Azaria: A True History
by Maree Coote reviewed by Barbara Braxton On a cool August night 40 years ago, in the shadow of Uluru, a mother laid her baby to sleep in a tent while she and her husband and her other two children sat under
Coming Home to Country
by Bronwyn Bancroft reviewed by Melissa Salisbury Described in the blurb as ‘a visual and lyrical depiction of coming home to Country’, this phrase perfectly encapsulates what this book achieves through minimal yet evocative text and eye-catching illustrations. Written in first person, Coming
New Reading List: Bushfires, Droughts & Floods
This has been a tough time for many people in Australia and children will be asking questions and looking for explanations. Here are some fiction titles that will help parents and teachers talk to children about what has happened. The list
Are These Hen’s Eggs?
written and illustrated by Christina Booth reviewed by Mia Macrossan Christina Booth is an award-winning author of eight books, and illustrator of over twenty. Trained as a teacher and painter, she was awarded a CBCA Honour Book Award for her book Kip, and has won
No Place for an Octopus
written and illustrated by Claire Zorn reviewed by Mia Macrossan This is a new beginning for Zorn who has previous won awards for her serious young adult fiction. Both The Protected and One Would Think the Deep won CBCA Book of the
Bitsy
by Nikki Greenberg reviewed by Mia Macrossan Greenberg is well known for her graphic adaptations of The Great Gatsby and Hamlet (joint winner of the 2011 Children’s Book Council of Australia Picture Book of the Year award) but here she has come
Scruffle-Nut
by Corinne Fenton illustrated by Owen Swan reviewed by Mia Macrossan The story starts quietly with a memory as winter leaves tumble and twirl in the park. Sitting on a bench in Central Park grown-up Olivia notices a squirrel which immediately takes her back
Duck, Apple, Egg
by Glenda Millard Illustrated by Martina Heiduczek reviewed by Mia Macrossan Glenda Millard is a much-loved Australian writer well known for her middle grade novels, especially the Kingdom of Silk series. Here she has teamed up with the illustrator Martina Heiduczek to create
Mr Archimedes’ Bath
by Pamela Allen reviewed by Mia Macrossan A very old and popular favourite is celebrating 40 years in print! I am sure that many of you will recognize it and remember it fondly. Mr Archimedes’ Bath by Pamela Allen was first published in
Letters from Australia
Making pictures with the A-B-C by Maree Coote reviewed by Kerry Neary One of the most innovative illustrators on the Australian scene in recent times is Maree Coote. All of her pictures are made from the letters in the name of the objects she
A Home for Luna
by Stef Gemmill illustrated by Mel Armstrong reviewed by Mia Macrossan This beautifully illustrated picture book centres on Luna, a domesticated cat who is washed up on a strange shore after escaping from danger at home. Exhausted she naps on the rocks while
The Ultimate Survival Guide to Monsters Under the Bed
by Mitch Frost illustrated by Daron Parton reviewed by Melissa Salisbury Mitch Frost’s debut picture book uses humour to make monsters less scary, while incorporating themes of bravery, resilience and independence. On the surface, the book sets out some simple and silly steps that
There’s Only One Dad Like You
by Jess Racklyeft Reviewed by Maria Parenti-Baldey Author Illustrator Jess Racklyeft has created a picture story about family and relationships using joyously comical collage and watercolour images. Each scene shows a Dad spending quality time with their children allowing a child to
Little Puggle’s Song
by Vikki Conley illustrated by Helene Magisson reviewed by Mia Macrossan This attractive and beautifully designed picture book centres on the struggles of a baby echidna or puggle who desperately wants to join in with the other animals to create music in the
Tricky’s Bad Day
by Alison Lester reviewed by Claire Monsour Poor Tricky is having a bad day. It all starts when he wakes early and tries to get himself some milk; but a spill and a slip wake the whole family! From then on, nothing seems
The Dark
by Lemony Snicket illustrated by Jon Klassen reviewed by Claire Monsour Lazlo was afraid of the dark. The dark lived in the same house as Lazlo, and it liked to creep around into different nooks and corners. Most of the time, the dark
La La La : A Story of Hope
by Kate DiCamillo illustrated by Jaime Kim reviewed by Kerry Neary A most unusual book about the way music can move our lives, La La La: a Story of Hope, is written by enigmatic international author Kate DiCamillo and illustrated by Korean born
All of the Factors of Why I love Tractors
by Davina Bell illustrated by Jenny Lovlie reviewed by Melissa Salisbury All of the Factors of Why I Love Tractors is another delightful rhyming book by Davina Bell that celebrates the wonderful, and sometimes frustrating, obsessions children can develop with their favourite subject
Who’s Afraid of the Quite Nice Wolf?
by Kitty Black Illustrated by Laura Wood reviewed by Kerry Neary Let’s get whimsical. Whimsy is that typical feature of stories for the young that leaves readers feeling upbeat and chuckle-happy. It can begin with the cover. Take the title Who’s afraid of
Joy
by Jasmeen Ismail illustrated by Jenni Desmond reviewed by Kerry Neary It’s the illustration rather than the title that foretells the whimsy in Joy. The cover picture is a spirited kitten chasing a ball of string across the page as it unravels across
Books That Drive Kids Crazy #5 The Book That Never Ends
by Beck & Matt Stanton reviewed by Kerry Neary The series is called Books that drive Kids Crazy. To that they can add adults. This is #5, in a series that included such wonders as Did You Take the B from My
Allergic Alpaca
written by Kiah Thomas illustrated by Connah Brecon reviewed by Kerry Neary For a reviewer it’s always a thrill to receive an alphabet book that is more than the usual letters, matching words and pictures and Allergic Alpaca, is such a book. Alpaca enjoys
Fly
by Jess McGeachin reviewed by Kerry Neary Sometimes children’s stories take a leap of the imagination but children are so used to this from their let’s pretend games it doesn’t bother them. In Fly, Lucy finds a small bird that can’t fly.
The Funeral
By Matt James Reviewed by Yvonne Mes This beautiful picture book reveals a child’s understanding of death and shows her feelings and thoughts leading up to and during the day of a funeral. ‘A few days earlier, there had been a phone call.
The Runaway Pea
by Kjartan Poskitt illustrated by Alex Willmore reviewed by Claire Monsour It's time for tea, the dinner has been served - but one mischievous rogue pea has decided to ping himself off the plate in search of adventure! Thus starts an amazing journey across
The Tiny Star
by Mem Fox and Freya Blackwood reviewed by Mia Macrossan Little children are famous for asking difficult questions - ones adults may think they are too young to fully understand the answer. Children ask questions where the adult may not be confident
IBBY Australia Honour List books 2019
IBBY Australia proudly announces its selection of two books to be included in the biennial IBBY Honour List for 2020. One highlights Indigenous history and the environment, and the other, the experiences of a teenage asylum seeker. Every two years an
Lottie and Walter
by Anna Walker reviewed by Kerry Neary Where would children’s picture books be without friendship stories? Some include imaginary friends, like Lottie and Walter, latest release from magical author-illustrator Anna Walker. Lottie has a secret. Of course, I can’t tell you what it
Argh! There’s a skeleton inside you!
by Idan Ben-Barak illustrated by Julian Frost reviewed by Kerry Neary The idiosyncratic creators of the 2017 sensation Do not lick this book!, Idan Ben-Barak and illustrator Julian Frost, are back with Argh! There’s a skeleton inside you!, done in the same loopy
BumbleBunnies: The Sock (BumbleBunnies, Book 2)
by Graeme Base reviewed by Kerry Neary The second title in Graeme Base’s new series for early readers BumbleBunnies, has been released. It’s called The Sock and is another domestic super-hero story in the vein of The Pond, first title in the
