Reading Log for
Children’s Literature
Name: Charlene Wood
Student ID: 1058975
Course: EDU403 Children’s Literacy and Literacy
Due Date: 15.08.14
Tutor: Stephanie Menzies
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Table of Contents
Early Childhood Books .............................................................................................. 3
The Way I Feel..........................................................................................................................................................3
Window.......................................................................................................................................................................3
Animalia......................................................................................................................................................................4
An Aussie Year .........................................................................................................................................................4
Mermaid Story .........................................................................................................................................................5
The Waterhole .........................................................................................................................................................5
Traditional literature................................................................................................. 6
Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm ............................................................................................................6
Chicken Little ............................................................................................................................................................6
Little Red Riding Hood .........................................................................................................................................7
Stories from our Night Sky..................................................................................................................................7
Fiction ...................................................................................................................... 9
Rainbow Serpent.....................................................................................................................................................9
How the Birds got their Colours .......................................................................................................................9
The Twits................................................................................................................................................................. 10
The Magic Faraway Tree................................................................................................................................... 10
Inside Out and Back Again ............................................................................................................................... 11
Biography and Autobiography ................................................................................. 12
Soul Surfer: A True Story of Faith, Family and Fighting to Get Back on the Board .................. 12
Born to Run, Cathy Freeman, My Story ...................................................................................................... 12
Born to Run, Cathy Freeman, My Story ...................................................................................................... 13
True Spirit: The Aussie Girl Who Took On The World ......................................................................... 13
Informational Books ............................................................................................... 14
The Big Book of Australian History .............................................................................................................. 14
My Little Book of Life Cycles ........................................................................................................................... 14
First Field Guide to Australian Insects and Spiders .............................................................................. 15
The Magic School Bus: Lost in the Solar System ..................................................................................... 15
First Encyclopaedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Life ........................................................................ 16
Poetry and Verse .................................................................................................... 17
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you see? ............................................................................................ 17
Who Sank the Boat? ............................................................................................................................................ 17
The Lorax ................................................................................................................................................................ 18
Dare to Dream…Change the World .............................................................................................................. 18
One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish ........................................................................................................ 19
ABC Animal Jamboree ........................................................................................................................................ 19
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Early Childhood Books
The Way I Feel
Book Title
Age
Genre
Year One ACARA
Alignment
Justification
Cain, J, (2005), The Way I Feel, Parenting Press Inc
Prep - Year Three
Concept General
Explore different ways of expressing emotions, including
verbal, visual, body language and facial expressions
(ACELA1787).
‘The Way I Feel’ utilises illustrations, text, colour and font to
describe everyday life emotions that children can
experiences. Cain has implemented familiar words and
situations that children can relate to, in order to describe a
wide variety of emotions, some seldom attributed to
children.
Window
Book Title
Age
Genre
Year Four ACARA
Alignment
Justification
Baker, J, 1991, Window, Harper Collins
Prep - Year Four
Wordless Fiction
Explore the effect of choices when framing an image,
placement of elements in the image, and salience on
composition of still and moving images in a range of types of
texts (ACELA1496).
‘Window’ is a wordless picture book, exploring the effect
human beings have on the landscape around them. Baker
portrays this message through the use of a timeline of
images that follow the life of the main character, Sam.
‘Window’ is a book that demonstrates the power of still
images and how they can tell portray a meaningful message.
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Animalia
Book Title
Age
Genre
Prep ACARA
Alignment
Justification
Base, G, (1986), Animalia, Australia, Puffin books
Prep – Year Two
Concept Alphabet
Recognise the letters of the alphabet and know there are
lower and upper case letters (ACELA1440).
Animalia actively engages children to develop their letter
level.
Furthermore Animalia provides children the
opportunity to make meaningful connections between the
letters of the alphabet and the wider world around them.
An Aussie Year
Book Title
Age
Genre
Year Three ACARA
Alignment
Justification
McCartney, T, 2013, An Aussie Year, EK Books
Prep - Year Three
Concept General
Draw connections between personal experiences and the
worlds of texts, and share responses with others (ACELT1596).
‘An Aussie Year’ is a book that exposes Australian children to
culture diversity and race that typifies our country. The book
takes you through a year in a life of four Australia children,
from celebrations, to traditions, to events and to our everyday
way of life. McCartney’s book is bursting with national pride
that provides children the opportunity to make text-to-self
connections, whilst developing their knowledge and
understanding of different cultures and races from all over the
world.
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Mermaid Story
Book Title
Age
Genre
Year Four ACARA
Alignment
Justification
Gamanjan, C, 2007, Mermaid Story, Dustechoes, retrieved
from www.abc.net.au/dustechoes/dustEchoesFlash.htm on 9
August 2014
Prep - Year Four
Wordless Fiction
Make connections between the ways different authors may
represent similar storylines, ideas and relationships
(ACELT1602).
‘Mermaid Story’ is about belonging and the pull of family and
country. Gamanjan has emphasised the significance of the
emotions a person can go through when they experience
different emotions. The story expresses how a person can feel
when they experience love, self worth or unappreciation,
through the use of visual and auditory elements.
The Waterhole
Book Title
Age
Genre
ACARA Alignment
Justification
Base, G, 2003, The Waterhole, Penguin Books
Prep – Year Once
Concept Counting
Understand concepts about print and screen, including how
books, film and simple digital texts work, and know some
features of print, for example directionality (ACELA1433).
Base has written a book about a secret waterhole where
animals come from all over. As seasons bring forth
drought and flood, the animals gather there as one. The
animals are united through their common need, their
numbers swell to ten. ‘The Waterhole’ is a counting book
that provides children the visual aspect of developing their
knowledge and understanding of number, gaining an
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understanding of the various elements of a book.
Traditional literature
Fairy Tales from the Brothers
Grimm
Book Title
Age
Genre
ACARA Alignment
Justification
Grimm, J & Grimm, W, 1800’s, Fairy Tales from the Brothers
Grimm, Penguin UK
Year Seven
Fairy Tales
Analyse and explain the ways text structures and language
features shape meaning and vary according to audience and
purpose (ACELY1721).
The Brothers Grimm collected a treasury of enchanting folk
and fairy stories full of giants and dwarfs, witches and
princesses, magical beasts and cunning children. Classics such
as 'Tom Thumb' and The Golden Goose' to the delights of
'Ashputtel' or 'Old Sultan', all hold a timeless magic which has
enthralled children for centuries. It is through the use of The
Brothers Grimm collection of folk and fairy tales that will
enable to critically analyse and explain the structure of a folk
or fairy tale. Moreover students will be able to develop their
knowledge and understanding of language features in a folk or
fairy tale and how they are effectively implemented to
capturer the target audience.
Chicken Little
Book Title
Age
Genre
Emberley, R & Emberley, E, 2009, Chicken Little, Roaring Brook
Press
Prep – Year Three
Beast Story
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Year Three ACARA
Alignment
Justification
Identify the point of view in a text and suggest alternative
points of view (ACELY1675).
‘Chicken Little’ is a folk tale with a moral in the form of a
cumulative tale about a chicken that believes the world is
coming to an end. The phrase "The sky is falling!" features
prominently in the story, and has passed into the English
language as a common idiom indicating a hysterical or
mistaken belief that disaster is imminent. This folk tale
provides children the opportunity to develop ones’ selfesteem and the importance of believing in yourself, even
when others do not and when times get tough. ‘Chicken
Little’ exposes children to develop a knowledge and
understanding that literature can convey a deeper meaning,
within the words of a text.
Little Red Riding Hood
Book Title
Age
Genre
ACARA Alignment
Justification
Grimm, J & Grimm, W, 2001, ‘Little Red Riding Hood’, Penguin
UK
Year Seven
Fairy Tale
Reflect on ideas and opinions about characters, settings and
events in literary texts, identifying areas of agreement and
difference with others and justifying a point of view
(ACELT1620).
The Brothers Grimm has presented a new version of the
seventeenth-century French folklore, ’Little Red Riding Hood’.
This new edition presents a fully unabridged with a visionary
interpretation that captures both its horror and its romance.
‘Little Red Riding Hood’ provides students the opportunity to
question different character’s viewpoints and intentions, in
The Brothers Grimm version.
Stories from our Night Sky
Book Title
Age
Genre
Year Seven ACARA
Drewery, M, 2009, Stories from our Night Sky, Puffin Books
Prep – Year Seven
Myth
Identify and explore ideas and viewpoints about events, issues
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Alignment
Justification
and characters represented in texts drawn from different
historical, social and cultural contexts (ACELT1619).
A beautiful collection of stories and poems about our southern
skies. From the legends of ‘Matariki’ and ‘Rona’ and the
‘Moon’ through to how ‘tuatara’ made the stars, Drewery
weaves a special magic through all her stories that will ensure
we never look up at the night sky in the same way again.
‘Stories from our Night Sky’ provides students the opportunity
to critically analyse, evaluate and justify viewpoints about
events within the text that drawn upon the cultural beliefs of
the Native New Zealander People.
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Fiction
Rainbow Serpent
Book Title
Age
Genre/Concept
ACARA Alignment
Justification
Routghsey, D, 1992, Rainbow Serpent, Australian Children’s
Classics
Year 6
Animal Fantasy/Self-to-text connection
Make connections between students’ own experiences and those
of characters and events represented in texts drawn from
different historical, social and cultural contexts (ACELT1613).
The Rainbow Serpent, tells the Aboriginal story of how the
Rainbow Serpent, who made people turn into birds, animals and
plants. This story written by Routghsey provides students the
opportunity to make self-to-text connections, with the characters
and events represented in the texts.
How the Birds got their Colours
Book Title
Age
Genre
ACARA Alignment
Justification
Lofts, P, 2004, How the Birds got their Colours, Cambridge
Reading
Prep
Animal Fantasy
Recognise that texts are created by authors who tell stories and
share experiences that may be similar or different to students’
own experiences (ACELT1575).
This book is an Aboriginal story based on the Bardi people, living
in Broome, Western Australia. Pamela retells the traditional
Aboriginal story as to how the birds got their colour. ‘How the
Birds got their Colours’ provides students the insight as to how
texts are created by authors who tell the stories and share
experiences that one can relate to.
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The Twits
Book Title
Age
Genre
Year Three
ACARA
Alignment
Justification
Dahl, R, 1980, The Twits, Jonathan Cape
Year Three – Year Five
Speculative Fiction
Discuss texts in which characters, events and settings are
portrayed in different ways, and speculate on the authors’
reasons (ACELT1594).
‘The Twits’ is a thrillingly grotesque book that features Mr. and
Mrs. Twit, the smelliest, ugliest people in the world. The Twits
have everything, expect for playing mean jokes on each other,
catching innocent birds to put in their Bird Pies and making
their caged monkeys, the Muggle-Wumps stand on their heads
all day. However the Muggle-Wumps have had enough and
want out and revenge. This text provides students the
opportunity to discuss in which characters, events and settings
are portrayed in the book, in order to speculate how and why
Dahl has written ‘The Twits’ in a particular manner.
The Magic Faraway Tree
Book Title
Age
Genre
Year Five ACARA
Alignment
Justification
Blyton, E, 2008, The Magic Faraway Tree, Egmont Books Ltd
Prep – Year Seven
Fantasy Fiction
Identify and explain characteristic text structures and language
features used in imaginative, informative and persuasive texts
to meet the purpose of the text (ACELY1701).
‘The Magic Faraway Tree’ is based around a four children
named Jo, Bessie, Fanny and Rick. Jo, Bessie and Fanny take
their cousin Rick on an adventure that he will never forgot to
The Magic Faraway Tree, where he meets Moon-Face, Silky the
fairy and Saucepan Man. Blyton has written a fantasy fiction
book that allows children to connect to their imagination, whilst
developing the knowledge and understanding of text structures
and language features used in an imaginative text and why.
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Inside Out and Back Again
Book Title
Age
Genre
Year Four ACARA
Alignments
Justification
Lai, T, 2011, Inside Out and Back Again,
Year Three – Year Five
Historical Fiction
Discuss literary experiences with others, sharing responses and
expressing a point of view (ACELT1603).
‘Inside Out and Back Again’ is a Newbery Honour Book inspired
by the author’s childhood experience of fleeing Vietnam after
the fall of Saigon and immigrating to Alabama. Lai’s debut novel
told in verse has been celebrated for its touching child’s-eye
view of family and immigration. This book provides students
with the learning opportunity to develop their historical and
cultural understanding of past and present global humanitarian
issues.
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Biography and Autobiography
Soul Surfer: A True Story of Faith,
Family and Fighting to Get Back on the
Board
Book Title
Age
Genre
Year Seven ACARA
Alignments
Justification
Hamilton, B, Bundschuh,R, 2012, ‘Soul Surfer: A True Story of
Faith, Family and Fighting to Get Back on the Board’, MTV
Books
Year Six – Year Seven
Autobiography
Analyse and explain how text structures, language features
and visual features of texts and the context in which texts are
experienced may influence audience response (ACELT1641).
‘Soul Surfer: A True Story of Faith, Family and Fighting to Get
Back on the Board’ is an inspirational Autobiography that tells
the passionate story of Bethany Hamilton. A shark tragically
attacked Bethany one Halloween morning in Hawaii, which
resulted in her losing her left arm. This book tells Bethany’s
story, of how she overcame challenges within her journey of
getting back in the water to compete in surfing titles all
around the world. Soul Surfer: A True Story of Faith, Family
and Fighting to Get Back on the Board’ provides children the
opportunity to analyse and explain how text structures,
language features and visual features of a text can influence
an audience’s response.
Born to Run, Cathy Freeman, My Story
Book Title
Age
Genre
Year Five ACARA
Alignment
Justification
Freeman, C, 2007, Born to Run Cathy Freeman My Story,
Penguin Aus
Year Five – Year Seven
Biography
Analyse and explain the ways text structures and language
features shape meaning and vary according to audience and
purpose (ACELY1721).
‘Born to Run Cathy Freeman My Story’ is a biography about
Cathy Freeman’s life as a child and the events that took place,
in order for her to achieve gold at the 2000 Sydney Olympic
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Games. This book is an inspirational story for all children, to
strive to fulfil their aspirations in life. This book enables
children to analyse and explain the way biography text is
structured and how specific language features shape meaning,
to enhance a text’s purpose.
Born to Run, Cathy Freeman, My
Story
Book Title
Age
Genre
Year Seven ACARA
Alignments
Justification
Facey, A.B, 2005, A Fortunate Life, Penguin Aus
Year Five – Year Seven
Autobiography
Identify and explore ideas and viewpoints about events, issues
and characters represented in texts drawn from different
historical, social and cultural contexts (ACELT1619).
‘A Fortunate Life’ is a remarkable story of an ordinary man.
Facey’s childhood sadly ended when he was eight years old,
being when his grandmother had to send him work for his
keep. This autobiography tells of the tough vast, wild outback
of Western Australian to which Bert grew up in. Despite Bert’s
difficulties and sufferings, Bert always believed that he lived a
fortunate life. ‘A Fortunate Life’ has been specially adapted
for young readers, to provide children the opportunity
connect to the historical, social and cultural context within the
Australian era that Bert Facey grew up in.
True Spirit: The Aussie Girl Who Took On
The World
Book Title
Age
Genre
ACARA Alignments
Justification
Watson, J, 2011, True Spirit: The Aussie Girl Who Took On The
World, Hachette Australia
Year Five – Year Seven
Biography
Make connections between students’ own experiences and
those of characters and events represented in texts drawn
from different historical, social and cultural contexts
(ACELT1613).
‘True Spirit: The Aussie Girl Who Took On The World’ tells a
personal story of the youngest person to sail around the world
single handedly from October 2009 to May 2010, at the age of
16. Watson’s Biography provides students with the insight
experiences
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Informational Books
The Big Book of Australian History
Book Title
Age
Genre
Year Five ACARA
Alignment
Justification
Macinnis, P, 2013, The Big book of Australian History, National
Library Publishing
Year Two – Year Seven
Informational
Identify aspects of literary texts that convey details or
information about particular social, cultural and historical
contexts (ACELT1608).
‘The Big book of Australian History’ is an award winning book
the captures the long rich history of Australia. Macinnis has
covered myriad topics in this time-like book, packed with
priceless information on our country’s past and its’ people.
‘The Big book of Australian History’ engage children to
develop their knowledge and understanding of historical and
cultural contexts, which Australian History shaped our
country.
My Little Book of Life Cycles
Book Title
Age
Genre
Prep ACARA
Alignment
Justification
De La Dedoyere, C, 2013, My Little Book of Life Cycles, QED
Publishing
Prep – Year Two
Informational
Engage in conversations and discussions, using active listening
behaviours, showing interest, and contributing ideas,
information and questions (ACELY1656).
Packed with fascinating facts, this Australian Geographic book is
a useful tool for teaching children about life cycles. ‘My Little
Book of Life Cycles’ introduces children to every stage in an
animal’s life, through the use of labelled diagrams and large
font. Furthermore ‘My Little Book of Life Cycles’ provides
children the learning opportunity to engage in conversations to
actively discuss and contribute with peers, about their
experiences, ideas and questions.
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First Field Guide to Australian Insects
and Spiders
Book Title
Slater, P, 1996, First Field Guide to Australian Insects and
Spiders, Pascal Press
Age
Genre
Year Four ACARA
Alignment
Prep – Year Five
Informational
Identify and explain language features of texts from earlier
times and compare with the vocabulary, images, layout and
content of contemporary texts (ACELY1686).
‘First Field Guide to Australian Insects and Spiders’, is a book
that has beautiful photographs accompanied with information
about a particular insects or spiders. Slater has provided
children the opportunity, to develop identify and explain
language features of formative text. Moreover children will
develop an understanding of how vocabulary, images, content
and layout of a book can enhance its’ purpose.
Justification
The Magic School Bus: Lost in the
Solar System
Book Title
Age
Genre
Year Two ACARA
Alignment
Justification
Cole, J, 1992, The Magic School Bus: Lost in the Solar System,
Scholastic
Year One – Year Three
Informational
Understand that different types of texts have identifiable text
structures and language features that help the text serve its
purpose (ACELA1463).
‘The Magic School Bus: Lost in the Solar System’ that
educators children about the Solar System. The Magic School
Bus turns into a spaceship and takes the class on a trip,
zooming through the atmosphere, to the Moon and beyond.
Cole has created an engaging information book that is
companied with vivid full-colour photographs on each page.
The Magic School provides children the opportunity to
understand that different types of texts have identifiable text
structure and language features.
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First Encyclopaedia of Dinosaurs and
Prehistoric Life
Book Title
Age
Genre
Year Three ACARA
Alignments
Justification
Taplin, S, 2011, First Encyclopaedia of Dinosaurs and
Prehistoric Life, Usborne Publishing Ltd
Prep – Year Four
Informational
Understand how different types of texts vary in use of
language choices, depending on their purpose and context (for
example, tense and types of sentences) (ACELA1478).
‘First Encyclopaedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Life’ is a
thrilling introduction to prehistoric times. It is filled with
fabulous illustrations and clear, simple text. Taplin has written
an ideal reference book for school projects. The book is an
information book that contains features such as a glossary,
index, facts and records. ‘First Encyclopaedia of Dinosaurs and
Prehistoric Life’ provides children the opportunity to
understand how different types of text vary in use of language
choice, depending on their purpose and context.
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Poetry and Verse
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do
you see?
Book Title
Age
Genre/Concept
ACARA Alignment
Martin, B, 2007, Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you See?
Prep
Verse/Rhyme, rhythm and word repetition
Read predictable texts, practicing phrasing and fluency, and
monitor meaning using concepts about print and emerging
contextual, semantic, grammatical and phonic knowledge
(ACELY1649).
Justification
Martin’s book, ‘Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you See?’
embeds important pre-reading concepts of rhyme, rhythm
and repetition.
Rhyme, rhythm and repetition are
fundament for children to develop their fluency in reading,
whilst practising phrasing. Moreover Martin’s book building
upon a child’s word and text level, whilst developing their
self-confidence within their ability to read.
Who Sank the Boat?
Book Title
Age
Genre/Concept
Year One ACARA
Alignment
Justification
Allen, P, 2007, Who Sank the Boat? Puffin Books
Prep - Year One
Verse/Characters, language and images
Discuss how authors create characters using language and
images (ACELT1581).
Allen has written a book that engages children to solve the
mystery of who sank the boat. ‘Who Sank the Boat?’
challenges children to interpret each animal’s body and facial
expressions within the illustrations, to solve who sank the
boat and why.
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The Lorax
Book Title
Age
Genre/Concept
Year Six ACARA
Alignment
Justification
Geisel, T, 1971, The Lorax, Random House
Prep - Year Six
Verse/Rhyme, rhythm and word repetition
Identify, describe, and discuss similarities and differences
between texts, including those by the same author or
illustrator, and evaluate characteristics that define an
author’s individual style (ACELT1616).
Worldwide Dr. Seuss is known for his unique style of writing
that is powerful, meaningful and creative. It is within the
way Dr. Seuss poetically challenges and educators its’
readers, to develop a meaningful text-to-self and text-toworld connection/s, that evidently makes his books timeless.
‘The Lorax’ is written in a cautionary rhyme, where Lorax
speak on the behalf of the trees to warn people of the
dangers of disrespecting the environment. The book, ‘The
Lorax’ continuous educators new generation of the
importance of seeing the beauty in the world around us, but
also about our responsibility to protect it.
Dare to Dream…Change the
World
Book Title
Age
Genre
ACARA Alignment
Justification
Corcoran, J, 2012, Dare to Dream...Change the World, Kane
Miller
Year Seven
Poetry
Analyse and explain the ways text structures and language
features shape meaning and vary according to audience and
purpose (ACELY1721).
‘Dare to Dream…Change the World’ contains thirty
prestigious poets, who focus their creative vision on people
who not only changed their own lives, but the lives of the
people all over the world. From Steven Spielberg to Jonas
Salk, the subject of these biographical-inspired poems
invented something, said something, stood for something,
did something or changed something. This book critically
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challenges readers to analyse and evaluate each poem in
order to develop an understanding of the intended meaning
behind the text, whilst drawing text-to-self and text-to-world
connections. ‘Dare to Dream…Change the World’ inspires
and encourages its’ readers to dare to dream for the greater
good.
One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue
Fish
Book Title
Age
Genre/Concept
ACARA
Alignment
Justification
Geisel, T, 1960, One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish, Random
House
Year Two
Verse/Rhyme, rhythm and word repetition
Discuss the nature and effects of some language devices used to
enhance meaning and shape the reader’s reaction, including
rhythm and onomatopoeia in poetry and prose (ACELT1600).
‘One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish’ is a simply rhyming book for
beginning readers, with a freewheeling plot about a boy and a girl
and the many amazing creatures they have for friends and pets.
The way in which Dr. Seuss has effectively utilised rhyme, rhythm
and word repetition will evident make it easier for children
recognise words, develop their fluency in reading, whilst exploring
the language devices embedded within the text.
ABC Animal Jamboree
Book Title
Age
Genre
Prep ACARA
Alignment
Justification
Andreae, G, 2010, ABC Animal Jamboree, Tiger Tales
Prep – Year One
Verse
Recognise the letters of the alphabet and know there are lower and
upper case letters (ACELA1440); and
Replicate the rhythms and sound patterns in stories, rhymes, songs
and poems from a range of cultures (ACELT1579).
‘ABC Animal Jamboree’ explores the animal alphabet in rhyming
romp. This book provides students the opportunity to recognize the
letters of the alphabet, whilst exploring literacy genre of rhythms
and sound patterns in stories.
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