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.

The Mouse and the Potato by Thomas Berger and Carla Grillis

The Mouse and the Potato, which is now out of print, was translated from German by Polly Lawson and was printed in Belgium in 1990 by Floris Books. This is a book about a potato, obviously and it makes for an unusual protagonist. It starts out with a little girl called Maggie deciding to plant a rather large potato with the mindset that is will produce more potatoes.  A plant appears and it grows prolifically, the problem is, when it comes to harvest time the gigantic plant won't budge. Maggie's father, a farmer, tries to uproot the plant, is shortly joined by his wife, then a farmhand, a milking maid and then Maggie; all to no avail. Then it's time for canine, felines and rodents to partake in the what is now proving to be a very challenging harvest. Well, I wonder  what could possibly happen? The farm horse even ends up with a job. A straightforward little plot with gentle water colour illustrations by Belgium illustrator Carla Grillis.   It is certainly a beautiful addition to my children book collection.

The harvest

Maggie

The Dutch version

The German version

The Teeny Tiny Woman retold and illustrated by Barbara Seuling

The Teeny Tiny Woman retold by Barbara Seuling is about a very small woman who finds a teeny bone in a church yard and takes it home in order to make soup for her supper. After she stores it in her cupboard, the trouble begins. Everything in the book is teeny tiny except for one thing which the reader discovers at the conclusion of the story. Simply written with repetition, this is a great book for readers beginning to find their own feet. The drawings were done in pencil and preseparated. 

Barbara Seuling was born and grew up in Bensonhurst in Brooklyn. She attended Colombia University and studied art and illustration with Don Bolognese, Uri Shulevitz and Robert Quackenbush. Ms Seuling was a children's book editor for many years and has written and illustrated several other children's books incuding Winter Lullaby and Oh No It's Robert.  She wears many hats and is also a teacher. Barbara lives in Manhattan and spends summer in Landgrove, Vermont.

Horrible Hair by Gerald Rose

Horrible Hair by Gerald Rose is a children's  picture book would be an appreciated addition to any preschool or early childhood library, being witty, with both worthy phrase  repetition and a certain amount of intrigue, it will equally appeal to a mother or maybe new age dad experiencing a bad hair day. Lion has been invited to a riverboat party, not any old party mind you, and for sure he wants to look his best; I mean after all he is supposed of be king of the jungle. He passes the entire day trying out new hair styles and seeking the approval of his close jungle friends as indeed we humans often do in our people world. Well, finally Lion settles on a style, but unfortunately or fortunately due to hippos over-exuberant dancing the riverboats sinks and all the guest end up in the drink. What the happens to Lion's much thought-through hairstyle? I guess the moral could quite easily be "be appreciated for who you are."

Dirty Beast by Roald Dahl

Roald Dahl's Dirty Beasts is a treat of humorous (slightly black) poems about animals. Poems include The Pig, The Crocodile, The Lion, The Scorpion, The Anteater, The Porcupine, The Cow, The Toad, and lastly, The Tummy Beast. They are all written in rhyming couplets and take ordinary animals and turn them into people-eating monsters, usually for reasons of self-preservation or because of some misunderstanding. This book is perfect for reading out loud and Quentine Blake's illustrations are as lively as ever. The one about the emaciated anteater who eats an aunt is good fun, but my  favourite poem is probably The Porcupine. You can watch an animation of it below:

My Friend Whale by Simon James

This award winning book makes a powerful splash. How amazing would it be to swim with a great blue whale every evening? Simon James' book My Friend Whale introduces young children to the realistc plight of whales. It is a beautifully moving picture book which could provide the basis of some discussions about whales for very young children. It is an imaginative story with an important message. The author himself says he tires a little of book with polite messages and happy endings. Well, this book certainly has an honest ending tinged with sadness, however James does not allow this sadness to overtake the description of the truly  majestic creature presented earlier in the story. I bought this for my grandson Archie and will now be looking for more books from Simon James. Below is a fabulous animation of the book I found on Vimeo:

http://vimeo.com/10120488

The Magic Hat by Mem Fox

True to Mem Fox style, quirky and with repeated rhymes designed to get your child to read, this picture book is the full package. It is a funny, dynamic read-aloud book which both entertains and allows for prediction from page to page. The illustrations by Tricia Tusa brings to life both the magic and the unpredictable nature of the marauding hat which flies into town out of the blue. It adorns a toad, a baboon, a kangaroo, a bear and then suddenly its wizardly owner appears...This book is now part of my grandson Archie's collection.

Tuck Me In! by Dean Hacohen & Sherry Scharschmidt

This book is the perfect book when settling down and tucking your child in for the night. Children will relate to it and mimic it by tucking their favourite animals into bed. It is brightly illustrated by Sherry Scharschmidt and the wide-eyed animals stand out on the white background. Each animals is tucked  in up to its chin with swish and appealing blankets. Children instinctively love repetition and the simple rhythms of this book will ensure that this book is revisited many times. I couldn't resist buying for my grandson Archie who turned one yesterday.

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.

There's a Bushranger in My Bedroom by Fowler Thurley

An Australian book published in 1991 and is an easy read suitable for 10-12 year olds. It is a light-hearted mystery about a young girl, Rebecca, who has to sleep in a back room at an old inn her parents are renovating. She believes the room is haunted and follows clues left there by the ghost of a bushranger. She has few issues at her new school and is desperate to shine a not just to be another hundred and thousand. When the press arrives to follow the story about her resident bushranger she is very excited, but she unprepared for the humiliation which is to follow. The ending is a bit tame and sudden but the book has enough happening to keep you reading and guessing. There is very little about this author on the net and this book is becoming increasingly difficult to buy.

http://www.penguin.com.au/contributors/650/thurley-fowler