Welcome to Penguin Australia’s blog for teachers and librarians – bringing you book reviews, resources, guest bloggers, book trailers and much more. Have a question about books? Ask us and we will answer on the blog.

Great Author Websites #1 – Andrew Joyner

Author websites are a valuable and often underused resource for teachers’. They are valuable because they can be a treasure trove of anecdotal information to share with students about the author or illustrator and more often than not, will have all kinds of great activities and links that can help your students further explore in an author study, class novel study, or curiosity inspired by a beloved independent read.

We are on a mission to share with you some great author websites that we hope will be useful to you and your students, beginning with Author/illustrator – Andrew Joyner.

Andrew Joyner is an internationally published illustrator and author.  His books include The Terrible Plop, written by Ursula Dubosarsky (Shortlisted, CBCA awards and Prime Minister’s Literary Awards, 2010), and the Boris series.  Boris gets a lizard (shortlisted in the 2011 Speech Pathology Awards) and Ready, Set, Boris was a Notable book in the 2012 CBCA awards.

His most  recent work includes a new picture book with Ursula Dubosarsky, Too Many Elephants in this House, as well as two new Boris books, Boris on Show and Slow Down Boris.

Andrew lives in Strathalbyn, South Australia. You can access Andy’s Awesome Website HERE.

Prime Minister’s Literary Awards Shortlist 2012

Congratulations to our Authors and Illustrators for their inclusion on the shortlists for the Prime Minister’s Literary Award 2012.

The Awards celebrate the contribution of Australian literature and history to the nation’s cultural and intellectual life. “In 2012 there are six awards: fiction, poetry, non-fiction, young adult fiction, children’s fiction and Australian history. The winner of each award will receive $80 000 tax-free and the shortlisted entries in each category receive $5000 tax-free.” 

Young adult fiction

• When We Were Two, Robert Newton
• Alaska, Sue Saliba

Children’s fiction

• Evangeline, The Wish Keeper’s Helper, Maggie Alderson
• The Jewel Fish of Karnak, Graeme Base
• Come Down, Cat!, written by Sonya Hartnett and illustrated by Lucia Masciullo 

 

Resources and more information for each of the titles short-listed can be found by clicking on the book covers featured.

Sophie Scott Goes South, a book launch with a difference – by Jane Godwin

On Sunday May 27th, we had a book launch with a difference.  Alison Lester’s new book Sophie Scott Goes South is all about nine-year-old Sophie who travels to Mawson Station in Antarctica on board the Aurora Australis with her father who is the ship’s captain.  Sophie is really Alison’s alter ego, as Sophie’s diary is based on Alison’s own writings from her travels to the frozen continent. The book combines a diary, photographs, illustrations and paintings and it’s sure to capture a young (or old!) reader’s imagination and curiosity and encourage a sense of wonder for this unique and precious place.

We thought it would be lots of fun if we could actually launch the book on the Aurora Australis when it was docked in Hobart.  The good people from P&O agreed to this, and 40 or so guests lined up to board the vessel at 12.30 sharp.  We were introduced to the ship’s captain and other crew members, as well as people from the Australian Antarctic Division.  Simon Estella from P&O Maritime launched the book as we all stood on the bridge, and then we were given a tour of the ship.  Alison assured us that although it felt very big as we were clambering over it, once it was out in the middle of the Southern Ocean the Aurora Australis actually starts to feel quite small!

Following the launch we had lunch in the mess with several members of the crew, and then it was time to walk to the Hobart bookshop in Salamanca Place where we had book launch # 2!  It seemed as if all of Hobart had come along to the launch as we all crowded into the bookshop.  Alison signed many, many books for the children (and their parents) afterwards.

Secondary Professional Development Day – Sydney

Click here to view and print full invitation
Click here to RSVP online

Primary Professional Development Day – Sydney

Click here to view and print full invitation
Click here to RSVP online

Jeff Kinney Drawing Class #1

Filmed at Penguin offices while Jeff Kinney was here on tour, this is a great resource to share with your students.

An exciting week for readers…

Not ONE but TWO visiting international authors for lucky Australian readers over the last fortnight.

Eoin Colfer – author of the enormously popular Artemis Fowl series joined us for visits to varies cities, speaking before thousands of excited student’s, teachers’, librarian’s and avid fans.

Eoin spoke to hundreds of student’s and their teachers’ at a special school’s event at The Melbourne Conference and Exhibition Centre where a great many laughs were had as Eoin entertained those present with hilariously funny anecdotal stories about his family, his writing and his life at home in Ireland.

Penguin Teachers’ Corner joined Eoin at the CBCA Conference in Adelaide. Eoin was a keynote speaker addressing the topic of The Hero as a Wicked Young Man - Chaired by Val van Putten and later, a panel member alongside Isobelle Carmody, David Cornish and Sean Williams for a discussion of Other Worlds, Other Values? chaired by Peter Cooper. Signing queues were long and patient and Eoin was happy to pose for photographs and chat to all.

Jeff Kinney – author of the enormously popular Diary of a Wimpy Kid series has been on a whirlwind tour of Australia this past week, with a highlighted event for the Sydney Writers Festival held at The Sydney Opera House. Sunday May 2oth saw Jeff at Melbourne Town Hall speaking to hundreds of children and parents for The Wheeler Centre, where a lucky few Puffin Competition winners got to speak to Jeff before the event followed by an incredibly successful school’s only event at The Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre  

Jeff delighted thousands of fans, happily signing and chatting with student’s and teachers’, posing for photographs and wowing those present with a funny and entertaining presentation about the development of his ‘Wimpy Kid’ idea and how he became a writer/illustrator.

We are so pleased to have had Eoin Colfer and Jeff Kinney visit us this month. To all the Artemis Fowl and Diary of a Wimpy Kid fans (and their parents, guardians or teachers’) who supported and/or attended an event, THANK YOU!