Posted in poetry, teachers' resources

Poetry tips from Fred (aged 7)

We were thrilled to discover a new poetry blog this week, called Fred’s Petals. We liked it so much, we asked Frederique if we could interview her, and she kindly agreed.

"Photo of Fred (Fred's Petals)"
Fred, the poet behind Fred's Petals (2011)

Fred, can you tell us a bit about yourself?

My name is Fred, I live in the bush. I’m seven years old and I have a sister called Una, and a little baby brother called Avery. I like reading books and magazines and I like writing poetry.

How long have you been writing poems?

For three years.

Why did you decide to start the Fred’s Petals blog?

For my friend Yumi could read them, she lives in Canada.

Where do you get your ideas for your poems?

Things around me give me ideas and sometimes my family helps me.

Do you like to read (or listen to) other people’s poems ?

I like to listen when somebody reads poems to me. I like listening to other people’s poems have great ideas like my mum.

Some kids think writing poems is hard. Do you have any advice that would help kids who want to start writing poems?

Well you just think of a name to start, and then write about the name and rhyme the words. I come up with my ideas by thinking about the things around me. You could try writing about where you are, and what they see, and come up with a little story that rhymes.

Be sure to visit Fred’s Petals and leave a comment. (All poets love some appreciation!)

Posted in authors, teachers' resources

Literary auction: $$ for Qld Floods

Authors for Queensland is an online auction set up to raise money for the Qld Premier’s Disaster Relief Appeal. Up for auction are books signed by the authors and/or illustrators, picture book illustrations, manuscript assessments for writers, author mentorships, Alphabet Soup subscriptions and much more. (Make sure you check with an adult about bidding for items.)

Items that caught our eye included:

  • Signed copies of Wendy Orr’s new book Raven’s Mountain (out February)"Raven's Mountain (cover)"
  • Signed copies of Katrina Germein’s My Dad Thinks He’s Funny
  • Signed copies of Karen Collum’s Samuel’s Kisses
  • Signed copy of The Tomorrow Book by Jackie French
  • A full set of signed Billie B Brown books by Sally Rippin
  • Signed copy of This is the Mud by Kathryn Apel
  • Signed copies of Famous and Chess Nuts by Julia Lawrinson
  • Illustration (unframed) by Judith Rossell from Janeen Brian’s book Too Tight Benito

The auction ends 24 January 2011.

Posted in competitions, info, poetry, teachers' resources

Summer 2010 writing comp!

Win a $20 book voucher!

"Writing a poem"Write a poem up to 10 lines long (shorter is fine). Your poem must include the word ‘snap.’ Include a competition entry form—you can print one from Alphabet Soup‘s website.

ENTRIES CLOSE 7 JANUARY 2011. (We’ll accept entries postmarked 7 January.)

This writing competition is open to children aged 12 and under. Entries are judged in 3 age categories.

Posted in Duncraig Primary School, teachers' resources

Book reviews by Duncraig Primary: Day 4 pt 1

Duncraig Primary School (in WA) has sent us some year 5 students’ book reviews.* We’ll be posting two reviews a day for the next 5 days so stay tuned!

Go Girl!: The New Girl, by Rowan McAuley, ill. Ash Oswald. ISBN 9781921098970, Hardie Grant Books.

"The New Girl (cover)"Reviewed by Anna, age 10, Duncraig Primary.

Wow! What a great read! I am sure you will love it. It had me on the edge of my seat wondering and wanting to know what would happen next.

10-year-old Zoe’s chicken pox is the least of her problems. And as if that’s not hard enough, try this: while Zoe is off sick, her best friend Iris goes off with the new girl Isabelle. If you want to find out why, read the book. It is especially hard for Zoe being excluded by her best friend. Will Zoe overcome this challenge or will her life be ruined all because of Isabelle? But why is Isabelle being so mean?

This book will help you if you ever face the same problems as Zoe, Isabelle and Iris do in real life. It includes lots of things children will love and laugh at. This book will have you feeling over the moon and teach you how to deal with bullies.

Personally I thought Iris as a character was not very well-developed and all over the place even though she was one of the main characters. I thought Olivia and Ching-Ching’s part by the handball courts was a good idea—although it was not very important to the plot.

With fantastic illustrations by Ash Oswald, this book was published in 2006 by E2. The New Girl is aimed for children 8 years and up.

 

*Duncraig Primary is a member of our Undercover Readers Club. Books reviewed here are the students’ own.

"Undercover Readers Club logo"

Posted in Book reviews by kids, Duncraig Primary School, teachers' resources

Duncraig Primary book reviews: Day 3 Pt 2

Duncraig Primary School (in WA) has sent us some year 5 students’ book reviews.* We’ll be posting two reviews a day for the next 5 days so stay tuned!

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, by Roald Dahl, ill. by Quentin Blake. ISBN 9780141322711, Puffin (Penguin UK).

"Charlie and the Chocolate Factory"Reviewed by Natasha, age 11, Duncraig Primary.

This book has everything you want in a fantasy: a bizarre man who owns a chocolate factory, a timid boy who is very poor, two grandpas, two grandmas and two parents.

Everyone in this book loves chocolate, especially Mr Willy Wonka. He is mysterious and he is always thinking of new chocolates that he could make. He even made chewing gum even though he hates it. The boy, Charlie Bucket, only gets one chocolate bar every year and there are five golden tickets on the loose hidden in the chocolate bars. Charlie really would like one but he doesn’t think there is a chance.

This book is humorous and has 190 pages. The book is suitable for the age of 9 and up.

Read this book with your child and they will love it.

 

*Duncraig Primary is a member of our Undercover Readers Club. Books reviewed here are the students’ own.

"Undercover Readers Club logo"

Posted in Book reviews by kids, Duncraig Primary School, teachers' resources

Duncraig Primary book reviews: Day 3 Pt 1

Duncraig Primary School (in WA) has sent us some year 5 students’ book reviews.* We’ll be posting two reviews a day for the next 5 days so stay tuned!

Go Girl! Angels: Lucky Stars, by Chrissie Perry. ISBN: 1921288299, Hardie Grant Egmont.

"Lucky Stars cover"Reviewed by Krista, age 10, Duncraig Primary.

This book is part of a stimulating series—‘Go Girl! Angels.’ The angels are a group of six girls and they each have a goal to complete.

Have you ever wanted your name engraved on a glistening, silver plaque? That is what the angels will receive; all of their names will be engraved—Lucy, Sophie, Annabelle, Bonnie, Lola and Chloe.

The main character of this book is Lucy, a born leader who will help organise this next team terrific challenge; a series of events in which the angels compete against different teams.

Lucy’s older sister, Frankie, is traveling to Spain for a year. She wants to help the angels practise their performance. The agels admire Frankie and wish to be more like her but Lucy thinks Frankie is just getting in the way when she is trying to help.

Everybody in the angels is good at dancing, except two who are clumsy. Lucy wants to help them out, without huting their feelings. Will Lucy be able to make them better dancers, or will they ruin the performance? At the performance a huge catastrophe occurs and Lucy is at fault. Will anyone be able to solve it?

This tale will leave you leaning off the edge of your seat thinking of what will happen next. As you read this story you will feel like you are in another world in Lucy’s shoes and dancing your troubles away. This story is perfect for you if you like reading books about friends cooperating, and helping each other out. This incredible narrative introduces problems, friendship and comes with a moral.

My favourite part of this book is when Lucy does a nice gesture. This book includes loyal friends, helpful sisters, a boy band who call themselves The Devils and a bond between six girls which can never be broken.

Lucky Stars is suitable for people 8 years and above. There are 89 moving pages to read.

 

*Duncraig Primary is a member of our Undercover Readers Club. Books reviewed here are the students’ own.

"Undercover Readers Club logo"

Posted in Book reviews by kids, Duncraig Primary School, teachers' resources

Book Reviews by Duncraig Primary: Day 2 Pt 2

Duncraig Primary School (in WA) has sent us some year 5 students’ book reviews.* We’ll be posting two reviews a day for the next 5 days so stay tuned!

Fantastic Mr Fox, by Roald Dahl. ISBN: 9780141322650, Penguin Books Ltd.

"Fantastic Mr Fox"Reviewed by Cade, age 11, Duncraig Primary.

This book has everything: excitement, thrills, brave young foxes, three very mean farmers and a fantastic Mr Fox. Can the foxes survive when they are forced to starve? If they dare to leave their underground burrow they will risk being shot at by the mean farmers. Does Mr Fox deserve to be shot at just because he is trying to feed his family? Mr Fox steals his food from the farmers, Boggis, Bunce and Bean, and this is why he is being hunted down and the farmers want to kill him. Boggis is a chicken farmer, Bunce is a duck and goose farmer and Bean is a turkey and apple farmer.

This book makes you feel like you’re right there with the characters. What I also liked about this book is that you have no clue of what’s about to happen next. Roald Dahl has a lot of books but I loved this book most of all of his books. At the end it tells you about the other books he has written.

This is a great book that is recommended for all ages. So find a friend and read to the end!

 

*Duncraig Primary is a member of our Undercover Readers Club. Books reviewed here are the students’ own.

"Undercover Readers Club logo"

Posted in Book reviews by kids, Duncraig Primary School, teachers' resources

Book reviews by Duncraig Primary: Day 2 Pt 1

Duncraig Primary School (in WA) has sent us some year 5 students’ book reviews.* We’ll be posting two reviews a day for the next 5 days so stay tuned!

Rowan of Rin, by Emily Rodda. ISBN: 9781862915350, Scholastic Australia.

"Rowan of Rin (cover)"Reviewed by Erin, age 11, Duncraig Primary.

This book has all you need in a gripping story about a boy, a mysterious mountain, unknown dangers and maybe even a … dragon! The book is based in a quiet village called Rin, with a very tall overlooking mountain. Something has stopped the river from flowing down to the village so Rowan, the scaredy cat of the village, has to be accompanied by six other companions to try to see what the problem is.

You will love this story if you love adventure and drama. This book also has long and exciting chapters that will blow your mind. It has a beautiful cover illustration by Jane Tanner, with Rowan, and the mountain overlooking him in the background.

Is there really a dragon at the top of the mountain or is it the villagers’ imagination?

Rowan of Rin is suited for children from ten years and up. If I loved this book, I’m sure you will too.

 

 

"Undercover Readers Club logo"*Duncraig Primary is a member of our Undercover Readers Club. Books reviewed here are the students’ own.

Posted in Book reviews by kids, Duncraig Primary School, teachers' resources

Book reviews by Duncraig Primary: Day 1 (part 2)

Duncraig Primary School (in WA) has sent us some year 5 students’ book reviews.* We’ll be posting two reviews a day for the next 5 days so stay tuned!

"Fantasy Fashion (cover)"Totally Lucy: Fantasy Fashion, by Kelly McKain, ill. by Vici Leyhane. ISBN: 9780746066904, Usborne Publishing.

Reviewed by Ebonee, age 11, Duncraig Primary.

Wow, this book was awesome. It has everything you need to feel like you are experiencing life in the shoes of Lucy the drama queen.

Lucy’s life can be very challenging sometimes, alongside her friends Julies and Matilda who help Lucy through her good times and her bad. Throughout the book they have their trying times. Will they get through them? In this marvellous book you will discover many different things that a girl can actually experience, like having a secret pooch plan to attract a gorgeous boy. Will Lucy’s plan succeed?

The author, Kelly McKain, lives in a small flat in Chiswick, West London, with a fridge full of chocolate. Kelly McKain would love to go on a flying trapeze. She loves to write and I think she has done a wonderful job with this gobsmacking, totally awesome book. I think Kelly McKain has used her own life experiences to write this story suitable for 10 to 15 year olds. She is a clever author and she should keep writing these wonderful books. Kelly McKain has also written other books in the series, such as Makeover Magic, Style School, Planet Fashion and plenty more.

Also to thank: Vici Leyhane for her great black-and-white illustrations. I think she has done a wonderful job drawing everyone. It nearly looks like they are real.

I hope that you read this marvellous book and you enjoy it as much as I did.

*Duncraig Primary is a member of our Undercover Readers Club. Books reviewed here are the students’ own."undercover readers club logo"

Posted in Book reviews by kids, Duncraig Primary School, teachers' resources

Book reviews by Duncraig Primary students: Day 1

Duncraig Primary School (in WA) has sent us some year 5 students’ book reviews.* We’ll be posting two reviews a day for the next 5 days so stay tuned!

"Lightning Thief cover"Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief, by Rick Riordan. ISBN: 9780141329994, Puffin (Penguin UK) .

Reviewed by Zac, age 10, Duncraig Primary.

Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief is the first of this Greek Gods series. Rick Riordan writes a gripping action-packed fantasy about everyday normal 12-year-old Percy Jackson. Percy hates the academy he goes to, but on a school field trip, he battles his maths teacher, who has turned into a bat-like Fury. Percy, with friensd Grover and Annabeth, must find Zeus’s Master Bolt or a war of the Gods will begin.

Rick Riordan delivers a great start to the Percy Jackson series. Christian McGrath has also done an astonighingly realistic cover illustration.

[Unfortunately, we were unable to source an image for that particular cover. Another version is shown with this review. – Ed.]

The 375 pages glue you to the book, never can you put it down. This is recommended for ages 8 to 12.

 

"undercover readers club logo"*Duncraig Primary is a member of our Undercover Readers Club. Books reviewed here are the students’ own.