Photo courtesy of: Josephine Civitarese
WELCOME TO HELEN CHAPMAN’S WEBSITE
Helen Chapman is a widely experienced and bestselling Australian children’s book author with over 100 books published locally and internationally. She writes in all genres across a broad range of topics both fiction and non-fiction and specialises in educational books for children. Helen’s light touch and use of humour engages her readers and makes her books highly effective,enjoyable and fun to read.
2023 NEW RELEASE
Helen’s latest title ‘Deadly Waters’ (Australia’s Second World War) is written in her favourite genre – historical juvenile fiction. This action packed novel is presented with drama, adventure, humour and insight into her father’s participation as a young seaman in the Royal Australian Navy’s naval operations during the Second World War.
– unique story told to the author by her father Cliff
– based on real people and events
– authenticated by verbal accounts and memoirs from Cliff’s navy mates
– thoroughly researched by sourcing historical records, government and naval web sites, books and testimonials
– available in Large Print, Dyslexic, Daisy and Braille.
Click on title link below to discover Cliff’s photos and memorabilia.
DEADLY WATERS (Australia’s Second World War)
You could see the pilot as he came past, immobile, seconds to eternity.’
As a teenager, Cliff dreams that one day he will play cricket for Australia, but when war comes he changes cricket whites for a navy uniform. Leaving everything he knows behind he faces new horrors from exploding mines and submarine attacks to deliberate suicide attacks by kamikaze pilots, never knowing if he will see his sweetheart Marie again. But amongst all the tragedy of war, Cliff finds something he never thought possible amidst all the fear and devastation … hope.
Publisher: Omnibus Books
Format: Paperback
Type: Novel
ISBN: 9781743835104
Age Level: 9+
Published: 01 / 05 / 2023
Deadly Waters Reviews
Children’s Book Council of Australia – Susanne Gervay
2023 NEW RELEASE
First published in 2002, 101 COOL SCIENCE EXPERIMENTS is still going strong with aother new look.So once more get ready to unleash your inner mad scientist!
It all started back in 2001 around my family room table where very giggly primary school students from Rowan Prep School, Surrey UK gave up their holidays to try, test, improve or dismiss hundreds of science experiments. Only the best, most amazing and most fun made it into print. How awesome is it Beck Chapman, Verity Maton, Olivia Kenyon, Shivani Goldie and Katherine Jenkins that this book is still going strong – I couldn’t have written it without you all!
Written in fun and accessible language, 101 COOL SCIENCE EXPERIMENTS will show young readers how to make extraordinary things from everyday materials. Why not make an egg bounce, gross out friends with homemade boogers, grow a stalactite, make baked ice-cream and build an underwater volcano!
The book is also available in a few different kit packs such as:
And is also available in:
Korean, Portuguese and Latvian!
Do you ever really think about what you’re eating? In this fascinating book, Food Myth Busters, some of the topics you’ll learn about are Go, Slow and Whoa foods – foods that are healthy to eat all the time and ones that we should only eat sometimes, Mindless and Mindful Eating, Nutrients, Special Diets, Food Groups, What Kind of Fuel My Body Needs, Water A Healthy Choice and Happy Eating. There are recipes for Healthy Snacks too!
Food Myth Busters is part of the Astro range from Rising Stars Reading Planet. Astro books are ideal for struggling and reluctant readers. Each book is dual-banded so that children can improve their fluency whilst enjoying exciting fiction and non-fiction relevant to their age. Astro books for Earth/White band are also highly-decodable so ideal for extra phonics practice. Reading Planet books have been carefully levelled to support children in becoming fluent and confident readers. Each book features useful notes and questions to support reading at home and develop comprehension skills.
Publisher: Hodder Education UK
Interest age: 8-9
Reading age: 6-7 years
Game Changers have the skills, courage and power to change the world!
In Amazing Artists, read about eight amazing artistic Game Changers, from Claude Monet who founded the Impressionist movement, to Frida Kahlo whose powerful self-portraits still captivate us, and Banksy, the mysterious graffiti artist whose thought provoking and often political paintings can be found on street walls in the UK and around the world. Learn more about these trailblazers, who broke with tradition and created incredible works of art.
In Intrepid Explorers, join us on a journey with some game-changing explorers! You will travel with Christopher Columbus, who set out on a voyage and accidentally arrived in the Americas, Amelia Earhart, the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic and Mae C. Jemison, the first black woman to travel into space. Learn about the places they discovered and the exciting adventures they had along the way.
Game Changers: Amazing Artists and Intrepid Explorers are part of the Reading Planet range of books for Stars (Lime) to Supernova (Red+) band. Children aged 7-11 will be inspired to love reading through the fascinating information books created by top authors. Reading Planet books have been carefully levelled to support children in becoming fluent and confident readers. Each book features useful notes and questions to support reading at home and develop comprehension skills. Reading age: 8-10 years.
Australian Schools with Barnaby Bear
Barnaby Bear is off to Australia to find out how schools are different on the other side of the world. Join him as he makes new friends in the city, the outback, the country and on an island!
Australian Schools with Barnaby Bear is part of the Galaxy range from Rising Stars Reading Planet. Galaxy offers a rich collection of highly decodable fiction and non-fiction for Pink A to White band. Children will broaden their knowledge and widen vocabulary through a diverse range of books which are ideal for cross-curricular reading. Reading Planet books have been carefully levelled to support children in becoming fluent and confident readers. Each book features useful notes and activities to support reading at home as well as comprehension questions to check understanding.
Publisher: Rising Stars UK
Museums Are Fun
Sunshine Starter Level 14
Nonfiction
16 pages
159mm x 188mm
Balanced Literacy – Integrating the 5 Key Components of Reading:
- Phonic awareness
- Phonics
- Vocabulary
- Comprehension
- Fluency
PDF Teacher Notes available: https://www.sunshine.co.nz/product/museums-are-fun/
Publisher: Wendy Pye Publishing Ltd New Zealand
Forces
Sunshine Starter Level 14
Nonfiction
16 pages
159mm x 188mm
Balanced Literacy – Integrating the 5 Key Components of Reading
- Phonic awareness
- Phonics
- Vocabulary
- Comprehension
- Fluency
PDF Teacher Notes available: https://www.sunshinebooks.com.au/product/forces-level-14-1×6-titles/
Hobbies
Sunshine Starter Level 8
Non-fiction
16 pages
High-frequency words presented as flash cards on the inside cover of each book
Skills teaching focus on the inside back cover
Sunshine Starters is a new literacy program that focuses on the five essential skill areas that all children need in order to develop into successful readers.
Evidence-based findings have identified these key areas as:
- Phonic awareness
- Phonics
- Vocabulary
- Comprehension
- Fluency
PDF Teacher Notes available: https://www.sunshinebooks.com.au/product/hobbies/
Publisher: Wendy Pye Publishing Ltd New Zealand
How the Birds Got Their Colours: Tales from the Australian Dreamtime
A wonderful collection of creation stories from Australia, telling how the koala lost his tail, how the kangaroo got her pouch, as well as how the birds got their colours.
There are hundreds of different Aboriginal cultures in Australia. Between the diverse groups are found individual and shared creation stories that have been passed down the generations for over 60,000 years. The stories in this collection come from the tradition of oral storytelling. They are retold for a new audience with research and respect.
Topaz/Band 13 books offer longer and more demanding reads for children to investigate and evaluate.
Text Type: Traditional tales from another culture
Curriculum Links:
- English: fairy stories, myths and legends; books from other cultures and traditions
Publisher: HarperCollins UK
New Wonders of the World
Come on a tour to explore the new Wonders of the World, from the Great Wall of China to the Taj Mahal. And finally, you can choose your own seventh Wonder of the World!
Reading Age: 6-7 years
Publisher: Rising Stars UK
Hungry Animals
The animal kingdom is full of different animals and they all like to eat different things. Learn how to tell a carnivore from a herbivore or omnivore and find which one you are!
Reading Age: 6-7 years
Rising Stars Reading Planet Galaxy reading books are a wonderful collection of fiction, non-fiction, poetry and plays to capture the interest of every child, helping to develop a life-long love of reading.
My Kitten
Max is a beautiful ginger kitten and his owner adores him! Find out how Max is similar to, yet also different from, his owner and the important things you need to do to look after a kitten.
Reading Age: 4-5 years
Grow a Pumpkin
Learn all about pumpkins in this fun non-fiction photographic book, from how to grow them to what you can make with them, including lanterns and some tasty soup!
Reading Age: 4-5 years
Amelia Earhart
Amelia Earhart was the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. Learn about Amelia’s adventures in the air in this engaging highly-illustrated biography.
Reading Age: 5-6 years
Collins Big Cat Arabic Readers
Landmarks of Our World: Level 10 (Arabic) Paperback
From the pyramids in Egypt to the Sydney Opera House, landmarks have been built all over the world. Find out what makes them so special.
Turquoise/Band 7 books offer literary language and extended descriptions, with longer sentences and a wide range of unfamiliar terms.
Text Type: An information book
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers UK
(C) 2023 Helen Chapman