The Loaded Dog by Henry Lawson

The Loaded Dog is Henry Lawson's most popular comic story. Mates Dave, Jim and Andy are sinking a shaft at Stony Creek in search of gold. They like to go fishing in the creek and one day Dave decides it would be easier to blast the fish out with a cartridge of dynamite than to angle in the normal way given the muddy state of the water and banks. The trouble is they own a big, dopey retriever dog known for his idiotic slobbering. Well, as fate would have it, it is not long before the four-footed mate is terrorizing the town with his find. This hardback is filled with the detailed and colourful illustrations of Walter Cunningham who fully captures the amiable silliness of the dog. The end papers of the gold claim are also very effective and interesting to look at.

Undone! by Paul Jennings

This book, a multi award winner, is another collection of short stories from Jennings and they all have twists in their tails. There are eight stories in all. Here is a brief summary about each...

Batty: This story is set in the bush and its all about a boy who has been raised by bats.

Moonies: An illiterate boy moves to a new school, and after signing a contract he can't read, discovers that he has to moon the principal. Now, this is definitely something that someone in their right mind would never do.

Noseweed: A boy is staying with his grandad and is a bit over all the healthy food he has to eat there. One day the boy has to drink cod liver oil that has been mixed with museli and he just can't bring himself to swallow it. That is when a strange sprout appears from his nose.

Wake Up to Yourself: This story is about dreams and reality and there is a young lad who can't distinguish one from the other and all the problems that are associated with this.

Thought Full: Set on a farm this tale features a magic bottle. Now when you drink from this bottle it enables you to read other peoples' minds.

Clear as Mud:er Imagine becoming invisible when you are bitten by a bug. Well in this story magic, biting bug meets bully boy Eric Mud who is about to get much more than he bargained for.

What a Woman: Sally doesn't want to go to school, and you can't really blame her. You see, she is the only girl in the school. The boys are relentless in their bullying of her but one day something happens to turn her luck around...

You Be the Judge: If you eat someone, you are a cannibal. What are you then, if you drink someone? Is this even possible. This story is set in the desert and the main character is in a desperate situation.

There are three copies of this book in the Little Library of Rescued Books so you could read it along with a couple of friends.

Here is the covers from the other version of the book. This one overlays the one below.

Seven Little Australians by Ethel Turner

Mention author, Ethel Turner, to primary children nowadays and you are likely to get a lot of blank looks. I remember when Mr Taylor, my teaching partner, at Blackmans Bay read chapter one to our two classes and then showed them the television series over a few weeks. Most students became enthralled by it, appreciating the humorous and sad moments as well as the complexities of characters such as Esther, Judy, Meg, Pip, Nell, Bunty, Martha and of course the ever-austere Captain Woolcot. This book is a offers a great social commentary of the times. From chubby Baby right through to sixteen year old Judy the novel takes an authentic step back into the history of the late nineteenth century and today's students will be mesmerized by the lifestyle the family lived, the strictness of the rules and the manner in which each of the children respond to the boundaries their father puts in place. Their concept of discipline will certainly take on a whole new meaning. To watch the first episode of the popular televison series of 1973, click on the link below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBjaP9TC_KM

We are currently watching the series over two weeks in Bay Unit and it seems to have the students enthralled. There are ten episodes in all.

Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindren

This book is a classic and is popular across the world. Eight-year-old Pippi Longstocking (Pippi Långstrump) is somewhat eccentric, knows her rights and has superhuman strength. For example, she can lift a horse without any trouble, and that's only with one hand! She isn’t always respectful of her elders and frequently mocks them, especially those adults who are condescending, unkind or just plain stupid. You know when she’s angry as she turns white around the nose. She never wants to grow up, in many ways she is like Peter Pan. This book has been made into many a movie and television series. You may wonder why the lip-synchronization is so bad in the clip below, it’s because it has been dubbed in English. As always, the original language, Swedish, is the best. There are three full length Pippi Longstocking books.

The House at Pooh Corner by A.A. Milne

The House at Pooh Corner is the second volume of stories about Winnie the Pooh, written by A.A. Milne and illustrated by E.H. Shepard. I loved this book as a child and so did my daughter Nicola. I used it as a party theme for a birthday party in Queenstown when she was a little girl. The title of the book comes from a story in which Winnie the Pooh and Piglet build a house for Eeyore the donkey. The game of Poohsticks is also invented. There are hints running throughout the book that Christopher Robin is growing up and this comes to a head in the last chapter wherein the inhabitants of the Hundred Acre Wood give him a farewell party after learning that he must leave them for good. Pooh and Christopher Robin say a long, private farewell, in which Pooh promises never to forget him. Australian singer, Josh Pyke, has even written a song about this classic.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgpHgSY1sq8

A little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett

This book is one of my all time favourites and set in the early 1900’s. It tells a story of the extremely rich and the extremely poor. It shows how differently they were treated and how much they were segregated. Sara Crew was born in India to a very rich man named Ralph Crewe, he is very close to his daughter Sara so he is very upset when he has to send her away to boarding school because at that time India wasn’t a safe place for children to live; the climate was terrible and there was a war going on. Since Sara was very wealthy she was treated very well at the boarding school, she had her own toy room, a pony, and a very extravagant wardrobe. But when Mr. Crewe dies of Brain Fever, a very common disease in India at that time, and she is told she has no money and is an orphan. Mrs. Minchin; the lady who owns the boarding school wants to throw her out on the streets, but instead she keeps her as a servant, she takes all her belongings and makes her sleep in the attic, and she deprives her of food. Then when an Indian man moves in next door to the boarding house Sara befriends him. She speaks to him in Hindi and he was very impressed, but he wasn’t really just an Indian man, he is a friend of Sara’s father. He becomes her legal guardian and keeps the fortune until she is of age. Click on the link below to watch the trailer to the movie:

http://www.videodetective.com/movies/trailers/a-little-princess-trailer/5637

Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

I think this is one of the more accessible classics for upper primary children and I really enjoyed is as child. The book was first published in England in December 1884 and in the United States in February 1885. Commonly named among the Great American Novels the work is among the first in American Literature to be written in the vernacular. It is told in the first person by Huck Finn, a friend of Tom Sawyer. The book has colourful descriptions of people and places along the Mississippi River. It focuses on entrenched attitudes and particularly racism. Huck runs away with a slave and has many adventures. Click on the link below to watch a trailer to the movie:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cS9-HeIUa-M

Peter Pan by J.M.Barrie

Peter Pan is a character created by Scottish novelist and playwright J.M.Barrie (1860–1937). I take my hat off to Hayley for persevering with this classic, it is an unabridged version and it is a challenging read. A mischievous boy who can fly and refuses to grow up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending childhood adventuring on the small island of Neverland as the leader of his gang the Lost Boys. He has many adventures with mermaids, Indians, fairies and pirates. He also spends time with ordinary children. This classic has been turned into movies and television shows. Click on the link to see the trailer to one version:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TongJJMgBeY

Gumbles on Guard by S.A.Wakefield

This is the story of the Gumbles' triumph over their tricky enemies, old and new, continues the saga of the Bottersnikes and Gumbles. Now what are Bottersnikes you might ask. Well, they are lazy bludgers and nasty rubbish-dump dwellers. They have green wrinkly skin, cheese-grater noses and long, pointed ears that go red when they are angry, which is most of the time. Gumbles, on the other hand are kindly creatures who are all too easily taken advantage of. Naive is probably the best word to describe them. Yet the Gumbles are determined never to be grabbed, popped into jam tins, and made to work for the Bottersnikes again, not ever. Both species live in the Australian bush. S.A. Wakefield, the author, wrote four books about the Bottersnikes and Gumbles:

Bottersnikes and Gumbles (1967)

Gumbles on Guard (1975)

Gumbles in Summer (1979)

Gumbles in Trouble (1989)

Blinky Bill Runs Away by Dorothy Wall

This book is now out of print. This copy is a little scruffy but freshly covered' Blinky Bill has become a true icon in Australian literature. Blinky Bill the central character is a koala who wears red dungarees with a yellow button. Blinky is always up to mischief so much so that Mrs Grunty thinks he should be smacked for all the naughty things he does. Now that's not considered very politically correct these days.

There is a feature film by Yoram Goss, I must get hold of it.

Here is a trailer, a bit slow to start, but not bad:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p1Mss53fe8I

Here is are two other clips about the making of the film and about the author, Dorothy Wall, who is actually a New Zealander. I found them very interesting.

Part 1:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlbhXKdoGCA

Part 2:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VE3leRowH58&feature=related