When five o’clock hits at our place, its chore time. Then its homework time around the kitchen table for half an hour.* Puggles is usually finished first, so to keep her from distracting the other two, I set her to work with some daily writing. It’s something she loves doing, and is quite keen to have me “critique” when its finished. Yesterday I didn’t, and here it is in raw, unedited form. Interesting to see what she thinks of us.
My family is funny and the people in my family is Chiara and Mum and Dad and Lachlan and me.
and we sometimes go out for dinner.
and my family is sometime noisy.
and I play the piano and Chiara does it to.
and we have sometimes people over.
and my family is nice and helpful and kind and helping me.
and chiara, Mum, Dad and Lachlan and thats my family.
1. Too Many Pears by Jackie French and Bruce Whatley
Pamela liked pears. Pamela liked fresh pears. She liked pears even more than Amy did!
How to cure a cow who loves pears too much!
2. Koala Lou by Mem Fox
There was once a baby koala so soft and round that all who saw her loved her. Her name was Koala Lou.
Koala Lou dearly wants her mum to notice her. Maybe trying out for the Bush Olympics will do the trick?
3. Sebastian Lives in a hat by Thelma Catterwall and Kerry Argent
Sebastian lives in a hat. It’s a brown woollen hat. Sebastian’s a pink fuzzy wombat.
A delightful story about an orphaned wombat baby that doesn’t stay a cute little baby for ever!
4. Amy and Louis by Libby Gleeson and Freya Blackwood
Amy and Louis built towers as high as the sky. They dug holes deep enough to bury bears and they saw magical creatures in clouds.
Amy and Louis are friends and they share everything together. Until Amy moves away.
5. Wilfred Gordon MacDonald Partridge by Mem Fox
There once was a small boy called Wilfred Gordon MacDonald Partridge and what’s more he wasn’t very old either. His house was next door to an old people’s home and he knew all the old people who lived there.
A story about memories and how they are important.
There was no way that I would not be able to keep the list of our favourite Australian Picture books below ten. So here is the first instalment. Albeit a little late in the night. Sick kid for two days has kind of thrown the retirement equilibrium out, but as the old adage goes “better late than never.”
In no particular order, our favourite Australian Picture books are…
1. Grandpa and Thomas by Pamela Allen
“Grandpa and Thomas go to the beach. Thomas carries his bucket and spade. Grandpa carries his bag, the big picnic rug, and the green umbrella.”
2. Tough Boris by Mem Fox
“Once upon a time, there lived a pirate named Boris von der Borch. He was tough. All pirates are tough.”
3. Waddle, Giggle, Gargle! by Pamela Allen
“This is Jonathan. This is Grandma, and this is Grandpa. They all live together in a little blue house. This little blue house is at the end of the street. At the other end of the street is a tall gum tree.”
4. Pete the Sheep by Jackie French and Bruce Whatley
“Ratso the shearer had a sheepdog called Brute. Big Bob the shearer had a sheepdog called Tiny. Bungo the shearer had a sheepdog called Fang. But the new shearer had a sheep-sheep. “Hi, I’m Shaun,” he said, “and this is Pete.”
5. Edward the Emu by Sheena Knowles and Rod Clement
“Edward the emu was sick of the zoo. There was nowhere to go, there was nothing to do. And compared to the seals that lived right next door, well being an emu was frankly a bore.”
Picture credit: All book covers taken from images via the Booktopia Website.
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My favourite book? When I was little it was “Phoebe and the hot water bottles” by Terry Furchgott and Linda Dawson. Since I am all growed up, I love this book. It’s very un-p.c and ever so slightly rude, but I love the graphics and the type. The fact that someone had the guts to write a story about animal pooh is pretty fab too! (It helps that the first time I heard this book, it was read to me by Mem Fox)
The Story of the Little Mole Who Knew it Was None of His Business by Werner Holzwarth, Wolf Erlbruch
It’s not easy to get a copy of, so enjoy this animation of the story:
little bit of thyme 