Booking in August

August is a big month for children’s books in Australia. The CBCA announce their winners for the book of the year followed by a week of all things book-themed at schools.

But the highlight for me was giving a talk to the Grade 3’s at our school. They each had to present a book review during book week so I volunteered to go in and speak to them about the book reviews I do for Reading Time and on this blog. I was able to take in some of the books I’ve reviewed, and talk about the things I have to think about when writing a review. They were really attentive and asked great questions. I was also really impressed with their level of interest and enthusiasm for reading.

Picture Books

Arthur, by Amanda Graham and Donna Gynell – Another book from my childhood that I was stoked to share with the kids. It about the last dog in the pet shop who tries to increase his market value through self instructed night school. My kids all loved it. As I was reading it Freya shouted out, “He should just be himself”. It goes to show that old books about ordinary brown dogs are still what kids love. Unfortunately, Angus and Robertson, Booktopia and Book Depository don’t currently stock it. So if you spot it at an op shop, snap it up!

The Epic Adventures of Huggie and Stick, by Drew Daywalt and David Spencer – I think the humour of this book went over Toby’s head, but Odette loves it. The story is about uber-positive Stick and his ‘best friend’ Huggie, a glass-half-empty stuffed bunny. They find themselves on an unplanned trip around the world, which for one of them is the adventure of a lifetime and for the other is a nightmare wrapped up in tragedy. The book is written in diary form and is probably best suited to kindergarteners, rather than toddlers.

Mr. Sherman’s Cloud, by Habbenink (David Habben)- I absolutely loved the illustrations in this book, I couldn’t think of another book with a similar style. The story is also really lovely. Mr. Sherman wakes up in a bad mood and it follows him around until some children point out his cloud’s silver lining. This is a great one for discussing attitude and positive thinking.

Rules of the House, by Mac Barnett and Matt Myers – We really love Mac Barnett and will read anything of his. This one is on the darker, scarier side of the spectrum for younger kids, but luckily Tobin hasn’t decided it’s too scary, so we still get to read it. The brilliant illustrations, by Matt Myers, kept nagging at me, I couldn’t put my finger on what I was being reminded of. I’ve come to the conclusion they are a mixture of Mark Teague and William Joyce.

On the First Day of School, by P. Crumble and Dean Rankine – We have had this one before, but it was really popular again. The text is set out like the words to The Twelve Days of Christmas, which means the kids want it sung to them. The wonderful publishers must have known this and realised that many parents would shy away from such a book, so they have cleverly included an audio CD. My kids listened to this book many, many time, but I only read it once of twice – winning!

Cocoon and Meerkat Splash, by Aura Parker – These two books were huge hits at our house. The stories are tight, fun and easy to follow. This gives the reader the ability to spend more time focussing on the outstanding illustrations. The colours, shapes, characters, and details in these books are divine and will delight readers from the very young to the much older. We can’t wait for more from Aura Parker.

Horatio Squeak, by Karen Foxlee and Evie Barrow – A tale about a shy, self-depricating mouse who learns to become brave by teaching kindness. The gently didactic verse reminded my a lot of Rachel Bright and Jim Field’s books. This is a quiet book, and don’t we need more of them?

Early Chapter Books

Freya still enjoyed more Babysitter’s Club graphic novels, and more Ginger Green books, but here are few others that got tried out this month.

• 

• 

Mango and Bambang, by Polly Faber and Clara Vulliamy – I have already blogged about this ripping little series, but this month Freya and I have been reading them together. They are about a young girl (about 9ish) called Mango, who finds and befriends a stray tapir, named Bambang. Each book is structured to have 4 short stories which build on each other but are themselves individual stories (in a similar way to Pippi Longstocking). Mango and Bambang are loyal friends and stick together in the face of danger (in the form of Cynthia Prickle-Posset, their neighbour). These are great books for the newly independent reader.

The Princess in Black, by Shannon Hale, Dean Hale and LeUyen Pham – I really thought this series would be a great one for Freya, but she just wasn’t interested. Perhaps she just had other books she was just more interested in. I think we’ll try them again in a month or two.

Middle-Grade Fiction

Unfortunately, I didn’t get a chance to read any of the books listed below. But my big boy did and said they were “good” or sometimes “really good”.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Another one from the Iguana Boy series, by James Bishop and Rikin Parekh

A couple of books from the Stick Dog series, by Tom Watson and Ethan Long

Starfell: Willow Moss and the Lost Day, by Dominique Valente – This is a new one that is a bit more in-depth. It seemed to be a bit more fantasy than he would normally like, but he stuck it out and seemed to really like it.

Lucy and Andy Neanderthal, by Jeffrey Brown

Tales From a Tall Forest, by Shaun Micallef and Jonathan Bentley – Our family are fans of Shaun Micallef so I was pleased when Jude chose this himself at the library. He was asked by someone if this was funny, he said “not really”. Perhaps Micallef’s humour is to subtle for a 9-year-old. No matter, the book was finished swiftly nonetheless.

Booking for Mum

The Power of Habit, Charles Duhigg – I read this as a follow up to Atomic Habits, which I read a few months ago (and posted in IG about) and leans heavily on Duhigg’s theories. While I felt Atomic Habits was an eye-opening but easy read, suitable even for teenagers, The Power of Habit is more detailed with much longer and complex case studies to demonstrate the principles of habit Duhigg wants to explain. I really enjoyed it and reminded me of the strength I have if only I can harness the power of my habits (also me: eats some afternoon chocolate).