Frank’s Red Hat
Standing out in the world, making your mark and putting forward inventive ideas requires courage, grit, creativity, imagination and self-belief which Frank, a penguin, has in spades. Frank’s Red Hat by Sean E Avery explores Frank’s journey full of twists and turns as he tries to come up with his next best idea and the […]
My Strange Shrinking Parents
My Strange Shrinking Parents by Zeno Sworder, which has recently been announced for the 2023 CBCA Shortlist in the Picture Book of the Year category, is a stunning, reflective, artful narrative imbued with symbolism and inspired by the creators childhood as a young boy who hails from immigrant parents. This is a story about the […]
The Gift
The Gift by Michael Speechley begins with a curious young girl, Rosie, intrigued by the home over the road which appears to be neglected and has fallen into disrepair. There is little evidence of who lives in this home, most people in the community believe the derelict home to be unoccupied, but Rosie is convinced […]
The Fix-it Princess
Title: The Fix-it Princess Author: Janeen Brian Illustrator: Cherie Dignam Publisher: Walker Books Publication date: March 7, 2023 Additional notable information: Teachers’ notes can be downloaded from Walker Books here. This review is part of a Books on Tour campaign From the Castle-by-the-Woods the indomitable, inventive, resourceful Princess Shona, together with a singing, empathetic dragon embark on a […]
The Garden at the End of the World
Title: The Garden at the End of the World Author: Cassy Polimeni Illustrator: Briony Stewart Publisher: University of Queensland Press – UQP Publication date: 4 April 2023 Themes: Hope, action, the Crop Trust, the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, Sustainable Development Goals, food security and stewardship Additional notable information: Comprehensive teachers’ notes which include a […]
Waiting for the Storks
Waiting for the Storks by master storyteller Katrina Nannestad with Illustrations by Martina Heiduczekis and published by HarperCollins is Katrina’s third historical fiction title which is inspired by an event during World War 2 and sensitively, yet powerfully, explores this from a child’s perspective. This book, recommended for readers 12+ is inspired by real people […]
Global
Title: Global Authors: Eoin Colfer and Andrew Donkin Illustrator: Giovanni Rigano Publisher: Hachette Australia Publication date: 26 April, 2023 RRP: $32.99 (AUD) – Hardback Global written by Eoin Colfer and Andrew Donkin and illustrated by Giovanni Rigano, the creators of the acclaimed graphic novel Illegal, in their latest gripping, powerful and hopeful eco-fiction graphic novel, tell a story […]
Books to Explore the Past and Present
Now and Then written and illustrated by Fiona Levings and published by Forty South Publishing is a non-fiction picture book which explores the stories and similarities that connect the lives of seven year old Doug in 1940 with eight year old Jem in 2019. Doug lived in the same house located in the seaside town […]
Ten Blocks to the Big Wok
Title: Ten Blocks to the Big Wok Author and Illustrator: Ying-Hwa Hu Publisher: University of Queensland Press – UQP Publication date: 28 February 2023 Themes: Counting, Chinese culture, Mandarin, visual literacy, slowing down and family bonds. Additional notable information: Teachers’ notes can be downloaded from the UQP website here. In the joyful picture book, Ten Blocks to the […]
Books for Harmony Week
Harmony Week celebrates the richness of diversity and all of the different cultures in Australia. Australia is a culturally diverse country and is home to the oldest continuous culture on earth and the most recent data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics from the 2021 census reports that just over seven million people, 27.6 per cent […]