Health on the Shelf in partnership with Libraries Tasmania, is a collection of suggested picture books (0-8 years) and junior fiction (5-12 years) that explore ideas about healthy living for children. There are books about: | ||
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Health on the Shelf books can be read by children independently or together with an adult. The books are fun and engaging stories that include a health message; they are not information books. You can print off a copy of the list along with reading tips.
Picture Books for Children (birth to eight years)
Interacting with babies and toddlers is important to their development. You can give your child a great start by talking, singing, playing and sharing simple books together even if you aren’t a confident reader yourself.
Here are some tips for shared reading time with your child:
Before reading
- Let your child pick and choose what they read for pleasure.
- Find a comfortable place to sit and read together.
- Turn off electronic devices and give your child your full attention.
- If your child is reading to you, let them hold the book.
- Ask them to predict what the book will be about from clues in the cover and title.
During reading
- Run your finger along the line to show your child that text runs left to right, top to bottom.
- Prompt them to figure out difficult words by breaking them down and sounding them out.
- Once they have figured out the word, ask them to go back and re-read so comprehension isn’t lost.
- Allow them to stop and point at / talk about the pictures.
- Pause once or twice during reading and ask them to predict what might happen next.
After reading
- Ask what they would do / how they would feel if they were in the story.
- Don’t feel pressured to finish the book if it’s boring or too difficult.
- Ask your child if the book reminds them of anything else they’ve read, viewed or experienced.
- Encourage them to re-tell the story or part of the story.
- Have them tell you what they did / didn’t like about the book.
- Allow them to read favourite books again and again.
Author | Title | Topic |
---|---|---|
Denise Flemming | Lunch | Growing, cooking and eating food |
Lois Ehlert | Eating the alphabet | Growing, cooking and eating food |
Lois Ehlert | Growing vegetable soup | Growing, cooking and eating food |
Eric Carle | The very hungry caterpillar | Growing, cooking and eating food |
Claire Potter, Ailie Busby | Which food will you choose | Growing, cooking and eating food |
Eileen Browne | Handa’s surprise | Growing, cooking and eating food |
Mandy Dos Santos | At my family table | Growing, cooking and eating food |
Dan Green | Busy day: Chef | Growing, cooking and eating food |
Ashley Spires | Most magnificent thing | Active play and having fun outdoors |
Danny Parker | Perfect | Active play and having fun outdoors |
Sandra Boynton | Barnyard dance | Active play and having fun outdoors |
Michael Rosen | We’re going on a bear hunt | Active play and having fun outdoors |
Sam McBratney and Charles Fuge | Yes we can | Active play and having fun outdoors |
Sigrun Danielsdottir | Your body is awesome | Self esteem and self respect |
Taryn Brumfitt | Embrace your Body | Self esteem and self respect |
Charlotte Barkla | All bodies are good bodies | Self esteem and self respect |
Katie Crenshaw | Her body can | Self esteem and self respect |
Emily Winifield Martin | The wonderful things you will be | Self esteem and self respect |
Giles Andreae | Giraffe's can't dance | Self esteem and self respect |
Rachel Bright | The koala who could | Self esteem and self respect |
Rachel Bright | The lion inside | Self esteem and self respect |
Aunty Fay Muir | Respect | Self esteem and self respect |
Trace Maloney | When I’m feeling scared | Managing emotions and feelings |
Jez Alborough | My friend bear | Managing emotions and feelings |
Virginia Ironside | The huge bag of worries | Managing emotions and feelings |
Brian Lies | The rough patch | Managing emotions and feelings |
Neith Negley | Tough guys (have feelings too) | Managing emotions and feelings |
Amanda McCardie | A book of feelings | Managing emotions and feelings |
Luana Towney | Lola's new cousin | Managing emotions and feelings |
Sophie Beer | Love makes a family | Building relationships with friends and family |
Sophie Beer | Kindness makes us strong | Building relationships with friends and family |
Tom Percival | Meesha makes friends | Building relationships with friends and family |
Amy June Bates | The big umbrella | Building relationships with friends and family |
Judy Carey Nevin | All kids are good kids | Appreciating diversity in our society |
Mem Fox | I'm Australian too | Appreciating diversity in our society |
Davina Bell | All the ways to be smart | Appreciating diversity in our society |
Susann Hoffmann | Boys will be … | Appreciating diversity in our society |
Susann Hoffmann | Girls are pretty … | Appreciating diversity in our society |
Scott Stuart | My shadow is pink | Appreciating diversity in our society |
Katie Daynes | Why should I brush my teeth? | Looking after your body |
Mo Willems | The pigeon needs a bath | Looking after your body |
Stories for Younger Readers (five to 12 years)
These stories, which include aspects of health literacy in the plot, are aimed at older children to be read and enjoyed independently. They can also be used as the basis of parent-child, small group or whole-class discussion.
Author | Title | Topic |
---|---|---|
Jerry Craft | New kid | Building relationships with friends and family |
Jeff Kinney | Diary of a wimpy kid (series) | Building relationships with friends and family |
Jerry Spinelli | Loser | Building relationships with friends and family |
Kayla Miller | Click series | Building relationships with friends and family |
Jerry Spinelli | Stargirl | Appreciating diversity in our society |
Colin Thompson | The short and incredibly happy Life of Riley | Appreciating diversity in our society |
R Palacio | Wonder | Appreciating diversity in our society |
John Boyne | The terrible thing that happened to Barnaby Brocket | Appreciating diversity in our society |
Morris Glietzman | Boy overboard | Managing emotions and feelings |
Morris Glietzman | Girl underground | Managing emotions and feelings |
Louis Sacher | Holes | Managing emotions and feelings |
Raina Telgemeier | Smile - series | Managing emotions and feelings |
Terri Libenson | Emmie & friends- series | Managing emotions and feelings |
Sally Odgers & Christina Booth | Meet Dooley on the farm (Aussie kids series) | Active play and having fun outdoors |
Sally Rippin | (Billie B. Brown series) | Active play and having fun outdoors |
Sally Rippin | (Hey Jack! series) | Active play and having fun outdoors |
Nicole Hayes, Adrian Beck | Little legends series | Active play and having fun outdoors |
Belinda Murrell | Lulu Bell and the magical garden | Active play and having fun outdoors |
Jo Stanley | Play like a girl series | Active play and having fun outdoors |