The Tent

A few years ago I read Gary Paulsen's My Life in Dog Years with my young son. It was an astonishing read. A memoir told via the canine companions that packs a powerful emotional punch. It was too much for a read to a sensitive young child actually, he was in tears at some of it. But I remembered the power of that book, so that when I saw a copy of The Tent on the sale table at my library last year I snapped it up.

I was always a bit daunted to pick this book up, because it is subtitled- A Parable in One Sitting. I often don't have time to read 80 pages at once. But if you put it on the cover it's like an instruction to be obeyed. Today I took the chance to pick it up in honour of this weekends Dewey's 24 Hour Readathon. I've not had the opportunity to participate in a readathon yet- but I do love the concept, so the planets will align one time I'm sure.

The Tent was an interesting read. Fourteen year old Steven is living with his father Corey in reduced circumstances in Texas. Corey had been laid off from his job a few years ago, and his minimum wage job can't pay for their trailer park home. Corey comes up with a money making scheme to become a travelling evangelist touring small town Texas, which comes as a bit of a surprise to Steven.

"God?" Steven stared at his father. In fourteen years Steven had never heard his father mention God- not counting the time he'd slammed his thumb with a framing hammer. They had never been to church, never studied the Bible, never spoken of anything even remotely religious.

Corey fits out an old army tent with some seats and a plywood pulpit and then Corey and Steve set off on their preaching adventure. The Tent wasn't as astonishing as My Life in Dog Years, but it's always difficult to read a second book by an author when the first one was so amazing. But I did read it in one sitting as instructed. I look forward to reading more of Gary Paulsen.

Bar-tailed Godwits Excellent Adventure

One of the reasons we travelled to Farewell Spit recently was to see some Bar tailed Godwits. These amazing birds travel down to New Zealand from their breeding grounds in Alaska. They spend the New Zealand summer feeding, and getting ready to head back north.

Sadly even though our trip out onto Farewell Spit was amazing, we didn't see any godwits. We did see other birds that day, and I'll show you those some other time, but I was especially keen to see the godwits. It had become a bit of a quest.

So it was a very exciting moment to see a lot of bird shapes at Taupata Stream the following day on high tide (the best time for seeing sea birds). Would these be godwits?

It was almost too much to hope for.

There were groups of different sea birds

And there they were!

hanging with some white-fronted terns

and some Pied Oystercatchers too

Bar-tailed Godwit (Limosa lapponica)

Driving further around the bay we found more birds at Pakawau!

There were godwits there too!
Later we even found them at Nelson....
Which just goes to show that you need to look at what's around you

At Pakawau there was a great sign showing us how far these extraordinary birds have come.

Their journey south is the longest known non-stop flight of any bird
Which they do in an incredible 7-9 days
They have an even longer journey home, but make a stop in Asia!

The pohutakawa were beautiful that day too. 

Saturday Snapshot, is a wonderful weekly meme from at home with books

A Day to Remember

My love affair with both Jackie French and Mark Wilson continues. I've gushed over Jackie French quite a few times here, so much so that she has her own label. I've never blogged about Mark Wilson before, but I've read a number of his books, he illustrated a great series of books on extinct animals with Gary Crew (who also really deserves a presence on this blog- an oversight that I hope to remedy soon). 

I'd seen A Day to Remember around last year, but had not got a copy, then recently I saw a stack in the shops again, and with Anzac Day coming up I knew it's time had come so I bought one. 

Jackie French and Mark Wilson have created an extraordinary book which has rightly been shorlisted for the Children's Book Council of Australia Picture Book Award 2013. 

Anzac Day, April 25, is an important day in Australia (and other places around the world, but I mainly know about Australia). It commemorates the landing of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps on the Gallipoli Peninsula in 1915. A Day to Remember traces the history of Anzac Day, from the story of those courageous but hapless young boys in 1915 through to modern times. 

The purpose of Anzac Day has changed over time. On the first few Anzac Days World War I was still going, "floundered in the mud of France and Belgium." The Anzac Day commemoration was to help enlist more young men for the war effort. 

It's fascinating to know that the first dawn service was an impromptu affair  in Martin Place in 1927. 

In the grey light of dawn, in Sydney, an old woman laid a wreath of flowers at the Sydney Cenotaph, not yet finished as a memorial to the Anzacs. A small group of returned soldiers, coming home late after a reunion the night before, joined her.

 They remembered the first dawn landing and the Last Post bugle call played each night, to signal that the night's sentries were on guard, and that the camp could sleep. They promised that next year there would be a service here at dawn. 

A Day to Remember reminds us that of course the War to End All Wars didn't actually end war, and that young lives are still being lost in conflicts around the world. At the end A Day to Remember cleverly looks forward towards those Anzac Days to come, to remembrance ceremonies that will held around the world, commemorating those who served and fell in many lands. 

Interesting to learn that those famous words were written in 1914,
before Gallipoli, in the first months of World War I. 

A Day to Remember is an important book, that every Australian, child or adult, should read and ponder.

http://australianwomenwriters.com

Screensaver

I recently got a new lap top, and as a surprise the thoughtful Mr Wicker set up a screensaver for me.

You can see why I love it....

It's a kaleidoscope of memories from my last trip to Paris, and a taste of things to come. 

Dreaming of France, a great Monday meme from Paulita at An Accidental Blog

Forage 2013

Today I was lucky to go to the third Forage event as part of F.O.O.D Week 2013. I've been for the last two years and have watched the event grow. From humble beginnings two years ago, there were 750 happy foragers today! The weather for the last two years, has been sensational- the first year in 2011 it was a perfect autumn day, last year it actually got quite hot. This was clearly the year something had to change. Today it was cold, quite cold at times, and pretty windy. Still the rain held off and it was another great event.

An extra station this year
to accommodate the extra crowds

Caramelised onion, olive and feta tart

A new local sparkling from Swift
that really made me wish I was drinking
everyone said it was great

Lovely autumn colours

Absolutely delicious

Nature put on quite a show today too
Possibly a wedge tailed eagle, it was very big

Squint hard, there's a kangaroo middle of the frame

Braised Chicken and Wild Mushroom Pie from Tonic
Tasty filling, and fabulous pastry

Gorgeous local apples

The wind was doing weird things in the dams

The dance floor went off!
Blister in the Sun
Absolutely nothing to do with vast quantities of red wine I'm sure

The late afternoon light was divine
even if it was getting more chilly

Gina Allen's lovely Blood Plum and Star Anise Sorbet

Spiced Beurre Bosc Pear and Hazelnut Praline Tiramisu
from Lolli Redini

Saturday Snapshot, is a wonderful weekly meme from at home with books

Hitler's Daughter

Original cover,
which doesn't do the book any justice I think

Jackie French is one of my favourite Australian authors. I particularly loved Nanberry in 2011. I was so excited when I got to see her speak at the Melbourne Writers Festival in 2012. She is quite astonishing in the range of stories she tackles and genres- picture books, nonfiction, books for older kids and adults. I think that perhaps historical fiction is where she shines best. She's amazing though.

I write because I believe that giving children fiction is one of the most valuable things you can give them. When you tell a children’s story, you are telling them life holds other possibilities. Encouraging fantasies of mermaids and unicorns just around the corner, may well foster creative imaginations that one day lead to social reform, or new theories of the origin of the universe, or simply, a knowing that life can be better. Source.

I was naturally excited when Master Wicker brought home his first ever English book from high school a few months ago. I was even more thrilled when it was Hitler's Daughter, winner of the Children's Book Council of Australia Book of the Year for Younger Readers in 2000. A really interesting double story- a group of four country kids waiting for the school bus each day play a game where they tell stories to pass the time. All sorts of stories- about disappearing fish and secret passages under the school.

This rainy day Anna starts to tell a story about Hitler's unknown daughter Heidi. In a stroke of brilliance Heidi has dark hair, an obvious birthmark on her face and a limp. Heidi is hidden away, rarely seeing her father. He does visit her briefly from time to time, but even his gifts make her sad- the dolls with long blond hair "made her cry secretly at night, because they were beautiful and she was not." The story switches back and forth between our modern kids waiting for the bus during a rather prolonged rainy week, and Heidi living out her life in Germany during the war. 

Jackie French likes being a bit subversive. In Hitler's Daughter she dares to suggest that parents might do things that are evil, or believe things that are wrong. 

'All the things your mum and dad believe in- have you ever really wondered if they are right or wrong? Or do you just think that they're right because that's what your mum and dad think, so it has to be right?'

At 136 pages Hitler's Daughter is a super quick read. It manages to be a really interesting story and give you plenty to think about. Those clever folks at Monkey Baa have turned it into a play- I'd love to see it sometime. Recently the rather prolific Jackie released a companion book, Pennies for Hitler. It has been shortlisted for the Childrens Book Council of Australia Book of the Year for Younger Readers this year.

A far better modern cover

http://australianwomenwriters.com

202/1001

1001 Children's Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up

I can't really believe that I haven't written about this book specifically before, as it's become a rather large part of my life. Back in 2006 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die came out. Of course I bought it. Naturally I browsed it quite a bit and idly dreamed that one day I would read all those books, but I really knew I wouldn't.

Then in 2009 1001 Children's Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up was published. I was very excited about it, and requested it as a Christmas present. I poured over it, reading much of it over the next few lazy post Christmas days. Then I knew. I wanted to read all of these books. (The list is available here if you want to have a peek). So I decided to do it. And started my quest. I even started a group at Yahoo to see if anyone else wanted to join me on my quest, and happily they did.

I can't remember how many of these books I'd accidentally read before embarking on this quest, but now I've read 206/1001, which is pretty good as quests go I reckon, and the fire is still burning bright. Back in 1999 I started on a quest to read all of the Booker Prize finalists, a quest which was fun, but has sadly stalled for the time being. I hope I'll get back to that one day, although of course the challenge will be all the larger as it grows each and every year.

So far my 1001 quest has taken me to some rather amazing places. Quite a number of classics that I should have read before- Jules Verne's Journey to the Centre of the Earth, Kenneth Grahame's The Wind in the Willows, and Alexander Dumas' The Three Musketeers. And I have discovered many wonderful authors new to me- Lois Lowry, Eoin Colfer, David Almond, E.L Konigsburg, Martine Murray. All of these books are designed to appeal to children of course, but there is much food for thought and enjoyment for the adult reader as well.

My major disappointment with this book is that quite a number of the books are unobtainable to some extent- some are out of print, but that just really adds the thrill of the chase. Many though are not available in English, indeed never appear to have been translated. While I can struggle through the occasional picture book in French, I really am not up to reading larger tomes in Catalan, Polish, Spanish and all the Scandinavian languages. What exactly is the point of including those? It's rather frustrating, and I hope that one day a revised edition will be released where the books are at least theoretically obtainable in the English.

Will I ever get to grow up? I don't know. If I ever do perhaps I will move on to the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die? Although even that has become more difficult. I see that there are now three editions- the original 2006 edition that I have, which was then updated and revised in 2008 and 2010. So there aren't 1001 books anymore, there are 1294 books. That old TBR never gets any easier does it?

Books about Books Challenge