Little Ash Sports Carnival! Book #7 Little Ash
By Ash Barty & Jasmin McGaughey Illustrated by Jade Goodwin Reviewed by Mia Macrossan Little Ash is in Year Two at her school which is gearing up for a sports carnival. Ash is in Red Koala House whose members will compete with children in Yellow
Little Ash Puppy Playtime! Book #8 Little Ash
by Ash Barty & Jasmin McGaughey Illustrated by Jade Goodwin Reviewed by Mia Macrossan What child can resist a story about a playful puppy? It's a fail safe topic guaranteed to get a child to open the book and then the reading follows. Ash is celebrating
The Christmas Wish (The Wish Sisters series)
By Allison Rushby Illustrated by Karen Blair Reviewed by Mia Macrossan This is the fifth in this series aimed at newly independent readers written by Brisbane author Allison Rushby. In each story Flick, the older sister, about 8, is constantly trying to fix
Dr Seuss’s ABC
Written and illustrated by Dr Seuss Reviewed by Mia Macrossan Theodor Seuss Geisel – better known to millions of his fans as Dr. Seuss wrote more than 40 children's books during a career that spanned over 50 years, including The Cat in
The Wish Sisters: The Running Wish; The Pet Wish
By Allison Rushby Illustrated by Karen Blair Reviewed by Helen Gearing A baby sister who can make wishes come true. A mischievous imp who likes to twist wishes and make them go wrong. A nosy neighbour. A very public sports carnival and fundraiser.
Pepper Masalah and the Temple of Cats
By Rosanne Hawke Illustrated by Jasmine Berry Reviewed by Mia Macrossan Rosanne Hawke is a prolific author of children’s books, many of which explore cultural and social issues. Notable titles include Shahana: Through My Eyes and Taj and the Great Camel Trek. This sequel to Pepper Masalah
The Dog Squad: The Newshound
by Clara Vulliamy Reviewed by Mia Macrossan Clara Vulliamy is also the author of Marshmallow Pie The Cat Superstar and the illustrator of The Book Cat, both of which show off her talents as writer and illustrator. With The Dog Squad she has
Pepper Masalah and the Flying Carpet
By Rosanne Hawke Illustrated by Jasmine Berry Reviewed by Mia Macrossan Rosanne Hawke is a prolific author of children's books, many of which explore cultural and social issues. Notable titles include Shahana: Through My Eyes and Taj and the Great Camel Trek. Here we
Riz Chester: The Counterfeit Bust
By R A Stephens Illustrated by Em Hammond Reviewed by Mia Macrossan R A Stephens runs publishing houses Wombat Books and Rhiza Edge, and also writes and edits individually both for their own company and for other publishers. They are primarily interested in
Speech Pathology Awards 2023 Shortlist announced
Book of the Year Awards Each year Speech Pathology Australia conducts its Book of the Year Awards to recognise and celebrate Australia's best books for children's language and literacy development and to promote the crucial role speech pathologists play in supporting
JJ and the Giant Panther: Smarty Pup 2
By Anh Do Illustrated by Anton Emdin Allen & Unwin Children's 2023 "'Okay, okay!' said Mr Hosking. 'Fine, JJ can come on school camp. But he has to be on his absolute best behaviour!'. 'Deal!' promised JJ. JJ the genius pup has Lily
Ratbags 1: Naughty for Good
By Tim Harris and Shiloh Gordan Puffin 2023 Let's face it -- rats are mischief. Rats are rule-breakers. Rats are ratbags. They're all the same. All, that is, except one
Stories of the Night
By Kitty Crowther Reviewed by Mia Macrossan Kitty is a Belgian illustrator and writer who won the 2010 Astrid Lindgren Award, the biggest prize in children’s literature. In Stories of the Night she tells in words and pictures three little stories all
Little Ash Series#5Party Problem! & #6 Lost Luck!
By Ash Barty, Jasmin McGaughey and Jade Goodwin Reviewed by Liane McDermott Party Problem! and Lost Luck! are the fifth and sixth books published in the Little Ash series. This junior fiction series is is a collaboration between three talented Indigenous women,
Cursed Tales: The Pharaoh of Asco Express
By Jake R. Wilson Reviewed by Sarah Custance Cursed Tales: The Pharaoh of Asco Express is UK archaeologist and author, Jake R. Wilson’s debut novel and the beginning of the Cursed Tales series. When 11-year-old Wesley steps foot into the odd Asco Express
Willa and Woof 2: Birthday Business
By Jacqueline Harvey Reviewed by Charlotte Barkla Jacqueline Harvey is a household name in the Australian kidlit landscape. From the perpetually positive Alice-Miranda to junior spies, Kensy and Max, you’d be hard-pressed to find a kids’ bookshelf without one of Jacqueline’s titles.
Friends Fur-ever: Smarty Pup 1
By Anh Do Illustrated by Anton Emdin Reviewed by Eva B, aged 8 One of the best books I have ever read! Lily's new pup JJ is kind of clumsy, but something about his smiley face makes her really happy inside. So you
Sunny the Shark: Surviving the Wild 3
Created by Remy Lai Reviewed by Mia Macrossan Remy is a Brisbane author who has successfully built up a large audience for her cheerful but heartfelt graphic novels. This is the third in her environmental series for younger readers Surviving the Wild which focus
Little Ash (series)
#1 Perfect Match! #2 Friendship Fix-it! #3 Tennis Rush! #4 Goal Getter! Written by Ash Barty & Jasmine McCaughey Illustrated by Jade Goodwin Reviewed by Barbara Braxton There would be few in Australia who do not recognise the name Ash Barty, who have not admired her
The Mysterious Rainbow Thief MerTales #4
Written and illustrated by Rebecca Timmis Reviewed by Sandy Driessens Squibbering squids! The bright colours of the coral reef and creatures are disappearing from Cockleshell Cove! Sandy Starfish and her secret crew from F.I.N.S (Fish In Need Society) will have to catch and
The Book Cat
By Polly Faber and illustrated by Clara Vulliamy Reviewed by Sarah Custance British author Polly Faber is an author of both picture books and early readers novels. She writes about cats, horses, dogs, rabbits, buildings, and even tapirs! One of her early
Rainbow the Koala: Surviving the Wild 1
By Remy Lai Reviewed by Sarah Custance Remy Lai is the award winning author of the middle-grade novels Pie in the Sky, Fly on the Wall, and her first graphic novel, Pawcasso. Rainbow the Koala is the first book in a new
Star the Elephant: Surviving the Wild 2
By Remi Lai Reviewed by Sarah Custance Brisbane based author/illustrator Remy Lai is well known for her middle grade novels, Pie in the Sky and Fly on the Wall. Star the Elephant is the second instalment of her new graphic novel series,
Mary & Marcus: The Crazy Dance & Other Stories
By Ursula Dubosarsky and Andrew Joyner Reviewed by Sarah Custance Award winning Australian author Ursula Dubosarsky has written over 60 books to much critical acclaim and was the Australian Children’s Laureate for 2020-2021. For Mary & Marcus, Ursula has teamed up, for
Bella and the Voyaging House
By Meg McKinlay Illustrated by Nicholas Schafer Reviewed by Sarah Custance Australian author Meg McKinlay is best known for her award-winning books A Single Stone, Catch a Falling Star, Surface Tension, and Annabel, Again. Now Bella and her travelling house are back for
The Naughtiest Unicorn#10 On a Treasure Hunt
By Pip Bird Illustrated by David O'Connell Reviewed by Sarah Custance On a Treasure Hunt is the 10th instalment in The Naughtiest Unicorn book series by author Pip Bird. The series follows the misadventures of ever optimistic Mira and her UBBF (Unicorn Best
Archie & Reddie
By Candy James Reviewed by Mia Macrossan This is a new early reader graphic novel series for children aged 4 to 8. It features two friends, Archie, a fox, and Reddie who is also supposed to be a fox but looks more
A Whole Lot of Lemonade Jones
By Davina Bell Illustrated by Karen Blair Reviewed by Sandy Driessens Lemonade Jones likes making life loud and exciting and these three stories do just that. Story One: The First Day Back has Lemonade strutting confidently into Year One, but there could be a
Super Sidekicks #2: Ocean’s Revenge
Written and illustrated by Gavin Aung Than Reviewed by Junior Reviewer Finley, aged 8 This book is about
Super Geeks 2: Planet Pancake
Super Geeks 2: Planet Pancake Written and illustrated by James Hart Reviewed by Finley, aged 8 This book is about