Sydney and the Sea Monster by David Elliot

This is the first book I have read by New Zealander author/illustrator David Elliot and I was impressed. It proved to be a superb tool for teaching my students how to write a narrative focusing on character development, conflicts and resolutions. It also affords some nice examples of literary devices such as similes, personification and the deft use of adverbs. My upper primary audience really appreciated the humour in the book, especially the "candles with strange long wicks" which the main character Sydney Penguin discovers in a mysterious box that has been thrown up out of the swell of the sea. The story focuses on this would-be inventor and an Antarctic community of animals who live in constant fear of sealers and whalers. And...one day indeed they do arrive:

Next morning, the monstrous shadow of a sailing ship loomed out of the mist. It bristled with harpoons and cudgels and a feeling of menace. 
A boat was lowered over the side. The terrified animals began to run.

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.

Archie and the Pirates by Marc Rosenthal

The illustrations as well as the title of the book drew me to this publication.  Apart from Archie the ship-wrecked monkey being an ingenious designer and builder, he is also a selfless hero who values his friendships with Clarice the ibis and Beatrice the lonely tiger. The main conflict in this book involves the rescue of his new-found friend Beatrice from Captain Pequod and his band of supposedly fierce but in reality hapless advocates. The sentiments of the importance of having good neighbours is a strong one. The last double page spread is priceless. I really loved this book...and hope my grandson Archie will too. The main characters are pictured below:

Archie and Archie by Ruth Rendell

This is the first book, written in 2013, by well known British crime fiction writer Ruth Rendell for younger readers. Archie, the golden cat with golden eyes, and Archie, the quiet King Charles Spaniel, are neighbours and they inhabit a street full of feline friends and foes. When Pearl, Archie's pussy cat house companion dies suddenly Archie takes more notice of the dog Archie who lives next door and also of Gracie the cat next door. And then there is Tess, Rosie,  Boat Cat and White Leg and of course the Bengal cat, Loki. This small book has a huge cast of characters. Whilst this book may well appeal to animal lovers, it is very thin on plot and really much more of a lyrical run down on the personalities of moggies and mutts who happen to live in the same street.

Robber Girl by Margaret Wild & Donna Rawlins

This book by Margaret Wild is probably best suited to upper primary students due to the language which is heavily influenced by traditional literature and its themes of physical and emotional isolation. That's not to say that the book isn't accessibe to, or couldn't be enjoyed and unpacked by a younger audience; depends on their experience with literature I guess. The illustrations by Donna Rawlins place Wild’s tale in the deep and unrelenting winter of a pre-industrial Europe with Wild drawing on many familiar motifs from this time, notably the feral child, the stolen child and groups of three in terms of animals and events. The main character "the robber girl" yearns for human companionship, yet finally understands that a person cannot really enjoy or justify keeping what is not rightfully theirs. The story centres around a young girl who ekes out an existence in an untamed forest which is harsh and unforgiving during the long winter months. Her closets companions are a wise old bear, a wolf and an owl. Despite their protective and nuturing ways, she feels overwhelmed by lonliness during the dark wintery months and when a farmer's son, Josiah, strays far from the house one day, the "robber girl" is compelled to do what she does... 

"Robber girl" with her companions, old bear, fox and owl

The Mystery of the Woods by Mary Stolz

Rules are made to be broken? Well, not according to Grandfather Fanshaw. Young Will, his grandson, finds living by the daily rules and being obedient to the clock makes life somewhat repetitive and dull. This well meaning old gentleman's routines which include oatmeal for breakfast every morning and bedtime strictly at eight, would drive anyone out of their minds. 

All day long the clock directed activities in the house. The clock was a grandfather too, so Will figured he had two grandfathers, both of them telling him what to do.

Grandfather Fanshaw especially worries about the woods that surround his house and it is this irrational fear in some part drives his crazy rule-making ways. Suddenly one evening something really refreshing happens in their lives, a "mewowing" cat enters into their lives and the old bloke has to start thinking about doing somethings differently. Now truthfully this book, whilst containing some small philosophies about the drawbacks of being too rigid, probably wouldn't hold too many kids' attentions these days. I'll run it by some students in my class and see what they have to say about it. I did actually enjoy the illustrations by Polish artist Uri Shulevitz who is now  well known for his own stories, his award winning Snow, and his most recent Dusk.

Farmer Schulz's Ducks by Colin Thiele

Farmer Schulz's ducks were the loveliest ducks in the world. There were brown ducks and grey ducks and speckled ducks. There were ducks with necks of opal and wings of amethyst; their colours gleamed in the sunlight, their feathers shone like jewels. There were ducks with the sheen of emerald, of sapphire and turquoise and jasper, like the glint of Aladdin's treasure. There were ducks like burnished gold.

Farmer Schultz's Ducks by Colin Thiele, first published in 1986 by Walter McVitty Books, is now out of print, yet but this beautiful story set in the Adelaide Hills is still relevant to the young readers of today. Farmer Schulz's beloved ducks keep on dying undignified deaths. His farm farm is close to a highway and the ducks become potential  road victims every time they cross the highway to the Onkaparinga River. Rapid urban development has seen an increase in the traffic and also an indifference to the fate of the ducks by motorist tearing along to meet their busy work schedules. Farmer Schulz's daughter Anna has a few ideas to solve the problem. Farmer Schulz soon incurs the disapproval of government and the family has to rethink their whole approach to the problem. The illustrations by Mary Milton, a South Australian artist, are subtle yet detailed reflections of a myriad of breeds and personalities of the ducks described in the text. They also richly portray family life on this farm. Colin Thiele was born in South Australia in 1920 and his German ancestry was certainly a big influence on the book.

Farmer Schulz