Reading Program Reflection

This semester for English Language and Literacy, each person had to contribute to a blog, providing a discussion in some weeks and a review and write-up about children's books.
This experience with the blog and having to read books, not in my normal reading categories, was a real eye-opener into different books which would be beneficial and interesting for young and adolescent readers. Some of the books I did decide to read, were chosen purely for the fact, that I have read them to a Reception class that I work in and the students thoroughly enjoyed them. As I was reading them, I can see how a book can be easily linked to other learning areas, such as Even Monsters need Haircuts for example. In the class, it can relate to maths (money), english (studies into the monsters, poetry) and more.

List of the books read:

Picture Books:

Waiting for Benjamin

Good night, me.

Gator

The Boy with Two Belly Buttons

Even Monsters need Haircuts

Cowboy Baby

Dinosaurs Galore

Green Eggs and Ham

Novels:

Between the Lines

Before I Fall

Chinese Cinderella

Littlenose the Hero

Squeaky Cleaners in the Stew!



When reading each book, I was able to see how they related in certain ways to the knowledge obtained from attending the lectures, reading the readings and participating in tutorials.

Squeaky Cleaners in a Stew!

Squeaky Cleaners in a Stew! is written by Vivan French and illustrated by Anna Currey.
These books are written for younger readers who are wanting to read novels with chapters, but obviously easier to read on their own without help.
Squeaky Cleaners are a three mice team, Nina, Gina and Fred. Their motto is no room is too messy, no house is too big for the Squeaky Cleaners.
One day they receive a call to clean Miss Kitty's house. They are all frightened to go but to be able to have cheese pie they need to clean this house.
Miss Kitty's plan is to have the mice in her house and then she can make a nice mouse stew for her mother.
The mice's plan is to go in, clean really fast and then leave but they dont know Miss Kitty's plan. However when they get there, Miss Kitty locks the door behind them so they can't escape. They start cleaning and then Fred comes up with a plan. Miss Kitty is having troubles with her stew so he offers to help and tells her that she needs nice mice for the stew, not mice that taste like soap and cleaning products. They tell her that they will help to find her some nice mice and she lets them leave, thinking that they will return. However Fred, Gina and Nina return home, nice and safe with all of Miss Kitty's vegetables to eat for dinner.

This book follows the traditional narrative sequence with an orientation, problem and a resolution.
I think this book is telling children to not go anywhere they dont feel safe and comfortable. However in the end, this book is a laugh to read, which students really get involved into.

Littlenose the Hero

Littlenose the Hero is part of a 5 book series about Littlenose. These books are written by John Grant and illustrated by Ross Collins.
The book follows the main character, Littlenose (he got his name because his nose was no bigger than a berry) and all his adventures along the way.
His tribe is the Neanderthals and the setting is in the Ice Age. He lives in a cave and they use coloured pebbles as money.

Littlenose meets Two-Eyes
Littlenose goes to the markets with his father to buy some more flint to start a fire however he gets split from his father. Littlenose's secret is that he found a green pebble near the stream and has kept it from his father so he wants to go buy something. He comes across the smallest, wooliest and saddest mammoth, who has one green and one red eye. The owner wants to sell him for whatever price, so Littlenose buys him and now has a new friend, Two-Eyes.
The Sun Dance
Once a year, the Neanderthals put on a Sun Dance at the turn of seasons, to show the sun what Summer is like so that it will remember and to give it the strength to return. Littlenose is now old enough to understand the concept of the Sun Dance, and is now able to participate.
The Painted Cave
Littlenose wanders off down a long dark tunnel and finds light at the end, however it isn't the sunlight but fire. He has gone into a tunnel belonging to the Straightnoses (another tribe). They are the ones who paint the paintings on the cave walls. The Straightnoses come back to chant to their latest painting, in hoping for a successful hunt. They hear Littlenose and chase him out.
Littlenose the Musician
Littlenose's favourite uncle, Uncle Redhead, has flaming red hair and is very generous with his gifts. He takes Littlenose and makes him a set of pipes, however the tribe doesnt like him playing them. Then one day, Littlenose and Two-Eyes run into a hyena and to call for help he plays his pipes and his father comes and rescues both of them.
Littlenose the Hero
Littlenose's dad wants him to be an excellent hunter just like himself, however Littlenose wasn't. In fact he didnt really have anything that he was really good at. So one day, he decided that he would catch the biggest rhino anyone had ever seen and then he would be great at something. So for weeks he dug a massive hole, however when his father came looking for hm one day, his father fell into it. Littlenose cut down a tree which fell into the hole, so that his father could climb. The tribe called him a hero for saving his father.

These little stories within the book teach the students something different. They teach students to be patient and not to rush into things without thinking them through. It teaches them that they dont have to be the best at everything, and not to force yourself to be great at something.
They also mention about how life would have been like back in the dark ages.

Blog Reflection and Summary

Engaging with and contributing to this blog has been a very beneficial experience – as it has introduced me to a wide and varied range of literature.  Not only have I selected, read and critiqued books on my own – I have had the opportunity to benefit from the selections and viewpoints of my peers. Engaging actively with literature in this way while simultaneously working with the course material provided in our workshops/lectures/readings, has helped me to connect my developing theoretical knowledge with tangible resources – and will in the long term, help me to connect theory with practice.

The books I have read and posted about during the course are:

In Flanders Fields – written by Norman Jorgensen and illustrated by Brian Harrison-Lever

Memorial - written by Gary Crew and illustrated by Shaun Tan

Piggybook – written and illustrated by Anthony Browne

The Arrival – written and illustrated by Shaun Tan

Dogger - written and illustrated by Shirley Hughes

Owl Babies -  written by Martin Waddell and illustrated by Patrick Benson

Bertie and the Bear – written and illustrated by Pamela Allen

Mister Magnolia – written and illustrated by Quentin Blake

 

The Naming of Tishkin Silk - written by Glenda Millard and illustrated by Caroline Magerl

Fantastic Mr Fox – written by Roald Dahl and illustrated by Quentin Blake

The Fiery Salamander – written by Colin Thiele and illustrated by Mark Wilson

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time written and illustrated by Mark Haddon

Charlotte’s Web – written by E.B. White

Mister Magnolia

'Mister Magnolia' is a picture book for young children, written and illustrated by Quentin Blake (perhaps best known for illustrating many of Roald Dahl’s works). This whimsical ‘fun and nonsense’ book is written in rhyming verse- complemented by Blake’s colourful, fanciful and detailed drawings. The text  has a bouncing rhythm which lends itself to being read aloud with energy, and it is simple enough that young children could practice reading it aloud themselves. The rhythm and energy of the words also make the text useful for children who are practicing using expression when reading.

The verses describe a character called Mister Magnolia – who has only one boot. Readers learn of the many wonderful and weird things which Mister Magnolia does possess, but are always reminded of the boot he is lacking. The simple story concludes when Mr Magnolia receives a mysterious package containing another boot. The colourful images accompanying the verse, include plenty of hidden detail which children will enjoy looking for – helping to make the book fun and enjoyable and reinforcing reading as a positive experience.

I would definitely use this book in a reception or year one classroom as a way to introduce rhyme, practice expression and help students to get a feel for rhythm. Aside from these benefits, the book has the huge advantage of being fun and highly engaging - and so can help to build positive feelings towards language and literacy.

Charlotte's Web

EB White’s enduring children’s novel ‘Charlotte’s Web’ is a story which has been entertaining children since it was first published in 1952. Though the story is now quite dated – its themes of friendship and strength of character are as relevant to children today as ever.

White tells the story of a pig called Wilbur – who is born on a farm and is the runt of his litter. Wilbur faces being killed, but is saved by the farmer’s daughter Fern, who begs her father not to kill the piglet.  Fern raises Wilbur until her father insists that he is sold. Wilbur moves to a neighbouring farm and spends many happy days there and makes many friends – in particular a grey lady spider named Charlotte. It is Wilbur’s friendship with Charlotte that eventually saves him from becoming Christmas dinner.

The book touches on many subjects - some which could be considered confronting, however White treats these matters discretely and in a gentle, honest manner.  For example; while death is   recurring subject in the story – it is portrayed as a natural part of the life cycle; reinforcing the idea that one ending signifies another new beginning (eg. when Charlotte dies of old age, her children are born into the world). The anthropomorphic/fantasy style that the book is written in also helps to ease the seriousness of the themes.

I found this book very enjoyable and I think that it would really engage children around the 9-12 age group. The language used in the text could make it challenging for some readers – however it also provides some excellent opportunities for expanding vocabulary. The book includes some slightly dated wording, however it is not dated to an extent that affects relevance or meaning .

I would use this book in middle to upper primary classrooms – as a starting point for discussions on friendship, loyalty and in particular the complexity of characters (eg. not all characters are simply ‘good’ or ‘bad’).

Reading Program and Reflection

The reading program has been beneficial in numerous ways. It has allowed me to further explore children's literature and link knowledge, practice and concepts learnt within lectures and workshops. When reading each book there was always a connection made that related to the course content. I now believe I have a greater understanding in children's literature.

The books selected and read for the blog includes five novels and eight picture books.

Novels

 

Matilda

Two Weeks with the Queen

Doubting Thomas

Too Small to Fail

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

Picture Books

 

The Ugly Duckling

Three Little Pigs with a Twist

Yellow Submarine

Read Along Nursery Rhymes

The Peter Rabbit Book

Baby Giraffes Trip to the Watering Hole

'Twas the Last Night Before Christmas

Madeline

Reflection and Reading Program Summary

This blog has been very beneficial to my learning as it has allowed me to connect with the key ideas explored throughout the lectures and workshops and relate this to student learning in the English curriculum. It has also given me some ideas as to how I can record students reading and development in the classroom, and why particular books would be good/why they wouldn't be etc. I have gained many fantastic ideas to one day implement in my own classroom with my own students.

My reading program summary:

Novels:

1. My Sister's Keeper - Jodi Picoult
2. Jillaroo - Rachel Treasure
3. Matilda - Roald Dahl
4. The Donkey who Carried the Wounded - Jackie French
5. Vicky Angel - Jacqueline Wilson.

Picture Books:

1. Billy Dog's Bad Day - Richard Scarry
2. Franklin is Messy - Paulette Bourgeois
3. Arthur - Amanda Graham
4. Rainbow Fish and the Big Blue Whale - Marcus Pfister
5. Rosie Meets Mr Wintergarten - Bob Graham
6. The Ragged Old Bear - Leone Peguero
7. The Mermaid Princess - Shirley Barber
8. Roll Over, Pavlova! - June Factor

Vicky Angel

Vicky Angel is a short novel written by Jacqueline Wilson. This book by Wilson is complex, and explores themes that can have extreme effects on the readers. In saying that, I would use this book for year 6's and even year 7's to touch upon some important issues that students may have been involved with in some way.

Vicky and Jade are best friends and do everything together. One day, walking home from school together, Vicky is involved in a tragic accident which leaves her fighting for her life. Unfortunately she does not pull through and leaves Jade broken hearted and without her best friend. This is until of course, Jade believes that she can still see Vicky when she 'turns up' to visit her. At first, this is exciting for Jade as she has her friend back, however the problems soon started. Sometimes Vicky would be in a bad mood and treat her badly, sometimes she would be happy, and soon Jade begins to realise that this Vicky isn't the one she knew and loved. As the story progresses, Jade goes to see a counselor which can sometimes be hard for her as Vicky is 'there.' Eventually the counselor is able to break through Jade's silence and is able to help her. As Jade tries to move on, she is able to take control of certain aspects of her life. She is able to make new friends and also learns that she has the attention of a boy that Vicky never let her talk to. In the end, Jade is able to move on without having Vicky 'with her' all the time, and learns that she will always be in her heart no matter what.

Wilson has explored complex themes through death, friendship, family and bravery. These themes can be very tough to explore and Wilson has done it in a fantastic way. Not only is it about death and losing a best friend and a loved one, but also about Jade finding her own path in life, and how grief can be used to move forward in life. I believe that Wilson's underlying message throughout this story is that no matter what, that person will always be with you and would want the best for you. So live your life, make them proud, follow you dreams and never forget that they will always be with you in some special way.

As I previously said, these are very complex themes to explore for students, so I would not necessarily use it in a class setting, but it can be good for individual reading. I believe that students could really connect with this novel, as everyone has someone very special to them that they would never want to lose. It can be a very tough and involving read however I think that students would enjoy the book enormously and gain lots from it.

Roll Over, Pavlova!

Roll Over, Pavlova is a small children's picture book with pages and pages of short rhymes and sayings. I would not use this book for a specific classroom activity, however it would be another good book for individual students to read and enjoy for themselves.

This book portrays a lot of humour, with many silly rhymes which I believe is important to allow students to read. Sometimes it is important to have a book that is light hearted and and funny as they continue to engage students and allow them to enjoy reading.

This book contains a lot of rhyme, which makes the book flow and is easy for the student to read. Rhyme also engages the student as generally the words come naturally and this can also make students think of extra words to add into different places, extending their vocabulary.

The illustrations are in black and white and are extremely simple, however they show a lot of detail which relates back to the poem/rhyme. Again, the illustrations portray the humour which is shown throughout the book and once again keep the students engaged in the text.

I would use this book for year 3 students, even year 4 students as it is a good light hearted and simple read.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time

Mark Haddon’s novel for young adults; ‘The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time’ – is a book which I read (and loved) during high school. I decided to re-read it as part of my blog because I believe it is very suitable for use in secondary schools. I was in year eleven when I first read this novel- and in retrospect, I think this was probably the best time to read it. Although the text might also be studied in year ten – I believe that its complex themes deserve to be explored in real depth, and would recommend the text for use in year eleven (or even twelve) classes so that the most can be gained from it.

The story follows fifteen year old Christopher Boone – who (although it is never explicitly stated in the book) has a form of Autism. Most readers speculate that Christopher has Asperger Syndrome – however Haddon claims he did not write about a specific condition as he is not an expert in the field. Christopher is both the protagonist and the narrator of the book – which makes for a very involving story. Readers experience every event through Christopher’s eyes and so are drawn into his unique world.

Christopher takes readers on a journey of discovery as he attempts to solve a mystery and in the process uncovers much more that he first imagined. There are some strong themes within the book- including relationships and love, autism, being “different”, identity, spirituality, memories, stability and change. At times the subject matter becomes quite confronting and this is emphasised through Christopher’s matter-of-fact style of narration (no details are spared and no attempt is made to ‘soften’ the impact of difficult topics/events).  

Overall, I found this book to be moving, poignant at times profound. I would definitely recommend its use in classrooms as I feel that it provides some valuable messages and insights. Additionally, the text provides an excellent opportunity for students to practice literacy skills and learn about literary techniques- as there is plenty of material for analysis (symbolism, narration style, structure, language selection, character development, use of dialogue etc).

Reading Program and Reflection

This personal reading program and blog has allowed myself to become familiar with children’s books, developed my understanding of the content for teaching English and helped engage myself with profession writing practices. This has been a great learning tool and could be used in the classroom especially to keep a record of what students are reading and whether students are creating meaning from the texts.

The books chosen for my personal reading program are:

Chapter Books read:

·         The Hunger Games

·         The Golden Door

·         Violet Mackerel’s Brilliant Plot

·         Rowan of Rin

·         Looking for Alibrandi

Picture Books read:

·         Cat and Fish

·         The Road to Goonong

·         Nighty Night!

·         The Peasant Prince

·         Two peas in a pod

·         No Bears

·         The pocket dogs

·         The Lorax

The Donkey Who Carried the Wounded

The Donkey who carried the Wounded is a touching story about three ANZAC legends at Gallipoli, written by Jackie French. 

This book describes the story of Simpson and his donkey. Simpson continually risked his life, taking wounded soldiers on the back of his donkey from the battle line to the beach for evacuation. Unfortunately, Simpson was killed by a Turkish machine gun fire while he was helping a wounded man. Amazingly, the donkey obediently continued along the track taking the wounded man to safety. A little later throughout the story, Richard Henderson from New Zealand took over Simpson’s work and continued to guide the donkey while they carried wounded men.  

French has told the story from each of the different characters perspectives which as Gamble and Yates (2008) state, “is dialogic perspectives.” (p.76) By doing this, the reader to able to get to know each character and understand their own feelings about the situation they were in rather than just hearing from one narrator.

French has also used lots of descriptive language which allows the reader to build images in their head about what the setting may be like, what the characters might be like etc. This is an important aspect of writing and reading, because if they reader cannot build up an image, it can be boring and and frustrating for the reader.  

 I believe that this would be a fantastic book for teenagers and would be a good resource for students to begin allow them to begin to understand the importance of the ANZAC landing on the Gallipoli Peninsula. 

The Mermaid Princess

The Mermaid Princess is a children's picture book written and illustrated by the very talented Shirley Barber. I selected this book to look at specifically because it was one that I loved reading when I was younger.

The book is basically about mermaids being discovered by innocent children who are at the beach on a holiday. A little pixie who also resides at the beach sees that they need help to get the mermaid back to her family who got separated from one another in a storm. The pixie goes on an adventure to find her family while the 2 children, Jon and Wendy looked after her. Eventually, the mermaids family are reunited with her. It is a holiday that Jon and Wendy would never ever forget.

I would not use this book for a whole class activity, as obviously this genre would not appeal to everyone, however I would have it in my classroom for independent reading as this book is one that most young girls would love to read. All young girls love reading about mermaids, pixies, dolphins, princesses and magic which is what Barber has incorporated into this picture book.

Along with the fantastic story line, the descriptive language that Barber has incorporated makes the book interesting to read and I believe also allows students to build upon their vocabulary while reading a book that they enjoy. The language also allows the reader to clearly understand what is happening in the illustrations etc.

Barber's illustrations throughout this picture book are absolutely spectacular. They are extremely detailed, with lots of bright colours which capture the readers attention. The illustrations really portray the 'magical' theme to Barber's books, which her readers really enjoy.

Madeline

Madeline was a book I would love to read when I was younger. I always loved and enjoyed the story lines that Bemelmans used. I was always intrigued and still am today. Madeline is a book within a series, each book tells of a different story and has its own problem. The book Madeline was published in 1939 and written by an Australian author Ludwig Bemelmans.

 

The story takes place with a Catholic boarding school in Paris, the girls are not orphans. The plot within this book is that poor Madeline becomes sick and goes off to hospital to get her appendix removed. Her papa send her a dollhouse as she is ill and the girls at the boarding school go to visit her at the hospital. The story is written entirely in rhyme, I believe this would capture and appeal to students even more.

 

This book would be great to read to lower primary students, one aspect that you could focus on is the rhmying words. Also this book could be part of the silent or guided reading program. It is a book that was popular so many years ago and still is with children. It has a great story line and fascinating pictures, it is a book students will enjoy.

 

 

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone is the first novel in the Harry Potter series. J.K. Rowling the author has based the series on the young wizard Harry Potter.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone begins by introducing the violent and deathly character named Voldermort. He who must not be named kills Harry's parents one night yet does not kill Harry but leaves him with a scar on his forehead. From there three professors from the school of Hogwarts take Harry to which muggle (no wizard) Aunt and Uncle where he is brought up. In short Harry receives a letter when he is older enough to attend the school of wizards called Hogwarts. Hagrid is one of the closest character to Harry on his journey. At the school he meets two first years on the train called Hermione and Ron. It is the from there that the book leads the reader to many adventures of the three young students. Harry is not scared and searches to find the answers about his parents death.

 

The book written by J.k. Rowling is detailed and tells that story very well. I would recommend that this book to be read out aloud by the teacher to students from year 5-7. This will allow the teacher to ask open and close ended questions. From there students would be able to write a summary of each chapter and be part of their assessment. This is a strategy used at the school I am placed at and works very well. However this book would be ideal for silent reading for those students who are capable of reading at high levels.

Rainbow Fish and the Big Blue Whale

Rainbow Fish and the Big Blue Whale is another 'Rainbow Fish' adventure written by Marcus Pfister. In this story, Rainbow Fish and his friends seem to think they have trouble with a big blue whale who found their reef. Everyone thinks that the whale is just there to eat all their food, when in actual fact he just likes admiring the fish and their beautiful shiny scales. The whale didn't mean to scare the fish, however they became very frightened and swam away. This made the whale very angry and upset, but he eventually calmed down and left them alone for a while. Rainbow Fish decided that it was time to make peace with the whale, so he bravely approached him and explained the situation. Rainbow Fish apologised for being scared of him, while the whale apologised for scaring Rainbow Fish and his friends. In the end they all became friends and lived happily ever after!





This is another simple children's picture book which highlights important themes such as bravery and most importantly, friendship. This book would be suited best to a younger age group as the story is something that everyone would be interested in and also has an underlying message about the importance of understanding each other and making new friends, regardless of what you might originally think of them. I would use this book with year 1's and even year 2's as it highlights the importance of being nice to everyone, and there always being 2 sides to every story. I think this is important to teach students because everyone should be taught to treat everyone how they like to be treated regardless of who they are or what their story is.

The illustrations are extremely bright and colourful which compliment the book. The Rainbow Fish and his friends all have the tiny patch of the bright rainbow colour which adds the extra dimension to the illustrations and gives the students something extra to look at. The illustrations are big and beautiful which would keep the students engaged in the text and may even inspire them to do further research about fish in a different subject.

The Ragged Old Bear

The Ragged Old Bear is a fantastic children's picture book written by Leone Peguero and illustrated By Donna Gynell.
This book is about a young girl called Josie who has some very beautiful and special toys however she cannot take them anywhere incase they get dirty or broken. One day at her grandmother's house, she finds a ragged old bear who isn't new and isn't delicate and immediately she falls in love with him. Josie's mother mends the ragged old bear much to the delight of Josie, who then takes him on lots of adventures here her other toys cannot go. When ragged old bear is back in Josie's bedroom, he wishes that he was like her other toys. He wants to be dignified like White Rabbit, clever like Robo-teach and graceful like Angelina but he wasn't. Bear then remembered how he had been rescued by Josie and how he had been taken on all kinds of adventures which cheered him up. Most importantly however, he remembered how much Josie loved him which was something for him to hold onto and celebrate. 

Peguero has written this picture book in a very simple third person narrative, incorporating themes which would appeal to a younger audience. Many young students would be able to relate to this picture book, with either not being able to take their toys places in case they get wrecked or having a toy that is extremely special to them that travels everywhere with them.
The text throughout the book is also very simple, making it easy for the younger audience to read for themselves. The sentences are short and are written with simple language therefore being appropriate for the target audience.

Peguero's story is accompanied by Gynell's spectacular illustrations. The illustrations are large and very colourful which make the book interesting for the younger students. The illustrations portray exactly what the text is about which helps the students understand what the text may be saying and what the feelings are of that certain character etc.

I believe this book would be appropriate for Junior Primary once again as it is a simple picture book with themes that would relate to many students and their own personal experiences.

Rose Meets Mr Wintergarten

Rose Meets Mr Wintergarten is a well known children's picture book written by Bob Graham which has an award for won 'Picture Book of the Year.'
This book is about Rose Summers and her family moving into their new house, and turn it into a haven of laughter, colours and happiness. Every day the sun shone brightly upon the Summers' house, however it never seemed to touch their next door neighbours house therefore it was always in darkness. All the children are afraid of 'Mr Wintergarten' and his 'dog like a wolf' which guards his house and the crocodile that eats his visitors. One day, Rose accidentally kicks her ball over the fence into Mr Wintergarten's yard. She decides to be brave and go over to ask for her ball back. Mr Wintergarten seemed very grumpy and did not want to give Rose's ball back. However when Rose had left and he seen the big bunch of bright flowers and the hot cakes, he decided that it was time to open his curtains to let some light into his house, which he had not done in years. He then proceeded to go outside and kick Rose's ball back over the fence to her, much to Rose's delight.

Throughout this simple narrative, Graham has been able to send an underlying message to his readers about being compassionate and basically, "not judging a book by it's cover." I believe that this is a very important message for all students to understand. After reading this book, students are able to understand that not everyone is the way that they are made out to be, and that by being compassionate to others will pay off in the end. Graham has included several themes throughout this book including; family, friendship and bravery.

Graham's story is also accompanied by his fantastic illustrations. He has started his story on the end pages of the book, with an illustration of the Summers family moving into their new home, using lots of bright and "happy" colours.Next door however, is a very big, dark house (of course being Mr Wintergarten's) where Graham has used lots of dark tones, making his house look unwelcoming and scary.
I believe that Graham's use of colours would make the book easier to understand for the younger students reading the story. This is because, anything that seems dark can be "scary" which is how Mr Wintergarten is portrayed throughout the story. This is compared to the Summers family and all the other children, gardens etc which are extremely bright, which make them look happy, relaxed and not scary at all.
Graham has also finished his book on the end pages with another illustration. This time, it shows not only the Summers' house looking bright, but also Mr Wintergarten's house which has been cleaned up by the people in the town. This illustration shows the students that Mr Wintergarten is not really as scary as everyone first thought, and is getting everyone to help him tidy up his yard so that everyone is able to visit and like him too. The colours in his house are getting brighter and everyone is happy to be helping Mr Wintergarten out.

I believe that this story would be brilliant for Junior Primary students as it can teach them "not to judge a book by it's cover." The illustrations also accompany the story in a way that would engage the students and keep them interested in the story.

The Fiery Salamander

The Fiery Salamander is the final book to be completed by renowned Australian author Colin Thiele. It is a short chapter book which I think would be suitable for children in about grade three (younger children may also enjoy having the book read to them).
The story is about a group of animals who are frequently terrorised by a terrible monster; the Fiery Salamander, who lives in a nearby volcano. The animals decide that they must do something to stop the Salamander’s terrible attacks, so they band together and devise a plan to trap the monster. When this plan fails to work, the Salamander is more enraged than ever and the animals live in constant fear – until finally the Spider Monkey discovers a way to put an end to the Fiery Salamander. The animals live happily from then on – and the Spider Monkey is a celebrated hero.

While the book’s plot is simple, it emphasises that even the smallest characters can have big ideas – helping to illustrate to children that everyone has the ability to make a difference. Other themes which could be identified in the text (and perhaps taken further in class) are; teamwork, community or the animal kingdom- and animal characteristics.

This particular book is aimed at a younger age group than most of Thiele’s work – and so uses more simplistic vocabulary, however it does use rich descriptive language (characteristic of his style of writing) - including many varied adjectives, metaphors and similes to build imagery of the animals and the environment.

The book also includes black and white line drawings by illustrator Mark Wilson. These images have an element of realism to them, but also allow emotion to be conveyed through the facial expressions of the animals. This complements Thiele’s writing – which is anthropomorphic (the animals feel and communicate as humans would).

I think this story would be very suitable for use in a middle primary classroom. It is a story which children are likely to find engaging – and could be used as a starting point for a number of topics.

Twas the Night Before Christmas

Twas the Night Before Christmas is a great book to be read to the class when it comes close to Christmas time. The book has great illustrations, these again look rather old fashioned like a book I have previously read. The picture below shows how well illustrated the book is. The illustration goes with the text;

 

 

The stockings were hung

By the chimney with care,

In hopes that St. Nicholas

Soon would be there



 

 

                                                  

 

 

 

The book includes rhymes. The text on each page is four lines long. It is on the second line last word and fourth line last word that rhyme on every page. The story is about a family whose children hang their stockings and hope that St Nicholas will fill these. The story is obviously not set in Australia as it says in the book For a long winter's nap. This may need to be explained to students.

 

The text especially as it rhymes works well the the illustrations, the illustrations clarify what the text is saying. This may help students especially if they do not understand. This book would be great to be read to students in the lower years at school. It would be ideal for this book to be read before an activity that links with the book, for example making stockings.

 

 

Baby Giraffe's Trip to the Watering Hole

This book is about a giraffe who decides to make a trip to the watering hole. And along his journey he sees his many friends, the first was the rhino, the elephant next, the zebra, his friend the baby lion cub, baby monkey, baby wildebeest and his friend the cheetah. All his friends marched across the plains to arrive at the watering hole where they had fun.

 

I found this book to be particularly interesting as the illustrations are so bright  and very colourful. This would capture the students attention especially those within the early years.

 

 

 

                                             

 

 

 

Each page contains short sentences, colourful and detailed pictures. This book would be ideal for students in the lower primary years, reception to year two. It would be ideal for students to read this as part of their guided or silent reading program. The vocabulary is ideal for students in the lower years however this would have to be further looked at when including this book as part of students guided reading programs.

The Three Little Pigs with a Twist

The book The Three Little Pigs with a Twist includes short pieces of text with illustrations on the same page. The story begins with the mother yelling at her three sons and telling them to build themselves houses.

 

Each pig went on their own little way to build their own house. Firstly, one built his house of straw, the second out of sticks and the third built his out of bricks and grey cement sticks. The big bad wolf came along and wanted to cause havoc. At the first house he huffed and puffed the first and second house in. However as the big bad wolf came to the third house built out of bricks he new this would be hard. So the big bad wolf came up with a master plan and carefully went down the chimney. As he was going down the chimney he was thinking how nice the pig would be for lunch. The big bad wolf never at the pig for lunch, the pig had a burning fire below and the wolf fell in it. The pig said "That's for my mum, I would huff and puff and blow you out. But, that's not what this story is all about". The big bad wolf lays on the floor of the pigs house in front of the fire.

 

The Three Little Pigs with a Twist is a book that would be ideal for lower primary years within their guided reading program or a silent reading material. The text includes short sentences and I believe the vocabulary included reflects the year level. 

The Tale of Benjamin Bunny

The tale of Benjamin Bunny was a story I can recall listening and reading when I was younger. I believe it is the illustrations that make the book even better. The pictures looked old fashioned, however there is so much detail included. In a nutshell that story is about Peter's cousin, Benjamin Bunny who persuades him to go back to Mr. McGregors garden to retrieve the clothes he lost there.

 

The book was read from the Ipad therefore the text was easy to read, each time you turned the pages there was always a page for an illustration and a page for the text. The text on each page was not very long yet included many descriptive words which allows the reader to imagine and make the story real.

 

The way Beatrix Potter has written the story allows the reader to become intrigued and wanting to turn the pages following over. I particularly found this not only for the text but to see the illustrations.

 

                                                

 

This book would be ideal for students at the  lower - mid primary school level. It could have different purposes depending on the age group selected. This book would be great to be read after lunch to the class to relax them before beginning lessons.

Fantastic Mr. Fox

‘Fantastic Mr. Fox’ is a well-known children’s novel written by Roald Dahl and illustrated by Quentin Blake. The story’s protagonist – Mr. Fox, lives beneath a tree with his wife and four small children; who he provides for by stealing food. Mr Fox’s food sources are three nearby farms (owned by the farmers; Boggis, Bunce and Bean. When Boggis, Bunce and Bean become fed up with the thievery- they attempt to dig Mr. Fox out from his home in the ground. The rest of the story details the challenges faced by the protagonist – as he formulates a plan to save his family and the rest of the underground community who he has placed in danger.

Dahl has created a complex character in Mr Fox; one who is confident, charismatic and cunning – yet not infallible. In addition to this; Dahl retains an element of ‘wildness’ about Mr Fox – despite extensive and constant use of anthropomorphism. These elements combine to form a captivating, entertaining and relatable character who readers soon engage with and warm to.

Blake’s illustrations (like in so many Roald Dahl books) add ‘movement’ and whimsy to ‘Fantastic Mr. Fox’. Through his iconic, ‘spindly’ drawings – Blake contributes to the personality filled characters and magical absurdity which characterise Dahl’s work.

I think this story would be best suited to children in year three or four. The book’s language and reading level seems to be appropriate for children of this age group - while it should still challenge them with some new vocabulary.  In terms of the book’s content – there is plenty of material for discussion in the classroom – such as themes of environmental destruction, greed, facing up to mistakes and working as a team.

I think ‘Fantastic Mr. Fox’ is a valuable book for use in the classroom – particularly as the use of animals (and anthropomorphism) almost always attracts children’s interest and will therefore make reading the book a positive experience.

 

The Naming of Tishkin Silk

The Naming of Tishkin Silk (written by Glenda Millard and illustrated by Caroline Magerl), is a small novel which I think could be read by children from about grade three or four upwards. The story’s protagonist is Griffin Silk; a young boy who lives in the countryside with his five older sisters, his parents and his grandmother. The story focuses on Griffin’s struggle to deal with the loss of his baby sister – as well as the absence of his mother (who is recovering from the tragedy in hospital).  The story has a particular focus on family bonds and friendships - and how relationships like these are important when dealing with difficult times or emotions.

Though the book deals with sombre subject matter, Millard has taken a very gentle approach- making the story very poignant yet ensuring that it is comfortable for young readers to engage with. Millard also uses very vivid descriptive language throughout the story often referencing nature – this not only helps to build a picture in the minds of readers, but also helps to suggest that the Silk family have a strong connection to nature and live a simple, natural lifestyle (further adding to the ‘gentle’ feel of the story).

Magerl’s illustrations serve to complement the delicate/ethereal feel created by the text, depicting the characters with soft, spidery lines and often surrounded by nature (eg. tree branches, flowers, birds).

In the classroom, this book could be used in a number of ways. Millard eloquently and sensitively opens up a range of discussion points for children including; families, grief, reflection, bullying, fears, love and friendship. Additionally, the text provides many opportunities to study examples of linguistic devices which create or enhance meaning (eg. metaphors, similes, adjectives, dialogue). This book also provides opportunity to study the effects of juxtaposing imagery and words (developing multiliteracy skills).

 

The Road to Goonong

The Road to Goonong is written by David Cox. The Road to Goonong is an engaging account of a farming family and their daily life during the Great Depression and during World War II.  This picture book is a memoir, and provides a deep understanding of one boy’s daily Australian life in earlier times in engaging language and pictures that the reader can identify with. The story depicts not only the reality of living on the land with drought and little money, but also the strong community spirit when neighbours depend on each other for help.

The story is told from a young boy's perspective, in an engaging way that students can readily identify with. It captures the fun and freedom of being a child in that era as he watches timber cutters work with axes and enjoy the freedom of farm life -riding horses, milking cows and sleeping on the veranda under mosquito nets.

It is excellent for promoting further discussion on differences and continuities with students’ lives today—the family home, how they play and work, and what community they live in. Issues are sensitively portrayed in the text such as the impact of the white settlement on the local indigenous community, and the impact of drought and depression on farming families. The sensitive and quite humorous illustrations capture the different characters and the Australian landscape superbly.

This would be an effective teaching tool when studying Australian history to engage students and help them understand heritage and colonisation of local aboriginal groups. This book would be suitable for the primary years however older students could analyse the illustrations and text further to gain a better understanding of this era.

Waiting for Benjamin

Waiting for Benjamin was written by Alexandra Jessup Altman and illustrated by Susan Keeter. It was published in 2008. 
Alexandra Jessup Altman is a Senior Interventionist in a Autism Spectrum Program, run by the HowardCentre for Human Services in Vermont. 
Alexandra found after years of working with children with autism and their families, that the other children often feel like they have to compete for time and attention from their parents. Many children may have angry or negative thoughts against their siblings with autism due to the amount of attention the autistic sibling is receiving compared to them.
She wrote this book in hope that parents can have the opportunity to help their other children to cope with having a sibling with autism. 

The book describes some of the challenges that both parents and siblings will face in everyday life. 

Waiting for Benjamin tells the story of Alexander and his brother Benjamin. Ever since Benjamin's second birthday, they have been waiting for him to speak however he didn't say any words, only noises. Alexander has tried playing with Benjamin but all Benjamin does is sit there and not look at anything. Most of the time Benjamin just rocks on a wobbly stool and wiggles his fingers. Then one day, his parents take Benjamin to the doctors and he is diagnosed with autism. They explain to Alexander that 'part of his brain is different and that makes it hard for Benjamin to listen and to look at us.' 

Alexander is especially jealous when two teachers come each day to work with Benjamin and for little things, Benjamin gets rewards, whereas Alexander can do bigger and better things and he doesn't receive a reward. After Alexander finally acts out his rage by spilling water onto Benjamin’s bed, his father comes up with the idea of taking Alexander camping—just the two of them. Eventually, Alexander feels wanted again, and learns to appreciate Benjamin for the brother he is. He is wonders what his brother is seeing and thinking, however he now considers him a friend. 

This book is a great reading material to read to all students, not just those who have autistic siblings. It will hopefully make students more aware and understanding if they do happen to be in the same class as a student with autism or see a student in the yard. It could very well prevent any bullying against students with disabilities. 

Good Night, Me

Good Night, Me is written by Andrew Daddo and illustrated by Emma Quay.
Andrew Daddo has written books for all ages – picture books, chapter books, short story collections, young adult novels and adult non-fiction.
This story is about a little orangutan who is ready to go to sleep but instead of just laying there, waiting to fall asleep, he tells each of his body parts a good night.


He starts with his feet (for running)

Then his knees (for holding his legs together)

Then his legs (need rest for jumping tomorrow)

His stomach (which he doesnt want any noise from)

His bottom (to relax but not too much)

His chest (to keep breathing)

His hands (to let go)

His arms (to loosen)

His neck (to lay on the pillow)

His head (including ears - to stop listening and his nose)

His mouth (no more questions)

His eyes (look for dreams)

Andrew Daddo first wrote this book when he had to tell a bedtime story to his son, but from his head not from reading a book. So he resorted to going through with his son, saying good night to his body parts.

This book is great for younger children, as it can be a good relaxation book and children can get ideas for when they go to sleep.

This can also be incorporated into the classroom, with students writing about each body part and what they would say to the parts when going to sleep.

Gator

Gator is written by the author of Duck, Randy Cecil.
It follows the adventure taken by Gator. When the crowds stop coming to the fairground, where Gator is the happiest merry-go-round animal, he decides to leave his home on the ride and sets off on an exciting journey, not knowing where he is going or what he is going to find.
He left his friend Duck, who had always been with him and walked out the gate, but with a hole in his heart where the pole used to be.
He soon became lost in a deep dark forest, until he stumbled upon a bridge and looked over to find ducks. These ducks reminded him of the friend he left behind. When he went to saw hello, he slipped and fell into the water. As he laid there, he heard laughter and turned around to find a zoo. However he didnt know it was a zoo, he thought it was another fairground, but as he looked around, he couldnt find the lights or hear the sounds of the fairground.
After looking around he found some alligators, but they were much bigger than he was.
Just when he had given up home, a boy and his father walked past and recognised him from the old fairground. Gator realised he had been forgotten and he began to lead the way home back to the fairground.
By the time he got home, he was leading people through the gates. The sounds and the lights came back on and the merry-go-round started moving again. Gator felt back at home and everything was just the way it used to be and the hole had been filled again.

The book appeals to many age groups, as young children will understand the story on the simplest level while older children may understand the book on a deeper level of the desire to go back to the way things used to be and the idea of change.

The Boy with Two Belly Buttons

The Boy with Two Belly Buttons is written by New York Times bestselling author, Stephen J. Dubner. The book is illustrated by Christoph Niemann.
The book introduces us to Solomon. Solomon was born with two belly buttons. He thinks this is normal until his baby sister is born. He then finds out that having two belly buttons is not normal.
He asks the question, 'is having that extra belly button good or bad?'
Things look worse and worse until an unexpected encounter makes Solomon appreciate what it means to be a little bit different.


At first Solomon tries to donate his second belly button to the hopsital however the nurse turned him down by telling him that all the babies have been born with a belly button.
Next, he checked with his good friend Victor, a turtle, as he didnt have a belly button. They agreed for Victor to have his extra belly button, but after a little thought, Victor didnt want a belly button because he didnt want to be ridiculed for having a belly button when turtles dont have any.
Solomon went to the pool however everyone there had just one belly button. He then went to the local college and found a professor who specialises in buttons. But the professor didnt believe that Solomon could have two belly buttons and told him to run along home.
On his way home though, he ran into a famous movie director who asked him what's wrong. When Solomon told him that he had two belly buttons, the movie director called him special and asked if he could make a movie about him.
When Solomon went home. for the first time in a long time, he liked what he saw... his two belly buttons.

This book protrays the message of self-acceptance and that it is okay to be different. A very good book to introduce to children from a young age, to understand and comprehend the message. This may even put a stop to bullying within classrooms and students if read and taught right.

                                          

Even Monsters Need Haircuts

Even Monsters Need Haircuts is written by Matthew McElligott. He is an author of many books for children, including 'The Lion's Share', 'Absolutely Not' and two of the Backbeard the Pirate adventures.

The story is based on a barber's young son who, once a month, sneaks into his father's barber shop to attend to his clients.
However, his clients aren't your normal clients. They are monsters. And all kinds of them as well.
His first client taps on his bedroom window to let him know it's time to get to work. His first client is Vlad the Vampire Bat.
He hides his hairdressing supplies away from his dad, things such as rotting tonic, horn polish and stink wax. The paintings are flipped over to reveal portraits of the beastly monsters.
His clients are:
 - Igor
 - Frankestein
 - mummies
 - one-eyed monsters
 - Medusa
 - monsters with three heads
 - skeletons
 - really hairy monsters
Everything is going well until there is a knock at the door. This is unusual as no one ever knows on the front door. It is a new customer who is a human. The young boy has never had a normal human being before. As the new customer walks to the chair, he takes his head off to give to the boy. The boy is relieved as after all he is a monster too.
When the sun starts to rise, it is time to pack and clean up and to return home.

This book is very appealing to young children especially as the idea of monsters need haircuts is extremely hilarious. His language is simple to read and understand and it is a story which all students would love to be a part of. Many different learning experiences can come from this book, for instance incorporate with maths, in looking at pricing for haircuts and so on.