EARLY ACTION FOR SUCCESS
Quality texts for YEAR 2
Character
Top dog by Rod Clement
Sampson is a poodle who is a top dog in the corporate world..
Students might: Collect a whole lot of sayings to represent a
type of character and represent it as an animal. They might
write a story featuring this animal and these sayings.
Hello from nowhere by Raewyn
Caisley and Karen Blair
Eve now lives on the Nullabor which she loves but she misses
her Nan.
Students might: Take photographs of their town to make
postcards to send to absent relatives. OR Write a letter to a
grandparent, family member or family friend saying why they
love them so much.
The big little book of happy sadness
by Colin Thompson
George lives alone with his grandmother. One day he brings
home a dog to ease his loneliness.
Students might: Draw a picture of a real/imagined pet who
brings great joy and describe why. There may be a class
exhibition or ebook, with pages featuring students reading
their writing aloud.
The cow who climbed a tree by
Gemma Merino
Tina is different from other cows. She wants to climb trees and
see the world. She thinks the sky is the limit.
Students might: Draw and then write about an animal doing
something totally outside the norm and what exciting
adventure happens next to that animal.
The little refugee by Anh Do and
Suzanne Do
The story of comedian Anh Do who escaped from war torn
Vietnam in a boat.
Students might: Write a letter to Anh Do explaining their
favourite part of the book OR how they responded to the book.
Context
The magical garden of Claude Monet
by Laurence Anholt
Julie visits a country garden in France and meets up with the
famous impressionist artist, Claude Monet.
Students might: Paint a still life of flowers in the classroom,
using the pointillist method, and then write an artist’s
statement about what they want the viewer to experience and
notice as they look at the painting.
Quentin Blake’s magical tales written
by John Yeoman
Magical tales take the reader on exciting quests to discover
magical objects or to defeat enemies.
Students might: Create a story map to represent events in a
story they have read and later create a new story map to plan
and write their own quest.
The magic finger by Roald Dahl
The red bridge by Kylie Dunstan
The Gregg family like to hunt but their next door neighbour
thinks hunting is cruel. One day she turns her magic finger on
them and they become birds.
Students might: Draw a picture of their own magic finger
wiping out an object that should be destroyed and write a short
story about what infuriates them.
Claire has just moved from Australia to Vietnam and she is
lost in the city of Hanoi until a new friend helps.
Students might: Research an Asian city or town of their own
choosing and draw and label a scene to show what is different
from Australian cities/towns. This could be read in conjunction
with City atlas.
Fang Fang's Chinese New Year by
Sally Rippin
Fang Fang was born in China but she is now Australian. She
invites her friend over to celebrate Chinese New Year.
Students might: Research Chinese New Year customs to
make a poster explaining them.
My country by Ezekiel Kwaymullina
and Sally Morgan
A child explains what they do in their country.
Students might: Make up a song of the earth and sing it or
dance their own lightning dance.
Other students might record their performances or they may
be performed on assembly.
Shake a leg by Boori Monty Pryor
and Jan Ormerod
Three boys go to a pizza parlour and meet an Aboriginal chef.
Everyone ends up dancing and celebrating.
Students might: Make up raps in groups which celebrate who
they are and what they love to do.
Intertextuality
Magritte’s marvelous hat
by DB Johnson
Surrealist painter Rene Magritte has a very cheeky hat that runs
away from him.
Students might: Paint surrealist art works featuring Magritte’s
hat OR Draw an object or animal which is THEIR creative
inspiration and write about the day it escaped and how they got
it back again.
The fantastic flying books of Mr
Morris Lessmore by William Joyce
Morris Lessmore’s life is blown away by a hurricane but with the
help of books he builds a new life.
Students might: Write/record a page from the middle of a super
exciting story that is blown in by a storm. Write a journal entry
about the most exciting day they have ever had, just as
Lessmore journalled.
Dimity Dumpty: the story of Humpty’s
little sister by Bob Graham
Dimity is painfully shy and keeps out of the limelight. She is a
quiet hero who comes to her big brother’s rescue when he falls
off the wall.
Students might: Write a story about a quiet hero who
unexpectedly saves the day.
The three pigs by David Wiesner
The three pigs from the traditional story decide to leave their 2D
folktale to have a 3D adventure. Follow them as they break the
rules and enter new spaces.
Students might: Draw using the 2D to 3D concept OR create a
new 2D world of their own and write a story featuring their new
setting.
Into the forest by Anthony Browne
A boy walks through the woods to visit his grandmother,
encountering folk tale characters along the way.
Students might: Create a magical black and white landscape as
a homage to Anthony Browne, which contains a main character
who is colourful and walking through a landscape. Write the first
page from their journey and ask a partner to continue the story
by writing and drawing the next page in a similar style.
Perspective
Just another ordinary day by Rod
Clement
A girl lives in a magical world, which is shown in images,
while the words seem to describe an ordinary life.
Students might: Create a picture book describing the
adventures in a character’s day when they were away on
holiday, in which the images totally contradict the written
words.
Enigma by Graeme Base
Bertie visits his grandfather the magician to discover that
everyone’s magical props have gone missing. An enigma
must be solved and a missing rabbit must be found.
Students might: Research magic tricks, do a performance for
another class, create a book of magic tricks.
Where’s Jessie? by Janeen Brian
and Anne Spudvilas
Bertie is a teddy bear who gets lost in the outback and has
many adventures before being reunited with his owner,
Jessie.
Students might: Draw a soft toy or other precious object and
then write a story of its adventures while lost.
Bears don’t read! by Emma
Chichester Clark
George is not happy doing what bears usually do. One day,
he finds a book and wants to learn to read.
Students might: Write about the favourite book that they
have read and why it was so fantastic.
The day the crayons quit by Drew
Daywalt and Oliver Jeffers
One day Duncan opens his box of crayons to discover letters
saying that they have all quit. How will he get them all back?
Students might: Choose different tee shirts from a pile in the
classroom and write in groups from the point of view of the
teeshirt about why they feel neglected and why they should
be worn more often. The class can vote on which group’s
letter is most persuasive.
Point of view
The wolf’s story by Toby Forward and The wolf from Little Red Riding Hood explains why he has
Izhar Cohen
always been misunderstood. He was a helper for the granny
and did not eat her..
Students might: Write a journal entry from Little Red Riding’s
perspective, explaining what happened and persuading
readers how cunning he actually was.
A tale of two beasts by Fiona
Roberton
This story features the same events told from two
perspectives: a girl believes she has rescued a beast, while the
beast thinks it was kidnapped.
Students might: Write their own story, from two perspectives, in
which a misunderstanding occurs.
Click, clack, moo cows that type by
Doreen Cronin and Betsy Lewin
Cows unite to improve their working conditions by typing letters
to Farmer Brown. A humorous dilemma.
Students might: Write a letter to the SRC or to the School
Council about some equipment they would like improved on
the playground OR about an issue chosen by the class.
The magic fair by Sally Morgan and
Tracey Gibbs
When Peter is mean to his cousin Kayla at the fair, he
discovers there is magic at work which is hard to control.
Students might: Draw and write a story about a magical fair of
their own – with new kinds of magic and different characters
and adventures.
Rivertime by Trace Balla
Clancy takes a trip on a river with Uncle Egg, canoeing and
camping. He dreads leaving his technology behind but
discovers that slowing down and connecting with the river is
awesome.
Students might: Go out into a peaceful area at school, listen to
the sounds, look around, see what is happening and slow
down. They might write a journal entry about what they saw,
heard and felt.
Theme
The stone lion by Margaret Wild and
Ritva Voutila
A stone lion briefly comes to life to save the lives of a girl and
her brother. An act of selfless compassion.
Students might: Write about a kind act they would perform if
they were a statue and could come to life for a short while.
The treasure box by Margaret Wild
and Freya Blackwood
Peter leaves a war torn city and must keep his father’s book
safe. A book about war, memories, loss.
Students might: Write about their most precious memory from
the past, to keep for the future, to share then.
Meet the dullards by Sara
Pennypacker and Daniel Salmieri
The Dullards are incredibly boring and happy to be so - but
their children want to lead exciting lives.
Students might: Write a story about another exciting setting
and job that the children could run away to, because many
people believe that animals in circuses are cruelly treated.
The three questions
by Jon Muth
Nikolai wants to find the answer to three questions so he can
always do the right thing. He has an adventure in a storm and
rescues a panda family. Based on a story by Leo Tolstoy.
Students might: Write down their big questions and share
them. Class discussion: Sort questions into three categories:
Mysteries, Research may find the answer, People hold
different beliefs about this issue
Eric by Shaun Tan
Eric comes to stay with a family and they can’t speak his
language. They are not sure what he is thinking about them
until he departs suddenly and leaves them a present.
Students might: Imagine that they are going to another magical
world as an exchange student. They may draw the imaginary
town they go to, featuring amazing buildings. They may write a
journal entry about their first night staying with their new family
and the different customs that they notice.
Authority
My place by Nadia Wheatley and
Donna Rawlins
This book travels back in time in the same place as various
children explain their lives and social contexts.
Students might: Write the entry for the current year, imagining
that they live in the same place, to sum up their life in the 21st
century in a brief piece of writing.
Australian kids through the years by
Tania McCartney and Andrew Joyner
This book takes a look at Australian children’s lives throughout
the years. ]
Students might: Draw a labelled drawing, similar to those in
this book, to show what today’s children’s lives are filled with,
in terms of a setting and objects..
Animal architects: Amazing animals
who build their homes by Daniel
Nassar and Julio Antonio Blasco
This book shows how animals around the world build their
homes. The illustrator is an architect who includes simple
architectural diagrams of each animal’s shelter.
Students might: Invent an animal of their own and also design
the type of shelter it makes. Use the layout and language
features they have observed in the book, to give their writing
and diagrams credibility.
Could a whale swim to the moon? … This book has a humorous question and answer format which
and other questions by Alexei Bitskoff makes the answers memorable.
and Camilla de la Bedoyere
Students might: Undertake some research about different sea
creatures. Write a humorous, attention grabbing, memorable
question and a scientific answer. These questions and
answers can be pooled to make a class information book about
sea creatures.
How to swallow a pig by Steve Jenkins This book provides step-by-step instructions for how animals
and Robin Page
survive in the wild, in a catchy, humorous way.
Students might: Research fascinating facts about different
animals and present their information in catchy sets of step by
step instructions, pooled to make a class book.
City atlas: Travel the world with 30
city maps by Georgia Cherry
and Martin Haake
This book has thirty city maps from around the world. They are
labelled with activities & landmarks for tourists.
Students might: Make a map of their town labelling the tourist
attractions OR Research another Australian town or city for its
tourist attractions and create a map of attractions and
activities.
Imagery
The duck and the darklings by
Glenda Millard and Stephen Michael
King
The world used to be beautiful long ago and Grandpapa
remembers it. Peterboy finds a wounded duck in need of
care and so begins a time of transformation for the
Darklings, as light returns to their world.
Students might: Write about finding an imaginary creature to
love, bringing hope. Explain how the main characters find the
creature and in what way the creature is “a scrap of
wonderfulness” in their lives.
The ghost of Miss Annabel Spoon by
Aaron Blabey
Miss Annabel Spoon haunts a town until one brave young
man sets out to find why she is so miserable.
Students might: Write a newspaper article explaining how
Miss Annabel Spoon has changed now that Herbert is her
friend. Describe the people’s happiness now that they are
safe from her haunting.
I need my monster by Amanda Noll
and Howard McWilliam
Ethan likes the monster under his bed but Gabe has gone
fishing, so Ethan interviews new monsters.
Students might: Draw their very own monster and write
about an adventure their monster had while away on a
recent holiday.
Dirty beasts by Roald Dahl
This book by Roald Dahl, along with Revolting rhymes, is
sure to delight children who enjoy people being munched
and crunched and who relish gruesomeness with a flourish.
Students might: Write rhyming couplets about a beast of
their own and illustrate their comic verse
My two blankets by Irena Kobald and
Freya Blackwood
Cartwheel has come from another country and doesn’t speak
this language. A friend helps her to learn the language and
to feel more at home.
Students might: Record all the words they know from
another language and make a class patchwork of paintings
which feature these words and the objects or emotions they
represent.
The exceptionally, extraordinary
ordinary first day of school by Albert
Lorenz
John is a new student at school describing his previous
school which was extraordinary.
Students might: Create a double page spread page from an
adventure story with a modern day child and featuring some
historical characters who are explained in notes in the
margin, as in the book by Lorenz.