Bush and Beyond: Stories from Country
by Tjalaminu Mia, Jessica Lister, Cheryl Kickett-Tucker and Jaylon Tucker illustrated by Tracey Gibbs reviewed by Danielle Freeland This is the collaborative work of the four indigenous authors and forms part of the…
Wait! (Books That Drive Kids Crazy, Book 4)
by Beck Stanton illustrated by Matt Stanton reviewed by Renee Hills Wait! is the fourth in a series of picture books by Beck and Matt Stanton that are billed as…
Held in Love
by Dawn Casey illustrated by Oamul Lu reviewed by Lucy McGinley This illustrated blessing, Held in Love, is the perfect gift for new parents. The author and illustrator will charm…
The Bear in our Backyard
by Emma Middleton illustrated by Briony Stewart Reviewed by Zewlan Moor Spoiler alert. The Bear in our Backyard is a companion picture book to last year’s popular The Lion in…
Sage Cookson’s Literary Launch
by Sally Murphy illustrated by Celeste Hulme reviewed by Danielle Freeland Literary Launch is the fifth book in the Sage Cookson series by Sally Murphy. The daughter of television chefs,…
Looking Up
By Sally Murphy Illustrated by Aśka Superska Reviewed by Lyn Halliday As an author of over 40 children’s books, Sally Murphy demonstrates just why she is so successful in…
Dungzilla
by James Foley reviewed by Tyrion Perkins Two scientist/engineering girls accidentally resize a dung beetle so their whole town is threatened by a massive dung ball – who wouldn’t want…
All of Us Together
by Bill Condon illustrated by Dale Newman reviewed by Lyn Halliday If you fancy a visit to 1930s Australia, Bill Condon’s junior fiction novel All of Us Together is sure…
Drawn Onward
by Meg McKinlay illustrated by Andrew Frazer reviewed by Sue Wright I love small presses, and Fremantle Press is a pretty fabulous small press. Drawn Onward by Meg McKinlay and…
Nanna’s Button Tin
by Dianne Wolfer illustrated by Heather Potter Reviewed by Inda Ahmad Zabri A little girl is on a mission to find a button to replace Teddy’s lost eye. It has…
Mr Bambuckle’s Remarkables Fight Back
by Tim Harris, illustrated by James Hart reviewed by Rebecca Sheraton Mr Bambuckle’s Remarkables Fight Back is the second book in this series following on from the popular Mr Bambuckle’s…
Storm Whale
by Sarah Brennan illustrated by Jane Tanner Reviewed by Inda Ahmad Zabri This is a captivating story of three brave sisters working together to rescue a stranded whale. Sarah Brennan grew…
Yoga Babies
by Fearne Cotton illustrated by Sheena Dempsey Reviewed by Dajo Finlayson This lovely, gentle, and at times quirky picture book introduces children and parents to the calming nature of Yoga.…
Happily Ever After: The Little Mermaid
by Alex Field illustrated by Owen Swan Reviewed by Maria Parenti-Baldey Happily, Ever After, The Little Mermaid is a retold story. It’s about Ariel, the little mermaid, who longed to…
Beautiful Mess
by Claire Christian reviewed by Ayesha Uddin Life can get messy. For you, for me, and for practically every character in this book. The raw and intense read that is…
Anzac Stories – Picture Books
To help commemorate ANZAC DAY on April 25, a solemn day of remembrance of those Australian and New Zealand Army Corps soldiers who have fought and died for their country,…
Ash Dresses her Friends
by Fu Wenzheng Ash Dresses her Friends is a classic picture book about a quiet but steadfast animal. Like Ferdinand by Munro Leaf, it has a striking cover in red, black…
StoryLinks interviews PETER CARNAVAS
by Mia Macrossan Peter Carnavas has been writing and illustrating his own and others works, now numbering over 20, since his first picture book, Jessica’s Box came out in 2008.…
The Very Noisy Baby
written and illustrated by Alison Lester The Very Noisy Baby is a sweet early childhood picture book about a baby who mimics animals sounds. One by one people are drawn…
Mopoke
written and illustrated by Philip Bunting This is an attractive picture book with stylised illustrations reminiscent of Jon Klassen and plenty of humour. The book is set out with the…
Scarface Claw, Hold Tight!
by Lynley Dodd As an author honoured for her contribution to children’s literature, expectations for Dame Lynley Dodd’s long awaited next instalment were naturally high. Scarface Claw, Hold Tight! does…
Mummy Fairy and Me
by Sophie Kinsella Puffin February 2018 176 pages paperback $11.75 ISBN 9780141377896 Reviewed by Zoe Collins Mummy Fairy and Me is narrated by a young girl called Ella: a fairy-in-waiting and the daughter…
Diary of a Wimpy Kid #12 The Getaway
by Jeff Kinney Penguin 2017 224 pages paperback $14.99 ISBN 9780143782797 Reviewed by Lucy McGinley Since there are already twelve books in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series it…
The World’s Worst Pirate
by Michelle Worthington illustrated by Katrin Dreiling Little Pink Dog Books 2017 32 pp hardback $24.95 ISBN 978-0-9946269-1- Reviewed by Maria Parenti-Bradley When The World’s Worst Pirate bobbed on my horizon, I…
‘Stories Make Us’ Calendar from Children’s Laureate Morris Gleitzman
Morris says: Stories are one of the reasons I’m so excited. Each laureate gets to choose their own patch of territory on the reading landscape, and stories are my patch.…
Inky Awards longlist announced
The longlist of 10 Australian and 10 international YA titles was selected by a panel of past Inky Awards judges, the Dog’s Advisory Board and Inside a Dog alumni, all…
The Grand Genius Summer of Henry Hoobler
By Lisa Shanahan Allen & Unwin 2017 216 pp paperback $14.99 ISBN: 9781760293017 Reviewed by Zewlan Moor As summer comes to an end, I’d like to draw your attention to…
Little Witch #1 Secrets and Spells
by Aleesah Darlison Big Sky Publishing 2017 176 pages Paperback $14.99 ISBN: 9781925520101 Reviewed by Charlotte Barkla Aleesah Darlison is an award-winning Queensland author of picture books, chapter books and…
P is for Pearl
by Eliza Henry-Jones Harper Collins AU 304 pp Paperback $19.99 ISBN 10: 146075493X Age from 14 years Published 19 February 2018 The opening of “P is for Pearl” grabbed me immediately.…
Story Links launches on the 1st of March
It will be official soon. On the 1st of March, surrounded by the Queensland glitterati of children’s literature at Romancing the Stars, Story Links, the Children’s Book Review site will…
