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y separately published work icon My Two Blankets single work   single work   picture book   children's  
Issue Details: First known date: 2014... 2014 My Two Blankets
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AbstractHistoryArchive Description

'Cartwheel has moved to a place that is so strange to her that she no longer feels like herself. She creates a safe place under an old blanket, made out of memories and thoughts of home. As time goes on, Cartwheel begins to weave a new blanket, one of friendship and a renewed sense of belonging. It is different from the old blanket, but it is eventually just as warm and familiar. This story is for all who have experienced change. It is about learning new ways of speaking, new ways of living, new ways of being.'

(Publisher's blurb)

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Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of

    • Boston, Massachusetts,
      c
      United States of America (USA),
      c
      Americas,
      :
      New York (City), New York (State),
      c
      United States of America (USA),
      c
      Americas,
      :
      Houghton Mifflin ,
      2014 .
      image of person or book cover 3596744921771508703.jpg
      This image has been sourced from online.
      Extent: 30p.p.
      ISBN: 9780544432284
Alternative title: Una Coperta Di Parole
Language: Italian
    • Milan,
      c
      Italy,
      c
      Western Europe, Europe,
      :
      Mondadori ,
      2015 .
      image of person or book cover 5788601075048111078.jpg
      This image has been sourced from online.
      Extent: 30p.p.
      ISBN: 9788804646976, 8804646977

Works about this Work

Kittens, Blankets and Seaweed: Developing Empathy in Relation to Language Learning Via Children’s Picturebooks Nicola Brady , 2021 single work criticism
— Appears in: Children's Literature in Education , March vol. 52 no. 1 2021;
'Children’s literature has an important role to play in developing knowledge of the world, and learning to understand the feelings of others. A growing body of literature explores the role of dual language picturebooks (parallel, interlingual and simultaneous) in drawing on the linguistic capital of multilingual children in classrooms. There is also research examining how dual language picturebooks privilege languages and the impact of this on the ethnolinguistic vitality of minority language communities; however, to date there is little if any literature exploring how dual language picturebooks can support novice readers to develop an understanding of language status and language learning. In this study, five children’s picturebooks are analysed using close analysis of text and illustration to explore what understandings of language learning and multilingualism novice readers might gain from these picturebooks. Findings indicate that these books support understanding of the different status of the languages being learned or spoken as reflected in the stories. They also raise questions concerning who these picturebooks are written for; the extent to which different visual and textual cues are used to support the development of empathy; and the pedagogy of working with visual and textual cues for developing empathy through picturebooks.' (Publication abstract)
Eight Australian Picture Books That Celebrate Family Diversity Sarah Mokrzycki , 2019 single work column
— Appears in: The Conversation , 10 January 2019; ABC News [Online] , January 2019;

'The official label used by the Australian government to define a traditional family (a two parent family with biological or adopted children only) is “intact”: Not damaged or impaired in any way. Complete. Whole. Unbroken.' (Introduction)

Why Are Australian Children's Books Suddenly so Political? Philippa Chandler , 2018 single work column
— Appears in: The Guardian Australia , 27 November 2018;
Seeing the Human Face : Refugee and Asylum Seeker Narratives and an Ethics of Care in Recent Australian Picture Books Debra Dudek , 2018 single work criticism
— Appears in: Children's Literature Association Quarterly , Winter vol. 43 no. 4 2018; (p. 363-376)

'In this article, I survey eight Australian picture books that seek to redress a seeming absence of care in Australian politics in relation to refugees and asylum seekers: My Two Blankets (2014), Suri's Wall (2015), Ride, Ricardo, Ride! (2015), Mate and Me (2015), Teacup (2015), Flight (2015), Out (2016), and I'm Australian Too (2017). These books depict a healthy community founded upon an ethics of care, and/or a depleted community when care is absent. Although none of these books invokes structural change, all of them demonstrate how relational well-being forms a foundation for civic virtue.'

The Politics of Picture Books : Stories of Displaced Children in Twenty-first-century Australia Mary Tomsic , 2018 single work criticism
— Appears in: History Australia , vol. 15 no. 2 2018; (p. 339-356)

'This article uses cultural representations to write refugee history. It examines twenty-first-century picture books about displaced children, alongside published responses to them, to explore how refugee experiences and histories are constructed, both for and about children, in an Australian context. The visual literary form of picture books as political texts is examined as a space for discussion and dialogue. Published responses to them, however, more commonly reveal rigid interpretations of imagined readers, invoking binary divisions between displaced and non-displaced children. Through these sources, questions of humanisation and (de)politicisations in refugee history are considered.'  (Publication abstract)

Review : My Two Blankets Louise Pfanner , 2013 single work review
— Appears in: Books + Publishing , October vol. 93 no. 2 2013; (p. 14)

— Review of My Two Blankets Irena Kobald , 2014 single work single work picture book
Cover Book Review : My Two Blankets Katharine England , 2014 single work review
— Appears in: Magpies : Talking About Books for Children , March vol. 29 no. 1 2014; (p. 14)

— Review of My Two Blankets Irena Kobald , 2014 single work single work picture book
Encouraging Empathy through Picture Books About Migration Kumarasinghe Dissanayake Mudiyanselage , 2014 single work criticism
— Appears in: Picture Books and Beyond 2014; (p. 75-91)

Reading children’s literature is often considered important for developing readers’ empathy towards others. Picture books that thematise cultural diversity and issues of cultural difference often affirm positive models of cultural harmony and tolerance, thereby providing young readers with exemplars of human rights and social justice. Since 2000, many picture books have responded to Australia’s changing policy regarding immigration, especially the impact on refugees and asylum seekers. This chapter will discuss how picture books targeted for primary aged children engage with the subjective experience of migration and encourage readers to take up an empathic position with regard to the plight of others as represented in the texts. Picture books discussed in this chapter will include recent examples that deal with Asian-Australian relations, refugees, and asylum seekers. The chapter will have direct relevance to the cross-curriculum priority ‘Asia and Australia's Engagement with Asia’, and will include the general capabilities: ethical understanding and intercultural understanding.

Glory for NT Kids' Authors 2015 single work column
— Appears in: NT News , 9 September 2015; (p. 10)
'Northern Territory authors scooped up the awards at Children's Book Council of Australia...'
10 Great Books That All Children Should Read Belle Y. Alderman , 2015 single work essay
— Appears in: The Conversation , 21 December 2015;

'The books we remember strongly as adults are often the ones we read as children. Not only do we remember particular books, but the emotions we experienced.

Children’s books are reread and remembered over a lifetime, and many authors believe their best writing is for children.

Rereading favourites is a good thing. With each rereading, deeper meanings emerge and understanding becomes richer.' (Introduction)

The Politics of Picture Books : Stories of Displaced Children in Twenty-first-century Australia Mary Tomsic , 2018 single work criticism
— Appears in: History Australia , vol. 15 no. 2 2018; (p. 339-356)

'This article uses cultural representations to write refugee history. It examines twenty-first-century picture books about displaced children, alongside published responses to them, to explore how refugee experiences and histories are constructed, both for and about children, in an Australian context. The visual literary form of picture books as political texts is examined as a space for discussion and dialogue. Published responses to them, however, more commonly reveal rigid interpretations of imagined readers, invoking binary divisions between displaced and non-displaced children. Through these sources, questions of humanisation and (de)politicisations in refugee history are considered.'  (Publication abstract)

Seeing the Human Face : Refugee and Asylum Seeker Narratives and an Ethics of Care in Recent Australian Picture Books Debra Dudek , 2018 single work criticism
— Appears in: Children's Literature Association Quarterly , Winter vol. 43 no. 4 2018; (p. 363-376)

'In this article, I survey eight Australian picture books that seek to redress a seeming absence of care in Australian politics in relation to refugees and asylum seekers: My Two Blankets (2014), Suri's Wall (2015), Ride, Ricardo, Ride! (2015), Mate and Me (2015), Teacup (2015), Flight (2015), Out (2016), and I'm Australian Too (2017). These books depict a healthy community founded upon an ethics of care, and/or a depleted community when care is absent. Although none of these books invokes structural change, all of them demonstrate how relational well-being forms a foundation for civic virtue.'

Last amended 12 Oct 2022 11:08:02
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