The Colours of Nature
By Catherine Barr & Chaaya Prabhat Reviewed by Mia Macrossan Our natural world provides many examples of gorgeous, stunning animals and plants that fascinate young readers. A book that celebrates the beauty and diversity around us is a perfect way to engage
World of Colour
By Jess Racklyeft Reviewed by Mia Macrossan Jess is a versatile illustrator who has worked with many writers including Claire Saxby (Tree, Whisper on the Wind, Iceberg) to create outstanding picture books, as well as carving out a name for herself as a sole creator (There’s
Ningaloo: Australia’s Wild Wonder
Written by Time Winton Illustrated by Cindy Lane Reviewed by Mia Macrossan Tim Winton is an internationally renowned Australian writer and conservationist, having written more than 30 books for adults and children. A four-time winner of the Miles Franklin Award and shortlisted twice
The Amazing True Story of How Babies are Made
By Fiona Katauskas Reviewed by Mia Macrossan This is such a valuable book. It is a practical, accurate no nonsense explanation of how babies are made with appropriate illustraions, now celebrating ten years in print . There is a charming sense of
Crunch! Kaboom! Mighty Mining Machines
By Conor Mills and Clodagh Starr Illustrated by Alison Mutton Reviewed by Mia Macrossan What a wonderful book! Conor Mills, a mining consultant has teamed up with his sister Clodagh Starr to create an exciting, always interesting account of how iron ore is
Caring for Country: First Knowledges for younger readers
Bruce Pascoe and Bill Gammage. Adapted by Jasmin McGaughey with illustrations by Savi Ross. Reviewed by Helen Gearing Since Bruce Pascoe’s Dark Emu hit the shelves in 2014, the groundbreaking re-examination of the colonial account of Aboriginal people as hunter-gatherers has been
Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About the Tooth Fairy (And Some Things You Didn’t)
By Briony Stewart Reviewed by Margarite Igras Award winning Australian writer and illustrator Briony Stewart has created an amazingly comprehensive story about a subject close to every 5- to eight-year-old child. Every single minute of every single day, a child somewhere loses
A New World Rises: Tales of a LEGO® Future
By Cristy Burne, Jackson Harvey, & Alex Towler Reviewed by Mia Macrossan THE YEAR IS 2130 Humanity’s reign has ended but the world is slowly recovering and showing signs of new life – one brick at a time. LEGO minifigures have risen from the
How Big is the Sky?
By Kimberley Brown Reviewed by Margarite Igras Kimberly Brown has used her skills as an illustrator to craft her first picture book about the various instruments we use to measure the world around us. It is a fascinating yet complex introduction to
Lucky’s star : the story of a meteorite
By Mark Greenwood Illustrated by Lucia Masciullo Reviewed by Mia Macrossan It's 1969 in the sleepy country town of Murchison when, while Lucky is milking the cows, a meteorite hurls across the sky and lands, making houses shake, windows rattle and spooking the
Rakali of the Riverbank
By Stephanie Owen Reeder & Rachel Gregg Reviewed by Mia Macrossan Stephanie Owen Reeder is the author of over 20 historical and environmental books for children, including Trouble in the Surf. She has won both the CBCA Book of the Year Award
Filling in the Map: Exploring Inland Australia
By Carole Wilkinson Reviewed by Mia Macrossan Carole Wilkinson is a prolific author perhaps best known for her Dragonkeeper series but she has an impressive list of non-fiction titles to her name, many concerned with Australian history. Filling in the Map is
Meet the Author: Ashleigh Barton
Ashleigh Barton is a prolific Australian writer for children, whose infectious enthusiasm for reading and creative expression makes her a hit with adults and children alike at schools and festivals. She enjoys inspiring young audiences to value books and to
The Great Dawn Choir
By Sarah Speedie & Cindy Lane Reviewed by Sandy Driessens “Each day the Great Dawn Choir greets the morning sun. Together in the growing light, their voices join as one. … Here come the fairy-wrens, from bush to bush they flitter. Then
Hedgehog or Echidna?
Animals who are the same . . . but different! By Ashleigh Barton & Amandine Thomas Reviewed by Barbara Braxton Hedgehog and Echidna stop in their shuffly tracks when they meet each other in the forest, surprised to meet someone who is so similar to
Wind Atlas: Everything you need to know about wind
By Sarah Zambello Illustrated by Susy Zanella Produced in collaboration with the University of Genoa Reviewed by Mia Macrossan This carefully researched and designed book is a companion volume to Wave Atlas: Everything you need to know about waves, by the same creators. Here again
Your Body is Amazing
By Jess Sanders Illustrated by Christine Cuddihy Reviewed by Claire Monsour Dear Reader, there is no such thing as a perfect body. Every body is different and every body has its own strengths. What makes your body amazing is not what it looks
Sid and the very hard to find Squid
Written & illustrated by James O’Hanlon Reviewed by Sandy Driessens “Of all the bugs and birds and beasts
Caution! This Book Contains Deadly Reptiles
By Corey Tutt Illustrated by Ben Williams Reviewed by Mia Macrossan Deadly Science founder Corey Tutt, author of The First Scientists. has here teamed up with Ben Williams to produce a gorgeous and informative book celebrating First Nations knowledge about animals found on
The Thylacine and the Time Machine
By Renée Treml Reviewed by Mia Macrossan Renée has degrees in biology and environmental science, and her passionate love of natural history shines through in this fascinating, information rich, graphic examination of the history and possible future of the Tasmanian tiger or
Don’t Fall For The Trick: A guide to smashing gender stereotypes
Written by Jennifer Bain & illustrated by Scott Stuart Reviewed by Tyrion Perkins Jennifer Bain is a graphic designer and author the picture book The New Kid. Scot Stuart is an author and illustrator of a number of books including best sellers,
The Wonderful World of Carnivorous Plants
By Suzanne Houghton Reviewed by Sophia Evans Have you ever heard of a meat-eating plant? Or a plant that traps spiders and flies? Let’s be honest, most of us know about of the Venus fly trap and its ability to catch flies,
Tubowgule: A Sydney Opera House History
By Mellissa-Jane Fogarty & Dylan Finney Reviewed by Lara Cain Gray Tubowgule: A Sydney Opera House History is the first in a series of illustrated information books about Australian landmarks. This is Melissa-Jane Fogarty’s debut picture book, though she has a substantial
Wombat Poos Are Square
By Sophie Gillies & Karen Erasmus Reviewed by Mia Macrossan Australian animals provide endlessly fascinating material for children to discover, and this book has a surefure topic that will have all the young ones hooked, poo! It's a book describing the different kinds
Our World of Wild Wonders
By Jevita Nilson & Jess Racklyeft Reviewed by Mia Macrossan This is a companion to Our World Full of Wonder by the same creators which focused on natural wonders. Here they explore a careful selection of wild animals that inhabit our world.
Every Rock Has a Story: an A to Z of Australian geology
By Kitty van Cuylenburg Illustrated by Cher Hart Reviewed by Mia Macrossan This informative book explores 26 iconic landforms, minerals, fossils or resources all with interesting tales to tell. Each letter has a keyword underneath it to show what type of geological feature
Wave Atlas: Everything you need to know about waves
By Sarah Zambello Illustrated by Susy Zanella Produced in collaboration with the University of Genoa, Sea Study Centre Translated by Emma Mandley Reviewed by Mia Macrossan Here is something different in information books - not only is Wave Atlas a carefully researched scientific explanation of
The A-Z of Who I Could Be
By Chloe Dalton & Kim Siew Reviewed by Margarite Igras Elite Australian athlete Chloe Dalton is the founder of The [Female] Athlete Project, an online platform for increasing the visibility of women in sport. She discovered that after each four year Olympic
Costa’s Garden
Flowers By Costa Georgiadis Illustrated by Brenna Quinlan Reviewed by Margarite Igras Costa Georgiadis is the well-known host of ABC TV’s Gardening Australia. He shares his passion and knowledge of flowers and even reflects on the special floral memory that reminds him of his grandparents.
All the Colours of the Rainbow
By Rae White & Sha'an D'anthes Reviewed by Mia Macrossan Rae White (they/them) is a non-binary transgender writer, educator, poet and zine maker based in Brisbane. Sha'an is based in Sydney and has a passion for creating vibrant and joyful pieces that
