how ordinary people doing good things led to powerful, enduring wartime bonds

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how ordinary people doing good things led to powerful, enduring wartime bonds

ages 4 years to grownup

"They didn't even know us," said Adele. "But they died trying to help us."
Henri thought of his new soldier friends.

Do Not Forget Australia tells a true story through the eyes of a young, fictional French boy, Henri. His village, Villers-Breetonneux, was all but destroyed by the first ever tank battle between the British and the Germans. The Germans won, but Australian brigades followed the British and won the town (on 25 April, 1918 – Anzac Day). 

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finding the compassion and courage to give even when we feel unappreciated

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finding the compassion and courage to give even when we feel unappreciated

ages early childhood to preteen
Sophie is a spider with a heart full of compassion, a soul full of courage and an amazing talent for weaving webs. When she sets out to find her place in the world she finds a boarding house, moves in and sets to work weaving wondrous webs...
 

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a joyful, boisterous, poignant book with a completely satisfying ending

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a joyful, boisterous, poignant book with a completely satisfying ending

Age guide: 2 to 12 years. 
Mr. Nick has a passion—he loves knitting. He knits every morning on the train ride to work, and his friend Mrs. Jolley does too. When sickness strikes Mrs. Jolley, Mr. Nick puts his passion to work to serve and lift and love Mrs. Jolley. 

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a life that reminds us how beautiful the world is and how valuable we all are

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a life that reminds us how beautiful the world is and how valuable we all are

ages 4 years to grownups
A charming and incredibly pretty book about a woman who commits as a child to go to faraway places, live beside the sea and do something to make the world more beautiful. It's loved and used a lot by teachers, with good reason. It does a lot of work! 

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My Place: the interweaving of lives through shared experiences on one patch of earth

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My Place: the interweaving of lives through shared experiences on one patch of earth

ages 4 to grownup
There is so much that connects the human experience through the passage of time. Here the power of place is powerfully illustrated through the lives of consecutive children living on one plot of land over 200 years. It's a beautifully diverse group of children who are amusing and relatable and individually fascinating.
 

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THE TIME IT TOOK TOM :: how long does it take to paint a room?

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THE TIME IT TOOK TOM :: how long does it take to paint a room?

Age guide: 2 to 8 years ish
This is a simple story about different points of view, forgiveness, mistakes, work and overcoming. Also, it’s funny!

Tom is a little fellow who finds some red paint – then, in the space of just three hours, paints his entire living room red. Including the TV and the cat! He’s quite pleased with the result. 

Mum is not, but after a few wild exclamations she gets it together and they undertake a complete revamp of the living room – and finally everyone is happy with the result. Years pass, then one day Tom finds the blue paint.

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I Believe In Unicorns: rich in magic moments, full of love and hope

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I Believe In Unicorns: rich in magic moments, full of love and hope

Michael Morpurgo often chooses war as a theme around which to wrap a story that isn’t really about war at all. In I Believe in Unicorns there is a war and it carries all the usual elements—and the war is pivotal to the story. But the story itself is about belief, acceptance, virtue, love and hope. It's told in the first person by Tomas who is remembering the time war came to his town. 
ages 6 years to grownup

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