(Artwork inspired by aboriginal dot paintings by Miss M and Sir I)

Wombat Stew by Marcia K. Vaughan and Pamela Lofts: One day, a very clever dingo catches a wombat and sets about making wombat stew, with a little help from the other animals. Fear not for the wombat, though! My kids loved this one and went around singing, “Wombat stew! Wombat stew! Gooey chewy, crunchy munchy, for my lunchy, WOMBAT STEW!” for days after.

Diary of a Wombat by Jackie French: This was a birthday present for Sir I from my Aussie writing buddy Jo. Features a sleeping-all-day back-scratching carrot-devouring hole-digging wombat who trains humans to feed her on demand. Very entertaining.

The Biggest Frog in Australia by Susan Roth: In the Dreamtime, the biggest frog in Australia wakes up very thirsty. He drinks up all the puddles, the billabongs (I added this new word to my vocabulary and I’ve been itching to use it ever since!), the rivers, the lakes, even the rain in the clouds. Now the frog is huge and swollen,  the land is dry and parched, and the other animals are suffering. They need to get all the water out of the frog, but how?

Bilby Moon by Margaret Spurling: A bilby is enthralled by her first sight of the full moon, smiling down at her. Her joy turns to distress on subsequent nights as the moon starts losing pieces of itself. She enlists the help of other desert animals to find the lost pieces, becoming sadder as the moon grows thinner and finally disappears. Then an owl tells her not to worry–she’ll be surprised again the following night when the moon comes back. A charming, reassuring story.

Stories from the Billabong by James Vance Marshall:  This collection of aboriginal stories from the Dreamtime has lovely dot painiting-inspired illustrations. Not all the tales are appropriate for my kids’ ages, so I picked only a handful of them to read aloud (usually the animal ones). We all enjoyed “How the Kangaroo got her Pouch”.

Sir I. loves maps. World maps, treasure maps, road maps, atlases and globes. I got a kick out of his commentary on our road atlas yesterday in the van: “Wow, look, I found Florida! And the north part of Kentucky!” (Yes, this kid managed to decode the world Kentucky all by himself, too). Half a year ago, we did a unit study on maps and unearthed some great material on the subject.

Me on the Map by Joan Sweeney: This is an awesome first resource for mapping. The concept is simple: the girl draws herself in a map of her room, then her room in her house, her house on her street, and all the way out to her country on the globe. After we read this, we drew maps of various rooms in our house, found our town in our state, our state in our country, and so on, just like the girl did.

The Once Upon a Time Map Book by B.G. Henessey and Peter Joyce: More advanced–including grids, keys and legends, but the fairy tale maps are enchanting and detailed. My only complaint is that the maps are crowded, and it can be hard for little eyes to find things. And also, it’s out of print. Boo.

Which Way to the Revolution? by Bob Banner: Fun! Follow Paul Revere from Boston to Lexington, accompanied by friendly mice and thwarted by evil rats. Appealing simple maps and easy introduction to landmarks, map symbols and the compass rose. Sir I. loved it so much he requested I get it again from the library.

More on maps, for grown-ups too:

• Make a pirate’s treasure map.
• Make a magnet map.
• For writers: Worldbuilding through maps
• Mind-mapping tool

A list of our favorite picture books about globe-trotting and different cultures:

How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World by Marjorie Priceman: This whimsical book chronicles a global quest for the finest ingredients for an apple pie. We like it especially because it includes a stop in Vermont for apples. Great to read after an apple-picking trip!

Toot & Puddle by Holly Hobbie: A charming account of two best friends over the course of the year. One goes off on a world tour while the other stays home and enjoys the turn of the seasons. I love that it portrays both the homebody and the adventurer positively.

Everybody Cooks Rice by Norah Dooley: While searching through her ethnically diverse neighborhood for her brother before dinnertime, Carrie learns that people from all over the world cook rice. Includes recipes!

People by Peter Spier: Oversized book shows not only cultural but individual diversity. There is a lot to see and talk about in this one. We spread it out over several days.

Madlenka by Peter Sis: A girl living in NYC learns about different cultures from her neighbors–and through the variations of her own name.