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We've had a great start to the year by trying to guess who all the cute babies in the library are! It's been cool to see all these staff members as babies and children who had to grow and learn like we are now. Who can you spot from their younger days? Come into the library to get a better look. Congratulations to Hazel and Nicole in Room 24 who won the competition and won a $20 Whitcoulls voucher each. Good guessing, girls!   Who is this delightful child, I wonder? She looks so smart and accomplished, and like she went on to achieve great things!
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Check out some of our favourite books and see if you can find them in the library - if they are not already issued due to their popularity! Read the author's name, and see what their last name starts with. Then go and find the book in the shelves! Happy reading!  Tullet, H. (2010). Press Here. France: Un Livre
Voila! The future has arrived with Press Here, an interactive fun story for you to enjoy alongside your child. Hervé Tullet has created this deliciously cute book which takes you on a fun adventure where you ‘write the story’, so to speak. As children are given the instructions from the voiceover of the author, they engage with the story on a new sensory level. In a technology based world, you’ll find your fingers and a flat page are all you need to enjoy this interactive experience. You’ll find yourself pressing, shaking, tapping, blowing, tilting….It’s almost a workout! The language is playful and Tullet takes you on a magical journey which you will immediately be asked to read again and again by your audience. Press Here also offers an educational aspect with children engaging with shapes, colours, order, size and direction - What doesn't this book have to offer?! My only criticism of the book is that due to its tactile nature, I think we’ll have to be replacing our library copies more often than usual…. which is only really a good problem to have. Ages 0 - 7  Thomas, A. (2017) The Hate U Give. London, Great Britain: Walker Books Ltd
“When I was twelve, my parents had two talks with me. One was the usual birds and bees. The other was about what to do if a cop stopped me.” When 16 year old Starr witnesses her best friend Khalil being shot dead nonsensically by police after being pulled over for a broken tail light, the two starkly different worlds she belongs to start to unravel. Starr lives in a ghetto, but goes to a mainly white school in the rich part of town. She keeps these two lives as separate from each other as possible, but whilst keeping the fact that she was a witness to the shooting a secret, she begins to see the world around her and her friends in a new light. Will Starr, named by her dad to be light in the darkness, be able to find the courage to find her voice, and to discover what she really stands for? Given the political climate in the United States currently, this book is topical and thought provoking. It was first written by Thomas as a short story, but as young black men in America kept on being victims to police brutality, she realised Starr’s story wasn’t complete yet. This novel is an honest dialogue about racism and prejudice from many perspectives, yet is held together by the beauty and strength of Starr’s family and community. A must read in 2017. Ages 13+  Russell, J. (2017) The Dragon Defenders - Book One. NZ: Dragon Brothers Books Ltd.
Look out: there’s a new Kiwi classic in town! James Russell has created a remote island adventure, nostalgic of childhood stories from the 80’s. It’s the tale of two brothers, Flynn and Paddy, who live on the deserted island with their Mum, Dad and baby sister, and a flight of elusive dragons. These rugged, wild, happy boys are living the childhood of your dreams, free to roam, fish, hunt and fine tune their grassroots skills. They all live peacefully with a few regular visits from the Grandparents for supplies. Enter The Pitbull and his imbecile henchmen, who have come to kill a dragon and to capture the last remaining dragon eggs for The Pitbull’s personal zoo. Will Flynn and Paddy be able to save the day? What makes this story stand out is its inclusion of technology with a free app attached called AR Reads. During the story you are asked to use the app to enhance the storytelling (although the app is not essential), and James Russell himself plays the part of The Pitbull. This interactive feature is a first of its kind, and adds another special dimension to the trilogy. The Dragon Defenders had my Year 3 & 4 class howling with laughter at numerous points in the story, and one boy was so gripped that he physically moved himself up to my feet every story reading time to be as close to the action as possible. I also appreciated the strong female characters in the boys’ Mum and Grandma, who both lived off the land and could handle the treacherous seas. A wonderful story to read alongside your children before bed. Ages 6 - 12 Come into the library and have a photo with a book you love. Take a heart and write on it why you love this book, and why other's should read it. In Term 4 last year we celebrated our own book week, with a focus on authors from Aotearoa. During the week we had lots of teachers read books during lunch times. Miss Eyre and Miss Grant set up an sensory walk in the hall which read through Dawn McMillan's book 'Colour the Stars'. The story is about two friends, one of whom is blind. His friend describes how colours feel. There were lots of different stations to experience, smell, and touch. We were lucky to have Janet Martin come to speak and sing to us, with her awesome partner, and a multitude of native bird puppets. Janet has written many books including Louie the Tui, Janet the Gannet, Noah the Moa, to name a few. She loves writing books for her grandchildren, and adding lyrics to sing a long to.
Students loved finding relevant books for Book Face last year. Which one is your favourite?
Mr McGreal loves to read Paul Jennings books to his class as they are funny. Check one out of the library today, and see if you agree. He also loves Roald Dahl, and books about dinoaurs. Tell Mr McGreal about the books you love.
Are you a Mo Willems fan like Ms Hogan? Does Pigeon make you laugh? Would you let him stay up late or drive the bus? Tell Ms Hogan what you think about her favourite author and illustrator, Mo Willems. Also, check out the Animalia books and try to find the character "Sam" (also Ms Hogan's sons name) throughout the pages.
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