CBCA Notables texts- 2024. Ideas for the classroom K/F-6.
The Childrens Book Council of Australia Book of the Year Award Notables List was released in February. Please find below teaching ideas for some of the Notables texts that did not make the short list, which I felt were worthy of critique and useful for classroom teaching, based on various exemplary qualities I outline in the reviews below:
Book of the Year: Younger Readers
Entries in this category target children 7-12 years. Scroll down to see teaching ideas for a variety of texts in the CBCA Book of the year: younger readers section.
Stanton, M. (2023). Bored: Evie dreams big. HarperCollins (ABC Books).
This text is number 3 in a series, and after thoroughly engaging with it (I obtained an audiobook on Borrowbox- which can be accessed for free from your local library), it’s high on my to-do list, to read the remainder of the series. At the outset, the teacher would unpack the mode (aural) and medium (audio book) of this particular text, and how codes and conventions may vary in this particular genre. For example, varying individual character voices, and a focus on prosody, as I critique an oral version of the text.
Covershot
The intended audience is primary children from Years 4-6. Evie, the protagonist, is a girl with big ideas. She has to stay home from school regularly as her little sister has Cystic fibrosis and is immuno-compromised. So, the whole family work from home when there is illness at school, or in their parents’ workplaces. The purpose of the text is to promote the theme of resilience and the power of collaboration to overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Readers are left with the strong message that with determination and teamwork, the ostensibly impossible can be achieved. This is the theme of the text, the core message common to the lived experience of characters in the text, for students on the cusp of adolescence, the target audience.
An orientation to the text may include a class discussion about what is boredom, what makes students bored and how they overcome feeling this way. Additionally, the class may wish to research author Matt Stanton’s considerable library of books, recommended for this age group.
Evie is bored. She cannot go to school and her sister Grace is annoying her. Evie is looking for a project to occupy her. In the text, Evie consults a thesaurus to build families of words that have a similar meaning to boredom. This would be a useful vocabulary building activity for students, and they may choose to place new words on a word cline, a sloping line on which words are arranged from one extreme to another. For example, words that go from bored to excited. Word clines help students to learn new vocabulary and think carefully about word choice when writing. As well, classifying interesting vocabulary into tier 1, tier 2 and tier 3 words from the text- for personal lists or a class chart- make a useful authoritative source for writing.
Evie lives in a house next to a spare block that residents use as a communal space. She is surrounded by her ‘gang’, her friends Frog, Milo, Louisa and Rocco, who all live in a street called Turtle Place. The story opens with her sister singing her name, ‘Ev-ie!!!’ Straight away, counting and identifying syllables in students’ names bolted into my brain, possibly using fun wind instruments like kazoos. Imagine- an orchestra of student names including choral and instrumentals! Syllabification builds students orthographic awareness, which could be consolidated by students working in pairs, identifying 2, 3, 4 or even 5 syllable words from the text. It could be a syllable hunt, with a prize for the students/ pairs who find the most correctly spelled words.
In the text, Evie talks about music that makes her feel a certain way. A useful activity would be for students to select and share a piece of music that makes them feel a certain way. They could tell the class why they selected that piece of music and how it makes them feel, focusing on developing students’ oral language skills while at the same time, sharing music students love, encouraging them to talk about their feelings. In this way, students explore music that samples a range of audio sounds. Don’t forget to check for suitability (appropriate language) prior to allowing students’ music choices to be played in-class.
English concepts evident in this text include narrative, characterisation, and theme. The characters in the text are diverse. Analyse attributes of characters. For example, the gang and their families all have different personal attributes. Students may like to draw character maps (or make avatars) listing features of each character, finding examples of language used to describe them in the text, and dialogue between characters that gives insights into their individual personalities. An interesting discussion could be had about how stereotypes are represented in the text, in relation to Evie, her friends, her parents and her friends’ parents (for example, Rocco’s dad).
Figurative language is used extensively throughout the text. Wonderfully rich imagery like: my mind is melting with exhaustion; my cranium is collapsing with frustration and my pupils are peeling with annoyance; are all great examples of figurative language for students to unpack meaning, use in their own writing and as models to create their own figurative devices.
When teaching narrative, focus on how the reader is engaged through characters’ behaviour, dialogue and developing plot through the text. Does the narrative reflect students’ lived experience? How many of the class have a considerable goal they are working hard to achieve; or they may have achieved one they could share in a modelled, guided and independent writing activity. What complications were evident in the text and how were they solved?
What a fantastic text, with an important message for students- work hard, work together and anything is possible!
Star rating 0-10. Bored: Evie dreams big.
French, J. (2023). The Girls who changed the world: Ming and Hilde lead a revolution. Angus and Robertson.
Covershot
This text is book three in a series. The protagonist, Ming, a Chinese Australian, is sent back in time to learn about girls who changed history. In book 1, Ming goes back in time to 1898 and is involved in the suffragette movement. In book 2, she is a spy in WW1 (1918), risking her life to outwit German troops. In this book 3, Ming and Hilde lead a revolution, Herstory (History’s sister) sends Min back in time to Adelaide in the early colony, possibly the mid-late 1800s although this is not stated throughout the text. The series focuses on telling history through the lens of girls which is largely absent in many historical accounts. Each book is a quest, stories about girls who changed the world- as history has focused on the deeds of men.
The story setting is sometime after 1837- when females started wearing underpants, during the reign of Queen Victoria (fun fact), in rural Australia. The historical context contains many fascinating facts which trigger students’ interest in history. An orientation to the text may include perusing/ discussing photos and artworks of early Adelaide, pictures of Early adelaide colony - Search (bing.com), which differes from other cities in Australia in there were no convicts- only free settlers who purchased land parcels from the Government. This text follows a group of Saxon (German) girls who bring sheep from their country to Australia, contributing to the burgeoning Australian wool industry. The city of Adelaide is steeped in Germananic roots, so the genre of the text would possibly be an historical narrative. There are many correct historic references throughout the text, interwoven in an interesting narrative targeting students Years 4-7.
English concepts to teach using this text include character and narrative, which students will have already addressed in earlier grades. However, this text is useful to teach the more challenging English concepts of perspective and point of view. The author, Jackie French, brings to the text her identifiable authorial stance/ disapproval of the abhorrent treatment of Aboriginal people during European invasion (Ming did not see one First Nations person during her trip back in time), the destruction of habitat (settlers ringbarked vast swathes of virgin forest resulting in destruction of habitat) and the culling of native animals (wombats were murdered on the farm because a squatter’s child fell down a wombat hole). These serious environmental issues facing us today have continued since European pastoralists began farming the continent two centuries ago, as outlined in the text. Initially it was seen as simply a routine and necessary form of management, and today many native animals face extinction as a result.
Point of view is evident in the position characters adopt in relation to subject matter. In this text, Ming questions social justice in relation to the treatment of women in the colony and class structure (the gentry’s attitude to workers). Her friend Hilde, a sheep carer from Saxon, is a strong character who believes that things should be done a certain way (she is demanding and inflexible), yet Herstory points out that although Hilde did much good in assisting the farmer and his workers to look after the sheep, it was to the detriment of local native animals and resulted in habitat destruction, which continues to this day.
I’m not sure this text is suitable for the main text in a unit of work in subject English; however it would be a great class read-aloud and an inviting tale for students who love to learn about Australian history. Gender is a focus throughout the text- the role of women in colonial Australia which should elicit interest class discussions, comparing social mores then and now. In terms of knowledge building, there are clear links to history, geography and science , with wonderful opportunities to integrate learning and knowledge-building across the curriculum.
Through a musical lens, I see links to traditional Australian music like Click goes the shears adding meaning to the text. Possibly creating a bush band complete with lagerphones would add interest, emphasis and meaning to class read alouds, making the story come alive! The significant German influence in the text could be better understood through learning about Lutheran history in South Australia, and the resurgence of the Kaurna Aboriginal language, which is now taught in some secondary schools in SA. Additionally, learning some German vocabulary and simple songs oftentimes leads to class discussions about plurilingualism; the ability of individuals to use multiple languages through code-switching, to make themselves understood, and to better understand others.
Star rating 0-10. Ming and Hilde lead a revolution.
Book of the Year: Early Childhood
Entries in this category target children 0-6 years. Scroll down to see teaching ideas for a variety of texts in the CBCA Book of the year: early childhood section.
Bevis, N. & Zilm, L. (2023). Nedingar Ancestors. Fremantle Press.
Covershot
This beautifully illustrated text addresses the K-2 English syllabus text requirement: texts by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people; Australian literature. Nedingar is a bilingual (two languages) text. It uses Noongar Aboriginal dialect, from the south-western corner of Western Australia, to build cultural understanding and context. There is a QR code on the inside cover where students can listen to and experience the text in Noongar.
Scenes from the Australian bush envelop the reader and the richly decorated flora and fauna are a springboard to elicit wonderfully rich discussions with young children. Illustrations are acrylics, and the backgrounds are sumptuously detailed and swirling, using an unusual acrylic pour technique. The illustrator, Leanne Zilm’s art is inspired by the natural environment, particularly native flora and fauna.
To orientate students to the text, begin with a discussion about ancestors. What are they? Who are your ancestors? How do you know? A key discussion question may be, Where does your family come from? A generally agreed definition of an ancestor is a person whom you are descended from- typically more remote than grandparents. Locate countries of origin on a class map.
From the syllabus outcome, Understanding and Responding to Literature (UARL), the first English concept to address in this text may be Imagery, Symbol and Connotation. When orienting students to the text, discuss the symbols in the illustrations and what they may represent (human footprints, a variety of animal footprints that students may wish to draw and identify which animal they belong to). Discuss how visual cues contribute to meaning in texts. Vocabulary building activities relating to grass trees and native animals and plants are relevant in this text. Unpacking the figurative language could contribute to students understanding and appreciation of the uniqueness and beauty of the Australian bush; and the absolute importance of country to Aboriginal people, walking on country. Interestingly, there is no evidence of human occupation in the text.
Character is another useful English concept to teach, drawing on this beautiful text. It is a conversation between two characters, a child and their mother, charmingly represented by two willy wagtails. Some key discussion questions to teach character could include:
Why do you think the child (representation) wants to know about their ancestors?
What does it tell us about the child?
How does the mother respond to her child’s questions? What words does she use? What does it mean when she says, “You see your ancestors every day”?
Students share their feelings/ responses in relation to the characters in the text. Modelled writing activities could include the teacher recording who says what in the text on the interactive whiteboard (IWB), an opportunity for the teacher to model orthographic awareness and punctuation to students, leading to guided and independent writing activities for the students.
Experiment with language in the text. Nedingar lends itself well to students practising their oral reading in the characters’ voices. For example, the child may have a high, chirpy voice; and the mother, a deeper, more cultured voice. Students could build reading fluency and prosody by repeated reading of the text in parts, individually and in groups, as in a reader’s theatre, for performance.
The third English concept that is well-suited to this text is perspective. Encourage students to discuss their likes and dislikes about the text, unpacking various opinions, at the same time building their oral language skills, the bedrock of learning to read and write.
Finally, how can this text be used the enrich the early reading and music partnership? The class could create a soundscape to accompany the text read-aloud- focusing on sounds in nature. Students could incorporate claves/ rhythm sticks and become familiar with Aboriginal music and instruments. They could create sounds to introduce the text and accompany vocabulary, building comprehension. For example:
grass trees rustling in the breeze. How can we make this sound? What instruments are available to us? What else can we use to make a rusting sound?
listening to the sounds of the bush. Talk about what we hear in a “bush chorus”.
creating animal sounds for example emus, bandicoots. What sounds do they make? How do we know?
water rushing, frogs croaking, kangaroo sounds, numbats…
whistling gum leaves
The text is a wonderful tool to develop students’ auditory discrimination and listening skills. I love the text for early readers. It has a definite place in the K-2 classroom!
Star rating 0-10. Nedingar Ancestors.
Picture Book of the Year
Entries in this category should be outstanding examples of the picture book genre, with the author and illustrator achieving artistic and/ or literary unity. These books span an age range from 0-18 years. Scroll down to see teaching ideas for a variety of texts in the CBCA Book of the year: Picture book of the year section.
French, J. & Whatley, B.(2023). Plague. Scholastic Australia.
Covershot
This text shares its theme with many of French and Whatley’s books, environmental sustainability. The story is told from the point of view of a locust. In the orientation, the class should clarify the difference between locusts and grasshoppers. Vocabulary to frontload (focusing on meaning) prior to reading the text includes nymphs, ringbarked, desperation, starvation, scavenging and horizon.
It is difficult to classify the suggested age-range for Plague. Based on English syllabus outcomes, I would target Years 3-4, however it is a picture book just as relevant for younger and older readers. The purpose of the text is to raise awareness of human intervention on the natural world. The book tells (and shows) the negative results of loss of habitat of many birds. For example, early timber cutters in Australia drained the swamps, the natural habitat of ibises, which migrated to cities as a result. Hence, they are now known as ‘bin chickens’ and scavenge in garbage bins to survive. This is significant as ibises eat locusts, and when ibis numbers fell due to loss of habitat, the balance of nature was disrupted. Locust numbers surged, resulting in locust swarms which continue to destroy food crops and farmlands.
Farmers fight back by spraying poisons from the sky (crop-dusting). Not only are the locusts destroyed, but native birds and animals also die, and people become sick from poisoning.
A strength of the text is the juxtaposition between the past (pre-European invasion) and present (Australia today), facilitating discussions about the pros and cons of economic development, the resultant loss of habitat and destruction of flora and fauna.
English concepts include Imagery symbol and connotation. Language in the text impacts meaning and affects the audience. For example, munching the green; ancient voices laughing and sometimes crying; and the world was balanced then. The class may describe meaning of language in the text and experiment with symbol and imagery when creating their own texts. The powerful images of handfuls of dead locusts and dying magpies elicit an emotional response in the reader, helping us to understand the potentially devastating impact of spraying poisons on the Earth’s surface.
The author and illustrator’s shared point of view is evident in language choices and illustrations throughout the text. For example, we glimpse traditional Aboriginal culture in balance with nature, where women ground grass seeds for flour, men hunted kangaroos and white ibis hunted us. This describes and promotes a shared understanding of traditional Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture, at one with nature. Long ago, people knew how country should be cherished…
From a musical perspective, students could view and listen to science videos of locusts swarming in the desert Bing Videos and discuss the types of sounds they hear. Musical concepts like pitch, rhythm and timbre are evident in the sounds of a swarming locust plague. In this way, we are authentically teaching musical concepts in combination with science. At the same time, we are building scientific, English and musical knowledge about the text.
In Plague, text and illustrations work together in a collaboration which helps us understand how human impact on the environment continues to disrupt the ecological balance, with resultant dire consequences for all living things.
Star rating 0-10. Plague.
Polimen, C. & Stewart, B. (2023). The Garden at the End of the World. University of Queensland Press.
Covershot
The themes of this text are caring for our world and sustainability. Through being read this text, students will learn about how texts convey a message to readers. The intended audience is young children- possibly K/F-2 students and the purpose is to help students appreciate that resources are finite, and we must protect the natural world for future generations to enjoy.
There exist links to science and geography in that the main character, Isla, and her mum like foraging in the forest near their home. Vocabulary to be frontloaded include herbs, fungi, ordinary, enchanted and place names in the text including Norway, and Svalbard.
They collect seeds in the bush then embark on a holiday to the island of Svalbard, Norway where they visit the Global Seed Vault which stores seeds from all over the world, to ensure future generations can enjoy the foods that we enjoy today.
There is a narrative structure in the text, cleverly interwoven with facts about the seed vault, building scientific knowledge, at the same time providing enjoyment through an interesting and engaging text. Readers also learn about the Northern Lights, Aurora borealis, and how the sun doesn’t rise for months during the long polar night in the Arctic Circle.
I believe this text is well-suited to build knowledge about sustainable practices like seed collection and storage, where countries like Norway are located and weather in the Arctic Circle, especially the northern lights and how weather patterns change over time. Interesting, scientific discussions should ensue in the classroom, motivated by a class read-aloud of this engaging text.
Childrens musical activities for polar night and stargazing This site contains songs and activities to supplement the text and introduce children to the many wonders of the night sky. Youtube contains a plethora of songs about saving the Earth and bush music for young children. I liked this piggyback tune, based on the traditional tune g. E.g., Here we go round the mulberry bush/ Save the Earth from global warming.
Star rating 0-10. The Garden at the End of the World
Eve Pownall Award
These books are primary factual texts, and judges are seeking texts given to an imaginative presentation. Again, these texts span an age range from 0-18 years.
Vass, C. & Racklyeft, J.(2023). The Forgotten Song: saving the Regent Honeyeater. CSIRO Publishing.
Covershot
The Forgotten Song, is an information text, cleverly interwoven into an interesting narrative for children. The theme is endangered animals, in this text, a particular bird, the Regent Honeyeater. Identify other endangered creatures the class have investigated to build background knowledge prior to beginning the text. It is worth discussing the genre, factual narrative with the students during the orientation to text.
The colourful endpapers contain a range of Australian flora that could be identified to build vocabulary knowledge. Discuss the figurative title. What might this mean- The Forgotten Song? A class internet search helps to build background knowledge in relation to context. What is its habitat? Where is it located? How has its location changed? What does it look like? What does it eat? Australian endangered species: Regent Honeyeater (theconversation.com)
This book focuses on bird sounds. Locate and discuss the ancient songs that have filled the forest since the beginning of time. Identify musical concepts (high/ low; loud/ soft; fast/ slow) of birdsong in the Australian bush Australian bird sounds - Search (bing.com). Can we make accompanying bird sounds using available percussion instruments?
Watercolour and collage are used by the illustrator to create colour and interest throughout the text. Students may wish to experiment with collage to add meaning to their writing, and peruse the 2023 award-winning CBCA text, Iceberg, (Claire Saxby), also illustrated by Jess Racklyeft.
Some important environmental issues are outlined in the text. Loss of habitat, urban sprawl and pollution have contributed to the extinction of many plants and animals. Students may like to complete a small group project on a bird species in danger of extinction, to build subject knowledge.
The narrative is built around a Regent Honeyeater seeking a mate, which presents many challenges. Mating calls are passed down from father to son, yet the bird in the narrative is unsure of his mating call, as he does not know his father and consequently cannot find a mate of his own species. This is the complication of the narrative. Narrative structure can be taught using this text as a vehicle.
The forgotten song: saving the Regent Honeyeater, is primarily a factual text, presented in an imaginative narrative format. The use of collage is particularly impactful, demonstrating the power of illustration/ artwork to support meaning in picture books. This text educates and inspires through an interesting mix of visual cues and text.
Star rating 0-10. The Forgotten Song: saving the Regent Honeyeater.
