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. 

Weekend reading: 15 September Part One

Helga makes a name for herself. 

Written by Megan Maynor. 

Illustrated by Eda Kaban.

Clarion Books, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2020.

ISBN 9781328957832. 

A story of dreams, persistence, and determination. And the friendship of a loyal pet. 

Viking stereotypes and references are many, with an author's note about horned helmets and female warriors. 

A sprinkle of happiness. 

Written by Lucy Rowland. 

Illustrated by David Litchfield. 

Scholastic UK, 2024. 

ISBN 9780702313776. 

Rhyming couplets tell a story of spreading kindness and love through a community. 

This worked quite well at a daycare storytime about growing and spring. 

A unicorn, a dinosaur, and a shark were riding a bicycle. 

Written and illustrated by Jonathan Fenske. 

Scholastic Australia, 2024. 

ISBN 9781761528217. 

Sequel to A unicorn, a dinosaur, and a shark walk into a book. 

There are stories that demand dramatic reading. I can see this as a four-part readers theatre in my head. I've even cast the parts, based on my team. 

One more day until Pride. 

Written by Gareth Peter. 

Illustrated by Max Rambaldi. 

Puffin Books, 2024. 

ISBN 9780241632406. 

A diverse group of children prepare for Pride, each representing a colour of the rainbow. 

There are various disabilities featured, including: wheelchair user, glasses, cochlear implant, vitiligo, prosthetic arm. 

The children are from many cultures, and have different family dynamics. 

The last double page spread shows the children as adults, again with different families, and breaking gender norms. 

New Zealand title: Titiro Look. 

Written and illustrated by Gavin Bishop. 

Translated by Darryn Joseph. 

Gecko Press, 2024. 

ISBN 978177657545. 

What a taonga! Bilingual / dual language te reo Māori and English, with the te reo Māori as the first / prominent language.  The words include the usual, but then there's others that lift this book out of the ordinary. 

Words like: maimoa cherish; tipihaere roam. 

The people featured are all different, with different cultural backgrounds. 

The very polite knight. 

Written and illustrated by Ian Smith. 

Affirm Press, 2024. 

ISBN 9781922848314. 

Cute, with fairytale leanings: the youngest and quiet son / child who is polite, and achieves the impossible quest. 

Be true to you!

By Maggie Hutchings and Hayley Wells. 

Affirm Press, 2024. 

ISBN 9781922863898. 

Rhyming text. Diverse children, including one in a wheelchair, and transgender. 

The knight snacker. 

Written and illustrated by Valeria Wicker. 

Little, Brown and Company, 2023.

ISBN 9780316456340. 

I really wish publishers would routinely include information about how the book was illustrated. Especially with the rise in AI - it would be good to have this information to hand. To know that there was a creative person behind the work. 

Sparkle and Splodge. 

Written and illustrated by Neil Clark. 

Ladybird Books, 2024. 

ISBN 9780241563328. 

Rhyming couplets tell the lives of two opposing characters. The key is balance: a tidy place, with messy play.

I felt this was borderline didactic, and was close to shouting 'message'. 

Pie-rats! 

Written by Lisa Frenkle Riddiough. 

Illustrated by David Mottram. 

Viking, 2024. 

ISBN 9780593203286. 

Rhyming couplets, mostly, and enough to make you hungry! Thanks publisher - because I now know that the art of this book was made using pen and ink drawings, then coloured digitally. 

Goodnight Sun. 

Written by Eoin McLaughlin.

Illustrated by Morag Hood.

Faber and Faber, 2024. 

ISBN 9780571377527. 

Poor Sun doesn't want to go to sleep, and is a bit afraid of the dark. Thankfully, Sun has friends around to help.

A gentle and reassuring book. 

A fairy called Fred. 

Written by Robert Tregoning. 

Illustrated by Stef Murphy. 

Bloomsbury Children's Books, 2024. 

ISBN 9781526648884. 

Rhyming couplets tell the story of a fairy who wants to grant dress wishes, and a young boy who wishes for the perfect princess gown to wear to a friend's party. 

There's no judgement here, just a couple of people living their dreams. 

Not-a-box city. 

Written and illustrated by Antoinette Portis. 

HarperCollins, 2024. 

ISBN 9780061827280. 

Rabbit, from Not-a-box, attempts to keep their box city to themselves, but has a change of heart. And, with the help of friends, makes a wonderful city to share. 

A book in which the message of sharing = great / selfishness = sadness - doesn't override the story.  

Beach bummer. 

Written and illustrated by Ryan T. Higgins. 

Disney-Hyperion, 2024.

ISBN 9781368090247. 

BRUCE!!!! 

Poor Bruce. Poor, poor Bruce. For such a grump, he is so easily persuaded by pleading eyes. 

I love Bruce. I identify with Bruce. 

A rainy dragon day. 

Written and illustrated by Julie Völk. 

Translated from the German by Melody Shaw. 

Original title: Drachenregentage. 

Gecko Press, 2024. 

ISBN 9781776575794. 

A toilet book that I'd happily read at storytime. Yes, this is a book that deals - mostly - with where dragons go to the toilet. 

This is an interesting question. 

Another question is: are Germans more open / relaxed about toilet routines than those of English heritage? I don't live in the UK, but my ancestors did. I live in colonised Aotearoa New Zealand, which has inherited many English hang-ups. Including toileting. 

This is not the first Germanic-area book I've read, in which the human is shown on the toilet, with toilet noises. 

Michael Morpurgo presents Owl or Pussycat? 

With set design by Polly Dunbar. 

David Fickling Books, 2020. 

ISBN 9781788450720. 

A delightful story of school firsts, including childhood crushes, and stage fright. 

Polly Dunbar's set design is as warm and cuddly as the story. 

Stegosaurus makes its way home. 

Written by Elizabeth Gilbert Bedia. 

Illustrated by Marie Bollmann. 

Dorling Kindersley, 2024.

ISBN 9780241636695. 

Although a bit longer for my regular storytime, there's a few dinosaur-loving preschools in my area, that this would be perfect for. 

This is a solid example of non-fiction facts woven into a story, without lessening the story itself. 

The boy who said wow. 

Written by Todd Boss. 

Art by Rashin Kheiriyeh. 

Beach Lane Books, 2024. 

ISBN 9781534499713. 

A true story of a non-verbal child, who's heartfelt 'wow' at the end of an orchestral concert was recorded, and wowed so many. 

The last zookeeper. 

Written and illustrated by Aaron Becker. 

Walker Books, 2024. 

ISBN 9781529517873. 

A magical wordless book, the tale of Nöa, the robot, and their mission to rescue the animals under their care, as their part of the world succumbs to rising sea levels. 

The detail of the tiger in a cage, as the only predator, is a nice touch. There is no sign of the tiger at the end, however they must be there somewhere. 

There's nothing cuter than a puppy. 

Written by Tom Nicoll. 

Illustrated by Ross Collins. 

Macmillan Children's, 2024. 

ISBN 9781035029327. 

Alliteration is the name of this game, with increasingly bizarre combinations of animals and clothing. Perfect to read for speech therapy and pronunciation practise. 

Agatha May and the anglerfish. 

Writtey by Nora Morrison and Jessie Ann Foley. 

Illustrated by Mika Song. 

Dial Books for Young Readers, 2022. 

ISBN 9780593324752. 

Rhyming text. Agatha moves to her own beat. 

I picked this because the anglerfish was my favourite in a book we had. It was so scary and ugly - and I loved it. (I mentioned to this book to a couple of my siblings, and they were terrified and couldn't even look at the book as children.) 

I found a story of a child who doesn't fit, but also a teacher who cares and knows the child will achieve their dreams. 

Merdaddy. 

Written and illustrated by Wednesday Kirwan. 

Greenwillow Books, 2024. 

ISBN 9780063280274. 

Collage forms the vase of the art work. 

A tale of fun and connection between a father and child. 

A tale of imagination and play. 

The gecko and the echo. 

Written by Rachel Bright. 

Illustrated by Jim Field. 

Orchard Books, 2022. 

ISBN 9781408356067. 

Rhyming text in a moralistic tale of sharing and giving out love, to receive in return. 

No cats in the library. 

Written and illustrated by Lauren Emmons. 

Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2024.

ISBN 9781665933681. 

I wish my library had a read-aloud cat.

Diverse characters, including in a wheelchair, and different body types, populate this tale of an inner-city library. Illustrated in shades of oranges and turquoise. 

World Kid Lit Month 2024: Food

Food, glorious food! 

There are many books out there, which use food as a vehicle to foster cross-cultural understanding. 

I get that. I believe they're coming from a good place.

But, do we have to 'shame' children for their food, in order to get a message through? 

These books don't do that. They just celebrate food, especially that with cultural meaning and history. 

Awâsis & the world famous bannock by Dallas Hunt & Amanda Strong. 

I'm recommending this book on a friend's love of it. The use of Cree names, rather than English, helps this book stand out. And, there's use of gender-neutral pronouns, too. Not to mention glorious illustrations, and all-around goodness. 

Bang Bang Noodles by Nessie Sharpe. 

Nessie is a New Zealand-based Chinese-Kiwi (her words) who celebrates her heritage in a couple of cute board books. Each are English-Cantonese dual language, with English to the forefront. 

Chaiwala! By Priti Birla Maheshwari & Ashley Barron. 

A celebration of an Indian tradition. The book is warm and cosy, like a welcoming cup of chai. 

Cora cooks pancit by Dorina K. Lazo Gilmore & Kristi Valiant. 

I've shared this book for previous World Kid Lit Month years, and I'm recommending it again. Because it is beautiful. There's even a recipe. Which I've used. 

Lunch at 10 Pomegranate Street by Felicita Sala. 

Food brings people and community together, especially when the smells spread throughout an apartment building. Recipes are included, so you can recreate the experience. 

Olive harvest in Palestine by Wafa Shami & Shaima Farouki. 

The heart-break. A world that will never be, again. 
People who no longer with us. 
Taken and destroyed.