 From the dust cover to the end pages, this book will captivate and enchant you. Step into the first page and be transported to faraway lands and worlds where anything can (and does!) happen. This story will take you on a magical journey where you’ll meet bears, dragons, pirates and unicorns. You’ll sleep on top of the tallest palm tree, dine with merfolk and be serenaded by clams, glide across rainbows and be granted the very special gift of a giant’s friendship. You’ll be trapped in a tower, saved by a bee and challenge the cosmos. You might also have the chance to meet the moon mouse and help polish the stars. For when you hold a book, you hold the key to so many wonderful adventures. Then, when you are ready, you only have to close the cover of the book to return home. Can you go back to experience more adventures? Why yes you can! Wonders await when you open a book. This book has quickly become one of my favourites. The story is beguiling, charming and expertly rhymed. Caroline Derlatka has a true gift for storytelling. Readers will find themselves drawn into a story that encapsulates all the wonder of childhood fairy tales with the imagination of stories yet to be told. The gorgeous illustrations are a visual treat. Sara Ugolotti uses a palette that is at once soft, but also bold when it needs to be. The gentle lines of the creatures and the joyous expressions of the two children upon each magical encounter are an absolute delight. See if you can find the golden hummingbird that appears on each page! This book is everything you want a young child to feel and experience as they embark upon, or continue, their reading journey. What will you find there? What will there be? When you’re in a book, just read, and you’ll see. This book proudly supports The White Feather Foundation, a charity that support projects across the globe that foster education and good health for young girls in developing nations; protect and preserve indigenous cultures; conserve and sustain the environment; and give access to clean water. Supporting teaching themes could include fairy tales, magical creatures, dragons, pirates, sea creatures, giants, bears, space, the moon, imagination, storytelling, diversity, rhyming books, poetry. Find out more about Caroline Derlatka. Find out more about Sara Ugolotti. Published by Bushel & Peck Books. Distributed in Australia by New South Books. Release date October 2022. ISBN: 9781638190943 (HB) Highly recommended ages 3 to 6. 
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 Sophie has to spend a lot of time in hospital. When her little sister visits, Sophie tells her lots of wonderful stories. There is one story that is her little sister’s favourite. It is about a very special place where they bounce off fluffy white clouds, get tickled by a long-armed feather duster, eat lots of fairy bread and even meet the Queen of Rainbows! They have star ball challenges and sip tea from golden cups made out of the sun. Sophie tells her little sister this is their special place, and that no matter what happens, she will always find her there. IMAGINE OUR SPECIAL PLACE takes us on a journey of loss through the eyes of two young sisters but, rather than focus on the sadness, Kelly Louise Jarris concentrates on the warm and close relationship between the two, creating a story that is both comforting and uplifting. The text enables younger readers to connect with grief in a simple, age appropriate way and is beautifully supported by Sandunika Dissanayake’s rich, enchanting and colourful illustrations. IMAGINE OUR SPECIAL PLACE is a wonderful contribution to books about loss for children aged 3 to 5. Author interview to follow soon. View the book trailer https://www.youtube.com/embed/c_ORbQCHdvA Find out more about Kelly Louise Jarris Published by InHousePublishing ISBN 9781922717948 (PB) Recommended for ages 3 - 5. Thanks to Romi Sharp and Books On Tour PR & Marketing for access to the digital copy. Follow Just Write For Kids Blog for more information on the campaign and special media features.
 'Breathe deeply and take your time. The making of a bird is not a thing to be hurried.' '. . . feel your slowly beating heart fill with a kind of sadness, a kind of happiness. For this is when you will know that you have really made a bird.' These are my favourite lines form this beautifully delicate and evocative story. Yes there is a bird that is made, but it is so much more than just a bird. From the delicate bones gathered by the child, to figuring out how to put them together, and then the thoughtful imagining of what is needed for the bird to truly fly, are ideas expertly brought to life in Meg's soulful, meditative text. There is a sense of wonder at every page turn as we follow the journey of the child and the bird in its making. I love Matt's blueprint that forms part of the front cover illustration as this creates the simple deception that there is a blueprint to follow, when in fact there really isn't. His palette of soft, paler hues and tones throughout the majority of the story adds to the ethereal nature of the text. The exquisite, brighter colours of the feathers are a marvellous contrast and help focus the readers' attention on the possibilities of what the bird might do and become.
How To Make A Bird is a story of self belief, individuality, resilience, belonging and limitless imagination, and is a picture book for all ages - not just younger readers. There are so many layers to both the text and the illustrations that you will discover something new every time you read this stunning 2021 CBCA Picture Book Award winner. Use this story in both primary and secondary classrooms for poetry studies, storytelling, art studies and for maker space ideas. Themes to be explored could include resilience, belonging, imagination, self-awareness, compassion and inventiveness. Find out more about Meg McKinlay. Find out more about Matt Ottley. Published 2020 by Walker Books Australia. ISBN 9781925381894 (HB) Highly recommended for ages 6 - 12 I would also recommend this book for middle and high school students. |
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