Scholastic Teacher Essentials: Issue 3 2024

READING IS MAGIC!

CBCA 2024

802. NEW!

ABORIGINAL SCIENCE TOPIC CARDS

These cards contain examples of the scientific ingenuity of Aboriginal people, and can be used as a starting point for teaching about the role of science in Aboriginal culture. 25 double-sided, A6-sized cards. $49.99 TE $45.00

SET

SAVE $ 54 95

801. NEW! CBCA 2024 NOTABLES LIST PACK PICTURE BOOK OF THE YEAR

5 hardcovers, each 32 pp. $123.95 TE $69.00

803. NEW!

MAGNETIC PUNCTUATION

Jumbo-sized, colourful punctuation magnets, perfect for whole class instruction. Includes 4 full stops, 4 apostrophes, 4 commas, 2 colons, 2 semi-colons, 3 question marks, 3 exclamation marks, 4 brackets, 4 double inverted commas, 4 single inverted commas, 1 ellipsis and 1 hyphen. $35.00 TE $25.00

36

CBCA 2024 NOTABLE TITLES

Congratulations to all CBCA Notables Authors, Illustrators and Publishers for 2024. Here is a selection of CBCA 2024 Notable Books, from the Early Childhood category to the Eve Pownall Award, for your reading pleasure!

804. CBCA 2024 NOTABLES LIST PACK - EARLY CHILDHOOD

5 hardcovers, 24-32 pp.

$122.95 TE $95.00

YOUNGER READERS

SAVE $ 29.95

805. CBCA 2024 NOTABLES LIST PACK

YOUNGER READERS

5 books, 192-304 pp.

$84.95 TE $55.00

SET OF 5 HARDCOVERS

EARLY CHILDHOOD

SAVE $ 27.95

SET OF 5 BOOKS

806. CBCA 2024 NOTABLES LIST PACK OLDER READERS

807. CBCA 2024 NOTABLES LIST PACK

32-40 pp.

FOR THE LOVE OF OUTSIDE

$24.99 TE $22.00

$26.99 TE $24.00

$27.99 TE $25.00

$24.99 TE $22.00

240 pp.

$16.99 TE $15.00

$26.99 TE $16.00

808. NEW! Footprint

A lyrical, meditative journey through nature, pondering the footprint humans have left on the Earth. 24-pp hardcover.

809. NEW! The Last Zookeeper

Noah’s Ark is reimagined into a wordless, sci-fi parable, that both cautions and inspires about the future of climate change. 40-pp hardcover.

810. NEW! Seed to Sky: Life in the Daintree Marvel at the two-century growth of a Bull Kauri Pine seed in the Daintree Rainforest. 32-pp hardcover.

811. NEW! Tree Scientific research, lyrical language and stunning illustrations combine to explore the fascinating world of a tree. 24-pp hardcover.

812. NEW! The Tree that Sang to Me

A dyslexia-friendly verse story of friendship, family and self-discovery.

813. NEW! The Land Recalls You

A moving tribute to the Stolen Generations and the endurance of connection to Country. 24-pp hardcover.

THE PASSAGE OF TIME

$25.99 TE $22.00

32-pp

$26.99 TE $24.00

816. NEW!

How to Move a Zoo

The 1916 true story of Jessie the elephant and her relocation to Taronga Zoological Gardens. 32-pp hardcover.

$24.99 TE $22.00

$14.99 TE $12.00

817. NEW!

The Battle for Victoria Street It’s 1973 and Billie and her family join the protest on Victoria Street to save their home. 224 pp.

$16.99

TE $12.00

96 pp.

$34.99 TE $30.00

814. NEW! Book of Hours

A poignant exploration of the moments that make a life, beginning to end. A valuable text for teaching narrative sequencing. 32-pp hardcover.

815. NEW! Tearaway Coach!

A breathless story of bushrangers, danger, and escape, as Fen finds himself holding the reins of the tearaway coach.

hardcover.

818. NEW! Wongutha Tales: Bawoo Stories & Badudu Stories

A unique collection of Wongutha teaching stories, as told by one of Australia’s first Indigenous teachers, May L. O’Brien. 96 pp.

819. NEW! When the World Was Soft

A ground-breaking graphic novel sharing the stories of Yindjibarndi Creation-times.

GRAPHIC NOVEL!

YOUR WORLD AND YOU

Your Brilliant Brain

The most fascinating part of the human body, vibrantly explored with Philip Bunting’s signature wit. 32-pp hardcover.

$24.99

TE $17.00

A powerful look at what makes a family and how different families are created, celebrating the uniqueness of each and every variety. 32-pp hardcover.

$39.99 TE $25.00

Beautifully illustrated nonfiction picture books that sensitively explain issues affecting children around the world. Each 32 pp. $79.96 TE $39.00

A fun and informative series teaching students to make maps of their school, country, and the whole planet! 3 hardcovers, each 24 pp. $83.97 TE $39.00

Students can explore how other people work, play, learn and live in this diverse series. 5 hardcovers, each 24 pp. $139.95 TE $39.00

820. NEW!

823. NEW!

Mapping My World 3-Pack

824. Life Around the World 5-Pack

822. My Family, Your Family

821. Children in Our World 4-Pack

The Great Australian Science Book

A full scope scientific journey including details of Australia’s huge contributions to science.

96-pp hardcover.

$29.99 TE $26.00

15 x-rays. 15 x-rays and teaching guide.

$109.99 TE $72.00

Engaging imagery and simple information combine to equip young students with the digital skills they need to live and learn in the virtual world. 3 hardcovers, each 24 pp. $86.97 TE $22.00

Gaming 4-Pack Hands-on guides encouraging gamers to investigate the science behind what they see on screen.

4 hardcovers, each 32 pp.

$115.96 TE $32.00

Students learn the science behind real-world machines as they build twisting, turning creations.

60 pieces.

$49.99 TE $45.00

A high quality, sustainable construction set for hands-on STEM learning.

52-piece set including 16 rods, 16 metal spheres and 20 panels. Includes durable plastic storage box.

$54.99 TE $49.00

Students use sturdy plastic gears to build designs included in the activity guide, or design and build their own contraptions. 44 pieces.

$39.99 TE $36.00

825. NEW!

826. NEW! Science of

827. Broken Bones X-Rays Harness students’ fascination with broken bones with

829. NEW! Computers and Coding 3-Pack

830. Geomag Classic Panels

831. Gears! Gears! Gears! FlightGears

15 X-RAYS + TEACHING GUIDE 52

44 PIECES

828. STEM Explorers Machine Makers

60 PIECES

DECODING LETTERS AND SOUNDS

Big Books Fiction

Group instruction of the Science of Reading is made simple with six big books covering Letters and Sounds phases 2-4.

6 big books measuring 42cm x 30cm, each 8 pp.

$69.99 TE $65.00

Big Books Nonfiction Group decoding instruction is made simple with six big books covering Letters and Sounds phases 2-4.

6 big books measuring 42cm x 30cm, each 8 pp.

$69.99 TE $65.00

These readers guide children week-by-week through a Letters and Sounds program, providing them text-based context to practise their emerging reading skills.

60 readers, each 8 pp.

$249.99 TE $210.00

60 READERS

Full-colour photography and factual content work together to engage more reluctant readers.

60 readers, each 8 pp.

$249.99 TE $210.00

Tailored specifically for older, struggling readers, The Beanies serves as a comprehensive Hi-Lo Letters and Sounds instructional program spanning Phases 2-6.

60 readers, each 8 pp.

$249.99 TE $220.00

Begin to teach CVCs in an interactive, hands-on way as children identify objects and sound out their consonant, vowel, consonants, such as bat, fox and pig. Boxed set of 40 magnetic foam CVC objects.

$25.99 TE $24.00

832. Decodable

833. Decodable

834. Letters and Sounds Set 2 Fiction Boxed Set

835. Letters and Sounds Set 2 Nonfiction Boxed Set

836. Hi-Lo Diversity Decodables Set 2

40 PIECES

837. Rainbow CVC Objects

SET

60 READERS

SAVE $ 375.40

838. Booklife Readers

Pack D - Nonfiction

Provide students who better engage with nonfiction texts with a comprehensive decoding program. Set covers all Booklife Reader bands and showcases vibrant full-colour photography and fascinating facts.

60 readers, 16-24 pp.

$604.40 TE $229.00

839.

840. Decoding Dominoes

Students match durable melamine dominoes to correctly identify common CVC combinations and build decoding practice.

28 durable plastic tiles.

$19.99 TE $19.00

841. Decoding Flashcards

162 CARDS

Use these flashcards as differentiation for decoding instruction. Cards include common nouns to support language acquisition and sound buttons. 162 cards.

$19.99 TE $18.00

842. NEW! Preposition Puzzles

Students match words with pictures to see prepositions in action. Includes 48 pieces (12 complete puzzles).

$17.99 TE

5

5

843. Small Book Tub

844.

and

847. Slant Board

850. Sensory Fidget Tools

849. A4 Magnetic Whiteboard

846.

CONNOISSEUR OF COLOUR

A conversation with Bowerbird Blues author and illustrator Aura Parker

AURA PARKER has always been a writer. The author of Bowerbird Blues (Scholastic Australia), which is next year’s National Simultaneous Storytime (NSS) book, has seven children’s books under her belt and is known for her vibrant and captivating illustrations. Yet her books also demonstrate a keen command of language, especially when it comes to rhyme and lyric, and a deft hand at creating stories that are engaging for her young readers with a deep compassion for and curiosity about the natural world at their core. These are skills honed through a childhood spent writing diary entries and stories and being introduced to the joy of books and reading at a young age by her school librarian. Coupled with her background and professional experience in visual and graphic design, these skills have made Aura one of Australia’s most celebrated children’s authors.

We caught up with Aura to hear her thoughts on being selected as next year’s NSS author, her inspiration for creating Bowerbird Blues, her creative process and what libraries mean to her professionally and personally.

Firstly, congratulations on being selected for next year’s National Simultaneous Storytime. Can you tell us how you felt when you heard the news, and what it means to be selected?

Well, my publisher called and I had no idea what was coming. She asked me how I would feel about reading the book to 250 people and I said ‘Yes, of course’ because I do school visits and read to large groups quite often. And then she said ‘How would you feel about reading it to 2 million people?’ and I didn’t quite believe it, so I was really, really surprised. I am so excited. It is wonderful to have a book

shared so widely. It blows my mind. You know when you were little and you learn about infinity and outer space. It’s a bit like that — WOW! And NSS is something I have always admired. It is an honour to be part of this dearly loved event.

What initially inspired you to write Bowerbird Blues and what do you hope readers take away from the story?

Bowerbirds are the most fascinating, weird and wonderful birds. They’re foragers — they love the colour blue, they’re connoisseurs of colour. In nature, bowerbirds would be attracted to blue flowers and berries and would build their bowers (nests) to attract a mate, but with all the plastic in our environment, they end up building bowers out of artificial items. I hope the environmental message in my story stands out, as the plastic pollution in my illustrations highlights the need for change. Our bowerbird is attracted to all these material things, but ultimately that’s not what he’s looking for, he’s looking for real connection. So, the

story is about searching for something meaningful and that’s what I hope readers focus on, as well as fostering a curiosity and an interest in protecting the wonder and beauty of our environment.

The ‘blue’ of the title works on a couple of levels in this book. As you’ve explained, bowerbirds collect blue things, but the blue also refers to the sadness of knowing that something is missing in your life and your environment. Can you talk a little bit more about this?

Yes, it’s an intentional play on words. At the time that I was working on the sketches my father had just passed away and the bushfires were in full force. When you’re working on a book, it’s like when you listen to a song from your past — all the memories of that time get absorbed into the process. There is sadness in the grey page, our bowerbird has all this space around him, which conveys his isolation, footsteps showing how time has passed. The grey is metaphorical. It could be a bushfire, it could be something else — different readers will come to the story with different ideas about what that sadness or space could be. Without being a complete spoiler, I promise the book is heartwarming, joyful and uplifting and I am excited for us to get through the ‘wanting and wandering’ together and come out the other side. I think it’s a great choice for an early childhood audience because they are complex and emotional creatures too. We all have our grey days and this book doesn’t talk down to our youngest readers. I think it’s going to be really special.

You’re an author/illustrator; can you talk a little bit about your creative process? Do the illustrations and text develop in tandem or does one inform the other?

Photo: Honey Blue Photography

It varies, but usually the illustrations are guided by the story. With my rhyming texts — which this one isn’t entirely — I feel like I have to craft the text before I do the illustrations. That’s just to get the beat and rhythm right, as the rhyming couplets are trickier to edit later. With Bowerbird Blues and my first book, Twig, the text and pictures evolved together. I started with the idea and then wrote the text, but all the time I knew what I wanted it to look like. The tricky part is trying to make it look as good on the page as it does in my imagination.

During the final art phase, I asked Bruce Whatley (an amazing and very talented illustrator) if he would do some mentoring with me. I didn’t want the bird to be photorealistic, and I have an art style where I like to make things pretty and patterned, yet real bowerbirds have a harshness to them. Bruce really understood what I was trying to do. We talked on Zoom and I showed him the artwork and he made some encouraging comments that were really helpful, especially because my illustrations are a mixture of digital and traditional techniques, all created by hand. And so, the nickname that I give to my bowerbird is Bruce, and to the female bowerbird Rosie (Bruce’s wife and also an author).

You mentioned that Bowerbird Blues isn’t a rhyming text, strictly speaking. But there are moments of rhyme and the subtle use of other poetic devices, all of which work beautifully to convey a sense of movement in the text. Can you expand on this?

It never occurred to me to write Bowerbird Blues completely in rhyme, although it does slip in and out of it. I love rhyme, it can add fun and energy to the reading but this story needed quietness in places so the intensity could shine through too. I can’t remember deciding though, it’s more just the way

it came out. Young readers who attend storytime might not know the names of the literary devices just yet, but they can feel the language, the rhythm and the effects of how things are put together.

I’d like to pivot to libraries now as they are central to NSS’s aim of getting more kids reading, and raising awareness about the importance of literacy of all kinds and at all ages. What role have libraries played in your life as a reader and as an author?

I just think libraries are wonderful places and I am grateful for all the great unseen work librarians do. NSS is a great opportunity for us to read together, share our love of books, celebrate our libraries and focus on the fun of storytime. I have always thought enthusiasm can be contagious! Will it always be children’s books for you? Or are you interested in moving into different genres or age groups?

I visit lots of school libraries for Book Week to get kids excited about reading. I have a lot of love for libraries, and librarians have always been great allies to children’s authors in campaigning for literacy. I think librarians are a bit like bowerbirds, they collect and curate things! I have vivid memories of our school librarian reading aloud to us with such energy and passion in her voice, and she gave me a love of stories, an appreciation of language as well as encouragement and access to all the mystery and joy within those printed pages. When my children were young, our local library was a sanctuary, and we spent lots of time in the reading nook.

Wednesday

Children’s books are where my heart is, especially picture books as an art form. I hope children can explore Bowerbird Blues in print, because although it’s great we can read it on screen, it looks so much better on paper as it was intended to be and my endpapers are full of little things to find.

I’m trying to write a longer story and illustrate it, too. My books, even though they’re only about 300 words can take a long time to craft, so writing something that is say 20,000 words with sub-plots and lots of characters, I need a bigger block of time to sit and work on it. But I would like to write for older children too.

UNPACK TOUGH TOPICS

851. NEW! Unequal Planet

An accessible look at the reasons behind global inequality for students aged 9 and up.

48 pp.

$22.99 TE $18.00

853. NEW!

Wolves Will (not) be Wolves: A Modern-day Feminist Fairy Tale Children find out what cautionary tales look like when the onus of responsibility falls to the villain. 32-pp hardcover.

$26.99 TE $24.00

855. NEW! Drawn to Change the World Spotlighting sixteen incredible youth activists from around the world who are fighting to protect the planet. 208 pp.

$24.99 TE $22.00

852. NEW! Children in Our World: Death and Grief

A useful guide to share with students who have experienced loss or simply have questions about death and grief.

32 pp.

$19.99 TE $17.00

SAVE $ 27 99

854. Online Safety 3-Pack

Three fractured fairy tales adapted to caution children about internet misuse.

3 books, each 32 pp.

$49.99 TE $22.00

856. NEW! Eyes that Weave the World’s Wonders

A young transracial adoptee finds familial connection and meaning through loving her Asian eyes. 40-pp hardcover.

$24.99 TE $22.00

GRAPHIC NOVEL!

ENGAGE & EDUCATE WITH NONFICTION

857. NEW!

Australian Geographic Discover 3-Pack

Some of Australia’s most amazing creatures in vibrant full-colour close up.

Each 32 pp.

$44.97 TE $36.00

A collection of hilarious (but highly educational!) Australian animal stories by award-winning author Philip Bunting. 7 hardcovers, each 32 pp.

$132.93 TE $65.00

858. NEW! Lost

This book explores what it means to be lost on this planet, from Machu Picchu and Pompeii, dinosaurs and ancient megafauna, to the contemporary species under threat. 64-pp hardcover.

$24.99 TE $22.00

860. Extreme Reptiles 4-Pack

Students get up close to deadly and extraordinary reptiles, in a highly visual format perfect for reluctant readers. Each 32 pp.

$59.96 TE $39.00

862. NEW! Great Aussie Sports 4-Pack

861. World War I

A unique picture-led view of the First World War, created in collaboration with the Imperial War Museum. 72-pp hardcover.

$22.99 TE $20.00

An Australiafocused nonfiction series diving into the nation’s favourite sports. Each 32 pp. $79.96 TE $65.00

SAVE $ 14.96

859. Australian Animal 7-Pack

A super-value pack showcasing the best of Australian picture books. 8 books (mix of hardcovers and softcovers), 24-36 pp.

$155.92 TE $45.00

A poem anthology by Australian poets from diverse backgrounds, that will have students laughing, thinking and playing with words. 128 pp.

$17.99 TE $15.00

$19.99 TE $18.00

$39.99 TE $25.00

864. Judith Barker

Fun, Australian-themed stories introducing students to phonemes. Each 32 pp. $119.94 TE $79.00

866. Tales from Shakespeare Ten Shakespeare retellings written with Michael Morpurgo’s warm, accessible and inimitable style. 304-pp hardcover. $29.99 TE $26.00

869. The Three Doors Trilogy Bind-Up Emily Rodda’s spellbinding fantasy trilogy in a deluxe hardcover volume. 656-pp hardcover.

$29.99 TE $22.00

863. Great Australian Picture Book Collection

6-Pack

865. NEW! Right Way Down and Other Poems

868. Deltora Quest Anniversary Edition

Celebrating 21 years of Deltora magic, this is a special anniversary edition of the best-selling first series of Deltora Quest. 774-pp hardcover.

867. NEW! Groosham Grange: The Graphic Novel

A brand new graphic novel adaptation of Anthony Horowitz’s hilarious classic. 72 pp.

872.

873.

874. The Bad Guys 18-Pack

The

Dav

876. NEW!

‘I Survived’ Graphics 4-Pack

Four

875. Dog Man 11-Pack