"A ninja sneaks, creeps, tumbles, hides, and is fast on his feet…" ~ from Arree Chung's
Ninja!
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Storylines 2015 The Storylines Festival of New Zealand Children’s Writers and Illustrators gives children a chance to meet their literary heroes — authors, illustrators, storytellers or book characters. The Christchurch Free Family Day will be held on Sunday 23 August. Some great New Zealand authors and illustrators will be there, including:
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The Night World
by
Mordicai Gerstein
"Meow?" When his cat, Sylvie, disturbs the quiet of his bedroom, a sleeping boy awakes. Despite the early morning hour, Sylvie wants to go outside, so the boy follows her through the gray murkiness of his darkened house and out into the yard. There, the boy can see the shadows of animals, all gazing with anticipation at the black, star-speckled sky. What are they waiting for? The answer arrives in the form of a far-off glow, which soon grows into brilliant sunshine, flooding the yard with light and colour. Young readers will be spellbound by this "delightful celebration of night and sunrise" (Kirkus Reviews).
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Who Says "Roar"? by Emma JenningsIn this delightful series, adults and children can play peek-a-boo as they read the various clues about animals, guessing which ones are hiding beneath large pull-tabs and watching as the habitat scene slides and changes to reveal an animal photograph underneath.
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Float
by Daniel Miyares
No words are needed in this minimal yet vivid picture book. After making a newspaper boat with his dad, a little boy puts on his yellow raincoat and runs outside to play. The boy's puddle-jumping joy is infectious…as is his sadness when the boat is washed away. Back at home, though, he finds a hug, dry clothes, and a new paper craft to try. Kids may be inspired by this young maker's creative play (as well as by the folding instructions included on the book's inside covers).
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The potato king
by
Christoph Niemann
Presents a fictionalized account of how King Frederick of Prussia tricked his subjects into adopting the potato into their diet
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Help! the Wolf Is Coming!
by Cédric Ramadier
An interactive boardbook for toddlers. Oh no! The wolf is coming! He's getting closer and closer-- you'd better turn the page, tilt the book, shake it, and then slam it shut. Interactive books don't have to be eBooks or apps. In this book, you need to follow the instructions to make sure the wolf won't get you. He's a bit scary - maybe he wants to eat us! But here's an idea: if we hold the book on a lean, maybe the wolf will slip and fall ... And if he holds onto a branch, maybe we can shake the book so he drops off ... Or maybe it's enough to turn the page to make him disappear...Let's try! Bye-bye wolf!
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Inside this book : (are three books).
by Barney Saltzberg
A tribute to self-publishing. This book follows the experiences of three siblings who use blank paper to write books that reflect their respective ages, interests and abilities.
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One Family
by George Shannon; illustrated by Blanca Gómez
In this interactive picture book, kids are asked to consider "just how many things can 'one' be?" Here, "one" is definitely a family, and similar to Mary Hoffman's
The Great Big Book of Families,
One Family's chunky, winsome illustrations show family groups of diverse ages, ethnic backgrounds, and genders. In addition to these warm family portraits, the book also introduces the concept of many things in one -- such as five people in a family, or three pears in a bowl -- and reinforces it with sets of objects and people for kids to count. Destined for repeated readings,
One Family
"sends the message that everyone counts" (Kirkus Reviews).
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Interstellar Cinderella
by
Deborah Underwood; illustrated by Meg Hunt
What if Cinderella left behind not a slipper, but a socket wrench? In this retro-modern retelling set in space, Cinderella is a rocket mechanic who's left behind when her family goes to the Royal Space Parade. With some tools and a sparkly spacesuit from her fairy godrobot, however, Cinderella makes her own way to the parade, where she wins not the prince's hand, but a job as his chief mechanic. Blending science fiction and fairy tales, Interstellar Cinderella will entertain young readers of all kinds. Looking for more stereotype-busting princess stories? Try Shannon Hale's The Princess in Black or Kate Beaton's The Princess and the Pony.
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What This Story Needs is a Pig in a Wig
by
Emma J. Virján
As if the rhyming title and boldly colored cover weren't enough to clue in readers, this story dives directly into silliness. It begins with the eponymous pig standing in a spotlight to don her red beehive wig. Then she hops into a boat in a moat, which quickly becomes crowded from picking up a frog, a dog, and a goat on a log… With all the cumulative craziness of Laura Numeroff's If You Give a Mouse a Cookie and offbeat humour of Mo Willems' Elephant and Piggie series, this easy-to-understand book (the 1st in a new series) is sure to elicit boatloads of giggles from beginning readers.
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Use your words, Sophie
by
Rosemary Wells
Preferring to speak in nonsense languages to tell her parents how she feels, little Sophie is challenged to use her words but prefers to communicate with a baby sister who understands her better. By the award-winning creator of the Max & Ruby series.
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Ninja!
by
Arree Chung
Maxwell knows that being a ninja takes courage, stealth, and the right equipment. Clad in black (except for a necktie headband and rubber gloves) and well-armed (with a jump rope and a pool cue), Maxwell is intent on his covert objective: to steal his little sister's milk and cookies. As he prowls through the house, his serious narration is undercut by the goofy, comic book-style antics shown in the illustrations. Even after he's caught and "dishonoured" (sent to his room), kids will root for the irrepressible Maxwell and his belief that no matter what, a ninja "must believe in his ability to rebound."
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Nighttime Ninja by Barbara DaCosta; illustrated by Ed YoungSneaking silently through the stillness of a sleeping house, a ninja is intent on a treasure hunt. Through shadowy, dynamic paper-and-fabric collages, he stealthily leaps, prowls, creeps, and clambers toward his goal. Immersed in the quiet darkness of the journey, readers will be startled when the lights suddenly flash on, revealing the ninja's true identity. Though he's busted before he can complete his mission, the cosy resolution to this quietly suspenseful tale is satisfying enough that kids won't mind.
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The Boy Who Cried Ninja
by
Alex Latimer
Young Tim is telling the truth when he reports that a ninja ate the last slice of cake and a giant squid devoured his book bag -- and he still gets punished! So, Tim takes the fall for the pirate who guzzles all the tea and the sunburned crocodile who breaks the TV antenna...but he ends up doing extra chores for lying, too. Then, Tim has a stroke of genius that wins his parent's apologies and results in a great party. With quirky, drily hilarious cartoon illustrations, this "cheerful, lightly subversive" (Booklist) twist on an old folk tale is tons of fun.
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Wink: The Ninja Who Wanted to Be Noticed by J.C. PhillipsIn this new take on the "be yourself" theme, boisterous Wink eagerly begins his training at a school for young ninjas, only to discover that being stealthy and invisible goes against his grain. He tries, but he just can't bring himself to blend in -- he wants to be noticed. After many failures and a chance meeting with a member of a circus troupe, Wink finally finds his true calling (hint: it involves juggling fire sticks while balancing on a bamboo pole). Bold, textured collage illustrations vault this gleeful, exuberant tale over the top.
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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