Roald Dahl

Each week as students in Stages 2 and 3 are picking their library books, I am asked about Roald Dahl. They are oldies, but they are still requested because they are goodies. They are reasonably easy to read and students love them! A great book present!

The Terrible Plop

This lovely book was nominated for book week. It didn't win, but it was my pick. The chilren loved it and read along with me as I read them the book. It is about some rabbits hearing a terrible plop and running out of the forest to escape it. They see a bear on the way and warn him, but he is not frightened. He picks up one rabbit to take him back to the site of 'The Terrible Plop.' Once there, the rabbit sees that the terrible plop is not something to be frightened of, but the bear runs off, petrified!!! A lovely read!

Fearless by Colin Thompson

What a lovely book! I read this to Stage 1 today as it is one of the shortlisted books for Book Week 2010. It is about 'Fearless'-a bulldog who has quite a lot of fear really. Will he be able to protect the house when an intruder comes in? This is a funny story main with a lovely main character.

Once, Now and Then by Morris Gleitzman

This is an extremely popular trilogy and if you want to get your child 'hooked' on a book, you are likely to have success with these stories. The stories are based around Felix, a boy who starts out as a naive 10 year old living through the Holocaust in the first book 'Once.' You need to be aware that there are some heavy issues in these books, including violence and death, but Morris Gleitzman seems to have mastered the art of using serious content in his books, but also providing humour and a lovely sense of hope in his writing. Felix is a lovely character with a sense of optimism even throughout all of the trials he faces. Boys and girls alike should enjoy these books and you will find them at almost every book store, including places like K-Mart and Big W.

There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly

Boy was this book popular!!! I read this with Early Stage 1 and they wanted it read to them for weeks afterwards. Even now, they still ask that I read this to them again! When the Stage 1 students saw this book on the book stand, they also excitedly asked to have it read to them as well! I think I can safely say that this book is popular with students.

It is a nonsense tale really, all written lightheartedly and for a bit of fun. It has a consistent beat which makes it easy for the younger students to learn the worlds in the book. There are also plenty of visual keys throughout the story. It certainly is popular!!!

Are We There Yet? by Alison Lester

I have been reading 'Are We There Yet?' by Alison Lester with Stage 2 students to link in with their Maths topic of position in class. The book is great because it teaches kids all about the unique features of Australia as you read through the book. They have looked up boab trees and listened to stories about Monkey Mia to Kakadu and Mount Isa. The students have been doing a mapping exercise based on this, but there are so many great places in it to research that it could keep you occupied with craft activities at home for ages! A great and highly recommended book!

Early Stage 1 and Stage 1: Josephine Wants To Dance

I read this lovely book with Early Stage 1 this term and it was quite popular. It is a charming book about Josephine- a kangaroo- who wants to dance, but can't dance like the other ballerinas. The book has messages about finding out your own strengths and believing in yourself and puts a smile on your face. Probably better suited to girls, though the messages are relevant to boys.

Cheers,

Alison :)

Stage 2: Imagine by Alison Lester

I have to admit that I LOVE picture books. Many people think they are just for really young kids, but i couldn't disagree more. Some of my favourite books (as an adult) are picture books. Their beauty lies in being able to convey such deep messages with such a small amount of words. Every word is very carefully chosen. There are no wasted words here! Plus, the pictures are always so glorious and tell so much of the story as well. Picture books are good for gifted readers who will see layers of meaning in them, but also for readers who struggle a bit, as it is achievable to get through the book. This term we read 'Imagine' by Alison Lester with Stage 2 as the basis of some imaginative writing and it was very popular with our Stage 2 students. It opens up many avenues of discussion about using your imagination and is, quite simply, a beautiful book.

Happy reading,

Alison :)

Stage 3: Parvana

We have been studying democracy in the library this term to tie in with the HSIE unit on the same topic. We have read some excerpts from Parvana by Deborah Ellis as part of this study. Parvana is set in Afghanistan during the reign of the Taliban and is based around the character of Parvana. The males in her family are taken and in a society that doesn't allow women to do anything, Parvana must dress as a male and head into the Kabul marketplace each day-risking her life in the process-to trade items to feed her family. It is a remarkable story for teaching students about other places in the world and what it means to live in such a lucky country. We have a few copies available in the library for borrowing, but if you are looking for a book for a Stage 3 student, this might just be the one, though they may require some assistance with reading some of the words. It is a great book to read together and have discussions around.

Cheers,

Alison :)

Stage 3: Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney

We haven't read this book in class, but I can certainly recommend it for Stage 3 students. It is one of the most popular books on the borrowing list for students and is particularly good for people who don't like 'traditional' books. It is set in a schoolyard where a child is being bullied. It has some good issues, but is also very funny and written in an engaging and easy style with plenty of cartoon style pictures to keep the interest levels up. I am confident you would find this in most town libraries.

...Plus, if you have success with the first book, you could always then buy/borrow the whole series. The franchise is currently up to book 4!

Cheers,

Alison :)

Early Stage One

Early Stage One are settling in to their library lessons and have enjoyed the books they have read so far. We started with the classic 'Possum Magic' before moving on to 'Cows in the Kitchen' and 'The Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly.' Ask your kids if they can remember anything about these books!

Welcome!

Hello and thank you for taking the time to have a look at this blog. On here, I will place up some entries about books we have looked at in class (especially for the ES1 students) and also post entries on old classics and brand new books that have been recommended by me or in professional literature I read. So much research shows that students who have a good attitude towards reading and who do read regularly have a better chance of succeeding at school. One way you can contribute to this is to buy books as gifts or rewards for students and give a book as a birthday and Christmas present. Read with them and make it fun or visit the town library.

I hope this blog helps you to come up with some ideas of books to look out for for gifts or when you visit the library!

Cheers,
Alison :)