No Such Thing as Far Away by Laura Langston and Robert Amos

This  Canadian picture book explores a child's attachment to place and could quite easily be set in any major Australian city with a China Town. It is in fact set in Vancouver's Chinatown which I had the pleasure of exploring some years ago. Michael loves his Chinatown home, its smells, its interesting alley ways, and the dragons from the nearby neon sings which cast their golden and red images through his bedroom window upon his wall during the night. He is very upset when he hears from his mum who runs a second hand shop of their impending move to another suburb. Michael's acceptance of the situation comes largely through the counsel of his Chinese friend, Grandpa Doc. 

In summer Michael would go into the little store where Grandpa Doc straightened his jars of herbs and boxes of powders. Michael would sit on a high stool and sniff the air. The smells of star anise, ginger and sweet licorice mingled with the conversation as Grandpa Doc talked about the old country. Once Michael asked Grandpa Doc how he could be happy when he was so far away from the China that he loved.

"There's no such thing as far away when you carry a place in your heart," Grandpa Doc said, laughing at Michael's frown. "In here." The old man lifted both hands to his heart.

 who tells him, "There is no such thing as far away when you carry a place with you. In here." (Your heart.) 

Robert Amos, a water-colour artist, well-known for his depictions of inner city streets, captures the detail and colour of the scenes in Chinatown beautifully. 

The result is a well-written appreciation of Chinatown and a satisfying, reassuring look at the heartache of leaving a loved places and loved ones.

Daddy Lost His Head by Quentin Blake & Andre Bouchard

Loved this book, Daddy Lost His Head, before I even read the first page. What kid wouldn't pluck this one right off the shelf?  I found the book very amusing.  If your Dad lost his head you would fashion him a new one of course. Newspaper, paint and a potato for a nose and voilà...there it is a new functioning head with many advantages. You see, he doesn't snore or shout, he readily agrees with you and is quite happy to do the vacuuming. Even better, take him shopping and he will buy anything you ask for. But...will Daddy ever find his real head and just how did he lose it in the first place? This is certainly a very absurd story but also very inventive and funny.

Fox Eyes by Margaret Wise Brown and Garth Williams

"Whiskerchew," is the catchphrase in this retro picture book which made its debut in 1951.  It is also the word uttered by the old fox as he goes about his daily activities and notices the hiding places of other woodland animals and their secret stashes of food. They are unnerved by the red fox and are panicked into departing from their daily routines. Author, Margaret Wise broom  published over a hundred children's books and unfortunately for the literary world only lived to be forty-two. This little gem which introduced many a ninety-year old to reading is now sadly out of publication. The above Collins Picture Lions edition was published in 1980. Below is one of the beautiful illustrations by illustrator  Garth Williams and you can see the fox spying through the rocks.

Yeti and the Bird by Nadia Shireen

This newly released picture book by Nadia Shireen has a yeti as its main character. He is a lonely yeti until one day, out of nowhere, a bird lands on his head. The yeti, startled, tries to scare the bird but the little orange bird is unperturbed. So, a friendship blossoms as the yeti endeavours to help the little bird who has become disorientated whilst on a journey to sunnier climes in the south. Then comes the sad day when they have to farewell each other. This book is overflowing with gorgeous winter landscapes and would be a lovely book to snuggle up to during wintery nights. I have just purchased this book to take over to my grandson, Archie, when I next visit Perth.

Handel Who Knew What He Liked by M.T.Anderson & Kevin Hawkes

Not the type of book I would usually pick up but I am glad I did, as the book gives a basic but entertaining account of Handel's childhood and the highs and lows of his career. The humour contained in the illustrations by Kevin Hawkes, was also one of the strong points of this book. Look at the portrait painting in the illustration below as Handel discreetly has his new clavichord moved up to his bedroom; his father was dead against him having a career in music. There is an glossary inbuilt into the pages with information boxes popping up under the main story to explain terminology such as clavichord, libretto, aria, as well as small explanations about the social norms of the times. That certainly eliminates the  annoying necessity of most information=driven books of having to flip to the back of the book every time there is an italicized word! One of my favourite descriptions  in the book was within the section about the big and expensive operas Handel put on: "The characters would sing arias in Italian, some of the most beautiful music ever heard onstage. Then they would stab each other." This book is written with wit and compassion and certainly gave me a thought-provoking glimpse into both Handel's life and also into the  cutthroat practices involved in the business of public performances in the 1700s.

Wild and Woolly by Nan Hunt & Noela Hills

Wild and Woolly by Nan Hunt is a very off-beat little book about Mr Martin, who just can't get to sleep. His wife suggest he try the age old solution of counting sheep. Instead of nodding off to sleep Mr Martin begins the arduous task of buying sheep from an auction, rounding them up and generally coping with the workload a big flock brings. He is getting anything but a good night's sleep. "He almost went to sleep pondering the problem but he was a persistent man so he stayed awake." All of the  illustrations by Noela Hills are double page spreads and are very striking and detailed. This hardback edition is signed by Nan Hunt and Noela Hills as well as other Australian authors who were at the launching of this book in 1983. It is a beautiful addition to the Little Library of Rescued Books.

The Great Wungle Bungle Aerial Expedition by Jill Arkell, Wayne Talbot and Greg McKee

A great swirling willy willy carries Wendi Wallaby off into the Australian outback skies and thus begins the Wallopa Wallaby's quest to track her down. He enlists the aid of Ranger Bugwatch and together with the talents of Snuffle and Trundle Echidna, Bluey, Bindie and Scribble the Kola Brothers, Wentworth Pelican, Felicity Flossy Fleece the flying doctor, and Ulinga, an indigenous boy, they build a pedal-powered flying machine from recycled materials. This is the first on many  inventions they make in their quest to travel the skies in search of Wendi. There is the giant boomerang, the 18 footer sky boat, an airship, a satellite but all have their own limitations. The detailed and humorous illustrations by Greg McKee and Wayne Talbot are awe inspiring and will keep children poring over them for hours. McKee is a man of many talents with a background in industrial design, zoology, illustration and animation. To read more about him and the illustrations in this book follow the link below; it is well worth your visit..

http://www.mckeewildthings.com/Illustrations.htm

The Bunyip Cage by Jill Eggleton

The Bunyip Cage by Jill Eggleton, first published in 1993, is all about  three little aussie children who have their sights set on catching a bunyip down at the local billabong so they can take it to the zoo.  They build  a wooden cage and imagine how it is all going to work out. However things don't pan out as they expected. They do indeed catch an animal but it is a far cry from the mythical bunyip of their imaginations.. The cover really doesn't do justice to the beautiful illustrations by Jeff Fowler enclosed within the book. The first page in the book would have made a striking cover. I just love the Kellogs Cornflakes box which sits on the table in the second illustration of the book. Product placement maybe?

Illustration from The Bunyip Cage by Jeff Fowler

Illustration from The Bunyip Cage by Jeff Fowler

Arnold the Prickly Teddy by Kym Lardner

Prickly fur is definitely not a teddy bear's best asset, it endears you to no-one, so it seems. Arnold sits day after day gathering dust  in a toy shop in the midst of the fast-selling pink and softer variety of ted. Despite a price reduction, he still doesn't sell and finds himself unceremoniously tossed into a rubbish skip. Luckily, after almost two days of lying among broken toys and wrapping paper, a small had reaches up and liberates Arnold, and his life suddenly takes a turn for the better. This is a heart-warming story that really illustrates the power of love. Kim Lardner has a straight-forward engaging writing style and his huge, detailed and very colourful drawings bring the text to life. 

Kym spends a lot of time touring around and entertaining children with his story-telling, illustrations and songs. He came to Illawarra Primary School a few years back when I was teaching there, and I think I can honestly say that I have never enjoyed another performance as much as his.

If you would like to hear Kim Lardner and appreciate his sense of humour, click on the following link:

http://www.summerreadingclub.slq.qld.gov.au/archive/src08_09/listen_to_kym_lardner

The Useless Donkeys by Lydia Pender and Judith Cowell

The Useless Donkeys, first published in 1986, is about the Quigleys "six and a bit of them." They enjoy farm life and have a menagerie of animals of which two are the lovable but apparently useless donkeys Garibaldi and Pecadillo.Mr Quigley is their harshest critic as they follow him around, trample his garden and even tread on his clothes. Mrs Quigley, on the other hand, is charmed by them both despite the fact that they they invade her kitchen. The children love them. Then one day there is a terrible storm which floods the farm and leaves the donkeys stranded on a diminishing island of land. Now the family has to decide what should be done. The pictures in this book are very striking and in fact it took illustrator, Judith Cowell,  two years to complete the artwork during which time she said she "lived day and night with the Quigleys." Author, Lydias Pender, began writing poetry for the School Magazine in the 1940's, and has since written many picturebook stories which have received acclaim in America, England and Australia.

The Singing Hat by Tohby Riddle

I just adored this completely absurd story The Singing Hat by Tohby Riddle. Colin Jenkins awakes one day after a nap under a tree only to find that his head is now adorned with a bird's nest complete with bird. Not wishing to interfere with nature, he decides that he can carry on his daily routines with his new hat. The bird brings both positive and negative things into his life. Life becomes even more challenging when the eggs in "hat" hatch just as he is being dismissed from his job! It is a book of contrasts, as too is the illustrative style with solid and lightly sketched images. The pen and ink gouache, collage are cartoon like and add to the humour in the story. It's definitely a book to share with middle and upper primary students as they would appreciate the ambiguity and the amusing incidents much more than a younger reader. This book was first published in 2000 in Australia and has one a number of awards for both literature and design. These include Honour Book in the Australian and CBC Picture Book of the Year Awards and APA Best Designed Cover. So if you enjoy the bizarre you will love this book. The following website has some excellent discussion and teaching ideas on the book as well as some questions which could be explored:

http://www.tohby.com/Images/Notes_on_TheSingingHat.pdf

The Little Worm Book by Janet & Allan Ahlberg

The Little Worm Book by the well-known author/illustrators Janet and Allan Ahlberg, which was first published in 1979, is a tongue in cheek study of worms for little kids with a subversive sense of humour. It looks at the physical characteristics of a worm, worms as pets and what to look out for when buying your first worm, worms around the world, and worms in warfare. My favourite section is the main health hazards which a worm faces:

So if you want something light-hearted which would provoke a lot of philosophical discussion about worms, then this is a great book to share with anyone really, except maybe a blackbird. Just remember worms makes good pets, being more loyal than snails, much more fun than a slug and less liable to fly away than a ladybird.

Henry's Holiday by Ella Watkins

How gorgeous is Henry the Goat. This is a special publication by Ella Watkins right out of our own little Holiday Isle, Tasmania. I am so proud to have it in out Little Library of Rescued Books, so that other students can see what wonderful things you can achieve when you follow your dreams and really apply yourself. Ella was twelve when she penned and illustrated this quirky book. Oscar and Rufus head off to Japan but end up in Fiji for some strange reason. Anyway, they make the most of the snorkelling, water skiing and dining opportunities, especially the buffet.

Read more about this Tasmanian author on her blog:

http://www.henrythegoat.com.au/creator.html

Or watch a short interview with this young Tasmanian writer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQhquA3oG14

Mr McGee and the Biting Flea by Pamela Allen

'Mr McGee went out to play, down to the beach one windy day.' So begins the fourth book in the Mr McGee series. But his positive mood is ruined when he is bitten by a flea which he then can't get rid of. In fact he is so distraught he strips down to his birthday suit! (A warning to any prudish readers out there.) This well-known book has won numerous awards and was shortlisted for the Children's Book Council of Australia Book of the Year for picture books. It is another great resource to explain rhyming couplets and onomatopoeia to students.

Also check out the performance of the book below by the Patch Theatre Company.