The Humongous Humdingle Family and the Tiny House
By Michelle Wilson & P.J. Reece Reviewed by Sandy Driessens The Humongous Humdingle Family and the Tiny House is a big title and barely fits on the cover of this book, but as such, tells the whole story. The endpapers introduce you
My Big Secret
Written and illustrated by Felice Arena Reviewed by Mia Macrossan Felice has often been reviewed in StoryLinks. His many books are always rewarding and fun to read. Titles include the iconic Specky Magee series, the Sporty Kids series, the historical adventure novels and CBCA
Little Love List
By Bethany Clark & Summer Macon Reviewed by Mia Macrossan Summer Macon has illustrated more than 30 picture books, most of them focused on early childhood and here she has teamed up with Bethany Clark whose debut picture book was You've Got
Baby and Me
By Angela Casabene & Hilary Jean Tapper Reviewed by Mia Macrossan Angela's first picture book All You Can Be, a love letter to children everywhere, was inspired by her daughter. Here she has teamed up with Hilary Jean Tapper, an illustrator who
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.
Searching for Treasure
By Johanna Bell & Emma Long Reviewed by Mia Macrossan Johanna Bell lives in Tasmania and is the author of The Colour Catchers, Hope is the Thing, illustrated by Erica Wagner, and many more. Emma Long is an accomplished artist, exhibiting regularly in
The Backyard Games
By Alister Nicholson and Tom Jellett Reviewed by Margarite Igras Australian sports broadcaster Alister Nicholson has covered Summer and Winter Olympics, the Commonwealth Games, AFL Grand Finals and Test cricket. This wealth of knowledge and love of sport was incorporated in his
Boss of Your Own Mind
By Byll Stephen Beth Stephen Teeny Tiny Stevies Illustrated by Simon Howe Reviewed by Margarite Igras This is a fun and insightful picture book written by the writers behind the ABC TV Teeny Tiny Stevies, aimed at 3- to 6-year-olds. The pages are filled with Simon
Dragon Guest Handbook
By Jeanette Stampone & Novia Heroanto Reviewed by Margarite Igras Dragon Guest Handbook is an imaginative debut from an author who dedicated the book to her sister for “rolling your eyes at me when I said I couldn’t do it.” Aimed at
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
Starting School – Picture books
By Mia Macrossan Starting school for the first time or starting a new school year is such an enormous step. That first day is a cocktail of excitement anticipation, fear, anxiety and joy that has inspired many writers. Here is a
Saturday, Sunday
Busy Day, Fun Day By Natalie Kate Forbes & Danny Snell Reviewed by Mia Macrossan Natalie has had many different jobs in her life and is now starting out as a published author. It is a complement to her work that she has
Brave In Every Which Way
By Maddy Mara & Lauren Degraaf Reviewed by Mia Macrossan Maddy Mara is the pen name of creative duo Hilary Rogers and Meredith Badger who have collaborated for neary 20 years. Laure Degraaf uses pencil, watercolour and pencil crayon to achieve her
A New Day
By Emmaline Carroll Southwell & Heather Dryden Reviewed by Mia Macrossan This book aims to guide young readers when they are feeling challenged by whatever is happening or about to happen in their day. Emmaline, a television personality, says that A New
Karma is Three Cats: Life According to Taylor Swift’s Kitty Best Friends
By Bella Montgomery & Carolina Marando Reviewed by Mia Macrossan Aimed firmly at cat lovers and Swifties this is a celebration of everything feline. Taylor Swift's three pampered pets Meredith Greyk, Olivia Benson and Benjamin Button accompany her everywhere. According to them
Cubby Hunting
By Coral Vass & Nicky Johnston Reviewed by Mia Macrossan Coral has written many picture books including Walking Together, The Kelly Gang Kids and the Amanda Commander series. Nicky has illustrated many picture books, collaborating with a number of writers to produce
Grandma Murphy’s Pussycat
By Maura Finn & Lucinda Gifford Reviewed by Mia Macrossan Maura is a Melbourne based author of several charming picture books including Birdsong by the Billabong and Too Many Cats. Lucinda has a well- deserved reputation for appealing illustrations with numerous picture
Cheese!
By Felice Arena & Beatrice Cerocchi Reviewed by Mia Macrossan Felice Arena is well known as an actor, speaker, TV presenter and playwright. He has written many award winning books including the Specky Magee series, the historical novels Fearless Frederic, The Boy and the
House
By Dan Giovannoni & Charlotte Lane Reviewed by Lara Cain Gray ‘Sometimes it feels like all you need is a little shelter from the storm…’ This is the story of a lonely little house who has no one to open its front
Cozy Christmas
By Coco Wyo Reviewed by Mia Macrossan Coco Wyo is a group of artists and colorists who share a simple goal: to inspire emotional expression through colors by creating a variety of coloring books that inform, comfort, and connect people everywhere. As
The Hullabaloo about Elephant Poo
By Dee White & Christopher Nielsen Reviewed by Helen Gearing “A poopy pyramid, a massive load – enough to make your nostrils explode. But don’t be alarmed, I promise it’s true, there are treasures to be found in elephant poo.” Award-winning creators Dee White (whose numerous
Standout Children’s Books of 2024
This year we have reviewed so many wonderful books, too numerous to list here. Browsing through StoryLinks we chose 20+ our reviewers consider outstanding. Many thanks to members of WriteLinks and the Last Tuesday Book Club for their recommendations.
Kevin Saves the Show
By Jacqueline Harvey & Kate Isobel Scott Reviewed by Margarite Igras Prolific Australian author Jacqueline Harvey is known for her numerous works such as the Willa and Woof, Kensy and Max, Alice-Miranda, and Clementine Rose series. As a teacher she often wrote
Before We Met
By Gabrielle Tozer & Sophie Beer Reviewed by Margarite Igras Gabrielle is an award-winning author, and freelance writer based in New South Wales. She has written YA books including Remind me How This Ends which was on the CBCA 2018 Notable List,
The Other Side of the Clouds
By Matt Samuel & Tamlyn Teow Reviewed by Margarite Igras This is Matt’s debut Children’s picture book. After two decades in advertising and a former career as a primary school teacher, he decided to try his hand at writing a picture book, drawing
Tilly in a Tangle
By Magrete Lamond & Monty Lee Reviewed by Sandhya Parappukkaran Magrete Lamond is a multi-award-winning author and children’s book publisher. Lamond’s picture book, Paper-flower Girl, was shortlisted in the 2024 Children’s Book Council of Australia awards and was awarded Honour Book in
The Five Rules of Friendship
By Jess Sanders Illustrated by César Barceló Reviewed by Mia Macrossan Jess Sanders is the author of Life Lessons for Little Ones series which include You Can Do Hard Things and You Know Yourself Best. She has also written Love Your Body and
Ethel the Penguin
By Ursula Dubosarsky Illustrated by Christopher Nielsen Reviewed by Meg Rowe You are in safe hands with acclaimed Australian author Ursula Dubosarsky - with over sixty books published for children and young adults, including best-sellers, The Terrible Plop, Brindabella and Too Many
Waiting for Santa
By Lucy Cochran & Heidi McKinnon Reviewed by Alison McCaffrey Waiting for Santa is the debut picture book for Australian author Lucy Cochran, teamed up with author-illustrator Heidi McKinnon, whose previous works include the 2023 award winning Floof and 2022 CBCA
