Kids' Picks

Picture Books

Cats Got Talent. Ron Barrett
This is the story of how three cats came to live in an alley and what happened next. Hal, Dora and Geneva used to have a good life. They met in an alley while looking for dinner in a rubbish bin. Hal had heard that singers earn good money, so the cats decided to enter a talent competition. They rehearsed for a few weeks, and then decided to have an opening night in the alley. All the neighbours were asleep when the cats started singing. Hal, Dora and Geneva were delighted with the result.

My Bus. Byron Barton
It is a busy day on the bus. As Joe drives his bus to town, he picks up five cats and five dogs at the various stops. Most of the animals continue their travels on a boat, train or plane. At the end of the day one dog is left. He goes home with Joe. This simple story provides lots of opportunities for counting, adding and subtraction.

Fiction 7 - 9

The Lost Treasure of Little Snoring. Lyn Gardner
Twin Pirate Captains Gruesome and Grisly McNasty, with First Mate Mrs Slime have come to the island of Little Snoring on their boat, The Rotten Apple. Tat and Hetty have found treasure, but manage to hide it again before the pirates can steal it. The McNastys try trickery and force but are outwitted by the children. There is a happy ending when the unusual treasure is shared amongst all the inhabitants of Little Snoring.

The Spider Ring. Andrew Harwell
After she is left a strange ring by her grandmother Maria discovers that spiders listen to her. At first she uses the spiders to fetch things and to get her own back on people at school. But everywhere she goes Maria sees a black widow spider. The Black Widow wants to possess all the eight rings of Anansi and will kill Maria and her family to gain the eighth.

Fiction 10+

The Fastest Boy in the World. Elizabeth Laird
Solomon lives in the countryside of Ethiopia. He dreams of running, and the Ethiopian Olympic team are his heroes.  When he is eleven, his grandfather takes him to Addis Ababa to meet someone, and Solomon learns that his grandfather was a famous runner. But Grandfather gets very ill and Solomon has to catch the bus back to the village to collect his father. After the bus breaks down Solomon runs barefoot the twenty miles back to the village, racing the bus.

Roller Girl. Victoria Jamieson (Graphic Novel)
When Rachel joins the Roller Derby for the holidays and her best friend Nicole goes to ballet camp it seems like the end of their friendship. But Rachel loves Roller Derby although it is hard keeping up with the older girls. She dyes her hair blue and adopts the playing name of Asteroid.  Despite Rachel’s confusion with old and new friends, and stage fright as her first official roller jam approaches, her summer of hard work ends on a high note.