Leaping into Literature: An Interrupted Week
Last week was an interrupted week; a belated birthday luncheon for our teens with Marnie (my mum) and our annual local festival, always a big week. However despite the distractions we managed to achieve some reading for our Leaping into Literature theme. 
Michelangelo(16)
The Warrior Heir – Cinda Williams Chima
The Wizard Heir – Cinda Williams Chima
The Dragon Heir – Cinda Williams Chima
The Enchanter Heir – Cinda Williams Chima
Princess(14)
Sweet Little Ladies and the Secret at Berry Creek – Sascha Everett
Horrible Science mags
That Girl of Pierre’s – Robert Davis
Jelly Bean (11)
Star of Wild Horse Canyon – Clyde Robert Bulla
Break in at the Basilica – Dianne Ahern
Zac Power: Poison Island – H I Larry
Jack Jack (9 – late reader)
Read & Learn with Dr Suess
The Bear’s Holiday
The Treehouse Rescue: Peter Rabbit
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Australian
Roos in Shoes – Tom Keneally 0 Star
Farmer Drewe has long shared his land with a mob of kangaroos, when an electricity company threatens to throw him off his farm the kangaroos take action. Told in rhyme.
Crocodile River – Diana Lawrenson 5 Star
Cranky the saltwater crocodile life is in danger. She sets out to find a safe place of her own, past many dangers until she finds an island in the middle of the sea. Plenty of information interwoven.
A is for Australia – Frane Lessac 5 Star
Well known and not so known facts about Australia from A to Z. Was impressed with the accuracy of the information, non-fiction.
The Stone Lion – Margaret Wild 5 Star
The stone lion dreams of running, pouncing and leaping in the park. One snowy night a young homeless girl and her baby brother fall asleep at his feet, in danger of freezing to death. He makes a choice.
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Geography
The Seeds of Friendship – Michael Foreman 5 Star
Adam moves from Africa to an English city, he strives to adjust to his new home. His teacher gives him seedlings and he transforms his surroundings.
Antarctica
What’s in the Egg? Little Pip – Karma Wilson 5 Star
Little Pip’s sibling will soon hatch. Gentle introduction to penguin’s habits and living conditions interwoven in the story.
China
Bamboo – Paul Yee 5 Star
A new bride presents her husband with bamboo seedlings on their wedding day, they grow into a flourishing grove. The husband leaves for work and the sister-in-law creates much misfortune. Eventually the bamboo saves the life of the returning husband.
Japan
The Great Wave – Veronique Massenot 5 Star
A fisherman and his wife have ‘no joy’, one day the fisherman finds a newborn baby in his boat, bought by a wave. He brings them joy. Inspired by the painting Hokusai
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Music
Song of the Dove – Errol Broome 5 Star
The story of the Italian composer Bellini’s rise to fame and his forbidden love, Maddalena. Beautiful and tragic.
Stephen’s Music – Sofie Laguna 5 Star
Stephen longs to play the flute, but his parents can’t afford one. Instead he learns to play the recorder, then the tin whistle, eventually he receives a flute. He creates beautiful music.
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Yet More: 5 Star
Now One Foot, Now the Other – Tomie de Paola 4 Star
Bobby has a special relationship with his grandfather. He teaches him to talk and walk, they play games and create rituals. One day Grandfather suffers a stroke, Bobby misses him, when he finally comes home it is Bobby’s turn to teach Grandfather to talk and walk. Beautiful.
4 Star
The Ugly Duckling – Frank Loeseer 4 Star
Slight variation on the traditional tale, soft illustrations.
Goldilocks – Ruth Sanders 4 Star
Traditional tale, mostly, gorgeous illustrations.
3 Star
The Storm Whale – Benji Davies 3 Star
A lonely boy who lives by the sea takes a whale home for friendship. The children found the boy’s loneliness rather sad.
The Storm – Kathy Henderson 3 Star
A fierce storm rages, a small boy and his mother’s home is threatened by the sea, they take refuge up the hill with his grandmother. For the younger child.
Ninety-Three in My Family – Erica Perl 3 Star
A student tells his teacher he lives with twenty-seven owls, eleven dogs, six goldfish and more.
1 Star
Mister Whistler – Margaret Mahy 1 Star
Mr Whistler has a song in his head and a dance in his legs, he loses his train ticket on the platform and dances out of his clothes looking for it.
Star – Natalie Jane Prior 1 Star
Rhyming text for the very little one
2 Comments
Angela
I so wish we could just sit around and read this whole month… I guess I always feel that way in November. Saving these posts for future reference… Maybe if I ever figure out how to use the library for more than a few months without incurring huge fines!!
Erin
Angela
I did see the new NaNoReMo, oh yeah! Oh well I guess we should keep plodding on the spelling front.
Here it’s hot so who wants to work, there it’s getting cold so equals snuggling with a book in November.
Library fines – well I paid some whoppers, but I was lucky the cards topped at a family rate of $10 for all cards. However that was then being axed and I was devastated, cause I couldn’t keep track of multiple books taken out at various times. Thankfully our library then bought in a system where I can opt to have email reminders that my books are due back in a day or two. So, mostly, I manage to either return the books or renew immediately online. I often do the 2nd anyway even if I planning on going in, cause plans get waylaid.