Oceania

Materials from Oceania

We Are Their Voice: Young People Respond to the Holocaust

That’s the question that prompted a writing project across North America, Italy and Australia asking young people to write about this time in history. Students wrote short stories. Some read novels and wrote about the messages that they understood from these books. Several interviewed survivors and recorded their impressions. Many talked about this history and how they have tried to make sense of it in the world in which they now live. Children wrote from their hearts with sensitivity, thoughtfulness and great insight. Their teachers saw this opportunity as a gift. Young people can make a meaningful connection to the Holocaust. And perhaps, with that in mind, they will be able to create a more peaceful future. Read their stories. Listen to their perceptions and observations. We have so much to learn from them.

Woolly Jumpers

Mike and Jake’s dad has always wanted to live in the country. Not Mike and Jake. There’s nothing to do, and they do it with lots of energy, until all of a sudden there are sheep and snakes and lizards and chickens and a sheepdog who doesn’t know what a sheep is…

The Web

Jenny loves Violet-Anne, her great-grandmother, and her wonderful house, but Violet is getting old now…A beautifully written and illustrated story for young children about aging and loss, and the joy of living whether young or old.

A Corner of White

Fourteen-year-old Madeleine of Cambridge, England, struggling to cope with poverty and her mother’s illness, and fifteen-year-old Elliot of the Kingdom of Cello in a parallel world where colors are villainous and his father is missing, begin exchanging notes through a crack between their worlds and find they can be of great help to each other.

The Silver Door

Rye has defeated the sorcerer Olt, freed the island of Dorne, and rescued one of his brothers, but when he returns to the city of Weld with his three companions, he finds that very little has changed–the skimmer monsters still attack at night and the Warden is behaving very strangely.

Street Dreams

Tyson Rua has more than his fair share of problems growing up in South Auckland. Working a night job to support his mother and helping bring up his two younger brothers is just the half of it. His best friend Rawiri is falling afoul of a broken home, and now Tyson’s fallen in love at first sight. Only thing is, it’s another guy. Living life on the sidelines of the local hip-hop scene, Tyson finds that to succeed in becoming a local graffiti artist or in getting the man of his dreams, he’s going to have to get a whole lot more involved. And that means more problems – the least of which is the leader of the local rap crew he’s found himself running with. Love, life, and hip-hop never do things by half.

Farmer John’s Tractor

Farmer John’s tractor lies locked in the shed,rusty yet trusty and orangey red.
When the rain comes that season, it doesn’t let up, filling the river until it overflows, swirling and rushing and gushing. Down by the river, a car gets stuck, and the family inside shouts for help. As they climb to the roof, a series of vehicles — a speedy jeep, a strong tow truck, even a noisy fire engine — rush one by one to the scene. But each gets more stuck than the last. Is it possible that Farmer John’s ancient tractor, rusty as it is, could still be up for the job?

Tell Me about Your Day Today

A boy and his favorite stuffed animals share their days with one another in this cozy bedtime picture book from Mem Fox.There was once a boy who loved bedtime.     What could be more wonderful than sharing bedtime with beloved friends? The little boy in this gentle and fun story loves to talk to his stuffed animals each evening and share with them all the things that happened to him that day—and to hear about their days, too.     From bestselling author Mem Fox and award-winning illustrator Lauren Stinger, here is a celebration of imagination, play, friendship, and coziness certain to touch a chord with young children everywhere.