When Cucumber Lost His Cool
By Michelle Robinson & Tom Knight Reviewed by Sandy Driessens Kevin the cucumber is so cool - everybody knows it! He wears cool sunglasses and struts around singing his own cool song. "I'm super cool Kevin and this is my song! Make
Homegrown: Blueberry Farm #2
By Stephen Michael King Reviewed by Mia Macrossan Stephen Michael King is a much loved and much awarded writer and illustrator whose work includes Koala Ark, Three, Pea Pod Lullaby, The Man Who Loved Boxes, My Dad is a Giraffe and many
Alfie the Kind
By Richard Harris & Simon Howe Reviewed by Mia Macrossan Alfie first appeared in Alfie the Brave, also reviewed in StoryLinks. Richard Harris is an Australian anaesthetist and cave diver who played a crucial role in the Tham Luang cave rescue who wrote Against
Author Pen Pals – Connecting Australian Authors and Illustrators with Australian Schools
Local author Kate Foster shares her brilliant initiative that connects Aussie authors & illustrators with classrooms, and it is back for it’s second year! Author Pen Pals was created to support educators in encouraging the love of literacy in their students,
Crow Baby
By Helen Milroy Reviewed by Mia Macrossan Helen Milroy is a descendant of the Palyku people of the Pilbara region of Western Australia. Her many publications include Bush Birds, Owl and Star and Backyard Beasties, all reviewed in StoryLinks. Long long ago a
As Bright As A Rainbow
By Remy Ash & Blue Jaryn Reviewed by Mia Macrossan This is Remy's (she/her) debut picture book. Her first novel Floundering was shortlisted for several awards. Blue (they/he) is an author/illustrator who illustrated Payden's Pronoun Party, a picture book introduction to nonbinary
Nova’s Missing Masterpiece
By Brooke Graham & by Robin Tatlow-Lord Reviewed by Helen Gearing From the author-illustrator team whose debut picture book Go Away, Worry Monster! was shortlisted for the CBCA New Illustrator Award in 2020, Nova’s Missing Masterpiece is a vibrant new story about
Tayta’s Secret Ingredient
By Amal Abou-Eid & Cara King Reviewed by Lara Cain Gray The whole atmosphere of Tayta’s Secret Ingredient is as warm as freshly baked biscuits. From the clever cover, which positions the viewer in the oven, to the gentle, conflict-free narrative. This
Secret Sparrow
By Jackie French Reviewed by Mia Macrossan I have lost count of the number of books Jackie has written. She has been a constant source of inspiring and uplifting historical fiction my whole career and her interest and passion for history never
The Ena Noël Award Shortlist 2024
IBBY has announced the Ena Noël Award Shortlist 2024. The Ena Noël Award is the IBBY Australia Encouragement Award for a young emerging writer or illustrator. Author Shortlist: Reece Carter, A Girl Called Corpse (Allen & Unwin) reviewed in StoryLinks Meg Gatland-Veness, When Only One
A Very Dinosaur Birthday
By Adam Wallace & Christopher Nielsen Reviewed by Margarite Igras Adam Wallace writes entertaining books for all ages and reading abilities, with captivating titles such as Why Won’t you Sleep, How to catch The Tooth fairy and There’s a Bull Ant in the
Two Rabbits
By Larissa Ferenchuk and Prue Pittock Reviewed by Lara Cain Gray Unusually for a picture book, Two Rabbits comes with a subtitle: Even best friends argue sometimes. It sets itself up quickly as a book for the earlier cohort of picture book
One Hungry Spider
By Jeannie Baker Reviewed by Mia Macrossan Jeannie Baker's work is renowned her miniature collage constructions impressive for their accuracy and detail. Her ground- breaking innovative approach has won numerous awards. Her many books, each a visual feast, include Where the Forest
The Beehive
By Megan Daley & Max Hamilton Reviewed by Mia Macrossan Megan is well known in the children's literary and librarian world for her advocacy of children's reading. Her publications include Raising Readers, about how to nurture a child's love of books, and Teacher,
A Friend for Ruby
By Sofie Laguna and Marc McBride Reviewed by Lara Cain Gray A Friend for Ruby is an example of the way the illustrations in a picture book can take a well-written but straightforward narrative and elevate it to marvellous. This is the
Ask the Author: Barry Jonsberg
By Mia Macrossan Barry Jonsberg emigrated from the UK many years ago and now lives in Darwin where he taught English for many years. He says he fell in love with Australian YA fiction, particularly the work of Scot Gardner, Phillip
Andromache Between Worlds
By Gabriel Bergmoser Reviewed by Mia Macrossan Gabriel Bergmoser is an award-winning Melbourne-based author and playwright. His YA novels include Boone Shepard and True Colour of a Little White Lie. Andromache Between Worlds is his first middle-grade book. This is much more fantasy than
A Footy Tail
By Alex Johnston & Gregg Dreise Reviewed by Margarite Igras This picture book written by South Sydney Rabbitohs star Alex Johnston and illustrated by First Nations artist, storyteller and musician, Gregg Dreise will appeal to all those children interested in the various
Little Book Baby
By Katrina Germein and Cheryl Orsini Reviewed by Lara Cain Gray Katrina Germein and Cheryl Orsini are prolific contributors to Australia’s picture book industry, with a reputation for humorous and heartwarming stories for young readers. Little Book Baby explores the social and
Voice of the Sea
By John Williamson Illustrated by Andrea Innocent & Jonathan Chong Reviewed by Mia Macrossan John Williamson is an Australian singer songwriter who has had two of his popular songs produced as picture books Old Man Emu and Christmas in Australia. Voice of the Sea
Book Links January News
Enjoy the January Book Links Newsletter filled to the brim with news, events and all matters current in the world of children's literature.
Etta and the Octopus
By Zana Fraillon & Andrew Joyner Reviewed by Mia Macrossan Zana is the much awarded writer of picture books including The Gargoyle and The Curiosities and books for older readers such The Lost Soul Atlas and The Way of Dog, both reviewed in
Chico the Schnauzer
By Taryn Brumfitt and Levi George Reviewed by Mia Macrossan From Australian of the Year and founder of the Body Image Movement, Taryn Brumfitt, comes this delightful story of Chico the Schnauzer, a dog who learns to embrace all the wonderful things
All You Can Be
By Angela Casabene & Michelle Conn Reviewed by Mia Macrossan This love letter to children everywhere is Angela's first picture book inspired by her own two daughters. Michelle lives in Victoria and works in both traditional and digital media to illustrate characters
First Mate Lenny
By Elayna Carausu & Sandra Eide Reviewed by Mia Macrossan Elayna has spent a lot of her life sailing the ocean waves and this, her debut picture book, reflects her experiences at sea. Sandra is from Nevada and her artwork is created
Angus & Mouse Read A Book
By Jane Godwin & Terri Rose Baynton Reviewed by Mia Macrossan Jane Godwin is a writer and publisher who has many titles to her credit. Terri Rose is an artist and author living and working near Taupō in Aotearoa New Zealand. She
Zoo School
By Heath McKenzie Reviewed by Mia Macrossan Heath McKenzie is a Melbourne-based author and illustrator who specialises in stylised digital illustrations (aiming to make them look as non-digital as possible). He has written and or illustrated over 40 books. This one, Zoo
Our Family Dragon A Lunar New Year Story
By Rebecca Lim & Cai Tse Reviewed by Mia Macrossan Rebecca Lim is the much awarded author of Tiger Daughter ( CBCA 2022 Book of the Year, Older Readers winner), and Two Sparrowhawks in a Lonely Sky reviewed in StoryLinks. Cai Tse
Feelings are Wild
By Sophy Williams & Gavin Scott Reviewed by Margarite Igras Sophy Williams is the author of The ABC of Cuddles and her second picture book is a counting book that includes emotional vocabulary to help children understand their challenging, and at times
Smoke & Mirrors
By Barry Jonsberg Reviewed by Mia Macrossan Barry Jonsberg is the much awarded author of the 2019 novel, My Life As An Alphabet, which was made into a film. He also wrote A Little Spark, reviewed in StoryLinks. Here he is in familiar
