Alex Field (text) and Joanna Bartell (illustrator), Hello, I’m Here! (Ava Spark #1), New Frontier, May 2025, 160 pp., RRP $16.99 (pbk), ISBN 9781923145924
Ava Spark is an inspirational ten-year-old who uses a wheelchair and communicates via an eye‑gaze communication device fondly known as “Swiftie.” When Mrs Taylor (Deputy Principal) asks Ava to be a buddy for a new student enroute from Australia she is a little surprised by the request but also delighted. Ava and her school friends —twin sister Flo, Jack, and Miya— devise a friendly, inclusive welcome activity; a themed Sports Day (England vs Australia) to make Liv feel at home. Ava ensures that nothing is done by half measures, so there are flags, colours and even a koala as a mascot. The very shy Ava feels accepted and valued and over the course of the planned activity the students’ bond as a group and develop an interconnectedness built on friendship and understanding.
Ava Spark: Hello I’m Here! is the first in a brand-new young fiction series by Alex Field and illustrated by Joanna Bartel, following life through the eyes of ten-year-old Ava Spark as she navigates the challenges of home, school, friendships, and family.
The story tory, told from the point of view of Ava in the present tense, emphasises the various ways that children connect — through technology, gestures, and kindness and highlights the importance of differentiated earning, whilst normalising different ways of speaking and learning. The school setting, the classroom dynamics, peer interactions and sibling rivalry, and including the Sports Day planning and preparation all feel authentic and relatable.
The narrative develops the important contribution that Ava makes as a positive leader, as she works with her friendship group to welcome Liv to her new school community, despite her disability. Rather than focussing on Liv settling into her new environment, it focuses on the importance of an empathetic approach and response to a person or given situation.
In addition, the book highlights and emphasises that whatever the disability someone may have, how they feel, respond, and negotiate life is not dissimilar to everyone else. Sibling rivalry, problems with friends, embarrassment about a parent’s use of colourful language, is all comparable.
Alex Field has written twelve books. I’m a Tiger was shortlisted for the Speech Pathology Australia Book of the Year Award. Alex’s son used a communication aide much like the one Ava uses to speak.
Joanna Bartel is an Australian illustrator and teacher with a background in graphic design and secondary school art/design. She draws much of her inspiration from her everyday family life and teaching experiences and, as a result, draws characters that reflect real children.
Early years teachers are encouraged to use this chapter book as a valuable resource to highlight diversity, inclusion, and the power of friendship. It is also recommended for teacher-directed read‑out‑loud sessions and discussions on how kindness and adaptability connect us all.
Ava Spark: Hello, I’m Here! is an absolute treasure trove, and far more than a school-story—it is a celebration of diversity and communication in a variety of forms, demonstrating how children can lead with empathy and understanding. Representing disability in a natural and positive way, this wonderful debut book offers both entertainment and valuable life lessons.
Highly recommended for ages 6 – 9 years, especially readers ready to transition to chapter books.
Teaching notes available on the publisher’s website.
Reviewed by Julie Deane
