Amy Mack's nature books

The book of Genesis places man at the head of creation, but makes it clear that he is dependent on nature for his continued existence. In spite of the technology which makes possible synthetic food, clothing and shelter, the human species is still, primarily, a hunter and gatherer of food. Plants must be identified and processed, animals tamed and brought into subjection for the welfare of society. Small wonder that the educators of the nineteenth century emphasised the need for a knowledge of natural science, and that Rousseau's Emile was to be a child of nature. Knowledge was thought to bring mastery.

H. M Saxby, A History of Australian Children's Literature p184

We Aussies have long been proud of our native land. We delight in our strangely fascinating animals and our uniquely beautiful flora, and right from the very first Australian children's book, A Mother's Offering, written in 1841 by Lady Gordon Bremer, natural history has featured largely in our literature. Initially, children's books were meant to instruct, and A Mother's Offering is pointedly educational, moralistic and judgemental, and, to be honest, fairly boring as well for the most part, but it was not long before our new settlers came to love their new land and to delight in passing their love on to others.

It is easy to see that Amy Eleanor Mack (Mrs Launcelot Harrison) loved the bush. Her writing, both for children and adults, was intended to arouse interest in nature, and is is because of that great love that her books can counted amongst the great Australian living books, even when they are used to teach us to be good...which they generally do!

Bushland Stories, Mack's first book written for children, uses fictional stories to explain the facts of natural history to encourage a love of nature and life. The wind, waves, trees, and of course the animals and birds, are all anthropomorphised. They speak and have emotions, and have much in common with the characters in Gatty's Parables of Nature, of which this volume very much reminds me. The things of nature are used to explain the happenings of natural history to her young readers, as well as to teach character traits such as contentment, kindness and satisfaction with what we have. Because Mack was interested, primarily, in conveying botanical and zoological knowledge, however, the plants and animals still behave like their real counterparts enough that we can learn a great deal from them. In The Cocktail's Party, Bluetip the Blue Wren learns with astonishment that as he has grown his plain brown coat has turned to brightest shining black trimmed with gleaming blue.

"But I don't understand," he said. "I thought I was plain brown, like you, but there I am just like father.""When you were a little boy you were plain brown," explained his mother, "for brown is the safest colour for children and mothers. It is not easily seen and so our enemies do not notice the children who are weak, or the mother when she is sitting on her nest. But now you are a strong bird, Bluetip, and able to take care of yourself, so you need not wear your dingy brown coat any longer, and have got this nice blue suit.""Oh, I am so glad," cried Bluetip. "I have always wanted to have a coat like my father's. I am so happy," and he broke into a joyful song.

Man is the enemy, but not frustratingly so, and he can be kind too. Kids are like that, aren't they? Kind one day; cruel the next. Perhaps we all are.

There are 25 stories in the original 1910 edition, although later editions seem to contain between 15 and 18. Keep an eye out for a full version. I read Bushland Stories to Jemimah as a read aloud, somewhere about AO2 or AO3, but I don't seem to have listed it in our curriculum choices, for some reason. I think it is more worthwhile than that, and would certainly recommend that you include it somewhere between AO1-AO3. You can read a story from the book online at Homeschooling Downunder, here.

Bushland Stories was the first volume in Mack's nature series for young children, followed by Waterside Stories and Birdland Stories, all published in 1910. Be careful of overkill with these stories, but they're worth looking out for if you love the first book. Scribbling Sue, illustrated by May Gibbs, was also a book of stories about how nature can teach us to be good. It's probably a bit too moralistic for my taste.

Probably the best known of Mack's books in Aussie homeschooling circles is A Bush Calendar (1909), despite the fact that it is an adult book, and was actually a compilation of articles written for the women's page of the Sydney Morning Herald. It is written as a first person monthly diary of Amy's own wanders in the bush around Sydney, and is illustrated with black and white photographs. It is just delightful - a peaceful type of book - the sort that inspires you to get out into nature to experience it all for yourself.

November 1

It was two butterflies that did the mischief to-day. I had quite made up my mind to have a nice day's sewing, and had planned two blouses to be made; but while I sat at breakfast on the verandah those blue butterflies came floating by, and the blouses were forgotten. In and out amongst the red tips of the gum saplings they flittered, living turquoise in a frame of burnished copper. A little wind, too young to be rough, flittered softly after them and set the red leaves dancing as it passed. Some sunbeams, seeing the dancing leaves, came to join in the fun, and butterflies, leaves, and sunbeams danced and sparkled together in the soft sweet breeze.

It was irresistible. I set down my coffee cup and stood up. "It's no use," I said to myself, " no one could be expected to sit still and sew to-day when all the world's a-dancing. It's a day for the bush!" So off to the bush I went.

Jemimah read this beautiful book in AO7, coinciding each monthly chapter with the correct month of the year. The book begins on August 1, but it lost little by being read January to December, and the benefits of reading the correct months were evident. Each chapter ends with a detailed list of flowers in bloom and birds to be found in and around the coastal areas of Sydney, and Jemimah found it interesting comparing these lists to happenings in our own region.

A Bush Calendar has been reprinted by the lovely Michelle from Homeschooling Downunder. Thanks, wonderful lady, for all that you do for us. It is also at Archive.

A Bush Calendar was followed quickly afterwards by Bush Days in 1911. Written in a similar style, Bush Days is a series of undated stories, quite as delightful as those in A Bush Calendar. My favourite story in this volume is about one of my favourite birds, the Silvereye. It's the story of a young lad who learns to his amazement that the 'sivie' sings as sweetly as a canary:

"I had no idea that silvereyes could sing at all," said one of the men, still gazing up into the branches.I laughed. "It's a case of the prophet in his own country.""Evidently," agreed the man. "I must listen to them in future. It's a good thing to know that we have birds that can sing.""It is," I assented, "the pity is that more people don't know it."Then we all went on our ways, leaving the small singer alone. And he, regardless of his audience, and heedless of their ignorance, still sat amongst the glossy leaves, pouring forth his song of joy and thanksgiving unto the world beautiful.

Until I read this chapter, I didn't know that Silvereyes could sing either.

Jemimah read Bush Days in AO7 as well. On the first week of each month she would read the entry from A Bush Calendar; on the other weeks she read from Bush Days. Bush Days is available from Archive.

Amy Mack also wrote another book for adults, The Wilderness, in 1922. I haven't used this with Jemimah yet, but plan to in a couple of years. I'll keep you appraised!

 

Traditional counting songs

In the early years, the MEP lesson plans call for 'counting songs'.  These interludes are there to prevent brain strain - remember that MEP in a classroom takes 45 minutes, and that's a long time for a small person.  But a well chosen song can have value for another reason too - to practice counting backwards and forwards.  Counting backwards is harder than you think.  If you consider yourself mildly proficient in a second language, try counting backwards from numbers other than ten.  It is pretty hard!  That's what it is like for our youngsters as well.

Here are some of our favourite counting songs.  There are lots of modern ones as well, but this is most of the traditional ones.  Hopefully you'll find something that you and your kiddos like!

For obvious reasons, the ones counting forward and backward are probably best.  Have fun!

(Also, singing counting songs in your foreign language is also great practice...even in the middle of maths!  That's probably another post.)



Once I Caught a Fish Alive

1, 2, 3, 4, 5,
Once I caught a fish alive,
6, 7, 8, 9, 10,
Then I let it go again.
Why did you let it go?
Because it bit my finger so,
Which finger did it bite?
This little finger on the right.



Ten Green Bottles

Ten green bottles
Hanging on the wall
Ten green bottles
Hanging on the wall
And if one green bottle
Should accidentally fall
There'll be nine green bottles
Hanging on the wall

Nine green bottles
Hanging on the wall...and so on.

Finish with:

One green bottle
Hanging on the wall
One green bottle
Hanging on the wall
If that one green bottle
Should accidentally fall
There'll be no green bottles
Hanging on the wall.



There were 10 in the Bed

There were ten in a bed
And the little one said
'Roll over, roll over'
So they all rolled over
And one fell out

There were nine in a bed
And the little one said...etc

Finish with:

There was one in a bed
And the little one said
'Good night!'

There are many variations to this song. We love the one with the following sung between the verses, so if you have just sung the 'There were seven in bed' verse it would be:

Bumped his head,
And gave a shout.
Please remember,
To tie a knot in your pyjamas,
Single beds are only made for (then shouted) Ten, Nine, Eight, Seven, six in the bed and...

(Anyone know a YouTube video for this variation?)



10 Little Indian Boys

1 Little, 2 Little, 3 Little Indians,
4 Little, 5 Little, 6 Little Indians,
7 Little, 8 L9ittle, 9 Little Indians,
10 Little Indian Boys!

Then count down again!



One, Two, Buckle my Shoe

One, two, buckle my shoe,
Three, four, open the door,
Five, six, pick up sticks,
Seven, eight, lay them straight
Nine, ten, the big fat hen,
Eleven, twelve, dig and delve,
Thirteen, fourteen, maids a-courting,
Fifteen, sixteen, maids in the kitchen,
Seventeen, eighteen, ladies waiting,
Nineteen, twenty, my plate's empty.




This Old Man

This old man, he played one,
He played knick-knack on my thumb;
With a knick-knack paddywhack,
Give a dog a bone,
This old man came rolling home.

This old man, he played two,
He played knick-knack on my shoe;
With a knick-knack paddywhack,
Give a dog a bone,
This old man came rolling home.

This old man, he played three,
He played knick-knack on my knee...etc.

This old man, he played four,
He played knick-knack on my door...etc.

This old man, he played five,
He played knick-knack on my hive...etc.

This old man, he played six,
He played knick-knack on my sticks...etc.

This old man, he played seven,
He played knick-knack up in Heaven...etc.

This old man, he played eight,
He played knick-knack on my gate...etc.

This old man, he played nine,
He played knick-knack on my spine...etc.

This old man, he played ten,
He played knick-knack once again...etc.



Ten Little Ducks

Ten little ducks went out one day,
Over the hills and far away.
Mother duck said
'Quack, quack, quack,'
But only nine little ducks came back.

Continues with:

Nine little ducks went out one day,
Over the hills and far away...etc.

Finish:

No little ducks went out one day,
Over the hills and far away
Mother duck said
'Quack, quack, quack,'
And all those ten little ducks came back.



One Bottle of Pop


This is a great song!!

One bottle of pop, two bottles of pop,
Three bottles of pop, four bottles of pop,
Five bottles of pop, six bottles of pop,
Seven, seven, bottles of pop, pop!

Fish and chips and vinegar, vinegar, vinegar
Fish and chips and vinegar,
Pepper, pepper, pepper, salt!

Don't throw your trash in my backyard,
My backyard, my backyard.
Don't throw your trash in my backyard,
My backyard's full!



Five Speckled Frogs

Five little speckled frogs
Sat on a great big log
Eating some moist delicious flies (Yum, yum, yum!)
One jumped into the pool
Where it was nice and cool
Now there are four speckled frogs! (Ribbit, ribbit!)



Five Little Monkeys

Five little monkeys jumping on the bed,
One fell off and bumped his head.
Mama called the Doctor and the Doctor said,
"No more monkeys jumping on the bed!'.

Four little monkeys jumping on the bed,
One fell off and bumped her head...

Finish:

One little monkey jumping on the bed,
He fell off and bumped his head.
Mama called the Doctor and the Doctor said,
"Put those monkeys straight to bed!'.



One Man Went to Mow

One man went to mow, went to mow a meadow,
One man and his dog - Woof! - went to mow a meadow.

Two men went to mow, went to mow a meadow,
Two men, one man and his dog - Woof! - went to mow a meadow.

Three men went to mow, went to mow a meadow,
Three men, two men, one man and his dog - Woof! - went to mow a meadow.

Four men went to mow, went to mow a meadow,
Four men, three men, two men, one man and his dog - Woof! - went to mow a meadow.

Five men went to mow, went to mow a meadow,
Five men, four men, three men, two men, one man and his dog - Woof! - went to mow a meadow.

You can count as high as you like!

Enjoy!  Have I included your favourite counting song?  If not. leave me a link in the comments.  I'd love to listen.

PS There are as many variations to the lyrics of these songs as there are songs.  The lyrics here are my family's personal favourites.  They're the right ones, of course. Heh.

Here's a playlist for all these songs if you like them like that.

May Gibbs Google Doodle

Hey, are you all enjoying today's Google Doodle as much as I am? Happy 136th Birthday, May.

Here's a list of her works:

About Us (1912)
Gumnut Babies (1916)
Gumblossom Babies (1916)
Boronia Babies (1917)
Flannel Flowers and Other Bush Babies (1917)
Wattle Babies (1918)
Tales of Snugglepot and Cuddlepie (1918)
Little Ragged Blossom (1920)
Little Obelia (1921)
Nuttybub and Nittersing (1923)
Chucklebud and Wunkydoo (1924)
Bib and Bub: Their Adventures (1925)
The Further Adventures of Bib and Bub (1927)
More Funny Stories about Old Friends Bib and Bub (1928)
Bib and Bub in Gumnut Town aka Two Little Gum-Nuts (1929)
The Complete Adventures of Snugglepot and Cuddlepie (1940)
Scotty in Gumnut Land (1941)
Mr and Mrs Bear and Friends (1943)
Prince Dande Lion (1953)

Do you all like Snugglepot and Cuddlepie the best? Our very favourite Gumnut Baby story is The Story of Chucklebud and Wunkydoo. If you read it aloud you'll know why - it is just plain good Aussie fun. Here's an extract:

Now, these little Nuts were the most inquisitive little Nuts that ever sat in a gumtree. All day long they went about saying 'Why?' and 'How?' and 'When?' and 'What for?' till their parents grew quite tired of answering them and even the Bush Creatures would hide when they saw them coming, or pretend to be deaf.

One day Chucklebud said to Wunkydoo, 'Oh, I do wish I knew a lot of things.' 'So do I,' said Wunkydoo. 'Everybody knows something,' said Chucklebud. 'But nobody knows everything.' said Wunkydoo.

As they talked, a breeze swayed a leaf on which they were sitting, and away down in the valley they heard the voice of Mr Wackasmack, the Kookaburra.

It was a loud voice, and they heard quite plainly what he said.

This is what they heard:

'There's some thinks they know a lot, and a lot as knows they thinks some, but nobody knows what I know because I never tell.'

Chucklebud looked at Wunkydoo and Wunkydoo looked at Chucklebud till their blue eyes grew very round; then they nodded and put their faces close together till their small noses touched.

The breeze swayed the leaf again, and again the voice of Mr Wackasmack wafted up from the Valley. There were no words this time, only a low chuckle.

The blue eyes of Wunkydoo twinkled. 'Shall we go?' he whispered.

'Yes,' whispered Chucklebud.

So good.

We read The Complete Adventures of Snugglepot and Cuddlepie in AO1 and Scottie in Gumnut Land in AO2.

AO2 Schedule

For Teresa. Your wish is my command! Is this what you're after?

Year 2 Schedule

The Forgotten Highway

J K Rowling is writing a new book. Some say that it's another Harry Potter book, and her millions of fans are pretty excited about that, it seems. Personally, having never read one of her novels, although I did go to see the first film a gazillion years ago, I neither know nor care very much. What I do know, however, is that the book, whatever it is, will be a huge success. Fans will be pre-purchasing it before it even gets to the shelves. Maybe they even are already.

The sales of this next book are assured just because it is written by J K Rowling. It doesn't really even matter whether this book is as good as her previous ones. If it is written by J K it's sure to be good. Right?

Which is why there is something that has me pondering.

It has to do with Norman Lindsay.

Lindsay's children's book, The Magic Pudding is arguably Australia's best children's book. It is the only Aussie book to feature in the sublime New York Review Children's Collection of time honoured children's classics.(How I love this collection.) It is featured in Jane Gleeson-White's book, Australian Classics, one of only three children's books, along with Storm Boy and Seven Little Australians, to do so. It is featured in almost every list of great books for children. His much-loved book won instant popularity when it was published in back in 1918 and it is quite rightly considered an Australian classic today.

It is worthy of the acclaim. Lindsay's crazy madcap story of Albert the cut-an'-come-again Puddin' - a pudding that loves being eaten and can be whatever you want him to be - steak-and-kidney pudding now, boiled jam roll and apple dumpling for afters - is as crazily logical as Alice in Wonderland with just as many illogical twists and turns. It combines the Australian vernacular voice with wonderful poetry and Lindsay's delightful illustrations to create a whimsical story full of amazing characters - a sailor called Bill Barnacle, a penguin called Sam Sawnoff, and a koala named Bunyip Bluegum - united as the Noble Society of Pudding Owners - against the professional puddin' thieves, a possum and a wombat.

I read it aloud to Jemimah in AO2, and had not just her but the whole family enthralled. It is wonderful language to read aloud too:

"You'll enjoy this Puddin'," said Bill, handing him a large slice. "This is a very rare Puddin'."

"It's a cut-an'-come-again Puddin'," said Sam.

"It's a Christmas steak and apple-dumpling Puddin'," said Bill.

"It's a —. Shall I tell him?" he asked, looking at Bill. Bill nodded, and the Penguin leaned across to Bunyip Bluegum and said in a low voice, "It's a Magic Puddin'."

"No whispering," shouted the Puddin' angrily. "Speak up. Don't strain a Puddin's ears at the meal table."

"No harm intended, Albert," said Sam, "I was merely remarking how well the crops are looking. Call him Albert when addressing him," he added to Bunyip Bluegum. "It soothes him."

"I am delighted to make your acquaintance, Albert," said Bunyip.

"No soft soap from total strangers," said the Puddin', rudely.

"Don't take no notice of him, mate," said Bill, "That's only his rough and ready way. What this Puddin' requires is politeness and constant eatin'."

They had a delightful meal, eating as much as possible, for whenever they stopped eating the Puddin' sang out

"Eat away, chew away, munch and bolt and guzzle,
Never leave the table till you're full up to the muzzle."

But at length they had to stop, in spite of these encouraging remarks, and as they refused to eat any more, the Puddin' got out of his basin, remarking—"If you won't eat any more here's giving you a run for the sake of exercise," and he set off so swiftly on a pair of extremely thin legs that Bill had to run like an antelope to catch him up. "My word," said Bill, when the Puddin' was brought back. "You have to be as smart as paint to keep this Puddin' in order. He's that artful, lawyers couldn't manage him. Put your hat on, Albert, like a little gentleman," he added, placing the basin on his head. He took the Puddin's hand, Sam took the other, and they all set off along the road. A peculiar thing about the Puddin' was that, though they had all had a great many slices off him, there was no sign of the place whence the slices had been cut.

"That's where the Magic comes in," explained Bill. "The more you eats the more you gets. Cut-an'-come-again is his name, an' cut, an' come again, is his nature. Me an' Sam has been eatin' away at this Puddin' for years, and there's not a mark on him.

The Magic Pudding is not perfect - we found the courtroom scene somewhat protracted and wordy, for example - but it's a pretty good book. It's a must read piece of Australian literature, that's for sure.

My pondering does not have to do with the worthiness of The Magic Pudding. No, what I'm wondering about is the apparent unworthiness of Norman Lindsay's only other book for children, The Flyaway Highway. And what has me wondering is why this other book of Lindsay's is almost totally ignored.

We read it in AO3. It's the story of Egbert Tomkins and Murial Jane, who together with 'a bloke with cow's hooves' named Silvander Dan take a journey along the highway of children's literature and have lots of wildly absurd adventures along the way. They save an eloping couple in the notorious Pig and Whistle Post-chaise Affair - a runaway love-affair where the protagonists are 'pursued by enraged old fathers, with a general bust up of post-chaises at the bridge here'.

"By jings, that will be worth seeing," said Egbert exultantly.

"Oh yes, very roaring, swooning, odds bodkin affairs they are as a rule," said Silvander Dan.

Then there's The Heretic Murder Mystery Adventure; The Adventure of the Scream in the Night; The Adventure of the Baronial Restaurant and more. There's even The Adventure of the Place where there were No Adventures. That was in the part of the Literary Highway after the Miser-murdering Landscape and the Rural Romance Section, where authors who haven't invented things yet try their ideas out. You can just imagine what they found in a section where authors were trying out new characters and plots without conclusions - mayhem!

The Flyaway Highway is probably not as good as The Magic Pudding. Lacking an Australian focus with our unique wildlife and the fantastic colloquial speech of the Ocker character means that The Flyaway Highway is missing that certain element that makes The Magic Pudding a true Australian classic, but it is still a pretty fun book. Its pages are still full of Norman Lindsay's incomparable writing and wonderful illustrations. It is as absurdly drôle as "The Puddin' book", and every bit as crazy as Alice (which we read at the same time). It is worthy of recognition, and it is certainly worthy of a reprint.

Search out a copy from Abe and give The Flyaway Highway a go. I think you, like me, will be left wondering why this book is almost totally ignored.

It deserves more.

AO2 Term 3 Exams

Sorry I am so late posting this exam from last year. Better late than never, though, I guess...

Bible

1. “Because you did not trust in me enough to honour me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them.”

To whom did the LORD speak these words and why?

2. Can you tell me what happened when Jesus and his mother went to a wedding in Cana?
3. Tell how Satan tempted Jesus in the desert.

Memory

1. Recite John 14: 1-8 to Daddy.
2. Westminster Catechism questions. How many can you get right?
3. Récites Matthieu 19:14 en français à Maman.

Writing

1. Write the alphabet in upper and lower case letters in your very best writing.
2., Please write, using your very best writing: “The five boxing wizards jumped quickly!” Watch punctuation, slope and spacing.

Reading

1. Read for 5 minutes from Farmer Boy (820L)
2. Read for 5 minutes from The Mouse and the Motorcycle (860L)

World History

1. Can you tell me something about the three inventions that ended the Middle Ages?
2. Tell the story of Edward and Richard, the two little princes in the tower.
3. What happened at the end of Joan of Arc’s life?
4. Illustrate one of the following:

a. Elizabeth of Hungary, Servant of the Poor;
b. John Wyclif, The Morning Star of the Reformation; or
c. John Huss, Forerunner of the Reformation.

5. On Christopher Columbus’ forth and final voyage he was given four old and worm-eaten ships for his voyage to find a passage through the unknown continent he had found. Why was this so and what happened as a consequence?

Natural History and General Science

1. What was your favourite part of Pagoo? Tell me about it, paying particular attention to any other sea creatures he encountered.
2. What are some of the most amazing changes that Seabird encounters during his long live on the waves?
3. What can you tell me about magpies?

Literature and Tales

1. “Aegeon had no money to pay the fine, and the duke, before he pronounced the sentence of death upon him, desired him to relate the history of his life, and to tell for what cause he had ventured to come to the city of Ephesus, which it was death for any Syracusan merchant to enter."

What happened next?. Here are some proper nouns you can use: Aegon, Antipholus, Dromio, Adriana, Ephesus, Syracuse.

2. These three pictures illustrate a scene from Robin Hood. Can you tell me what happened in this episode in the life of Robin and his Merry Men?
3. Before Pilgrim and Hopeful could reach the Celestial City there was one last trial they had to face. What was it?
4. Tell the story of one of the following:

a. The two girls Kate and Undine in “Motes in the Sunbeam”;
b. Little Siegfried and the “Red Snow” on Mont Blanc; or
c. The Sea Creatures in “Wherunto?”

Australian literature/geography

1. Tell me about Narahdarn the bat who wanted honey.
2. Describe what happened when the puddin’ thieves made an appearance carrying a bran bag in their hands. Who was the rightful owner of the bag?

Mathematics

1. Complete review sheet 95 (Book 3b)
2. Recite your eight and seven times tables.

French

1. In the song Jean Petit qui danse several parts of his body dance. Name them in French and English..
2. Translate the following passage into English:

Monsieur Coq est très riche. Il a une jolie maison. Dans cette maison il y a une salle à manger. Le trois petites poulettes mangent dans la salle à manger. Ninette mange une pomme. Linette mange un orange et deux fraises, et Minette mange trois framboises.

Dans cette maison il y a aussi un salon. Les poulets dansent dans le salon. Les trois petites poulets aiment beaucoup danser!

3. Qu'est-ce que les trois poules manger?

Picture Study (Salvador Dali)

1. What is the name of the artist we studied this term? Where did he live?
2. Describe your favourite picture from this term's picture study and explain why you like it.
3. Can you draw one of his others?

Composer Study (Handel)

1. What is the name of the composer we have been studying this term? What can you tell me about his life?
2. Tell me what you know about his Music for the Royal Fireworks.

Music

1. Sing all the songs from this term in front of Daddy.
2. Play three songs on the recorder, including one that uses your new notes.

Handwork

1. Show Daddy your felt purse.
2. Do you know the names of the stitches you used?

The Puddin' Owners are Curious

Describe what happened when the puddin’ thieves made an appearance carrying a bran bag in their hands. Who was the rightful owner of the bag?

The possum and the wombat were carrying a white flag and were calling for peace. They were holding a bran bag, and when they saw Bill and Sam Sawnoff and Bunyip Bluegum they hurried over and said, “We make peace for all of the bad things we have done to you and your puddin’. To say sorry, we have brought you a little present, but of course you will have to look in the bag.”

“No!” said Bill, “You are going to hurt us or do something bad.”

“No, we’re making peace,” they said, and they held out the bag.

They were all with such curiosity that they just had to look in the bag. Finally Sam Sawnoff, Bunyip Bluegum and Bill could resist no longer. They said, “We’ll have a look, but if there isn’t anything there and you’re trying to play a trick on us, you’ll be sorry, you will.”

“No, we don’t want to play a trick on you. We’re making peace.” They held the bag open still longer. Then they said, “If you really don’t trust us then we can just all look in at the same time.” “Now that’s a good idea,” cried Sam Sawnoff, who really just wanted to look inside the bag. Everyone agreed to this – except Bill, who always disagreed. But all the same they all looked in. Of course Bill did not want to miss out so he stuck his head in too. Straight after everyone’s head was in, the puddin’ thieves brought the bag right over their heads, wrapped them up in rope and snatched the puddin’.

“Better luck next time, they called.

“Oh, I’m going to give that possum a beatin’ on the snout” said Bill, from inside the bag. “So am I,” said Sam, who hated having his flippers trodden on. Everyone agreed, and they all hated having the bag on their heads, especially Bunyip Bluegum because he was trying to think of a way to escape. Everybody agreed that they should not have trusted the puddin’ thieves.

After having walked about three miles in this bag not knowing where they were going and treading on each other’s toes they came upon Benjimen Brandysnap. They begged him to untie the rope and he said, “Hmmm, what have we got here?” They all cried out, “We are puddin’ owners and our puddin’ has been snatched. Luckily, Ben Brandysnap had some eggs in his basket. They were shared around and were eaten very heartily.

Bill said in a dull voice, It is all very well having eggs, but what if your whole diet for your whole life has been on puddin’? Steak and Kidney puddin’,” put in Bill, who didn’t like to forget things. “Don’t fret everybody,” said Bunyip Bluegum, “We’re going to get those puddin’ thieves and give ‘em a beatin’ on the snouts,” said Sam, who really did mean that he wanted to beat them.

Ben Brandysnap was the owner of the bag in his vegetable patch. The puddin’ thieves had snuck in when he was busy tending to his vegetables and had stolen his bag.

(With apology to Norman Lindsay and his wonderful children's book, The Magic Pudding.)

Water from the rock

An examination narration of Numbers 20:1-13 by Jemimah aged 7 ¾!

Moses brings forth Water out of the Rock about 1500 by a follower of Filippino Lippi in The National Gallery in London.

“Because you did not trust in me enough to honour me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them.”

To whom did the LORD speak these words and why?

The LORD spoke these words to Moses and Aaron.

The Israelites were complaining because they were thirsty. They said, “We were better off when we were with Pharaoh and the Egyptians. It least we had food and drink there and ate what we pleased, and we could walk around and do pretty much everything we pleased. But here, we are walking day and night non-stop. We are sick of doing this. We want water.

Then hearing this Moses prayed to God saying, “What should I do? Tell me LORD” And God said to him, “Say to the Israelites, “Must I talk to this rock?” Then talk to the rock and tell it to flow water.”

So Moses almost did what the LORD said, but he did not talk to the rock. He struck the rock with his staff.

Then the LORD was very angry with Moses. He said, “You will not bring these people to the promised land because you disobeyed me.”

Then the Lord God brought Moses up to the mountain. He also brought Aaron because Aaron had defied the LORD too. He said,” You will only see the promised land but you will not bring your people there. Then Moses saw the beauty and splendour that God meant. Then Aaron saw and then they both fell down dead. Aaron’s son was next in line to be priest, and there was 40 days of mourning for Moses and Aaron for the people loved them muchly.

The Curtal Friar of the Fountain

This picture illustrates a scene from Robin Hood. Can you tell me what happened in this episode in the life of Robin and his Merry Men?

It was spring. Robin Hood though it was time to go and see the old friar, and he told his Merry Men that he wanted to. One of his men said, “I’ll take you there, for I know the way well.”

Robin changed into his Lincoln green clothes. He chose three of his men to come with him, and they all set off to go to the friar.

They had not gone far before they were exhausted and they took a little rest. “Are we almost there, good fellow?” asked Robin Hood.

“Yes, we are almost there. See yonder stream? That is where the old friar lives, right across it.”

“My,” said Robin, “I would not have changed if I knew we had to cross the river, but never mind. It is no use turning back to change now – we are almost there. Let’s keep on going.”

So Robin Hood and the other men set off again down the edge of the stream. At one place Robin Hood said, “Stop,” to all of his men. “You wait here will I go to find the Friar. If I blow three times on my horn, it means come immediately.”

“It’s not fair,” said one of his gang. “We always sit here and miss out on all the fun while you are always enjoying it.”

“Ah,” said Robin Hood, “what a fool you are! Don’t you realise that you are better off where you are than where you want to be? Anyway, you wait here. I’m going to find the friar.”

Robin Hood had not gone far before he took a rest. He lay down on his tummy and listened. He heard something. It sounded like two men talking but their voices were exactly alike.

“I must look into this,” said Robin Hood, “for I have never heard anything like this in my whole life!”

Robin didn’t have to go far before he saw the man who was doing it, but there was only one.

“I was sure I heard two men,” thought Robin. “I heard them talking and toasting each other.”

Robin Hood saw an old man. He looked exactly like a friar but of course Robin Hood didn’t guess that it was his friar.

At first the friar did not know that Robin Hood was there. After a while Robin noticed that there was only one man and the friar was just toasting himself!

“I,” said the friar, “I toast thee for thy kindness to me,” and he picked up the goblet with his right hand and gave it to his left hand and drank heartily .

“I,” he said, “and I toast thee, good friar for being so merry with me.”

“Ah! It was nothing,’ said the friar, passing the goblet back to his right hand.

“Pray, merry fellow, do sing me a song! I have become very lonely these days. Sing me a song.”

“I am no good at singing,” said the friar once again, “but I will do my best, seeing that you have toasted me so nicely.” Then the old friar started up a song.

Finally Robin Hood could hold himself no longer and he burst out laughing and then joined in the song! It was a very funny sight for Robin Hood. The friar did not seem to notice that Robin Hood was there, nor to hear him when he joined in the song. He did not notice either when Robin chuckled at the end of the song. But at the very end the friar leaped up and said, “Who goes there?”

“It is only me,” said Robin Hood, with a big grin on his face, stepping forth from his hiding place.

“I am not sure that I am correct, but from the looks of thee and thine clothes, thou art a thief.”

No!” said Robin, “do not be so suspicious. I’m but a jolly fellow.”

“I’m not too sure,” said the friar.

Robin said once again, “Dear fellow, do please take me over this rough earth and this dirty stream, for my clothes will not bear the water.”

So the friar stopped what he was doing and thought and thought. Finally he said, “I am still a little suspicious, but I will do it.”

“That’s a merry fellow!” said Robin Hood, who was quite pleased that he did not have to damage his clothes after all.

(I stopped her here!!)

Charlotte Mason and Exams

Some people seem to almost deify Charlotte Mason. In much the same way as I study my Bible, these CM devotees study her writings, pouring over her every word, and attempting to make every line relevant and applicable to their lives in 2009.

Now I think Charlotte Mason was a brilliant educator, and I espouse her philosophy of education along with her teaching methods in our homeschool, but I do not slavishly follow her every word, thought and command. Some of her beliefs are merely a reflection of the time in which she lived - her comments about evolution, for example: as a deeply Christian woman in her words and actions, I do not believe that she would hold those same beliefs in 2009 herself. In other areas I just don't agree - I do not always follow Miss Mason's methods of discipline, as a case in point. Often I do, but not always.

Total disagreement between Miss Mason's writings and my own opinion is rare. Sometimes I will object to something on first reading only to discover that on reflection or after further study that I agree after all. If I don't, it is no big deal.

That said, it surprises me that when people who do claim to follow Charlotte Mason's educational methods go on to say that they don't believe in examinations or even say that they believe that a Charlotte Mason education is a test-free one. Even a cursory reading of her volumes shows that to be untrue:

The terminal examinations are of great importance. They are not merely and chiefly tests of knowledge but records which are likely to be permanent.

Charlotte Mason Towards a Philosophy of Education p 272

What Miss Mason did object to was "learning that we may know, not that we may grow" and therefore the parrot-like saying of lessons, the cramming of ill-digested facts for examinations and all the ways of taking in knowledge that the mind does not assimilate. (summarised from Charlotte Mason Home Education p172)

She would not have been surprised by this comment of Winston Churchill's:

I had scarcely passed my twelfth birthday when I entered the inhospitable regions of examinations, through which for the next seven years I was destined to journey. These examinations were a great trial to me. The subjects which were dearest to the examiners were almost invariably those I fancied least. I would have liked to have been examined in history, poetry and writing essays. The examiners, on the other hand, were partial to Latin and mathematics. And their will prevailed. Moreover, the questions which they asked on both these subjects were almost invariably those to which I was unable to suggest a satisfactory answer. I should have liked to be asked to say what I knew. They always tried to ask what I did not know. When I would have willingly displayed my knowledge, they sought to expose my ignorance. This sort of treatment had only one result: I did not do well in examinations.

Winston Churchill My Early Life 1923 p 156

Students in Miss Mason's schools had examinations that lasted a week, and the children covered from 20 to 60 sheets of paper with their answers. Surely she would not have 'wasted' this amount of time had she not found the outcomes of the experience worthwhile!

Of children in Jemimah's age group (Form Ib - 7-8 year olds) she say this:

The children narrate their...answers to the examination questions. They appear to enjoy doing this; indeed, the examinations which come at the end of each term are a pleasure; the only difficulty is that small children want to go on 'telling.' Their words are taken down literally. One is struck by the correctness and copiousness of the language used; but young children delight in words, and often surprise their elders by their free and correct use of 'dictionary words.' One notices the verve with which the children tell the tale, the orderly sequence of events, the correctness and fullness of detail, the accuracy of names. These things are natural to children until they are schooled out of them.

Charlotte Mason School Education p 276

Certainly this experience has been true for us. We love examination week. I am constantly amazed at the quality of the answers my 7 year old brings forth on books she studied almost 3 months prior. Obviously she is better at retelling some books than others - in fact it is often at exam time that I discover whether a certain book choice was in fact a Living Book or not. It is next to impossible to accurately retell a book if it is not 'Living', with Miss Mason's definition of the word. As in the quotation above, my only complaint is the length of some of the narrations...I have to type them, and I am not a touch-typist!! A narration of an A4 page or more of type is not unusual!!

If you've not yet found the time or inclination to attempt examinations in your Charlotte Mason inspired homeschool I would encourage you to do so. You may be pleasantly surprised.

For examples of Charlotte Mason styled examination questions that we have used with our Australianised version of the Ambleside Online curriculum, see here. If you look down the page you'll find exams for terms 1-3 of AO1 and terms 1 and 2 of AO2. If you click on Examinations under Categories in the right sidebar you'll find examples of Jemimah's answers to many questions as well.

We finished Term 3 of AO2 on Friday, and the exams for this term will be up in the next day or so.

Just as soon as I stop think about exams and start writing it instead!!

Hans Christian Andersen

We're reading Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tales as our family read-aloud right now, and I'm not finding it a pleasant experience. In fact, all too often as we approach the end of a story, I find my stomach clenching into ever tightening knots as I come to realise what the outcome of yet another tale will be. Although there is significant humour in much of Andersen's work, the overriding emotion is a deep sadness. The little match girl dies, the little mermaid's prince marries another, little Ida's flowers die and are buried, and even after Karen endures the loss of her feet as punishment for her disobedience and pride and her covetousness for the red shoes - and despite the fact that she repents - she still dies from a broken heart after all. Even stories that end well wrench at our heartstrings on the way - I can barely read The Ugly Duckling without crying; likewise Thumbelina and The Wild Swans. No, Anderson's tales are not modern feel-good-happily-ever-after stories. Not at all.

Despite this we return day after day to our lovely old book with its green cover and beautiful colour plates to immerse ourselves in a book of miserable tales that were written more than 150 years ago. Why is this so? We return because Hans Christian Andersen's stories are amongst the greatest fairy tales ever written. They are as fresh and exciting today as they were to the children of Andersen's own generation. They have an inherent goodness about them - they talk of kindness, goodness, love and hope, but above all they speak about trust in an all faithful, all loving God. The stories are deeply Christian, and yet they never preach. They talk about what is bad in our fallen world, but they also show what is good, and they do it in a way that children understand and that children love. We might feel sad at the end of a story, but we never feel hopeless, and we never feel alone.

Imagine a childhood devoid of such wonderful tales as The Emperor's New Clothes, The Ugly Duckling, Thumbelina, The Snow Queen or The Little Mermaid. On second thoughts, don't. It doesn't bear thinking about.

If you don't think that your children - or in fact, you - can cope with the entire anthology of Andersen's works then at least read them some individual stories. Marcia Brown's version of The Steadfast Tin Soldier is terrific, and I am particularly fond of Virginia Lee Burton's The Emperor's New Clothes.

Reading Hans Christian Andersen aloud is an interesting experience. His works are full of comedy and comment aimed at adult readers rather than their children.

I seize on an idea for grown-ups,and then tell the story to the little ones while always remembering that Father and Mother often listen, and you must also give them something for their minds.

Like me you may not find reading Hans Christian Andersen pleasant. You will be glad however, that you've done so. So will your children.

We read it in AO2.

The Real Princess

There was once a Prince who wished to marry a Princess; but then she must be a real Princess. He travelled all over the world in hopes of finding such a lady; but there was always something wrong. Princesses he found in plenty; but whether they were real Princesses it was impossible for him to decide, for now one thing, now another, seemed to him not quite right about the ladies. At last he returned to his palace quite cast down, because he wished so much to have a real Princess for his wife.

One evening a fearful tempest arose, it thundered and lightened, and the rain poured down from the sky in torrents: besides, it was as dark as pitch.

All at once there was heard a violent knocking at the door, and the old King, the Prince's father, went out himself to open it.

It was a Princess who was standing outside the door. What with the rain and the wind, she was in a sad condition; the water trickled down from her hair, and her clothes clung to her body. She said she was a real Princess.

"Ah! we shall soon see that!" thought the old Queen-mother; however, she said not a word of what she was going to do; but went quietly into the bedroom, took all the bed-clothes off the bed, and put three little peas on the bedstead. She then laid twenty mattresses one upon another over the three peas, and put twenty feather beds over the mattresses.

Upon this bed the Princess was to pass the night.

The next morning she was asked how she had slept. "Oh, very badly indeed!" she replied. "I have scarcely closed my eyes the whole night through. I do not know what was in my bed, but I had something hard under me, and am all over black and blue.It has hurt me so much!"

Now it was plain that the lady must be a real Princess, since she had been able to feel the three little peas through the twenty mattresses and twenty feather beds. None but a real Princess could have had such a delicate sense of feeling.

The Prince accordingly made her his wife; being now convinced that he had found a real Princess. The three peas were however put into the cabinet of curiosities, where they are still to be seen, provided they are not lost.

Was not this a lady of real delicacy?

Using the NAPLAN tests at home

I subscribe to the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development's email newsletter for parents of Victorian school children, Parent Update. I am always interested to hear what is going on in our local State schools, and generally find at least one article of interest. The October 16th edition was no exception and contained information on Victoria's performance in the NAPLAN tests.

Standing for National Assessment Program Literacy and Numeracy, the NAPLAN tests were (as the name implies) implemented Australia-wide last year for school children in Year 3, 5, 7 and 9. They test students in Reading, Writing, Language Conventions (Spelling, Grammar and Punctuation) and Numeracy. NAPLAN test results allow schools and systems to compare their students’ achievements against national standards and with student achievement in other states and territories. It also allows the monitoring over time. The National Summary Report: Achievement in Reading, Writing, Language Conventions and Numeracy 2009 is available online on the NAPLAN website. On the website you'll also find pdf downloads of the the Literacy and Numeracy tests for 2008 and 2009.

Now this gave me an idea.

Many of you, I know, use homeschooling curricula that regularly test your children's progress in major subject areas. Those of you who like me choose the Charlotte Mason method of educating and testing will be less sure where their children fit in relation to their State educated peers. Now this is not an issue per se. One of the main advantages of homeschooling to me is the opportunity it provides for me to tailor Jemimah's education to her academic needs, interests and, in particular, temperament, rather than having to accommodate the varying standards displayed by a class of 20 Grade 1 school students of varying abilities. Still, I was curious.

I administered the Year 3 numeracy test last Friday. You may recall that 7yo Jemimah is in Year 1, but is currently midway through MEP maths Year 3. I hoped that the standards would be similar. They were. Despite never having sat a test of any type before, Jemimah scored 29/35, or 82.85%. Her results placed her within the range of Level 5 or 6 (it is difficult to gauge precisely without the assessment tool), considerably above the majority of Victorian Year 3 students. I was very excited; her Daddy was very relieved. This was a concrete way for me to demonstrate her abilities.

This result gave me the confidence to administer the Year 3 reading test today. Well, my clever Grade 1er achieved 100%. Wow!! Imagine what Daddy is going to say about this one!!

Now before you dismiss this post as that of a proud and boasting mummy (which I'll admit I am, rather), please note that I won't be asking Jemimah to complete the Language Conventions or Writing tests any time soon. Don't forget, we're Charlotte Masoners. These things absolutely mustn't be attempted before year 4. That gives me a few years, doesn't it? Jemimah's spelling is appalling, dreadful, horrifying, dire, dismaying, terrible, ghastly and grim. I won't be showing you these results for quite some time.

Miss Mason assures me that good spelling comes with exposure to living books. I will be patient.

If you, like me are vaguely interested in where your child rates, hope over to the NAPLAN website and have a look around. You, like me, may be pleasantly surprised.

Tashi and the Reading Bug

There once was a boy called Tashi.
He was daring and clever...
Tricky and bold.
He told the best stories...
of sly genies, wicked barons, fire-breathing dragons and more.

Do you remember what it was that made you a reader? For me it was Enid Blyton's Secret Seven. Oh my! I just loved Janet and Peter, George and Jack, Barbara, Pam and Colin. And Scamper the dog, of course - it just wouldn't be Enid Blyton without the dog.

I fantasised about having a secret society of my own. For a while I even ran one. My long suffering cousin Bronwen was the other member. Bronwen was two weeks younger than me, and that made me her elder and therefore her superior.

Obviously.

Together we did all the things that you're supposed to do in secret societies. We had a Blytonesque name - The Terrific Two, of course. We had a password - ME666 (my mother's old numberplate which was mounted on the wall of the clubhouse) and yes, we had one of those too - my Dad's shed. We even had a uniform - matching dresses that had originally belonged to our twin cousins (we were both in the hand-me-down line and often wore matching clothes with much more delight than the original owners had). I can't remember what we actually did during our meetings, only I do remember that we ate chocolate and drank soft drink. The food store encouraged invasions of bull ants on more than one occasion, I recall, and the soft drink was often flat and was stored from one meeting to the next. I remember storing Kentucky Fried Chicken too, and discovering the maggots that had infested it only after consuming more than half of it. It's a wonder we weren't struck down with Salmonellosis or worse!

After The Secret Seven I devoured The Famous Five with Julian, Dick, Anne, George and Timmy her dog, The Adventure Series with Jack, Philip, Dinah, and Lucy-Ann and Kiki their parrot, and The Adventurous Four with Tom, Jill, Mary and Andy who find Nazi submarines when they're on holiday but don't have a dog - or a parrot that I recall.

From there I transferred my allegiance to the boarding school series - Malory Towers with its midnight feasts, field hockey games, uniforms, and tuck boxes, and St Clares with Pat and Isobel O'Sullivan, hot-tempered Janet, playful Bobby, and boring Hilary. I just loved Enid Blyton's books (I suppose you can tell that a certain fondness still remains!). I loved Mr Galliano's Circus too, but didn't ever read The Enchanted Wood or The Magic Faraway Tree until I read them aloud to Jemimah.

After this lot I read through the first 30 or so Trixie Belden books, and then the fifty-six titles in the Nancy Drew Mystery Stories series.

Phew.

Much to my mother's relief I stopped reading series books about then and started reading literature. Actually, I read everything, much of which was not literature at all. I didn't care really, I just loved to read.

My sister caught the reading bug later than me. For her it was Mills and Boon romances. I remember that mum was horrified, but was reluctant to stop her reading - before that she'd read nothing at all. I was happy too. I could read one of these little books in less than an hour!

Now I suppose I had better entreat you to please not judge my parents by the terrible twaddle they allowed us to read. This was the seventies after all, and Mum despaired over our choices, she really did!! Much of what I read later was even worse. I was an incredibly compliant child - I never went through the terrible teens and caused my parents grief, but as I recall some of the dreadful smut that I read during this time I realise that the hormones were raging underneath it all and I was silently rebelling all the same.

During the past year I've tried a few teaser books in the hope of infecting Jemimah with the reading bug. The Boxcar Children, Little House on the Prairie, Bobby Brewster, Encyclopaedia Brown and Ramona have all caught her fancy at one time or another. She's enjoyed them all, but none of them have 'done it for her' as The Secret Seven did for me.

Finally we struck gold. It came it the guise of a boy called Tashi. The good bit is that the Tashi books are Australian. The bad bit is that Tashi is from a mythical country that believes in...well all sorts of things that I don't believe in. This was brought home to me quite early when Jemimah looked up from her book to say, "Mum, this one isn't a Christian Tashi." "Oh," I replied perhaps a little sharply, "Why not?" "Because in this book there is a 'God of Long Life', and he puts people into The Great Book of Fate and decides if they're going to die or not," she replied. Of course this necessitated a bit of speed reading from Mum followed by a bit of a discussion with daughter, but what came of was that Jemimah was in no doubt that the books were fiction and that Tashi was imaginary and so were the Gods of Long life and almost everything else. I left her reading the books.

The reason I left her to read Tashi is that I believe that she had demonstrated her ability to judge right from wrong in these stories - good from bad, fiction from reality. In fact, I was impressed with her insight. Tashi books are amusing, clever, adventurous and suspenseful. They're full of baddies - dragons, robber barons, ogres, witches, genies and more– and some of you won't like that, I know. You will have your own family policy on fairy tales, and it may well be different to our prayerfully and thoughtfully considered convictions. On the positive side, good Tashi always triumphs over evil at the end of each story - an element of fairy tales that our family considers particularly important. We do not approve of books that are ambiguous in their morality.

Getting back to the reading bug though, Jemimah loves the Tashi books. They're not my choice - they're hers. (Does this remind you of my mum and my sister's choice of twaddly romance books years earlier?)

The Tashi books are written for emerging readers, but author Anna Fienberg along with her mother, Barbara, does not dumb them down. They're full of rich language and wonderful names. Each individual Tashi book contains two chapter length self-contained stories that can be read together or separately. The language and storylines become progressively more complex as the series progresses, so its probably best to read them in order. Tashi comes first, followed by Tashi and the Giants.

Personally, I think that the later books become darker and less appropriate. I would recommend prereading of the later stories if you want to use them for youngsters to read alone.

You can watch illustrator, Kim Gamble illustrate scene from the new book Tashi and the Golem here. He is so clever!

Sadly I don't recommend this upcoming story, but you can hear author Anna Fienberg reading it on Youtube if you care to look. (You'll notice that I'm not including the link - wry grin.)

Now I suppose I had better entreat you to please not judge Jemimah's parents by the terrible twaddle they allowed her to read...

I'm planning on having Jemimah reading real books soon. If The Secret Seven doesn't inspire her then I'll try something else. After all, I still have all of those books from my childhood - there's a lot to choose from!!

hidjus old pollywobble!

There was once a muddle-headed wombat sitting in the grass and feeling very lonely.

A wombat is a square animal with thick hair like a door-mat, and stumpy legs, and no tail to speak of. He has brown eyes and a comfortable, leathery flat nose like a koala.

This wombat was lonely because he had no sisters or brothers or aunties or uncles, and besides, he had spent all his pocket money.

'I wish I had a friend,' he thought, 'a nice, comfy little friend who would fit in my cardigan pocket. A wombat could have lots of adventures with a friend like that.'

Suddenly, in the paddock nearby, he saw a wooden man waving his wooden arms and squeaking a song of his own, squeak-creak, squeak-squawk! He was a scarecrow. He wore a raggy old coat and a big straw hat, and yellow gloves on his wooden hands. Wombat was pleased to see him.

'Perhaps I could make friends with him! Yoo-hoo, Mr Scarecrow, here comes your little wombat!'

Every time the wind puffed over the gullies, the wooden man swung his arms to left and right. Wombat thought the scarecrow was waving to him. He stood up on his hind legs and pulled at the scarecrow's coat.

'Here I am! Are you pleased I'm here?

'Thump! Down came the scarecrow's wooden hand on Wombat's head. Wombat was very cross. He didn't understand that it was the wind's fault.

'That's a horribubble thing to do to a new friend,' he growled. 'You're a hidjus old pollywobble! I'm going to push you over, that's what I'm going to do!'

And he put his forehead against the post which held the scarecrow in its place.

You'll be please to know that lonely stubborn Wombat eventually does meet some friends - a fat-tailed, pouched bush mouse who has lost his spectacles called...well, called the Mouse - and Tabby, a very vain cat.

If you're looking for a book to read to your children to teach them good character traits then I probably wouldn't recommend The Muddle-headed Wombat. Ruth Park's characters are not designed to teach your kids to be better people. Wombat tries to behave, treely ruly he does, it's just that the harder he tries the more things go wrong. Wombat always ends up in trouble somehow.

Now I don't know about your kids, but that's a problem with which Jemimah can relate.

Intimately.

The Muddle-headed Wombat is a classic of Australian children's literature. It's the sort of book that embeds itself in your heart and stays there.

Although we finished the book several months ago, only just last week Jemimah looked at me and said wistfully, "I wish there were more muddle-headed wombat stories. I miss Wombat and Tabby and the Mouse. I wonder what they're up to now."

Jemimah will be delighted when I tell her that there are lots of stories for us still to discover:

• The Muddle-Headed Wombat
• The Muddle-Headed Wombat on Holiday
• The Muddle-Headed Wombat in The Treetops
• The Muddle-Headed Wombat at School
• The Muddle-Headed Wombat in The Snow
• The Muddle-Headed Wombat on a Rainy Day
• The Muddle Headed Wombat in The Springtime
• The Muddle-Headed Wombat on the River
• The Muddle-Headed Wombat and the Bush Band
• The Muddle-Headed Wombat and the Invention
• The Muddle-Headed Wombat on Clean-Up Day
• The Adventures of the Muddle-Headed Wombat
• More Adventures of the Muddle-Headed Wombat
• The Muddle-Headed Wombat is Very Bad
• The Muddle-Headed Wombat Stays at Home

Interestingly, this passion of Jemimah's for this mildly naughty, muddled animal is what sets the series apart from other so called 'classic books'. The Muddled-headed Wombat series is written for children not adults. They capture our children's imaginations and interests, not necessarily those of their parents. I think this is what makes Ruth Park such a unique Australian children's author. She is one of the best.

We read the first four books in AO2. They're contained in a single volume by Angus and Robertson - one of the Australian Children's Classics series.

Don't miss these Australian Living Books, will you - your family and your vocabulary will be the poorer without them.

"Oh, I am a lucky Mouse!" sighed Mouse.

Wombat knew what it meant.

"It's so comfortabubble to be us, isn't it, Mouse, eh?" he said.

For those of you who have read the series, what's your favourite Wombat malapropism? We use treely ruly and horribubble the most. Oh and this phrase: "Shall I boil the william?"

How about you?

Raggle Taggle Gypsy-oh!

We know The Gypsy Laddie as The Raggle Taggle Gypsies, since that was the title it had when I learned it at school. Yep, it's an oldie - older even than me - it dates back to about 1720.

It is our folk song for AO2 Term 3. We've actually had a lot of trouble finding a version that we like - not because there's a dearth of them; on the contrary, there are so many of them that to find one similar to the one I know - the only right version, of course - has taken a while.

This is the version we've settled on:



There were three old gypsies; came to our hall door
They came brave and bold-ee-oh
And there's one sang high and the other sang low
And the lady sang the Raggle Taggle gypsy-oh.

It was upstairs and downstairs the Lady went
Put on her suit of leather-oh
It was the cry all around the door
"She's away with the Raggle Taggle gypsy-oh."

It was late that night when the Lord came in
Inquiring for his Lady-oh
The servant girl, she replied to the Lord
"She's away with the Raggle Taggle gypsy-oh."

"Oh then saddle for me
Me' milk-white steed
Me' big horse is not speedy-oh
Tonight I'll ride to the wide open field and it's there that I'll spy my Lady-oh."

So he rode east.
He rode west
He rode north and south also
It was when he rode to the wide open field
It was there that he spied his Lady-oh

"Oh why did you leave your house and your land
Why did you leave your money-oh
And why did you leave your only wedded Lord
To be off with the Raggle Taggle gypsy-oh"

"What do I care for me house and me land
What do I care for money-oh
And what do I care for me only wedded Lord
I'm away with the Raggle Taggle gyspy-oh"

"Last night you slept in a goose-feather bed
The blankets drawn so comely-oh
Tonight you'll lie in the wide open field
In the arms of the Raggle Taggle gypsy-oh"

"You're a - What do I care for a goose-feather bed
What do I care for blankets-oh
And you're a - What do I care for me only wedded Lord
I'm away with the Raggle Taggle gypsy-oh"

So he rode east,
She rode west
He rode high and I rode low
"Well I'd rather have a kiss of a yellow gypsy's lips
Than all of your cash and your money-oh"

There were three old gypsies came to our hall door
They came brave and bold-ee-oh
And there's one sang high and the other sang low
And the lady sang the Raggle Taggle gypsy-oh

The words are good but there's no video. I know, I know, it's boring. A certain Miss 7 tells me over and over again. Anybody have a better version? One with singable lyrics acceptable for a kid and her easily offended Mummy?

I'd love your help here, girls.

Here's a Japanese anime version, believe it or not...

We might have used this video game software version if only her clothing weren't so...um...yeah.

Gutenberg's Gift

You're going to think we're obsessed with pop-up books here in our peaceful home in the country. We're not. We'll, I do get slightly carried away with Vojtěch Kubašta, but since I only have two of his masterpieces, and these were only acquired in the past month or so, I don't think that that translates into a fully fledged obsession quite yet. Does it? Actually, my favourite pop-up master craftsman has to be Robert Sabuda. We gave Jemimah his The Wizard of Oz a couple of years back. That is one incredible paper engineering feat! Let me know if you'd like to have a look through it some time.

Gutenberg's Gift by Nancy Willard and illustrated by Bryan Leister was one of my finds from The Known World Bookshop that day in Ballarat. Remember?

The book relates, in rhyme, how Johannes Gutenberg contributed to the printing process by perfecting movable type and creating a Bible for his wife, Anna. That's Anna and Johannes above standing and looking in at the scribes copying the finely illuminated pages of a manuscript.

Here's Johannes carving Anna's name from blocks of wood.

And here's the printing press that he finally develops. His apprentice stands by as Johannes inspects the finished page.

On Christmas morn Anna finally receives her Bible.

The story is imaginary. Of Gutenberg the man we know little, not even his date of birth. In this story he has a wife, Anna, he is skilled in woodworking, and his Bible is produced within a single year. We don't know if this is the case. Certainly Anna is fictional.

This doesn't matter though. It certainly affected neither our enjoyment of the book nor its use as an adjunct to the real story as read in Virgil Hillyer's A Child's History of the World. We have enjoyed Gutenberg's Gift very much.

Children's author and poet Nancy Willard received the Newbery Medal in 1982 for her book A Visit to William Blake's Inn. Her words in Gutenberg's Gift are a delight to read aloud. The illustrations by Bryan Leister and the paper engineering by Bruce Foster are, as you have seen, exceptional.

Of course, like almost all the books I review on A Peaceful Day, Gutenberg's Gift is...yep, you guessed it...out of print. Abe has second-hand copies here though, and copies are available through Amazon here. Happy hunting!

Tanglewood Tales

We've just finished Nathaniel Hawthorne's Tanglewood Tales. We loved it, but that's no surprise to most of you, I expect. Hawthorne's poetic Victorian English combined with his ability to take the immoral escapades of the Greek gods and goddesses and turn them into moral tales for children has made him one of the most highly regarded of the American authors...

"Good mother," replied Jason, "your business can hardly be so important as the pulling down a king from his throne. Besides, as you may see for yourself, the river is very boisterous; and if I should chance to stumble, it would sweep both of us away more easily than it has carried off yonder uprooted tree. I would gladly help you if I could; but I doubt whether I am strong enough to carry you across."

"Then," said she, very scornfully, "neither are you strong enough to pull King Pelias off his throne. And, Jason, unless you will help an old woman at her need, you ought not to be a king. What are kings made for, save to succor the feeble and distressed?

Saying this, the old woman poked with her staff in the river, as if to find the safest place in its rocky bed where she might make the first step. But Jason, by this time, had grown ashamed of his reluctance to help her. He felt that he could never forgive himself if this poor feeble creature should come to any harm in attempting to wrestle against the headlong current. The good Chiron had taught him that the noblest use of his strength was to assist the weak; and also that he must treat every young woman as if she were his sister, and every old one like a mother. Remembering these maxims, the vigorous and beautiful young man knelt down, and requested the good dame to mount upon his back.

Our copy of Tanglewood Tales was published in 1955 by J M Dent & Sons Ltd. Before I put it away on the bookshelf, I just want to share the gorgeous colour plates with you. They're by Dutch illustrator Salomon van Abbé , and really added to our enjoyment of the story.

Hope you like them too.