Nine chickens in a tree, soundly sleeping as the sun begins to rise. The rooster lets them all know it’s time to get up, and they hop and flutter down to the ground below. But they’re missing something. Where are their eggs? Off they strut, looking for the eggs that look like them. There are spotty hens, zig zag hens and some with triangles. Some have stars, splotches or squares. Can each mother hen find their own nest? Slowly but surely as they spread out through the farm, the town market and even into a barn dance, each hen finds their matching eggs. They settle down, leaving the other hen m ..read more

Rangi enjoys practising haka with the other boys in his class at school. They are preparing for their end of year celebration ceremony. Rangi slaps his chest along with the other boys, all roaring out their haka. When their practice is over it is time for the girls to perform with their poi. The other boys pull faces and muck about while the girls practice, but Rangi is transfixed as their pois fly and their steps and timing is perfect. Calling out in support, he joins their song, but the other boys instantly begin teasing him, saying Poi is for girls! Rangi feels embarrassed for the rest of t ..read more

The recognisable hand written font style of the title instantly lets us know we have another Oliver Jeffers piece of art and story in our hands. And this time it’s for all ages, and thinkers, and storytellers – with a determined hopeful message for our future. Begin Again is a continuation of Jeffers study of the human condition. Who we are as human beings, and how we can be the best we can – to others and our planet. The first book that began to explore this was Here We Are – written for his first child, his son, Harland. As a first time parent, the world suddenly seemed a different place. He ..read more

Big or small, short or tall – brown hands, white hands, freckled hands too. Long noses, short noses, big feet, small feet. Round tummies, flat tummies, soft or hard. People are made of all of these things and more. ‘Bold and Beautiful, Loud and Proud – All Bodies are Good Bodies.   Author – Charlote Barkla Illustrator – Erica Salcedo Picture Book   (Diversity, Inclusivity, Sameness, Belonging, Differences, Fitting in, Self-Esteem, Identity)   The post All Bodies Are Good Bodies appeared first on What Book Next.com ..read more

One day, a strange animal arrived. All he has with him is a suitcase. The other animals stare, but don’t ask his name. They ask what is in the suitcase. The animal tells them what is inside, but the other animals shake their heads. “Impossible,” they think. We don’t trust this stranger. When given the chance, they discover what is really inside the stranger’s suitcase, and then decide what to do about it. This simple story with clear but bright illustrations against predominately plain white backgrounds, brought a tear to my eye. Perfect for teaching kindness, responsible actions, empathy and ..read more

Bruno loves going to his friend Sanjay’s house to play with his hand painted toy soldiers. Sanjay has 100’s of them, and when the boys stop for a snack, Sanjay is allowed to leave them scattered everywhere until they go back to them. Except for his own bed which he can leave unmade if he chooses, Bruno has to put things away in his home. Sanjay has a pet too – something Bruno would love for himself. Any pet will do. Bruno’s brother Mateo has a dog that is at his side every day, and Bruno thinks he’s so lucky. But it isn’t a race around the park sort of dog. Mateo is clever too. He seems to kno ..read more

Huia is worried. They are doing something special in her classroom the next day and Huia isn’t sure she wants to take part. Each student has been asked to bring a photo of their family as part of a new class topic. But Huia knows her family is different and isn’t sure what her classmates might say and think? Her efforts to avoid it are waylaid by her mum who visits school with what Huia needs. Huia soon learns that hers isn’t the only family that is a little different from ‘Mum, Dad and the kids.’ There are adopted children, children raised by aunts, or grandparents, or only one parent. There ..read more

In the chaos of war, a family decides to leave to find a safe place to live. A voyage across the ocean is the only option and they set off, leaving everyone and everything they know behind. The ocean is unkind too, and once again they lose everything they have, but thankfully, the family is still together. Rescue comes and a new life beckons then embraces them. The steps of a refugee’s life are portrayed in full colour, double-page spreads with one word to explain this stage of the refugee’s journey. Chaos, Escape and Memories begin this story that takes the family through Calm, then Wild, and ..read more

You know that something special is going to happen in this book as soon as you open the cover. A collection of items are laying next to a child’s open lunchbox on a tasseled yellow blanket. What’s really intriguing is the bowl of dogfood alongside and a backdrop of stars and the planet Earth far away…. Where are we off to, and with who?   A girl stands inside her bedroom, showing a dog a blackboard. The blackboard is showing an imaginative adventure in the planning. Together they put together what they will need. Dog food, a packed lunchbox, and water to share. Yours. Mine. Ours. Beside ..read more

Little Pigeon has followed the other pigeons to face a very large pigeon with a clipboard. This pigeon is stern and after one look has decided that Little Pigeon will fit in a little hole. “No I don’t,” said Little Pigeon. “I’m going to grow BIG.” Next Big Pigeon calls Little Pigeon plain, then grumpy, when Little Pigeon complains. Both pigeons big and small get angrier as Big Pigeon tries to label Little Pigeon. Then Little Pigeon asks two questions: Why isn’t Big Pigeon in a hole? Why does Big Pigeon need holes?   What a brilliantly simple way to talk about labelling or pigeon holing ..read more