Regarding the bees: A lesson in letters, on honey, dating and other sticky subjects

by Kate Klise. Illustrated by M Sarah Klise. Published by Harcourt, 2007

I love puns, and this book is stuffed with puns using the word "bees". Aimed at the 9 to 12 years crowd - expect the unexpected! For those who love to read, are tempted by the depth language can tell a story and enjoy a quirky humour, then this book is for you.

The story is set in the Geyser Creek Middle School and is written in the form of letters from the students to their substitute teacher also to other students. There is a Geyser Creek Gazette that also provides an extra dimension to the tale. Advice from Ms Florence Waters, their substitute teacher, helps them all in a variety of ways. Other letters include the Principal and his attempts to resolve his problems. Most letters are written in different fonts and the illustrations are a delight.

There are no chapters so you are free to dip in and stop wherever without being constrained by the 'end of the chapter' feeling. Full of fun and imagination, it is clever; one of my colleagues recommended this book to me. She enjoyed it and is busy searching for other novels and picture books written by Klise. It wasn't quite to my taste however I can see it would surely appeal to others.

To learn more about these admittedly beezarre sisters, make a beeline to their website: www.kateandsarahklise.com

Reviewed by Fiona

Wild Fibonacci. Nature's secret code revealed.

by Joy N. Hulme. Published by Tricycle Press, California, 2005.

At first glace, this looks like a counting book for young children, but on examination it is really an introduction to the Fibonacci number sequence for older children.

The Fibonacci sequence of numbers is explained in the first six pages of the book with ideas of how to have fun with the sequence by looking for it in nature. The rest of the book is a series of beautiful illustrations and rhyming text showing the sequence of numbers with animals, and using examples in nature - including tusks on elephants and a walrus, claws on tigers, and tails on seahorses - to demonstrate the equiangular spiral that comes from the sequence.

The target audience for the book is wide, but probably best for older primary children.

Read about Joy Hulme here

Reviewed by Heather

Dipping into Reading with LibraryThing

This summer, teachers all over the country have been enjoying reading, and developing their knowledge of children's books, with the National Library's summer reading programme. (See this post for information about the Auckland Centre's Reading at the Beach Launch.)

Here in the Central Region, more than 150 teachers in the Lower North Island have been taking part in Dip into Reading.

Have a look at our Dip into Reading LibraryThing page for some of teachers' favourite books this summer. Its been really fun exploring Library Thing, and seeing what books people have enjoyed.

LibraryThing has also been providing us with lists of recommended books, based on the ones in our Dip into Reading profile, and we have links to LibraryThing groups such as Read YA Lit, and Children's Fiction. For an earlier Create Readers post about LibraryThing, click here.

And to all those of you who have joined in with this programme, and added books to LibraryThing, congratulations and well done! You're really moving and shaking with the 21st Century!