Emily Green’s Garden
Written by Penny Harrison Illustrated by Megan Forward Reviewed by Inda Ahmad Zabri Emily Green’s Garden is a picture book celebrating the love of plants. Author Penny Harrison and illustrator Megan Forward are aficionados of the gardening world, having cut their teeth on
The House on the Mountain
Written by Ella Holcombe Illustrated by David Cox Reviewed by Kerry Neary Australia suffers a lot from natural disasters; some are happening right now. A new release adds to the list of picture books about these disasters. The house on the mountain, ,
Yahoo Creek An Australian Mystery
Written and illustrated by Tohby Riddle Reviewed by Kerry Neary Yahoo Creek: an Australian Mystery is one of those books that are better shared between adult and child because of its sophisticated presentation. It has been written and illustrated by extraordinary picture
The Happiness Box: a Wartime Book of Hope*
Written by Mark Greenwood Illustrated by Andrew McLean Reviewed by Maria Parenti-Baldey *Shortlisted for the CBCA Awards. The Happiness Box is a powerful, thought provoking story set during World War 1. The story follows Sergeant “Griff” Griffin and allied troops into a military
Malaysian Picture Books – a snapshot
Malaysian Picture Books by Inda Ahmad Zabri Growing up, I read books in my native tongue, Malay or Bahasa Melayu, as well as English. Eventually, it was English literature that I fell in love with, but my search for Malay
Waiting for Chicken Smith
Written and illustrated by David Mackintosh Reviewed by Katrin Dreiling Ever since I stumbled upon David Mackintosh’s What’s up MuMu? at the library, I am a massive fan. His style of illustrating and telling the story is so quirky that you are
Maya & Cat
Written and illustrated by Caroline Magerl Reviewed by Mia Macrossan A new picture book by local artist and writer Caroline Magerl is always an event. Maya & Cat is a quirky imaginative tale about a girl who sees a cat sitting on
Marvin and Marigold: A Stormy Night
Written by Mark Carthew Illustrated by Simon Prescott Reviewed by Yvonne Mes If you have young children, you know what a panic it can cause if there is a sudden loss of power and everyone is left in the dark! Marigold is scared, it
Quick, Barney, Run!
Written by Pip Jones Illustrated by Laura Hughes Reviewed by Andrea Wilson Can you remember being stuck inside on a rainy day as a child? With themes of cooperation and problem solving, Quick, Barney, Run! is a picture book told from a
Thimble
Written by Rebecca Young Illustrated by Tull Suwannakit Reviewed by Andrea Wilson Losing a loved one is difficult, especially for young children. Thimble addresses the theme of death in a delicate and comforting way. Thimble is a picture book about a little
Learn with Ruby Red Shoes
Learn with Ruby Red Shoes: Counting Book Learn with Ruby Red Shoes: Alphabet Book written and illustrated by Kate Knapp Reviewed by Mia Macrossan Ruby Red Shoes is the creation of Australian author and illustrator, Kate Knapp who here has expanded her successful series
The Brave Knight
Written by Sally Gould Illustrated by Celeste Hulme Reviewed by Zewlan Moor This is an ideal book for toddlers and preschoolers. Indeed, its theme ties into the Being, Belonging and Becoming of the Early Years Learning Framework. On the very first page,
The Story of Eva Carmichael: The Wreck of the Loch Ard
by Gary Crew illustrated by Paul O'Sullivan reviewed by Lucy McGinley I was captivated by the tumultuous true story of Eva Carmichael, as retold by Gary Crew. This historical illustrated story is based on the experiences of the sole female survivor of the
At The End of Holyrood Lane
By Dimity Powell Illustrated by Nicky Johnston Reviewed by Maria Parenti-Baldey At The End of Holyrood Lane is more than a picture book about a young girl being frightened of storms. It’s a book about the frightening stormy reality of domestic violence. The inside
Beware the Deep Dark Forest
by Sue Whiting illustrated by Annie White reviewed by Peter Taylor The warmth of Annie White’s delicious artwork and the unusual hand-drawn font used on the cover of Beware the Deep Dark Forrest instantly persuade us to explore the treescape within. Progressing through
Mr Pegg’s Post
Written and illustrated by Elena Topouzoglou Reviewed by Luise Manning Anna is an only child who lives with her parents in a lighthouse on a tiny island off the Mediterranean coast. Whilst living in a lighthouse might sound exciting, it wasn’t. Anna
At the End of Holyrood Lane
Written by Dimity Powell Illustrated by Nicky Johnston Reviewed by Mia Macrossan This quietly powerful story is an extended metaphor about domestic violence in a child’s life. Flick’s life is calm, pleasant and full of play except when unpredictable storms occur which turn her
Lucia and Lawrence
written and illustrated by Joanna Francis Reviewed by Justine Lawson This is an accomplished debut picture book for Joanna Francis, an artist and art teacher who lives in New South Wales, Australia. Lucia and Lawrence are neighbours – a girl and a
Sonam and the Silence
Written by Eddie Ayres Illustrated by Ronak Taher Reviewed by Inda Ahmad Zabri Sonam and the Silence is not an easy or carefree children’s book. It has not come from a place of lightness, but it does bring with it an important message of
How Did I Get Here?
Written and illustrated by Philip Bunting Reviewed by Lucy McGinley If your child is asking big questions such as, ‘How did I get here?’ then Philip Bunting’s book of the same name, is what you need. This humorous picture book goes a
The Dream Bird
Written by Aleesah Darlison Illustrated by Emma Middleton Reviewed by Sandy Driessens George is a little boy who plays all day but at night, struggles to go to sleep. Though the other members of his family make helpful suggestions, it is Gran
Rainbow Pups!
Written and illustrated by Sophie Beer Reviewed by Inda Ahmad Zabri Rainbow Pups! is a board book aimed at infants and toddlers learning their colours. It features attractive digital illustrations of how three puppies meet and play together, accompanied by colour strip
The Hole
Written by Kerry Brown, Illustrated by Lucia Masciullo Reviewed by Dajo Finlayson If you were walking through the woods and a hole you came upon, would you stop and take a look? Or simply carry on? One by one, several animals come upon a strange black
Cloud Conductor
Written by Kelly Byrnes Illustrated by Anne-Marie Finn Reviewed by Danielle Freeland Debut children’s author, Kellie Byrnes, and well-published illustrator, Ann-Marie Finn, have come together to deliver the delightful and thought-provoking story of Frankie, a sometimes bed-ridden child, who sees possibilities in
Marvellous Mummy
Written by Katie Poli Illustrated by Giuseppe Poli Reviewed by Zewlan Moor Marvellous Mummy is a simple, sweet picture book for early childhood. The rhythm is established on the first page. First a statement and then evocative words that children will enjoy
Once Upon an ABC
Written by Sophie Masson Illustrated by Chris Nielsen Reviewed by Danielle Freeland Sophie Masson is a prolific writer who has written many books for children, many of which have been shortlisted or received awards. Illustrator, Christopher Nielsen, is a relative newcomer by
Baby Band
Written by Diane Jackson Hill Illustrated by Giuseppe Poli Reviewed by Lucy McGinley When I picked this up my first thought was that I’d read it before. There have been a few books written about the noises babies make and how this
Is It The Way You Giggle?
Written by Nicola Connelly Illustrated by Annie White Reviewed by Luise Manning Soft water colours make this 32-page picture book an adorable read. The end papers made me think of a birthday party but as the story unfolds it implies that we
See Hear: There’s Magic All Around You. What Can You See? What Can You Hear?
written by Tania McCartney illustrated by Jess Racklyeft reviewed by Inda Ahmad Zabri This colourful picture book is a playful catalogue of the senses of sight and hearing. It is delivered in the format of a book flipped halfway, as SEE starts at the
Lessons of a LAC
written by Lynn Jenkins illustrated by Kirrili Lonergan Reviewed by Inda Ahmad Zabri This picture book is aimed at addressing the problem of anxiety and worry. We are introduced to Loppy, a peculiar-looking creature with stringy limbs and exaggerated eyes and lips. He lives
