PERRY, Georgina (design) Alana Wulff (text) Love You, Dad Random House, 2014 unpaged $14.99 ISBN 9780857982780 This book is a collection of random memories, written by a daughter to her much loved father. They vary from observations, apologies, compromises to the sharing of secrets about the times they have spent together, and they all end with the same comment ‘love you Dad’. The message on each page is inscribed onto a range of different backgrounds, designed by Georgina Perry, reflecting what the message is saying or an aspect of the daughter’s world. As a package of memories, it prompts many…
Author: Admin
SYDENHAM, Julie (illus.) ‘Gigi’ Di Morrissey (text) Sonoma Meets Miss Mouse Harbour Publishing House, 2014 unpaged $19.99 ISBN 9871922134400 SCIS 1672605 The art work in this text is both engaging and evocative. Although there are dark colours, because the story takes place at night, the way the illustrator plays with light and dark and different textures in her mixed media work there is a sense of warmth and caring captured in the night rather than anything frightening. It is a story about a little girl who befriends a mouse in the darkness, and helps her not to be afraid of…
WILLIAMS, Simon (illus.) Ed Allen (text) Dear Dad Scholastic, 2014 unpaged $16.99 ISBN 9781743624333 SCIS 1675504 There is plenty of humour in this interactive book as each of the letters it contains is written by different animals to their dads. All of them play with words in ways which will undoubtedly cause a giggle for most readers. For example, Fang the young crocodile says his dad always knows ‘the best places to grab a bite to eat along the river bank’ and Tad can’t wait to have strong legs like his dad so he can go on land. The art…
CARNAVAS, Peter (text) Amanda Francey (illus.) Jonathan! New Frontier, 2014 unpaged $24.99 ISBN 9781921928611 SCIS 1649353 Jonathan loves dressing up and trying to scare his family with a variety of disguises. Too often the standard response is, ‘Not scary, Jonathan’. Poor Jonathan becomes so despondent that he leaves home and goes for a walk, only to discover a dinosaur in the neighbourhood. Jonathan whispers into the beast’s ear and then takes him up to the front door. This creates the desired reaction but the punchline at the end is a delightful surprise. The text is written in rhyme but this…
BUCHANAN, Colin (text) Nina Rycroft (illus.) Possum’s Big Surprise Scholastic, 2014 unpaged $13.99 pbk ISBN 9781742839271 SCIS 1665302 What a joyful experience it is to read this book, with its fast paced rhyming text, stimulating use of language and exuberant artwork leading readers rapidly across the pages as they follow possum’s journey. It is fun to read aloud and much appreciated by young children, who are only too happy to join in. In addition there are hidden clues for the reader on each page, so there are plenty of opportunities for children to interact with the text as it is…
Back in print this year Bidibidi Gavin Bishop Scholastic (NZ) NZ$19.50 pbk and Slinky Malinki Early Bird Lynley Dodd Puffin NZ$15.99 bdbk Old Blue. The rarest bird in the world Mary Taylor Scholastic (NZ) NZ$19.50 pbk. This award-winning book has been reprinted with additions and an update on the continuing story of the survival of the rarest bird in the world, a black robin from the Chatham Islands named Old Blue. Highly recommended.
OVERTURF, Brenda, Leslie Montgomery & Margaret Smith Word Nerds. Teaching students to learn and love vocabulary Stenhouse Pub, 2013 176pp $NZ32.06 pbk (www.ukbookdepository) ISBN 9781571109798 SCIS 1660435 From a pedagogical perspective, the use of picture books in the classroom tends to focus on either the comprehension of content (the conflict associated with the characters and plot), structure (the way that narratives are constructed) or themes (the key ideas embedded in image and narrative). Rarely is the picture book used in terms of vocabulary development (instruction if you will), and indeed, as this professional text affirms, rarely is vocabulary development a…
BLAIR, Karen Baby Beats Walker, 2014 unpaged A$24.95 NZ$27.99 ISBN 9781922179074 SCIS 1641764 This deceptively simple children’s picture book uses very simple language to discuss the fundamentals of music and sound. The book is written with a rhythm that matches the theme of the story and makes it an enjoyable, foot-tapping read to share with a baby or toddler. Children can become involved in the story by mimicking the actions of the children depicted in the illustrations. The illustrations portray children from different cultural backgrounds playing a variety of instruments. Clapping your hands and singing out loud this picture book…
BLABEY, Aaron Pig the Pug Scholastic, 2014 unpaged $16.99 ISBN 9781743624777 SCIS 1666620 Pugs are a unique looking dog which have inspired many internet memes and photos of them wearing costumes and props of various types for comic effect. This book is about the importance of learning to share. Pig is a Pug, which you might’ve picked up from the title, who will not play with the other dog in the household. Trevor is an earnest and friendly dachshund who wants to spend time with Pig and play with his toys together. Pig is not having any of it though…
BARKER, G. A. (text) Rebecca Hallet (illus.) The ‘Snowed in’ Adventures of Wallace the Wild Snow Goose Xlibris, 2014 unpaged $28.18 pbk ISBN 9781493135714 Wallace the snow goose is too sick to fly south for the winter so his friends, the Arctic hare, Mister and Missus Beaver, the big Arctic wolf, the big brown bear, and the sleek otter all help him survive through the harsh winter. They work together to provide him with food, to make him feel comfortable and supported until the other snow geese return. In case we have missed the symbolism there is a page for…