English

Years 3-4

Across the Dark Sea

Author:

Wendy Orr

Text type:

Novel, historical, illustrated

Setting:

Vietnam, Australia

Vietnam boat refugee story based around a boat in the National Museum. Boy protagonist.

China, Land, Life and Culture: Wildlife

Authors:

Jackie Tidey and John Tidey

Text type:

Resource text, nonfiction

Setting:

China

Information about the wildlife of China.

Just One Wish

Author:

Sally Rippin

Text type:

Novel

Setting:

China, Australia

The main character narrates her experiences when her family returns from Melbourne to Shanghai. It is not easy until her grandmother grants her a wish.

Kancil – The Adventures of Kancil the Mouse Deer

Author:

Retold by Irene Ritchie and Eddy Pursubaryanto

Text type:

Folklore

Setting:

Indonesia

A series of six stories about Kancil (the mouse deer), the beloved character from Indonesian folklore, who uses his intellect to outwit powerful and greedy animals of the jungle.

Kancil – The Clever Mouse Deer

Author:

Retold by Irene Ritchie and Eddy Pursubaryanto

Text type:

Folklore

Setting:

Indonesia

A series of six stories about Kancil (mouse deer), the beloved character from Indonesian folklore, who uses his intellect to outwit powerful, vain and greedy fellow animals.

Kancil – The Peace Maker

Author:

Retold by Irene Ritchie and Eddy Pursubaryanto

Text type:

Folklore

Setting:

Indonesia

A series of six stories about Kancil (mouse deer), the beloved character from Indonesian folklore, who lives in a magical forest and uses his intellect to outwit powerful and greedy fellow animals.

Kancil’s Secret Life

Author:

Retold by Irene Ritchie and Eddy Pursubaryanto

Text type:

Folklore

Setting:

Indonesia

A traditional Indonesian folktale about Kancil’s quest to find and destroy an Ogre, in order to discover the answers to a series of questions Kancil has about his past.

Nips XI

Author:

Ruth Starke

Text type:

Novel

Setting:

Australia, Vietnamese context

Vietnamese born Tran sets up a cricket team in Australia.

Sarindi and the Lucky Buddha

Author:

Janine M Fraser

Text type:

Novel, short novel series

Setting:

Indonesia

This is the story of a young boy who visits sacred sites and prays for his mother's recovery from illness. It investigates the concept of faith and love from a child's point of view and themes about what these mean to different people.

Seams of Gold

Author:

Christopher Cheng

Text type:

Novel, historical

Setting:

Chinese-Australian context

This story evolves from a Chinese sewing basket, an artefact from the 1850s gold rush era in Australia. Danny is the main character.

Snapshots of Asia – India

Authors:

Sue Ledger and Richard Ledger

Text type:

stories, fact files, games, pictorial stories

Setting:

India

Big book format with information about India in the form of photographs, fact files, board games and stories of daily life in India. Accompanied by a teacher guide and activities designed to enhance literacy and numeracy skills.

Snapshots of Asia – Japan

Authors:

Sue Ledger and Richard Ledger

Text type:

stories, fact files, games, pictorial stories

Setting:

Japan

Big book format offering information about Japan in the form of photographs, fact files, board games and stories of daily life. Accompanied by a teacher guide and activities designed to enhance literacy skills.

Snapshots of Asia – Malaysia

Authors:

Sue Ledger and Richard Ledger

Text type:

stories, fact files, games, pictorial stories

Setting:

Malaysia

Big book format with information about Malaysia in the form of photographs, fact files, board games and stories of daily life. Accompanied by a teacher guide and activities designed to enhance literacy and numeracy skills.

Snapshots of Asia – Philippines

Authors:

Sue Ledger and Richard Ledger

Text type:

stories, fact files, games, pictorial stories

Setting:

Philippines

Big book format with information about the Philippines in the form of photographs, fact files, board games and stories of daily life. Accompanied by a teacher guide and activities designed to enhance literacy and numeracy skills.

The Garden of Empress Cassia

Author:

Gabrielle Wang

Text type:

Novel

Setting:

China, Australia

A girl is teased about her father's herbal medicine shop, but she gains love through the gift of drawing.

The Enchanted Saarang: Stories from Kashmir

Author:

Asha Hanley

Text type:

Fiction folklore/mythology

Setting:

India/Kashmir

This unique collection of stories about Kashmir invites readers into a world filled with spirits, magical bowls enchanted saarangs and more – drawn from mythology, folklore and lived experiences.

The Happiness of Kati

Author:

Jane Vejjajiva, translated by Prudence Borthwick

Text type:

Novel, short novel

Setting:

Thailand

This is the story of Kati's family life in both rural and urban Thailand. Suitable for independent readers. This is a good example of text in translation.

The Most Beautiful Lantern

Author:

Sally Heinrich

Text type:

Picture book

Setting:

Singapore, Malaysia

This illustrated text evolved from the writer’s Asialink residency in Malaysia, and her enjoyment of the mid-autumn festivals held by the Chinese communities there.

The Race for the Chinese Zodiac

Author:

Gabrielle Wang

Text type:

Picture book

Setting:

China

This is a fabulously illustrated quest for 13 animals to become part of the Chinese zodiac, even though Emperor Jade has only 12 places.

Waiting For Mummy

Authors:

LeeTae-Jun and Kim Dong-Sung

Text type:

Picture book

Setting:

South Korea

Translated from Korean, this text requires mediation of the historical context. It has received many accolades in South Korea.