Published by Scallywag Press Ltd, Great Britain, 2021
Have you ever wondered how Santa became the jolly Santa Claus who climbs down chimneys and leaves presents in stockings at the end of our beds at Christmas time? Have you ever considered whether he had siblings or parents? Have you spent any time thinking about whether Santa enjoys his job, and just how did he get those elves and reindeer to help with Christmas gift deliveries?
No? That’s okay, Jon Agee has provided all the answers in this wonderfully creative and imaginative picture book about Santa.
We meet Santa as a young boy sitting at the family table in the North Pole, surrounded by his family, mum and dad and six siblings. He’s the only one in a red onesie, so there is every chance that you will recognise him!
All is not well; it seems that everybody except Santa finds life in the North Pole hard work, and they would all like to leave and live somewhere warmer…like Florida. On the eve of their leave taking, a blizzard traps everyone in the house under a huge snowdrift. What can they do?
Fortunately, little Santa has mastered the skill of shimmying up and down chimneys, so he volunteers to set out and find food, snowshoes, and help.
On the way, Santa makes some new friends (you can guess who they might be) and rescues his family. The new friends make a big difference to life in the North Pole, and we are left with one satisfying version as to how the legend of Santa Claus may have come to pass!
I can highly recommend this picture book for children 3-6 years and below are more suggestions for picture books about Santa and Christmas:
The Twelve Days of Christmas by Britta Teckentrup
Emily Brown and Father Christmas by Cressida Cowell Illustrated by Neal Layton
Pig the Elf by Aaron Blabey
I Love You, Father Christmas by Giles Andreae Illustrated by Emma Dodd
Tea and Sugar Christmas by Jane Jolly Illustrated by Robert Ingpen
The Night Before Christmas Illustrated by Jan Brett
Stick Man by Julia Donaldson Illustrated by Axel Scheffler
The Tailor of Gloucester by Beatrix Potter
Father Christmas by Raymond Briggs
The Story of Holly & Ivy by Rumer Godden Illustrated by Barbara Cooney
Dear Santa by Rod Campbell
Where’s Santa Claus? by Ingela P. Arrhenius
Mog’s Christmas by Judith Kerr
The Christmas Bear by Ian Whybrow Illustrated by Axel Scheffler
Merry Christmas to You, Blue Kangaroo! by Emma Chichester Clark
Minerva Louise on Christmas Eve by Janet Morgan Stoeke
Christmas Wombat by Jackie French Illustrated by Bruce Whatley
Dear Father Christmas by Jeanne Willis Illustrated by Rosie Reeve
Lucy & Tom’s Christmas by Shirley Hughes
The Legend of the Poinsettia by Tomie dePaola
Olivia Helps with Christmas by Ian Falconer
A Christmas for Bear by Bonny Becker Illustrated by Kady MacDonald Denton
I have a dear friend who lives in Warrnambool, a regional city on the south-west coast of Victoria in Australia, and who works for a major dairy manufacturer. My friend is one of many hundreds who rely on this industry to provide work and income security for their families. Indeed, the milk I buy comes all the way from Warrnambool to Melbourne, and the cheese and yoghurt too. How it arrives in our local supermarket is not something I think about, but I should. Our resources are precious, our food is important, and we should respect the effort that farmers and growers make to provide for our communities.
This picture book is about Holly the black and white Holstein cow, born and bred in far north Queensland in the care of Farmer Col and his wife. Farmer Col is actually Colin Daley, he runs “Ourway Holsteins” just outside Millaa Millaa in Queensland. Nearby is Mt. Bartle Frere and these places form the backdrop to the story.
If you listen to the audio version, Russell and members of his family provide the voices of all the characters in the book. It’s written in rhyming prose, making it easy to remember while we simultaneously learn about the twice daily milking routine of the cows, the food they eat and where they graze.
One day, Holly is chosen by Farmer Col to go to the local farm show. While she is there, Holly discovers all the varied products that are made using her milk. On display in the dairy cabinets are milk, yoghurt, butter, and cheese. Holly is delighted to see her face on all the items and is proud to be the ambassador for Hollyvale dairy products.
The following day at the show, the judges deem Holly to be the best Holstein cow in the competition. Holly comes home from her adventures with a spring in her step, a medal around her neck and a garland atop her head. She has discovered her worth, her value and her contribution to the wider community.
This picture book is a valuable educational resource for young children, helping them to understand the connection between the food we purchase at supermarkets and markets, and the production of it on farms and agricultural estates.
Most importantly, any profits made from the sale of this picture book will be donated to the NSW Mid Coast Dairy Advancement Group to support the 150 dairy farmers whose livelihoods were devastated by the floods in March 2021.
You can view this picture book on YouTube.
You can also purchase this picture book in a PDF format or as a book, just type in the title online and follow the prompts.
I can recommend this picture book for children 4-8 years and below are more suggestions for picture books which explore the concept of how food is grown and produced:
Milly the Cow Gives Milk by Deborah Chancellor Illustrated by Julia Groves
Bee-bim-Bop! by Linda Sue Park Illustrated by Ho Baek Lee
What You Eat by Valorie Fisher
Grandpa Cacao by Elizabeth Zunon
Eating the Alphabet by Lois Ehlert
Pancakes, Pancakes! by Eric Carle
Before We Eat by Pat Brisson Illustrated by Mary Azarian
The Ugly Vegetables by Grace Lin
How Did That Get In My Lunchbox? by Chris Butterworth Illustrated by Lucia Gaggiotti
Compost Stew by Mary McKenna Siddals Illustrated by Ashley Wolff
It’s Milking Time by Phyllis Alsdurf Illustrated by Steve Johnson & Lou Fancher
“What begins as a slow, distant glow grows and grows into a tired train that clatters down the tracks. A cool rush of wind quiets into a screech of steel and when the doors slide open, Milo slips aboard.”
I love the emotive, poetic language of this picture book. I feel like I am with Milo in the underground railway station, feeling that breeze that comes before the train arrives and hearing that screech as it slows approaching the platform.
I admire Milo’s imagination and the way he observes everyone and everything around him in the train carriage. A whiskered man with a face of concentration, a woman in a wedding dress whose face is made out of light, and a dog whose face he can’t see at all, but he can see that pink tongue peeking out amongst the whiskers.
We are not sure where Milo and his big sister are going, but we know that this is a trip they take together once a month on Sundays. We know that Milo has mixed emotions: confusion, love and worry. To help cope and keep himself from bursting, he observes and draws and imagines.
Milo imagines where that whiskered man might live, perhaps in a high-rise apartment with cats and rats and parakeets. Milo draws all these ideas on his notepad and tries to show his big sister, but she is too absorbed in her phone to take much notice.
At one stop, the woman in the wedding dress steps onto the platform while street performers play a wedding march tune. Milo imagines and draws a beautiful ceremony in a grand cathedral, after which the happy couple fly away in a colourful hot air balloon.
Soon a boy who looks quite different to Milo boards the train with his dad. Milo imagines what this boy’s life might be like: horse drawn carriages, castles, guards and servants fill his notepad. A life very different from Milo’s experiences, but something that he can still imagine.
A group of girls jump on board at the next stop and start break dancing in the carriage to collect a few coins. Milo imagines them dancing in all the carriages, being looked at there with smiles and interest. He also imagines what life is like for them outside the carriage, being observed in department stores and in well-to-do neighbourhoods. There are no smiles now, just suspicion and intolerance.
Milo then tries to imagine what people see when they look at him. Small, brown skin, glasses perched on his nose. Can people see him at school, at home, in his aunty’s apartment?
Finally, the train brings them to their stop. We walk with Milo and his big sister to a place where there is a metal detector and guards. The other boy on the train is there too, with his dad. Milo did not imagine this and he is surprised. Maybe, you can’t really imagine what a person’s life is like when you look at them. So, Milo re-imagines the people on the train that he observed and puts them in a different setting, gives them different lives.
And to his mother, in prison, Milo gives the best picture of all: a home, a cat on the windowsill, a green tree, a front door, and a mother, daughter and son enjoying the day in each other’s company, eating ice cream.
There are a lot of ideas and thoughts packed into this picture book. I can highly recommend it for children 6-8 years, to begin discussions about prejudice, racism, perceptions, assumptions, empathy, and all the ways you can use your imagination. Below are some suggestions for picture books which explore the themes of racism, prejudice and preconceived notions about the people we encounter in life:
The Same But Different Too by Karl Newson Illustrated by Kate Hindley
I Walk with Vanessa by Kerascoet
You Matter by Christian Robinson
Nana Akua Goes to School by Tricia Elam Walker Illustrated by April Harrison
Where Are You From? by Yamile Saied Mendez Illustrated by Jaime Kim
Malala’s Magic Pencil by Malala Yousafzai Illustrated by Kerascoet
The Proudest Blue by Ibtihaj Muhammad with S.K. Ali Illustrated by Hatem Aly
Say Something! by Peter H. Reynolds
All Are Welcome by Alexandra Penfold Illustrated by Suzanne Kaufman
Black is a Rainbow Color by Angela Joy Illustrated by Ekua Holmes
The Day You Begin by Jacqueline Woodson Illustrated by Rafael Lopez
Shu Lin’s Grandpa by Matt Goodfellow Illustrated by Yu Rong
Skin Again by Bell Hooks Illustrated by Chris Raschka
When We Say Black Lives Matter by Maxine Beneba Clarke
Room on our Rock by Kate & Jol Temple Illustrated by Terri Rose Baynton
Rosa Parks by Lisbeth Kaiser Illustrated by Marta Antelo
Mary Anning by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara Illustrated by Popy Matigot
Published by Little Hare Books, Hardie Grant Children’s Publishing, 2021
We live in houses full of stuff but when we go away for holidays, we take just a suitcase or two crammed with the essentials for pared down living. When we are small, we live in a world full of language, sentences, and expressions but we manage to communicate just the same with only a handful of words in our repertoire. Often our first utterances are mumma, dadda, no, mine and more. So, it’s wonderful to see these essential words in a picture book, being used in different situations, with various intonations and meanings, but absolutely understood by parent and child.
Mumma, dadda, no, mine and more are repeated on almost every page, beginning at the start of a typical day in the life of a family and ending at bedtime. The illustrations show us all that is familiar, mum combing her hair, dad brushing his teeth, baby refusing to put clothes, and wanting more toast for breakfast. Cleverly observed moments in a day of the life of a toddler reveal all the times when those five words need to be spoken, sometimes to confirm that the parents are present, other times to refuse to cooperate, and sometimes to insist on ownership!
Very young children will be able to engage with the text and pictures, and perhaps see themselves in some of the situations: not wanting to get in the bath and then not wanting to get out, not wanting to go up the playground slide but choosing the swing instead, tired for bed and wanting one last hug from mum and dad.
I can highly recommend this picture book for children 1-3 years and below I have suggested more picture books which use few or no words to tell a story. Wordless picture books are wonderful for increasing vocabulary, starting discussions, developing comprehension, asking questions, and telling the story differently each time you read it, here are some of my favourites:
Rosie’s Walk by Pat Hutchins
Play by Jez Alborough
The Snowman by Raymond Briggs
Moonlight by Jan Omerod
Sunshine by Jan Omerod
Float by Daniel Miyares
A Ball for Daisy by Chris Raschka
Good Night, Gorilla by Peggy Rathmann
Have You Seen My Duckling? by Nancy Tafuri
Journey by Aaron Becker
Mirror by Jeannie Baker
The Farmer and the Clown by Marla Frazee
The Lion and the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney
Where’s Walrus by Stephen Savage
Eating Out by Helen Oxenbury
Before After by Anne-Margot Ramstein Illustrated by Matthias Aregui
Awake Beautiful Child by Amy Krouse Rosenthal Illustrated by Gracia Lam
The Chicken Thief by Beatrice Rodriguez
No, David! by David Shannon
Fetch by Jorey Hurley
Stop, Go, Yes, No! by Mike Twohy
Footpath Flowers by JonArno Lawson Illustrated by Sydney Smith
Little Fox in the Forest by Stephanie Graegin
Mopoke. by Philip Bunting
One Fox by Kate Read
Again! by Emily Gravett
Big Box Little Box by Caryl Hart Illustrated by Edward Underwood
The goose on the front cover of this picture book caught my eye, mostly because my son affectionately calls me a silly goose sometimes! In my mind, a goose could never be anything to be feared, mistrusted, or avoided, unless of course that goose was nibbling my hand or chasing me around the farmyard. But that’s just it, isn’t it? The things that make me feel unsafe, worried, or anxious might not be the same for everyone. My worries and anxieties might take the shape of clawing ogres or dark looming shadows, but for someone else it just might be a big goose.
That’s the way it is for a little girl called Mindi. She’s such a sweet character, small and cute, with her yellow sweater and matching yellow gum boots. She is afraid of the goose that comes to her room unbidden and uninvited, that no one else can see. Her dad can’t find it, so he can’t get rid of it. Her mum can’t see it, so even threatening to smack it’s silly bottom won’t help.
Mindi’s parents have a problem, how can they help their beloved daughter?
Luckily for them, there is a wise old man called Austen who lives in the village nearby, perhaps he can help. When Mindi’s dad visits him on Shelling Hill, Austen gives some thought to the problem and says:
“I think you should bring Mindi to see me. Make sure she knows I live a long way away. Make sure she knows that she is going on a journey.”
Mindi and her dad make the short ‘long’ journey to Austen’s farm. Mindi greets all the animals, even two geese! But she makes a special connection with a young goat that Mindi names Black-and-whitey. This young goat has a special talent: if you give her a stone fruit, she will eat it and give you back the stone.
Herein lies the kernel of the story. Sometimes, we have to give something in return for a gift. Austen gives the young goat to Mindi, but in return, she must give Austen the Big Goose that no one else can see. It’s a decision-making moment for Mindi. As heavy as our fears and anxieties may be, their weight is familiar, and it can be hard to let go of them. What will Mindi do?
This is a wonderful story for children who might be experiencing anxiety or fear, real or imagined. It gives them a chance to read about what happened to Mindi, how she described her worries, how her family tried to help her and how they turned to the wider community for advice. It’s encouraging to know that solutions can be found, and that problems don’t have to remain as permanent features of our lives.
I can highly recommend this picture book for children 4-6 years and below are more suggestions for picture books that explore what it is like to feel anxious, worried or fearful:
Charlie Star by Terry Milne
Lena’s Shoes are Nervous by Keith Calabrese Illustrated by Juana Medina
Willy and the Cloud by Anthony Browne
What If…? by Anthony Browne
The Worry Box by Suzanne Chew Illustrated by Sean Julian
Ruby Finds a Worry by Tom Percival
Be Brave, Little Tiger! by Margaret Wise Brown Illustrated by Jean Claude
Me and my Fear by Francesca Sanna
Thank Goodness for Bob by Matthew Morgan Illustrated by Gabriel Alborozo
Anxious Charlie to the Rescue by Terry Milne
Owl Babies by Martin Waddell Illustrated by Patrick Benson
Oliver and his Alligator by Paul Schmid
Wemberly Worried by Kevin Henkes
The Huge Bag of Worries by Virginia Ironside Illustrated by Frank Rodgers
In the early 1950s, when my father was 17 years old, he left his small village at the foot of the northern mountains in Italy and ventured alone by boat to Australia. I can’t imagine the kind of bravery that takes. To leave all that is known and loved and take steps towards all that is unknown and unseen, is a lesson in understanding oneself and finding courage to face whatever dragons come your way. For my father, everything was new: the language, the food, the culture, the work, the people and the place. But despite the hardships and the challenges, he made a life for himself here, taking the best values from his home in Italy and his home in Australia to forge something good for his long life.
Anita, in this story, is leaving her village in the Dominican Republic and travelling with her family to America. She refers to the planes that will take her away as the dragons which look like large, winged beasts. Anita is a brave and feisty princesa in her village but as she thinks about what the future will look like and what she will be leaving behind, she compares the reality of what she has with the opportunities that are yet to come. Hot water, reliable electricity, and fancy restaurants all sound exciting, but Anita’s abuela is not coming and no longer will Anita breathe the salty air or dance in the blue waves in the spicy heat of the day. No longer will she be the adored princesa, the centre of life in her village.
As Anita and her family board the mighty plane, humming in readiness for departure, she cries aloud all the thoughts that are unspoken but threatening to overwhelm everyone:
“I won’t let this horrible beast take me away from everything I love! What if I hate it? What if I’m lonely? What if I get scared? What if I’m sad? What if I’m NOT brave at all?”
Despite the unanswered questions, despite the anxiety and not knowing what is ahead, the family bravely face the dragon of the air and whatever adventures await them on the other side of this momentous flight.
This is a story of courage and bravery during immigration, the rending of a heart torn between the known and the unknown and the emotional and physical upheaval of leaving one’s country for another. The illustrations are tender, and imbued with soft colours, creating a sense of place and helping the reader to visualise the bonds that tie us to our family and our home.
I can highly recommend this picture book for children 4-8 years and below are more stories that explore the idea of immigration, moving house and home, and what that might feel like in different situations:
Migrant by Maxine Trottier Illustrated by Isabelle Arsenault
A Kiss Goodbye by Audrey Penn Illustrated by Barbara L.Gibson
The Keeping Quilt by Patricia Polacco
Moving Molly by Shirley Hughes
The Journey by Francesca Sanna
I Dream of Popo by Livia Blackburne Illustrated by Julia Kuo
I’m an Immigrant too! by Mem Fox Illustrated by Ronojoy Ghosh
A Different Pond by Bao Phi Illustrated by Thi Bui
The Dress and the Girl by Camille Andros Illustrated by Julie Morstad
The Arrival by Shaun Tan
Bad Bye, Good Bye by Deborah Underwood Illustrated by Jonathan Bean
The Matchbox Diary by Paul Fleischman Illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline
Ten Pound Pom by Carole Wilkinson Illustrated by Liz Anelli
Eureka! A Story of the Goldfields by Mark Wilson
King of the Sky by Nicola Davies Illustrated by Laura Carlin
The Color of Home by Mary Hoffman Illustrated by Karin Littlewood
All the Way to America by Dan Yaccarino
The Name Jar by Yangsook Choi
I’m New Here by Anne Sibley O’Brien
Waves: for those who come across the sea by Donna Rawlins Illustrated by Heather Potter and Mark Jackson
First published by The Bodley Head Children’s Books, 1961
I think this would have to be my favourite story about Harry the dog. I remember reading it as a child and I still love the illustrations and the way the story unfolds, with gentle humour, awkward moments, and a quirky ending.
Harry, a white dog with black spots, has been given a birthday present from Grandma. Unfortunately, it’s a green knitted woollen jumper patterned with roses and Harry definitely does not like it. Despite the jumper being quite cosy to wear, Harry decides to lose it at the very first opportunity. But after a few clever attempts to lose it, leave it, and drop it, the jumper keeps finding its way back to Harry.
Alone at last in the park, Harry notices a loose stitch in the jumper and a nearby bird does too. Before Harry knows what is happening, the bird has flown down, picked up the loose strand of wool and zoomed away again. Before long, the jumper has unravelled altogether.
This is where the story gets really interesting! Harry knows where the bird has gone, but the reader doesn’t. What happens when Grandma comes for a surprise visit and no one at home can find the special jumper that she knitted for Harry?
The ending will make you smile, if you are not already smiling. The illustrations are gorgeous and tell the tale with so much flair using only black, green and orange for colour, in the style of Dr Seuss. The characters are endearing, and the streetscapes are filled with all the everyday things we know, similar to the art of Anna Walker and Serge Bloch.
If you like this story, there are more titles in the series, Harry the Dirty Dog (1956), Harry and the Lady Next Door (1960), and Harry by the Sea (1956) – all created by Gene Zion and his wife and collaborator Margaret Bloy Graham.
I can highly recommend this picture book for children 3-6 years and below are more suggestions for picture books which explore the idea of gifts and gift giving, some welcome, some thoughtful and some altogether unexpected:
Strega Nona’s Harvest by Tomie dePaola
The Spiffiest Giant in Town by Julian Donaldson Illustrated by Axel Scheffler
What is Given from the Heart by Patricia C. McKissack Illustrated by April Harrison
The Gift of Nothing by Patrick McDonnell
The Gift by Penny Matthews Illustrated by Martin McKenna
Harold Loves His Woolly Hat by Vern Kousky
Mr Nick’s Knitting by Margaret Wild Illustrated by Dee Huxley
You won’t like this present as much as I do! by Lauren Child
Thankyou, Omu! by Oge Mora
A Chair for Mother by Vera B. Williams
The Gift by Michael Speechley
Extra Yarn by Mac Barnett Illustrated by Jon Klassen
Erandi’s Braids by Antonio Hernandez Madrigal Illustrated by Tomie dePaola
The Thank-you Present by Jane Martino Illustrated by Anne White
The Anzac Billy by Claire Saxby Illustrated by Mark Jackson & Heather Potter
My Name is Lizzie Flynn by Claire Saxby Illustrated by Lizzy Newcomb
The Not Very Merry Pout-Pout Fish by Deborah Diesen Illustrated by Dan Hanna
A Present for Mother Bear by Else Holmelund Minarik Illustrated by Chris Hahner
The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
Give and Take by Chris Raschka
Alfie Gives a Hand by Shirley Hughes
If you give a mouse a cookie by Laura Joffe Numeroff Illustrated by Felicia Bond
The Little Drummer Boy by Ezra Jack Keats
A Christmas for Bear by Bonny Becker Illustrated by Kady MacDonald Denton
I have come to love the garden later in my life. These days I am happiest when I am outside in my pink gumboots, with grubby overalls on, and tending to the myriad of plants that are growing in the good brown earth.
I love flowers the most and sweet peas are one of my favourites. In Melbourne, sweet pea seeds are best planted in March and with some tender care, rain, sunshine, and compost, you should be rewarded with scented flowers by November. So much about gardening is waiting and watching. This year, the sweet peas in the garden are growing up the brickwork of our chimney and in June they are almost 3 feet high.
So, it was with some joy that I picked up this picture book with that wonderful title and read about a young girl staying with her grandparents for the summer holidays while her mum is in hospital. It’s a sad beginning, because even when we are young, we are already learning that life is not all about honey and crumpets. Some days are hard, there is much uncertainty, and we have to figure out how to keep going.
Luckily for this young girl, her grandparents live in a cosy home on a large block of land not too far away. Very soon, she is in the garden and her grandpa thinks it might be a good idea if his grand-daughter looks after the sweet peas. He even suggests that she could enter some blooms in the upcoming flower show.
There is a lot to learn: how to tie up the growing tendrils, how to remove old seedpods, how much to feed and when to water, how much sun and how much shade, and lots of waiting and watching. But even with all that care and attention, the sweet peas fail to thrive. What could be the problem?
Grandpa’s watering technique needs some tweaking it seems and with that mystery solved, the sweet peas begin to thrive and flower. The hard-to-grow blue sweet peas are picked and put in a vase for the flower show. Will mum be there to see her display? Will her blue sweet peas win a prize?
This is a lovely story developing the ideas of perseverance, holding on to hope, and finding your inner strength. The illustrations are bright and colourful and filled with the sense of all that is good about family and the bonds that keep us connected and motivated.
At the end of the book there is more information about the beautiful sweet pea, its history from humble beginnings in Italy, its introduction into England during the late 17th century and competitions which celebrate its current diversity in form, colour and fragrance. If you haven’t grown these gorgeous flowers before, grab a packet of seeds and give it a go, you will be rewarded by bunches of sweet smelling flowers in just a few months.
I can highly recommend this picture book for children 4-8 years, and below are more suggestions for picture books which explore the themes of gardening, gardens and growing plants:
In the Garden by Emma Giuliani
We are the Gardeners by Joanna Gaines and kids Illustrated by Julianna Swaney
Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt by Kate Messner Illustrated by Christopher Silas Neal
A Seed is Sleepy by Dianna Hutts Aston Illustrated by Sylvia Long
My Garden by Kevin Henkes
Planting a Rainbow by Lois Ehlert
And then it’s Spring by Julie Fogliano Illustrated by Erin E. Stead
Isabella’s Garden by Glenda Millard Illustrated by Rebecca Cool
Yucky Worms by Vivian French Illustrated by Jessica Ahlberg
Florette by Anna Walker
Emily’s Green Garden by Penny Harrison Illustrated by Megan Forward
A child’s garden: a story of hope by Michael Foreman
The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle
The Garden of Hope by Isabel Otter Illustrated by Katie Rewse
Muncha! Muncha! Muncha! by Candace Fleming Illustrated by G. Brian Karas
Sunflower House by Eve Bunting Illustrated by Kathryn Hewitt
And the Good Brown Earth by Kathy Henderson
The Ugly Vegetables by Grace Lin
Bumpety Bump! by Pat Hutchins
Errol’s Garden by Gillian Hibbs
Plant the Tiny Seed by Christie Matheson
The Last Garden by Rachel Ip Illustrated by Anneli Bray
Maisy Grows a Garden by Lucy Cousins
The Selfish Giant by Oscar Wilde Illustrated and abridged by Alexis Deacon
Published by Little Hare Books, Hardie Grant Children’s Publishing, 2021
I remember sitting at the kitchen table the day before Australia Day this year and asking my daughter how she would be spending that annual holiday. Her response was to go to work as usual and take the holiday any other day but that one. It made me pause for a moment and think again about what I had gained at the expense of what others had lost. When we reflect upon Australia Day from the perspective of those whose land this has belonged to for so many tens of thousands of years, then our response to it must also be challenged.
Day Break confronts this uncomfortable truth and tells the story of how one family from three different generations approaches Australia Day.
At school, a young girl learns that January 26 marks the day “that white mendiscovered our country.” At home, her father tells her that his ancestors were already here for many thousands of years. And Nan says that they will not be celebrating the day by sleeping in or eating fish and chips or going to the beach, instead they will be going back to Country and remembering those who died and lost everything when British settlers came to this land.
Amy McQuire is a Darumbal and South Sea Islander mother and journalist from Rockhampton in Queensland and in this picture book she has written a narrative not only for her two young children, but for all Aboriginal children so that they can see themselves and their place in Australian history.
The story is a gentle but forceful reminder of what happened more than 200 years ago, the survival of the Indigenous people and their continuing fight for recognition as custodians and owners of this land in the past, present and future.
I can highly recommend this picture book for children 4 years and above, and below are more suggestions for picture books which help us to understand Country and what it means to be an Indigenous person in Australia:
My Culture and Me by Gregg Dreise
I Saw, We Saw by Yolnu Students of Nhulunbuy Primary School, with Ann James and Ann Haddon
Took the Children Away by Archie Roach Illustrations by Ruby Hunter
Welcome to Country by Aunty Joy Murphy Illustrated by Lisa Kennedy
Sea Country by Aunty Patsy Cameron Illustrated by Lisa Kennedy
Family by Aunty Fay Muir and Sue Lawson Illustrated by Jasmine Seymour
My People by Eddie Betts
Coming Home to Country by Bronwyn Bancroft
Wilam: a Birrarung Story by Aunty Joy Murphy and Andrew Kelly Illustrated by Lisa Kennedy
Walking in Gagudju Country: exploring the Monsoon Forest by Diane Lucas and Ben Tyler Illustrated by Emma Long
Baby Business by Jasmine Seymour
Finding Our Heart: a story about the Uluru Statement for young Australians by Thomas Mayor Illustrated by Blak Douglas
Cooee Mittigar: a story of Darug Songlines by Jasmine Seymour Illustrated by Leanne Mulgo Watson
Sorry Day by Coral Vass Illustrated by Dub Leffler
You can be lucky in life when wild creatures freely come to you. A butterfly might land on your shoulder and rest for just a moment, an echidna might shuffle and snuffle close to your feet looking for food, a rosella might come to the seed bowl you have on the balcony table and feed from it, knowing you are just there. And when we see these creatures up close, it’s hard not to wonder what they are thinking as they go about their business, are we communicating, is there a connection, will they come back?
In this picture book, we meet Amira and she has a magpie that comes to her railing just outside the door, and she has a beautiful description for it:
“His eyes are black pearls. The white on his feathers makes her think, perhaps, he has daubed his wings with paint, to write messages in the sky, love letters to her, because she is his friend.”
The illustrations are soft, mostly black and white and grey, and on one page we see the magpie’s eye magnified, as if it is really seeing Amira and her dreams and hopes. Amira wants to imagine her beautiful magpie soaring through the skies and flying all the way to her home and her grandfather. Amira wants to imagine her grandfather recognising the magpie as a messenger from Amira herself, letting him know that she is okay, that she is growing, that she is thinking of him and can’t wait to see him again one day.
But for the moment, these are all dreams because it seems that Amira is far from her homeland and that her days are closed in by wire fences and dark shadows of detention. So for now, Amira’s favourite colour will be blue, she will dream that her magpie is free and that it will fly back and forth between her homeland and here, singing a song of hope and freedom.
This a wonderful story about hope when days are dark and the future is unclear, Amira, with her black and white cape and soft blue hijab, bravely faces her confinement by holding on to her dreams.
I can highly recommend this picture book for children 4-6 years and below are more suggestions for picture books which explore what it means to be a refugee, seek asylum, hope for a better future and hold on to your dreams:
The Red Tree by Shaun Tan
The Wooden Camel by Wanuri Kahiu Illustrated by Manuela Adreani
Mia’s Story by Michael Foreman
Spirit of Hope by Bob Graham
The Garden of Hope by Isabel Otter Illustrated by Katie Rewse
The Happiness Box by Mark Greenwood Illustrated by Andrew McLean
Greta Thunberg by Isabel Sanchez Vegara Illustrated by Anke Weckmann
Little Lion by Saroo Brierley Illustrated by Bruce Whatley
Little Mole Finds Hope by Glenys Nellist Illustrated by Sally Garland
Lost and Found Cat by Doug Kuntz and Amy Shrodes Illustrated by Sue Cornelison
Reach for the Stars by Serge Bloch
The Lion and the Bird by Marianne Dubuc
The Peasant Prince by Li Cunxin Illustrated by Anne Spudvilas
Ziba Came on a Boat by Liz Lofthouse Illustrated by Robert Ingpen
Four Feet, Two Sandals by Karen Lynn Williams and Khadra Mohammed Illustrated by Doug Chayka
Refugees and Migrants by Ceri Roberts Illustrated by Hanane Kai
My Name is not Refugee by Kate Milner
The Day War Came by Nicola Davies Illustrated by Rebecca Cobb
Running with the Horses by Alison Lester
Room on our Rock by Kate and Jol Temple Illustrated by Terri Rose Baynton
Gleam and Glow by Eve Bunting Illustrated by Peter Sylvada
