Who Are You......

With the rain outside and the icy wind very strong today was a good day to be indoors, drinking a warm drink and listening to stories! The little corner at Storytime today was abuzz with laughing at some of the stories that the kids were read....but this is not a review of one of those books.

Instead, this is a review of a quiet time book. It's gently lilting rhymes and bright, oil painted pictures keep all eyes focused on this book.

The latest offering from Mem Fox is a little book that focuses on the fact that 'despite the differences between people around the world, there are similarities that join us together, such as pain, joy and love.'

The flying man begins by speaking directly to the children about how there are others like them all over the world. He then gathers up said children and they fly all over the place to see how different yet similiar everyone is.

By visiting children and adults all over the world, children are shown how similiar the human race is, despite our different appearances. While this can be a somewhat abstract idea for children to understand, using words such as pain, loss, blood that children can understand and relate to takes this book to a level that is not expected at first.

The thick, bright illustrations keep the text from becoming either saccharine or too abrupt, yet are emotive enough to pass along the message that people all around the world are feeling the same things that we are, whoever we are, wherever we are.

Since literacy is not just about reading, but also about understanding how what we read and hear fits into the world around us - there are many great activities that you can do with your children related to this book!

For example - you could make your own painting of people that are in your child life who appear different to him. You can collect stamps from around the world. You could play music on instruments from around the world.The options are only limited by your imagination!

Enjoy your time spent together!

*perfect for readers aged 2-5yrs

Where's My Teddy?

A lovely tale about something that everyone loves - Teddy Bears!

We have been very busy of late preparing all sorts of literacy adventures for all our families to participate in - but we have still managed to carve out some time to REaD with, and to each other (and ourselves!)

I have been spending time at our local coffee shop (Gloria Jeans at Rouse Hill Town Centre) on a thursday morning reading to any children and their mums - or grandma's, dads, big sisters - anyone who is there really.

We even have a 'frequent reader' card - come along 10 times and you can choose a free book from my book box!

So, when looking for books that are going to capture not only the kids imagination and engage them in participation - I look for a book that will keep me entertained too. After all, if the reader is not interested in the book, how can we expect the kids to be interested?

One that never fails to keep all eyes on the story is this gem:

This is one in a series featuring Bear, Teddy, Freddy and Eddy. The other titles include "My Friend Bear" and "It's The Bear'.

In 'Where's My Teddy?' Eddy has lost his teddy whose name is Freddy. If you suspected that there was rhyming galore in this book - you are correct. Just don't confuse Eddy and Freddy or the little listeners will point it out, guaranteed!

So, Eddy is looking for his teddy in the forest, and gets a little scared..until he see's a giant teddy. He is confused as to how his Freddy grew sooo big, and is concerned at how he will hug and cuddle with Freddy now that he is so large.

However, Eddy's musings are quickly interrupted by Bear who has also had something happen to his teddy. I don't want to give too much away of the storyline, but if you look closely at the picture below you'll probably be able to figure out what has happened to Eddy, Freddy, Teddy and Bear.



With bright illustrations and simple brief sentences, this book is easily understood by children from 2yrs onwards. The illustrations manage to convey not only the fun in the story, but also the immensity of the difference in size, with the illustrations delivered from a variety of angles and viewpoints.

This story is only enhance by dramatic storytelling - deep booming voices, high pitched squeaky voices and lots of dramatic sighs and sobs.

Enjoy the story - and the time spent together reading!

Weddings Are In The Air...

Before we get any further, I must admit that my head has been caught up in wedding fever of late. Cake, flowers, dresses....and flowergirls.

As my wedding date approaches, I have had to think about how to get the flowergirl 'into the zone' of a wedding; it will be both her's and mine's first weddings :) Other than luring her down the aisle with lollipops, I had to think of an easy way to make this fun!

And then I found this book:



Available on Amazon, Fishpond
and a bunch of other places

Since the flowergirl will only be 3 - this gives her and me lots of time to read the story together and get excited! There are lovely descriptions and illustrations of what a flowergirl does, and how flowergirls can do different things at different weddings.
This also makes this book suitable for a variety of weddings, from church ceremonies to garden ceremonies and from casual through to ultra traditional.

It also addresses concerns that your flowergirl may have, including what to expect at a wedding as well as subtle cues about how to behave at a wedding.

Other fun things that flowergirls might get to do include trying on a twirly dress, walking down the aisle, smiling big for pictures...and most importantly having lots of fun! Sophie (the main character) also manages to save the day!

It is full of cute illustrations and lets be fair - is priced well! - about $9.00 per book.

Enjoy reading to your children!

Look Who's Flown Into Town......

While it seems like an ages since we have posted here on our Paint The Town REaD blog, there has been some exciting happenings around the place!

Firstly, our mascot has arrived into town. His name is Lorrie and he has spent some time meeting the locals and introducing himself to lots of kids (and parents too!)

Here is Lorrie in action at Play In The Garden, reading a book and saying hi to everyone!

We've also launched our colouring competition for Paint The Town REaD - and there are lots of prizes to give away! Entries can also be got from Dymocks Bookstore and Learn 2 at Rouse Hill town Centre.

There is a major prize of a $75 book pack for the major winner, and then there are 20 honourable mentions who will recieve a $15 book pack. These will be split amongst the different ages, so everyone has a chance!

The entries will be displayed at the exhibition space at Vinegar Hill Community Centre..and Lorrie will drop in for a visit too!

And after all that - Lorrie got himself in the paper too!

What a busy last couple of weeks!

See you all soon!

Lifetimes

Hi Everyone!

I have just attended a ‘Celebration Of Life’ (read: funeral – planned in advance by Sue when she was diagnosed with terminal breast cancer) and it made me think about how we can talk about death, loss, and even change with our children. I have in my hands a delicately written book for children of all ages - Beginnings and Endings With Lifetimes In Between.

This is a beautifully written book with careful illustrations that speaks about how everything has a beginning and an ending, and in between that there is a lifetime.

With a repetitive theme of...........

“That is how things are.

For plants.

For people.

For birds.

For fish.

For animals.

Even for the tiniest insect.

It is the way they live, and this is their lifetime”

Bryan Mellone never strays into melancholia or over explanation. Neither does he oversimplify. He consistently writes with a sympathetic, easily understood and sympathetic style. However, he does empathetically and gently write about the realities of lifetimes; some are longer (such as giant trees and fish) and some are shorter (such as butterflies and rabbits). He writes about how people have a lifetime too – but like all things – plants, animals, vegetables - this can change if they get sick and their lifetime may become shorter.

This book is used by many counsellors and therapists as an introduction to grief and loss around death or change. It can also be used as a tool for the preparation for a discussion around these topics. Using simple words and beautiful illustrations, this book could be used for children of any age.

If you are looking for a book around these topics, I would recommend that you check this one out.