There is a dog theme running through my post this week with three out of four of us reading dog books. We’ve had a wave of sickness in our household recently. It made me appreciate having books all over the house, accessible at any time and to anyone who wants to disappear into their imagination.
Here are the books we’re reading this week. What have you been reading? Let me know in the comments below. If you’re looking for more book recommendations, you can find plenty here.
Read Aloud
Wurrtoo: The Wombat Who Fell in Love with the Sky by Tylissa Elisara
This is a beautiful story of friendship, courage and the power of dreams. The book is described as an indigenous Blinky Bill meets Winnie the Pooh. I feel this description falls short of conveying the truly unique tone the book exhibits. The storytelling is descriptive and vivid while balanced with plenty of action to keep young readers engaged. The story exposes children to aboriginal cultural themes and storytelling in an accessible way for a wide range of ages. A heartwarming read that takes the reader (or listener) on a great journey alongside Wurrtoo the wombat and his best koala friend, Kuula.
6-year-old
Starla Jean Takes the Cake by Elana K Arnold
This is the second book in the Starla Jean series. Miss 6 and 8 both love these short stories about Starla Jean and her pet chicken, Opal Egg. The full-colour illustrations are sweet and there is a lot of white space on the page, so the text is very accessible to early readers. I still read them to Miss 6 but it won’t be long before she can read these herself.
Forever Fairies: Lulu Flutters by Maddy Mara
I recently discovered Maddy Mara is the pen-name for Melbourne based writing duo (Hilary Rogers and Meredith Badger). They really know how to hit the mark when it comes to writing books that kids love. From the hugely popular Dragon Girls series to the chapter book series that my Miss 8 loves, Itty Bitty Kitty. This latest series, Forever Fairies, looks to be just as popular. Miss 6 is mildly obsessed with Rainbow Magic fairy books. Regular visitors to the blog will know I refused to read any more of them a while ago and delegated all fairy stories to Dad. The Forever Fairies series, however, seem to have a bit of depth to them so I agreed to read a few chapters at bedtime recently. I have temporarily revoked my fairy story reading strike (but still no Rainbow Magic!).
8-year-old
Paws by Michele Assarasakorn and Nathan Fairbairn
Miss 8’s preference for graphic novels endures. I am all for encouraging reading of any kind and have no problem with her mostly reading these. However, it can be hard finding good graphic novels for her age and reading level, especially as she reads them quite quickly. This is the first in series which is great news because she can keep reading through the series.
9-year-old
Queen of Dogs by Joe Weatherstone
I don’t know much about this book, except that Miss 9 read all 280 pages between the time I said goodnight to her and breakfast the following morning. That’s probably quite a good review. I’m told there is a girl who discovers she can talk to dogs and she gets crowned Queen of Dogs. If you want to know more, you’ll need to read it. Miss 9 highly recommends.
Mum
Dogtown by Katherine Applegate and Gennifer Choldenko
I enjoyed this one so much that I was practically shoving it into my eldest two daughters hands the minute I finished it. Of course, no one listens to Mum and now it’s due back at the library, so their loss! The chapters are very short which keeps the action moving quickly. Another book I feel would suit a wide range of ages from about 8 to 12 years. A second book in the Dogtown series is due to be released and I can’t wait to get my hands on it when it lands.
Let me know if you’ve read any of these or if you find these book suggestion posts helpful!
