Welcome lovelies. Why not grab a cup of tea and a biscuit (imagine that phrase in an English accent) along with a comfy blanket and snuggle down to read this one. I would like to introduce you to Peggy. Peggy is the central character in Anna Walker's beautifully illustrated picture book Peggy. I would first like to say how much I adore Anna Walker as an author/illustrator. Her stories are simply told but in the most beautifully, creative ways accompanied by gorgeous water colour illustrations which make you squeak in delight about how cute they are. Walker's stories always house a loveable and unique character which in this case is a chicken. I can't explain enough how brilliant Anna Walker is and I strongly recommend picking up a book or two of hers next time you are at your local bookshop. The inspiration for Peggy goes back to one windy day in Melbourne when Anna thought her chooks might fly away in the weather. When telling a friend about her worry they said that it sounded like a story of hers and ta-da, the idea for this book was born. (ps. the chooks didn't fly away for all of those who were wondering). This book follows the adventure of a lone chicken who lives in a small house in a quiet street. Everyday Peggy fulfils her routine of playing in the yard and watching the pigeons. Whether it be rain, hail or shine, Peggy always does the same thing. One day, a big gust of wind comes along and takes Peggy with it. It is then that she finds herself in the middle of the big city. Cold and alone, Peggy decides to explore the city. In her journey on the bustling streets her eyes are opened to the outside world. The story then continues to follow Peggy and her discoveries, and although she finds some comfort, she misses her cosy home on her little suburban street. Her luck then changes when she comes across a flock of pigeons who she thinks might know the way home. Now, I'm not going to tell you the end...although it is rather predictable...but that's what I love about this book. Following the classic 'home, away, home' structure of children's literature, this story reminds me of my childhood reading the Beatrix Potters books about Peter Rabbit and Jemima Puddle Duck. In my experiences in the classroom ,teaching kindergarten, it was obvious that this book was a crowd favourite. The children delighted in the story of a brave chicken out in the big city and when looking closer at the illustrations, found it quite hilarious spotting all the different activities Peggy was engaging in - including riding the shopping mall escalator. This story is beautifully simplistic and one that I could see being shared and loved by many.
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We are naturally curious beings, constantly seeking answers to an infinite amount of questions. It is this natural curiosity which is woven into the fabric of our being that leads us to explore and experiment; to question and to investigate. As a teacher, it is our duty to keep this curiosity alight in our students encouraging them to act on their curiosity and seek a deeper knowledge of themselves and the world around them. We want to provide children with opportunities that captivate the imagination, expand their understanding of their world and ignite enthusiasm for learning. Such an experience, I believe, is commonly found amongst the pages of quality children's literature especially when introduced to the unique stylings of the one and only, Shaun Tan. I would go as far as saying that Shaun Tan is one of the most renowned children's author/illustrators around today and rightly so. His works are riddled with absurdity with an air of surrealism, engaging readers well before they open the front cover. Tan's works are intriguing and inspire curiosity so I am very much looking forward to sharing them with you. Shaun Tan's work as an author/illustrator is extensive, so for the purpose of this blog post I have chosen to focus on The Lost Thing and Tales of Outer Suburbia. The Lost Thing tells the story of boy who comes across a...well...lost thing on the beach. Tea-pot like and bright red, this lost things stands out quite significantly from the world in which the boy lives, emphasised through Tan's manipulation of artistic elements like colour and line. As the story progresses we come to see the boys attempt at understanding the lost thing and in doing so eventually finding a place for it to belong. This story could be used to explore concepts such as belonging (sorry to all those Australian HSC students circa 2011), communication, marginalisation and consumerism. Somewhat totalitarian in nature, the world in which the boy lives is clearly different to that of the utopian world the lost thing belongs and how this is represented through illustration makes for a really interesting visual literacy study in an older years classroom. This piece of literary gold can also act as a catalyst for discussion around misunderstanding, questioning our decisions to ostracise those who we deem to be different and beauty in the uniqueness of the 'individual'. Tales of Outer Suburbia is a collection of short stories which are some of Tan's more abstract works. All of the stories within the compilation occur on the outskirts of town where the strange and fantastical occur amongst the realistic. This blur between surreal and realistic Tan achieves so well and it is because of this that audiences are engaged from the get go. Each and every one of the stories in this book would allow for an in depth literature study or even just pure enjoyment. Whether it be a story about a postage stamp sized foreign exchange student called Eric or an ambiguous night turtle rescue, Tales of Outer Suburbia will leave you either wanting to read more or write your own surreal outer suburbia experience. What a literary gem for those older kids, particularly those who find reading to be disengaging or uneventful. As there always is, there is a website which is a great tool to extend reading as well as a short film available to purchase through iTunes of The Lost Thing.
Go and visit at: http://www.thelostthing.com Enjoy! xx |
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April 2017
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