Hotel Flamingo
Written and Illustrated by Alex Milway Reviewed by Zewlan Moor Anna Dupont’s Great-Aunt Mathilde has left the Hotel Flamingo to Anna in her will. Anna arrives to a decrepit old hotel with skeleton staff and empty books. Worse than this, The Glitz
BumbleBunnies: The Pond (BumbleBunnies, Book 1)
Written and illustrated by Graeme Base Reviewed by Inda Ahmad Zabri BumbleBunnies is a series of picture books by Graeme Base. I was surprised when I received the first of these books – ‘The Pond’ – to review, as it was so
Shortlist for 2019 Short Story competition!
It's official, the judges have decided. And the shortlist is
The ANZAC Billy
written by Claire Saxby illustrated by Mark Jackson and Heather Potter reviewed by Kerry Neary One way to take very young readers into wartime is to tell a story about what children did in those times. This story follows a young boy as
Lest We Forget
written by Kerry Brown illustrated by Isobel Knowles and Benjamin Portas reviewed by Kerry Neary This is not a book about ANZAC Day or any other memorial day, for that matter. Rather, it is designed to give early readers some insight into the
Raising Readers
How to nurture a child's love of books by Megan Daley reviewed by Mia Macrossan Nurture is the key word in this warm, almost intimate, guidebook which describes in enthusiastic detail how to inculcate a love of reading in your child from birth.
Archie and the Bear
Written by Zanni Louise Illustrated by David Mackintosh Reviewed by Sue Wright One of my favourite children’s books is Where’s My Teddy by Jez Alborough (1992). Archie and the Bear (2017) by Zanni Louise and David Mackintosh has a delightful small boy-meets-bear moment
It’s Not Scribble To Me*
Written by Kate Ritchie Illustrated by Jedda Robaard Reviewed by Kerry Neary Written in vibrant, bouncing verse, the story follows a little bear who has just entered the crayon phase of its life. Most likely, it has been inspired as a mother watches
Noah Noasaurus
Written by Elaine Kiely Kearns Illustrated by Colin Jack Reviewed by Yvonne Mes Ah, we can’t wait to hear our child’s first word, then we delight in every new word until they get to … ‘No’. Unfortunately, children love the power of ‘no’ and
The Institute of Fantastical Inventions
Written by Dave Leys Illustrated by Shane Ogilvie Reviewed by Rebecca Sheraton Dave Lees has written a fantastical story aptly title, The Institute of Fantastical Inventions similar in tone and look to Andy Griffiths Treehouse books and Adam Cece’s The Extremely Weird Thing
Dinosaur Day Out*
Written and illustrated by Sara Acton Reviewed by Kerry Neary When the children in this story go walking through the park, they collect dinosaurs! Dinosaur day out, whimsically written and illustrated by Sara Acton, is a book on the Notables early childhood
Collecting Sunshine*
Written by Rachel Flynn Illustrated by Tamsin Ainslie Reviewed by Kerry Neary By and large, picture storybooks for children are joyful and uplifting. What could sound more joyful than Collecting sunshine. That’s the title of a book written by Rachel Flynn and illustrated
Mercy Point
Written by Anna Snoekstra Reviewed by Inda Ahmad Zabri Mercy Point, Anna Snoekstra’s second novel, is a YA thriller with an intriguing premise. A group of teens meet on an online messaging board, sharing a suspicion that they are adopted. Grappling with
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 Rogues #1 Accidental Heroes
Written by Lian Tanner Reviewed by Danielle Freeland Lian Tanner has delivered an action-packed fantasy adventure story with plenty of suspense, you will be turning the pages and wanting more. The Accidental Heroes is the first book in The Rogues series which
The Button War
Written by Avi Reviewed by Mia Macrossan The Button War by the American writer and Newbery medalist Avi is is a biting indictment of the damage suffered by civilians during wartime. The story is set in a remote Polish village during World
Off the Track
Written by Cristy Burne Illustrated by Amanda Burnett Reviewed by Margaret McKay-Lownes Younger readers will find it difficult to contemplate a life without mobile devices, but this is exactly what is imposed on the young characters in this wholesome novel by science writer
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
The Mirror Visitor #1 A Winter’s Promise
Written by Christelle Dabos Translated by Hildegarde Serle Reviewed by Sue Wright I’ve been reading a lot of novellas and short stories lately, so I approached Christelle Dabos’ 490 page A Winter’s Promise with all the enthusiasm of a reader with a preference
The Lost Book of Adventure
edited by Teddy Keen reviewed by Mia Macrossan The Lost Book of Adventure – what a marvellous title - purports to be ‘from the notebooks of the Unknown Adventurer’, a person who traveled the globe and had spent most of his time
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
The Valentines: Happy Girl Lucky
By Holly Smale Reviewed by Mia Macrossan Happy Girl Lucky, is the first in the new romantic-comedy series The Valentines by Holly Smale, author of the bestselling and critically acclaimed Geek Girl books. It is a book that is lots of bubbly
The Adventures of Jellybean
Written by Bill Condon and Dianne Bates Illustrated by Lucia Masciullo Reviewed by Rebecca Sheraton Co-authors Bill Condon and Dianne Bates have written a delightful early chapter book for ages 6 and above, published by the University of Queensland Press. Eight-year-old best friends, Rory
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
2019 Short Story competition now open.
Prize money doubled in 2019 Short Story Competition. Entries are now open for the 2019 Storylinks Short Story competition. We had an amazing response last year and this year we look forward to another bumper crop of great children's stories. All children’s authors
The Things That Will Not Stand
Written by Michael Gerard Bauer Reviewed by Mia Macrossan The latest offering from Brisbane author is a great read for teenagers especially those still trying to work out what relationships are all about. The main character Seb, a year 11 student, is
Unpacking Harper Holt
Written by Di Walker Reviewed by Margie McKay-Lowndes In this emotive coming of age story, set in a picturesque beach-side suburb of Melbourne, Di Walker’s debut novel presents a story of hope in the face of unimaginable grief and loss. The Holts - Mum,
