Book Review, On Our Way to the Beach

Each new picture book I read seems to become my new best friend. On Our Way to the Beach, by Sofie Laguna and Andrew McLean, is my current favourite. It was published by Omnibus (Scholastic) in 2004.

There’s a lovely dream-like quality to this story. Partly, that’s because the unnamed young girl narrator lets us share her dreams, which are influenced by that day’s journey and activities. McLean’s wonderful pen, ink and watercolour drawings contribute too, with soft, detailed pictures to draw a young reader in.

Humour is a gentle undercurrent behind the journalling of a trip to the beach for a family holiday. At the strawberry farm, we read that “I get five strawberries into my bucket and lots in my tummy”, while baby brother, Mishka, “gets no strawberries into his bucket and lots of strawberries on his cheeks.” We also read of a “very quiet game called chess” which involves lots of staring but not much moving!

On Our Way to the Beach is another picture book that will do double duty as an easy reader. Sentence structure is not complicated and vocabulary is mostly simple. It would make an excellent model for a child who wants to write about a holiday or trip of his own. Watch out for Bird and Sugar Boy also by this talented author.

Book Review, Oddball

Many children struggle with reading. Some are reluctant to read; others attain reading readiness later than their peers. For these kids, novels must grab their attention and keep it, with a fast-paced story they can relate to.

Oddball, by Janeen Brian, is just such a book. Published by Walker Books Australia in 2008, it's part of a series called Lightning Strikes, designed to support and motivate those kids who've somehow missed out on the joy of reading. The cover is eye-catching, and the format very cleverly designed with lots of white space and larger print. I think boys in particular will love Oddball.

"It was the worst Monday morning ever." Sol Tranter's beloved dog has just died, his mum insists he must get his Afro hair cut, and he somehow finds himself challenging the school bully and sporting hero to a game of handball. And promising to win by using hypnosis! Is there anything at all Sol can do to get out of this mess?

Sol's voice is so authentic, it's as if he's perched on the kitchen table relating his tale between eager bites of Vegemite sandwich. Janeen Brian definitely understands boys - she puts the reader right inside Sol's bushy head, so we feel what he feels, and see the world through his eyes. We're impelled to race to the next page to find out what happens.

Oddball is a great choice for kids who like realistic stories they can relate to. I believe children in senior primary or early high school classes would enjoy following up questions like "Have you ever made a problem for yourself through something you said?" "Do people really do strange things when they're hypnotised?" "How does hypnosis work?" and "How did things change for Sol in the story?" The book would make a great model for children writing a narrative centred around a problem to be solved.

Can Books Be Our Friends?

Parents are more aware than ever that children's books need to be kid friendly. Statistics about reading levels and motivation in young people are daunting. Boys in particular can be reluctant to read, especially when presented with high ability/low interest books. After any child has "failed" at reading, is it any wonder he or she shuns it?

What does kid friendly really mean? To me, it means simply that the writer has told a great story, with believable characters and lots of twists and turns to keep kids interested. Some internet sites have been set up specifically to present such books. Check out James Patterson's ReadKiddoRead.com and Jon Scieszka's Guys Read site. But the best person to consult about kid friendly books is your child himself.

If we want our kids to enjoy reading, we need to give them access to material they want to read. Checking a book to see if it has won a literary prize is probably not the best way to filter books. Rather, let your child choose, and make sure she has plenty of books to choose from. Go to the library together and research appealing subject matter, or try the old-fashioned approach and browse. Check out book reviews in the kidlitosphere until you find a book that sounds as if it could be your child's new friend. Rummage through market stalls and read a couple of pages together before making your choice. Sure, kids will make some inappropriate choices. I knew many youngsters who demanded Harry Potter books when their reading ability just wasn't ready. I like to think they grew into those books just like hand-me-down jeans. The more we choose, the better we get at choosing.

Books can be our friends. If someone's bashing you up for your lunch money, reading about a bully getting his come-uppance is even better than sticking pins in dolls. When you suspect the cute kid on the bus thinks you're a dork, distract yourself with a tale of dragons and dwarves. Those nights when you're convinced nobody understands you, escape to a place where you walk in your favourite character's shoes.

And the very best thing about books? They stay our friends for life.

(Photocredit, Flickr, http://www.flickr.com/photos/ferronj/2313719364/)

Celebrate the Joy of Language

Whenever an opportunity arises, share the joy and fun of language with your child. Point out puns, ask and answer riddles, share a new joke. Read them and write them, too.

Games are a great way to do this. One my students loved is called Hink Pink. It can wile away the kilometres when you're on a on car trip, or make a great brain sparker in a lesson break. Pop one on a note into your child's lunchbox and drive them crazy for the rest of the afternoon.

One person thinks of two single syllable rhyming words, like fat cat. She works out a clue that should lead (eventually!) to the answer "fat cat". One clue could be "an obese mouse-catcher" or "a pet that eats too much" , depending on the age of the guesser. The guesser tries to work out what the two rhyming words are.

The game can be extended to Hinky Pinky (two syllable rhyming words), like happy chappy - "joyful fellow". Or Hinketty Pinketty (three syllable rhyming words, much harder), like mellower bellower - "less angry bull". Mix and match with Hinky Pinketty or Hinketty Pink!

Here are some Hink Pinks you can use to get you and your child started.
Clues
1. seafood platter
2. huge oinker
3. head cover that's been squashed by a truck
4. warmed up join between two ropes
5. rained on puppy

Answers
1. fish dish
2. big pig
3. flat hat
4. hot knot
5. wet pet

If your child has trouble working out how many syllables are in a word, play a game where you tap the syllables on her arm as you slowly say the word: “butt(tap)-er (tap)-fly(tap)”. Or march and dance the words, making strong body movements for each syllable. There is nothing more joyous than the sight and sound of thirty youngsters marching about, chanting the syllables in given words!

Once older kids are used to the game, it can provide a lead in to crossword puzzles, and then cryptic crossword puzzles. All of these activities are great for developing thinking skills, as well as giving the whole family a way of celebrating the joy of language.

Book Chook Challenge for my blog readers
(Hinky Pinky) : malevolent six-legged flour-dweller?
(Hink Pink) : oozy board?
Hinketty Pinky) : nightly record?

Book Review, Night Noises

Quite simply, Mem Fox is very, very good at what she does. What she does is speak to the hearts of children. And those who are children at heart.

Fox's Night Noises was delightfully illustrated by Terry Denton and first published by Omnibus in association with Penguin, 1989. I love the fat old dog, Butch Aggie, who lives with elderly Lily Laceby. While Lily dreams of her past, Butch Aggie becomes increasingly alarmed by noises outside the cottage. Denton's picture of a dog on her rug before the fire, one eye open and one ear up, is perfect. Each page adds a clue as to Lily's dreams, a clue as to what's going on outside, and the main picture of Lily and her dog.

Fox is spare with her text, but never afraid to be lyrical. Her descriptions are carefully chosen to reflect her theme. So we read that Lily's "hair was as wispy as cobwebs in ceilings" and her "bones were as creaky as floorboards at midnight." I also love the tiny subtext of Lily's actual age (four-and-a-half on the inside? - you and me, both, Lily!)

Night Noises joins my list of great picture books by this talented author. It would make a great resource for school children who are studying families, and be a good lead-in for a special event involving grandparents. As a follow-up activity, kids might like to write a letter to their own grandparent, or write one to Lily Laceby from Butch Aggie.

Grandparents are great - let's celebrate their importance in our lives!

(You can find more book reviews and literacy tips in the Book Chook archive, or at www.susanstephenson.com.au )

Revving Up Reluctant Readers

What about kids who don’t much like to read? I don’t enjoy competitive sport. My parents didn’t play it, I didn’t play it as a youngster, I only ever saw it as something boys and elite athletes did. Perhaps if my life had been different, competitive sport would now be a fulfilling part of my life. (Anyone for Book Chook badminton?)

Even if I’d been surrounded by competitive sport as a child, isn’t there a chance I’d still have disliked it? Perhaps my nature, or something in my environment, or a combination of both, might have led me to reject it. Similarly, with children who don’t like to read, isn’t there a chance they are just not that into it?

It’s a logical conclusion. But reading is so important to a child’s education, I believe we owe it to our kids to do everything in our power to turn them on to reading.

So how can we rev up reluctant readers? Give these ideas a try.

• Surround your kids in print

Make sure there all sorts of printed materials in your home, and in places that are available to your kids. Leather-bound classics on high shelves do not work. Fiction, non-fiction, poetry, plays, picture books, chapter books, caption books, comic books, library books, dictionaries, encyclopedias, board books, books with audio tapes, home-made books, joke books, text books - you never know when a particular format or genre will appeal to your child.

• Give them choices

I am old-fashioned enough to believe we cannot always get to choose. There are somethings in life we just must do, like stop at red lights. Unfortunately, that can apply to reading, particularly at school. But if you want reading to be associated with fun, with enjoyment, then allowing your child to choose his own reading material for home is a great idea. If you're at the library, and you think a book is too difficult, I think it's better to let your child find that out for himself, than make the choice for him. Same goes at book stores, garage sales etc - a little gentle guidance doesn't go astray, but it comes down to balance. Encouraging kids to make choices gives them a feeling of independence, teaches them consequences and allows them to have a measure of control in their lives.

• Ensure kids see you read

If you only ever read when your kids are asleep, they don't get to see you as someone who values reading because you enjoy it yourself. Boys in particular need to see that reading is a significant and valuable activity for their dads. Youngsters copy what they see adults do.

• Share the fun

Sometimes kids associate reading with a bad experience. Maybe someone has belittled their reading ability, or it has become a dreary chore for them, struggling with unsuitable material. In some cases, I advocate backing right off. Don't abandon a daily reading schedule - but change it. Consider different approaches. Could you share the reading? By that, I mean read aloud together. No correcting so that removes the whole 'right/wrong' attitude, and it becomes two people making meaning from print. Could you read most of the book aloud, and just ask your reluctant reader to join in at certain places? Work on reinforcing what he does know, and slowly introduce new material. Reading can be such fun - try to find material your child will enjoy, and read to him or with him. Maybe it's a review of a movie he might like, or a book starring his favourite toy. Find the key that will rev him onto reading.

• Read aloud

This is linked to several points above, but can't be emphasized too much. Read aloud snippets from the newspaper, a riddle, a great line from a poem, an interesting snippet from a magazine. Read aloud to your children at least once a day, and do your very best to make your performance entertaining.

If we surround kids with all different kinds of print, give them choices, model reading to them, share the fun of reading, make reading aloud a daily habit at the very least - and they still don't like to read, well, we've done our very best.

And in the end, that's all a parent can do.

(Photo credit: Jennifer Zwick - what a talented artist!)

The Mystery of the Disappearing Comments

Book Chook Note: Here is a message for my wonderful blog readers. Today, after weeks of trying, I finally got JSKit Comments installed on my blog. It promises to be an interesting and useful feature. However, by installing it, I lost all comments made before today, which makes me sad. 

I very much enjoy your feedback and thoughtful suggestions, so please continue to provide them via the new comment form. I promise not to install anything else that disappears your words!

Breaking News: I found the comments on this page.

All I need now is to work some chooky magic and return them to their proper place.  Stay tuned!

(Photo credit: Flickr)

Book Review, Where does Thursday go?

Children wonder about all sorts of things. Why is the sky blue, and not pink? What do angels eat? Australian writer, Janeen Brian, has cleverly tapped into that natural curiosity in Where does Thursday go? a Margaret Hamilton (Scholastic) picture book, first published in 2001, and winner of a CBCA Honour Award in 2002.

Splodge is a bear who has had a wonderful birthday. Like most of us, he wishes his special Thursday would last forever. That makes him wonder: where does Thursday go before Friday comes? He and his friend Humbug, a sea-bird, set off in the night to find it.

This delightful story has so much kid appeal. Children will love the sounds in the landscape like the "oogle gurgle" of the river; wondering what Thursday looks like; following Humbug and Splodge on their quest; and joining in with the refrain: "'Is that you, Thursday,' called Splodge. But there was no reply."

Stephen Michael King's illustrations really set the mood for the book, with soft colours that show a safe, gentle nighttime landscape. My favourite page has Splodge sitting on the front steps of his wonderful lamp-lit tree house, accompanied by Humbug, wearing aviator head-gear and goggles.

I enjoyed the lyrical descriptions: "A streak of shining silver swam past with a flick of its tail" and the onomatopoeia in sentences like "Swish, Swish, the waves sighed as they drew back into the ocean." It's important to share quality literature with kids, so we can help them celebrate the richness and diversity of our English language.

Where does Thursday go? is a lovely story to read aloud. Emergent readers will have fun reading the refrain while you read the rest of the story. As a follow-up activity, ask children to think about a time when they and a friend searched for something special, or describe a favourite birthday party. Splodge's tree house might spark them to draw their own tree house, or better still, go outside and create one of their own.

(Book Chook Note: In Australia, we call play houses "cubbies". Making cubbies was the dominant theme of my childhood. We made highly frowned upon ones under the bed with candles and cookies, but our favourites were out in the bush using tree trunks, sticks and old carpet to protect us from marauding pirates or Sheriff's men. Do your kids build cubbies? Do you remember a favourite from your childhood?)

Book Review, Arthur

Arthur is a fine example of a children’s picture book where the illustrations (Donna Gynell) and text (Amanda Graham) perfectly complement each other. I love sharing stories with kids that have so many picture details for them to notice and giggle over. It often makes the difference between a good book, and one that will be read over and over until it’s dog-eared.

An ordinary brown dog who wants out of the pet shop, Arthur tries imitating other pets to attract a customer. Despite all his squeaking, purring and swimming underwater, nobody wants him. Until one day, Melanie and her grandfather appear.

First published by Era (Australia) in 1984, this book has stood the test of time and is still much loved by kids. It has a wonderful rhythm to it, with repetitions of events and vocabulary that make it easy for the young listener to gain an idea of the story structure. The fonts and layout help a parent or teacher to read the story aloud, giving clues for emphasis and expression.

Arthur would make a great addition to any personal or classroom library. It could spark discussion about individual differences and being true to yourself. It’s also one of those books that start as a read-aloud, but lends itself to being read alone, for sheer pleasure, as a child becomes an independent reader.

Young children might like to draw or write about their own pets, or find magazine pictures of as many different pets as they can. Older children might be prompted to write a story about a different pet looking for a home, or design a Wanted poster to help Arthur.

Book Chook Alert: Another great writing contest for kids, from Australian author, Christine Harris. Remember my review on Audrey of the Outback? Christine is offering a wonderful prize to one lucky child who writes a review of.

Book Review, Don't Call Me Ishmael

There aren’t many Young Adult books I want to read more than once. Don’t Call Me Ishmael is one I’ve read three times.

I’m in awe of Michael Gerard Bauer’s writing skill. The book dealt with a topic I feel passionately about: bullying. Bauer had me in a constant ripple of laughter, without detracting at all from the serious theme.

Ishmael, the main character, is in Year Nine, and tormented by a bully named Bagsley. How Ishmael copes, the friends he makes, the embarrassment, the fear and the triumphs, combine into a compelling story. Bauer has Ishmael’s voice down pat. I also admired his writerly eye for detail, and his obvious understanding of what it’s like to be a bully’s target.

Published by Omnibus (Scholastic), in 2006, Don’t Call Me Ishmael is one of my very favourite books. It would make a great text for study at high school level, with so many possibilities for discussion. It would also be a wonderful book to read aloud to anyone who loves humour. Don't just take the Book Chook's word for it, read an excerpt online.

What's it like to be bullied? What's it like to be a bully? What's the difference between teasing and bullying? What can we do if we are being bullied? There is immensely helpful information about coping with bullying on the internet. We need to discuss bullying with our kids and remind them they are not alone.

The torment of being bullied has led to some terrible tragedies. I believe anything we can do to root it out of our society is worthwhile.

(Find more Book Chook activities and tips to encourage literacy at www.susanstephenson.com.au)

Book Review, You and Me: Our Place

I was first attracted to this children's picture book by the quality of the art work. There is so much life, colour and movement in Dee Huxley's pastel and coloured pencil drawings. You can almost hear the squeak of the sand under Uncle Tobias's tyres as he cycles along the sand.

You and Me: Our Place was written by Leonie Norrington and published by Working Title Press (Australia) in 2007. The quality of the text is as high as the artwork, and they complement each other beautifully.

The two young boys narrating the story give us an insight into both life in the olden days as it was for Uncle Tobias, and life nowadays for them. They seem to be part of a big extended family that spends a lot of time at the beach, fishing and looking for bush tucker. Much of what we learn in the story is understated, little glimpses into another's life.

I enjoyed many details of description in the story, a basket that "smells of salt and darkness", "flicky prawns in the net", Slim Dusty songs "on a three-stringed guitar." They instantly transported me to a fish feed I'd shared with Aboriginal friends near the Tweed River. It's wonderful when a children's picture can be so evocative of a time and place, that it allow us as readers to stand in another's footprints.

You and Me: Our Place would make an excellent resource for children studying multiculturalism. Kids could reflect on how lucky our generation is to be able to celebrate such cultural diversity. The book would lead very naturally to an investigation into bush tucker, what foods we eat that we find for ourselves rather than in the supermarket. Kids could try to identify the different marine creatures in the book or research mangrove habitats. The illustrations might spark an investigation into drawing with pastels and coloured pencils.

BOOK CHOOK ALERT: If your kids are interested in writing, take a look at this cool contest at author, Kim Chatel's site . Write a poem and draw a picture to win a music box and t-shirt made by this talented writer and artist. Contest ends January 31.

Book Review, Two Tough Teddies

Can you remember your favourite teddy? Mine was called, (wait for it....), Ted. He had slightly dangly eyes, was practically bald and had lost an ear in a close encounter with our dog. But I loved that bear, and just thinking of him now has put a goofy smile on my face.

I suspect Kilmeny Niland loves teddies, too. Her picture book, Two Tough Teddies, was published by Little Hare Books in 2007. It is a lovely story about two abandoned teddy bears who set off to find someone to love them. To try to attract attention, Tilly and Gruffy make themselves tough, but their plan backfires. And then they meet Molly-Sue.

Niland's illustrations are so delightfully textured, you want to stroke the teddies' fur. There are lots of details for young eyes to notice, yet the pages are not cluttered. Like many good picture books, Niland has used repetition to give the story structure, and make it satisfying. It is very satisfying - I predict pre-schoolers will love listening to it being read aloud.

As a follow-up to this story, you could discuss "tough" with your children. What does tough mean? Who do they know that's tough? They could draw themselves being tough, talk about times when "tough" could be a problem, or make a wordle filled with "tough" words. Older children might like to research the history of the teddy bear. What has a teddy got to do with a US President? Are there any famous teddy bears in literature?

How about a Teddy Bear's Picnic? You could dress up your teddies as famous people, or give them beary cute names like Bearbarian or Bearacuda. What sort of food could you make for your picnic? Write some invitations, write a menu, or create a new recipe.

Your teddy will love you for it!

(Find more book reviews and literacy activities in the archive, or at www.susanstephenson.com.au)

Donut You Think Thanksgiving Should Come After Christmas?

The festive season is over for another twelve months. Gifts have been gifted, ornaments packed away, and zillions of toy batteries replaced.

Have your children written thank you notes for their gifts? It's so important to incorporate opportunities for writing into our everyday lives. Writing real letters or cards is a lovely way to show someone you truly appreciate something they've done for you. Sometimes though, kids need a little prompting to get started.

With children still at the pre-writing stage, I suggest you ask them to draw themselves interacting with the gift (a little tricky if the gift was a pair of socks, so you may have to improvise.) If you write the person's name for them, they can copy it onto the picture and add their own name to the bottom.

Beginning writers could draw the same picture, and try to add a short thank you message of their own. Don't worry about spelling and legibility - that's part of the charm of this kind of letter. If absolutely necessary, you can ask your child to tell you what to write underneath, " so Grandma can read it more easily." This way, the message you give them is not about correctness, but about having a go.

Older children might need ideas of how and what to write. They could try personalizing someone else's thank you letter, using a template, or simply describing what they liked about the gift. Kids who are already competent writers might like to explore conventions for letter writing, create some funny thank you messages like the one above, or drive Grandpa crazy by putting their message into code(!).

Most kids enjoy creating. Encourage them to embellish or decorate their letter or card. They could use the computer to print out one of the templates above, find an attractive design in a desktop publishing program like Publisher, or go crazy with scrapbooking techniques. Presentation can be one of the many joys of writing, and google will bring many more options.

Giving thanks is not only good manners, it's a great and fun way of developing writing skills. Donut you think so?

(Photo credit http://www.flickr.com/photos/emilywaltonjones/1350387435/)