Stellaluna: delighting in the extraordinary brings confidence and happiness

Stellaluna: delighting in the extraordinary brings confidence and happiness

Ages 2 to 8

This is a must-read book - it speaks to the anxiety of being separated from family, the strangeness of new worlds, reconciliation with those new worlds, a return to family and familiarity and being able to move between two worlds without betraying either and without loss of love or friendship. It's a book to have, sitting on the shelf, to provide reassurance and peace at the end of a long day.

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Those Shoes: gentle wisdom that works out very nicely

Those Shoes: gentle wisdom that works out very nicely

Ages 4 to 12

Jeremy needs a new pair of shoes and desperately wants those shoes - the ones all the kids want. But Grandma says:

‘There's no room for 'want' around here, just 'need', and what you need are new boots for winter.’

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When Pigasso Met Mootisse: a colourful and witty take on conflict resolution!

When Pigasso Met Mootisse: a colourful and witty take on conflict resolution!

Ages 2 to 10

This book pretty much requires young readers to pick a side. It’s a fabulous, fun introduction to the art of the real Picasso and Matisse—lots of brilliant illustrations and funny lines.

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Don't Cross the Line: the limits of authority—and how we choose

Don't Cross the Line: the limits of authority—and how we choose

Power flows from perceived external authority, and freedom flows from claiming personal authority. Sometimes, anyway. Life is complex!

In this story the arbitrary exercise of power is set in clear and absurd relief against obvious freedoms.

Ages 2 - 8

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Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge: a loving look at memory loss and friendship

Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge: a loving look at memory loss and friendship

That’s a major gap in a child’s life and one we tried to fill with elderly friends from church and other grandparents and great-grandparents of friends. 

I think that one of the reasons we realised this was so important was that we had both read Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge dozens and dozens of times.  

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Because Amelia Smiled: how a little girl's smiles went round the world and back

Because Amelia Smiled: how a little girl's smiles went round the world and back

This is a wonderfully circular book. Amelia smiles, her smile is contagious and spreads all around the world and finally finds its way back to her - and she smiles again!

I love a book that shows (but doesn’t preach about) the interconnectedness of people around the world – this book manages exactly that.

And I think the key is the joyfulness of the illustrations. There’s a fuzziness* to them that invites the reader into the edges of the world each character inhabits. 

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5 books that comfort and prepare for a move away from much-loved people and places

5 books that comfort and prepare for a move away from much-loved people and places

ages 3 to around 8 years
Change in any form can be hard (not just for children!) but moving to somewhere new and leaving people you love can be particularly difficult for little ones. Our move to Tasmania is happening next week...

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