Ollie and the wind by Ronojoy Ghosh

Oddly my first question about Ollie and the wind (short listed for the 2016 CBCA awards) was who is Ronojoy Ghosh and is Ollie and the wind his first book?  Yes it is. Ronojoy has been working in advertising.  How amazing to have your very first book reach the short list.  Ronojoy has now written his second book - No place like home which you can also find in our school library.

One aspect of this book that appeals to me is the way Ollie is a problem solver.  The wind takes his hat and scarf - how can Ollie get his things back.

"That night as Ollie lay in bed, he thought about why the wind didn't want to play with his toys. Then he had an idea."

I have not yet shared this book with our Kindergarten children but I do think they will laugh as Ollie attempts to catch the wind with a net and an empty can.  I can also see there will be a lot to discuss when the wind rejects Ollie's ball and precious fire truck.

The idea of flying kites at night is also an appealing one especially under a full moon.

Here are some very detailed teaching notes for Ollie and the Wind

After reading this book you could explore some of these books about the wind.  I would also recommend looking at some of our wonderful stories about kites especially The Sea Breeze hotel which is also a story about problem solving.  We will also read Blown Away and Stuck by Oliver Jeffers as books to compare with Ollie and the Wind.

On Sudden Hill by Linda Sarah illustrated by Benji Davies

I love the idea of imaginative play using something simple like a cardboard box.  This is what happens in the book On Sudden Hill but this book is about so much more.  Young children often experience difficulties with friendships.  Can you be 'best friends' with two or more children?  What is the best way to handle feelings of rejection or jealousy?  On Sudden Hill explores these complex emotions and presents a very satisfying resolution all in the context of a simple picture book aimed at our youngest students.  Please look for this book.  It is one to treasure.

Here is the blurb:

Birt and Etho are best friends.

They spend hours together playing on Sudden Hill.

Then one day a new boy arrives.  He wants to join them.

Can two become three?

Don't rush.  Start on the title page.  There is so much to talk about here.  Where do these boys live?  Do they look rich or poor? Does this matter? Where are they going?  How is the weather?  What might they plan to do with these boxes?  Can you see a mountain beyond the fence?  Do you think it is really called Sudden Hill?  What might the next scene after the title page show?

There are so many examples of exquisite use of language in this book. "Birt loves their two-by-two rhythm."  and "one Monday (it's cramping cold)" when Shu "finally found a big enough box and courage to ask if he can play too."

You can read an interview with the author and illustrator and see some more art from this book here.

Here are some other books I really like about using cardboard boxes for play.

After reading On Sudden Hill make sure you look for my other most favourite book about friendship - A friend like Ed. Take a look at my review of The Storm Whale also by Benji Davies.

Figgy and the President : Growing up can be full of surprises by Tamsin Janu

I really enjoyed Figgy in the world and was hoping it would be selected for our CBCA awards.

Today I read the sequel Figgy and the President and I so happy to say it is just as good as the first installment.

Figgy lives in Ghana.  Her life is not easy.  As a tiny child her mother abandoned her on the doorstep of her grandmother then she lost an eye in a fire and she lives in a remote and very poor village.  Despite this Figgy has so many good things in her life. The deep love of Grandma Ama, the loyalty of her best friend Nana and her own desire to help others.

In this second installment her mother has returned.  Figgy has such mixed feelings about meeting her mother and forging a relationship with this woman she has never met.

"Why did you leave me with Grandma Ama when I was a baby?'  Mama's hand stilled.  For a few seconds I thought she was angry with me for asking.  But she soon resumed stroking my forehead and answered me, her voice calm.  'Because I couldn't look after you as well as your Grandma Ama."

Nana, her best friend, is determined to become the President of Ghana.  He too has experienced some extremely harsh circumstances in his short life including appalling abuse by his father.  Nana has now reached the safety of his new home with Grandma Ama when one day his father returns to claim him. It takes every ounce of ingenuity and bravery for Figgy to follow the trail and save her friend.

These books do go together.  I would recommend reading Figgy in the World first so you meet the amazing people who help Figgy in a variety of ways.  One of the most important is Kofi who again is able to help Figgy in such a wise and loving way.

The Figgy books are perfect for Middle Primary readers.  It can be a wonderful experience to walk a mile or two in the shoes of a different child, living in a different place and hopefully reading these books you will gain an understanding of a life so different from your own.

Bad Ned : A really bad story by Dean Lahn

Bad Ned is such fun because my Grade 5 students and I explore the life of the infamous Australian bushranger Ned Kelly in great depth each year. This means I can really appreciate all the little historical inclusions in this story.

This is not a serious book - it is a romp through the life of Ned using a young boy (coincidentally also called Ned) as a copy-cat to the real Ned.

We see little Ned stealing cupcake, making trouble with the garden hose and the washing line and constructing armor firstly from a set of cardboard boxes but later from a disused water tank.

My favourite part of this book comes when young Ned quotes from the famous Jerilderie letter "Take this you big, ugly, fat-necked, wombat-headed, big bellied, magpies-legged troppers."

Here is a review with more detail.  You might also enjoy Meet Ned Kelly by Janeen Brian, The Oath of Bad Brown Bill by Stephen Axelsen, Wicked Rose by Sally Farrell Odgers and Bossyboots by David Cox.  Sadly some of the books I have listed here will be out of print but you should find them easily in an Australian school library.

Playing from the heart by Peter Reynolds

There is something quite mysterious about the power of music.  I have a friend who is such a talented musician.  As children she could play the most complex music but not in a mechanical way - her music making was filled with a very sophisticated emotional understanding.  I used to have a piano and had lessons as a child.  I will never been skilled at this instrument but that is not important.  For me music touches my soul.  I think this is why I loved this book.  The Kirkus reviewer sees this as a book with more appeal to adults and perhaps that is true but I would still love to share this book with a sensitive child.


Here is a fabulous interview with Peter Reynolds.  It is quite long but well worth your time.

Rino Alaimo's The boy who loved the moon

"Many years ago, one night in June, the lights of the city went out, one by one, until only a single light illuminated the sky."

This is the light of the moon.  The moon captures the heart of a  lonely boy. He longs to show the moon his love.  He collects a beautiful rose, a deep sea pearl and the diamond eye of a dragon.  Each gift is rejected although not too harshly.  What gift can the boy give the moon?

It seems odd to mention this but today with our Kindergarten classes we read Happy Birthday Moon by Frank Asch.  This is a much simpler book but it is also contains an deeply felt expression of love for the moon.

One of my annual joys is to attend Little Big Shots - a festival of children's short films.  Last year I saw this little film and I was entranced.  Then I discovered this special book made by the film maker. If you are looking for a text and film to explore with a senior class take a look at The Boy who loved the moon.  You could then look at this review which compares the book and the film.

One reviewer likened this book to The Giving Tree.  With a younger class you might also look at Papa Please get the moon for me, Sarah's Heavy Heart and Laura's Star.

Pax by Sara Pennypacker illustrated by Jon Klassen

In an in awe of an author like Sara Pennypacker.  One of the most wonderful things about reading is when you know you are in the safe hands of a master storyteller especially when realise this right from the start of the story.  You know the characters might experience hardship, difficulties, pain and trauma but you also know the author will bring everyone safely home - not in a sentimental or trite way - but in a way that leaves you gasping at the sheer brilliance of their writing.

From the very first page I knew Pax would be a powerful and memorable book.  Now I have finished reading Pax I know this story will linger with me a long time.

"The fox felt the car slow before the boy did, as he felt everything first.  Through the pads of his paws, along his spine, in the sensitive whiskers at his wrists."

Each chapter of Pax alternates between Peter, a young boy grieving the loss of his mother and confused by the reactions and life decisions of his father and Pax, a young fox that Peter has raised from a small cub.  Sara Pennypacker is able to give this wild creature such an authentic voice.

"He lifted his muzzle and bayed a single aching note.  It had been so long since he'd seen his boy. Before this, they'd never been apart for more than half a day. Often Peter would leave in the morning, and Pax would pace his pen in increasing distress until the afternoon, when Peter would come home, smelling of other young humans and of the strange breath of the large yellow bus that delivered him."

In this selection you can see how Sara Pennypacker is able to give the reader a deep insight into the highly developed senses of the fox.  His use of smell and other animal intuitions contrast with those of Peter and yet wild creature and boy have an amazing, spiritual connection.

We sadly need to cover our copy of Pax with plastic to protect it from multiple readings but if you can buy your own copy of Pax make sure you look under the dust jacket.  Megan Dowd Lambert alerted me to this special feature that is added to some picture books and novels.

Here is the author web site and a set of discussion questions.  Here is an audio sample from the first chapter. This book would be a terrific addition to a unit on survival or it could be used with a small group as an extension text.  You can see some images from the book here.

If you enjoy Pax I would recommend the Chronicles of Ancient Darkness beginning with Wolf Brother by Michelle Paver, The Honest Truth, The eye of the Wolf by Daniel Pennac,  Julie of the wolves by Jean Craighead George, A dog's life by Ann Martin and Hatchet.

The quotes below link to reviews in the New York Times and Kirkus.

What makes the book truly remarkable are two things: the quality of Pennypacker’s prose, which is sharp and restless and vulpine, and the pull of the love between Peter and Pax.

Every moment in the graceful, fluid narrative is believable. Klassen’s cover art has a sense of contained, powerful stillness.