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

More Weird Things Customers Say in Bookshops by Jen Campbell

Thank you so much to my lovely neighbour Sonia for this humorous book. I really enjoyed reading it and even though some of the comments may be tricky for students to decode or fully appreciate I have taken this book to school for students to enjoy if they wish.  The illustrations serve well to illuminate the comments. One of my favourites is the following from a young girl in relation to a book in The Cat in the Hat series:

I firmly believe that each job comes with its own unique challenges and no-one really "gets it" unless they do that job. Only yesterday on a flight from Melbourne to Hobart an air stewardess was telling me a passenger got cranky because he wanted to store his luggage directly above his seat and asked very indignantly, "Who brought the bloody life raft on board?" I mean you just have to laugh don't you?

Billy and the Big New School by Catherine & Laurence Anholt

This book by Catherine and Laurence Anholt is about the anxiety that some children feel before starting school for the first time. Billy is quite concerned and worried about the big new school with the great big children. His mum tells him he is just like a litttle bird who doesn't want to leave its nest. Billy loves birds and takes some comfort in this and tells the birds he feeds in the garden all about his worries. That's when he finds a little sparrow who can't fly properly and who is being harassed by other birds. So Billy decides to take him under his human wing. And soon...just as the bird has to go back out into the big skies, so must Billy go to school.  And is school as bad as he thought? Pre-schoolers and adults alike will enjoy sharing and discussing this beautiful picture book with its insight into the joys and trepidations of  starting school.

Good Old Rosie by Jane Maxey

The picture book Good old Rosie basically revolves around a sheep called Rosie, and comes to you right out of  the land of sheep, New Zealand. It focuses on a carefree, young girl, Jessica who lives in the country, and her relationship with her family and her pets; her favourite pet being Rosie the white sheep with the black face and legs. Rosie is evidently named after Great Aunt Rose on account of her black stockings. Then one day she finds Rosie in a predicament and wonders if she can get her out alive. The detailed black and ink illustrations are a real feature of the book. The story line itself is uncomplicated but fun. It was published by Oxford University Press in Wellington in 1980

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Jessica and Rosie

Plants that Eat Animals by Linna Bentley and Colin Threadgall

This natural science picture book written by Linna Bentley and exquisitely illustrated by Colin Threadgall was well worth salvaging from a recent library cull. The illustrations alone have so much artistic merit. This edition was published in 1975 but was first printed in 1967. It basically deals with carnivorous plants which with their clever baits and traps endeavour to ensure the survival of their species. Over forty years on, it is still a fascinating read.  Following the successful capture of their prey these amazing plants are able to dissolve solid animals with some being as big as mice and small birds, absorb them and then reset their deadly traps. The traps have been categorised into four basic types: sticky-surface trap, the jug-of-water trap, the suction trap and the snap trap; the latter being my all time favourite. Indeed, I had one of these, a Venus fly trap, in my loungeroom. However, it unfortunately only survived a year: too many little fingers triggering the snap mechanism I am guessing. Anyway, this interesting book cover plants such as the Sundews, the Pitcher Plants (American, Australian and the tropical),  the Venus fly trap, the Bladderworts and the Underwater Bladderworts. There is a contents page at the beginning so the reader can quickly find what they are looking for.  The drawings, as stated previously, are just amazing. I am glad to add this beauty to the Little Library of Rescued Books.

 Tropical Pitcher Plants by Colin Threadgall

Venus Fly Traps by Colin Threadgall

My Brown Bear Barney in Trouble by Dorothy Butler and Elizabeth Fuller

This is a beautiful story which is the sequel to My Brown Bear Barney continues the story of the friendship of a preschool girl and her beloved teddy bear. She and Barney are inseparable and each day brings a new outing and a new mishap. They spend time in the garden, time with Fred, her friend, ride climb their special tree, go shopping, visit the dentist and the library. Finally, they visit Granny. It's a busy week and the days are sprinkled with incidents with an accident prone Barney. However, come Sunday, the little girl and her constant companion are so tired they spend the day reading stories and taking a nap. They need all of their energy for the upcoming week which promises to be just as hectic as the one that is now over. The appealing, cleanly designed water colour illustrations by New Zealand illustrator, Elizabeth Anne Fuller,  add warmth to this familiar story. In fact they are what really make this text and would make text prediction attainable to most infant children.

Allegiant by Veronica Roth

The third book in the series by Veronica Roth is Allegiant and you will discover all in the first two stories is just a mirage. It's basically one city invading the rights and privacy of another and manipulating them to the extent of being able to eliminate their minds, their memories and their very existence. Just how many times is each city of factions reset you surely must ask yourself. A masterstroke as far as an author is concerned especially given that the majority of her audience is aged between twelve and eighteen. This is a real plot twister. Note Veronica's hair gets considerably shorter with each book promo. Does that mean she will be bald when she promotes her prequel Four? Anyway, this novel continues the story of Beatrice Prior and her romantic interest Four. Mind you, I would only give this semi-romantic and somewhat dubious love interest a three for his performance as the secondary narrator to Tris; a new feature introduced into this final novel in the triology. Can't have been that great as Roth feels the need to write a prequel to the whole series trying to explain and maybe exonerate the dismal appearance of Four in this novel. Whilst I enjoyed it, I feel it lacked the drive and charisma of the first two novels, a characteristic it shares with the third book in the  Hunger Games triad.