Marcie Gill and the Caravan Park Cat
By Monica McInerney Illustrated by Danny Snell Reviewed by Sarah Custance Australian author Monica McInerney is the internationally bestselling novelist of many novels and short story collections for adults. Marcie Gill and the Caravan Park Cat is her first delve into children’s books. 10-year-old
Cat Dog
By Mem Fox Illustrated by Mark Teague Reviewed by Mia Macrossan The latest hardback picture book by national treasure Mem Fox, illustrated by Mark Teague, is a cleverly constructed question and answer story that is unexpected in many delightful ways. The opening So there
Fil and Harry
By Jenny Blackford Illustrated by Kristin Devine Reviewed by Sarah Custance Jenny Blackford is an Australian author whose previous book The Girl in the Mirror won the 2020 Davitt Award for Best Children’s Crime Novel. Fil and Harry is Jenny’s second middle grade
The Cat Who Thought He Was a Tiger
Written and Illustrated by Polly Cameron. Reviewed by Sandy Driessens First published in the USA in 1956, this delightful little tale by Polly Cameron wasn’t released in Australia until 1973 by Puffin Books. By the state of each copy I have seen,
Catvinkle and the Missing Tulips
by Elliot Perlman illustrated by Laura Stitzel reviewed by Barbara Braxton Catvinkle lives in Amsterdam, with her barber-owner Mr. Sabatini, and she likes to think that the world revolves around her, as cats generally do. From her basket near the fireplace in what
Marshmallow Pie the Cat Superstar
by Clara Vulliamy reviewed by Mia Macrossan Any cat lover will adore this story about Marshmallow Pie, a big fluffy independent cat who is now living in a small flat with his new human, a young girl called Amelia Lime. Pie is a
The Girl, the Cat and the Navigator
by Matilda Woods reviewed by Bryani-Rose, age 11 Eleven-year old Oona Britt is from Nordlor, the village of one thousand ships. She lives with her father, mother and six sisters. Oona is very unlike her sisters, instead of wanting to marry a
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 Time of Green Magic
by Hilary McKay reviewed by Mia Macrossan Hilary McKay is a popular writer in the UK who has won the Costa Children's Book Award for The Skylarks' War, the Guardian Fiction Prize for The Exiles, and the Smarties and the Whitbread Award
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
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
