Deborah Kelly (text) and Jenni Goodman (illustrator), Little Horses, Wombat Books, January 2024, 32 pp., RRP $24.99 (hbk), ISBN 9781761111310 I’m excited to recommend a wonderful picture book that I think children aged 2-10 years will absolutely adore. In an honest rhyme spun by Deborah Kelly, readers are invited into this enchanting world of Little Horses, affectionately nicknamed after the White Seahorse species that sparked inspiration behind creating this heart-warming narrative. For those readers who have yet to encounter seahorses up close, a nurturing experience awaits them inside this story following a delicate seahorse family. This book breathes life into…
Author: Admin
Coral Vass (text) and Heidi Cooper Smith (illustrator), The Blues-day Tuesday (Amanda Commander #4), Wombat Books, March 2024, 80 pp., RRP $12.99 (pbk), ISBN 9781761111266 Amanda, with her friends Mai and Lu, are known as the Dolphin Squad. This group of three focus on solving problems and caring for others. In The Blues-day Tuesday, the squad decides to launch ‘Operation Welcome Back’—a clever initiative arising from their observations of classmates returning to school after an absence. It was apparent that on return to school, they seemed isolated and left out, even after being away for only for a few days.…
Karen Manbulloo (text), and Julie Haysom, Denise Angelo, Cindy Manfong and Karen Manbulloo (illustrators), Moli bin git Stak | Molly gets stuck, Indigenous Literacy Foundation, February 2024, 24 pp., RRP $19.99 (pbk), ISBN 9781922592583 This fun, delightful book is the second in a series about the pig named Moli (Molly). Moli lives in the remote community of Kalano, just outside Katherine, about 300 kilometres south of Darwin. The story is written in Kriol, a language spoken by Indigenous people across the north of Australia. It shares some aspects with English-based Pacific Islands pidgin, so it is easily understood by English…
Joshua S. Levy, Eighth Grade vs. The Machines, Walker Books, January 2024, 270 pp., RRP $16.99 (pbk), ISBN 9798765608142 Following the disappearance of the entire population of Earth’s solar system, Jack and his middle school friends along with their teachers aboard the Public-School ship 118 (PSS 118) are the only humans left. Their mission is to locate and rescue the rest of humanity. Not such an easy task as they must avoid alien predators, steer clear of a robot civil war and determine who among them might be a traitor. This book is a sequel to Seventh Grade vs. the Galaxy but…
Gabrielle Kent (text) and Luke Newell (illustrator), Rebel Bicycle Club (Knights and Bikes #2), Walker Books; February 2024, 256 pp., RRP $16.99 (pbk), ISBN 9781999642549 The sleepy island of Penfurzy isn’t quite as sleepy as it seems and keen sleuths Demelza, Nessa and their trusty all-knowing goose companion, Captain Honkers must once again thrust themselves with great gusto into whatever strangeness needs unravelling. The Rebel Bicycle Club, as they are known, regularly stay in Demelza’s caravan overnight. The caravan is a place of computer games, far-fetched stories, and overnight clandestine adventures with Demelza liking nothing more than to tell a…
Amie Kaufman, The Isles of the Gods, A&U Children’s, May 2023, 464 pp., RRP $24.99 (pbk), ISBN 9781761180064 Amie Kaufman’s The Isles of the Gods combines fantasy and action for a compelling read in this promising series. Most worthy of its place as a CBCA 2024 Notable read, this young adult novel is not to be missed. Selly’s plans to be reunited with her father after a year sailing the Lizabetta are destroyed when she accidentally bumps into Leander, the Prince of Alinor. The Lizabetta crew agree to secretly transport Leander to the prestigious Isle of the Gods to make…
Jack Heath, The Peak (Spy Academy #1), Scholastic Australia, February 2024, 288 pp., RRP $17.99 (pbk), ISBN 9781761290473 Confession: This is the first Jack Heath book that I’ve read. This is despite Jack being a fellow Canberran, one who has penned over 40 novels, which I would find highly annoying if he wasn’t so damn likeable. After breezing through this page turner, I’m wondering what else I’ve been missing. After thwarting a robbery at his new school, Nolan Hawker is recruited to an elite, off-the-map spy academy called The Peak, where he spends his days (and nights) learning covert communication, surveillance,…
Jane Godwin (text) and Terry Denton (illustrator), Can You Teach a Fish to Climb a Tree?, Hardie Grant Children’s Publishing, November 2023, 32 pp., RRP $24.99 (hbk), ISBN 9781760508661 This is a book that practically begs to be read out loud to a classroom of 3 to 6 year olds, or on a couch with a young reader, and it invites enthusiastic response and engagement with the questions it asks. Jane Godwin asks the readers a series of questions that use absurdity to get them to think about how we judge our worth and abilities. Can you teach a fish…
Maggie Hutchings (text) and Felicita Sala (illustrator), Your Holiday was the Best!, Affirm Press, February 2024, 32pp ., RRP $24.99 (hbk), ISBN 9781922863683 It’s holiday time and the camping ground by the beach is full of tents in all shapes and sizes, a few caravans and lots of families ready to enjoy in the great outdoors. Some have even brought their pets with them. Everyone is intent on enjoyment – running, chasing, playing games, reading, digging ditches in the sand, swimming, surfing, chatting with neighbours and having BBQs. It was the best holiday ever. It is also the best holiday…
Mel Amon (text) and Sophie Beer (illustrator), Good morning my Deer!, Scribble Books, August 2023, 32 pp., RRP $19.99 (hbk), ISBN 9781761380358 The English language is downright tricky to learn, but it can also be a lot of fun to play with! As the title suggests, Good morning my Deer! engages in wordplay around homonyms – words that have different meanings but are pronounced or spelled the same way. The story follows Banjo the deer on a very busy Sundae. Beginning the day with pan cakes and plane toast, Banjo brushes their hare and puts on a pear of shoes before setting…