Norah Colvin

Live Love Laugh Learn … Create the possibilities

Category: Picture books

  • Let’s meet courageous, creative Claudette by Helene Magisson – #readilearn

    Let’s meet courageous, creative Claudette by Helene Magisson – #readilearn

    Today it is my pleasure to introduce you to Claudette, the beautiful new picture book written and illustrated by Helene Magisson, published by Red Paper Kite. While Helene has illustrated many other picture books, this is the first that she has both written and illustrated.

    I have previously introduced you to Helene’s gorgeous artwork when interviewing her about Magic Fish Dreaming, a collection of poems by June Perkins and Sarah’s Two Nativities by Janine M Fraser. Please refer back to those posts to find out more about her beautiful artwork.

    About Helene Magisson

    Helene Magisson is an award-winning illustrator. She started her artistic career as a painting restorer in Paris, where she was also trained in the art of medieval illumination.
    Helene has lived in Africa, France and India. She is now settled down in Australia with her family. She has illustrated more than 15 books and has collaborated with major Australian publishers.
    Recent awards include:
    • Claudette, her first book as an author-illustrator, has been longlisted in the Australia Books Industry Awards 2021
    • Little Puggle’s Song written by Vikki Conley, CBCA 2020 Notable Picture Book of the Year
    • Slowly! Slowly! written by T.M. Clark, CBCA 2018 Notable Picture Book of the Year

    About Claudette 

    Loutka is a brilliant puppet maker. All of his creations work perfectly, just as he expects them to. Except for Claudette. She is a rickety misfit who longs for freedom and adventure. What can be done with such a puppet? Loutka doesn’t know.
    So Claudette stays on the shelf. Until one incredible day…

    Claudette takes the reader on a courageous and magical adventure beyond the clouds, discovering the power of beauty, possibility and self-worth along the way.

    ‘A book infused with magic!’ – Megan Daley, Children’s Books Daily

    Longlisted in the Australia Books Industry Awards 2021

    The Interview

    Helene, we’ve met you before as an illustrator of beautiful picture books. Now we are talking to you as an author-illustrator.

    What gave you the idea for this delightful story of the extraordinary puppet Claudette?

    Continue reading: Let’s meet courageous, creative Claudette by Helene Magisson – Readilearn

  • Meet Oswald Messweather a delightful new picture book by Dimity Powell – #readilearn

    Meet Oswald Messweather a delightful new picture book by Dimity Powell – #readilearn

    Today I am delighted to reintroduce you to Dimity Powell as she introduces us to Oswald Messweather, the star of her latest picture book. I have previously talked with Dimity about her earlier books At the End of Holyrood Lane  and Pippa. She also wrote a wonderful guest post for us about the importance of libraries, Libraries: A Wondrous Universe to Explore.

    About Dimity Powell

    Award winning children’s author, Dimity Powell writes exclusively for children with over 30 published stories including Oswald Messweather (2021), Pippa (2019), critically acclaimed, The Fix-It Man (2017) and At The End of Holyrood Lane (2018), winner of the 2019 SCBWI Crystal Kite Award.

    Dimity believes kids and great stories are life-essentials, like ice-cream. She fills her spare time reviewing the ones she loves (stories that is, not ice-cream flavours) at DIM’S re VIEWS and Kids Book Review for whom she is the Managing Editor. She is also a Books in Homes Australia Role Model, an accredited Write Like an Author facilitator and online and in-school presenter for G.A.T.E.WAYS Education.

    Dimity is an experienced presenter at writing festivals, conferences and schools both in Australia and overseas who is represented by Speakers Ink and Creative Kids’ Tales Speakers Agency. She loves eating cake with ice cream, sailing on the beam and writing in her diary although combining all three at once makes her nauseous.

    Dimity lives on the Gold Coast, Australia where dreams sparkle and superheros surf. Discover more at http://www.dimitypowell.com.

    About Oswald Messweather

    Mess and disorder upset Oswald. Even the complexity of his own name is enough to set Oswald’s legs jiggling and his palms itching with anxiety. To combat his unease, Oswald obsessively counts his take-everywhere pocket pals – his crayons. It is a compulsion he finds comforting but also extremely exhausting.

    Oswald’s obsessive preoccupations distract him from everything and everyone else around him, until one day Oswald is encouraged to use his penchant for perfection and eye for detail in a class project. With the help of his crayons, Oswald’s classmates create something spectacular, which helps Oswald realise just how valuable he is in spite of his anxieties.

    Oswald Messweather is not a picture book that focuses intently on the educational perspectives of children with OCD but rather more on the emotional aspects associated with this debilitating condition.

    The Interview

    Thank you so much for visiting us at readilearn again, Dimity. It’s a pleasure to have you here to talk about your new book. Please tell us, what gave you the idea for Oswald Messweather?

    Continue reading: Meet Oswald Messweather a delightful new picture book by Dimity Powell – readilearn

  • Rollo’s Wet Surprise by Penny Macoun — a review – #readilearn

    Rollo’s Wet Surprise by Penny Macoun — a review – #readilearn

    Today it is my pleasure to introduce you to the delightful new picture book Rollo’s Wet Surprise by Penny Macoun as part of a Books on Tour promotion.

    About Penny Macoun

    Penny Macoun was born in Sydney, Australia. She has been writing since 1993 when her story about a funnel web spider was printed in a school newsletter. Ever since, Penny has loved the ‘other worlds’ that words create, and hopes to continue to create these worlds for many years to come. Rollo’s Wet Surprise is her second book. When she is not writing or editing, Penny dabbles in various forms of visual arts and enjoys being in the garden.

    About Rollo’s Wet Surprise

    Rollo is a dog who loves to go to work with his owner, Jim. Jim is a builder, and when he is working, Rollo loves to explore all the different homes Jim and his team of builders work at.

    One day, the builders are moving lots of big, heavy windows to a safe area. Rollo begins to explore this new part of the garden, and sniffs around.

    While Rollo is exploring, he gets a very wet surprise!

    What I like about this book

    Continue reading: Rollo’s Wet Surprise by Penny Macoun — a review – readilearn

  • Ocean Devotion by Elizabeth Cummings — a review – #readilearn

    Ocean Devotion by Elizabeth Cummings — a review – #readilearn

    Earlier this month on 8 June, we celebrated World Oceans Day, so I was delighted to be invited to participate in the Books on Tour promotion of the new book Ocean Devotion written by Elizabeth Mary Cummings and illustrated by Melissa Salvarani.

    World Oceans Day is a day for celebrating, protecting and conserving the world’s oceans. ‘The purpose of the Day is to inform the public of the impact of human actions on the ocean, develop a worldwide movement of citizens for the ocean, and mobilize and unite the world’s population on a project for the sustainable management of the world’s oceans.’

    The theme for 2021 is ‘One Ocean, One Climate, One Future — Together’

    The book Ocean Devotion helps to spread that message in an empowering story which urges us to take action to care for the ocean and life in and beneath its waves.

    The message begins with the dedications:

    “Our oceans are precious. Let us join together to build a cleaner, greener future for all. With love and thanks to you Dad for your example.” E.C.

    “In a few years we have created a sixth continent made of plastic, a practically indestructible material. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle are the three magic words that can change the world.” M.S.

    About Ocean Devotion

    Continue reading: Ocean Devotion by Elizabeth Cummings — a review – readilearn

  • Smorgasbord Children’s Reading Room – New books on the shelves – Let’s Move and Wombat Digs In by Norah Colvin

    Smorgasbord Children’s Reading Room – New books on the shelves – Let’s Move and Wombat Digs In by Norah Colvin

    I am delighted to find that my two little books from the Library For All collection are featured in Sally Cronin’s Smorgasbord Children’s Reading Room.
    Library For All is an Australian not for profit organisation with a mission to “make knowledge accessible to all, equally” through a digital library of books that is available free to anyone anywhere in the world.
    Sally is a wonderful supporter of readers and writers everywhere and I am very appreciative of the support she offers me and am grateful to her for sharing news of these books and of Library for All.
    Please pop over to Sally’s to read her post. While you are there, if you haven’t already, take some time to explore the richness of what Sally has to offer on her site.

  • #Bookreview: Two delightful children’s books by Norah Colvin

    #Bookreview: Two delightful children’s books by Norah Colvin

    I was absolutely surprised and delighted to find a review of my two picture books that have been published by Library For All on Robbie’s Cheadle’s blog Robbie’s Inspiration. Thank you, Robbie. Please pop over to Robbie’s blog to read her reviews.
    But before you go, I’d like to tell you a little about Library For All.
    Library For All is an Australian not for profit organisation with a mission to “make knowledge accessible to all, equally” through a digital library of books that is available free to anyone anywhere in the world.
    The focus is on providing high quality, engaging, age appropriate and culturally relevant books to children in developing countries and remote areas. The stories are often donated by authors, as were my two, or written in collaboration with local people in the communities they support.
    You can find out more on their website Library For All or in a post I wrote about them a few years ago when these books were first published Library For All — A Force for Equality through Literacy.
    Now, over to Robbie’s.

    robbiesinspiration's avatarRobbie's inspiration

    I bought these two delightful books for very young children for my two year old nice. The illustrations are colourful and bright and the stories are adorable.

    My review of Wombat Digs In by Norah Colvin

    Wombat Digs In by Norah Colvin for Library for All

    This is an adorable book for small children about a wombat who is struggling to keep up with some of the other animals including the kangaroos who can bounce, the possums who can climb, and the fruit bats who can fly. Wombat is feeling a little dejected, but when Baby Koala falls out of the tree, Wombat’s own special skill of digging comes to the forefront. This little book is illustrated with simple and bright pictures that small children will love.

    My review of Let’s Move by Norah Colvin

    Let's Move by Norah Colvin for Library for All

    This is a delightful little book for teaching very young children about animals and movement. The illustrations are adorable and I particularly liked the snails…

    View original post 140 more words

  • Picture Books about the Environment — a selection – #readilearn

    Picture Books about the Environment — a selection – #readilearn

    Sharing picture books with young children is one of my favourite things. Picture books can fill children’s minds with wonder, curiosity and imagination, and their hearts with love. Picture books lead them gently into the world beyond their own front doors. They allow children to explore the previously unexplored in the comfort and safety of their own familiar surroundings, at home or at school.

    In this post, I share some books that will help children develop an interest in and concern for the environment through reading and discussion.

    Ethicool Books

    A good place to start is with publisher Ethicool Books. I recently interviewed Stuart French, the founder, who explained their goal of engaging children in discussions about issues such as climate change, ocean pollution, poverty and gender equality through stories told in their beautiful picture books. While you can find a full list of their books on their website, these are some of my favourites:

    Remembering Mother Nature by Stuart French introduces children to the concept of Mother Nature and encourages them to take an active interest in the environment and help to save the planet.

    My Rainforest Classroom by Stuart French introduces children to the beauty of the world’s environments and its inhabitants. It shows how easily the environment can be damaged and urges them to take action to protect it.

    Continue reading: Picture Books about the Environment — a selection – Readilearn

  • Let’s Meet Alison McLennan and her Hotel for Bees – #readilearn

    Let’s Meet Alison McLennan and her Hotel for Bees – #readilearn

    Today it is my pleasure to introduce you to Australian author Alison McLennan and her beautiful picture book Hotel for Bees.

    About Alison McLennan

    Alison McLennan has written three picture books, Hotel for Bees (State Library of Qld 2020), Growing Pains (EK Books 2021) and Great and Small (Storytorch Press, coming October 2022). Her graphic novel, A Flood in the Village, was published by Library For All as part of their natural disaster education series. Her short stories have appeared in the School Magazine and the Spooktakular Stories Anthology. She is a proud member of SCBWI and Qld Writelinks, a mother of two teenagers and a fur baby. She is also a singer and voiceover artist.

    About Hotel for Bees

    Continue reading: Let’s Meet Alison McLennan and her Hotel for Bees – readilearn

  • Blast Off with National Simultaneous Storytime 2021 – #readilearn

    Blast Off with National Simultaneous Storytime 2021 – #readilearn

    In just over a week, on Wednesday 19 May at 11:00am AEST, we will be celebrating the 21st National Simultaneous Storytime (NSS). Are you ready?

    The event

    National Simultaneous Storytime is an annual event held in Library and Information Week in Australia and New Zealand. The event is organised by the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) with the aim of promoting the value of reading and literacy.

    Each year an Australian picture book is chosen to be read simultaneously in libraries, schools, pre-schools, childcare centres, family homes, bookshops and many other places around the nations on either side of the Tasman Sea. Selected books explore age-appropriate themes and address key learning areas of the National Curriculum for Foundation to Year 6.

    It is free to register for the event. If you do, you will receive various free downloadable material to support your own event on Monday 17 May. You can register right up until the event begins.

    The book

    Continue reading: Blast Off with National Simultaneous Storytime 2021 – readilearn

  • Salih — A Refugee Story of Hope by Inda Ahmad Zahri – #readilearn

    Salih — A Refugee Story of Hope by Inda Ahmad Zahri – #readilearn

    Today it is my great pleasure to introduce you to author Inda Ahmad Zahri and her debut picture book Salih.

    Salih will tear at your heartstrings and fill you with hope as we follow a journey from a war-ravaged home to a new land of promise.

    About Inda Ahmad Zahri

    Inda Ahmad Zahri believes in a world of wonder. Her stories are inspired by natural and cultural gems curated from her travels and lovingly added to her Malaysian heritage.

    She is also a surgical doctor, swapping her writer’s hat and paintbrush for scrubs and scalpel when duty calls.

    About Salih

    Like a turtle, Salih carries his home on his back. He must cross a raging sea in search of a safe home. Salih paints his happiest memories and sends them as messages in bottles. Will someone find them and understand? Will Salih find a new home?

    My response to Salih

    I was captivated by the blurb (shared above).

    It immediately tugs at our hearts. We feel Salih’s pain and his need, his hope upon hope that someone will understand and that he will find a new safe home.

    When there are so many displaced people in our world, our communities and our classrooms, this book provides us all with an opportunity

    Continue reading: Salih — A Refugee Story of Hope by Inda Ahmad Zahri – readilearn