58 Picture Books for ANZAC Day
ANZAC Day is this week, a day in which we commemorate our fallen, returned and current Service men and women, we remember their sacrifices past and present. I have been gathering picture books to assist and answer questions that are sure to arise as books are always a great gateway to discussions. Imagine my shock when I easily discovered 58 picture books for ANZAC Day!! Truth is I had to call a halt and stop looking for anymore! In this collection I have included both Australian and New Zealand authors – ANZACs; Australian New Zealand Army Corps. ANZAC Day is this week, a day in which we commemorate our fallen, returned and…
9 Children’s Books About Bass & Flinders
Most Australian children know the names of George Bass and Matthew Flinders, great explorers and navigators of the coastline of early Australia. My interest in Bass and Flinders’ explorations has been renewed as I’ve search for children’s historical fiction books about them, what courage and tenacity they had! This book search has been part of my ongoing project of organising Australian history fiction for children into chronological order, a collation of both in print and out of print living books. I have been working my booklist within the framework of the time periods organised in Our Sunburnt Country, a favourite core Australian history books. I have gathered both picture and chapter books for each chapter, mainly sharing…
35 Amazing Easter Books for Children & Teens
Sharing 35 Amazing Easter Books we have collected for our Children & Teens over the past decade and a half. Our emphasis has been on finding Christ Centered Easter books as we have slowly gathered together an amazing collection of picture, chapter and anthology books. With Holy Week beginning in less than a week away our books are out and we’re diving in reading. May you enjoy browsing our Mega pile of Easter books, do feel free to ask any questions, and I’d love more suggestions, particularly chapter books. Palm Sunday Little Colt’s Sunday – Michelle Medlock Adams I was very excited to find a picture book for Palm Sunday.…
7 Children’s Books About Australia’s Rum Rebellion
I’m excited to share some children’s history fiction books about the Rum Rebellion with you. My passion for Australian history began in my childhood and continues today. I’ve long been collecting books in the Australian history genre and constantly seeking new titles, and let me tell you there are some fantastic new authors on the Australian history fiction scene for children. Three years ago I began organising many of these titles into chronological order, both in print and out of print living books. I have organised my booklist around a framework using the time periods covered in Our Sunburnt Country, a favourite core Australian history books. I am seeking to share both picture and chapter books…
5 Board Books for Little Catholics
As the commemoration of the Birth of Our Lord approaches, I’m confident many of you, like myself, are scouring sites looking for gift ideas, including book recommendations. Over the years we have discovered some treasures that I’d love to share with you. Board Books for Little Catholics is the first in a series of posts I’ll be sharing over the next fortnight, so be sure to check back. I’d like to say a special thanks to The Bleeding Pelican, Shower of Roses, Family in Feast and Feria and Ordinary Lovely who have been instrumental in assisting me in developing my collection of Catholic titles over the years. Thank you…
Early Australia, Arrival and Settlement: Our Sunburnt Country
Last year I began a long intended project, to compile a list of Australian history living books organised in chronological order. I have organised the time periods around the chapters of Our Sunburnt Country, one of our favourite core books of Australian history and included recommendations of both picture and chapter books to accompany each chapter. This week a local friend asked for my recommendations for pre-European settlement and it was so easy to just send a link so inspired anew to pick up ‘the pen’ and continue on. Previous posts in the series are, Land of the Dreamtime and European Discovery of Australia. I’ve tried to mainly share in print or recently in print books, though some of the out of print (OOP) books…
Our Sunburnt Country: European Discovery Of Australia
Our Sunburnt Country is one of our favourite core books of Australian history, it covers Australian History from pre-European contact through till the end of World War 2(see pg 7). As the consumption inclusion of living books form the basis of our learning I have collated a selection of complementary picture and chapter books to accompany each chapter of Our Sunburnt Country to broaden understanding and capture interest, on the request of one of our readers. My complementary booklist for the first chapter, Land of the Dreamtime is already available. ‘New Visitors To An Old Land,’ the second chapter of Our Sunburnt Country, focuses on the several European contacts with Australia prior to European settlement in 1788. The majority of European discoverers…
Our Sunburnt Country – Land Of The Dreamtime
One of the pleasures of blog writing is ‘meeting’ people I would otherwise have never ‘met’. I particularly love when readers email me and we end up striking up a friendship as Sherelle, a regular commenter and emailer from Queensland and I have. When Sherelle emailed me with a request for “ideas for complementary activities/worksheets to go with Our Sunburnt Country – Arthur Baillie,” I was keen to assist and offered to organise a booklist of complementary picture/chapter books. Our Sunburnt Country is one of our favourite core books of Australian history, it covers Australian History from pre-European contact through till the end of World War 2(see pg 7). I have chosen a selection of recommended picture and chapter…
Catholic Picture Books – April
We love celebrating the liturgical year through reading books, an easy and memorable way. We are blessed to have collected many books of various saints; short stories, chapter books and picture books. Sharing our picture book collection for the month of April, which is admittedly rather small, if you know of any others to recommend for this month please share! 16th – St Bernadette Bernadette: The Little Girl From Lourdes One day in Lourdes during winter a beautiful lady, Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, appears to an ordinary girl, Bernadette. At the grotto where she appears Bernadette discovers a spring from which flows miraculous healing water. ‘Meaty’ and accurate…
ABC’s of Aboriginal Picture Book Authors
It’s no secret that I’m passionate about books, in particular Australian picture and chapter books. Sharing today an ABC list of authors who have focused their writing on Australia’s First Peoples, most of the authors are Indigenous, though some aren’t. We are familiar with some of the authors here, enjoying their books in the past, our personal favourite is Percy Trezise. Most excited that as I gathered names for this list I discovered many new authors for us to learn from:) There are about 500 nations in Australia each have their own stories and customs and each author’s writing is mostly of her/his own clan, consequently whilst there are several…
The Emperor Who Built the Great Wall of China
When Jillian Lin asked me if I would like to review a copy of her new book The Emperor Who Built the Great Wall of China, I was intrigued by the subject matter, and highly honoured as is the first time I’ve been approached by an author to review her book. (Though I have been asked previously on behalf of two authors.) A fascinating picture book that introduces children to the first Chinese emperor, whilst easily understood, the book is packed with information. We learn how the seven kingdoms became one, of the unity Emperor Qin Shihuang bought to China through the use of one coinage and one writing system, of…
