Maddy Deegan, Picture Books

The Viewer, author Gary Crew, illustrator Shaun Tan

The viewer tells the story of time through a picture ‘viewer’; the illustrations follow the historical moments in history. The viewer has a dark and supernatural like nature and allows the reader to develop their own interpretations and understanding of what happens to the lead character Tristan at the end of the story.

The Red Tree. Author and illustrator Shaun Tan

This is one of my favourite books as I feel like it has captured the issue of depression in a way that allows adolescents to feel comfortable about approaching the topic with embarrassment of judgement. Like many of Shaun Tan’s books the narrative focus is visual with very few words, but this in itself demonstrates the books brilliance. Tan has captured an extremely complex topic and developed it so the reader can relate and feel comforted through a sense of understanding.

In class discussion summary 31.08.12

Our class discussion focused on the readings and glossary terms that where set as a workshop task. As a group we focused on why it is important for students to know the meaning of words and their relationship within a text. We touched on the fact that although some of the glossary terms are not as prevalent within primary classroom situations they play a major role in teacher understanding and knowledge and also are an important aspect when focussing on children with speech impediments.

Throughout our in class discussion we spoke about understanding persuasive and informative texts and the power of words in their ability to be able to convince the reader of something. The understanding of the two types of texts is imperative for students as they can then develop an understanding of the power of words and develop the knowledge of how not to be manipulated.  

A large portion of our discussion also looked at the concept of grading text and finding engaging texts that are at the students reading level but also provide interest and enjoyment. The development of reading levels and students ability is imperative but similarly allowing students to choose and explore different texts allows for an enjoyable and engaging learning experience.

Petrina's Fifth Reading Log Entry

Jackie French’s min-world in Somewhere around the Corner is drawn in a manner that appears to powerfully portray life in the make-shift shanty towns around Sydney during the Great Depression.  Her twist in the plot that links a street protest in the 1990s with one in 1932 is a clever tool to draw the reader from a contemporary (almost) to a tumultuous era in Australian history.  A common thread is woven between the introduction and conclusion … but I won’t spoil the surprise!

The mini-worlds in Paul Jennings’ Unreal short stories are, by contrast, a quirky blend of rather unusual … often weird and containing behaviours that may be considered ‘naughty’… plots, settings and characters, merged with experiences that children would be very familiar with.  E.g. Fear of giving talks in front of the class, bullies, family tensions.  The first-person narrative is written in language akin to that spoken by children, and would be easy for them to identify with.  The stories may be useful to make books more attractive to the reluctant reader.

'Mr McGee and the Biting Flea' & 'The Twits'

'Mr McGee and the Biting Flea' by Pamela Allen
This book took me back...one of my favourites in primary school. The words, although quite simple, are really rhythmic, which makes it really fun to read, especially out loud. Definitely a book for the younger students, but a great one for introducing poetry and rhyme, with a focus on repetitive language. The pictures tell the same story as the text and create a lasting visual impact. A fun book to read in the classroom!




'The Twits' by Roald Dahl (illustrated by Quentin Blake)
A Roald Dahl book has to make at least one appearance and this one is definitely a classic! The thing that I really like about this book is the fact that the two main characters are evil, horrible people. But they do get what's coming to them at the end and Dahl sets this up so well with the descriptive language he uses, that the reader is against the Twits from the start. The illustrations capture the grotesque characters in all their glory (or lack of), which also helps to make this book memorable.

Madeleine Deegan, Picture Books Post 3

Hairy Maclary, author/illustrator Lynley Dodd

Hairy Maclary is a children’s book that uses descriptive and imaginative words in  a rhyme sequence that allows the reader to get a full understanding of the characters and their personality and appearance. The use of rhyme throughout this book is simple yet effective allowing younger students to grasp the initial notion of a complex topic.

Slinky Malinki, author/illustrator Lynley Dodd

Slinky Malinki is similar to that of Hairy Maclary in that it uses many adjectives to paint the picture of the characters. Slinky Malinki follows the story of a cat who is a thief by night, stealing from the people around the neighborhood. The rhythmic pattern of the book is enjoyable to read and listen to making it an all time favorite for all. 

Madeleine Deegan, Picture Books

Mr. Bear and The Bear, author Frances Thomas, illustrator Ruth Brown

This story deals with the issues of animal cruelty and the life of a secluded man who finds a friend in a dancing bear. Mr. Bear’s realization that the bear is not being treated respectfully and his endeavor to save him and restore him to his original life highlights the care and love that is not recognized initially in Mr. Bear’s character. The illustrations that are in this book are not only descriptive but allow the reader to get a sense of the animal cruelty that exists with circus animals.

The Whales Song, author Dylan Sheldon, illustrator Gary Blythe

The whale’s song is a story of hope and belief. It focuses on a young girl and the stories that she is told by her grandpa and grandmother about whales and the beauty and practicality that they hold. The differing opinions of her grandparents is extreme, as one focuses on the food and whaling aspect of their existence while the other focuses on the beauty of their ‘song’. Leaving Lily to her own means in order to appreciate their beauty and develop her own opinion. 

Reading Log 4

Daddy's Little Scout, written by Janet Bingham and illustrated by Rosalind Beardshaw is a picturebook about moving and finding a new home. 
Little Fox and his Dad are visiting the animals of the forest to see their homes.  They go to see  Mrs. Finch who is building a new nest, the rabbits are making new rabbit holes and Mr. Mole is digging new tunnels to live in.  Little Fox is outgrowing their den, and the Foxes will need a new home.  So little Fox and his Dad go to seek a new place for them to live. 

This is an adorable picturebook which is very well suited to a bedtime story. It should be noted that this is a companion book to 'Mummy's Little Star' also by Janet Bingham.


The second reading I have chosen is actually a short story out of Shaun Tan's 'Tales from Outter Suburbia'.  A very strange complilation of fiftheen short stories, out of these I have chosen 'Undertow'  a story very simply about a dugong that appears on the front lawn of a otherwise quite suburban street on very strange morning.  While all the surrounding neighbours are trying to do something about this very strange situation, the owners at number seventeen are somewhat disconnected from the whole situation and are more concerned with the markings the dugong has left on their lawn!

Petrina's Personal Reading Log 4

After reading Terry Pratchett’s fantasy, The Wintersmith (for older students and adults), I have eagerly sought out more of his works to enjoy.  I am particularly taken with his hilarious characterisation and dialogue. My favourite characters are the Feegles – while they are willing to journey to the underworld to save their ‘Big Wee Hag’ and release the world from an eternal winter, what they most fear is reading!  I can recount the ending without spoiling the novel:  ‘He had to be a hero.  Ah’m feelin’ guid about this readin’,’ said Rob Anybody.  ‘Bring it on!’  And he read Principles of Modern Accountancy all morning, but just to make it interesting, he put lots of dragons in it.’ (p.339)

A second book for my log this week is Poems by Young Australians (vol. 2), which is a collection of the best entries submitted for the 2004 Taronga Foundation Poetry Prize. I was amazed by the insights and artistry contained therein.  These works may be used to inspire other young people to engage with poetry, and model examples of the high standards that young people can achieve through this mode of expression.

'Pearl Verses the World' & 'Wombat Goes Walkabout'

'Pearl Verses the World' by Sally Murphy (illustrated by Heather Potter)

This short novel contains some very strong themes about isolation, being different, sickness and death, to name a few. It is wonderfully written, I would say as a poem, as that is how it was started by the author, but more and more was written, so it turned into a short novel. There are lovely 'verses' and descriptive language throughout the book and ultimately has a happy ending.

'Wombat Goes Walkabout' by Michael Morpurgo (illustratd by Christian Birmingham)
The first thing that draws you in with this book is the images of Australian wildlife. But once you start to read the text, it does not disappoint! This is a lovely story that celebrates difference and the discovery of who you are and what you have to offer. Morpurgo uses repetitive language throughout the book, which gives the story a great rhythm for reading aloud to children. Morpurgo has really captured the essence and spirit of the Australian wildlife and also indigenous people.

Week 4 Discussion

Our discussion this week was about 2 main things. The first point was regarding the questions for activity 2 on page 269 of Winch et al. Petrina and I spoke about the emotion portrayed in the passage of writing and that the words almost ‘tumble out’ of the student due to her excitement about going to the circus. You can really imagine the look on her face if she was in front of you, telling the story. We identified the use of words such as ‘terrific’, ‘I said YES’, ‘very funny’ and ‘good fun’ as ways of expressing the emotion and ‘let’s hurry and get ready now’ as a way of expressing urgency and excitement. We also talked about the spelling and grammatical errors that were clearly evident and that it is important as a teacher to acknowledge the fact that the writing is understandable and creative before focussing on what needs to be fixed. One technique that we identified in order to help correct some of the problems was for the student to read her story aloud to the teacher so that they can hear their work out loud and make sense of it themselves.

The second point that was discussed was the identification of the different text types or genres (Winch et al) and how we were able to identify each text type with the examples that were brought in (all from magazines). We looked as an advertisement for Seymour College as an exposition piece, ‘How to open a drinking coconut’ as a procedural piece, an advertisement about cranberry juice as an information report and a story titles ‘Shopping Meltdown’ as a recount. We then discussed the need to teach the different text types in classrooms, as it is important for students to be able to write for different audiences with different outcomes in mind. We ended on identifying the potential concerns in regards to teaching the text types and that it is important to make them relevant to their lives and give them a purpose in order to ensure the tasks are engaging.

Miss Bilby & Stuck

'Miss Bilby' by Colin Thiele

This picture book has text that not only rhymes, but that details important information about Bilbies and in particular, their endangerment. The story describes the real threats that Bilbies encounter and the positive impact that humans can have on endangered species. The pictures are simple, but beautiful and compliment the story well. A beautifully written story with an important message.









'Stuck' by Oliver Jeffers

This book is a cute and fun story that has gorgeous artwork to go along with it. If you really look for a message in this book, you could say that it is about thinking before acting, but I really just saw it as an entertaining story that children will enjoy. The text looks handwritten and some sentences and words are bigger than others to emphasize different points. All in all, this book is a bit of fun; both to read and look at.

Week 3 Personal Readings

'I'm the Best' written and illustrated by Lucy Cousins is a picture book about a small dog.
Dog decides to go around to his friends ladybird, gode, mole and donkey and boast about his superority and well.... everything!  As Dog gets too big for his boots, Dog finds that his so-called superiority is eventually challenged by his friends.

His friends become saddened by all the things he can do better, but Mole realises that he can dig deeper and the others come to understand that they have qualities Dog does not. Dog comes back to reality and becomes quite depressed over the fact that he isn't the best at everything and apologises to his friends.  All Dog's friends get together and give him a big hug and tell him he is the best at being their best friend and having beautiful fluffy ears!

I kissed the Baby! is written and illustrated by Mary Murphy (Judge of  So you Can Think You Can Dance America).  This picture book firstly captured my attention with its bold, graphic black and white illustrations.   News of a new born baby is passed from animal to aminal, each animal- bird, fish, squirrel, frog and insect is boasting of seeing, singing, kissing, feeding or tickling the new born baby.  Its a very simple and sweet picture book which captures the excitement that a new born baby can bring.

Week 3 Readings (Alicia)

My week 3 Readings were-

The Witches by Roald Dahl & Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein

The Witches tells a story of a young boy who lives with his grandmother after the untimely death of his parents in a car crash.  She tells him all sorts of stories- especially about witches....r-e-a-l...w-i-t-c-h-e-s!  The boy gobbles up his grandmothers stories about how to spot witches(ex-wearing gloves to hide their talons. wigs because they are bald and blue saliva).  The story continues on at a hotel on the south coast of England for school holiday.  Little do they know this is the SAME place the witches are having their annual meeting.  The plot twists and turns using themes such as overcoming the monster, the quest, voyage and return, tradgedy, comedy and rebirth.  It is a touching tale for all ages that has been adapted for the stage and screen and remainsa classic since it's initial printing in 1983.


Where the Sidewalk Ends is a childrens book of poetry filled with fanciful characters and wonderfully illustrated line drawings (also by Silverstein).  Each page has a new character accompanied by a short almost always humerous tale told in rhymes.  I'd also like to mention that while researching this author for my author study I discovered that Silverstein was personally involved in the printing process of this book.  He had picked the type of paper and weight for his book to be printed on as this was just as important to him as an artist as the book itself was a work of art, an experience.  I remember reading these books over 25 years ago as a child and couldn't get enough of them, it's been so fun revisiting them again as an adult and I look forward to reading these poems to my daughter.

Week 3 Group Discussion Summary

Our initial discussion focussed on the idea of ‘deep literacy’ and the importance of introducing children to, and engaging them with, ‘big’ concepts and complex themes (as exemplified within some of our chosen books:  The refugee experience, habitat destruction, endangered animals, dancing bears, and whaling), and ways in which authors have woven these themes into a narrative structure, in these instances employing 3^rd-person narration.  We observed that the themes in the picture books mirrored the social concerns at the time of publication (e.g. Dancing Bears). We noted that some books (e.g. David Miller’s Refugees) are easier to fit into both the conventional narrative structure and 7 (or 8?) basic plots than others, and found that it wasn’t always as straightforward to identify basic plot structures as we had assumed. Libby Gleeson’s representation of a narrative as a piece of string with knots at strategic points in the story was a useful object lesson, but we remained uncertain about whether sub-plots could embody different basic plots. Consideration of the manner by which plotting story shapes can be an effective tool for analysing and engaging with what is really happening in a narrative was a useful exercise, and one which would be helpful in a classroom context.  

Week 3 Personal Reading Program

The amount of information that Jeannie Baker communicates via her intricate collages in Mirror is truly astonishing.  The reader is encouraged to reflect on the points of connection and difference in the parallel lives of a boy living in inner Sydney, and another in the Valley of Roses, Morocco by cleverly presenting them side-by-side.  Two cultures … two stories … one powerful representation.

My second book, Henry and Amy by Stephen Michael King also introduces us to two young children, using gentle humour in text and image to consider themes such as self-doubt, accepting ourselves and others, and friendship. In our home it is a family favourite.

Wilfred Gordon Macdonald Partridge, Author Mem Fox, Illustrator Julie Vivas

Wilfred Gordon Macdonald Partridge is a story of a young boy and his endevour to recall the memory of an old friend 'Miss Nancy'. Through the relationships that Wilfred had with a group of older people he builds an understanding of what a 'memory' is and how it can relate to a range of different emotions and life experiences. Wilfred's ability to collect a range of different objects, that trigger different memories allowed Mrs. Nancy to regain her memory and remember the friendship and relationship that she had with Wilfred. 

I feel that this resource allows students to construct their own concept of a memory and what it means to them. The understanding and empathy that is developed within this book allows students of all age groups to relate and create connections with their own life experience. 

Koala Lou, Author Mem Fox, Illustrator Pamela Lofts

Koala Lou is a story which follows a child's need for love and attention from her mother. Koala Lou competes in The Bush Olympics as a cry for attention and a need for her mother to notice and love her. Throughout the story Fox uses repetition of the line "Koala Lou, I do love you" until it is finally understood that Koala Lou's mothers love is unconditional. 

I feel that this resource would be especially useful with students in the younger year levels in emphasising that parents love is unconditional and that despite the amount of siblings or the impact of life in general there will be no deterrent of a parents love for their children.

Week 2 Readings- Alicia

My Week 2 Readings were-

How the Grinch Stole Christmas! by Dr Seuss & The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg

How the Grinch Stole Christmas!....need I say more?  This is one of my all time favorite books written by the great Dr Seuss.  It tells the story of a miserly grinch that lives in a cave 'Up on Mountt Crumpet' above a town called 'Whoville" which is filled with the festive cheer of the Whos.   For 53 years, the Grinch watched Christmas come and go and he thought this year....IT MUST STOP! The story then goes on to describe the misadventures of the grinch and how he tried to stop Christmas from coming....he strips Whoville of EVERYTHING Christmas...every tree, wreath, beast and crumb.  Happy of his triumph that cold winters night, he returned to Mount Crumpet to recount his plight.  To his sickening demise he heard the Whos singing...he had not stopped Christmas...what was he thinking!  Just at that moment, his heart began to grow and he filled with a warmth he never knew.  The Grinch has a change of heart and sleighs back down the mountain....mush Max...MUSH!  He finally arrives back down in Whoville where he returns all the things he stole the night before and is welcomed as the guest of honor to carve the roast beast.  This story is such a classic....for me it never gets old.  I love the rhyming of the narritive as it adds so much excitement when reading it, the words almost jump off the page.  This book also has a positive warm and fuzzy message about giving and sharing and shows how good it makes you feel to be included no matter how different you are. 



In keeping with the Christmas theme this week, the second book I read was The Polar Express.  This story takes place in the imagination of a little boy on Christmas Eve patiently waiting to hear the jingle of a bell...anything to indicate Santa had arrived to his house.  Instead of hearing sleigh bells, he hears 'a hissing steam and squeaking metal' (pg 1).  It was a train, not just any train....the Polar Express!!  The story takes us on a journey to the North Pole where Santa chooses one child from the train to give the first gift to.  This is where the little boy, who can choose anything he wants, asks Santa for a bell from his sleigh.  As the night progresses and dawn approaches the little boy is delivered back to his house, he realises he has lost his special gift.  As Christmas morning is now here, he and his sister open all their gifts, he finds a small box that contains the special bell.  The children reing the bell and hear the most amazing sounds...however the parents do not hear a thing.  This part of the story makes me sad as it shows how the magic of Christmas is lost as people grow up.  Except in the case of the little boy...he still to this day hears the sweet sounds when he shakes it as he knows exactly where it came from. 

This book is a nice story to read around Christmas time and can be included in a study of how different cultures celebrate this time of year.  The illustrations are very warm and hazy transporting the reader into a dream like state.

Weel 1 Readings (Alicia)

My week 1 readings were:

Stellaluna by Janell Cannon & Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey

Stellaluna tells the tale of a young bat who is separated from her mother because of an owl attack and her subsequent adventures trying to figure out who she is. She meets a family of birds who accept her as part of their family on the condition she adapt to the bug eating, daylight flying lifestyle they lead.  This book uses a lot of comedy that shows just how silly it is when Stellaluna tries to act like her fellow birds and when the birds start to hang upside down acting like bats.  I really like this book as it touches on concepts such as loss, growing up, acceptance, friendship and how someone from different backgrounds can learn from one another and live in harmony.  I feel this is a great classroom read as it can be incorporated into a lesson on bats or read anytime of the year to reinforce the positive message of accepting and celebrating our differences. 


Blueberries for Sal is a fun read (for the younger primary grades) as it tells the story of a mother and her daughter going up to the mountain to pick blueberries to can for winter.  While on the mountain there is a chance meeting as a bear and her cub are on a similar adventure, eating blueberries to plump up for the upcoming winter.  As they continue to pick blueberries, both Sal and the bear cub get separated from their mothers and start to follow the 'wrong' mother around the blueberry batch.  Eventually both mothers realise that the wrong child is following them and start searching for their own children.  They are quickly reunited and continue picking blueberries.  The story ends simply by Sal and her mother returning home to the kitchen to can their fruit and momma bear and her cub returning home as well preparing for the long winter ahead.  I really love the illustrations in this book, they are simple in style/color but complex in technique.  It brings back childhood memories for me as my siblings and I used to go strawberry picking and then can it for the winter just like Sal and her mother.  It's just a sweet little story.