Michael's final post PRP 7

The Last Alchemist by Colin Thompson

The Last Alchemist is a picture book that is written and illustrated by Colin Thompson.  Colin Thompson uses a range of brilliant descriptions accompanied with some very interesting and detailed illustrations.  In the story the king seeks to make gold and asks his alchemist ‘Spinifex’ to do so.  The alchemist then stole everyone’s gold and brought it back to try and create more.  No matter how hard he tried he couldn’t do so.  This story shows that gold or money can’t buy happiness and is not the most important thing in the world.  The resolution to this story occurs when the king realises that what is most important to him is his kingdom and the people close to him and not his wealth.

Michael's PRP 6

The Lorax by Dr Seuss (1971)

The Lorax is a fantastic story that is extremely suitable for kids of all ages.  It is not only written with Dr Seuss’ characteristics rhymes but with an underlying moral message.  This could be a great way to introduce environmental awareness with children.  The story begins with The Lorax’s favourite Truffalo Trees being cut down.  The Lorax then tries to fight against those who are destroying them but his fight is all in vain.   The area becomes baron as the Lorax sends all the environment away and the factory that was processing the trees shuts down.  The story is written in an extremely interesting manner and it is brilliant at drawing emotions when explaining the destruction that is occurring to the environment.  Could not only be an interesting read for students but could be used to begin a unit on environmental awareness.

Cat and Fish (2003) by Joan Grant and illustrated by Neil Curtis

This is a picture book with some very impressive black and white illustrations.  The text is very simple and due to this would b suitable for very young readers.  The book has a really nice story of friendship and about being mindful of differences.  Cat and Fish meet right at the beginning where they immediately become friends.  They then walk around on land doing all of the things that cat loved before going to the sea to do what fish loved.  In the end they decide to live on the beach so that they can remain friends but still do the things they love.  This is a good story in teaching kids about differences and explaining that differences are not bad.   The illustrations used throughout are very detailed and allow the reader to create a really nice visual image of the story.

Bianca's Last Post

Black Beauty by Anna Sewell is a classic story of a horse’s life from his own perspective, and the wonderful and terrible things that he witnesses and endures at the hands of various people. Not a particularly long story, this novel would be perfect for a student in early Middle Years or used for shared reading to a younger audience.

Willy the Wimp by Anthony Browne is a favourite picture book of mine. Browne’s character illustrations portray, like many of his picture books, chimpanzees and gorillas living, acting and talking as humans. The text is simplistic but the context-related humour in the story is best suited to students aged 7 to 10 years.

Great Ocean Walk

Written and illustrated by Jiri Tibor Novak.

The illustrations in this picture book are made up of a mixture of drawings and photographs. The plot follows a boy and his father as they walk along the beach, picking up treasures they find along the way. The elements of fantasy and adventure, linked with the reality of walking along the beach make this picture book interesting to explore.

Goggle-Eyes

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Written by Anne Fine.

This novel is a sweet story of two young girls having difficulty accepting their mothers’ new boyfriends. I like the way this novel is written because it is told from the perspective of one girl who has already been through what the other girl is upset about. The technique of being told as a reflection but in the present tense is an interesting combination.

Young Santa

Written by Dan Greenburg.

Illustrated by Warren Miller.

This children’s novel provides a fantasy about what Santa Clause was like when he was a young boy. I find this fascinating because Santa is often only thought of as an old man. Whether the reader believes in Santa or not, this is a funny beginners novel with large text and the occasional illustration throughout the chapters.

Goodnight, Mice!

Written by Frances Watts.

Illustrated by Judy Watson.

This picture book is written completely in rhyming couplets. When reading stories to young children, they often enjoy the short rhyming sentences. It also repeats the idea of doing things once and then twice throughout the story adding repetition to the rhyme. While the story is for younger children, it is fun to read, even as an adult.

Sunday Chutney

Written and illustrated by Aaron Blabey

The picture book Sunday Chutney uses quite simple text accompanied by pictures illustrating the ideas the author has written about. Dedicated to the new kids, Sunday Chutney is about making new friends and emphasises the fact that being different is ok! I like this book because it reminds me of myself.

Baby Wombat's Week

 Written by Jackie French.

Illustrated by Bruce Whatley

This picture book describes the week of a baby wombat. His adventures range from sleeping, making friends and trying to dig a bigger hole for him and his Mum to live in. The story is fun and illustrates to the reader some of the things a wombat does every week by relating them to things the child he made friends with does.