Booklists

A rich variety of poems from classic favourites by Banjo Paterson, Henry Lawson and C J Dennis, to contemporary works by Libby Hathorn, Max Fatchen and Steven Herrick.

The inspiring true story of two jewish girls Zhanna and Frina who are from Ukraine during World War 2. A story about courage, talent and persistence to escape war and the power of music to help overcome the challenges through difficult times.

For many refugees the alphabet represents the start of a new language and a new future, but Anisa's Alphabet is different. A poignant and highly imaginative telling of one girl's story which will appeal to children and adults alike. Come with Anisa, and see things through her eyes. In this picture book, Anisa takes the reader though the alphabet, describing her journey from an unnamed war-torn country to a refugee camp, then on to an overcrowded boat towards supposed freedom and security.

When the first apple falls from the tree, siblings Faith and Peter know that it is applesauce weather. And that means that Uncle Arthur should be here. It seems like he needs a little more time to grieve. This is the first year without Aunt Lucy after all. This is a heartfelt tale about the strength and love of family and the power of a good story.

Be inspired to write by reading the winning poems, short stories and plays from students in Years 3-6 in the 2008 Sydney Youth Writing Competition. Participants had to include the signature words, feathers and/or asphalt, in their entries.

An anthology of Australian stories and poems with whimsical pictures.

Paying homage to the rhythms, word play and humour of Banjo Paterson and C.J Dennis the author has looked to everyday Australian activities, landscapes and people for inspiration. The 65 poems are gathered in fifteen loose groupings including animals, leisure activities, and places. Best read to or with someone.

Meet 11-year-old Bindi. She's not really into maths but LOVES art class and playing hockey. Her absolute FAVOURITE thing is adventuring outside with friends or her horse, Nell. A new year starts like normal - school, family, hockey, dancing. But this year hasn't gone to plan! There's a big art assignment, a drought, a broken wrist AND the biggest bushfires her town has ever seen!

A collection of Australian lyric poetry.

Completely free for all children and families, the extraordinary collection of short stories, poems, essays and pictures has contributions from more than 110 children's writers and illustrators, including Lauren Child, Anthony Horowitz, Greg James and Chris Smith, Michael Morpurgo, Liz Pichon, Axel Scheffler, Francesca Simon and Jacqueline Wilson. Stories to make you smile, poems to make you laugh, and plenty of hope for everyone! Available from https://literacytrust.org.uk/family-zone/9-12/book-hopes/

Inside this book are many worlds. Inside this book you will find beautifully written poems and beautifully drawn illustrations. A treasure trove of famous classics and new and exciting poems, this is a great read for students of all ages.

It's Christmas in the bush and the sun burns hotly through the gums. Down the road old Rogan comes for a bite of tucker and a beer. Mum's in the kitchen cooking up a turkey and plum pudding. A famous Australian poem revisited.

A collection of poems connected by many of the key days and celebrations throughout the year in Australia. It includes special days such as Chinese New Year, Harmony Day, Diwali, Ramadan and ANZAC Day, as well as important days like your birthday and the first day of school.

Kevin Gilbert is an Aboriginal artist and poet and his poems focus on the Australian outback, in particular, the fauna.

A rare and delightful collection of Spike Milligan's humour for children that includes 'Best of silly verse for kids', 'Milliganisms' and more.

Any three titles read from this series can be included as official Challenge books; up to five more titles can be included as your personal choice books. To see the individual book titles and their PRC ID numbers, go to the Series lists on the Booklists page, on the website. Or, you can search for a series name or the individual titles by using the Search function on the top left hand corner of the screen.

At last the true, well almost, story of how cricket was invented. Told in rollicking verse and with zany illustrations, this book will bowl you over.

Friends and bullies, first day and last day, school dinners, playtime and staffroom stowaways. This book is all about your school so open the door and enter. Fifty fantastic poems about school that will speak to anyone who has ever started at a new school, been bullied or is just feeling a little lost at school.

"With a bolt of lightning on my kicks . . .The court is SIZZLING. My sweat is DRIZZLING. Stop all that quivering. Cuz tonight I'm delivering," announces dread-locked, 12-year old Josh Bell. He and his twin brother Jordan are awesome on the court. But Josh has more than basketball in his blood, he's got mad beats, too, that tell his family's story in verse, in this fast and furious novel of family and brotherhood.

Deadly Sisters of Worawa, written by thirteen young women from Worawa Aboriginal College, was produced during an Indigenous Literacy Foundation writing workshop. In their book, the students write about themselves, their families, their sacred places and the things they've achieved that make them proud. They've also written some powerful and moving poetry, and created some amazing artwork, all of which combined reveals how deadly these Worawa sisters are.

Fifteen poems by an Aboriginal author are illustrated with vibrant colours and borders.

The last of the thylacine, or Tasmanian Tigers, died in Hobart Zoo in the late 1930s. With actual images of this animal incorporated within the text and landscapes, you can almost feel its anguished cry for freedom. The verse is powerful and succinct urging a respect for what is no more.

Any three titles read from this series can be included as official Challenge books; up to five more titles can be included as your personal choice books. To see the individual book titles and their PRC ID numbers, go to the Series lists on the Booklists page, on the website. Or, you can search for a series name or the individual titles by using the Search function on the top left hand corner of the screen.

A collection of school yard play rhymes.

How much do you know about Australian animals? Have you ever heard of the Pobblebonk who lives underground? Or how about the deadly Assassin Bug? Or maybe you are familiar with Boyd's Forest Dragon? These are just some of the weird and wonderful but 100% real animals you will meet in Faunaverse. A collection of poems aimed at educating readers about Australia's unknown and misunderstood wildlife. The poems are loaded with facts and information, perfect for curious minds of all ages. Poems are accompanied by beautiful wildlife photography by the authors.

In a world of shadows and ruin, a majestic feather drifts from the clouds to bring redemption and hope.

Start a poem with Michael Rosen, act out a story with Julia Donaldson and get doodling with Chris Riddell. In this lively anthology, bursting with scraps of stories, poems, plays and pictures, the UK's best-loved writers and illustrators share their top tips and ideas to inspire budding artists and writers. What are you waiting for? Discover your creativity now!

A treasury of stories, poems and plays celebrating one hundred years of The School Magazine. Discover some of the finest writing and illustration from the pages of the longest running children's magazine in the world. Meet larrikins and chatterboxes, brave hearts and lost souls, best mates and wise elders. Encounter ghosts and fairies, monsters and aliens, a cranky parrot and a talking carrot.

Girls can fly! Every girl is the star in her own life story. Stretch out your arms, aim for your dreams, believe in your wings and breathe in the sky. Girl for you, anything is possible. Your future is amazing. Fly high!

From simple acts of kindness, to the creativity within us all, The Great Realisation is a celebration of the many things that have brought us together at a time of crisis. It captures, with magical resonance, the thoughts and feelings of millions worldwide as we adapt to a new way of life, cast aside old habits and reflect on what truly matters to us. It is a story for all readers, young or old, who dare to dream of a fairer, kinder, more loving world.

Heracles and Theseus are the subjects of humorous poems.

With sections on birds, Australian animals, pets, marine animals, farm animals, 'creepy crawly' ones and those in the wild, here is a huge variety of subject matter in many poetic forms including haiku, rhyming and non-rhyming verse using language to create wonderful word pictures for all who love animals as well as those who don't.

Jack is pleased that Mrs Stretchberry is his teacher again this year. The only problem is she likes cats and he hates them. Or, at least, he does until he gets to know some kittens and reads some poetry about cats.

A joyous compilation of short stories, poems and artwork by 30 renowned Australian authors & illustrators. A CD of music is included.

I am a non-stop ball of energy. Powerful and full of light. I am a go-getter. A difference-maker. A leader. Step inside the mind of the confident narrator of this book! He is proud of everything that makes him who he is. He's got big plans, and will see them through. He's creative, adventurous, smart, funny. A good friend. A superhero. Sometimes he falls, but he always gets back up. And other times he's afraid, because he's often misunderstood. So, slow down, look and listen as he shows you who he really is ...

In the final freeze of an Antarctic winter, green tails wave across a star-full sky, as if to farewell endless nights. If this world looks empty, look closer ... Penguins trek across the ice to their winter homes. As the temperature warms, birds fly above on their long migrations. And with the advent of summer, beneath an iceberg, the sea is teeming with life. Ocean, sky, snow and ice - minute greens and giant blues - dance a delicate dance in this evocative portrayal of the life cycle of an iceberg.

This book is full of many different types of poetry. There are advertising jingles, football chants and even raps. There are also some brilliant tips to help you write poetry of your own.

Can you walk and talk at the same time? How about Jabberwalk? Can you write and draw and walk and journal all at the same time? If not, you're in luck: exuberant, blue-cheesy cilantro man Juan Felipe Herrera, Poet Laureate of the United States, is here to teach you everything he knows about being a real-life, bonified, Jabberwalking poet! Jabberwalkers write and speak for themselves and others no matter where their feet may take them - to Jabberwalk is to be a poet on the move. And there's no stopping once you're a Jabberwalker, writing fast, fast, fast, scribble-poem-burbles-on-the-run. Scribble what you see! Scribble what you hear! It's all out there - vamonos!

Monsters, snarks, Alice in Wonderland retellings, Jabberwocky-inspired poems, fairies, dancing elephants and talking mice... thrilling, creepy, funky and spooky! Stories and poems inspired by the greatest storyteller of our time.

A vibrant collection of poetry designed to introduce readers to a wide variety of poetic forms.

A group of Aboriginal children rap and chant their way through a day at the Melbourne Commonwealth Games, and learn about their culture from their Elders.

Narrative poem about an endearingly unassuming, straight-talking boy who discovers the powers and pleasures of the poems studied at school with his teacher, Ms Stretchberry. He creates a poem about his new dog and writes to one of the poets.

When the man from Ironbark visits the local town for a shave, chaos ensues. Because of a Sydney barber's joke on one of their men, long beards become the fashion in a small Australian settlement.

A classic collection of forty-six poems by Banjo Paterson.

The full text of the classic poem is beautifully illustrated and includes a CD of an unabridged recording.

A humorous anthology of poetry including poems on Odysseus in Greek mythology.

A classic collection of humorous Australian poems.

The poem, My Country, is widely regarded as the universal statement of why Australians love their country. Stunning watercolour illustrations capture the diversity of the landscape and its colours.

Sisters with beards, exploding bullies, a nightmare driving test, a girl whisked away by aliens and poor old Uncle Norm who got sucked up in a lightning storm. A collection of quirky, delicious and outrageously funny poems.

Funny and, sometimes, poignant verse novel about the kids in class 6C. They get a new male teacher, a pony-tailed hippy, who helps them put on an end of year concert.

Tara Finn has always loved books and reading. When she was five, she told everyone she was going to be a writer, and at age ten she has published a collection of over thirty of her poems.

Ron's family is broken. He isn't able to live with his mum or dad. Now he's being fostered by his aunt who has three sons of her own. It's a chaotic, angry environment, and Ron isn't at all happy. When strangers, Rosie and Bob, offer to care for him, he jumps at the chance. It's the kind of home he's always dreamed of. There is only one thing missing. He aches to be with his dad.

Full of warmth and humour, the poems provide snapshots of everyday family life, the fun of a beach holiday, raiding the fridge after school, fighting over whose turn it is to do the dishes, camping in the backyard and much more.

A varied collection of poems about travel from dragons on buses to visiting Jupiter. A thought-provoking anthology with fantastic illustrations.

Two brothers couldn't be more different. Shaun excels at everything, both in the classroom and on the field. His younger brother, Toby, has a stumbly, fumbly body and can't do anything well. He thinks Sports Day is the worst day of the year. So, Shaun can't understand why Toby gets a laptop or why he is now being trained by Toby's coach, and coming to an elite Athletics Camp. It's just not fair.

Jude never thought she'd be leaving her beloved older brother and father behind, all the way across the ocean in Syria. But when things in her hometown start becoming volatile, Jude and her mother are sent to live in Cincinnati with relatives. At first, everything in America seems too fast and too loud. The American movies that Jude has always loved haven't quite prepared her for starting school in the US and her new label of "Middle Eastern", an identity she's never known before. But this life also brings unexpected surprises there are new friends, a whole new family, and a school musical that Jude might just try out for. Maybe America, too, is a place where Jude can be seen as she really is.

Poetry is magical and funny, and tells stories about life. This collection includes forty-five different kinds of poems, by thirty-five Australian poets. They share, reveal and confess parts of their life experiences in passionate, angry, absurd, moving and hilarious ways.

Adapted from Briggs' celebrated song 'The Children Came Back', Our Home, Our Heartbeat is a celebration of past and present Indigenous legends, as well as emerging generations, and at its heart honours the oldest continuous culture on earth.

This is a collection of Australian poetry.

At school, Pearl feels as though she is in a group of one. Her teacher wants her to write poems that rhyme but Pearl's poems don't. At home, however, Pearl feels safe and loved but her grandmother is slowly fading, and so are Mum and Pearl. When her grandmother eventually passes away, Pearl wants life to go back to the way it was.

Enjoy this collection of bright, witty, powerful and dark poems, written by students from five to seventeen years for The Taronga Foundation poetry prize.

Includes a wide variety of Australian poems - humorous, reflective, serious and wise.

In a country town, the kids in class 6A tell their stories. Mick, school captain and sometimes trouble-maker, wants to make the school a better place, while brother Jacob just wants to fly. Shy Laura hopes to fit in with a circle of friends, while Pete struggles to deal with his grandpa's sudden death. Selina obsesses over class comedian Cameron, while Cameron obsesses over Anzac biscuits and Pookie Aleera - whoever that is.

Raps and chants of appeal to Aboriginal children, written by Indigenous Australians.

Twelve year old Amira's dream is to go to school. But, life in her peaceful Sudanese village is shattered when the terrifying Janjaweed militia arrives. They burn her village and unleash unspeakable horrors. Amira needs to find the strength to make the long journey, on foot, to a refugee camp. Life is tough at the camp until the gift of a simple red pencil opens her mind and all kinds of possibilities. Verse novel about real events.

A collection of well-crafted literary poems with a rural theme.

Pride. Popularity . . . Poetry Middle school. Ruby and Mia are total opposites: Ruby is a little awkward, not a "joiner," and loves to write poetry. While Mia is type A, popular(ish), and wants to be class prez. They used to be friends. But now they have nothing in common anymore. . . . Or do they?

Quite gory but always funny, classic tales retold in a collection for those who love their fairy tales with a satirical, and worldly twist. Meet Cinderella, a young woman who wants to marry a nice, ordinary man and Goldilocks, the house-breaker.

Enjoy this wonderful variety of short stories, poetry and artwork from forty-eight of Australia's best creators. Find out about a knitting needle ninja, a violin that comes to life, a cat with many names, a love that cannot be bought, an alien invasion and so much more. From humour to horror, thriller to fantasy, encompassing the past, the present and the future.

This is an illustrated, rhyming book with modern language and scenarios in which Sharon is marrying Jase and moving into his shed which is not quite big enough. Jase has an interesting solution to the problem.

Diverse poems for girls bringing together some modern verse and some nostalgic classics. Moving and uplifting, these poems will help girls to find their place in the world.

An aquatic, colourful gangster tale with a cautionary moral that greed is bad.

Abby Smart is planning to have the most awesome year ever. She's the leader of the Smart Girls Club and after winning the talent quest, her dream to be a musical singer looks like it might come true. And then Stella turns up, fluttering her mascara eyelashes. She's way too cool for little old Kangaroo Valley. Worst of all, she's making Abby's friends like ridiculous things such as makeup and new music! Abby's plans to have a great year are being turned into dog food. Will Abby follow her friends, or follow her dreams? Because she can't have both. After all, Smart Girls don't wear mascara!

Slam poet and social advocate Solli Raphael shines a spotlight on the concerns teenagers face today with over 30 impressive new poems and performance pieces. He shares his experiences of helping to create change and contribute to a sustainable world. Packed with activities for kids and teens to find their own voices, everyone can be proactive in shaping the future.

Ruby's family and the dairy farm are struggling through the drought. Life isn't easy, but Ruby is determined to do her own bit to help save her family and the farm.

This is a book for everybody. Welcome! Take a seat! And listen carefully, because this story has a heartbeat. Can you feel it, there in your chest? Legendary storyteller Boori Monty Pryor invites us to travel with him from the first footsteps through 80,000+ years of strength, sickness, and immense possibility. From the very first stories and art, to dance, language, and connection with the land, Boori offers a powerful, beautiful, and deeply rich account of Australia's true history, drawing on a lifetime of wisdom, and on his generous instinct to teach and heal.

Freya has moved with her mother from a regional area to the inner city of Melbourne. She has left behind her two best friends, her basketball team and the world she loves the most. She is stuck and needs to develop resilience for a whole lot of issues that come her way: school, kids, netball, eleventh floor apartment and just being the new girl on the block. What is the connection between Freya and the illuminated skipping girl on the side of her building? Can Freya figure out how to belong on Vinegar Street?

Chester Choi is one bad Chinese dragon. He just loves children... eating them, that is! But Chester has a secret - he's desperately lonely and what he really wants is a friend.

Meet Oswald Ox. Bone idle on the farm, just chewing his cud and rolling in the mud, while all the other animals are hard at work. No wonder he's in trouble! Then the winter stores go missing, and Oswald is firmly in the frame. Will wisdom and dignity triumph over meanness and greed?

Pin Yin is a giant panda living in the misty Sichuan forests in China... but she isn't just any giant panda. She's got beautiful, brains and a healthy ego to match! On Chinese New Year's Eve, she makes a surprise announcement - this year is going to be The Year of the Panda. Will the tradition of a millennia be swept aside or will this practically perfect panda be put in her place?

It's 221BC, and the mighty Emperor Qin Shi Huang is not amused. Somebody or something is stealing from the royal vegetable patch! Enter Rhonda Rabbit, one very bad bunny, with extremely annoying habits and an appetite to match! Will the Emperor save his greens, or will Rhonda Rabbit live to crunch another day?

Meet Run Run Rat - a loveable rodent with a mission. He's determined to find fame and glory when he sets out to travel the length and breadth of China. But fame and glory find him in the most unexpected way when he reaches Beijing on the eve of the Olympics Marathon.

Everybody adores Sybil Snake - she's beautiful, clever and extremely charming. But all is not as it seems ion the Emperor's menagerie and Sybil is more of an enchantress that meets the eye.

Temujin the Tiger is the Terror of the East. He's wrought a trail of destruction and fine dining from Mongolia right up to the gates of the Grand Imperial Palace in China! But Princess Precious is pretty awful as well, with a talent for tantrums and an ear-piercing scream! Watch what happens when two irresistible forces collide!

Have you ever had a chaotic birthday party? Have you ever eaten your Teddy Bear? Do you ever wish you had the power to bring an object to life, or to speak to birds? Have you ever done odd jobs around the house to earn pocket money? Do you wish you could speak a secret language? Then this is the magazine for you! Flip open the pages and enjoy your reading adventure! An amazing publication written by Ursula Dubosarsky, the 2020-2021 Australian Children's Laureate, produced by The School Magazine team of the NSW Department of Education 2020.

An excellent collection of clever poems. The dialogue between student and teacher in Troy's school exercise book is all written in poetry. Just like Mrs Kranke, Troy's teacher, this book will encourage a love of poetry.

A story in rhyme about a girl who wants to stand on her head. Mary attends a school where one of the school rules is never to stand on your head. Mary is very wilful and there is no stopping her.

The book's title, Ubiquitous, means something that is, or seems to be, everywhere at the same time. Through beautifully illustrated poems, this book investigates the natural world, from the single-celled bacteria and diatom to the ever-present ant and dandelion, and describes how these very special life-forms avoided extinction to become nature's survivors.

When Nurah's family moves from Karachi, Pakistan, to Peachtree City, Georgia, all she really wants is to blend in, but she stands out for all the wrong reasons. Nurah's accent, floral-print kurtas, and tea-colored skin make her feel excluded, and she's left to eat lunch alone under the stairwell, until she meets Stahr at swimming tryouts. Stahr covers her body when in the water, just like Nurah, but for very different reasons. But in the water Nurah doesn't want to blend in: She wants to stand out. She wants to win medals like her star athlete brother, Owais - who is going through struggles of his own in America - yet when sibling rivalry gets in the way, she makes a split-second decision of betrayal that changes their fates. As Nurah slowly begins to sprout wings in the form of strong swimming arms, she gradually gains the courage to stand up to bullies, fight for what she believes in, and find her place.

Wabi Sabi, the little cat, sets out to find out the meaning of her name. Beautifully told and illustrated in the Japanese style with a special form of stylised Haiku poetry as a main feature.

An anthology of over eighty, memorable poems by a variety of poets, William Shakespeare, Banjo Paterson, W B Yeats, Emily Dickinson, Edward Lear and Carl Sandburg. The book includes colour illustrations, biographical sketches and paintings.

In 1915, Australia's much-loved bush poet, Banjo Paterson, wrote a poem as an open letter to the troops fighting in World War l.

Over many years as a working poet, Michael Rosen has thought a great deal about what poems are, what they can do and the pleasure that comes from writing and reading poetry. In this invaluable handbook, he shares this knowledge and experience in book form for the very first time. Starting with a detailed analysis of a number of classic poems, he offers a real "writer's guide" to writing and performing poems, as well as a wealth of technical information and tips. He then takes a fascinating look at a selection of his own poems and explains how and why he wrote them.

Lucy and Dad move a lot, so its hard to make friends. Lucy's glad she has snail, the perfect pet for a lonely girl. If only she had her own shell to hide in every time she started a new school. But this place is different. She likes her teacher, her classmates and the caravan park. This place feels like home. Can she convince her Dad to stay?

When you're part of the team the sideline is a place of refuge of rest of reprieve. But when you're out of the team the sideline changes. Suddenly it's the loneliest place of them all. After a devastating football injury, Blake struggles to cope with life on the sideline. Jolene, a gifted but conflicted hockey player, wants nothing more than for her dad to come home. And soccer-loving refugee, Amed, wants to belong. On the surface, it seems they have nothing in common. Except sport. A touching and inspirational story about the things that bind us all.

In this fabulous book are fourteen songs, ten in Walmajarri language about four in English, all beautifully illustrated by the kids from the Yakanarra Community School. There are songs about how the Walmajarri come to Yakanarra, their special places, the animals and birds and the sounds that they make, hunting, fishing and collecting bush food, and more. The songs, sung to the tunes of well known classics, were written to help the kids at Yakanarra speak Walmajarri, but this is a book to be treasured and enjoyed by everyone.

Here are our deadly poems and stories. They talk about life, adventures, hard times and happy times. They are powerful, intelligent, funny and sometimes scary. You'll want to read them again and again. The Yirara Mix Book is a collection of short stories and poems from young Indigenous writers from Yarara College in Alice Springs.