Literary Travels

Penny Garnsworthy, the CBCA Tas newsletter editor, takes us to some of the places in the United Kingdom that are linked with children’s books.

I recently spent some time in the UK and included on my list of things to see and do were attractions of a literary nature.

In Edinburgh I visited the statue of Sherlock Holmes, located near the birthplace of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Then I lunched at The Conan Doyle, a fabulous pub decorated in the style you would expect from Holmes himself. In London I visited the 221B Baker Street premises of Sherlock Holmes, now a museum full of Holmes memorabilia. It has the famously furnished upstairs room where Holmes and Watson spent their days mulling over mysteries and next door there is even a café called Mrs Hudson’s Restaurant.

In northern England, I spent a day at Alnwick Castle where Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone was filmed. Evidence of this is all around in the plethora of Harry Potter souvenirs available in the castle’s shops together with the daily broomstick-riding lessons where children and adults alike cavort on the castle green led by an appropriately dressed witch and wizard.

But it wasn’t just the fun and frivolity of fiction I was interested in. As a lover of ancient history, there was one very important piece of literature I just had to see; The Rosetta Stone, which is now housed in the British Museum.

The Rosetta Stone features two translations of the same decree in the three scripts that were common in ancient Egypt at the time; hieroglyphic, Greek and Demotic. It dates back to 196BC and was discovered in 1799. Nobody had ever been able to decipher Egyptian hieroglyphs but in 1822 Frenchman Jean Francois Champollion, who could read both Greek and Coptic, finally did it and the rest, as they say, is history.

Cheers, Penny

Catching Your Eye – What to Read Next?

                                                           Warning: phrase overload!

Many would be familiar with the phrase ‘You can’t judge a book by its cover’ and be able to think of books to which it relates. The phrase is appealing to readers to not be judgemental as to the content and quality of a book by looking at the cover alone. 

To take the time to read and linger on the story before casting it aside based on external factors. I, however, often find this difficult to do and in working in school libraries note that many children and young adults pick up a possible book to read solely on the cover design followed by a quick turnover to the blurb on the back. Even though we know that ‘All that glitters is not gold’, the overall look, presentation and feel of a book is a high determinant in attracting readers to it in the first place. 

Children and young adults are very visual and it is important to encourage them to remember: ‘If you judge a book by its cover, you might miss out on an amazing story.’ However, with the limited resources of families, schools and libraries, books that are initially unappealing, regardless of what lies within, may not be purchased or presented in the first place. 

A poorly designed book sitting on a shelf, without promotion or recommendation, is likely to stay that way - unread. In sourcing and recommending literature for children the whole package must be considered: a quality, literary work encased in a well bound, appealing cover. 

NB:  Cover images used in this article are of books that ‘caught my eye’ and I subsequently enjoyed.

Tricia Scott
Teacher Librarian and current Tasmanian Judge for Children’s Book of the Year Awards

Imagining the Unimaginable

Lyndon Riggall discusses the qualities of good writing that enable us to put ourselves as close as possible to the daunting theatre of war.

Reading Carol Fuller’s recent blog, brought to us from the stunning and heart-wrenching Gallipoli Peninsula (link: http://cbcatas.blogspot.com.au/2015/05/anzac-day-at-gallipoli-peninsula_26.html), I was struck by her examination of the difference between “commemoration” and “celebration” and particularly her request that those who still believe that Anzac day is a cause for celebration read from the Mud and Blood and Tears list available from CBCA Tasmania. The reason the comments struck me was that I, like many of my generation and the ones that have come after, no longer have living relatives from either of the World Wars, and as such have accessed experiences of it primarily through the written word: first-hand accounts; poetry and, of course, fiction. When I lower my head in remembrance it is the relatives long gone who I think of first, but in imagining what they went through, my mind, for better or worse, also conjures images from stories: Markus Zusak’s The Book Thief, Morris Gleitzman’s Once… novels, Jackie French’s Pennies for Hitler, Michael Morpurgo’s War Horse or Michelle Magorian’s incomparably upsetting Goodnight, Mister Tom. And who could forget, once read, John Boyne’s The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, a novel that says so much in so few pages about who we are as people, and how we must treat each other?

It would be a rare year that the CBCA didn’t recognise at a high level a work of fiction that dealt intensely with the causes, consequences and conflict of one of the major world wars. It has sometimes been a criticism of book prizes that the theme of war might dazzle a reader into an emotional response as a form of misdirection--hiding clichés and poor writing behind heavy themes and emotionally traumatic events. I would argue that although writing poorly about war is a terrible crime against history, the writers who write about war successfully are largely thoroughly deserving of the accolades that they receive. Writing about conflict--particularly for a young audience, who often know even less of the realities of death and war than adults--in a way that inspires empathy and understanding--that feels true--is a herculean task. Whether it is a particular author’s “right” or “place” to discuss these topics is not something that I want to debate here, but I think perhaps that we can agree that attempting to do so, when successful, is vital to the way that many of us understand the past, engage with the potential conflicts of the future, and remember the great sacrifices made by real families on both sides of conflict. 

Writers who have the gift of being able to present ideas of war with integrity allow us to try and imagine the unimaginable. Although we may never succeed in fully appreciating the sacrifices that have been made in the past, I believe it is our duty to try. In language; in words and images and stories, we come perhaps as close as we are going to get to truly understanding what happened. On Anzac Day here in Australia we stand and say “Lest We Forget,” but perhaps we need to do more than that. We need to imagine. Doing so--even when we cannot possibly hope to touch the truth of the horror and tragedy and sadness of what happened--is to see that this is not a cause for celebration. In placing ourselves in one of humanity’s darkest hours through the skills of great writers, perhaps we leave with resolve. Perhaps we make a promise, in our own hearts, and perhaps that promise enters the world through our actions. And that promise is this:

Never again.

Lyndon Riggall
Author and former Tasmanian Book of the Year Judge

In Praise of Libraries

Maureen Mann presents this week’s Blog. Maureen was the recipient of the 2006 Tasmanian Teacher Librarian of the Year Award and in 2008 was awarded an Honorary Lifetime Membership of the Tasmanian Branch of the Children's Book Council of Australia (CBCA), for her tireless work with children’s literature.

While reflecting on what to write, now that my blog responsibility has come around again and thinking that I would do something other than my usual commentary on what I have read, I visited my grandson’s local library. He lives in an ethnically diverse part of greater Toronto in Canada.

It’s part of a vibrant forward-thinking library organisation with several branches. Walk into a bright, welcoming environment where the stock is up-to-date and appropriate for the cultural needs of the community, across all ages. I picked up a 24-page booklet full of ideas for everyone – kids, teens, adults, newcomers as well as long-term residents. The summer reading program for children, just about to get under way, includes prizes for the school with the most enrolments. For teens, the challenge of collectively reading two million pages together and then creating a book trailer for the preferred book(s). Of course, these can be e-books not just paper versions. There’s an invitation to go on a blind date with a book; a brown-paper-wrapped title with no clue apart from a genre suggestion. Magazines are available for free download and there is access for music downloads. The central branch has a professional 3D printer, apparently the only one so far available in a public institution in Canada. 

So after a very positive visit I started thinking about the inappropriate stereotypes still promulgated about libraries. Let’s look at a few:

·      Staff, who are old women with buns going: “Shhhhhhh!” No. Staff are often young and hate the idea of silence around them.

·      Dark and musty spaces. No. well-patronised and successful libraries are bright, airy, warm environments where all members of the community are welcomed.

·      Old, out-of-date stock. No. Modern readers expect the best of the most recent publications, whether in electronic or traditional formats.

·      Only readers need to visit. No. Everyone is welcomed in an environment where all information needs are catered for using all kinds of technologies, whether traditional paper or the most advanced developments, such as 3D printers.

·      Libraries are superseded by Google and the like. No. Libraries support this technology especially for those who don’t have the skills to access and assess the wealth of information now available.

·      Libraries don’t need support. No. Many members of the community see the library as an essential for their environment but forget that to maintain them the funding bodies need to be given that message. The best way to do this is to visit and use your local library very regularly. 

I happened upon a great article from The Rotarian magazine – and, no, not because I am a Rotarian. http://therotarianmagazine.com/in-praise-of-libraries. The article and the resultant comments make for thoughtful reading.

For fun support of libraries have a look at this online poem from Scroobius Pip, a spoken word poet and hip hop artist. http://www.adweek.com/galleycat/scroobius-pip-crafts-poem-in-praise-of-libraries/95423

What do libraries mean to you? How can we get rid of the unacceptable stereotypes? We’d love to hear your views.

Nan Chauncy - A children's author ahead of her time

Jenni Connor writes about the impact of Nan Chauncy on children's literature, through her connection with the Tasmanian landscape and indigenous peoples. Jenni has been pivotal in organising the Nan Chauncy events for 2015. John Marsden's, Nan Chauncy Oration is one of the highlight events.

Nan Chauncy was a ‘woman of her times and ahead of her time’ in relation to Tasmania’s Aboriginal people. In Mathinna’s People (1967), she has implicit faith in the record of events provided by George Arthur Robinson (whom she believes to be a ‘sincere and deeply religious man’) saying ‘the events are true and tragic; there is no happy ending’. She believes, as people did at the time, that ‘Mathinna’s People have vanished from the earth’. On the other hand, she strongly condemns the treatment of Aborigines by white people: ‘Their game was shot ruthlessly, the ground cleared for farms, and they were forced away…their women were captured by sealers…their children snatched by settlers…to work for them as little better than slaves’.

Her empathy for Tasmanian Aboriginal people is especially strong in Tangara (1961). This is a complex time-slip novel with great literary sophistication. It’s an adventure – of course – but the bush context is soundly established and the female protagonist emerges with impressive strength, resilience and depth of empathy for her ‘Aboriginal (ghost) friend’. Nan’s respect for the lore, loyalties, technologies and social structure of Aboriginal life is quite unusual for the times. Hugo McCann, retired lecturer from the University of Tasmania in his talk at the Launch of the Touring Exhibition at LINC in Hobart on 28^th May, describes Tangara as ‘a deeply moving classic by one of our great children’s writers – part fantasy, part history and one hundred percent masterpiece’. (Photo: Nan meeting excited children)

In Tiger in the Bush (1957), Nan’s love of the Australian/Tasmanian bush – its flora and fauna – shines through palpably. Badge shows ‘reverence’ when viewing the fern gully, with its secret female platypus making her nest and later, on Tarn Mountain, catches a glimpse of a ‘wolfish creature with dark chocolate stripes’. Badge vows to ‘protect it from exploitation’ (the Thylacine was deemed extinct in 1936). The Lorenny Family trilogy – Tiger in the Bush, Devils’ Hill (1958) and The Roaring 40 (1963) – best represents Nan’s deep yearning for a ‘hidden valley in which a child can be free and capable, unspoiled by The Outside’. In her passion for this new country, Nan idealises ‘the simple bushman as an individualist and visionary who is spiritually connected to a place that is free from the taint of man’ (Brenda Niall, Australia Through the Looking Glass, 1985).  It is no wonder that Nan, Anton and later the family bequeathed the property at Bagdad (north of Hobart), known as Chauncy Vale, to the local council as a wildlife sanctuary.

They Found a Cave (1947), Tiger in the Bush and Tangara remain Nan’s most accessible and enjoyable novels. Nan Chauncy gave Australian Literature for Children an authentic voice and her legacy lives on in today’s stunning writers and illustrators, who are still celebrated by the CBCA!

This year, the Tasmanian branch of the CBCA is organising an number of events to celebrate Nan Chauncy. Visit www.cbcatas.org for more details. The events

are as follows:

1. Travelling Suitcase Exhibition – commences at Hobart LINC for three weeks from 1 June and then tours through the state library system – check www.cbcatas.org/events/. Launceston and Devonport libraries will also co-host launches and Kingston, Rosny and Oatlands have expressed interest. The exhibition is free and we hope many, many families check it out.

2. Nan Chauncy Oration by John Marsden, Hodgkin Hall, the Friends’ School, Saturday 20^th June. High Tea with wonderful music, elegant afternoon tea and a stunning Oration. Tickets @ $30 through www.cbcatas.org/events/ or book direct at http://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/the-nan-chauncy-oration-presented-by-john-marsden-tickets-16310423917?aff=es

3. They Found a Cave – Cinema quality screening with an introduction by John Honey and Q & A by Michael Woolford who played Nippy in the film. Screenings: The State Cinema, Hobart on Sunday 16^th August and CMax Cinema Devonport on Sunday 30^th August.

4. Picnic in the Vale at Chauncy Vale (Date TBA for early October) in collaboration with Southern Midlands Council and the Chauncy Vale Committee. People wishing to attend can purchase a ticket for $20 which provides a picnic pack, with juice or water and guiding through the cottage and up to the cave. People wishing to bring their own lunch will donate $5 towards the upkeep of Chauncy Vale.

(The Nan Chauncy Award recipient will be added to the Honour Roll held at Day Dawn Cottage.)

Jenni Connor

CBCA Tasmania’s Board Member for the National CBCA

Anzac Day at the Gallipoli Peninsula

Carol Fuller shares her reflections on her experiences after visiting the Gallipoli Peninsula during the centenary commemorations.

What is the difference between celebration and commemoration? Quite a deal really if you think about it. 'Celebration' means a lot of jollity, happiness,’good time had by all'; the elements of a rousing party in honour of something good. 'Commemoration' is far more sombre and serious. It is about remembering, acknowledging, honouring and quietly contemplating what or who has gone before.

Did you celebrate or commemorate Anzac Day this year? I commemorated Anzac Day 2015 on the Gallipoli Peninsula. Standing at the top of The Nek, just behind the Sphinx, looking down the rugged terrain of Monash Valley seeing how impossible it must have been to walk up the cliffs, let alone carry packs, ammunition and weaponry, one could not possibly think of partying. The landing at Gallipoli was no picnic. This was a barbaric, futile endeavour, an almost criminal waste of time, money and above all thousands of lives: Australian, New Zealander, British, French, Indian and Turkish. If you were not aware of the other nationalities, you can be excused your ignorance since the stories we hear in Australia do not always give us the full or the true picture. The Turkish lost many more lives than the Anzacs, as did the British. Perhaps the plethora of books, documentaries, TV series and films have so extravagantly romanticised the notion of  the‘Anzac’ that we have overlooked the important elements of those eight months of hell, played out on the very tip of a wild and craggy coastline.

Standing in the Lone Pine Cemetery and seeing the ages inscribed on the head stones one can only despair at the number of young men, the age of today’s senior secondary students, whose lives were thrown away for no understandable reason.   

So how should we regard Anzac Day? What is it all about? Well it certainly is not a celebration. The Allies lost the Gallipoli campaign, thousands of young men lost their lives and losing has never been a cause for celebration. Therefore, Anzac Day is not about war or about winners and losers, it is about how individuals conducted themselves in extraordinary circumstances and the circumstances of the Gallipoli campaign were about the most extraordinary one could find. 

The Anzacs were asked to fight for another country, commanded by incompetent generals of another country, against an enemy who had never done Australia any harm. Signing up for this war was probably very naive but when reality emerged and the farce was revealed these young men became famous for the way they performed their duty rather than what they actually did or did not achieve.  

The enemy, Johnny Turk, also earned fame; not for winning the war in the long run but for how they, as a nation, honoured and respected their Anzac opponents. That respect is nowhere more apparent than in the beautifully manicured and Turkish maintained Allied cemeteries that spread across the Gallipoli Peninsula. One of the most poignant images you will see on the peninsula is the statue of a Turkish soldier carrying a slouch-hatted, Australian soldier. 

Anzac Day is also about how we, who remain, honour and remember the sacrifices made by not only the Anzac soldiers but also those young men and women who have fought in subsequent wars, such as: Korea, World War II, Vietnam, Iraq, Timor and Afghanistan. 

The CBCA Tasmania has a wonderful publication called Mud and Blood and Tears, an annotated list of children’s books about war and conflict. Individuals who still believe Anzac Day is a day for celebration would do well to read some of the excellent books listed therein.

The CBCA Tasmania thanks Carol Fuller for her contribution to the Blog. Please feel free to comment on this post.

Reading Aloud? - Yes Please!

The bedtime story routine in our house is the highlight of my day and is so important to my children, aged 7 and 9, that there are genuine tears of disappointment from my youngest if we ever need to skip story time! I have a very strong conviction in the importance of reading aloud to children and find it devastating to read of studies that show that in most cases once children hit the age of 7 or are able to “read by themselves” parents stop reading to them.

I have heard parents claim that their children don’t want to be read to anymore and I do understand this, but I feel that it is up to the adult to make changes to the read aloud experiences offered to keep the children interested and stimulated.  As brilliant children’s book blogger Megan Daley says, “reading to children should be about fun, the magic of story and the love of gorgeous books.”  Megan’s blog post Raising a Reader is well worth checking out particularly for her Top 10 Tips For Raising a Reader.

That said, families are busy, children are tired or glued to a device and time for reading together can be hard to find.

In my role as a K-6 teacher-librarian I frequently hear a good number of children, even those who are younger than 7, tell me that no-one at home reads with them.  This breaks my heart and drives me to provide rich and varied read aloud experiences within my library program.

I pride myself on choosing stories to share that are relevant to the curriculum and other aspects of day to day life for my students, and in sharing them in meaningful ways by using voice and gesture to effect, by creating stimulating displays that link with the read-aloud, by using props such as puppets where fitting, and by providing an engaging follow up activity that extends the story experience. However, is one voice, no matter how varied I can make it, enough?  Perhaps it is, but I choose to provide a wider range of listening experiences for my students.

In August 2013 I stumbled upon a test site for a new Australian website, devoted to sharing quality children’s literature.  I quickly fell in love and pledged my support to this crowd-funded start-up venture.  Since then Story Box Library has become a staple part of my library program, enabling me to share truly amazing read alouds with my students.  As stated on their website “Story Box Library provides a vibrant, interactive experience via a diverse range of everyday Australian storytellers - sportspeople, musicians, grandparents, teenagers, comedians, actors, with varying accents and from different cultures - each sharing past and present book titles. The result is meaningful, entertaining readings that focus on both teller and tale.”  I can fully endorse this statement as I see my students at school, and my children at home, totally absorbed with the Story Box Library offerings and always imploring me to “play it again”.

If you engage with children regularly – at home or at school – then I highly recommend that you consider a subscription to this wonderful platform.  With over seventy stories now available, and regular updates to the collection Story Box Library enriches the read aloud experience in homes and schools.

Reading aloud? – Yes please!  What are your best tips to keep families reading aloud and enjoying books together? 

Jessica Marston, Parent & Teacher Librarian, Hagley Farm School

Editor's note. If you would like some guidance on reading to your children visit the CBCA Tas website and the tab for Guides to Parents.
All images used with permission. 

In Their Own Words

In Their Own Words: A multimedia, interdisciplinary performance project created for the ANZAC Centenary. 

Performed 23-28 April 2015 in the Oratory Space at Dominic College.

Dominic College received both a Commonwealth and State Anzac Centenary Grant to research, write and produce this original youth theatre production based on the 281 names on our Glenorchy War Memorial. Dominic College was the only school in Tasmania to be a recipient of both grants which supported this unique integrated learning project for students involving Humanities, Dance, Drama, Media Studies, Visual Arts, Music and Applied Studies. 

The main focus was the Glenorchy War Memorial, showing the names of those who fought in the Great War. Students in Year 9 last year started their researching from these names. One of the prime aims was to find photographs of each of those people named, and many local families shared information and photographs supporting the research. LINC Tasmania developed a gateway to relevant resources in recognition of the centenary and was also a valuable source of information.

InTheir Own Words was an memorable recognition of the contribution, the danger, the happiness and the sadness of those who participated in the war effort all wrapped up into one outstanding performance. The commitment from the staff and students involved was exceptional and we will never drive past the Glenorchy War Memorial again without remembering the sacrifice of the ‘diggers.’

The re-creation of the ANZAC buffet was located in a separate space nearby. During interval all audience members were encouraged to partake of tea and scones. Staff and students provided this service and were joined by many members of the cast, who assisted with the hospitality in this authentic setting. The layout, stories, pictures and hospitality were perfect and helped take visitors through a time warp to the ANZAC days.

Chris Donnelly
Teacher Librarian, Dominic College

Editor's note. So often we focus on published works for children, it is heartening to read of students who can apply the rigours of historical research to recreate significant stories from the past.