Picture Books: New Releases in October 2021!

Spring is around the corner! Why not spring on down to Wellington City Libraries for some new children’s picture books to keep you amused . So what are you waiting for? Go down to your local branch and borrow the following books:

image courtesy of syndeticsOutfoxed.

“Harold is unlike any other fox. He hates eating chicken, for one thing. He much prefers reading detective novels. When Harold’s father challenges him to catch a chicken as part of his initiation into adulthood, Harold is faced with a dilemma–should he obey his father and endanger the chicken’s life, or do what his heart tells him is right? The latest title from award-winning illustrator Claudia Boldt, Outfoxed introduces a smart, independent-minded character in Harold the fox and is sure to become a bedtime favorite.” (Catalogue).

image courtesy of syndeticsAttack of the Giant Baby.

“This is a book about a baby destroying his sister’s make-believe play from the perspective of the castle’s occupants. A Giant Baby has been spotted in the kingdom! Summon the special advisors. Send out the knights in shining armour. Let loose the monster-size bear!” (Catalogue).

A shelter for sadness.

“A small boy creates a safe space for his sadness, a shelter where it can curl up small, or be as big as it can be, where it can be noisy or quiet, or anything in between. The boy can visit the shelter every day, sometimes every hour and he knows that one day Sadness may come out of the shelter and they will look at the beautiful world together”–Back cover.

image courtesy of syndeticsStop that dinosaur!

“I was in my Granny’s kitchen eating extra-special cake, when the walls began to tremble and the roof began to SHAKE. KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK! Ring! Ring! Ring! Oh MY – a dino’s at the door. And now it’s taken Granny … SOMEONE STOP THAT DINOSAUR! Chase down the GRAN-NAPPING brontosaurus in this rollicking, rhyming, ROAR-some romp. Can you catch the naughty dinosaur and get back to Granny’s house before Mum comes home at six o’clock?”–Provided by publisher.

image courtesy of syndeticsDifferent : a great thing to be!

“This joyful rhyming book encourages children to value the “different” in all people, leading the way to a kinder world in which the differences in all of us are celebrated and embraced. Macy is a girl who’s a lot like you and me, but she’s also quite different, which is a great thing to be. With kindness, grace, and bravery, Macy finds her place in the world, bringing beauty and laughter wherever she goes and leading others to find delight in the unique design of every person.” (Catalogue). Also available as an eBook.


image courtesy of syndeticsBodies are Cool.

“From the acclaimed creator of Dancing at the Pity Party and Roaring Softly, this picture book is a pure celebration of all the different human bodies that exist in the world. Highlighting the various skin tones, body shapes, and hair types is just the beginning in this truly inclusive book. With its joyful illustrations and encouraging refrain, it will instill body acceptance and confidence in the youngest of readers. “My body, your body, every different kind of body! All of them are good bodies! BODIES ARE COOL!” (Catalogue).

image courtesy of syndeticsDon’t hug Doug (he doesn’t like it).

“Doug doesn’t like hugs. He thinks hugs are too squeezy, too squashy, too squooshy, too smooshy. He doesn’t like hello hugs or goodbye hugs, game-winning home run hugs or dropped ice cream cone hugs, and he definitely doesn’t like birthday hugs. He’d much rather give a high five–or a low five, a side five, a double five, or a spinny five. Yup, some people love hugs; other people don’t. So how can you tell if someone likes hugs or not? There’s only one way to find out: Ask Because everybody gets to decide for themselves whether they want a hug or not.” (Catalogue).

Get your poetry game-face on!

person doing wall graffiti

Image: Upsplash free images & pictures

Do you know why August 2021 is special? No, not because we’ve gone into another lockdown 🙁 At the end of this month, it’s Phantom National Poetry Day! (Friday 27 August).

Now I know some of you may sigh and think “poetry-smoetry!” but the poetry world is all around us in the music lyrics we sing along to, the books we read (many picture books and even some chapter books are written in verse), to even the random thoughts that pop into our heads! It’s also a great way to express how your feeling in this topsy-turvy world of ours right now.

And it’s fun to do because there are no rules! You can start your sentence halfway through, OR WRITE THE ENTIRE POEM IN CAPITAL LETTERS, or don’t use any capital letters at all! Your poems don’t even have to rhyme to still be poetry. It’s up to you – it’s your creation.


Here are just a few ideas to get you started:

Predictive poetry

Grab you phone and start a text by writing the first couple of words from a book (or newspaper article). Then simply keep adding the next word in the predictive text that you feel fits the poem you’re creating.

Here’s my example which I’ve named “The unnamed thing”:

The Unnamed Thing

And itself was very good but

The pussycat was a bit surreal.

The lake was still

Not sure how to feel…

Blackout Poetry

Blackout poetry is when you take a written piece of text from a book, newspaper, or magazine and circle the words you want to keep and cross out the ones you don’t, in order to come up with your very own poetry!

If you’ve got an iPad at home, why not try your hand at some digital blackout poetry:

Here’s my blackout poem using this Stuff Kea Kids news article:

Teddy Takes Lead

Teddy is a therapy dog

Helps people

providing plenty of cuddles

maths games and reading

See Teddy in action!

Poetry Box Lockdown Challenge

On this great NZ poetry page, there’s a new theme for you to explore every month. The August theme is

“Look at the sky and skydream”

Want to read more poetry?

…but your stuck at home? Don’t worry! Wellington City Libraries have got loads of e-resources for you to borrow. Check out our OVERDRIVE KIDS POETRY RESOURCES HERE

Want to find out more about poetry?

Brain Bunny

New Zealand Poetry Society

Family Friendly Poems

poetry4kids.com

Rainbow Poetry

Top 10 children’s non-fiction June 2015

Create and build. Online or IRL (in real life) children are loving blocks made of lego/bedrock/sandstone. Excellent resources to find and share at the library!

1. The LEGO ideas book by Daniel Lipkowitz

2. Minecraft hacks master builder by Megan Miller

3. Star Wars character encyclopedia by Simon Beecroft

4. Star Wars by David West Reynolds

5. The LEGO movie by Hannah Dolan

6. Lego Star Wars by Simon Beecroft

7. Maps by Aleksandra Mizielinska

8. Minecraft by Nick Farwell

9. Minecraft by Stephanie Milton

10. Lego official annual 2015