The Divine Ms Mem

Mem Fox is my hero, as I've told you before. She shared some fantastic tips for reading aloud with us earlier in the year. I have three great Mem videos to share. The link, from Simon and Schuster, is of Mem discussing her two latest books, Hello Baby and The Goblin and the Empty Chair. The next two embedded videos are absolute treats: first, Mem herself reading The Goblin and the Empty Chair aloud. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. (Thanks to Katie from Creative Literacy for the tip!)

The Goblin and The Empty Chair, Mem Fox @ Yahoo! Video

And next, Mem reading Hello Baby. Don't they make you want to race straight out and buy the books!

Hello Baby, Mem Fox @ Yahoo! Video

Sigh... and I used to think I was pretty good at reading aloud!

Book Review, Polar Boy

Polar Boy grips us from the start with the strength of bear claws. Written by Sandy Fussell (Samurai Kids), and published by Walker Books Australia (2008), it’s the story of Iluak, a boy with a secret. Far from being a great and brave hunter like his grandfather, Iluak is afraid:

I’m not afraid of the darkness. No kid is. Midwinter, the sun doesn’t rise, so it’s black all day. Perfect for hide-and-seek.

I’m afraid of whiter things. In the distance, two dim shapes raise their snouts to the sound and sniff. On the second sniff, they turn in my direction.

The story is set hundreds of years ago, but Iluak is a typical boy, with a boy's problems. He's annoyed by his little sister, ticked off by a boy he believes to be the local bully, and occasionally mortified by his female relatives. In other words, he's an authentic character kids will relate to. All children have fears to overcome, and will understand Iluak’s struggle to come to terms with his fear of the Bear.

One skill I very much admire in Sandy Fussell’s writing, is her ability to tap into kids’ hearts, and what they will find funny. Any boy will understand Iluak’s problem in Chapter One. He needs to pee, but he shares an ice room with his family. Despite the danger, he prefers to avoid his sister’s giggles, and go out onto the ice to relieve himself. Throughout the book, we feel the maelstrom of emotions felt by a boy on the verge of manhood: love, fear, embarrassment, jealousy and bravado.

Polar Boy works on two levels - it's a great read for both adults and kids. Fussell targets children with the readability of the text: uncomplicated sentence structure, lots of action, excitement and drama. Yet as an adult, I was pulled into the story, too. The easy narrative worked to strengthen Iluak's point of view for me. I was inside the head of a boy from a 13th century polar community, listening to his thoughts, and looking at the world through his eyes. Fussell's use of present tense makes everything more immediate; we feel every minute of Iluak's confusion and disorientation after a near-death experience.

Iluak is a believable hero. He is a real, loyal and generous friend. He is afraid, and tormented by his fear. Yet as the story progresses, we see him mature, and learn to trust his own judgment, and fulfill his destiny.

Just as in Samurai Kids: White Crane, Fussell's research is impressive. I've never lived in a polar community, but I feel as if I have. Details of setting and culture are woven seamlessly into a gripping plot, so that we learn almost subliminally about Iluak's life. The author’s choice of words reinforces the research:

Nana’s words stick in your throat like the bones of an ice fish.

And

Fear rushes through me like freezing sea water as Bjalki’s roar rises on a wave to batter our ears.

I love fiction that has been so meticulously researched, it teaches without the reader noticing. Children who walk a mile in someone else's snowshoes, are learning tolerance, and a greater understanding of the world. This book has many positive messages: About fear. About the importance of friends and family. About the real nature of courage.

Polar Boy combines the merits of literary fiction with those of genre fiction - a darn good story told by a master storyteller.

***

Literacy Links

As a follow up to reading the book with your kids, you might like to use some of the Walker Books activities, or those from Fussell's own website. I found a great BBC video about a boy learning to build an igloo. If your preschooler wants to join in with some polar activities of his own, try this polar bear mask, or some arctic animal facts at Nick Jr.com.

Book Review, Crossing the Line

It’s difficult to pinpoint the difference between a good book and a great book. I have the privilege of reading and reviewing many wonderful books, but I believe my latest YA read, Crossing the Line, by Dianne Bates (Ford Street Publishing, 2008) will become a classic of modern Australian literature, and I’ve been trying to work out why.

The book blurb is short:

Being abandoned is nothing new for Sophie. But things look up when she moves in with Matt and Amy.

So how come she ends up in a psych ward? And aren’t therapists supposed to help?

From the first lines, we are firmly in Sophie’s point of view. Bates is a masterful writer. She weaves narrative, dialogue and introspection expertly together so that the reader lives the story, eyes racing down the pages. Often, I found myself nodding or cringing over a wryly-observed character trait, and always sharing Sophie’s pain and triumphs. Sophie is a chaotic mix of confidence and anxiety, revelling in rare moments of peace, annoyed by bureaucratic intervention, and desperate for love. Her voice is an authentic teen voice. Before I read the novel, I assumed the main character would be rebellious, contemptuous, probably someone I wouldn’t much like. But I loved Sophie, and got inside her skin to the extent that I wept over her story.

I hate to think of children who ache for a mother’s love. In my perfect Book Chook world, being loved and cared for should be just as fundamental a right as having access to quality reading material. Reality tells a different tale. In Crossing the Line, we share Sophie’s life, and understand why someone would want to self-mutilate. Abandoned by loved ones, controlled by bureaucracy, Sophie’s deep depression seems alleviated only in those moments when she cuts herself.

Yet Crossing the Line is not gloomy or dark. Neither is it sweet and uplifting. Above all it is real, every facet of the story contributes to seeing Sophie’s life the way it is.

Even the minor characters in this powerful novel are beautifully drawn. They’re three dimensional - some likeable, some not, but all believable. I swear I have met many of them. Crossing the Line should be mandatory reading for those in the psychiatric and welfare industries. It helps the reader comprehend what it’s really like to be a teen struggling with mental illness.

The story stayed with me, long after I closed the cover on the final page. At odd moments, I’ve found myself wondering and worrying about Sophie, and wishing I could give her a hug. I’ve decided this is what makes Crossing the Line a great book, and future classic. Not just Bates’s awesome writing skills, but her ability to create a character so real, and so loveable, that you want to adopt her.

Sophie, I know you’re out there. Hang in there sweetheart, we’re on your side.

What is Story?

Book Review, Rhino Neil

We all want to fit in, and feel that we belong. Rhino Neil certainly does. The problem is, many of the other zoo inhabitants are daunted by his size.

"Look out for his tremendous tummy," said the zebra. "One bite and he will swallow us all up!" And she told all her children to stay well away from Neil.

Other animals are frightened of his fearsome feet, big bottom, or huge horn. So Neil wanders around the zoo, alone and lonely. Until one day, an enormous truck arrives...

Written and illustrated by Mini Goss, and published by New Frontier (2007), this children's picture book is a delightful look at the nature of friendship, and the consequences of intolerance.Young children will perfectly understand Neil's need for a friend, and wonder what can be emerging backwards from the truck.

Mini Goss captures the animals' hysteria perfectly. My favourite picture is a double page spread of silly ostriches goggling at, and terrified by the huge bottom that backs out of the truck. Goss's acrylic art work is quirky and colourful, perfect for the under eights.

There are some useful learning activities related to Rhino Neil at New Frontier's website, including discussion questions and a design project. Children could use Rhino Neil as a jumping-off point to fact finding about the animals in the book. If you'd like child-friendly information about this odd-toed ungulate (the order rhinos belong to), try a Kids Planet fact sheet, and check out their games while you're there. A visit to Switcheroo Zoo might even spark some writing of their own. National Geographic has some fascinating information about the Black Rhinoceros, including an excellent close-up video.

Rhino Neil was selected as a CBCA Notable Book for 2006, and selected for both the Victorian and NSW 2007 Premier's Reading Challenge.

Children's Book Council of Australia 2009 Winners

This week is Book Week in Australia, 22 - 28 August 2009. The theme this year is Book Safari. The Book Chook plans to celebrate by finding a shady tree, and catching up on some reading for a few days.

Book Week in Australia also means the Children's Book Council of Australia announces their winners. The Book Chook doesn't agree with all of their choices, or more accurately, the books they didn't choose. But it must be an incredibly difficult task, given the quality of Australian literature. There may not be as robust an Australian publishing industry in the future if Parallel Import Restrictions on books are lifted, so this Book Week has been tinged with sadness for me, and fear for our cultural and literary future.

Book of the Year: Older Readers
(These books are for mature readers)

Tan, Shaun Tales from Outer Suburbia Allen & Unwin

Honour Books: Older Readers
Eaton, Anthony Into White Silence Random House Australia
French, Jackie A Rose for the Anzac Boys HarperCollinsPublishers

Book of the Year: Younger Readers
(These books are intended for independent younger readers)

Millard, Glenda Perry Angel’s Suitcase ABC Books
Illus: King, Stephen Michael

Honour Books: Younger Readers

Bateson, Catherine The Wish Pony Random House Australia
Gleitzman, Morris Then Viking, Penguin Group Australia

Book of the Year: Early Childhood
(Intended for children in the pre-reading to early reading stages)

Graham, Bob How to Heal a Broken Wing Walker Books (Book Chook review)

Honour Books: Early Childhood

King, Stephen Michael Leaf Scholastic Australia
Sullivan, Rosemary Tom Tom Working Title Press
Illus: Huxley, Dee

Picture Book of the Year:
(Intended for an audience ranging from birth to 18 years. Some books may be for mature readers)
Arranged by Illustrator

Dunstan, Kylie Collecting Colour Lothian Children’s Books, Hachette

Honour Books: Picture Book of the Year

Ottley, Matt Home and Away Lothian Children’s Books, Hachette
Text: Marsden, John
Thompson, Colin The Big Little Book of Happy Sadness Random House Australia

Eve Pownall Award for Information Books:
(Intended for an audience ranging from birth to 18 years range. Some books may be for mature readers)

Hall, Lincoln Alive in the Death Zone Random House Australia

Honour Books: Eve Pownall Award for Information Books

Duborsarky, Ursula The Word Spy Viking, Penguin Group Australia
Illus: Tohby Riddle
Greenwood, Mark Simpson and his Donkey Walker Books (Book Chook review coming soon!)
Illus: Lessac, Frané

Find out more about all the wonderful books that were shortlisted, notable, or won, at the CBCA website. Have a look around while you're there. There's a not-very-comprehensive list of Australian author sites.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/stephenandmelanie/ / CC BY-NC 2.0

Literacy Lava 2, Coming Soon

Making literacy part of our everyday family life is often just a matter of remembering. We need to make sure our kids see that reading, writing, and communicating are important to us, and give them lots of opportunities to participate too.

Literacy Lava 2 is a free magazine that will bring you ideas: for motivating reluctant readers, for literacy on the go, for developing the imagination muscle, for linking math and literacy, for having a pirate party and a book picnic, for rhymes, games, activities and more!

Brought to you by bloggers and writers who are passionate about children's literature and literacy, Literacy Lava 2 is erupting with no- or low-cost activities parents can do with kids to promote literacy.

Coming September 1 to The Book Chook blog!

You can still grab Literacy Lava 1 - a free pdf to download.

Literacy Lava 1 Recap

Whether your kids are toddlers or teens, there are so many ways to help them develop literacy skills. If you're new to The Book Chook, you might have missed the first edition of Literacy Lava, a magazine erupting with useful tips for parents. It will only be available for a few more days, before being replaced with the latest edition, so grab it while you can.

In the first edition of Literacy Lava (published in June 09):

Susan Stephenson (that's me!) talked about the importance of reading aloud to kids and offered tips for making it an enjoyable experience for parents and kids.

Valerie Bartz from The Almost Librarian explained why it’s important to read to kids right from the start, and gave us some simple rhymes to do with babies.

Terry Doherty from Scrub-a-Dub-Tub suggested using early chapter books as reader’s theatre between parent and child, even with books that don’t necessarily appeal to Mom’s sense of humor!

Dawn Morris from Moms Inspire Learning declared that kids need books to thrive and grow. The right book can make a big difference to a child’s life.

Kim Chatel from Chatel Village confessed to being the parent of a reluctant reader. She suggested literacy ideas that work for her.

Amy Watson from Literacy Launchpad reminded us that children learn through play, and gave us ideas for incorporating literacy into play.

We also brought you ideas for reading and writing with food, online resources, and an activity page for kids.

You can still grab the first issue of Literacy Lava. It's free to download!

The second issue of Literacy Lava will be published on September 1, 2009. Get a preview of it here tomorrow!

Or how about downloading the latest copy of Sesame Street magazine from their website?

(Thanks to Cheryl Rainfield for the tip!)

Literacy in the Playground 2

In Literacy in the Playground 1, I discussed the importance of games in kids' lives, particularly in terms of language acquisition and literacy. Thanks to Brian for sharing his favourite, Rabbit and the Dogs, Claire and Carrie Anne for bringing us elastics/chinese jumprope, and Valerie, Kelly and Terry for their vote of approval for Four Square.

Some games kids play are accompanied by chants and rhymes, especially skipping and clapping. I think these are very important, both for literacy and music education. By chanting the rhymes used for clapping and skipping games, kids are internalizing language, particularly rhythm and rhyme. This helps all their communication skills: reading, writing, talking and listening. The bonus is, kids get physical activity while they're playing. Skipping has obvious aerobic benefits, but if you've ever seen kids get up to speed in a clapping game, you'll know these do too!

Chants like these change from person to person, school to school, and country to country, so there are hundreds of variations. That is the nature of folk rhymes. It's fun to tweak them and create your own, adding more lines and movements.
Let's start with some simple clapping games.

Probably one of the easiest clapping games to learn is My Mother Said. It may also be one of the oldest. Storyteller, Helen Evans, says her mother played it in the early 1900s as a skipping game. "The chant is called while two kids turn the rope and other children run in to skip one at a time. The group chants ‘My mother said that I never should play with the gypsies in the wood. If I did she would say naughty girl to disobey. Disobey 1 Disobey 2 Disobey, disobey, disobey You.’ Then the rope is turned as fast as possible while kids count the number of peppers skipped."

A basic clap pattern can be put to similar words. You need to stand opposite and facing your partner.
My (clap own hands together)
mother (clap your right hand against partner's right hand)
said (clap own hands together)
that (clap your left hand against partner's left hand)
I (clap your own hands together)
never (clap your right hand against partner's right hand)
should (clap your own hands together)
play (clap your left hand against partner's left hand)
with (clap your own hands together)
the (clap your right hand against partner's right hand)
gypsies (clap your own hands together)
in (clap your left hand against partner's left hand)
the (clap your right hand against partner's right hand)
wood (clap your own hands together)
Keep to the same pattern for "If I did, she would say, naughty girl to disobey."

Try speeding up once you know the clapping patten and the rhyme. Try changing the clap - clap your own shoulders with crossed arms, for instance, or add in variations.

One of Terry Doherty's favourite clapping games is Miss Mary Mack. Terry blogs at Scrub-a-Dub-Tub, so I wasn't surprised when she discovered there is even a book of claps and rhymes called Miss Mary Mack. Kim Chatel likes this one, too.

The pattern is:
Miss (clap your own hands together)
Ma (cross your arms in front of your chest)
-ry (clap your own hands together)
Mack, Mack, Mack (clap both your hands on both your partner's hands three times)

And here are the words:
Miss Mary Mack Mack Mack
All dressed in black, black, black 
With silver buttons, buttons, buttons 
All down her back, back, back.

 She asked her mother, mother, mother
 For 50 cents, cents, cents
 To see the elephants, elephants, elephants, 
Jump over the fence, fence, fence.

They jumped so high, high, high
 They reached the sky, sky, sky
 And they didn't come back, back, back
'Til the 4th of July, ly, ly!

Pippa (aged 7) loves to play Miss Mary Mack with her friends at recess and lunchtime, but with extra words, and a slightly different pattern:
She went upstairs stairs stairs
And bumped her head head head
and now she's dead.

Pattern: Both friends cross hands over their own chest on Miss,
slap own knees for 'Mar',
clap own hands together on 'ree',
clap opposite hand to friend's one on each 'Mack', then clap own hands together between each Mack (but not after the last Mack).
Repeat these cross, slap, clap actions for every line.

Thanks, Pippa!

Australian author, Claire Saxby, remembers a favourite clapping game called Under the Bamboo.

"With a pattern of clapping which included clapping your own hands together and also clapping with another person in a variety of ways, you'd sing a song:
Under the bamboo
under the tree boom boom boom
true love for me
my darling
true love for me boom boom boom
when we get married
we'll raise a family
a girl for you
and a boy for me
how happy we'll be."

(Youtube has a similar one.)


Here's a Book Chook favourite. Well, when I say favourite, it's one of those chants that actually sticks to your brain like glue once you know it. I used to play it as call and response with my students. There are many clap patterns you can do. The best idea is start with a simple one, and make it more complicated when you're ready. Simple: clap your own hands together twice, clap both your partner's hands twice, and repeat, for each line. Don't forget the extra actions!

Down down baby, down by the roller coaster
Sweet sweet baby, I don't wanna let you go
Shimmy shimmy cocoa pop, shimmy shimmy pow
Shimmy shimmy cocoa pop, shimmy shimmy wow
Grandma grandma sick in bed, she called the doctor and the doctor said:
Let's get the rhythm of the head, Ding Dong, (move your head from left to right)
We've got the rhythm of the head, Ding Dong (move your head from left to right)
Let's get the rhythm of the hands, (clap clap)
We've got the rhythm of the hands (clap clap)
Let's get the rhythm of the feet, (stamp stamp)
We've got the rhythm of the feet, (stamp stamp)
Let's get the rhythm of the hot dog, (shrug shoulders and open mouth wide)
We've got the rhythm of the hot dog (shrug shoulders and open mouth wide)
Put it all together and what do you get?
(ding dong, clap, clap, stamp stamp, hot dog)
Put it all backwards and what do you get?
(hot dog, stamp stamp, clap clap, ding dong)

These kids are clapping it in a group on Youtube. I love the way the older girl teaches the little one.



Here's another one that's nice to do with a group.

A sailor went to sea

A sailor went to sea, sea, sea
To see what he could see, see, see
But all that he could see, see, see
Was the bottom of the deep blue sea, sea, sea

A sailor went to chop, chop, chop
To see what he could chop, chop, chop
But all that he could chop, chop, chop
Was the bottom of the deep blue chop, chop, chop

A sailor went to knee, knee, knee
To see what he could knee, knee, knee
But all that he could knee, knee, knee
Was the bottom of the deep blue knee, knee, knee

A sailor went to toe, toe, toe
To see what he could toe, toe, toe
But all that he could toe, toe, toe
Was the bottom of the deep blue toe, toe, toe

A sailor went to Timbuktu,
To see what he could Timbuktu
But all that he could Timbuktu
Was the bottom of the deep blue Timbuktu

A sailor went to sea, chop, knee, toe, Timbuktu
To see what he could sea, chop, knee, toe, Timbuktu
That all that he could sea, chop, knee, toe, Timbuktu
Was the bottom of the deep blue sea, chop, knee, toe, Timbuktu

Here's the pattern:
A (nothing, or make your own)
sai (clap your own thighs)
lor (clap your own hands)
went (click your fingers)
to (clap your own hands)
sea,sea,sea (clap both your hands with your partners, three times)
Repeat.

I'm not even going to attempt to describe the pattern for this next one. It's for four people who are ready for a clapping challenge. The best way to learn the movements is to watch this Youtube video.

Four White Horses

Four white horses, on the river,
Hey, hey, hey, up tomorrow,
Up tomorrow is a rainy day.
Come on up to the shallow bay,
Shallow bay is a ripe banana,
Up tomorrow is a rainy day.

If your children are learning French, there are some hand clapping songs in French on Mama Lisa's great site. You need to scroll through the list.

For those who'd like an even more complicated pattern, try Slide, and see if you can create a chant for it.

If reading these has jogged your memory, and you'd like to send directions for a clapping or skipping rhyme, or similar game with a chant, you can Contact Me just underneath my blog header. I'm compiling a free booklet for those who want to share these with their kids, or who would just enjoy, "a trip down memory lane"!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/matthewjhale/ / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

MES - a useful literacy resource for parents

MES is designed mainly for teachers, but there are many useful resources there for parents. MES stands for Mighty Education Systems. It's actually a network of sites with titles like Free Printables for Teachers, Printable Certificates, and Stickers and Charts (thousands of free printable stickers).

I'm always looking for great literacy resources. Inside Free Printables for Teachers, I found an interesting Games page. I liked the Skit Kit, which encourages kids to make up a story, a dialogue or a skit, based on words presented in the form of images on flash cards. The cards are free to download in the form of a pdf, but like all of MES materials, are strictly for personal use only. The art work is quirky and cartoonish, making the cards ideal for parents who want to create word recognition, bingo, and other games. I liked the sound of a spelling game, Unscramble It! too.

There's a Dice Maker at the sister site, Tools for Educators. It's a worksheet wizard, that allows you to put in your choice of words and images for dice, and that generates a template you can print out, fold and glue. MES can really save you time looking for suitable clip art for games, because images are grouped in themes. Remember the copyright belongs to MES, so you can't publish them anywhere.

I haven't used the activities with kids yet, but it seems a great network of sites, and well worth having a look around. (Site owner Mark Cox gave me permission to use my screen grab as an illustration for this post.)

Letter to the Book Chook - Getting Ready for School

Dear Chook,

My son is going to start school soon. What things does he need to know for school? I want to help him get ready. I don't want him behind the other kids.

from Jaden's Mother

Dear Jaden's Mother,

It's an exciting time for you and Jaden, and a little scary too. Jaden will meet lots of new people, make new friends, have new experiences, and continue along the pathway of learning that began when he was born. He'll be away from you for many hours each day, and that can be a wrench, and take some getting used to.

Going to "big" school is usually the start of more formal learning for our children, and naturally we want the very best for them. Many schools have programs that help ease the transition between home or preschool, and "big" school. This allows Kindergarten teachers to get to know you and your child. More importantly, it allows you and Jaden to become comfortable in this new environment. If your school doesn't have such a program, it would be a great idea to go to the school, meet his teacher-to-be, and ask if you can look around. While there, I would make sure Jaden sees the boy's bathroom, and knows how to use it, turn the tap on and off to wash his hands etc.

Maybe that sounds overly practical, but many of the problems I saw as a Kindergarten teacher were just that. There were kids who didn't know how to take off their shoes, jumpers etc, nor where to put them when they did. There were kids who couldn't handle the lunch they'd been given eg how to take a cheese slice out of its wrapper, or take the lid off a drink bottle. Some mums had gone to a lot of trouble to pack cute snacks, but forgot that they'd always done the unwrapping until now. So my first advice is just to think through the sorts of things that will likely happen, or could possibly happen, in Jaden's day, and make plans for them. Things like labeling his belongings, and making sure he knows how to get to and from school may very well prevent hassles and heart-ache.

I don't believe in "teaching" kids before they go to school. I do passionately believe in reading, playing, discussing, singing, creating, experimenting and experiencing together. If Jaden's been lucky enough to attend a great pre-school, he has probably learnt so much already, through structured play. If he hasn't, he's probably learnt so much from watching you, seeing what you do, copying it, trying it for himself. Encourage him to be independent. Can he take responsibility for some chores? Can he use use scissors sensibly? Does he know how to curb his impulses, and wait his turn? Those skills will help him adjust to school life.

When you visit Jaden's new school, have a chat with his teacher. Ask her what she would expect of Jaden when he starts school. Look around the classroom, and have a friendly chat with her. This will give you some idea of what the school expects. Remember, you have choices. If you don't think Jaden's needs will be met in that school/classroom, there are alternatives. Just because a child is a certain chronological age, doesn't meant they are ready for school. Homeschooling is an option, or another year in preschool, or a different education system. Find out as much as you can about all of them, so you can make an informed choice.

Once Jaden does start school, I wouldn't worry too much about comparisons with other kids. Children reach a developmental stage when they are ready to read, and that's when they start reading. Keep in contact with Jaden's teacher, listen to Jaden, have his friends over to your house so you can get to know them. And keep going with reading, playing, discussing, singing etc. Because in this Book Chook's opinion, you are the very best person to help your child learn in this way!

.................................

Read other letters and Book Chook replies - about a dad who doesn't like to read aloud, and a mum who wants her daughter to apply herself to phonics workbooks.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/angel_ina/ / CC BY 2.0

Book Review, Silly Galah

Silly Galah! is one of those bright, colourful books that just begs for a child to pick it up. When they do, I can almost guarantee they won't be disappointed. This Book Chook's smile widened with every page!

Written by Janeen Brian, and illustrated by Cheryll Johns, Silly Galah! was first published by Omnibus (Scholastic) in 2001, and has been re-printed several times since. I'm not surprised about the re-printing, because the book is just delightful. It's a collection of short poems about Australian animals, accompanied by interesting facts and Johns' charming illustrations.

Brian's poetry is such fun! Pitched at child level, it focuses on an important feature about each animal, while inviting the reader to enjoy a laugh, and celebrate this writer's obvious love of language.

Tree frog green
Like shiny jelly,
hasn't got a button
on his little frog belly.

and

The ringtail possum is fond of her tail,
which is curly and whirly and strong.
She swings, if she pleases,
among leafy treeses,
for berries and fruit all night long.

Each animal has a page or double page spread, with a semi-realistic background for the dominant, cartoon-like, animal picture. Johns' illustrations perfectly complement Brian's text - you can almost hear the screeching on the Cockatoo page! The poem is also central, and the factual sentences are written around the perimeter of the page. The ever-changing details of insect activity add another layer to the visual text, and provide even more interest for young readers.

I've reviewed several books by this prolific and talented Australian author (Too Tight Benito, By Jingo!, Columbia Sneezes, Elephant Mountain - recently selected as a Notable in the Younger Readers Category of the 2009 Children's Book Council of Australia Awards - Oddball, and Where does Thursday go?). I've enjoyed them all, but I believe Brian's talent that impresses me most is her ability to get inside kids' heads and give them material that makes them grin, giggle, and want more.

Silly Galah! is an excellent choice for people looking to introduce their children to poetry, and is also a great non-fiction resource about Australian animals. I predict it will become a much requested read-aloud in any home. It would also be a wonderful gift for a child living outside Australia.

Parents looking for follow-up activities could find some cute colour-in outlines at ABC TV, read animal facts at Australian Animals, get craft ideas at DLTK, or try a webquest on Australian Animals. If you would like more information about galahs, suitable for kids to read, try Teaching Treasures which has some simply worded facts. Janeen Brian's own website has an attractive project activity for children,and you can find more activities by scrolling down on this page. Check out the Youtube video below if you'd like to see what a galah looks like.




Check out some great Poetry Friday posts at A Wrung Sponge!

New Technology, and Furniture Giveaway

I get excited about new technology, I admit it. I love the opportunities that so much of it offers for people like me (ie not very clever, techie, or creative chooks!) I love being able to use images and words to communicate with an audience via my blog, and the publications I create like Literacy Lava. I think the programs that are available to encourage children to read, write, and create are fantastic.

Sometimes I admit to wondering, what next? Yes, Google Wave is due to break soon, but today I watched a video at TED that had my jaw dropped even further. Please take the eight minutes or so to watch Patti Maes introduce the Sixth Sense, a wearable device with a projector that will allow us to interact with our environment in amazing ways. I haven't thought through the implications for literacy, but when I recover, I will!



Speaking of literacy, no amount of technology will ever replace my love for books, yes, the print kind. I really enjoy being surrounded by wall-to-wall bookcases in my study, all full of beloved old friends and delightful new acquaintances. Which brings me to my giveaway. CSN Office Furniture is offering one US reader of the Book Chook blog any one product with a retail value of $US80 or less. CSN Stores is a leader in office furniture with a huge selection of office chairs, office accessories, desks and bookcases. I've never tried their product, because I live in Australia, but there are definitely some nice-looking children's bookcases that fall into the offered price range.

If you live in the US, and you'd like to participate in this giveaway, just send me an email (you'll find it above, under Contact Me) with Furniture Giveaway in the subject line, telling me you'd like to win. I will email the winner in a week's time, and ask for postal details to send to CSN.

Literacy in the Playground (1)

Right from when our children are babies, we introduce them to games that help develop their literacy and thinking skills. From peekaboo and tickle games to finger plays, the rhymes and chants we share help them internalize language. I'm not sure that's the main reason we do it though. The fact is, babies love to play, and they have fun with these activities, so we do them over and over again for the baby's delight.

As kids get older, as we chat to them and keep sharing wonderful books and rhymes, their language acquisition grows. They begin to talk, memorize, repeat and play with language. They seem to have an inbuilt radar for the joy words can bring, and they love to listen to songs, rhymes and learn games with actions. Although children this age aren't reading or writing, they are acquiring the skills they need to be able to read and write. They are unconsciously picking up all sorts of things about the rhythm of natural speech, about the rhythm of poetry and song, about rhyme, about tone, about sequencing.

When kids get together, in a playground or on the corner block, they play. Some of those games involve language - choosing It with a counting-in rhyme like Eeny Meeny Miny Mo - and some don't, but all games are important. As Carol Rasco from RIF reminded me recently, "Play is children's work". By playing real-life games, kids learn about co-operation, about sharing and taking turns, about following rules - and all while being outside in the fresh air!

Recently, I became concerned that some of the games, particularly the skipping and clapping chants and rhymes, are not as prevalent as they used to be. I know there are many kids who enjoy them, or would enjoy them if they had access to them, so I decided to search for, and publish some. I put out a call to some friends in the blogosphere for favourite playground games, and was delighted to find that many people remember them with both enjoyment and accuracy.

Brian Frank from Book Dads makes a great point with his suggestion of a playground game, Rabbit and the Dogs, (described below by Brian). Sometimes the best games are ones that allow every kid to have a turn in the limelight!

This game is like playing Tag in reverse. Instead of one player being chosen as It, one player is chosen as the Rabbit. Their job is to run away and not get caught. The remaining players are the Dogs, and their job is to chase the Rabbit until one of them catches the Rabbit. That Dog then becomes the new Rabbit, the former rabbit becomes one of the Dogs, and the chase resumes.

My geeky, book-loving friends and I learned to love playing Rabbit and the Dogs in middle school because none of us was very good at being It when playing Tag. Rabbit and the Dogs levels the field among all the players: a poor Rabbit will get caught quickly but even a good Rabbit will get caught once the dogs gang up on him. So no one gets stuck being It forever, and the game changes so quickly that everyone gets a turn. This makes it especially good for kids of varying skill levels or ages.

Brian suggests we take a look at this post about turning video games into outdoor games. Great idea!

Claire Saxby from Let's Have Words loved the opportunity to wander down memory lane. Claire's favourite playground game was elastics. Kids start with a loop of elastic, maybe two metres long, and 1cm wide (6 feet by 1/2 inch). Usually, two people get inside the loop and hold it apart with their bodies, while another person jumps different ways involving the elastic. Some kids use rubber bands joined together to make their loop.

Claire remembers elastics as "progressive with the elastic getting higher and higher until it could be shoulder/neck high. Two people would stand about 4-5 feet apart with an elastic loop around their ankles. The third person would then jump in, out, crossover the elastics. If they could do it successfully they progressed to a higher height of the elastic loop or a more complex series of steps."

Carrie Anne from Another day, Another thought or two blog remembers elastics too, only she calls it Chinese jumprope. Karen Mikolainis from Mommy's Favourite Children's Books loved it too. Carrie Anne sent a link to some excellent directions at ehow, and says, "The Chinese jump rope game I remember, and the one I taught my daughter, was Mississippi. You jump the rope while spelling the letters. I actually attribute this game solely for my ability to spell Mississippi (and Mississauga, a city not far from here). Every time I need to spell it, the rhythm of the skipping song goes through my head M-I-SS-I-SS-I-PP-I."

Ehow describes Mississippi like this:

"The jumper spells out Mississippi as she jumps. With M, jump into the center. With I, jump both feet outside of both ropes. With S, jump to straddle the left side of the rope. With the next S, straddle the right side of the rope. With I, jump both feet outside again. With the double SS, repeat the same S jumps. With I, outside both ropes again. With PP, step on both sides of the rope with a double jump. Finish with I by jumping outside both ropes again. Move the ropes up the body as the jumper successfully finishes a jump round."

You can find more detailed directions online, with some chants to accompany them. I found a great Australian site, Skipping Pebbles, that sells pretty elastics, and provides rhymes and directions too.

Valerie Bartz remembers Four Square as her favourite playground game. Valerie, from The Almost Librarian, says "This game ruled my elementary school for a staggering number of years. We had several Four Square grids painted on the playground blacktop permanently and then we also had several more mapped out with tape on the gymnasium floor for rainy days. Anybody could play. I don't remember leaving kids out for being too young. However, you had to be good or you'd be out immediately. And also if I remember, when the bell rang, you'd take note as to who was positioned where and then you'd pick that game right back up at the next recess.

What's great about this game is that it involves a lot of people - it's good to have a line of folks waiting for their turn to enter box number 1 because play moves pretty quickly. And it's also a good game because you only need chalk and one bouncy ball to get it up and going."

You can find directions for Four Square at ehow, and at squarefour. This game also gets the thumbs up from Kelly Curtis at Pass the Torch, and Terry Doherty from Scrub-A-Dub-Tub.

I hope your kids enjoy reading and playing these games. Watch out for more Literacy in the Playground over the coming weeks, when we will focus on skipping and clapping chants, as well as singing games. Don't you love it when literacy and fun go hand in hand?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/cjmaru/ / CC BY-ND 2.0

Extreme Parenting

Today, I am delighted to welcome Sandy Fussell to the Book Chook blog. I've read and reviewed Sandy's first book in the Samurai Kids series, White Crane (Walker Books Australia, 2008). I've read and not-yet-reviewed Sandy's Polar Boy, which has been shortlisted for a CBCA award. Currently, Sandy is promoting her latest book in the Samurai Kids series, Monkey Fist.

Book Chook: One of the things that most fascinates me about you, Sandy, is the extreme lengths you went to, to help your son stay a reader, and how that led to you becoming a children’s author. Can you tell us the story?

Sandy Fussell: I became a children’s author by accident. My elder son stopped reading in 2003 when he was ten. Like all good parents, I panicked and tried everything to get him to read. I gave him books from every genre. He said they were all boring. So I convinced him to write a story that wasn’t boring. I took dictation. His story was based on his playground friends and people were mutilated, murdered and came back to life depending on what happened in the day’s handball game. Half way through, the main character just disappeared because ‘I don’t like girls anymore’. It was so frustrating. So random. However, I didn’t interfere. That would have defeated the whole purpose but by the time it was done, I couldn’t wait to write my own story.

I wrote nine manuscripts for practice. I showed number 8 to a few people and the feedback was promising. Number 9 was Samurai Kids which was accepted in 2006 and became my first novel (published in 2008). My second novel was Polar Boy, completed that same year. I aim to write two manuscripts a year. I have since written three more Samurai Kids titles, and Mexica Runner which will be published in March 2010. Two more Samurai Kids books are contracted, another historical novel and a picture book. Unfortunately only the picture book has been written so far, but I am scribbling away!

[Footnote : My elder son never returned to being a voracious reader yet he did continue to read sporadically. A few weeks ago he brought me a book and insisted I read it because he liked it so much – first time ever! And to my surprise it was exactly the sort of book I read when I was a teenager. The wheel has turned.]

BC: Wow, it just amazes me that you've gone from a mum scribbling down stories to encourage her son to read, to being a multi-published, and much-loved children's author in so short a time! And your second son also had a considerable impact on your writing?

SF: Samurai Kids began life as a stand alone manuscript. Six months later the decision was made to extend it to a series and to illustrate it. Book 1 was re-titled White Crane. I began Book 2, Owl Ninja, based on an idea from my younger son. After I read White Crane to him he asked me: Where are the ninjas mum? But before I could think of a clever response – because at this stage there was no inkling of a book 2 - he answered: I know, they’re in book 2.” Big joke! But when I was asked if I had an idea for Book 2 – I stopped laughing and started talking about ninjas! There has been quite a cost associated with this. I have discovered creative consultation is not cheap. My younger son is still negotiating for his ‘cut’ and he’s a good businessman. I tried to convince him to take a flat rate but he wants a percentage!

BC: I guess not every parent is prepared to become a children's author, though. Can you share some other things you did or do to motivate your reluctant reader?

SF: I still read to my younger son every night. He loves stories but he hates reading because at the moment, it is too much like hard work. But as we persevere and his reading improves, I hope the love of story will begin to lead him. A wonderful idea I found in Paul Jennings’ The Reading Bug was to approach reading as a peer group issue. I never thought of it like that. His suggestion was to ensure your emerging reader kept up with what everyone else was reading or talking about. In other words, read him Harry Potter, Zac Power and lots of Andy Griffiths so he can continue to be part of the peer reading scene. Interactive books are great fun as is reading in turns. Merchandised books also have special appeal. And that’s another key point. To get a kid to read you have to give them something they want to read, not something you want them to read. I’ll climb off my soapbox now *grin*

BC: Sandy, I think the reason your Samurai Kids books have been so well-received is quite simply because kids love them. They're full of action, humour, an incredibly authentic setting, and characters kids can relate to. What's it like to meet young fans?

SF: For most children’s authors (and sadly this includes me!) the financial return is not enough to give up the day job. But the privilege of spending time with kids is a huge reward and something I actively pursue. It’s enormous fun. I love school visits. One of the highlights of my writing life was when I was Guest of Honour at the Henry Lawson Festival in 2008 and the street parade included a local school dressed up as Samurai Kids. When they stopped, bowed and hailed me as Sensei, I bawled my eyes out. That was the end of me pretending to be all official and literary for the morning.

I love getting emails and letters and I have a forum – still in its infancy – where I interact with young readers on a daily basis. You can find it at the Samurai Kids website. We talk a lot about writing and I provide tips and hints. We also discuss martial art related topics. And Samurai Kids of course.

BC: In real life you work in Information Technology. How has this impacted on you as a children’s author?

SF: At first it sent me down the wrong track as I thought I would ‘write what I know’ and I wrote a techno fantasy (one of the practice manuscripts) - but it wasn’t very good. My writing improved when I began to ‘write what I love.’ But my experience in Information Technology has been invaluable in helping me provide add-ons for my books. I have three websites – a general author site, a site dedicated to the Samurai Kids series which includes quizzes, trading cards to print, educational resources (such as craft activities, a newsletter, fact sheets, a web quest, classroom play) and a forum, and a blog spot where I exercise my love and support for children’s literature. I have recently produced a Teacher Resource Kit for classroom use with Polar Boy during Book Week. These resources include notes and Interactive Whiteboard activities - two quizzes, a game and a drag and drop story map. They can be downloaded from my site. I am currently teaching myself simple game programming so I can work on a Samurai Kids game concept and I rather like the idea of modifying hangman to include a samurai executioner.

BC: Sandy, (or Sensei as I now think of you!), you've given us so much to think about. I like the Paul Jennings idea about peer group reading – if kids can keep up, and enter into discussions with their friends, chances are their friends might also motivate them to read independently at some stage. I love that you are still reading to your son, and I love the great resources you provide at your web sites. Thanks for giving us these insights into your life as a parent and a writer.

I've been following Sandy Fussell's blog tour, and really enjoyed gaining insights into this wonderful writer's process and research. Yesterday, Sandy was at Alphabet Soup blog, where you can find out more about her research and catch up with all the tour stops.