collections
This post was first published in June 2017. It listed the fastest growing future jobs, with percentage growth predicted over the following five years (U.S.).
Crystal-balling the future is ever moving, but those predictions still seem to be pretty much on point. Which means today's kids will need to become comfortable with s.t.e.m. and s.t.e.a.m. concepts (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics) as part of everyday life!
Fortunately, there's a wonderful subset of picture books to help with that. They're fun, beautiful and powerful, and they lead kids to the point of becoming s.t.e.m. and s.t.e.a.m. natives—which gives them so much advantage in interacting with the world, however it turns out for them.
Fun is ambiguous don’t you think? One person’s fun is another person’s special agony (I’ve heard there are people who really enjoy cleaning the oven—never met one, just heard), but most of us find that there’s nothing quite as fun as giving our brain a workout ... here's a collection of things-to-do that work your brain at any age—with links to books to cement, inspire and connect that wonderful work.
ages 2 to 10 years
These three books are all about authority—they let us question who should have it and how it should be used. Those are important questions, as evidenced by the number of times, every day when I was working in junior kindy, that I answered the question: “Why?”.
1) DON'T CROSS THE LINE!
2) MY UNCLE'S DONKEY
3) KING PIG
When Jesse was about 8-years-old, listening to Joan and I reminiscing about watching the fall of the Berlin Wall on television, she lamented: “I wish I lived in interesting times". That wish has come true, hasn't it!
But, even with the seminal events that have happened since that conversation, the fall of The Wall in 1989 still shapes the way we think about history and our hopes for the future. Its stories are deep and complex, with political undertones that are as important as the grassroots swell of demand for liberty—and so worth celebrating.
ages 3 to 12 years
We have a wonderful old lemon tree in the back yard. It needed some pruning and love when we first moved in but it was worth it—not because of the lemons but because Ivy loves playing in and with it so much. It's just the right size for a 4-year-old to test her limits, and has been a castle, a boat, a unicorn, a great friend and unlimited food for the imagination.
Ivy decided that her friend the tree needed decorating, so we made a colourful spider web for it
ages 2 to 10 years
When Joan was a (very) little girl her parents owned a milk factory and she and her brother would ‘borrow’ the milk trucks and drive around town. It was a two person job: Joan on the gears and keeping a look out, brother Warren steering and giving directions! Hilarious and terrifying—but according to Joan, ‘just something we did’! .....
Since every adult in the world may now drive, we’ve gathered a collection of books about driving
Have you seen the YouTube channel Rare Earth by Chris Hadfield and Evan Hadfield?
The first series is set in Japan—there are seven relatively short videos (usually 10 minutes or less)—and series two on Cambodia has just started. I’m sure you’ll find both really interesting.
My family has been watching and loving the Japan series. They're fascinating, sometimes unsettling, always thought provoking. Here's one we liked:
Generally, for kids aged about 4 to 12 years.
Perhaps you have a special book that represents freedom to you—or perhaps freedom came as an accumulation of many books. Either way, reading is both a gateway to freedom and a freedom in itself.
Here are 5 books about the path from literal slavery to freedom, they're books that also illuminate the path to freedom from metaphorical slavery, making them particularly wonderful for kids and adults alike. These are books that tell the truth and invite moral thought, with words and pictures that entrance and intrigue.
ages newborn to 3 years
Angus is a sensory toddler. He loves to get his hands (or mouth, or any body part) into anything with an interesting texture—the sheer delight on his face as he plays with his mashed potatoes and the joy he emanates from trying to eat bubbles in the bath is wonderful to see.
It's also wonderful to see his love of all things sensory extending into his love for books—thanks to these five beauties:
For the last 21 years—between 27 May when the Say Yes referendum was held, and 3 June when the Mabo Land Rights Case was decided—Australia has held a National Reconciliation Week.
The events of NRW can be a great starting point for conversations about race and reconciliation, and to continue that important work, here are 12 picture books that speak to indigenous life in Australia. These 8 are on my bookshelf now:
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...
ANZAC Day is named after the day the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps landed at Gallipoli in World War 1—the 25th of April 1915. In Australia and New Zealand the day is commemorated each year and has become one of our most important national days. It’s a day replete with stories of valour, courage, kindness, and good natured shenanigans.
These five are by no means the only lovely books to read around Anzac Day but they are exceptional.
Every so often, one of my prep (4 to 5-year-old) students brings me the dictionary, a huge encyclopaedia, or a chapter book akin to Lord of the Rings and requests that I read it to them. The mystery of a chapter book is so enticing: the wonder of what a story with so many words might tell is magical. It is so wonderful to read a chapter book to a child, but to start with Lord of the Rings can often lead to frustration.
However, there are many chapter books that are great for younger listeners! Here's what I look for:
One of our favourite family pastimes is planning trips. (We plan many more trips than we actually take!) Ivy gets into it too, she has plans to see sharks in the Great Australian Bite, visit the Eiffel Tower and go to Japan—no prizes for guessing where we’ve been talking about going lately.JAs well as trip planning, books with maps are great for learning about borders and sovereignty. Those are tricky concepts, but
Fun books to inspire cooking and healthy eating. Sharing food from a book connects us to the book, to each other and to a world outside our own.
Since Ivy became a very proud big sister a few days ago, we’ve noticed that each time she chooses something to read, the same five books come out. She pulls out the books, finds herself an adult (or two) and settles in for a good long session. These three-year-old comfort books are all lovely for her age and for growing into as she gets older.
ages 2 to 8 years
8 brilliant stories about real-life men who have impacted the world for good - in art, science, maths, literature and more.
for all ages
8 great chicken books - about some wonderfully entertaining egg-layers and the power that chickens have to reduce poverty and increase social and economic security - for all ages
all ages
There's something here for everyone with poems ranging from classic to modern, raucous to soothing, historical to fantasy. Lovely for any age or stage.
for kids of all ages
In case you missed them - or perhaps to remind you of something you loved - here's a small revisit to our ‘funny’ category
all ages
In case you missed them - or perhaps to remind you of something you loved - here's a small revisit to our 'community' category
ages baby to about 7 years
Kim's in Cairns for a few days playing with her three little grandkids - so I thought maybe you'd like a peek into her Book Depository wish list in absentia. It's a long list! So long in fact that Book Depository make her start again every so often. But these 5 are currently at the top....
I really love alphabet books, it's the certainty coupled with surprise I think. The certainty of knowing what comes next – D follows C every time – and the delight of the surprising way each book treats the letters.
kids of all ages
In this post: podcasts, 23 fabulous books, a TED talk, lots of brain food + rollicking entertainment!
for all ages
In case you missed them - or perhaps to remind you of something you loved - here's a small revisit to our ‘friendship’ category.
A list of impressive women who are American, not living and of national importance - with a picture book to read about each of them.
ages 0 to 8 years
Perhaps the most cherished of all childhood rituals is the bedtime story - that gorgeous twilight-ish moment when parent and child come together and forsake the world. Here are 16 favourites for just such a time, including 6 wonderful chapter books.
When Max was very little, he hatched a plan to leave a note for someone in his class that said: ‘ugly and fat and stinky like a rat’. The conversation then went like this:
Kim: (aghast) How do you think the other person will feel when you do that? .....
There’s an art installation happening in New York on Saturday night (1 August 2015 NY time) – images of endangered animals will be projected onto the Empire State Building. It's the brain child of Travis Threlkel - this from NYT, “Illuminating the Plight of Endangered Species, at the Empire State Building” :
Savannah is off to pre-school this year, and William and Ivy start Kindy. In honour of these major life moments, here's a small collection of books that are lovely to read in the first week or two of school. I hope you find something that feels right for your new (or returning) school kid.
I’m going to read Off to School Baby Duck to all three of our new school kids via Marco Polo this week too. It’s a cute story of a baby duck who is scared to go to school but, predictably, has a good day. It was a favourite for their fathers long ago—mostly out of print now, but full of nostalgia for our family.