Holiday Reading 2002

Information books, including poetry and folktales

A century of children's poems compiled by John Foster
Allen, Thomas B. Remember Pearl Harbor: American and Japanese survivors tell their stories
Almond, David. Wild girl, wild boy: a play: Last year Elaine Grew's dad died and now she is in turmoil. She squabbles with her mum and begins to spend day after day in the wilderness of her dad's old allotment, where once she was so happy. What is Elaine searching for, in this place of memories, dreams and magic?
Anderson, Matthew T. Handel: who knew what he liked: "This is George Frederick Handel. He looks very satisfied with things. He's smiling a little, as if he's very sure of himself. You'd have to be very sure of yourself to wear a wig that gigantic". So begins this story which documents Handel's life.
Aruego, Jose. Weird friends: unlikely allies in the animal kingdom: A picture book offers young readers a factual look at animal partnerships in the natural world, such as the beetle that cleans a mouse's den and a bird that acts as a baby-sitter to crocodile babies.
Barlow, Maisie Jirrbal: rainforest Dreamtime stories
Bartoletti, Susan Campbell. Black potatoes: the story of the great Irish famine, 1845-1850: Presents the story of the 19th century Irish potato famine, including the causes, and the effects on the people. Winner of the 2002 Orbis Pictus Award presented by the National Council of Teachers of English. (USA)
Berry, James. A nest full of stars: This collection of poetry for children aged 9 - 11 is filled with warm and colourful memories of the author's Caribbean childhood.
Blake, Quentin. Tell me a picture: Published on the occasion of the exhibition Tell me a picture held in June 2001 at the National Gallery, London. An alphabet of pictures with a story in common. Some are by illustrators, others are by artists whose pictures are usually seen in art galleries. From them, Quentin Blake shows how stories can be told around any picture.
Camper, Cathy. Bugs before time: prehistoric insects and their relatives: Describes the physical characteristics, habits, and natural environment of various prehistoric insects some of which, including cockroaches, centipedes, and dragonflies, have survived into the present day.
Cave, Kathryn. One child, one seed: a South African counting book: Ideal for teaching early numeracy skills, as well as providing information about South Africa, this book follows Nothando as she grows and harvests a pumpkin seed. Simple counting from one to ten is covered. Secondary images and text cover the growing of plants, shopping and food.
Davies, Nicola. Bat loves the night: A study of the fascinating nocturnal world of the bat, the monarch of the night.
Dunmore, Helen. Snollygoster and other poems This collection comprises both new poems and a selection from Secrets: , which won the Signal Award.
Fienberg, Anna. Joseph: Retelling from the Book of Genesis.
Fleischman, John. Phineas Gage: a gruesome but true story about brain science: A fascinating exploration into how the brain works details the strange case of Phineas Gage, who, in 1848, was injured at work when a thirteen-pound iron rod was shot through his brain, baffling scientists and doctors alike when he miraculously recovered but suffered a severe personality change.
Flowers, Pam. Alone across the Arctic: one woman's epic journey by dog team
Freedman, Russell. Confucius: the golden rule: Five centuries before the birth of Christ, a member of China's ruling class quit his high post to become a philosopher and teach ideas on nobility, equality, education, the purpose of life, and the proper way to live.
Fritz, Jean. Leonardo's horse: The story of Leonardo da Vinci's plan to make a great sculptured bronze horse statue to stand before a palace in Milan and the American who realised the master's dream five hundred years later.
Garland, Sherry. Children of the dragon: selected tales from Vietnam
Giblin, James. The life and death of Adolf Hitler: Filled with a wealth of black-and-white archival photographs, a riveting glimpse into the life of Adolf Hitler, from his childhood to his astonishing rise as dictator of Germany and his final days in an embattled bunker under Berlin.
Goodall, Jane. The chimpanzees I love: saving their world and ours
Hayes, Joe. Juan Verdades: the man who couldn't tell a lie: A wealthy rancher is so certain of the honesty of his foreman that he wagers his ranch.
Hill, Anthony. Young digger: A small boy, an orphan of the First World War, wanders into the Australian airman's mess in Germany, on Christmas Day in 1918. He becomes a mascot for the air squadron and is nicknamed `Young Digger'.
Hofmeyr, Dianne. The star-bearer: a creation myth from ancient Egypt
Honey, Elizabeth. The moon in the man: Nursery rhymes.
Hooper, Meredith. Who built the pyramid?: Filled with exciting facts and vibrant illustrations, a fascinating foray into the mysterious wonders of ancient Egypt reveals who was actually responsible for building the pyramids, which were erected more than four thousand years ago.
Hughes, Shirley. A life drawing: Autobiography of Shirley Hughes. Beginning with a small girl in West Kirby obsessed with comics, Shirley Hughes' story takes us through World War II and to a career which began with Art School in a blitzed Liverpool, led to Oxford and then to London. Illustrated with examples from her own work.
Jackson, Donna. The bug scientists: Bug scientists, called entomologists, present information on insects and explain how they use that information in their work.
Knight, Tim. Journey into Africa: This text takes the reader on a safari across the grasslands of Southern Africa. With photographs taken by the author and first-hand accounts of his journey, we travel through the heat, spotting zebra, giraffes, hippos and elephants. We also learn about their habitats and hear campfire stories.
Lewin, Ted. Elephant quest: Recounts an expedition through the Moremi Wildlife Reserve in Botswana, describing the vegetation and wildlife, and culminating in the sighting of an African elephant herd.
Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth. The midnight ride of Paul Revere: Graved and painted by Christopher Bing.
Meltzer, Milton. Ten kings: and the worlds they ruled: A biography of the ten most powerful kings in history shows how political leaders use and abuse power; shows how one person can alter the course of history; and includes studies of Hammurabi, Alexander the Great, Charlemagne, Peter the Great, Mansa Musa, and Louis XIV.
Meltzer, Milton. Piracy & plunder: a murderous business: Surveys the history of pirates, why and how they became thieves and killers, the lives they led on sea and on land, the harm they did, and the fates they suffered.
Norris, Kathleen. The holy twins: Benedict and Scholastica
Owen, Gareth. The fox on the roundabout, and other poems: Includes six new poems.
Paye, Won-Ldy. Head, body, legs: a story from Liberia: In this tale from the Dan people of Liberia, Head, Arms, Body, and Legs learn that they do better when they work together.
Poetry by heart: a child's book of poems to remember foreword by Andrew Motion; compiled by Liz Attenborough.
Ray, Deborah Kogan. Hokusai: the man who painted a mountain: Stunning illustrations and simple text combine to tell the true story of Japanese artist Hokusai, who overcame many obstacles and defied convention to become one of the most significant and influential artists in the world.
Rosen, Michael. Shakespeare: his work & his world: What's so special about Shakespeare, what do we actually know about him, and what was it like to live in Shakespeare's day? These are a few of the questions addressed in this book. Also included are studies of four of his plays, and an analysis of a scene from Romeo and Juliet.
Rumford, James. Traveling man: the journey of Ibn Battuta, 1325-1354
Salley, Coleen. Epossumondas: A retelling of a classic tale in which a well-intentioned young possum continually takes his mother's instructions much too literally.
Siberell, Anne. Bravo! brava! a night at the opera: behind the scenes with composers, cast, and crew: Introduces the world of opera giving a history of its development from 1600, describing the writing, production and staging of an opera. Includes plots of 27 favourite operas.
Smith, David J. If the world were a village: a book about the world's people: Explains population statistics by assuming the world is a village of one hundred people. By narrowing down the world's population to a village of one hundred people, the author offers up some surprising statistics about religion, language, age and education that young children can easily understand.
Soto, Gary. Fearless Fernie: hanging out with Fernie and me: A collection of poetry about the trials and tribulations of two middle grade boys who have achieved great success in their studies and school sports while sharing similar comical disasters on the dating scene.
Stevenson, James. Corn-fed: Short, witty poems taking a quirky view of things.
Sunami, Kitoba. How the fisherman tricked the genie: a tale within a tale within a tale: After releasing a captive genie from a bottle, a poor fisherman must rely on his wits when, instead of wishes, the genie promises revenge.
Swanson, Diane. Nibbling on Einstein's brain: the good, the bad & the bogus in science: Filled with fascinating facts, experiments, amusing anecdotes, and thought-provoking quotes, an insightful guide helps readers to distinguish between fact and fiction in the realm of science.
Thimmesh, Catherine. The sky's the limit: stories of discovery by women and girls: Presents brief accounts of the work of a variety of women scientists in such fields as astronomy, biology, anthropology and medicine.
Watkins, Richard Ross. Slavery: bondage throughout history: Chronicles the enslavement of human beings from earliest times through today, touching upon slavery in ancient Greece and Rome, North and South America, China, and modern Thailand, Pakistan, and Sudan.
Wick, Walter. Can you see what I see?: picture puzzles to search and solve: Presents twelve brain-teasing hidden picture puzzles to solve.
Wildsmith, Brian. Mary: This picture book tells the story of Mary, mother of Jesus, in a series of vivid scenes framed with gold.