Book YAK

Top Six - 17 May 2013

Sylvia Ashton-Warner Library — Thu, 16 May 2013 22:10:52 GMT

The top six this week are not just children’s books, we’ve also including an interesting and positive book about teenagers and reading which is one of those perennial issues for teachers and parents.

Book love: Developing depth, stamina, and passion in adolescent readers by Penny Kittle (Non-fiction)

Written by a literacy coach, here is one for secondary teachers to explore. Looks at why teenagers often appear to have apathy for reading and what can be done about it.

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz (Young Adult Fiction)

There are three medal stickers plastered on the front of this one so we just had to have a look. This young adult novel has made a big impact in North America, winning a Printz Honor Award,a Stonewall Book Award and the Pura Belpré Award which “is presented annually to a Latino/Latina writer and illustrator whose work best portrays, affirms, and celebrates the Latino cultural experience in an outstanding work of literature for children and youth.” (Pura Belpré website). It sounds like this one covers many themes: cultural identity, friendship, sexuality and coming of age.

Annie Sullivan and the Trials of Helen Keller by Joseph Lambert (Junior Non-fiction)
Although there have been many books about Helen Keller and her teacher, this one caught my eye because it is in graphic format and therefore offers a fresh way for this inspiring tale to be explored by children.

31 Ways to Change the World (Junior Non-fiction)

Compiled by an organisation called we are what we do, this book is “inspired by the suggestions of thousands of kids” and suggests 31 actions we can all take. This looks like a great book for the classroom, but individual young readers will also find it thought-provoking to flick through.

Cow Boy: A Boy and his Horse A western graphic novel by Nate Cosby and Chris Elipoulos (Junior Fiction)

Leathery looking cover and the words “justice ain’t got no age” on the end papers make this an amusing- and unique- looking graphic novel for primary aged children.

ABC Zoo Borns by Andrew Cleiman and Chris Eastland (Junior Picture Books)
An alphabet book with gorgeous photographs of newborn animals.

Wordless blown-up books for te reo Maori

Sylvia Ashton-Warner Library — Tue, 14 May 2013 20:57:11 GMT

Several wordless blown-up books have arrived in the library from the reo Maori series Pihi. These will be excellent resources for teachers to use in classrooms. Wordless picture books can be used in several ways, such as to generate discussions with children about what is happening in the pictures. The children get to tell the story in their own way and explore the detail of the pictures. To learn more, have a look at the National Library’s information about how wordless picture books can be used. The quality material coming from Huia is great to see – these ones were published for the Ministry of Education and are linked to curriculum strands.

E tipu, pōhutukawa
A wordless picture book that tells the story of a pōhutukawa, from the time it is planted as a small seedling. It describes the growth of the tree, and the lives of the animals, insects, people, and community around it. Links to the Pūtaiao and Hauora (Taiao) strands of Te Marautanga o Aotearoa.

Nō wai ēnei whatu?
A wordless picture book that tells the story of a small beachside community, through the eyes of the different community members. Aims to develop visual literacy. Links with the Hauora strand of Te Marautanga o Aotearoa.

Ki te hoe!
A wordless picture book about a young girl who is excited about learning to paddle a waka ama with her friends and whānau. Linked to the Pāngarau and Hauora (Koiri) strands of Te Marautanga o Aotearoa.

Te māra kai a Koro
A wordless picture book that tells the story of a family who vist their grandparents' house to do some gardening with their Koro. Links to the Pāngarau, Hauora (Waiora) and Hangarau strands of Te Marautanga o Aotearoa.

Top Six: 8 May 2013

Sylvia Ashton-Warner Library — Tue, 07 May 2013 20:58:19 GMT

Ted by Leila Rudge (Junior Picture Book)
Delightful story, one of those picture books that all ages would enjoy, about a dog who goes through life unnoticed until he finds a friend. You’ll love the humorous and unexpected ending.

If you’re looking for fairytales or fables to perform as plays in your school you may these three plays from Dramatic Publishing of interest; Story Stew: A Fairy Tale Revue, The Far-Fetched Fable of the Frog Prince, and Aesop’s Fable-ous Christmas Tree.

Citizen Scientists: Be a Part of Scientific Discovery from Your Own Backyard by Loree Griffin Burns (Junior Non-fiction)
Although North American content, this is still relevant for its fun approach to exploring the natural environment on our doorsteps. Particular focus is on butterflies, birds, frogs and ladybugs.

Silenced by Simon Packham (Young Adult Fiction)
"Chris loses the power of speech completely when his best friend dies in a car crash. Why? What terrible secret is he hiding? And can he find his voice before it's too late?"

The Blood Lie by Shirley Reva Vernick (Young Adult Fiction)
This book about prejudice is winning awards in the U.S. and is inspired by real events. The blurb reads: “In 1928 in Massena, New York, Jewish sixteen-year-old Jack Pool, in love with his Christian neighbor, is accused of killing her little sister for a blood sacrifice.”

Top Six: 3 May 2013

Sylvia Ashton-Warner Library — Thu, 02 May 2013 22:44:13 GMT

The books that caught my eye on the New Books display this week are:

Bad Dog Flash by Ruth Paul and He Kuri Kino Koe Flash translated by Ngaere Roberts. This picture book is a lot of fun, and the language and rhythm is perfect. It’s really nice to see Maori and English editions published simultaneously.

Te Papangarua a Piwakawaka by Gay Hay, illustrated by Margaret Tolland. The reo Maori version of The Fantail’s Quilt.

A Boy and a Bear in a Boat by Dave Shelton, a junior fiction title. Longlisted for the CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal 2013, Shortlisted for the CILIP Carnegie Medal 2013, Shortlisted for the Costa Children's book Award 2012. Described as a fable on friendship.

The Boy Who Swam with Piranhas a junior fiction title by highly acclaimed author David Almond who seems to do something quite unique with each title he writes. Tells the “barmy” tale of ordinary boy Stan whose Uncle becomes fascinated with canning fish.

A Necklace of Souls by R.L. Stedman, a new Kiwi author who will be one to watch. This young adult novel was the winner of the Storylines Tessa Duder Award in 2012 and is the first published novel from this author. It has received excellent reviews which is no easy feat in the large and competitive fantasy market.

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein, a young adult title which is receiving a lot of attention by reviewers and bloggers. Set in France in 1943, it tells of two young British women who survive when their spy plane crashes in Nazi-occupied France.

Top Six: 26 April 2013

Sylvia Ashton-Warner Library — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 21:00:34 GMT

On the new books display this week:

Tina’s Mouth: An Existential Comic Diary by Keshni Kashyap, illustrated by Mari Araki, 2011. This graphic novel is not in the standard comic strip form, it is more like an illustrated diary. Received a good review in Publishers’ Weekly.

Jake and Lily by Jerry Spinelli. A junior fiction title about twin brother and sister who take turns to tell this tale about their lives and their relationship. Publisher blurb describes it as: "an often funny, poignant, and profound story of growing up, growing apart, and the difficult process of figuring out who you really are."

Stargazing Dog by Takashi Murakami, well-known Japanese artist. This book was a bestseller in Japan and is being made into a movie. It is also on the list of the American Library Association's Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) top 10 graphic novels for teens in 2013.

When Our Jack Went to War by New Zealand author Sandy McKay, a fictional story based on a real-life WW1 event. Teachers notes are available from the Random House website.

The Worst Princess by Anna Kemp, picture book shortlisted for Roald Dahl Funny Prize 2012.

The Tribe: Birth of the Mall Rats by Harry Duffin, the first title in a novelisation of the television programme The Tribe.

Top Six : The best of the new books this week

Sylvia Ashton-Warner Library — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 04:29:45 GMT

Each week the Sylvia Ashton-Warner Library puts its newest material on to a New Books Display on the ground floor of the library near the Sylvia Ashton-Warner corner. It includes books and audiovisual resources for all parts of the Library, including children's and young adult books. The display is changed every Tuesday evening, and while the books are on the display they can be reserved via Library Search (log in at top right then use the Request tab). For the benefit of those of you who are not in the library regularly, we will be posting on to the blog regular information about what we think are the most interesting or eye-catching children's and young adult books which have arrived recently.

There are six titles that have particularly caught our eye this week:

ANZAC Day: The New Zealand Story: What it is and why it matters by Philippa Werry: attractive and thorough non-fiction title suitable for use in upper primary and above.

Spiky, Slimy, Smooth: What is Texture by Jane Brockett: vibrant photographs and informative text, an exploration of texture for young children.

Catching the Sun by Michele Paul: Two folktales, one Native-American and one Maori, are retold in blown-up book format. Includes teacher's notes.

A Winter's Day in 1939 by Melinda Szymanik: a junior fiction title based on events which happened to Polish people during World War Two.

Jean Dreams of Flying by Dreydon Sobanja: a picture book inspired by Jean Batten which encourages children to follow their dreams.

The Three Bears Sort Of by Yvonne Morrison: a picture book that made me laugh out loud, as the child being read to constantly interrupts with questions.

Thank you, Gavin Bishop ONZM

Sylvia Ashton-Warner Library — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 03:33:54 GMT

It was a thrill to hear that Gavin Bishop was recognised in the New Year's Honours for his services to children's literature. A giant of New Zealand literature as illustrator, writer and advocate, Gavin Bishop's recognition is well-deserved. How much space his unique and beautiful books take on our shelves is but the tip of the iceberg of his contribution as many will know. He has initiated and participated in numerous literature and arts projects throughout the country for many years. Te Tai Tamariki: New Zealand Children's Literature Charitable Trust and Storylines Children's Literature Charitable Trust are two organisations of which I am personally aware he has played a large part.

Gavin was the Sylvia Ashton-Warner Fellow in 2004, and the following year Sylvia Ashton-Warner Library published his essay It's Not As Easy As It Looks: The Challenges of Writing and Illustrating a Picture Book (cover image above) which describes the reality of creating picture books and shows how they are frequently misunderstood as easier or less important than other genres. I hope his New Year's Honour is some sign that this mistaken belief is beginning to disappear.

To see some of Bishop's art, come to Level 2 of the Sylvia Ashton-Warner Library next to the Junior collections where you'll find a set of monoprints based on the original illustrations from the book Weaving Earth and Sky. Click here for a list of Bishop's books held in the library.

So thank you Gavin Bishop for all you have done for children, artists, writers, organisations who support all of these, and those of us who devour excellent books and know what an achievement it is to create them. And our sincere congratulations.

When children's literature comes to life...

Sylvia Ashton-Warner Library — Tue, 06 Nov 2012 02:12:50 GMT

We’ve recently discovered some lovely ideas of how to use children’s book themes in your home or at school. Maybe your next school Book Week will take on a different tack after seeing these links from apartmenttherapy.com, all based on children’s books:

themed bedrooms including the Lorax, Charlotte’s Web, Cat in the Hat, Beatrix Potter, Harry Potter

bedroom décor and reading chair based on Where the Wild Things Are - we can visualise this chair in the classroom!

cakes Hungry Little Caterpillar is my favourite here

turning a picture book into art

If you have any other inspiring links to share, please let us know.

Books on Film - All Welcome

Sylvia Ashton-Warner Library — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 19:45:22 GMT

For all those interested in children’s book-film adaptations, a seminar organised by the English Department will be well worth heading to next Thursday. Casie Hermansson, Professor of English at Pittsburg State University, Kansas, is giving a presentation entitled "Books on Film: Adapting Children’s Metafiction". Fantasies titles such as The Spiderwick Chronices, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and The Neverending Story will be covered.

What: Books on Film: Adapting Children’s Metafiction

When: Thursday 8 November, 4.00pm

Where: City campus, Arts 1 (Building 206), Room 523

Refreshments will follow.

Read more information about this seminar.

Win for The Unforgotten Coat by Frank Cottrell Boyce

Sylvia Ashton-Warner Library — Thu, 25 Oct 2012 21:16:27 GMT

My children and I have very much enjoyed Frank Cottrell Boyce's work over the years, and as a librarian I often recommend him as an author who appeals to both boys and girls, combines humorous adventure with interesting ideas to consider, and whose work reads aloud well. I read Cosmic to my primary age daughters several years ago and we all regularly laughed out loud. It tells of a young teenage boy who is extra tall and constantly mistaken for an adult, with the surprising result that he ends up travelling in space as a "father". An earlier book Millions won the 2004 Carnegie Medal as well as the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize and was made into a very successful movie.

But it seems Cottrell Boyce is a versatile writer for he has just won the Guardian Chlidren's Fiction Prize for what looks like a completely different style of book altogether. The Unforgotten Coat, a shorter work which tells the tale of Mongolian refugees in Liverpool, is based on a true story. I've looked at the book often for it has an attractive and slightly unusual format, but I've not yet read it. It would be great to hear from anyone who has read it - just use the Feedback option at the side of this post! I would imagine it would go down very well in the classroom, with its cross-cultural themes alongside Cottrell Boyce's warm humour. Guess what I'll be reading in my lunch break today?