Sofya Karmazina Ribbit Rabbit Robot Scholastic Australia 9781743834060
This is a fun, quirky story with sparse, rhyming text. The illustrations are great for visual literacy.
The main themes: Greed – friendship – kindness
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Are you more ribbit, rabbit or robot character quiz?
Spread by spread reading notes and questions
Can you say “RIBBIT RABBIT ROBOT” fast 10 times? Time yourself. What’s your record? Video yourself and post your efforts on social media with #ribbitrabbitrobotchallenge (talk about alliteration and other tongue twister challenges)
Draw your favourite character from the book (could follow along with illustrator’s tutorial video) and send to author challenge.
Spot all the things in the book that begin with the letter “R”.
Compare the end pages (before and after a reading), and chat about what these tell us about the story. Could ask kids to draw a beginning and end, then write what happens in the middle.
Lends well to stem activities. E.g. If you have a robot, could introduce a coding challenge. Or if you have LEGO, you could split group up into three groups and do a ‘row it’, ‘ride it’ or ‘rev it’ challenge.
Get the kids to take the first letter of their first or last name, and see if they can think a title of a picture book following the same alliteration template of Ribbit, Rabbit, Robot. And think about what would happen in that story. Or, draw all the things they can think of that start with that letter in one picture, just like the antique store spread in the book.
Probably better in a small group. Split into 2 teams. Get kids to write down what they would wish for if they had a magic lamp on a piece of paper and put them into a hat. Read out the wish and kids take turns guessing whose wish it is, if they get it right, that is one point for their team (getting to know you game).
Mel Pearce No! Never! Hachette Australia 9780734418906
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Could ask kids to draw a comic-style 2 or 3panels to depict a time they have said “No, never!” to their parents, and what happened afterwards.
Could split the group up in pairs and get them to play the yes/no game (where you can’t say yes or no) to a series of questions.
Or play a simple version of “Would you rather?”
Activity ideas unrelated to nominees, but still relevant to book week and illustrating…can chat to kids about Children’s Laureate this year, Ursula Dubosarsky and challenge them to draw her Laureate mascot, the magpie. Instructions by Andrew Joyner here:
https://www.childrenslaureate.org.au/how-to-draw-a-magpie Make up cards with the book covers on one side and plain or CBCA background on other, and play a group game of memory match (can make it simple with a couple of pairs, or harder with more pairs for older kids).
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Dave Petzold Seven Seas of Fleas Starfish Bay Publishing 9781760360986
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A playful, rhyming story with fun alliteration.
Bold, quirky (screen print style) illustrations.
Main themes: Imagination – boredom - fantasy
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Could encourage kids to write or draw the most bizarre scenario they can think of to escape doing a chore
Rhythm and rhyme are an important feature of this story, so a poetry exercise could also work well
The story is about an “escape” through imagination, so could do an escape room activity (either physical, paper, or digital).
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Shirley Purdie Shirley Purdie: My Story, Ngaginybe Jarragbe Magabala Books 9781925936131
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An important, accessible story.
Earthy, textured illustrations.
Inviting window into Shirley’s life
Main themes: First Nations people – autobiography – home – community and culture
The
CBCA judges say: “There is strength in the simplicity of these illustrations that belie the profound nature of this autobiographical story. The dot work used as an outline is effective and complements the written text also surrounded by dots. The use of Indigenous language is paramount to telling a story that belongs to another culture. The art style falls into a naive-indigenous genre which is a whole new concept transcending the two cultures. Glorious earth colours convey meaning to the print text. The endpapers exemplify the sophistication of this artist’s design aesthetic and the extra text at the end of the book provides information which allows the reader to understand the author’s story at a deeper level.”
Could do a geography-based activity based on Shirley’s town Warmun. “Previously known as Turkey Creek, Warmun has become the main road access point to the Bungle Bungles”.
Look at the use of symbols in Shirley’s and all aboriginal art, could do an activity that involved the question: draw a rough outline map of your room, house or street - looking from the ceiling/sky down what would the symbols used to convey the important spots or people look like?
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Zeno Sworder This Small Blue Dot Thames & Hudson Australia 9781760761110
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Insightful, imaginative story
Creative, mixed-media illustrations
Main themes: Siblings/new baby – Earth – celebration of life – individuality (likes/dislikes)
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Get kids to list their top 5 favourite things about Earth (and 5 Mother Nature’s mistakes e.g. broccoli), and then the top 5 lessons about living on Earth they would teach a baby sibling.
Inspired by the art style of the book, get kids to do a collage project with magazine cut outs mixed with drawings (@ohcreativeday on Instagram has a good example).
Any ‘Planets’ activities also go well. Could ask kids to pick a different ‘dot’ (e.g. This red dot) and imagine what their top 5 things about that planet would be.
Older kids can play a fun “Taboo” team game with pre-prepared planet/space words.
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Robin Tatlow-Lord Go Away, Worry Monster! EK Books 9781925820393
Relatable story of common mental barriers
Richly textured, well-designed illustrations
Main themes: Anxiety in children – bravery – problem-solving – first day of school
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A visual art activity using dark paper and pencils or pastels
As a group brainstorm the things that might make you worried or anxious. Then practise some of the strategies that Archie employs, like the belly breathing. “Have children lie on the floor on their backs and place their hands on their belly. Guide students to take a deep, slow breath into their belly so it fills up like a balloon. Students should feel their tummy expand with their hands. Then tell them to slowly breathe out as though they are letting the air out of the balloon. Guide students to do five belly breaths.”
Talk about the significance of the sock/socks (endpapers, 2 socks on title page, but only one on next page). Why do you think the illustrator has added the squiggly lines around the worry monster? – Could make sock puppets.
How would you design a worry monster?
A game of charades (kids act out different emotions)
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make monster hand puppets out of old socks
try drawing with pastels on dark cardboard
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