WTBA is a collection of and conversation about powerful books that strengthen, elevate, inspire and help to grow powerful, resilient kids. We're a book oriented guide for parents, grandparents, educators, aunts, uncles and anyone involved in nurturing children and caring for friends.
Every once in a while, we each need something to jolt us out of the everyday and remind us that we each have it in us to do and be great. Amazing Babes does that - it's a book that's lovely to touch and to feel, beautiful to look at and simply inspiring to read.
ages 0 to >100 years
This is a brilliantly informative and fun book. It’s all about scale. Scale is tricky to understand for young children, but numbers can get so big that it becomes almost impossible to get a sense of scale even for older children, teens and adults. That's where this book comes in.
ages 4 years to grownup
Age guide: 4 to 8. Subtitled A Holocaust Story, this is really more about friendship and promise than the Holocaust itself.
Historically, the background is Denmark during the second World War. Willy's father owns a shop selling odds and ends - everything from an enormous bronze angel to a haunting painting of The Lady. Max's father is a Jewish professor who buys The Lady.
Read More7 epic books here - Sadako - Silent Night Holy Night - 14 Cows for America - The Yellow Star - The Red Piano - The Librarian of Basra - Peaceful Heroes
Read MoreAges 4 to 12 years
Vesuvius is a problem solver – and Rome has a big problem. A poo problem.
No one knows what to do with all the poo. It’s so bad that ‘Some people even dropped it into other people’s pockets when they weren’t looking.” (Now if that line doesn’t bring at least a grimacy smirk to your face I don’t know what will.)
Because poo is such a problem, it’s also a “forbiddenus wordus’, which leads to a whole slew of hilarious euphemisms like ‘huge daffodil’ and ‘cola cube’. Aside from all the usual uses for a poo book, this one does a great job of teaching how and when and why to use a euphamism.
Vesuvius – clever if marginalised chap that he is – figures out the solution: tunnels and rain.
Read Moreages 8 years to grownup
Based on a true story, Lone Pine tells of a young soldier who is at Lone Pine with his brother while yet another brother is also at war elsewhere. The young soldier survives, but his brother doesn’t.
This is tough stuff. It’s poignantly told and is full of sadness. But out of the sadness there is also hope and love. The soldier sends a pine cone from Lone Pine to his mother. She treasures it of course and puts it away where it lies "not quite remembered, not quite forgotten." [The story is set in Australia and Turkey]
Read Moreages 5 years to grownup
Set in Australia. There’s something special about Anzac Day—the cool early morning spent standing with a crowd at the Dawn Service, family breakfasts, and of course Anzac Biscuits to nibble on all day.
And the sense of privilege and peace that comes with living in a free and protected country.
As is true of all war stories, Anzac Biscuits is pretty horrific, but a story that must be told: to remember history, to notice everyday blessings and to understand sacrifice. It does a particularly lovely job of the noticing everyday blessings and understanding sacrifice parts.
Read MoreA conversation about books + kids. A website resource and book reviews for educators, parents, grandparents. The main focus is emotional resilience.
