I hope you enjoy my reviews of four new picture books for children aged 3-6 and five Junior novels for readers aged 8-12. A great collection! 1. Little Axel's Axolotl' by Juliette MacIver and illustrated by Christopher Nielsen This is a very funny and endearing picture book, about a very special pet axolotl; named "Harris Aristotle" by his owner Axel. This is a very spoilt pet! Axel attends to his every wish and want and need and feeds him with the finest cheese, and warms him with the warmest of hats. Axel's fishy feet never touch the ground ... But despite his life of ease, Harris has a sec ..read more

You have no doubt heard the saying, "it takes a village to raise a child". This saying is typically used to remind us that a person's family is but one aspect of such a "village". Children are also supported in their endeavour by schools, sporting coaches, neighbours and so on. Our hope is always that the "village" will help to shape them for the good. This post tells how one region in Australia is transforming school education in a novel way to achieve these goals. Foundations for Change in Secular Education Above: Cessnock High School I started my teaching career as a Primary school teacher ..read more

 1. 'Mitchel Itches: An Eczema Story' by Kristen Kelly & illustrated by Amelia Jones This lovely picture book is about a boy who suffers badly from Eczema, and how he manages to cope and eventually 'conquer' it. In his Mum's words, he "was born scratching". Even in his baby photos he had socks on his hands to deter him. He grew up putting on skin cream every day and this wasn't fun! Baths helped for a little while, but sometimes the scratching would leave his skin infected, and some of his friends worried about catching it. In frustration, he would tell them "you can't catch it!" Be ..read more

I wrote a version of this post for another blog I write ('Pedagogy and Education for Life'). That blog is specifically for teachers in Christian or faith-based schools, but the topic is just as relevant in all schools. Let me first ask a question. Do we believe there is something commendable in every child we teach? In the first week of first term in any school year you won't have much of an idea, but if you're well into the year and you still haven't recognised something it's a problem.  It might just be that we don't know them at all. But I'd hope that after 2-4 weeks we would know som ..read more

The American Library Association has announced its 2024 annual award winners for books, videos, and other outstanding materials for children and teens. Committees of librarians and other literature and media experts, choose the award winners on behalf of the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC). The Newbery Medal was named after the eighteenth-century British bookseller John Newbery. It is presented to the author of the book judged to have made the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children. It can be a work of fiction, non-fiction, or poetry. The Calde ..read more

I want to draw attention to the power of story in this post by discussing my work shared in two separate articles over 10 years ago. In 2013 I wrote an article for the 'International Journal of the Book'. In it I discussed the power of literature not just to offer engaging stories, but to actually "Teach, Enrich and Transform" us. The article was inspired by the work of D.W. Harding (1937, p. 257) who suggested “reading, like daydreaming and gossiping is a means to offer or be offered symbolic representations of life”. I quoted Harding NOT to relegate reading, and specifically literature, to ..read more

1. 'Mumma's Love Language: Sometimes Love Tastes Like Hainan Chicken Rice'  by Written by Elisa Stad and Illustrated by Ry Menson (Illustrator) Jade is a girl who lives in two worlds. When one's parents have different cultural heritages, sometimes children can wonder where they fit. In this very sensitive and tenderly written book, Elisa Stad explores something which increasing numbers of families and teachers see each day. Jade is on a quest to understand her identity and where she truly belongs. She feels different from the other kids at school.    Back home, her Dad has an ..read more

In Australia, our schools will close in the third week of December for the Summer holidays which last about 6 weeks. After over two years of COVID isolation, lock downs and disrupted schooling, life is just starting to return to normal. As we enter holiday periods with our children and grandchildren, it's helpful to plan a little. While some children might go to summer camps, or holidays with families, there will be plenty of time either at home or away for children to become bored. Hopefully, the solution is NOT just to simply increase their screen time.   If Christmas falls in winter ..read more

 1. 'Riz Chester: The Fingerprint CODE' by R.A. Stephen and illustrated by Em Hammond I'm pleased to be able to review some books from Wombat Books a new Australian children's book publisher. 'The Fingerprint Code' is a fascinating little short chapter book for young readers (aged 8-10) just beginning to embrace longer 'chapter books' as many children call them. The main characters are 'Lachie A', Lachie B' and 'Lachie C'. Yes, they all have the same first names. As well, we meet other friends along the way including 'Sabrina', 'Lizzie' and a key character 'Riz'. Riz and her friends have ..read more

 1. 'Ruby and The Pen' By David Lawrence David Lawrence was a financial analyst, but turned his hand and considerable talent to writing books for children. He has written 13 children's books and 'Ruby and The Pen' is his most recent release. This is a wonderful book for readers aged 10-12 years. The quirky story is so well supported by Cherie Digman's wonderful cartoon style drawings. Ruby is sent off to boarding school for the first time after the death of her much loved father and the arrival of her mother's fourth boyfriend who is determined to move Ruby to a boarding school to get he ..read more