Weekend Reading: 15 September Part Two

New Zealand title: Spotty the Zebra. 

Written by Peter Millett. 

Illustrated by Raymond McGrath. 

Scholastic NZ, 2024. 

ISBN 9781775438724.

Rhyming text. 

A tale of accepting and celebrating your differences and individuality. 

New Zealand title: The squeakling: the tale of Spike, Max and the tiny intruder. 

Written by Kristin Kelly. 

Illustrated by Ronja Schipper.

Scholastic NZ, 2024. 

ISBN 9781775438588. 

A new baby disrupts the comfortable life of Max and Spike. 

This is lovely. But, I would caution using it if you have a new arrival coming, and an uncertain older sibling around. 

Hooray, hooray, it's Library Day! 

Written by Julie Anne Grasso. 

Illustrated by Heath McKenzie.

Scholastic Aust, 2024. 

ISBN 9781760266042. 

A book gets to live its dream / wish to go home to be read.

I'm not sure I'd advocate for treating library books like this poor book. Its dream comes with spaghetti, a bath, and being dropped on the train. 

The girl who loves bugs. 

Written by Lily Murray. 

Illustrated by Jenny Løvlie. 

Macmillan Children's Books, 2023. 

ISBN 978152904804. 

Rhyming text. 

Evie, the main character, has hearing aids, two mothers, and a baby brother. She also has a great-grandmother who loves bugs, too. 

Rainbow days. 

Written by Margaret Hamilton. 

Illustrated by Anna Pignataro. 

Little Hare Books Aust, 2022. 

ISBN 9781761210242. 

Rhyming couplets tell a simple story of days of the weeks and rainbow colours. 

Bluey: Grannies. 

Puffin Books Aust, 2020.

ISBN 9781760899363. 

Cute. With dancing Grannies Rita and Janet at the end. 

A bird day. 

Written and illustrated by Eva Lindström. 

Translated from the Swedish by Julia Marshall. 

Gecko Press NZ, 2023.

ISBN 9781776575275. 

A slice of anthropomorphic bird life. 

Once upon a Big Bad Wolf. 

Written by Leigh Hodgkinson. 

Illustrated by Adam Ming. 

Farshore, 2024. 

ISBN 9780008526238. 

One act of kindness changes to course of fairy tale characters' lives. 

Walls. 

Written by Tania Ingram. 

Illustrated by Ruth-Mary Smith. 

Wombat Books Aust, 2024. 

ISBN 9781761111518. 

Two families - well, fathers - want their families to be safe, while the two children want to be friends. 

Fate intervenes, and peace descends - once the walls come down. 

Mia's world. 

Written by Amelia Donnelly. 

Illustrated by Jennifer Bouron. 

Little Steps Publishing Aust, 2024. 

ISBN 9781922678317. 

An introduction to the five great faiths - and the themes that combines them all. 

Worthy. 

Goldilocks and the three bears and other stories. 

Written and illustrated by Lucy Cousins. 

Walker Books, 2024. 

ISBN 9781406377378. 

Lucy Cousins' usual fun style, and simplified traditional stories, make this a good introductory read for younger children. 

Tell your own story: pick a new story again and again! 

Written by Adam & Charlotte Guillain. 

Illustrated by Tony Neal. 

Ladybird Books, 2024. 

ISBN 9780241622254. 

So many silly stories! You could spend hours on this. 

This is a window. 

Written and illustrated by Lauren Paige Conrad. 

Minerva, 2024. 

ISBN 9781662651595. 

Rhyming text tells the story of imaginative play. 

Rainbow shopping. 

Written and illustrated by Qing Zhuang. 

Holiday House, 2024. 

ISBN 9780823458837. 

A story of immigration and finding your place in a new country. 

Mr Darcy the cat and the Matariki glow. 

Written by Dr Janice Belgrave. 

Illustrated by Ella Gordon. 

J and J Literacy, Kiwi Tamariki Books, 2024. 

ISBN 978047371270. 

Rhyming text, which tries to hard to be inclusive, but... 

A cat takes a dream journey around the world, and time, to learn about different Matariki traditions. 

Worthy. 

Tomorrow's lily. 

Written and illustrated by Chris Raschka. 

Greenwillow, 2024. 

ISBN 9780063049376. 

The short life of a lily and why we can use those lessons in our own lives. Also days of the week. 

When Isaac hears the rain. 

Written by Julie Thompson. 

Illustrated by Leah Giles. 

WorthyKids, 2024. 

ISBN 9781546004615. 

Canadian. 

Isaac loves the rain, and worms, and is a delight! 

New Zealand title: The witch of Maketu and the bleating lambs. 

Written by Anika Moa. 

Illustrated by Rebecca Ter Borg. 

Puffin NZ, 2024. 

ISBN 9781776958184. 

See my piece for the October Kiwi Kids Books! 

New Zealand title: But then ... : the almost true story of an overdue book. 

Written by Swapna Haddow. 

Illustrated by Daron Parton. 

Scholastic NZ, 2024. 

ISBN 9781775438823. 

A great story of consequences and library books. 

New Zealand title: Woollies & uggs. 

Written by Emma Vere-Jones. 

Illustrated by Lisa Allen. 

David Bateman, 2024. 

ISBN 9781776890767. 

Rhyming text. 

Alas, not very inspiring. 

Our dreaming. 

Written by Kirli Saunders. 

Illustrated by Dub Leffler. 

Scholastic Aust, 2022. 

ISBN 9781742995113. 

Includes Gundungurra words, which have pronunciation and translation at the back. 

Deceptively simple, but deeply spiritual. 

Billy's brilliant butterflies. 

Written by Jacquie Ward. 

Illustrated by Winona Kieslich. 

Little Steps Publishing Aust, 2024. 

ISBN 9781922678324. 

Highly sensitive Billy finds ways to be comfortable at school, with an accepting friend, and understanding teacher.

If only school really was like this for every neurodiverse child. 

The girl and the mermaid. 

Written by Hollie Hughes. 

Illustrated by Sarah Massini. 

Bloomsbury Children's, 2024. 

ISBN 9781526628107. 

Rhyming text. 

The story of a young girl living with a grandmother who, possibly, is in the early stages of dementia. 

But magical mermaids help fill their stories, and grandmother's memories.

From the illustrations, Alina and her grandmother appear Pasifika. 

Open very carefully. 

Illustrated by Nicola O'Byrne. 

Written by Nick Bromley. 

Nosy Crow, 2013. 

ISBN 9780857630841. 

An interactive story, with holes! 

The day Bell found her sound. 

Written and illustrated by Lizzy O'Donnell. 

Viking, 2024. 

ISBN 9780593621776. 

Orange tinted illustrations, which lends a touch of retro. 

A tale of trying to fit in, but learning how to embrace yourself - while being part of the community, by doing so. 

The mermaid with no tail. 

Written by Jessica Long. 

Illustrated by Airin O'Callaghan. 

Foreword by Michael Phelps. 

Sounds True, 2023. 

ISBN 9781649630933. 

A celebrity-written moral story is often a recipe for a trite and unappealing book. But this one is better than most. 

Kisses from space. 

Written by Anna Menon and Keri Vasek. 

Illustrated by Andy Harkness. 

Random House, 2024. 

ISBN 9780593811146. 

Another book where I wish the publishers include art information. 

Rhyming text.

The bee who loved words. 

Written by Helen Docherty. 

Illustrated by Erica Salcedo. 

Puffin, 2023. 

ISBN 9780241450680. 

The love of words can save the day, if you know what you're doing.