The main reason why I am looking forward to attending this festival, is that it brings people together from across Australia who have a love for the creative arts, to celebrate books, writing, reading, poetry, illustrations and all of their creators.
I am a big advocate of having Non Fiction books readily available for children to read. They are great learning tools that often don't make the reader feel like they are learning because they are having so much fun, yes learning can be fun.
This book is written fully in dialogue and has mixed media artwork as the illustrations, both add a unique flavour to the book that makes it something special.
He is whimsical, magical, silly, imaginative and a whole lot mysterious, but most of all you know he's got your back. Mr Bambuckle is the teacher everyone wants except for Miss Frost and Principle Sternblast.
Smile is exactly what I did when I finished reading this book, because I knew that this was truly an accessible title and I found the story to be an insight into Mona Lisa and the possibilities of her life.
Nosy Crow have a podcast in iTunes, it has been there since 2013 but I only discovered it today. The podcast has audio versions of some of the Nosy Crow books which you can read along with it. This reminded me of my childhood when I used to listen to the Storytime Magazine to stories such as, Gobolino the Witches Cat, when I went to bed at night.
Here is the final part to the Smarty Arty Aussie Animals theme. I have really enjoyed sharing this theme with you and am going to finish off with a few books that will be a lovely addition to your crafting session.
Ben Faulks has captured my imagination and got me to run with it to discover who I am, just as the boy in the book does. The boy goes on a journey of self discovery and awareness that is portrayed in a way to make you laugh and be at ease with differences.
Some books are little treasures, and this is one of those where I felt transported back to when I was a child. I felt familiar with the story and felt comfortable that the content is safe for an 8 year old to read. There are a lot of books about magic, goblins and elves for young children, but in my role as a Librarian parents often ask me for books that don't have those components. For those types of requests this book is a perfect fit.
It has taken sometime but I am back to talk about the wonderful BookTrust program Letterbox and the Purple pack they sent me. I loved it when I received it and I love it still now, I think it has a whole heap of items that extend the reading and learning experience, but its best quality is that it is FUN!
Little Big Reads 