Diane's Picture Book Favourites – Page 11

Philip Bunting: The Wonderful Wisdom of Ants

Illustrated by the author

Published by Omnibus Books/Scholastic Australia Pty Ltd, 2020

Ants are everywhere. I see them at home, in my letterbox, under pot plants, gathering around sand mounds in the cracks of concrete. I notice that they are more active just before rain. I am annoyed when they come inside my pantry and find the honey jar. But apart from that, I have not given the humble ant much thought. That is, until now. And I have Philip Bunting to thank for it. Did you know that ants can teach us about ourselves, our communities and our planet?

According to Philip Bunting, ants love family, recycling, micronaps and helping other ants, they communicate using pheromones, the smelly alphabet of the ant world, and they know what their role is when they are born. Their “superpower” is to live and work cooperatively and harmoniously with every other ant in the colony. While most of us hope to leave this world behind in better shape than when we arrived, Philip Bunting assures us that the humble ant can help us figure out how to do that. When you think about it, ant colonies are masterpieces of engineering, community and collaboration….and it’s all happening in our backyards!

The illustrations in this picture book are uncomplicated, use a limited colour palette and are sprinkled with humor. Philip lives in Queensland, although he is originally from the English Lake District and sometimes teams up with his wife Laura to produce picture books.

I highly recommend it for children 4-8 years old. Here are more of my favourite picture books by Philip Bunting:

Kookaburras Love to Laugh
by Philip Bunting

Another Book About Bears by
Laura and Philip Bunting

Polly Dunbar: Red Red Red

Illustrated by the author

Published by Walker Books 2019

If you have ever witnessed, endured and tried to placate a young person having a meltdown, or tantrum, then you know that it can be a frightening, despairing and vulnerable experience. That feeling of seeing red, being surrounded by circles of red, and being in the middle of a vortex of red hot anger can be overwhelming. The front cover of Dunbar’s picture book beautifully and honestly illustrates that feeling. There are red crayon swirls completely encircling an unhappy shouting and yelling child who maybe 2 or 3 years old. How did the child get to this point?

Well, it started with one thing going wrong, the biscuit jar was out of reach. There was a fall, and a bump on the head, twisted pants and socks that don’t stay up…little things that add up and add up, until suddenly it seems like nothing is going right. We have all had days like that.

Fortunately, there is a mum in this story who steps in and confronts those red hot feelings with soothing words of wisdom. Just count, mum says. And breath, deeply, until those confusing and hot feelings subside. It’s mindfulness for the young and even for those not so young. We should all do a little more deep breathing and sighing in our day. Focus on the air going in and out, nurturing and sustaining our lives every moment of every day.

I can highly recommend this book for children 2-8 years, and here are some of my recommendations for other picture books that explore emotions:

Breathing Makes it Better
by Christopher Willard and
Wendy O’Leary

In My Heart: A Book of Feelings
by Jo Witek

26722945. sx318 — Grumpy Pants by Claire Messer

I Am Angry by Michael Rosen Illustrated by Robert Starling

Why Do We Cry? by Fran Pintadera Illustrated by Ana Sender

Jorey Hurley: Beehive

Illustrated by the author

Published by A Paula Wiseman Book/Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2020

Using only 15 words, Jorey Hurley explores the complex world of bees and the process they go through to make beehives and honey. Those precise words accompany uncomplicated and informative art to help us understand their meaning. I love books that use sparse text. It gives the reader the opportunity to use their own words and ask questions about what they can see on the page, how it links to the previous page and where the story might be going next. A conversation can begin and very soon, a young reader or listener can develop comprehension skills, narrative skills and imaginative empathy, without even being conscious of it. A story with few words can also be used for children of different ages. Younger children can appreciate it for its simplicity, brevity and colourful imagery. Older children can ask questions and find more detailed answers at the end of the story in the author’s note, which adds depth of knowledge to the single word chosen for each double page spread. The limited colour palette contributes to the feeling of calmness too, there is no rushing here, just time to absorb the creativity and importance of bees in our gardens, in the food we eat and in our environment.

Jorey Hurley is a talented artist who sells her own prints, paintings and stationery. I can highly recommend this picture book for children aged between 2-8 years. Here are more of my favorites:

Sophie Blackall: Hello Lighthouse

Illustrated by the author

Published by Orchard Books, 2019

Have you ever wondered what it might be like to live and work in a lighthouse?

If you have, then this is the book for you. The illustrations are exquisitely detailed, you can see the minutiae of everyday life inside a light house over the seasons of the year. Sprinkled in between the pages are gems of information, like letters really being sent in bottles and visitors being winched from a swaying tender in a bosun’s chair to the lighthouse itself, all the while over rough and turbulent seas. Many of the drawings are illustrated from different perspectives: some from above, some in fog, some in roped circles and one in a pull out spread that captures the isolation of the lighthouse in glorious sunset colors. At the end of the story, the author tells us more about lighthouses, their function in days gone by, the faithful and constant maintenance of the lightkeepers, the hardships and loneliness that had to be endured. And how that all changed with the introduction of electric lights and automated machinery around the turn of the century.

So, why not grab your favourite person, head out to the coast and find a lighthouse to explore! While you are there, think about those brave men and women who lived and worked inside them, devoting their lives to be beacons of safety for sailors all around the world.

This book was the winner of the Caldecott Medal in 2019 and I would highly recommend it for children aged between 5-10 years old.

If you like this book, here is another favorite of mine by Sophie Blackall, telling the story of the inspirational beginnings of that famous bear, Winnie the Pooh.

Finding Winnie by
Lindsay Mattick
Illustrated by
Sophie Blackall

Anna Dewdney and Reed Duncan: Llama Llama Mess, Mess, Mess

Illustrated by J T Morrow

Published by Viking, 2019

It’s cleaning day and Llama Llama just wants to play! It’s a thorny problem, tackled by parents everywhere with growing children. Just how do you motivate them to help with the chores? So, Mama Llama asks Llama Llama to imagine what it would be like if cleaning was never done. It’s a clever idea and humorously illustrated with Mama Llama tossing rags on to the floor, throwing clean clothes up in the air, dancing around the kitchen on roller skates and leaving dirty dishes all over the sink and benches, even throwing empty snack bags over her shoulder onto the couch. The house is one big mess. The resulting chaos makes Llama Llama aware of the consequences of being untidy and he begins to understand the importance of why we clean up after ourselves.

The illustrations reflect the devil-may-care attitude of Mama and the carefree abandon of not being responsible for anything. I must admit, I could feel Mama Llama’s joy as she sat in the mess of her own making!

As with all Llama Llama books, the rhyming words almost make you sing the story. It’s a great book to read aloud with your little one and wonder together at the what-ifs of life. We all have choices: to do good or not. Children and adults always need to think about that!

There are many books in Llama Llama series, here are three of my favorites, suitable for children aged 3-5 years old:

Mike Dumbleton: Anisa’s Alphabet

Illustrated by Hannah Sommerville

Published by Midnight Sun Publishing Pty Ltd, 2020

With few words, many pictures and the alphabet, Mike Dumbleton has taken us on the journey of young Anisa Alidurahn, a refugee fleeing from her homeland with her family. Each letter frames the next step, the next hope and the next feeling as we travel with Anisa, helping us to understand what it might be like to leave all that we love behind. From happy home, to a tent city, to a boat that is overcrowded and sinking, to detention, we journey with Anisa and enter her uncertain world.

The language is simple, evocative and hopeful despite the helplessness of the many challenges that face Anisa and her family. As such, it is an excellent resource to introduce this sensitive and sometimes disturbing topic to younger readers.

If you like this book, look out for these titles by the same author:

If you would like to read more picture books about refugees, here are some of my favorite titles:

The Little Refugee
by Anh Do and Suzanne Do Illustrated by Bruce Whatley

Julie Paschkis: Where Lily Isn’t

Illustrated by Margaret Chodos-Irvine

Published by Henry Holt and Company, 2020

This is a beautifully tender book that explores how it feels to lose a beloved pet.

David Whyte, poet and philosopher, has spoken about the empty space that a loved one can leave behind upon their death and he referred to it as “the shape of your own absence”. It’s a haunting thought, that sense that a physical being can leave behind a hollowness that you can almost feel. Paschkis has elegantly described how this absence feels for a young girl who has lost her dog Lily, taking us to all the places that Lily isn’t. Lily is not under the table waiting for scraps, not barking at the door when the mail arrives, not pushing and pulling on the lead, not rolling over waiting for her belly to be rubbed. As the young girl journeys through her day without her pet being a part of it, the observations become sadder and more poignant.

As I neared the end of the book on my first reading, I expected to see the young girl embrace a new puppy, something to fill the absence. Instead, we see her at the table drawing her memories and recognising that the love she had for Lily will forever remain in her heart. And I think that ending is more real, because we can’t always replace what is lost and sometimes we just have to hold on to the memories and keep them in our heart.

I can highly recommend this book for children 2-8 years old and here are other titles that explore the themes of loss, grief and death:

The Heart and the Bottle
by Oliver Jeffers

The Scar by
Charlotte Moundlic
Illustrated by Olivier Tallec

Laura Knowles: It Starts with a Seed

Illustrated by Jennie Webber

Published by Words and Pictures, US, 2017

There are many books on the market that explore the theme of plant growth from seed to tree, but I have chosen this book because of its simple yet concise language and the expressive drawings that accompany the text. Each page explores the development of one seed with gentle rhyme and observation, helping the reader to understand how one tree can become home and habitat to many creatures, big and small. As well, the author explores the idea that a tree, grown from a seed, can throw its own seeds and that they can begin life all over again, an everlasting circle of life. The tree described in this picture book is a sycamore tree and at the end of the book, its life cycle is illustrated, with annotated facts, on a large pull out page.

Whilst many of us wouldn’t plant a sycamore tree in our backyard (they can grow to over 100 feet), there are many seeds that you can plant for almost instant pleasure. So, grab your little person and head off to the nursery, pick up a packet of sunflower seeds for a splash of colour or spinach seedlings for adding to your plate, some potting mix, a few containers, a watering can, some liquid plant food and watch the amazing transformation…and don’t forget to keep watering!

This book would be suitable for children 2-8 years old and if you would like to read more about seeds, here are some of my favorites:

A Seed is Sleepy
by Dianna Aston,
illustrated by Sylvia Long

Corinne Fenton: To The Bridge – The Journey of Lennie and Ginger Mick

Illustrated by Andrew McLean

Published by Black Dog Books, 2020

Corinne Fenton has written a wonderful story about a young boy named Lennie and his horse Ginger Mick, both born on the same day in 1922 and destined to ride together 9 years later to see the Sydney Harbour Bridge. It’s hard to imagine the spunk and bravery of a 9 year old boy and his trusty horse, being able to navigate the road to Sydney, some six hundred miles away, without a mobile phone, google maps or pre-booked accommodation. And just as hard to understand, that his parents thought he was more than capable of the task ahead and helped and encouraged Lennie to fulfil his dream. Andrew McLean’s illustrations thoughtfully reflect the enormity of the undertaking – my favorite page being the one where the family are gathered around the table looking at maps, the father hovering over his son’s shoulder and the mother with arms crossed, standing close by, looking apprehensive yet proud.

Corinne has included biographic details at the end of the book with photos of the real Lennie and Ginger Mick, and a reminder of the importance of the building of the Sydney Harbour Bridge in 1932, employing many workers at the time of the Great Depression.

If you would like to read more about this extraordinary story, look out for this title – Lennie the Legend: Solo to Sydney By Pony, written by Stephanie Owen Reeder, published by National Library of Australia, 2020.

I can highly recommend this picture book, most suited for 5-8 year olds.

If you like this book, look out for these titles by the same author: