I'm a huge fan of Claire Saxby's books for young children. I have a battered copy of There was an Old Sailor (illustrator Cassandra Allen, Walker Books) in my story box that travels with me where ever I go. For my purposes 'Old Sailor' is perfect on several levels.
1. Content (children love learning about the natural environment).
2. Structure (the information in the story is cumulative and repetitive, like the
Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly).
3. Language (simple and playful rhyme with strong rhythm).
The excellence of this book was deservedly recognised with the SCBWI Crystal Kite Award in 2011.
In mid 2013, Claire launched Seadog (illustrator Tom Jellett, Random House). Seadog is a good balance of humour, rich sensory language and story. It is a skilled writer who can squeeze so many diamonds into 32 pages with so few words. It comes as no surprise that Seadog was the winner of the 2013 Speech Pathology Award Best Book Young Children.
Storytelling friends, I strongly recommend you explore these two books. They will enrich your practice.
Claire has a terrific website: HERE
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