The Very Hard Book
By Idan Ben-Barak Illustrated by Philip Bunting Reviewed by Sandhya Parappukkaran The Very Hard Book is the second book collaboration by the compelling partnership of Idan Ben-Barak and Philip Bunting. This book explores big concepts such as meta-cognition and philosophy of the mind
The Big Book of Exhibits
Written by Marita Bullock and Joan-Maree Hargreaves Illustrated by Liz Rowland Reviewed by Margarite Igras This new work by this talented team is a beautiful and informative partner to their first book The Big Book of Festivals. This hardback publication is loaded with information
An Anthology of Aquatic Life
Written by Sam Hume Illustrated by Angela Rizza & Daniel Long Reviewed by Mia Macrossan Dorling Kindersley or DK have long been renowned for producing well researched and profusely illustrated reference books with high production values. Put simply they produce beautiful books chockfull
How We Came to Be: Surprising Sea Creatures
Written and illustrated by Sami Bayly Reviewed by Mia Macrossan Anything by Sami Bayly is guaranteed to be well researched and magnificently illustrated. Her other books The Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Dangerous Animals 2020, The Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Peculiar Pairs in Nature 2021,
And Everything Will Be Glad To See You
Poems by women and girls Selected by Ella Risbridger Illustrated by Anna Shepeta Reviewed by Mia Macrossan Ella is a food blogger as well as a writer of historical fiction (The Secret Detectives), and has produced various other anthologies. Anna is a remarkable artist known
Australian Backyard Buddies
Created by Andy Geppert Reviewed by Mia Macrossan Andy is an Australian illustrator based in Brisbane who previous books include Little Big Tree which won the Crichton Award for a new illustrator in 2010, and Meep, a CBCA Notable Book in 2016. For
All the Words I Need to Know
Written by Jane Godwin & Illustrated by Andrew Joyner Reviewed by Sandy Driessens “All the words you need to know Will help you as you learn and grow. From ant and ball and yak and zoo, Here’s a word book JUST FOR YOU!” Jane Godwin, an
2022 CBCA Winners announced
Congratulations to all the authors, illustrators and publishers who won one of the prestigious CBCA awards this year. It is always a suspenseful and eagerly awaited event to see which book will win the coveted gong. Here are the StoryLinks reviews for
But I’m NOT Hungry For My Dinner!
Written by Valerie Gent Illustrated by Kirrili Lonergan Reviewed by Claire Monsour Valerie Gent is a Paediatric Feeding Speech Pathologist and this is her first children’s book, dedicated to her two sons, who in her words, “have taught me all that I
Boss of Your Own Body
Written by Byll and Beth Stephen (Teeny Tiny Stevies) Illustrated by Simon Howe Reviewed by Claire Monsour Sisters Beth and Byll Stephen are best known for the music group ‘The Little Stevies’, and their children’s band ‘Teeny Tiny Stevies’. Their popular children’s songs,
Grub
By Sandra Severgnini Reviewed by Mia Macrossan Sandra is really hitting her stride as a children's picture book illustrator as is shown in her impressive new book Grub. By the way, what a wonderfully direct, simple, memorable and somehow very Australian title.
Naturopolis
Created by Deborah Frenkel and Ingrid Bartkowiak Reviewed by Mia Macrossan In our very busy lives rushing from one task to the next we don't often take the time to enjoy the unobserved beauty around us. In Naturopolis Deborah Frenkel and Ingrid
Built by Animals
Meet the Creatures Who Inspire Our Homes and Cities Written by Christiane Dorion Illustrated by Yeji Yun Reviewed by Sandy Driessens Humans think they can build anything, but the fact is, they have a thing or two to learn from Nature. Following on from Invented
The ABC Kids Guide to Loving the Planet
Written by Jaclyn Crupi Illustrated by Cheryl Orsini Reviewed by Margarite Igras This delightful and informative picture book is aimed at young children and packed with ideas and activities on how to care for our planet. The book is child focused with adult
Wild Australian Life
Written by Leonard Cronin Illustrated by Chris Nixon Reviewed by Mia Macrossan Leonard Cronin trained as a biologist and is a prolific writer of books and articles about the Australian flora, fauna and environment, bringing his own fascination with the natural world to
Wild Life: The Extraordinary Adventures of Sir David Attenborough
By Leisa Stewart-Sharpe and Helen Shoesmith Reviewed by Sarah Custance Leisa Stewart-Sharpe is an Aussie born author who now resides in the UK, she mostly writes non-fiction as well as regular picture books, and sometimes combines the two together as you will
The Green Planet
By Leisa Stewart-Sharpe and Illustrated by Kim Smith Reviewed by Sarah Custance Leisa Stewart-Sharpe is an Australian born author who currently lives in the UK. She specialises in writing non-fiction books along with picture books. The Green Planet is one of two
Amazing Animals: 100+ Creatures That Will Boggle Your Mind
By Sabrina Weiss and Paul Daviz Reviewed by Sarah Custance Amazing Animals is the fourth book in the Amazing series, following on from Amazing Islands, Amazing Rivers, and Amazing Treasures. In this book we explore some of the world’s weirdest and most wonderful
The Encyclopedia of STEM Words
An Illustrated A to Z of 100 Terms for Kids to Know By Jenny Jacoby Illustrated by Vicky Barker Reviewed by Barbara Braxton Not so long ago, the word 'stem' referred to the major vertical shoot of a plant that bears buds and shoots with leaves and
Kaleidoscope of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Life
Their Colours and Patterns Explained By Greer Stothers Reviewed by Margarite Igras This is an unusual and exciting book about dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals, written by Canadian evolutionary biologist, Greer Stothers. It not only informs us about dinosaurs but draws upon new
Let’s Build a Backyard
By Mike Lucas & Daron Parton Reviewed by Mia Macrossan Mike Lucas is an engineer who writes children's books which include Let's Build a House, Vanishing and Olivia's Voice, a 2018 CBCA Notable book. In Let's Build a Backyard he takes the
Poo. Spew and Other Gross things Animals Do!
By Nicole Gill & Romane Cristescu Artwork by Rachel Tribout Reviewed by Barbara Braxton Talking about natural bodily functions and secretions can make some laugh, some squirm with embarrassment and others instantly curious. So this book that looks at not just poo, but also
Ouch! Tales of Gravity
By Kate Simpson Illustrated by Andy Hardiman Reviewed by Melissa Salisbury If you have ever wanted a clear, simple explanation of the nature of gravity, for younger or older readers, Ouch! Tales of Gravity is the book for you. In this easy-to-read picture book,
365 First Words & An Interesting Word for Every Day of the Year
By Dr. Meredith L. Rowe Illustrated by Monika Forsberg Reviewed by Barbara Braxton Did you know a 'cartographer" is a person who takes photos of cars? That was the definition given to a colleague recently by a young child as they were introduced
Backyard Beasties
By Helen Milroy Reviewed by Mia Macrossan Born and educated in Perth, Helen Milroy is a descendant of the Palyku people of the Pilbara region of Western Australia. She is Australia’s first Indigenous doctor of medicine but is also a talented creator
Unleash Your Creative Monster: A Children’s Guide to Writing
By Andy Jones & Olaf Falafel Reviewed by Barbara Braxton Over my 50+ years working with children, and particularly following my passion for developing their literacy skills, I have been exposed to as many "magic bullet" pedagogies for getting them to write
Dinosaurs and Other Prehistoric Life
By Anusuya Chinsamy-Turan Illustrated by Angela Rizza Reviewed by Mia Macrossan There are many books about dinosaurs published each year but this one is a standout for beauty within and without. I know you are not supposed to judge a book by its
Dinosaurs and Other Prehistoric Life
By Anusuya Chinsamy-Turan Illustrated by Angela Rizza & Daniel Long Reviewed by Mia Macrossan This a really fabulous book about dinosaurs published by Dorling Kindersley. I know there are so many out there but this one is a stand out, it is stunningly
Book of Curious Birds
By Jennifer Cossins Reviewed by Mia Macrossan This is the latest information title by Australian author and artist, Jennifer Cossins, whose previous titles include the A - Z of Endangered Animals, 101 Collective Nouns, The Baby Animal Book and many more. All
The Supernatural Survival Guide
by George Ivanoff. Reviewed by Mia Macrossan George Ivanoff is a Melbourne author who’s written more than 100 books. The Supernatural Survival Guide is the latest title in his Survival Guide series which include The Australian Survival Guide and The Human Body
