Month: March 2012

Posted in National Year of Reading, teachers' resources

Fabulous First Line Friday (30 March)

Posted on by Alphabet Soup

To celebrate the National Year of Reading, we thought it would be interesting to share some first lines from books on our bookshelves. So, every Friday for the rest of the year we’re posting a fabulous first line here on Soup Blog.

Here’s today’s Fabulous First Line*:

Jack Gordon was up early and dressed before his parents began to stir.

What do you think—if you opened a book and read that first line, would you want to read on?

Do you know the name of the book? (We’ll put it in at the end of this post so you can try to guess first.)

*For the purposes of Fabulous First Line Friday, we’re counting the first line as the first line of chapter 1 in any book. So if there is an introduction or an author’s note or something before chapter 1, we don’t count that bit …

 

 

 

 

 

The book is 68 Teeth, an Aussie Chomps book by James Moloney
Posted in info

WA school holiday event – puppet workshops

Posted on by Alphabet Soup

Come along to Spare Parts Puppet Theatre’s holiday programs—their tutors will guide you through the process of crafting and performing your very own puppet show! (Bring your own morning tea and lunch.)

One Day Puppet-Making Workshop (4 – 6 year olds)
Cost: $75.00
9am – 3pm
When: Choose from Thursday 12 April or Friday 13 April or Wednesday 18 April
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Two Day Puppet-Making Workshop (7 – 12 year olds)
Cost: $140.00
9am – 4pm both days, with a special 3pm performance featuring the newly created puppets on the second day!
When: Tuesday 10 – Wednesday 11 April, or Monday 16 – Tuesday 17 April, or Thursday 19 – Friday 20 April.

Ring 9335 5044 for information or to make a booking. (Or see the Spare Parts Puppet Theatre website.)

Posted in National Year of Reading, teachers' resources

Fabulous First Line Friday (23 March)

Posted on by Alphabet Soup

To celebrate the National Year of Reading, every Friday for the rest of the year we’re posting a fabulous first line here on Soup Blog. (The first lines are quoted from children’s books on our bookshelves.)

Here’s today’s Fabulous First Line*:

My Obasaan told me the story of the dragon that used to visit her at night.

What do you think—if you opened a book and read that first line, would you want to read on?

Do you know the name of the book? (We’ll put it right at the end of this post so you can try to guess first.)

*For the purposes of Fabulous First Line Friday, we’re counting the first line as the first line of chapter 1 in any book. So if there is an introduction or an author’s note or something before chapter 1, we don’t count that bit …
The book is Kumiko and the Dragon by Briony Stewart.
Posted in authors

QLD events: Meet Tania McCartney

Posted on by Alphabet Soup

If you’re in Queensland, there are two chances this weekend to meet the author of Australian Story: an illustrated timeline.

Australian Story cover

Tania McCartney, author of Australian Story
Tania McCartney, author of Australian Story

1. Saturday 24 March 2012  at 2pm.

Maroochydore Library (Sunshine Coast) a fun event to celebrate the launch of Australian Story! Come dressed as your favourite Aussie character. For more info and bookings, visit Tania’s blog.

2. Sunday 25 March at 3.30pm

Join Tania McCartney at Black Cat Books and Cafe for a fun afternoon of interactive historical fun! Things kick off at 3.30pm. Come dressed as your favourite Aussie historical character and you could win a prize! For more info and bookings, visit Tania’s blog.

Tania visited Soup Blog earlier this month to talk about Australian Story and why history is cool. Read her post here.

Posted in National Year of Reading, teachers' resources

Fabulous First Line Friday (16 March)

Posted on by Alphabet Soup

Have you ever been hit with a wonderful story idea but when you sat down to write, you just couldn’t find a first line that would get the story flowing?

We read lots of books at the Alphabet Soup office. Lots. And we’ve noticed that we pick up some books to read before others because their first lines jump out and grab us and we want to read on and on. (The sort of books where you think ‘I’ll just look at the first page’ and you read the first line and then an hour later you hear someone calling you for dinner and you realise—OOPS—you’ve read 243 pages and you’re nearly to the end of the book … )

To celebrate the National Year of Reading, we thought it would be interesting to share some first lines from books on our bookshelves. So, every Friday for the rest of the year we’ll post a fabulous first line.

But isn’t it Friday TODAY? we hear you ask. Why, yes, it is! So here’s the very first Fabulous First Line Friday*:

It must be the longest day this winter, Grace thought, and all I’ve found are a few bits of coal and a piece of rope.

What do you think—if you opened a book and read that first line, would you want to read on?

Do you know the name of the book? (It’s at the end of this post.)

*For the purposes of Fabulous First Line Friday, we’re counting the first line as the first line of chapter 1 in any book. So if there is an introduction or an author’s note or something before chapter 1, we don’t count that bit …
The book is Our Australian Girl: Meet Grace by Sofie Laguna
Posted in info

Perth writing workshops for kids with Cristy Burne

Posted on by Alphabet Soup

Takeshita Demons (cover)Do you like reading fantasy, adventure, action or horror stories? Cristy Burne has a writing workshop for kids who want to write their own! The workshops start on Monday 7 May and run for 6 weeks at the Victoria Park Centre for the Arts.

(If you know a grownup who likes writing, there are workshops for grownups, too!)

Check out Cristy Burne’s blog for all the details or email her with your questions. Get writing!

Posted in Book reviews by Rebecca, National Year of Reading

Featured Book: Lightning Jack

Posted on by Alphabet Soup

Lightning Jack by Glenda Millard and illustrated Patricia Mullins. Published by Scholastic Australia, ISBN 9781741693911.
(A review copy of this book was sent to us by the publisher.)

Lightning Jack by Glenda Millard and Patricia Mullins

Sam Tully dares to ride the midnight horse, Lightning Jack—a stockman’s horse, a flying horse, a daring horse, a dancing horse. On the back of such a horse, magnificent feats are accomplished.

This tale is a modern-day bush ballad. The rhythm of the words keep the story moving along, like the galloping horse and—along with the poetic language—this makes Lightning Jack a fantastic book for reading out loud.

The illustrations feature the colours and scenes of the outback and capture the adventurous spirit of horse and rider. (The imprint page states that the illustrations are ‘created entirely from paper, meticulously blending coloured tissue, Japanese and Indian papers.’ Perhaps you could have a go at creating your own outback scene using torn papers.)

Like many good bush ballads, this tale has an unexpected ending. A great Australian picture book—add this one to your ‘must read’ list!

© March 2012 “Review of Lightning Jack by Glenda Millard & Patricia Mullins” by Rebecca Newman (Alphabet Soup magazine)
Posted in teachers' resources

10 Reasons Why History is Exciting (& a sneak peek inside the book!)

Posted on by Alphabet Soup

Tania McCartney, authorToday we have National Year of Reading Ambassador Tania McCartney visiting Soup Blog as part of her blog tour to celebrate her new book Australian Story: An Illustrated Timeline.

You might know Tania as the author of the Riley and the Grumpy Wombat: A Journey Around Melbourne (and her other Riley books!). In Australian Story she takes us on a trip into the past—from the explosive beginnings of our planet to modern day Australia.

Earlier today we posted a review of Australian Story. Now Tania is here to give us 10 reasons why history is exciting. Over to you, Tania!

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Australian Story cover

One of my biggest aims in writing Australian Story was a far-flung idea that I wanted to make history ‘cool’ for school kids. Most kids would look at the subject of history and not in any way, shape or form, associate it with ‘cool’. I know I didn’t when I was a kid, so yes, my cool-seeking goal was certainly a big one.

I do, however, think that maybe—just maybe—I’ve succeeded.

Australian Story isn’t your typical history book. First of all, it’s mostly pictures—and we all know how much fun picture books are; even us big kids know that.

Secondly, it’s light on text—so it doesn’t bog you down with those boring facts and figures that go on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on—almost as long as this sentence.

Thirdly. It’s exciting. That’s right. Its entries have been hand-selected, like the choicest cherries on the supermarket pile, and they are just the most delicious bites of action, fun, terror, invention, shock, sweet, sour, romance, achievement, winning, losing and yes yes yes—cool.

And now [DRUM ROLL!] Here is an exclusive sneak peek at two pages inside Australian Story!

A peek inside the pages of Australian Story by Tania McCartney (first sample)

A sneak peek inside the pages of Australian Story by Tania McCartney (sample 2)

Writing Australian Story, for me, made history not only cool but exciting. And here are 10 reasons why I think history is making a major comeback because it’s sooooo exciting.

1.     It tells the truth (well, as far as we know, anyway). And the truth is always stranger and more bizarre and more eye-opening than fiction.

2.     It’s oftentimes unbelievable. Did you know, for example, that in 1859, a farmer released 24 rabbits into the wild near Geelong, and these 24 rabbits became the fastest multiplying mammals in world history!? Unbelievable. But true.

3.     It reveals where we’ve been—but also where we’re going, and it’s always exciting to look towards the future and all the breathless possibility that lies ahead.

4.     It sheds light on how things came to be and how we have come to know them today. For example, the humble lamington may just be a chocolatey/coconuty cake to you, but where did it get its name? Why, it was named after Lord Lamington, the Governor of Queensland during the 1890s, of course! Don’t you know anything?

5.     It makes us realise how little we know about our country and how it formed. Knowing these things and being able to tell your friends or even better—your parents—all these really cool facts is a very exciting thing indeed, especially when it impresses them (and it will).

6.     It’s a snapshot of our achievements—and for such a small population, we have certainly achieved a lot, including the creation of both the bionic ear and artificial skin, offering the first round-the-world air service, and the claiming of almost half of Antarctica, excuse me.

7.     History allows us to learn from our past—and hopefully do even better, and make better choices. Looking back helps us understand what NOT to do. Well, that’s the hope, anyway. Understanding how people did things a long time ago—and comparing it with how we live now is kind of awesome (and certainly makes us appreciate where we are now!).

8.     It makes us feel. Whether it be laughter, shock, pride, anger, appreciation or even crying our eyes out (how embarrassment), when we hook up with history, we are guaranteed to feel a range of emotion —and that’s what good books are all about.

9.     It’s worth celebrating. No country has a perfect past, but we have much to celebrate and much to look forward to and work towards. We are quite possibly the finest example of successful multiculturalism in the world. And if that’s not cause for celebration, I don’t know what is.

10.  It’s entertaining, especially when done in a way that’s memorable and fun. Not many topics can both educate and entertain at the very same time, but history absolutely can. Now, that’s exciting. And, dare I say it—cool.

© Tania McCartney, 6 March 2012

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Check out the other stops on the Australian Story Blog Tour!

Monday 5 March

Blog Tour Schedule and Book Giveaway

Kids Book Review

kids-bookreview.com

Book Launch Party Wrap-Up

Tania McCartney’s Blog

taniamccartney.blogspot.com

Book Giveaway

Alphabet Street

alphabetstreet.com.au

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Tuesday 6 March

Book Review

Buzz Words

buzzwordsmagazine.blogspot.com

Australian Story Research Process

DeeScribe

deescribewriting.wordpress.com

Book Review and 10 Reasons Why History is Exciting

Soup Blog [You’re here!]

soupblog.wordpress.com

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Wednesday 7 March

Australian Story Teaching Notes for Key Stage I

Sheryl Gwyther’s Blog

sherylgwyther.wordpress.com
Book Review and Teaching Notes Ideas for Key Stage II

The Book Chook

thebookchook.com

Book Review

Kids’ Book Capers

content.boomerangbooks.com.au/kids-book-capers-blog

Image-Sourcing for Australian Story

Blue Dingo

bluedingo.ning.com

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Thursday 8 March

Book Review

Reading Upside Down

readingupsidedown.com

Book Review

Pass It On

jackiehoskingpio.wordpress.com/school-magazine

Book Review

Bug in a Book

bugreviews.wordpress.com

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Friday 9 March

Book Giveaway

HerCanberra

hercanberra.com.au

The Writing Process for Australian Story

Sally Murphy’s Blog

sallymurphy.blogspot.com

Book Review

Books for Little Hands

booksforlittlehands.blogspot.com

Book Review

ReadPlus

www.readplus.com.au

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Saturday 10 March

Book Review

Kids Book Review

kids-bookreview.com

Book Giveaway

Posie Patchwork Blog

posiepatchworkblog.blogspot.com

Book Review

Suite 101

suite101.com/worldliteratures

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Sunday 11 March

Book Review

My Little Bookcase

mylittlebookcase.com.au

Book Giveaway

Australian Women Online

australianwomenonline.com

Blog Tour Wrap-Up

Tania McCartney’s Blog

taniamccartney.blogspot.com

Posted in Book reviews by Rebecca

Book Review: Australian Story

Posted on by Alphabet Soup

Australian Story: An Illustrated Timeline by Tania McCartney.

Published by National Library of Australia, ISBN 9780642277459.
(A review copy of this book was sent to us by the publisher.)

Australian Story cover

Follow Australia’s history on a timeline from Earth’s beginnings until 2010.

Every page of Australian Story is packed full of facts, dates and interesting bits of information—everything you ever wanted to know about Australia from long, long ago until today. Read this book and everyone will be begging you to join the quiz night team as the Expert on Australia. (Only agree if someone on the table brings lamingtons … )

The timeline is illustrated with artwork, photos and maps from the National Library of Australia. There are images of postage stamps, old magazine covers, Australian money (see what the $1 note looked like!), old posters, flags and an image of Captain Cook’s handwritten list of Indigenous words. And there’s lots more, too.

Do you know the answers to these questions?* (See if your mum and dad know.)

What is the name of the last volcano to erupt on the Australian mainland?

Who designed the Aboriginal flag?

What was the name of the first recorded European to land on Australian soil?

When was the first Melbourne Cup horse race held?

Who was Australia’s first Prime Minister?

Which Australian creature featured on the two-cent coin?

*You’ll find all the answers to these questions in Australian Story.

This is a book that we highly recommend for Aussies of all ages.

(You can WIN a copy of Australian Story. In fact, you have two chances. Chance 1: Head over to the Kids Book Review blog. Chance 2: Head over to the Alphabet Street site. Good luck!)

© March 2012 “Review of Australian Story: An Illustrated Timeline by Tania McCartney” by Rebecca Newman (Alphabet Soup magazine)