Go home cheeky animals by Johanna Bell and Dion Beasley

Go home cheeky animals by Johanna Bell and Dion Beasley

“Go home, cheeky animals!”

“All cheeky animals, Go home!”

An energetic and fun filled book – Go home, cheeky animals! by Johanna Bell and Dion Beasley is a deserved winner of the CBCA early childhood section for 2017.


You can feel the heat  of Canteen Creek, the noise of the people and animals who live there and the energy flying in every way when the various feral animals come to the farm and chew up pants, eat the owners food, stamp all over the grass and just generally cause chaos!

But where are the cheeky dogs? Aren’t they supposed to be helping to get rid of these cheeky animals? Perhaps they will stop their snoozing in the warm sunshine – you’ll have to read it to find out!

Not only do we learn about these cheeky animals but also the seasons of the Top End. The rainy season and dry season, the humid season and the windy season, the dry season and the stormy season are all a part of this story and a beautiful part of the ever changing Top End of Australia.

Dion Beasley’s illustrations are full of energy, they are lots of fun and children love looking at the pictures to see what the different characters are getting up to when the cheeky animals invade!

Cheeky animals is a wonderful story to share with younger readers – they will love the barely controlled mayhem and the child-esque illustrations. Cheeky animals is a great book to explore life in the Northern Territory of Australia – a place many Australian’s haven’t ventured too – especially those places that are further away from the main cities.


So what can you do at home?

  •  Find out where Canteen creek is. Explore what the temperature and life would be like there.
  •  List the cheeky animals. Why are these animals cheeky? Explore the concept of feral animals. Why are there feral animals in Australia? What are they? How does an animal become feral?
  •  Are there any cheeky animals around your house? Draw a map of where you live, like the one in this picture book. Draw in where you think cheeky animals might live. These could be feral animals or animals in abundance that might cause chaos at your house!
  • Explore the different seasons in the Top End and compare to where you live.
  •  For older readers – How can we ensure the populations of Feral animals are kept down? Why do we need to get rid of feral animals?

 

Here are some interesting reads on why we don’t need feral animals!!

 

http://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2017-08-09/wild-pigs-found-south-australia-mid-north/8786908

http://www.fpmagazine.com.au/australian-animals-on-the-brink-of-extinction-351308/

http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/police-and-council-crack-down-on-feral-cat-feeders-20170731-gxmi4v.html

Testimonials – Jack and Jill Kindergarten, Berowra.

Testimonials - Jack and Jill Kindergarten, Berowra.

Thanks so much Vanessa for coming out and sharing your book “The Bee Detectives” with our children 3-5 years old. The experience allowed them to learn so much more about Bees. We have had our native Bees for several years and had beekeepers out before. Your book took an in-depth look into classification, different ways they live, how they collect pollen and make honey.  It created lots of meaningful conversation with the children; your interactive book reading allowed them to share these ideas with each other. The extended activity afterwards of the magnifiers provided by Vanessa was a great extension to the book. The children were so excited to be their very own Bee detectives and really extended their learning.
Vanessa Ryan-Rendall
2021-05-17T03:33:47+00:00
Testimonials - Jack and Jill Kindergarten, Berowra. Thanks so much Vanessa for coming out and sharing your book “The Bee Detectives” with our children 3-5 years old. The experience allowed them to learn so much more about Bees. We have had our native Bees for several years and had beekeepers out before. Your book took an in-depth look into classification, different ways they live, how they collect pollen and make honey.  It created lots of meaningful conversation with the children; your interactive book reading allowed them to share these ideas with each other. The extended activity afterwards of the magnifiers provided by Vanessa was a great extension to the book. The children were so excited to be their very own Bee detectives and really extended their learning.

Author Visit: Jack and Jill Kindergarten Berowra

Thanks so much Vanessa for coming out and sharing your book “The Bee Detectives” with our children 3-5 years old. The experience allowed them to learn so much more about Bees. We have had our native Bees for several years and had beekeepers out before. Your book took an in-depth look into classification, different ways they live, how they collect pollen and make honey.  It created lots of meaningful conversation with the children; your interactive book reading allowed them to share these ideas with each other. The extended activity afterwards of the magnifiers provided by Vanessa was a great extension to the book. The children were so excited to be their very own Bee detectives and really extended their learning. 
Teacher notes written by Vanessa
2021-04-21T02:54:08+00:00
Thanks so much Vanessa for coming out and sharing your book “The Bee Detectives” with our children 3-5 years old. The experience allowed them to learn so much more about Bees. We have had our native Bees for several years and had beekeepers out before. Your book took an in-depth look into classification, different ways they live, how they collect pollen and make honey.  It created lots of meaningful conversation with the children; your interactive book reading allowed them to share these ideas with each other. The extended activity afterwards of the magnifiers provided by Vanessa was a great extension to the book. The children were so excited to be their very own Bee detectives and really extended their learning. 

Georgie Donaghey

I was impressed with Vanessa’s professionalism in preparing the teacher notes for my picture book, In the Shadow of an Elephant. Her depth of knowledge on the multitude of topics covered was just incredible! She has compiled a 15-page document that will allow Educators and students an opportunity to explore conversations and discover different layers within the book. Georgie Donaghey
Teacher notes written by Vanessa
2020-08-01T07:42:45+00:00
I was impressed with Vanessa’s professionalism in preparing the teacher notes for my picture book, In the Shadow of an Elephant. Her depth of knowledge on the multitude of topics covered was just incredible! She has compiled a 15-page document that will allow Educators and students an opportunity to explore conversations and discover different layers within the book. Georgie Donaghey