Magpie Learns a Lesson By Sally Morgan and Ezekiel Kwaymullina, and illustrated by Tania Erzinger, Omnibus Books, Scholastic, 2015. ‘Two friends, Magpie and Brown Falcon, have different talents. But magpie is cross that she can’t fly like Brown Falcon and plays tricks on her friend.’ What a naughty little magpie this one is! Magpie Learns a Lesson, a very big lesson indeed! Two birds; two sides of a story. Magpie and B...
Dotty and the Magpie By Jackie Wells and Dana Brown, Little Steps Publishing, 2015. Dotty the Dalmatian wishes she was brightly coloured! Dotty and the Magpie is a delightful little book about a dalmatian dog who wishes that her spots were many different brightly coloured spots. One day she meets a magpie who takes her out into the world to see all the different things around the town that are black and white. Together Dotty and the Mag...
Day Dreamers By Emily Winfield Martin ‘How do you find day dreams? You don’t need to search for secret doors or magic words to speak. Your imaginings will carry you anywhere you seek…’ Day Dreamers is a journey of imagination. A lovely look at the magical possibilities of the imagination in everyday situations. I think this book encourages children to use their imaginations in everyday situations, for example, im...
My Two Blankets By Irena Kobald and Freya Blackwood, Little Hare, 2014. ‘Cartwheel has moved to a place that is so strange to her, she no longer feels like herself. This is a story about new ways of speaking, new ways of living, new ways of being.’ In My Two Blankets, we travel with Cartwheel across countries to a new world far from the world she grew up in and is familiar with. She feels isolated and alone, and goes home an...
Happy Pants: Why is Mummy so sad? By Heather Gallagher and Liz McGrath, Wombat Books, 2014. ‘When Mummy wears her happy pants we build sandcastles, go out for babycinos and have lots and lots of cuddles But when she comes home with baby Darcy, her happy pants stay in her wardrobe…’ A heartfelt story about one child’s experience of his mother who is suffering from postnatal depression. This is a highly relatable s...
Rules of Summer By Shaun Tan, Lothian Children’s Books, 2000. ‘Never be late for a parade. Never forget the password. Never ruin a perfect plan.’ Um…not sure Shaun Tan… Your illustrations are beautiful as always, but on the first read, I didn’t understand the story. So, I thought I’d run this past a child and get a young person’s view of it. My 12-year-old niece wasn’t too sure about...
Starting School By Jane Godwin and Anna Walker, Penguin Viking, 2013. ‘Tim, Hannah, Sunita, Joe and Polly are all off to school for the first time. Would you like to meet them and see how they go?’ Starting School takes us through all the different parts that make up starting at school, from the first day and meeting other students and the teacher, to an orientation around the school and in the classroom. The story concludes...
Marlo Can Fly By Robert Vescio and Sandra Temple, Wombat Books, 2013. Everyone expects Marlo to fly, but she would rather slither like a snake, hop like a kangaroo and swim like a crocodile. But when someone needs her help, can she still rise to the challenge? I don’t know about you, but I love a magpie…and what a delightful little magpie story this is. Marlo Can Fly is about Marlo Magpie, a little bird who just wanted to be...
Living with Mum and Living with Dad: My Two Homes By Melanie Walsh, Walker Books, 2012. ‘My mum and dad don’t live together anymore so sometimes I live with my mum and sometimes with my dad.’ Separation and divorce are always difficult subjects to broach with young children. This is the ideal picture book for very small children to help them understand and navigate the changes are or will be occurring during parental d...
Today We Have No Plans By Jane Godwin and Anna Walker, Penguin Viking, 2012. ‘A busy week, a slower day Brings time to dream and time to play.’ Wow! This book reminded me of a day in the life of my niece, my friends’ kids, my cousins’ kids, basically all kids today! Children these days are so busy with their extracurricular activities, that rest days are gold. Today We Have No Plans is like reading a child’...
