dioxide molecule to summarizing in one spread, the ways that humans are producing carbon dioxide; the illustrations lift the text to a new level. Picture Book Brain

"In short, elegant lines of lyrical prose, Soontornvat explores the history of humanity's relationship to Earth and confronts the modern threat of extreme weather events and environmental destruction. While these passages offer a sober warning, the book's overall tone is hopeful, centered around the conviction that, just as we can exacerbate the effects of climate change, so too can we forestall and reverse them."  School Library Journal

Here is the trailer with a commentary by Christina Soontornvat.

Unfortunately, this book published in 2022 is VERY expensive here in Australia at nearly AUS$40 so sadly it will be well beyond the budget of most school libraries. 

I am very keen to find other books illustrated by Rahele Jomepour Bell. She is originally from Iran and now lives in the US.

I read a Middle Grade book by Christina Soontornvat:

A Wish in the Dark