Indeed, the
strength of this wonderfully informative book is that it anticipates the
questions about Artificial Intelligence or AI, that may or not be on the tips
of our collective tongues.
AI is not a
particularly jokesy topic or one that’s easy to navigate. The book does a deep
dive into many facets of AI, and importantly, it illustrates why we don’t need
to be afraid.
Bicycles
say ‘Cock-a-doodle-dooo’
Firefighters
shout ‘Ding Dong’before they put out a fire!
And Flowers
go ‘Chugga Chugga Choooo Choooo!’
This fabulous,
riotous and chaotic book begs to be read aloud and will probably be started
again the moment it is finished.
Stamped on the front with shiny gold bits that emphatically state ‘Must Not Be
Talked About,’ this book - with its hand-written feel and engaging line
drawings - will definitely be talked about.
Rufus
Rumble lives more than a hundred years in the future, and this alone is enough
to pique reader interest and intrigue. Also,
Rufus has a ticket to SPACE. And if that’s not enough, he’s also on a quest
to find his mother who simply vanished one morning, leaving Rufus to live with
his grumpy old Grandad.
Dragons,
Dragons, and More Dragons
Perhaps
because he knows dragons feature in my novels, he became interested in The Glitter Dragon Series by Maddie Mara after spotting
one at a school book fair. We read the entire series together and even made it
through several of the follow-up The Treasure Dragon Series before he grew tired of these wonderful books.
I love creating a new world through
writing, and if I can illustrate it, even better!
Since I was a child, I have loved writing and drawing. I would arrive home from school and continue writing my latest story, accompanied by illustrations.
I was never short on ideas, and I’d often start a story, then move on to my next big idea. I still have many of these stories today. But what was extra magical was when my love for writing and my passion for travelling with children collided. That had so much power and momentum that I was swept away! The result was the first in the series, The Travelling Stone – France.
Eddie Woo's Wonderful World of STEM is an activity book, the kind that you can write and draw in. It takes a stack of STEM concepts and demonstrates them using simple explanations and activities.
This is fun stuff and features marble runs, paper planes, and building with spaghetti.
Learn about the Fibonacci sequence and how to find patterns in nature. A photo and diagram of a sunflower demonstrate the spiral patterns which can be counted to discover a Fibonacci number.
Kids' Book Review is a 100% voluntary children’s literature and book review site that supports and features authors, illustrators and publishers Australia-wide and internationally.
Founded by Australian author/illustrator, Tania McCartney in 2009, it is run by a small team of women who have decades of experience in the children's book industry, with roles such as author, publisher, editor, illustrator, bookseller, blogger, book designer, typesetter, speech pathologist, teacher, librarian, children's literature academic, psychologist, early childhood educator, IT techie, digital content creator, magazine editor and columnist, education specialist, mother and book lover.
We cover news, reviews, interviews, articles, guest posts, events, specialist literacy articles and much more, attracting readers from all over the world including teachers, librarians, industry professionals, and of course - parents and kids.
KBR consistently falls into the top 700,000 - 900,000 websites worldwide (Alexa), and has over 600 referring domains, with a PR Quality listed as 'strong'. With over 4 K Instagram followers and a social media presence that earns its place among some of Australia's best Kid Lit sites, KBR frequently ranks #1 in a Google search for 'reviews, books, kids, children's books' and was ranked no. 23 in the Top 100 Review sites worldwide in October 2016. In December 2017, KBR was honoured as the world's #1 kidlit site by Feedspot. We achieve an average of around 80,000 hits per month, with a peak of 249,395 for the month of November, 2017, and we are proud to be one of the most respected literary sites on the web.
Who’s The Gang On Our Street? by Susanne Gervay and Nancy Bevington attempts to answer the conundrum of exactly who is responsible for this cacophony of cheeky chaos?
It's a joyful new picture book that explores a
typical suburban cul-de-sac (I got Neighbour’s vibes but it could be a location
found in any Australian city) and the gang of troublemakers that co-exist
alongside a troop of neighbourhood kids.
The AI jury is still out for many in the Literary Industry however today we invite the founder of MyStoryBooks for his take on the benefits of creating interactive, AI generated content to create a new way of personalising stories for kids.**
In a world where technology is rapidly reshaping how we live and learn, can it also transform the cherished bedtime ritual of reading a storybook?
Its outstanding design and layout, and Lucia Masciullo’s insightful illustrations, complement Tracy Dembo’s excellent text, which weaves itself over the page in capitals and lower case, to portray in a bright and carefree manner, what each letter represents.
The covers feel like cloth. Smooth to the touch, they
entice a look inside.
This is a reading experience which can be a revelation for children who see themselves as separate from others; different.
But different is unique.
An A to Z of Dreaming Differently will appeal to picture book readers of all ages. It speaks of kindness, optimism, and the advantage of exchanging negative feelings for positive ones, or accepting that at times, negative ones will come and go.
It encourages children
to dream and think big; to be full of hope. Ask questions, and be happy with
who they are.
I loved this book, filled with joyful words of a future with dreams that generate confidence.
It is ideal for initiating conversations between teachers and students, and parents and children, about why looking at things differently, is a good thing.
Title: An A to Z of Dreaming Differently
Author: Tracy Denbo
Illustrator: Lucia Masciullo
Publisher: Penguin Random House, $ 24.99
Publication Date: 8 August 2023
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9780143778905
For ages: 5+
Type: Picture Book
You may well ask, what is
she talking about?
You will be surprised!
After reading this novel book, you will never take speech for granted again.
Phonobet describes the sounds that letters make alone, and together with others.
Full of beautiful noise that children will have fun experimenting with, added to the stunning design, colour and characters that entertain on the page while children learn, I know of no other book like this.
The National Centre for Australian Children’s Literature (NCACL) has launched a new database that will bring substantial opportunity for indulgence by older readers of picture books. The contribution of extensive knowledge from a vast range of children’s literature experts are the foundations and building blocks in the development of this database.
The aim of PBOR (Picture Books for Older Readers) is to reach a broad audience. It will benefit and encourage reluctant readers, those with visual rather than textual comprehension, those who prefer image analysis and varied literature style, or those who simply enjoy the beauty of picture books.
Along with design and layout, the above elements play a huge part in understanding and analysing the visual narrative of picture books. Able to address more sensitive topics appropriate to older readers, PBOR embraces non-traditional plot structure, welcoming the challenge and options of literary devices aimed at these age groups.
Not only for children, this database opens up new areas of exploration for people who adore picture books of all kinds, who read them to find the sometimes-hidden or disguised meanings in both image and text, or a combination of the two.
PBOR is easy to navigate, with its drop-down choices and search function. There is also a Guide to using the PBOR database, with free on-line resources available. On exploration, I found it easy to navigate through the subject headings, annotations and curriculum links that line up from grade 5 through to secondary school (Australian Curriculum Version 9).
PBOR is still in its early stages, so content will expand as books are added. Nevertheless, the database promises to prove a useful tool for reading and learning about picture books in schools.
The PBOR database can be accessed at https://www.ncacl.org.au/pbor-database. For further information email ncacl@canberra.edu.au
A world where firemen don’t deal with fires, but their purpose is to burn books.
Fahrenheit 451 is the temperature at which paper burns . A dystopian universe crafted by Ray Bradbury where Guy Montag chooses to challenge everything he’s ever believed.
After meeting an inquisitive young girl Charisse, Montag decides to go on a treacherous journey to figure out what caused the end of free speech and literature. While naive Montag doesn’t know what he’s getting himself into, sometimes not asking questions about things, the answers might scare you.
Colour makes us special.
Colour makes the world go round.
What would we do if rainbows
didn’t contain colour, or if flamingos were black and white instead of their
rich pink and crimson? What would the sunshine be if it wasn’t golden?
This book asks questions and
explores the answers in a curious and funny rumination on diversity, colour,
difference and friendship. A seemingly simple narrative is actually anything
but – even though it is perfect for young children with readily accessible
ideas and images for exploring our wonderful world.
Thank you to ALL who entered.
Thanks to the good folk at Exisle Publishing, we have not one but THREE copies of this excellent resource for parents, teachers and dyslexics themselves to giveaway.