My Brother Ben
Title: My Brother Ben Author: Peter Carnavas Publisher: University of Queensland Press – UQP Publication date: September 28, 2021 Themes: Trust, hope, acceptance, brothers, family, boats, birds, Additional notable information: Teachers’ Notes can be downloaded from the UQP website My Brother Ben by Peter Carnavas is a glorious book to dive into, it will pull […]
Where Ya Goin’?
Grab some marshmallows, buckle up and get ready to go on a rollicking, rhyming adventure through the Australian outback and beaches via the pages of Where Ya Goin’? This picture book is written by Steve Heron, illustrated by Matty Mitchell and published by Wild Eyed Press. You’re in great company with a cast of Australian […]
Australia Remembers Len Waters: Boundless and Born to Fly
Title: Australia Remembers Len Waters: Boundless and Born to Fly Author: Catherine Bauer Publisher: Big Sky Publishing Publication date: September 1, 2021 Genre: Historical non-fiction narrative Themes: First Nations Australians, family, Aboriginal culture, Australian military history, Royal Australian Air Force, discrimination, racism, Australian government policy, courage, heroism, perseverance, service to country. Additional notable information: Teachers’ […]
The Adventures of Triz The Babysitter
Title: The Adventures of Triz: The Babysitter Author: Haydn Crespan Illustrator: Damien Crespan Publisher: Boolarong Press Themes: resilience, courage, friendship, prehistoric times The Adventures of Triz The Babysitter written by Haydn Crespan, illustrated by Damien Crespan and published by Boolarong Press is set in prehistoric times and is about Triz, a small, resilient, caring and […]
Monkey’s Great Adventures – Afloat in Venice
We may not be able to travel abroad during this time of COVID, but we can travel overseas through the pages of a book with stunning pictures and endearing, memorable characters that transport the reader to another world. Monkey’s Great Adventures – Afloat in Venice is written by Tina Wilson who also created the pictures […]
A Grain of Hope
’A Grain of Hope’ by Nicola Philp and illustrated by Aldy Aguirre is an important story about asylum seekers and detention in Australia. Nicola Philp’s inspiration to write this story was driven by several influences including her penpal on Manus Island. Another motivation for writing this story was in response to a comment Nicola heard […]
Heroes, Rebels and Innovators : Inspiring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people from history
Heroes, Rebels and Innovators: Inspiring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People from History by Karen Wyld and illustrated by Jaelyn Biumaiwai contains seven powerful and engaging stories about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men and women from the early contact era. Each story is told in two parts. The first is lyrical (written in verses, […]
Worse Things
‘Worse Things’ by Sally Murphy with illustrations by Sarah Davis is a touching story about connections and belonging. This is written in free verse and tells the story of three characters, Blake, Jolene and Amed who all enjoy different sports and attend the same high school in a fictional town called Cowan. Blake played Aussie […]
Eureka! A Story of the Goldfields
Eureka! A Story of the Goldfields by Mark Wilson explores life for prospectors on the goldfields in Ballarat in the early 1850s. In this book, Molly and her father emigrate from London to work on the bustling gold fields. Upon their arrival they quickly befriend a teenage boy, Chen. Chen left his family in China […]
The Last Bear
‘The Last Bear’ by Hannah Gold and illustrated by Levi Penfold (recommended for ages 8+) is a deeply moving, hopeful and inspiring story about eleven year old April, who travels with her father, a scientist, to a remote Arctic Island, Bear Island, to live for six months during the northern summer. His job is to […]