Just So Stories

Walker Books Australia

September 2023

ISBN13:9781760656164

Australia RRP:$25.99

New Zealand RRP:$28.99

In times gone by, books for children were of an ‘improving’ nature and it seems that there is quite a resurgence of these in recent times. Perhaps justifiably, given what we, as educators, are observing with our youngest students beginning prep (particularly after the disruptions of Covid and lockdowns etc).

This is the second in this series which is aimed squarely at helping to build skills in young children, in this instance, listening for purpose. When teaching was a happier place thirty years ago, we spent much time in the first term of Year 1 purposefully teaching active listening skills (and fine/gross motor and many other things so critical for building successful learning) but this is another facet of education that has changed, and these activities seem to have been discarded, and are now deemed ‘old fashioned’. Time will tell.

Mini and Milo are friends and together they learn to deal with problems. In this instance, Mini -despite the size of her ears – regularly fails to listen properly, and is always getting things wrong or getting into strife. She even misses out on the entire excursion to the museum because she wasn’t paying attention to Mr Snort.

So the first realisation is that she knows she needs to improve the way she uses her ears. She tries a few strategies, with Milo’s help, but these fail miserably. Then – lo and behold! – when there’s a near-miss at the crossing and the lollipop person reminds her to ‘STOP AND LISTEN’ Mini comes up with a new idea. Aside from her over-use of sticky notes, hers is a good thought. With a permanent little reminder sign on her desk, she gradually improves her focus. The author is an experienced mediator/coach and the illustrations are truly appealing.

This would be a useful book for those early days in prep/kindy – along with, I would suggest, practical ways to develop active listening. Recommended for Smalls from around 4 upwards.