Weekend Reads 7 December: Christmas books

A Silver Thread on Christmas Day. 

By Josh Pyke and Hannah Sommerville. 

Scholastic Aust, 2024. 

ISBN 9781761299629. 

Australian. 

Change and continuity through a family's lives. Very sweet and sentimental. 

A Very Dinosaur Christmas. 

By Adam Wallace and Christopher Nielsen. 

Tommy Nelson, 2024. 

ISBN 9781400242085. 

Chaos at Christmas. Includes craft. 

Christmas? That's Not Right!

By Candy Bee and Lee Cosgrove. 

HarperCollins, 2024. 

ISBN 9780008660031.

Beyond silly and fun. But, actually nearly offensive. 
Do not recommend. 

Why I Love Christmas. 

By Michael Wagner and Tom Jellett. 

Puffin / Penguin Aust, 2024. 

ISBN 9781761344688. 

Australian. 

Deceptively heartfelt and emotional. 

In amongst the usual Southern hemisphere Christmas are moments that wrap around your heart, and find yourself blinking back tears. 

Santa's First Christmas. 

By Mac Barnett and Sydney Smith. 

Puffin, 2024. 

ISBN 9780241711392. 

So beautiful and gentle. 

The soft blurred lines of the illustrations give a timeless feel, and are as gentle as the text. 

A treasure. 

The Brightest Christmas Star. 

Laura Motherway and Deb Hudson. 

Lothian, 2024. 

ISBN 9780734423085. 

Australian. 

Rhyming text, from the point of view of the Christmas Star. It looks down about different celebrations, and families. 

Nativity. 

By Cynthia Rylant. 

Beach Lane Books, 2017. 

ISBN 9781481470414. 

The text is mostly Bible versus of the nativity and the (abbreviated) life of Jesus. 

Illustrated in folk art style. 

Ten Little Reindeer. 

By Jonny Lambert. 

Dorling Kindersley, 2020. 

ISBN 9780241439524. 

Board book. 

A rhyming counting down book, with substantial flaps. 

• 9780241439524

Weekend Reads: 7 December 2024

Bridge to Anywhere.  

Written by Sarah Milne. 

Illustrated by Laura Bee.  

Beatnik Publishing, 2024. 

ISBN 9781991165787. 

Aotearoa. 

Family connections. A bit of fantasy. Mention of death and loss. 

It's ok. Nothing great. Heading towards twee. 

Possible reading companions: 

• North an South by Sandra Morris. 

• Hanukkah Upside Down by Elissa Brent Weissman and Omer Hoffmann. 

• Milo Imagines the World by Matt De la Peña and Christian Robinson. 

• Papa Brings Me the World by Jenny Sue Kostecki-Shaw. 

We Disagree. 

Written and illustrated by Bethanie Deeney Murguia. 

Beach Lane Books, 2020. 

ISBN 9781534438804. 

Rhyming text. Dialogue in speech bubbles. Friendship. 

Possible reading companions: 

• Two Rabbits by Larissa Ferenchuk and Prue Pittock. 

• Friendship is Like a Seesaw by Shona Innes and Írisz Agócs. 

• A Better Best Friend by Olivier Tallec and Antony Shugaar. 

• Sun shower by Melinda Szymanik and Isobel Joy Te Aho-White. 

Deadly Animal Atlas: amazing facts, fold-out maps, and
life-size surprises. 

Written by Camilla De la Bédoyère. 

Illustrated by Dusan Lakicevic and Alex Sotirovski. 

Lonely Planet Global, 2024. 

ISBN 9781837582624. 

So much to discover and explore. 

Possible reading companions: 

• The World's Most Atrocious* Fearsome Animals: or are they? by Philip Bunting. 

• Lifesize Deadly Animals by Sophy Henn. 

• The Not Bad Animals by Sophie Corrigan. 

• Critters of Aotearoa: 50 bizarre but loveable members of our wildlife community by Nicola Toki  and Lily Duval. 

5,000 Awesome Facts (About Everything!): updated and expanded! 

National Geographic Kids, 2024. 

ISBN 9781426376139. 

From spies to survival. Sharks to Aliens. 

This went down a treat with my fact-fan great-niblings. 

Possible reading companions: 

• The Bedtime Book of Even More Impossible Questions: adventures for curious minds by Isabel Thomas and Margarida Esteves. 

• Name That Thing! stretch your brain power with 20 picture quizzes by Garth Moore and Ryan O'Rourke. 

• Everything Under the Sun by Molly Oldfield 

Australia's Baby Animals. 

Written and illustrated by Jess Racklyett. 

Affirm Press, 2024. 

ISBN 9781923022812. 

Australian. 

Cute and informative. 

Possible reading companions: 

• Remarkable Animal Stories: form New Zealand and Australia by Maria Gill and Emma Huia Lovegrove. 

• Ninja Bandicoots and Turbo-Charged Wombats: stories from behind the scenes at the zoo by Hazel Flynn. 

• Lifesize Baby Animals by Sophy Henn. 

• Born to be Wild: how baby animals survive and thrive by John Woodward, Caroline Stamps and Sanya Jain. 

Galápagos. 

Written by Tom Jackson. 

Illustrated by Chervelle Fryer. 

Introduction by Steve Backshall. 

Dorling Kindersley, 2022. 

ISBN 9780241528068. 

Galápagos is the subject of so many nature documentaries, but this book adds to that. 

Possible reading companions: 

• Welcome to New Zealand: a nature journal by Sandra Morris. 

• Weird and Wonderful Nature by Ben Hoare and Kaley McKean. 

• Darwin's Voyage of Discovery by Jake Williams. 

I Wonder. 

Written and illustrated by Philip Bunting. 

Walker Books, 2024. 

ISBN 9781760657802. 

Australian. 

A quirky collections of questions - but no answers. 

Possible reading companions: 

• We, the Curious Ones by Marion Dane Bauer, Deepti Nair, and Hari Panicker. 

• I am a Story by Dan Yaccarino. 

• Mr Santa by Jarvis. 

• Do You Wonder? by Wallace Edwards. 

Apples not Orples: a rule-breaking counting book. 

Written by R. A. Stephens. 

Illustrated by Carmen Dougherty. 

Wombat Books, 2024. 

ISBN 9781761111693. 

Australian. 

Puns. Word play. Beginning algebra. A winning formula! 

Possible reading companions: 

• One Is a Snail, Ten is a Crab by April Pulley Sayre and Jeffrey Sayre. 

• P Is for Pterodactyl: the worst alphabet book ever by Raj Haldar, Chris Carpenter, and Maria Tina Beddia. 

• Are You Big? and Are You Small? by Mo Willems. 

• How Many Mice Make an Elephant? and other big questions about size and distance by Tracey Turner and Aaron Cushley. 

Sparks of Imagination. 

Written and illustrated by Stephen Hogtun. 

Dorling Kindersley, 2024. 

ISBN 9780241661888. 

Anti-device, pro-reading - and preachy. 

If the message was 'use your imagination', I wouldn't have a problem, but this is pretty heavy-handed, and polemical. 

Possible reading companions: 

• This Is a Window by Lauren Paige Conrad. 

• This Is NOT a Polar Bear! by Barry Timms and Ged Adamson. 

• We Know a Place by Maxine Beneba Clarke. 

• Ronan the Librarian by Tara Luebbe. Becky Cattie, and Victoria Maderna. 

The Forever Garden. 

Written by Laurel Snyder. 

Illustrated by Samantha Cotterill. 

Schwartz & Wade Books, 2017. 

ISBN 9780553512731. 

Intergenerational friendship over a garden, and passing on the shared knowledge. 
Possible reading companions: 

• A Hat For Mrs Goldman: a story about knitting and love by Michelle Edwards and G. Brian Karas. 

• Old Friends by Margaret Aitken by Lenny Wen. 

• Rose Meets Mr Wintergarten by Bob Graham. 

• Harry and Walter by Kathy Stinson and Qin Leng. 

• My Poet by Patricia MacLachlan and Jen Hill. 

• City Dog, Country Frog by Mo Willems  and Jon J. Muth. 

• Secret gardeners: growing a community and healing the Earth by Maija Hurme and Lina Laurent, Jen Pulju Porter and Sofia Karlsson. 

• Khalil and Mr Hagerty and the Backyard Treasures by Tricia Springstubb  and Elaheh Taherian. 

The Seal on the Beach. 

Written by Mara Bergman.

Illustrated by Brita Granström. 

Walker Books, 2024. 

ISBN 9781529505795. 

A lost seal is tied in with Maggie's mum and baby brother to come home from hospital. Poignant. 

Possible reading companions: 

• Rosie and Tortoise by Margaret Wild and Ron Brooks. 

• Stranded by Linda Jane Keegan and Isobel Joy Te Aho-White. 

• Lost and Found by Oliver Jeffers. 

There Are No Ants In This Book. 

Written by Rosemary Mosco. 

Illustrated by Anna Pirolli. 

Tundra, 2024. 

ISBN 9781774881163. 

A fun way to learn about different species of ants. 
Possible reading companions: 

• The Wonderful Wisdom of Ants by Philip Bunting. 

• Bum Or Face? by Kari Lavelle. 

• Ugly-cute: what misunderstood animals can teach us about life by Jennifer McCartney. 

Weekend Reads: 1 December

Tell Your Own Story: pick a new story again and again!

By Adam Guillain, Charlotte Guillain, and Tony Neal. 

Ladybird, 2024. 

ISBN 9780241622254. 

Picture book level pick-a-path type story. 

Great for interactive stories for older children. 

I can see it as a flannel board, too. 

Possible companion reads: 

• Endlessly Ever After by Laurel Snyder and Dan Santat. 
• You Choose by Pippa Goodhart and Nick Sharratt. 
• A Monster + Princess + Shark Adventure by Sarah Coyle and Adam Walker-Parker. 

How Babies Are Made. 

By Philip Bunting. 

Scholastic, 2024. 

ISBN 9781761126277. 

Australian. 

As someone who grew up loving Where Did I Come From? I appreciated this book as a modern version. 

Wacky Witches and Their Peculiar Familiars. 

By April Suddendorf. 

NorthSouth, 2023. 

ISBN 9780735845480. 

Rhyming text and quirky illustrations combine to create a fun read. 

Possible companion reads: 

• Witch's Cat Wanted: apply within by Joy H. Davidson and Nikki Slade-Robinson. 
• The Witch of Maketu and the Bleating Lambs by Anika Moa and Rebecca ter Borg. 
• Moggie McFlea: the witch's cat by Anna Kemp and Adam Beer. 

I Am. 

By Dana Winter. 

Beatnik, 2024. 

ISBN 9781991165770. 

Aotearoa. 

Well-meaning and earnest. 

Possible companion reads: 

•  I Am Me: a book of authenticity by Susan Verde and Peter H. Reynolds. 
• You Are Here by Zack Manbeck. 

Take Heart, Take Action. 

By Beci Orpin. 

Lothian / Hachette, 2019. 

ISBN 9780734419866. 

Australian. 

Simple ways to help live sustainably, and contribute to saving the environment. 

Possible companion reads: 

• Change Starts With Us by Sophie Beer. 
• Change Sings by Amanda Gorman and Loren Long. 
• Clean UP! by Nathan Bryon and Dapo Adeola. 

The Little Worried Caterpillar. 

By Christine Pym. 

Scholastic, 2023. 

ISBN 9780702323713. 

A caterpillar who likes being a caterpillar, and is worried about becoming a butterfly. 

Reassurance for those worried about upcoming changes. 

• What If, Pig? by Linzie Hunter. 
• There Might Be Lobsters by Carolyn Crimi and Laurel Mok. 

Amazing Animals with Astonishing Jobs. 

By Simon Philip and Adam Ming. 

Simon & Schuster, 2024. 

ISBN 9781471188169. 

The range of jobs is, truly, astonishing. And, a little liberal - a bit of a stretch for some of them. 

Possible companion reads: 

• ANZAC Animals by Maria GIll and Marco Ivančić. 
• Animal helpers by Štěpánka Sekaninová and Misha Bera. 

The Worst Dog in the World. 

By Michel Streich. 

Scholastic Aust, 2022. 

ISBN 9781743838778. 

Oh, the pain of not getting the pet you want - and are ready for. And, then trying to make the pet you did receive fit your preconceptions. 

The illustrations deliver so much more dimension to the text. 

Possible companion reads: 

• My Cat, the Silliest Cat in the World by Gilles Bachelet. 
• Prudence Wants a Pet by Cathleen Daly and Stephen Michael King.

Soon. 

By Libby Gleeson  and Jedda Robaard. 

Little Hare, 2020. 

ISBN 9781760501235. 

Australian. 

Waiting for a new baby. 

A positive spin on this perennial topic. 

Possible companion reads: 

• Kia ora, Baby by Donovan Bixley. 
• The Very Best Words by Erin Munro and Sarah Trolle. 

The Impatient Glacier. 

By Shaun Micallef and Rebel Challenger. 

Scholastic Aust, 2024. 

ISBN 9781760268589. 

Australian. 

Celebrity title. 

Rhyming text.

It's ok. Bordering on moralistic. 

Possible companion reads: 

• The Very Impatient Caterpillar by Ross Burach. 
• Slowly, Slowly by Toni Yuly. 
• Have You Seen Tomorrow? by Kyle Mewburn and Laura Bernard. 

Amazing Sister. 

By Alison Brown. 

Farshore, 2024. 

ISBN 9780008529482. 

Rhyming text. 
Solid offering. 

Possible companion reads? 

• By Myself by Sumana Seeboruth and Maribel Castells. 
• Before We Met by Gabrielle Tozer and Sophie Beer. 

Solar Bear. 

By Beth Ferry and Brendan Wenzel.

HarperCollins, 2024. 

ISBN 9780063251731. 

Rhyming text takes the child, and the reader, on a trip around the world to meet endangered animals. 

Possible companion reads: 

• Watson the Detective Dog by Susan Brocker and Jenny Cooper. 
• Old Blue: the rarest bird in the world by Mary Taylor. 

Skyscraper Babies. 

By April Pulley Sayre and Juliet Menéndez. 

Godwin Books / Henry Holt, 2023. 

ISBN 9781250139771. 

A nice change from all the rural-set bedtime books. Very cute. 

Possible companion reads: 

• Puddling! by Emma Perry and Claire Alexander. 
• The Concrete Garden by Bob Graham. 

Busy Little Fingers: Music. 

By Eva Wong Nava and Eleonora Marton. 

Big Picture Books, 2024. 

ISBN 9781800786455. 

A vibrant and entertaining introduction to music. 

Possible companion reads: 

• The Colour of Music by Lisa Tiffen and Matt Ottley. 
• The Day Bell Found Her Sound by Lizzy O'Donnell. 
• Sounds Good by Ole Könnecke, Hans Könnecke, and Melody Shaw. 

A Most Mysterious Manor. 

By Megan Hess. 

Hardie Grant, 2024. 

ISBN 9781761212659. 

I've mentioned previous books in this series. 

They are all much of a muchness. 

Possible companion reads: 

• Gemma and the Giant Girl by Sara O'Leary and Marie Lafrance. 
• Seen and Not Heard by Katie May Green. 

Mini Architects: 20 projects inspired by the great architects. 

By Joséphine Seblon and Robert Sae-Heng. 

Thames & Hudson, 2024. 

ISBN 9780500660249. 

Facts and crafts - what more could you want?! 

Well, for me, not to use food items in crafts. I think it is a bad idea, not to mention offensive, to use food items in crafts, which will not be eaten. Instead of marshmallows, maybe blu-tac, or playdough? (Playdough is borderline food, I know.) 

Possible companion reads: 

• Adventures in Architecture for Kids: 30 design projects for STEAM discovery and learning by Vicky Chan. 
• Atlas of Amazing Architecture: the most incredible buildings you've (probably) never heard of by Peter Allen and Ziggy Hanaor. 

Jessica's Box. 

By Peter Carnavas. 

New Frontier Publishing, 2024. 

ISBN 9781923145481. 

Australian. 

NB: The Horn Book review refers to another edition, in which Jessica uses a wheelchair. I read the review and wondered how I'd missed that! But, I hadn't. 
Anyway, this is about Jessica starting school and others teasing her. It is about finding her place and her kindred spirits. 

Possible companion reads: 

• Ruby's Tools for Making Friends by Apryl Stott. 
• I Really, Really Don't Like Parties by Angie Morgan. 

Boop! 

By Bea Birdsong and Linzie Hunter. 

HarperCollins, 2023. 

ISBN 9780063214804. 

An interactive read, which encourages readers to boop the snoot! 

A fun read for anyone. 

Possible companion reads: 

• Herve Tullet books. 
• Christie Matheson books. 

To the End of the World, Far, Far Away. 

By Ronda Armitage and Victoria Turnbull. 

Walker Books, 2024. 

ISBN 9781406393637. 

Love between a mother and child. 

Possible companion reads:

• No Matter What by Debi Gliori. 
• Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney and Anita Jeram. 

We're Going On a Bear Hunt Nature Adventures: 30 outdoor activities for young explorers all year round. 

By Walker Books, with additional text by Michael Rosen; illustrations Helen Oxenbury, step-by-step illustrations by Lucy Burningham. 

Walker Books, 2024. 

ISBN 9781529518894. 

Divided into seasonal chapters, with easy and achievable activities. 

Possible companion reads: 

• Play Wild: nature craft projects for tamariki by Rachel Clare and Dena Aroha Bach. 
• The Nature Activity Book: 99 ideas for activities in the natural world of Aotearoa New Zealand by Rachel Haydon and Pippa Keel. 
• Quiet by Tomie DePaola. 
• A Recipe for Magic Potion by Jack Henseleit and Natasja Horne. 

Weekend Reads: 1 December: #Scienterrific

My Teeth: top to bottom. 

By Amanda Krompetz and Marli Renee. 

Archway Publishing, 2020. 

ISBN 9781480892026. 

I found this confusing. The format and the content are are odds. It is a board book with interactive elements (eg flaps and tabs). But the content is suitable for a much older age group. 

The information is valuable, but crowded and confusing. 

Extreme Animal Rumble: 5 books in 1!

By Jerry Pallotta and Bob Bolster. 

Scholastic, 2024. 

ISBN 9780702339233. 

Match ups between various animals in the ocean, bugs, dinosaurs, jungle, and sharks. 

I'm undecided about this one. 

Space: From Sputnik to the International Space Station. 

By Jan van der Veken. 

Prestel, 2024. 

ISBN 9783791375816. 

Serviceable. Although I was a bit taken aback to read that John Stapp invented the seat belt. 

It seems a murky history, but Stapp didn't invent seat belts. He was involved in safety tests and inventions. Some of which led to the seat belt. But, not the 3-point seat belt installed in most cars - which is what I think about when I read the word seat belt. 

Children's books can take the easiest route - but that doesn't mean the best and least confusing one. 

Your Brilliant Brain. 

By Philip Bunting. 

Bright Light, 2024. 

ISBN 9781761212789. 

Solid introduction to the topic. 

A Whole World of Mammals. 

By Anna Claybourne and Yekyung Kwon. 

Franklin Watts, 2024. 

ISBN 9781445188126. 

A treasure trove of animal facts. 

The DNA Book. 

By Professor Alison Woollard and Dr Sophie Gilbert. 

Dorling Kindersley, 2020. 

ISBN 9780241411018. 

Good introduction to the topic. 

Professor Alison Woollard is a biochemistry lecturer. 

Dr Sophie Gilbert is a geneticist. 

The Biggest Footprint: eight billion humans, one clumsy giant. 

By Rob Sears and Tom Sears. 

Canongate, 2021. 

ISBN 9781838853495.

Mind bending and expanding explanation about the disproportionate misuse of the planet's resources by us. 

There are glimmers of hope - including an Aotearoa klaxon for the kākāpō. 

An Anthology of Our Extraordinary Earth. 

By Cally Oldershaw, Angela Rizza, and Daniel Long. 

Dorling Kindersley, 2023. 

ISBN 9780241585375. 

From the core to the atmosphere, this book will surely inspire future scientists, explorers, and lovers of the planet. 

The Cosmic Diary of a Future Space Explorer. 

By Tim Peake, Steve Cole, and Max Rambaldi. 

Wren & Rook, 2024. 

ISBN 9781526363640. 

A real-life astronaut leads the creative team, which looks like what the future of space exploration could be. 

Facts vs Opinions vs Robots. 

By Michael Rex. 

Nancy Paulsen Books / Penguin Random House, 2020. 

ISBN 9781984816269. 

A timely book. Perfect for starting a discussion on information literacy. 

The Fossil Hunter. 

By Kate Winter. 

Puffin, 2023. 

ISBN 9780241469880. 

A picture book biography of Mary Anning. 

The illustrations are glorious - and the fold-out pages are a delight.