Being smart is more than just one thing; it’s not just being good at taking tests or doing math or getting good grades in school. Children will want to pore over each page, while the seamless read-out-loud rhyming pattern will ensure this is a favourite for years to come. An illustration of a group of witches stirring a cauldron says 'smart at rhyme and telling time, and building cubbies, making slime' I've no idea what cubbies are. Joyful and vibrant … Allison Colpoys' illustrations shimmer with movement and vivacity, with her loose-line illustrations and selective colour palette exuding a nostalgic retro charm. Realistic illustrations show children of varying racial presentations joining sentient animals and benign, hairy monsters to confidently explore their world, real and imagined.

Joyful and vibrant … Allison Colpoys’ illustrations shimmer with movement and vivacity, with her loose-line illustrations and selective colour palette exuding a nostalgic retro charm. We acknowledge the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung of the Kulin Nations — the first and continuing custodians of the land on which our books are created. Imaginative and creative play is the river from which all the streams of what we envisage as separate intelligences flow. It looks as though printed via lithograph, and with a bold, strong font the harks back to a few decades ago, Bell and Colpoys take a diverse perspective on what it means to be smart, and who can be smart. This is a wonderful book to introduce this multiple intelligence notion to students, and serves as a reminder of the diversity we have with our peers, as well as inside ourselves.Everything that a child does can be a form of smartness when it is approached in the right way and this is a really important lesson to remind children of all age groups. For the readers who haven't heard the term before, cubbies is Australian slang for cubby house, which is the same thing as a play house.

Australian author/illustrator team Davina Bell and Allison Colpoys, who previously collaborated on Captain Starfish (originally published as The Underwater Fancy-Dress Parade) and Under the Love Umbrella, join forces again in this lovely picture-book exploration of intelligence. She has written many books such as "All of the Factors of Why I Love Tractors", "Under the Love Umbrella", "The Underwater Fancy-dress Parade", "Oh Albert! It is a truism in education and education adjacent fields that there are multiple kinds of intelligence -- there's that whole thing about Gardner's theory of intelligences, and some kinds of skills and abilities that seem a bit abstract are listed: body intelligence, musical intelligence etc.The pack, suitable for ages 6–8, is based around books by Allison Colpoys and Davina Bell, including All the Ways to be Smart, Under the Love Umbrella, and The Underwater Fancy-Dress Parade.

With sing-song rhymes and bright colors, All the Ways to Be Smart echoes classic children's literature with a modern take. Written and illustrated by Davina Bell and Allison Colpoys, this colourful, rhyming story depicts all the ways a child can be smart other than intelligence, including emotional intelligence and kindness, creativity, problem-solving, curiosity, sharing, building things, drawing, imagination, caring for others, taking chances and risks, being a team player, enjoying your own company, as well as counting and telling stories. All the Ways to be Smart (Scribble / Scribe 2018) is a gorgeous, life-affirming children’s book that deservedly won the Children’s Picture Book of the Year in the 2019 Australian Book Industry Awards. Her award-winning and Notable picture books include All the Ways To Be Smart, All of the Factors of Why I Love Tractors, Under the Love Umbrella, The Underwater Fancy-dress Parade, Oh Albert!stars This was disappointing, the illustrations were really nice, very interesting, a lovely style and bright colours in a retro look, but the text was just a list of things that are ways to be smart. Rest assured, not everyone has to be smart in the same way – and sharing all the different ways we are smart makes the world better every day. I think this unique book with colourful illustrations by Allison Colpoys can help children feel proud of what makes them special.

This book is perfect for a KS1 class but would also be interesting to read with year 6 to get a deeper conversation about what "smart" means to each of them and how it has been taught throughout their schooling so far. A tender, funny, and exquisitely illustrated picture book celebrating all the unique and wonderful qualities that make children who they are. I think everyone will find something here to make them feel better about themselves (and appreciate those around them). The energy of Bell’s rhyming couplets reflects the very inventiveness the book celebrates, the ebullience of kids’ imagination, emotional intelligence and practical talents.For any child who has ever worried about being "smart", Australian author Bell and artist Colpoys offer an expansive, reassuring look at the many ways there are to be that way . This collaboration between Davina Bell and Alison Colpoys is a celebration of what makes us us, of the strengths that we all have within ourselves – whether we’re dreamers, adventurers, readers or artists … The illustrations are whimsical and fun, with a beautiful colour palette. This book is also beautifully illustrated and the two year old that I looked after absolutely loved it, he would often sit looking through the images on his own. This book was such a lovely way to say that all children are smart at different things but that doesn’t make anyone more or less smart.