Holiday Reading 2003

Picture Books

Agee, John Z Goes Home: An alphabet book. Everybody has a job to do, and so does the letter Z. But when the workday's over Z goes home.
Ahlberg, Allan The little cat baby: A story about a man and a woman who visit Nurse Doodle's baby shop to choose a new baby. There's a pink baby and a robot baby and a flowerpot-throwing baby and a little cat baby. They choose the little cat baby and take her home.
Blake, Quentin Mrs Armitage: Queen of the Road: A favourite character returns.
Browne, Anthony The shape game: A family reluctantly visits an art gallery but one by one each member is energized by a different picture in the gallery and transported into the imaginative and colourful world of art.
Burningham, John The magic bed: Georgie has got a new bed, but it's not like other beds. Each night Georgie says the magic word, and the bed whisks him away on a fantastic adventure. But one day Georgie and his family go on holiday, and when they come back, Granny has an unwelcome surprise for Georgie.
Chichester Clark, Emma I'll show you, Blue Kangaroo!: Lily has flooded the kitchen, thrown all her clothes out of the window and dressed the cat, and now she is showing off. She tries to copy the acrobats on TV but goes too far with the baby on the see-saw and poor Blue Kangaroo left clinging to a branch!
Chichester Clark, Emma Up in heaven: Elderly Daisy can't keep up with Will any more, and then one day she wakes up to find herself in heaven! Now she no longer feels tired or ill, and she can run as fast as she used to, but she worries about Will because he is so miserable, and so she sends him dreams to show him how happy she is.
Cooke, Trish Catch!: However hard she tries, Kiona can't seem to catch anything: the ball is too big, the apple is too hard and the balloon just bursts. But Mum knows that there is something special that isn't too big, too hard or too squidgy, something that's just right, and Kiona manages to catch something after all.
Cooke, Trish Full, full, full of love: For young Jay Jay, Sunday dinner at Gran's house is full of hugs and kisses, tasty dishes, all kinds of fishes, happy faces, and love.
Coy, John Two old potatoes and me: After a young girl finds two old potatoes at her father's house, they plant and tend them to see if they will have new potatoes in September.
Cronin, Doreen Diary of a worm: A young worm discovers, day by day, that there are some very good and some not so good things about being a worm.
Deacon, Alexis Beegu: A small creature from space finds no welcome on Earth, until she meets a group of children on a playground.
Donaldson, Julia The magic paintbrush: As Shen plays and draws pictures in the sand, a mysterious man gives her a magic paintbrush. She paints fish, pots and ladders and watches them come to life for the poor people in her village. But when the Emperor hears of this, how can Shen outwit his greedy plans?
Dragonwagon, Crescent And then it rained: Describes how different people react to days of rain and days of hot sun. A book to be read from both ends.
Dunbar, Joyce A chick called Saturday: Saturday decides that there has to be more to life than clucking, scratching and pecking. He tries to do all the things that the other farmyard animals do until he sees the most magnificent creature of all, and discovers that a little chick can have a moment of glory too.
Elliott, Louise Noah's boat: A variant on the Noah's ark story, with an Australian setting, and without a flood.
Falconer, Ian Olivia and the missing toy: Olivia has one toy that she loves more than anything and when he disappears, Olivia is heartbroken. Then, one night, Olivia hears a noise. Candelabra in hand, she bravely creeps into her bedroom to face a huge menacing shadow on the wall, a piece of her beloved toy in its jaws!
Farish, Terry The cat who liked potato soup: The friendship between an old man and his cat, both of whom like potato soup, is strained after he goes fishing without her.
Foreman, Michael Cat on the hill: Summer in St. Ives is good for the stray cat, visitors feed him and it is warm on his hill. Then in autumn the tourists leave and food is harder to come by. But winter is worse, it is a cold and lonely time full of danger and hunger. And come Christmas, who will remember the cat on the hill?
Foreman, Michael Evie and the man who helped God: Evie loves the garden, especially on Mondays when George comes. George shows her everything and introduces her to all the animals. 'Do you like making gardens?' she asks, to which he replies 'I don't, Eve. God makes them and I just help'. One day George stops coming for good.
Frazee, Marla Roller coaster: Twelve people set aside their fears and ride a roller coaster, including one who has never done so before.
Geisert, Arthur Mystery: During a visit to the art museum, a little piglet and her grandfather investigate the disappearance of several paintings. Clues in the illustrations give readers a chance to solve the mystery along with the heroine.
Grey, Mini The pea and the princess: Once upon a time there was an enchanting fairytale about a prince who was looking for a real princess to be his bride. This is a reworking of the classic fairytale told from the point of view of the pea.
Hartman, Bob Grumblebunny: When three sweet rabbits and one ill-tempered one encounter a hungry wolf, they come to appreciate their differences in attitude.
Hartman, Bob The wolf who cried boy: Little Wolf is tired of eating lamburgers and sloppy does, but when he tricks his parents into thinking there is a boy in the woods, they could all miss a chance for a real feast.
Hedderwick, Mairi A walk with Grannie: Kirsty and Grannie walk through the countryside, past sheep, ducks and Highland cattle - all the way around the farms and back. All around them is the natural world and Mairi Hedderwick's Scottish landscapes.
Henkes, Kevin Wemberly's ice-cream star: One hot summer day Wemberly finds that patience, just like a frosty treat, will go a long way.
Hutchins, Pat There's only one of me!: A young girl describes her relationship to the various members of her family, including her stepfamily, as they all gather to celebrate her birthday.
Ichikawa, Satomi My pig Amarillo: Pablito, a Guatemalan boy whose pet pig Amarillo has disappeared, uses a kite to send him a message that he still loves him.
James, Simon Little One Step: What do you do when you're little and lost and your legs feel all wobbly? The littlest duckling discovers he can walk under the tallest trees and through the widest fields when he does 'one step'. By putting one foot in front of the other, Little One Step finds his way home.
Johnson, Stephen As the city sleeps: A look at the city at night reveals that innocent objects are not quite what they seem once the sun has set.
Johnston, Tony Go track a yak!: A couple of bumbling parents with a hungry baby seek help from a tricky little witch, but it is a sweet black-eyed yak who really helps them to live happily ever after.
Keller, Laurie Arnie the doughnut: Arnie the talking doughnut convinces Mr. Bing that not all doughnuts are meant to be eaten.
King, Stephen Michael Milli, Jack and the dancing cat: Milli takes old throw-away things and makes them into wiggly wonderful new things, but she isn't brave enough to show people what she loves to do until Jack and the Dancing Cat come waltzing into her life. The author celebrates the joy of being yourself and setting your imagination free.
Long, Melinda How I became a pirate: Jeremy Jacob joins Braid Beard and his pirate crew and finds out about pirate language, pirate manners, and other aspects of their life.
McCaughrean, Geraldine One bright Penny: A farmer challenges his three children to fill his barn using just one penny - the winner will inherit the farm. The two sons fail using feathers and candlelight, but the daughter, Penny, fills it with music and restores harmony to the family.
McKee, David Who is Mrs Green?: Henry knows that Mum is cross because Mr Moon has hooted at her; he had been so impatient because he was fuming at being called 'stupid' by his wife; and his wife was so irritable because she had been hurried in the supermarket … and it is all Mrs Green's fault!
Martin, Bill Panda bear, panda bear, what do you see?: Illustrations and rhyming text present ten different endangered animals.
Meddaugh, Susan Harry on the rocks: Harry and his boat become stranded on an island, where he discovers an egg which hatches into a strange lizard with wings.
Novak, Jiri Tibor Great ocean walk: A father and his son go for a walk on the beach.
Ormerod, Jan If you're happy and you know it!: If you're happy and you know you can clap your hands… but you can also wag your tail, snap your teeth, beat your chest, jump and boing! This exuberant animal romp explores different ways of expressing happiness, encouraging children to join in with the animal actions.
Palatini, Margie Broom-mates: Gritch the Witch is not pleased when her sister, Mag the Hag, shows up early for the party.
Patten, Brian Ben's magic telescope: A nine-year-old boy lives on the ninth floor of a high-rise tower block in a large, grim city. He hates it, but one day he discovers a small silver telescope that enables him to see the beauty in the world around him, from market stalls to the surface of the moon.
Pattison, Darcy The journey of Oliver K. Woodman: Oliver K. Woodman, a man made of wood, takes a remarkable journey across America, as told through the letters and postcards of those he meets along the way.
Raschka, Christopher Talk to me about the alphabet: Illustrations and simple text for each letter of the alphabet demonstrate the sounds made by that letter.
Ripper, Georgie My best friend, Bob: Brian and Bob are best friends. They do everything together, such as eating peanuts and playing 'I Spy' - the usual things guinea pigs like to do. But one day, Bob is taken away. Will the two best friends ever see each other again?
Ross, Tony I don't want to go to bed!: The little princess doesn't want to go to bed. And why should she when she isn't even tired? And when there are monsters and spiders lurking? But the king and queen are firm and after several attempts, she goes to bed. But when the king tries to kiss her goodnight, the princess has gone!
Simmonds, Posy Lavender: Whenever there is the slightest hint of danger, Lavender the rabbit can be found with her friends the goose and the hens clucking with concern. So when a group of tourist town foxes arrive on a visit to the countryside, Lavender is very wary indeed.
Smith, Lane The happy Hocky family moves to the country!: When the Hocky family moves to a big old house in the country, it takes them some time to adjust to a new way of life.
Thomson, Pat The squeaky, creaky bed: A cumulative tale about a little boy who cannot fall asleep in the noisy old bed at his grandparents' house.
Timberlake, Amy The dirty cowboy: Telling his faithful dog to make sure nobody touches his clothes but him, a cowboy jumps into a New Mexico river for a bath, not realizing just how much the scrubbing will change his scent.
Voake, Charlotte Ginger finds a home: A little girl feeds Ginger, a thin little cat who has been living in a patch of weeds, and takes him home to live with her.
Waddell, Martin Hi, Harry!: Harry Tortoise is slow. He's very, very, very slow. He wants someone to play with, but everyone is so quick. Will he ever find a friend who is as slow as him?
Ward, Helen The rooster and the fox: An adaptation of a twelfth century French tale, best known from its retelling in the 'Nun's priest's tale' from The Canterbury tales.
Wells, Rosemary Only you: A little bear describes how much his mother means to him.
Willems, Mo Don't let the pigeon drive the bus!: When the bus driver decides to take a break from driving, a wild and wacky pigeon pleads and begs to take his place, capturing the antics of a preschooler's temper tantrum.
Willis, Jeanne I hate school: Honor Brown cannot find a good word to say for her school. She insists that her teacher is a warty toad, the water tray has killer sharks in it and even her friends are loathsome. But when the time comes to move on to 'big school', she sits in the corner and sobs! Maybe it wasn't so bad after all!
Willis, Jeanne Tadpole's promise: Tadpole loves his friend, the caterpillar, and she loves him too. 'Promise that you will never change,' she says, but as the seasons pass he matures - and what has happened to his friend? As he sits on his lily pad digesting the butterfly he has just eaten, he little realizes he will never know.
Willis, Jeanne When Stephanie smiled: It's Monday, it's raining and James is miserable - until Stephanie walks in. Suddenly he cheers up, and even the sun shines! They do everything together - they are even Mary and Joseph in the Christmas play, and then she has to go away.
Wormell, Christopher Two frogs: Two frogs are sitting on a lily pad and one of them has a stick. The stick, he says, is to beat off the dog. But there is no dog. Yet. So begin the trials of this hapless pair.
Yolen, Jane How do dinosaurs get well soon?: Describes what a young dinosaur should do in order to quickly get over being sick.