February 2008

I have been asked a number of times by teachers to compile a list of literature that I think could be used to spark stimulating discussion of the various 'characteristics' of the Learner Profile as described in the Primary Years Programme of the International Baccalaureat.  These characteristics are:  inquirers, thinkers, communicators, risk takers, knowledgeable, principled, caring, open-minded, balanced and reflective.  

This is an initial list of literature which I hope will provide books which can be used to generate thought-provoking discussion of these attributes. The books chosen are not didactic nor are they therapeutic.  They are certainly not intended as a formula to suggest that students should behave in a particular way.  In many of the books chosen, there is a strong element of irony and many of them are amusing.  I hope that all the books will be enjoyable to read and will give students and teachers greater understanding of varying aspects of the 'characteristics' of the Learner Profile. I am sure the list will be of value not just to teachers of the PYP but to any teachers interested in a wide range of good literature for discussion.  After each review I have listed some of the most obvious characteristics which could be discussed with each book.  However many of the books are complex and I am sure students will suggest further characteristics which can also be found in the books.

This is not an easy list to compile but it will gradually be enlarged and improved over time and as I get more feedback from teachers and librarians.   I have given an indication of reading levels to each of the titles.  It is worth while noting that many of the picture books listed can also be used in worthwhile discussions with older students.

Please Note   All prices are in Australian dollars and include the 10% GST tax.  However this GST does not apply to exports from Australia.

To order any of the books on the list, please send the orders to Austral Ed by post, fax or by email.  Payment can be made with bank cheques in Australian dollars, by direct bank transfer or by Credit card.   Freight is sent by the most economical method within Australia or overseas, depending on urgency. 

                                                                Recommended by Kate Shepherd

Picture Books

A Fine, Fine School by Sharon Creech Pictures by Harry Bliss  hardback $36.95 pb $16.95
An amusing story about a school where the principal is so enthusiastic about his school and the way the students love to learn that he decides to have lessons on Saturday and Sunday too.  It is Tilly who summons up the courage to tell the Principal that children must do other things as well.  This strong message is very amusingly presented through a witty text and amusing illustrations.
inquirers, risk takers, balanced

Best Friends for Frances  by Russell Hoban   illus by Lillian Hoban  pb  $16.95
When Albert tells Frances that girls can't come along on a wander and can't play baseball with him and Harold because baseball is a no-girls' game, she uses her considerable ingenuity and efforts of persuasion to show him how friendship should work.  Hoban is a very amusing and witty writer.
thinkers

Bread and Jam for Frances by Russell Hoban illus by Lillian Hoban  pb $16.95

This story is a classic.  Frances does not like to try anything new in her food.  She likes to stay with bread and jam but when she is given bread and jam for every meal, even she finally tires of it and wants to try a variety of foods.  Mouth watering descriptions of food from Russell Hoban add to the humour and delight of this book.   

Counting on Frank  by Rod Clement pb  $14.95 
This is the story of a boy who is a true enthusiast about mathematics and is always estimating, calculating and working things out.  How many Franks would fill up the bedroom?  (Frank is a dog).  Striking illustrations add to the fun.          (5 - 10 years)
inquirers, communicators

Dr Xargle's Book of Earthlets by Jeanne Willis and Tony Ross  pb $16.95
A hilarious look at human babies or "earthlets" from the point of view of an alien teaching his class of alien children.  Truly a very different perspective that will ensure that babies will never look quite the same again.
open-minded

Farmer Duck by Martin Waddell illus by Helen Oxenbury   Big Book $39.95 

pb $15.95   
This Award winning book has overtones of Animal Farm for littlies.  The animals use their initiative and take over the running of the farm from a domineering, lazy and bossy farmer.    (6 - 13 years)
principled       

Frog is Frog  by Max Velthuis   pb  $16.95
Frog wants to be able to fly like his friend Duck and bake wonderful cakes like his friend Pig but his attempts end in failure.  However after deep reflection, Frog realises that his friends love him for being himself, that is for being a beautiful green frog who can leap so high it is almost like flying. 
reflective

Grandfather's Journey by Allen Say   hardback  $33.95 
A beautifully illustrated picture book for older students.  Allen Say's grandfather made the journey from Japan to the United States when he was a young man and this story beautifully describes through text and illustrations the love that he and his grandson feel for both countries.  Many students will relate to the feelings of longing expressed. (8 years up)   
reflective

Greetings from Sandy Beach  by Bob Graham  pb $16.00
Bob Graham is able to bring into a simple picture book about a family trip to the beach wonderful observations about family life, the difference between the city and the country and also some of our preconceived ideas concerning people and the way they look. 
open-minded

I will not ever never eat a tomato  by Lauren Child     pb $15.95 
Charlie's little sister Lola is a fussy eater.  However Charlie works out an ingenious way of encouraging her to eat, even the foods she doesn't like.  Charlie says that these are not peas, "of course they are not, these are green drops from Greenland."  And "These are not carrots.  These are orange twiglets from Jupiter."  Lola can't resist just tasting them and finally she joins in the game and asks for the round red moonsquirter (she wouldn't eat a tomato of course but moonsquirters are her favourite.)
thinkers, communicators

Marianthe's Story: Painted Words and Spoken Memories  by Aliki  hardback   $33.95
Aliki returns to her own childhood for the inspiration for this exceptional book.  In Painted Words, Marianthe struggles to learn English and adapt to a culture very different from her own.   A supportive teacher encourages her to communicate through her drawings.  In Spoken Memories, Marianthe has learnt English and is able to tell the class the story of her life before the family came to the United States.   (6 - 10 years)   
communicators, reflective

Mr Archimedes' Bath   by Pamela Allen  pb $14.95
Mr Archimedes is having a bath with various animals.  Every time they get into the bath, water splashes over the side.  Pamela Allen has great fun in getting children to think about what is happening.  (5 years up) 
inquirers

Rose Blanche  by Ian McEwan illustrated by Roberto Innocenti  pb $18.95
This is an extremely moving portrayal of the horrors of war seen though the eyes of a young German girl who, when she discovers children in a concentration camp in the woods, secretly takes food to them.  Innocenti's illustrations portray much of the greed and desolation of war time and about the others who did not see what was happening.  For older children  9 years up. 
principled, caring

Rose Meets Mr Wintergarten  by Bob Graham  pb $15.95
Rose is a little frightened of fierce old Mr Wintergarten but she overcomes her fears and her delightful spontaneity and the fairy cakes baked by her mother have a surprising effect on the grumpy old man.
risk takers, open-minded, principled

• So Few of Me by Peter H Reynolds  hardback $24.95  pb $15.95

Peter leads such a busy life that it is difficult to fit everything in.  He tries making lists, he tries prioritising but life is still a rush.  He imagines another Leo come to help, and another and another but even with nine Leos there just seems nine times as much work to be done.  Finally Leo slows right down and just daydreams.  The other Leos disappear and he decides that life is best if he just tries to do his best and makes sure he always keeps some time just for dreaming.  This is a simply written picture book worth discussing when children’s lives are so full of activities.  (6 – 10 years)     

thinkers, balanced, reflective

The Colour of Home by Mary Hoffman  illustrated by Karin Littlewood  pb $15.95  
Hassan is miserable at school in England where everything is grey, and where he can't talk to anyone since he doesn't speak English. When he paints a picture of his far away home, he remembers the terrible time when the soldiers came.  However the next day he talks to an interpreter and paints another picture in bright colours for his mother of their happier times, in the country which used to be their home.
communicators, caring

The Day of Ahmed's Secret  by Florence Parry Heide  illustrated by Ted Lewin 

pb $16.95  
Ahmed is very pleased with himself as he goes about Cairo's bustling streets delivering gas bottles to his many customers who call out his name and greet him.  He is very much a part of the life of this colourful and noisy city and he is proud that he is helping earn money to support his family.   And his secret is that he has learned to write his name.
inquirers, caring, reflective

This is Our House by Michael Rosen illus by Bob Graham  pb $15.95
George has decided that he is the only one who can play in the big cardboard house but the other children are determined that everyone shall play in it.  A charming and humorous picture book about sharing and cooperation.   (4 - 8 years)
principled, risk-takers

• The Wakame Gatherers  by Holly Thompson  illustrated by Kazumi Wilds  hardback $32.95   Nanami has two grandmothers: Baachan who lives in Japan with Nanami’s family and Gram from Maine in the US.   When Gram comes to visit her granddaughter in Japan Nanami is the translator between the two grandmothers who discover they have much in common since they both live near the sea and have a love of sea life and things to do with the sea.  They go gathering wakame, a type of seaweed which is dried and then eaten in a variety of recipes (some of these are given at the end of the book).  (6 – 10 years)

inquirers, communicators, caring

Watch Out for the Chicken feet in Your Soup  by Tomie dePaola  pb $14.95

Joey is a little embarrassed about his very Italian grandmother.  However when he takes his friend Eugene to meet his grandma, Eugene responds with great enthusiasm to her warmth and her wonderful food (including the chicken soup which contains chicken feet).

Open-minded, risk takers

When Jessie Came Across the Sea by Amy Hest illust by P J Lynch  pb $15.95  
This beautifully illustrated picture book vividly describes a young girl's journey from eastern Europe when she migrates to a new life in America at the turn of the nineteenth century.  Jessie has left behind her beloved grandmother and is determined to work out a way that they can be together again.     (7 -13 years)
thinkers, principled, caring

Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge  by Mem Fox  illus by Julie Vivas pb $15.00
A young boy helps an old woman whose memory is fading to remember by gathering various objects which remind her of times in her youth.
caring

Fiction

Aquila by Andrew Norriss  pb $14.95

When Geoff and Tom discover the skeleton of a Roman centurion and a UFO, it sparks an intense desire to find out more about the centurion and how the machine works.  Their teachers are dumbfounded because neither student has ever shown any interest in school work.  This book is great fun as the boys discover the wonders of flying a UFO but it is also an exploration of how we learn and what motivates us.  (9 – 14 years)  inquirers, thinkers, risk takers

A Different Sort of Real: the Diary of Charlotte McKenzie, Melbourne 1918 - 1919 by Kerry Greenwood   hardback and pb $18.00
A most absorbing and believable story.   Charlotte struggles to understand her father's shell shock as a result of the Great War but she finds great rewards as she helps the local doctor tend patients stricken by the devastating influenza epidemic sweeping the community.  (9 years up)
inquirers, risk takers, principled, caring

Abdullah's Butterfly by Janine Fraser illustrated by Kim Gamble   pb $12.95  
Set in a village in Malaysia this is the story of Abdullah, his love for his grandfather and his family and how he tries to bring extra money into the family by catching beautiful butterflies.  Told by a tourist visitor to the village who at first does not understand that Abdullah's family has very little money, the story is simple enough for seven year olds to read but opens up possibilities for discussion about topics such as poverty in developing countries for older children as well.        (7 - 11 years)
caring, principled

Boss of the Pool pb $15.00
Shelley is at first reluctant but feels great satisfaction when she succeeds in teaching a mentally handicapped boy to swim. (8 - 13 years)   Also available as a play  pb $15.95   
caring     

Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson   pb $14.95
This is the story of a very close friendship between Jess Aarons and a new girl at the school.  Together they develop a secret world, based on other fantasy worlds, which is hidden in the woods.  When Leslie drowns, it takes Jess a long time to accept her death and to try to give back some of the beauty and caring that she had given him.   (9 - 14 years)  
inquirers, thinkers, principled, caring

Christophe’s Story by Nicki Cornwell  pb $12.95

Christophe is an eight year old boy from Rwanda who flees the fighting in his country to come to England as a refugee with his family.  His problems in settling in are described but the book is also about different ways of telling stories.   Christophe doesn’t want to read stories in books because his grandfather had always told him stories aloud, and had said that if stories are written down then their spirit is lost.  However Christopher tells aloud to his class the story of how he came to England and of the violence in Rwanda but decides he is happy for it to be written down word for word so that many children can hear his story.    (7 – 10 years)

Chronicles of Prydain  by Lloyd Alexander  pb  $14.95 each
This is a very entertaining fantasy series.  In the first book of the series, Taran knows only that he is an assistant pig keeper, but he meets a group of varied and wonderful friends and together they fight against the evil that is threatening the land.  Over the five books in the series, Taran gains in knowledge, ability, compassion and wisdom.   The five books in the series are The Book of Three, The Black Cauldron, The Castle of Llyr, Taran Wanderer and The High King     (9 - 14 years)
risk takers, principled, balanced, reflective

Crash!  The Story of Poddy  by William Taylor  pb $16.95 
The very first chapter describes a car crash in which Poddy is shocked but not injured and realises that he must get help for his injured father and brother.  However this poses great difficulties because Poddy is a 13 year old boy with Down's syndrome.  It is quite remarkable how Taylor succeeds in describing Poddy's determined struggle to conquer his fears to get help.  The dramatic effect of the story is greatly increased by alternating chapters describing the drama at the crash site and Poddy's life in a loving, caring and sometimes exasperated family.     (11 - 15 years)
thinkers, principled, caring

Flour Babies   by Anne Fine  pb $12.95   
An entertaining novel in which a class is given a lesson in responsibility when they have to care for their "flour babies" which are really six pound bags of flour, as if they were real babies.  The project has a surprising effect on Simon and his resulting reflections about himself and his family are at times surprising and hilarious.   (9 - 13 years)
Reflective

From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs Basil E Frankwiler  by E L Konigsburg  pb $14.95
A wonderfully fresh and inventive story of a brother and sister who run away from home to live in the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art and become caught up in a mystery.  (9 - 14 years)
inquirers, thinkers, risk takers, knowledgeable, reflective

• The Goat Who Sailed the World  pb $14.95 

This book has two narrators, a young twelve year old boy called Isaac Manley and a much travelled and superior Goat.  This narrative device gives us two very different perspectives on Cooks’ amazing voyage around the world from 1768 to 1771, when Australia was discovered and the ship was almost wrecked on the Great Barrier Reef.  Very entertaining.   (8 – 14 years)

inquirers, risktakers, principled, caring

Hazel Green by Odo Hirsch pb $14.95    
Hazel Green is a spirited heroine and the Yak is an introverted boy who is a mathematical whiz and together they make a formidable team.  (8 - 12 years)    
inquirers, thinkers, communicators, risk takers, knowledgeable, principled, caring, open-minded

Hitler's Daughter  by Jackie French   pb $14.95 
When Anna makes up a compelling story about Hitler's daughter, Mark finds the story disturbing and questions if children can be blamed if their parents do something evil.  Thought provoking.   (9 - 14 years)
reflective

Jason Prince  by Max Dann   pb $11.95
This is a highly ironic story.  Jason Prince is extraordinarily rich and has so many servants that he has never had to think for himself.  However once he meets Grace, and discovers the delights of playing with her and using his own brain, he takes advantage of all his opportunities.      (7 - 11 years) 
thinkers, risk takers

Journey to the River Sea by Eva Ibbotson  pb $14.95

This story has a very English eccentric extravagance giving a feeling of exhilaration to this story of a young orphan girl who at the turn of the century goes to the Amazon with her governess.  This is a place of horror to some because of the all pervasive insects, heat, fearsome Indians and steamy lushness but for others like Maia and her governess it is a place of endless wonder, of amazing creatures, plant life and people.  Maia is a most resourceful heroine who shows her ingenuity time and again.  A richly satisfying adventure story with humour and a sense of the fantastic.   (9 - 14 years)

inquirers, risktakers, caring, open-minded

Kensuke's Kingdom  by Michael Morpurgo  pb $14.95 
When Michael is washed up on an island he struggles to survive on his own.  He is about to give up when food appears.  He is not alone.   This is a wonderful story of survival and about Kensuke, an elderly Japanese man who lives on the island and has survived for many years using traditional Japanese skills and crafts.   (9 - 15 years).
thinkers, caring

Nips X1  by Ruth Starke pb $14.95  
This is the very entertaining story of Lan, who loves cricket, and his very determined effort in getting together a cricket team of  kids from many ethnic backgrounds.  As the novel develops, there are fascinating cross-cultural interactions between kids and adults.   (9 - 12 years)  
thinkers, communicators, principled, open-minded

Number the Stars  by Lois Lowry  pb $14.95
Set in the time of the second World War, this is the moving story of a young girl and her family who with thousands of other Jews in Denmark were taken secretly at night in boats across the sea to safety by the Danish people. (9 - 13 years)
risk takers, principled, caring

Onion Tears  by Diana Kidd pb $12.95  
The moving story of a Vietnamese boat girl in Australia who gradually gains friends and confidence in her new country until she is finally able to cry real tears, not just the tears that come when she peels onions. (7 - 12 years)
Caring

Pippi Longstocking  by Astrid Longstocking  pb $16.95
This is an example of an extraordinarily independent and eccentric young heroine who lives on her own with her horse.   Students might like to discuss her independence and risk taking in the light of other characteristics that she lacks.  Pippi is a highly entertaining character. (7 - 12 years)
risk takers

Queen of the Universe by Libby Gleeson pb $11.00

When big sister Gina gets the chicken pos just before the school play, her younger brother has to fill in and play the part of Queen of the Universe.  This is a very satisfying story for beginner readers.  One of the Solo series.   (6 – 8 years)

communicators, risk takers

Rain May and Captain Daniel by Catherine Bateson pb $14.95  
Daniel writes his account of his new friendship with Rain in the form of a Star Trek journal.  Rain corresponds with her mother through fridge poems.  A highly entertaining account of a strong friendship between two eleven year olds in the country.    (9 - 13 years)  
thinkers, communicators, caring, open-minded, reflective

Red Scarf Girl  A Memoir of the Cultural Revolution by Ji Li Jiang  pb $13.95  
A deeply moving autobiography set during the Cultural Revolution in China.   Ji Li Jiang describes her own experiences as a twelve year old girl puzzling to understand the strange and terrifying events that befell her family at that time.  An excellent introduction to any study of the Cultural Revolution. (11 years up) 
risk takers, principled, reflective

Rowan of Rin  by Emily Rodda pb $15.00
This series contains many of the elements of the traditional fantasy - the quest, the dragon, misty swamps and walls of spiders.  Rowan is a courageous, modest fantasy hero who grows in experience and strength of character with each new adventure.  Sequels are Rowan and the Travellers and Rowan and the Keeper of the

Crystal, Rowan and the Zebak  and Rowan and the Bukshah   pb $15.00 each   (7 - 10 years)  
thinkers, risk takers, principled, caring, open-minded, reflective

Sarah, Plain and Tall  by Patricia MacLachlan    pb $14.95
A beautifully written story about a woman who answers an advertisement to come to be the wife of a farmer living on the prairie.  She is a wonderfully caring mother to his children but she misses the sea and the younger boy especially is fearful that she will leave.    (8 - 14 years).   
risk takers, principled, caring, reflective

Secrets in the Fire by Henning Mankell, translated from the Swedish by Anne Connie Stuksrud  pb $16.95
This is the remarkable story of Sofia, a young girl in Mozambique who has suffered immensely.  She loses a leg in a land mine explosion and many close members of her family have been killed.  However her strength, determination and indomitable spirit are remarkable. (11 years up)
risk takers, principled, caring, reflective

Sing to the Dawn  by Minfong Ho  pb  $12.95 
This story is set in a marginal rice growing area of Thailand.  It reveals some of the frustrations, difficulties and injustices of village life by describing Dawan, a 12 year old girl who strives to continue her education at a city high school in Thailand in spite of competition from her brother and opposition from her father.  (10 years up) 
thinkers, pincipled

Stella by the Sea  by Ruth Starke  pb $12.95 
Stella is a most resourceful young girl whose parents are both very busy with their work.  She finds and rents a cubby house of her own, in the backyard of a rather lonely elderly man.  She fixes up the cubby house, decorates it and arranges to take the neighbours' dogs for walks and she is also the catalyst for a new community spirit in the neighbourhood.  This is a most engaging and amusing story.  (7 - 11 years)
thinkers, risk takers, principled, open-minded, well balanced, reflective

• To the Boy in Berlin  by Elizabeth Honey and Heike Brandt  pb $15.95 

This is the story of an intriguing email correspondence between Henni who lives in Melbourne, Australia and Leo Schmidt in Berlin.  The emails fly backwards and forwards providing much amusement and also glimpses of the difference and similarities between their lives.  They both become involved in working on Henni’s school project which involves fascinating historical documentation about early German immigration to Australia and the treatment of Germans in Australia during the 2 World wars.   We also learn incidentally about some of the problems of immigration in Germany and Australia today.  I especially liked the humour, especially humour concerning the difficulties of translation and also some of the extraordinarily long German words that exist.  This is an excellent book for discussion on a variety of topics.   (10 – 14 years)

inquirers, thinkers, communicators, principles, caring, open-minded

Where in the World  by Simon French pb $14.95  
A deceptively simple but beautifully constructed book about Ari, a talented young musician and how he and his mother leave Germany and settle into life in Australia.  As a young boy in Germany, Ari had an exceptionally close relationship with his grandfather who also taught him to play the violin and Ari misses him terribly.   (8 -14 years)
communicators, caring, open-minded, reflective, well-balanced

All prices are in Australian dollars and include GST of 10% which is not applicable for overseas schools.

 To order any of the above books, please  send orders to Austral Ed by fax, post or email.

For additional lists of recommended books and newsletters from Austral Ed, visit our website       www.australed.iinet.net

© Kate Shepherd 2008.