Review: Jørn’s Magnificent Imagination

Jørn Utzon is a child who sees the world through a very specific lens. Obsessed with building, creating and thinking outside the box, this is the story of how he harnesses both his own ideas and resilience in ways that don’t always make sense to others.

He even collected ideas from his orange peels at breakfast!

It’s also the story of how ultimately, he enters and wins a competition to design and build our iconic Sydney Opera House.

A quote from the adult Jørn Utzon opens the story, and it applies equally to his unique Opera House design and to the warmth and inspiration of this picture book:

The architect’s gift to society is to bring joy to the people from the surroundings they create. 

John Utzon's, Jørn’s Magnificent Imagination is written with the wonderful lilting cadence of repeated phrasing, alongside the anticipation of ‘expected’ surprises through language. Writer Coral Vass easily - and cleverly - takes us from Jørn's youth to adulthood with an elegant economy of words, deftly explaining all the while how his creativity is nurtured and grown.

We see so many ways in which young Jørn could potentially be thwarted and give up, but he obviously is not and does not (in the long term, at least!). Other people’s opinions of his work aren’t always kind, but it seems that Jørn is able to believe in himself and his dreams enough to follow through on his ideas, regardless of what others think – which is perhaps a life lesson for us all.

Nicky Johnston’s pencil illustrations are gorgeous as ever, divinely expressive and perfect for this work. The cover gives us a clear indication of what’s inside, with its hand-drawn lettering and young Jørn happily clutching compass, pencil and ruler. The front endpapers with their torn pictures depict orange peels, shapes, buildings, flowers, shells, and patterns that eventually all contribute to the design of the building that we know and love. My very favourite illustration is of the fist-pumping Jørn when he finally creates his masterpiece. It’s pure joy.

The back endpapers contain a beautifully rendered pencil timeline of Utzon’s life, which offers useful information for school projects and research. And of course, to provide the impetus to look further into this interesting and colourful life.

A wonderful true story. Highly recommended.

Title: Jørn’s Magnificent Imagination
Author: Coral Vass
Illustrator: Nicky Johnston
Publisher: EK, $24.99
Publication Date: October 2022
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9781922539144
For ages: 4 - 8
Type: Picture Book

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Meet The Illustrator: Anna Walker

Name: Anna Walker

Describe your illustration style in ten words or less.
Quiet, whimsical, hopeful.

What items are an essential part of your creative space?
Daylight, small wooden owl, coffee and my paints. :)

Do you have a favourite artistic medium?
At the moment I am enjoying exploring mono printing! The process brings surprising textures and marks.
Name three artists whose work inspires you.
Japanese label Minä Perhonen: founded over 20 years ago by the designer Akira Minagawa. A producer of clothing and textiles which are so beautiful in their design, colour and imagery.

Hayao Miyazaki : a Japanese animator, director, producer, screenwriter, author, manga artist - the director of Totoro.

Tove Jansson: author, novelist, painter. Creator of one of my favourite books Comet in Moominland.

Which artistic period would you most like to visit and why?
I would like to visit the Victorian era and see the dollhouses made for children during that time complete with wallpaper and miniature light furnishings! Growing up, I had a special doll’s house made for me by my grandfather. I used to make couches from match boxes and cover them with fine floral corduroy. Doll houses hold a special place in my heart.

Who or what inspired you to become an illustrator?

Fairy tales. I was enchanted by the tiny creatures that lived in the pages of the books I looked at as a child. When I was around four years old, I remember thinking this is what I want to do when I grow up.

Can you share a photo of your creative work space or part of the area where you work most often? Talk us through it.
I am lucky to be in a beautiful studio space shared with friends. While we work we can often hear musicians practising or in summer we can hear the sheep at Collingwood Children’s Farm.

What is your favourite part of the illustration process?
Mixing a palette of colours and painting.

What advice would you give to an aspiring illustrator?

Draw, paint, visit exhibitions, try new things, be brave. Persist. Know that you will doubt yourself - listen, but keep going!

Anna Walker is an award-winning illustrator and author of many picture books for children published around the world. Her books include Florette, which was a New York Times/New York Public Library Best Illustrated Book. Anna creates illustrations with watercolour, pencil, and collage. Her stories are inspired by the quiet and sometimes joyful details of life. She lives and works in Melbourne.

For more information, please visit Anna's website or follow her on instagram.

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Review: Rodney Forgets It

Review: Neverlanders

Graphic novel fans… have I got some gold for you!

If you love graphic novels, Neverlanders is an absolute MUST-read. From award-winning author/BAFTA-nominated screenwriter Tom Taylor and comic artist Jon Sommariva, Neverlanders is the bee’s knees when it comes to new graphic novels on the kidlit scene.

It tells the story of street kid Bee (previous pun intended!). Bee and her friends (also living on the streets) are navigating a cruel world, where food is scarce and adults can't be trusted. They stick together. They look after each other, and when they meet Paco, they invite him to share what little they have.

But Paco has a secret. He's not from this world. And he desperately needs their help.

Paco is from Neverland, but it’s not the Neverland you might be familiar with. In this Neverland, the pirates are on the verge of destroying everything. The fairies, mermaids and Paco are doing their best to protect it, but they are losing the fight. Peter Pan is gone, and things appear hopeless. Until Bee and her friends step in to help.

Wow, this is a roller-coaster read. There are so many twists in this book. Amazing, show-stopping twists that will have your jaw dropping. It’s immersive, engaging and addictive. It is non-stop action all the way through, but cleverly layered with character development throughout, so you really do become one with Bee and her group. You’ll want to join them. You’ll want to be them.

Sommariva’s illustrations are superb. They are beyond frame-worthy. They are works of art. And from a kid’s perspective, they are bright, colourful and action-packed.

There is some violence in this novel — some guns, a bit of blood and some epic battle scenes — but no more than a PG movie. It’s definitely a book kids are going to WANT to read, and it’s a great one for reluctant readers with full-colour illustrations filling every page in graphic-novel style.

If you love graphic novels (no matter your age), I highly recommend taking a look at Neverlanders. And if you’re trying to get a reluctant reader to open a book, this one just might be the ticket!

Title: Neverlanders
Author: Tom Taylor
Illustrator: Jon Sommariva
Publisher: Penguin, $22.99
Publication Date: 20 September 2022
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781761049071
For ages: 7+
Type: Graphic novel

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Review: Nothing More To Tell

Guest Post: Shaye Wardrop on The Magic Of Anthologies

Anthology is a big and kind of intimidating word, but if you swap it out for “a collection of stories”, it doesn’t seem so scary. And that’s really all they are — collections of stories or poems (or even art and songs).

Anthologies come in lots of different forms, and this is part of their magic. They might be themed, have one or multiple authors/creators, have stories that are linked and/or connected, have short stories, short-short stories, poetry or a mix of them all.

But no matter what form they come in, each one delivers a magical journey. And these journeys deliver several benefits for readers — particularly kids:

1. If the thought of reading a whole novel is kind of terrifying, an anthology can be your best friend. As a collection of many stories, they allow you to dip in and out and tackle shorter pieces, one at a time.
2. Want to try out some new authors, but don’t want to commit to a whole novel? With an anthology that features multiple authors, you’ll be able to sample new creators and see which ones you like best.
3. Themed anthologies allow readers to explore that theme from different perspectives. This is a great experience for curious minds and it’s also beneficial for classroom study. No two viewpoints are the same, and when you get lots of different creators to write or draw about the same topic, the results are always an adventure.
4. Anthologies provide bite-sized reading experiences. This is great for bedtime, travel or if you’re just in the mood for a quick story.
5. Anthologies can help you discover different forms of writing you never knew you loved! Some of the most powerful stories I have ever read were 50 words or less. Until reading them, I didn’t even know a story could be so short or that this form of storytelling has a really cool name — flash fiction!

Today, there are SO many great anthologies being published, and so many written specifically for kids. Some of my recent favourites include 10 Minutes of Danger by Jack Heath, Brain Freeze by Oliver Phommavanh and Laugh Your Head Off 4 Ever by NINE awesome and hilarious authors.

An anthology is like a magical door to a world of story. If you’ve not explored one before, I highly recommend you give it a try.

 

Shaye Wardrop writes for kids who love the fantastical. We’re talking cool creatures, fantasylands, superpowers and everything in between. Her short story Dragon Sized features in It’s a Kind of Magic: Stories and Spells for Second-rate Sorcerers, a magical anthology published by Michelle Worthington and Share your Story, raising funds for Children’s Rights Queensland.

Keen to know more? Shaye journeys the Internet on Facebook, Instagram and shayewardrop.com.

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Guest Post: Chloe Hooper on What To Read To Your Children When Explaining Loss and Grief

Last month I fare-welled a dear friend as she left our world in the form we'd always loved her in to become another. The loss was felt all the more keenly for the fact that she was a youngish mum leaving two beautiful children behind. This is not the first time such a loss has occurred and in all likelihood, it won't be the last. Such is life. Before she died, I sent her and the children a copy of my picture book, The Fix-It Man hoping it will provide some degree of soothing and comfort, understanding and peace in their days to come. 

I'm a fervent believer in the power of storytelling to address and normalise the more weighty and onerous moments in life. So too is Chloe Hooper, bestselling author of, Bedtime Stories. What follows is a collection of picture books she curated and reviewed with her young sons. There are some absolute gems here. Feel free to add , The Fix-It Man, if you wish. Ed.

When Chloe's partner is diagnosed with a rare and aggressive illness, she has to find a way to tell their two young sons. By instinct, she turns to the bookshelf. Can the news be broken as a bedtime tale? Is there a perfect book to prepare children for loss?

Hooper embarks on a quest to find what practical lessons children’s literature—with its innocent orphans and evil adults, magic, monsters and anthropomorphic animals—can teach about grief and resilience in real life. From the Brothers Grimm to Frances Hodgson Burnett and Tolkien and Dahl—all of whom suffered childhood bereavements—she follows the breadcrumbs of the world’s favourite authors, searching for the deep wisdom in their books and lives.

Chloe: Reading books on illness and bereavement to my children? The thought filled me with heart-knotting dread. Why would I do it to them or me? Well, one reason is that children are natural philosophers who are intrigued by life’s biggest mystery, death. The right book on this subject can be informative and comforting—light is cast into the shadows. I’d now encourage adults to add this topic into children’s literary diet early, to not wait until your family is forced to confront this conversation in extremis. Giving children a framework to think about death, provides them ballast when the inevitable hard time comes.

Recently I asked my seven- and ten-year-old sons to help me review a selection of picture books concerning loss and grief. These books sparked conversations that were thoughtful, pragmatic, candid and enlightening. The following is our joint review.

Cry Heart, but Never Break - Glenn Ringtved
A black cloaked figure visits a house of children the night their grandmother is to die. The children try to distract the uninvited guest who finally tells them a story explaining, 'Who would yearn for day if there was no night?' In our house, this book was a big hit. The visitor is revealed to not be so frightening. The idea of grief and sorrow being a counterweight to joy and delight made intuitive sense.

The Memory Tree - Britta Teckentrup
Animals in a forest hold a memorial for their beloved friend, a fox. As they share their recollections, a beautiful tree grows to give them shelter. 'I absolutely loved this' said the older co-reviewer, 'especially the way emptying out their sorrows made them lighter.'

Beginnings and Endings with Lifetimes in Between - Bryan Mellonie and Robert Ingpen.
Both younger reviewers thought this was fantastic. 'Most of the other books were a story about death, but this was unique in that it explained death,' said my ten--year-old.

The Invisible String - Patrice Karst
'Ten out of ten,' says the seven-year-old. Personally, I am not a huge fan of this bestseller, but I’ve noticed the comfort to be had in imagining a magic thread connecting us to those we love best: 'The idea of the string makes me happy.'

The Boy and the Gorilla
After a boy’s mother dies, he is followed by a gorilla. Both reviewers loved the stunning watercolour illustrations and the idea of a child’s grief morphing into a spirit animal that gives protection. They also liked thinking of 'where you might go' after death.

I’ll Say Goodbye - Pam Zollman
A boy stays with his terminally ill uncle by the sea, offering a metaphor about a person outgrowing their body as a crab outgrows their shell. The book lead us to an interesting conversation.

What Happens Next? - Sinsuke Yoshitake
We all loved this quirky, original book. After his grandfather’s death, a boy finds his grandfather’s notebook containing often hilarious ideas on an afterlife: 'it makes death seem like a holiday in a luxury resort,' said one child. The boy decides to write his own book on how to best live. Highly recommend.

If All the World Were… - Joseph Coelho
A granddaughter recalls all the ways her grandfather has made her life richer. We all loved Allison Colpoy’s illustrations, and the message that our loved ones live on in our memories.

Death, Duck, and the Tulip - Wolf Erlbruch
A duck has the feeling of being followed. Looking over its shoulder, it spies a skeletal character: 'Good,' said Death, 'you finally noticed me.'I think this is a solid 9 out of 10, but have to admit the kids only gave it 6.5.

Michael Rosen’s SAD Book - Michael Rosen
Written after the death of his son, Rosen gives incredibly eloquent expression to the experience of grief, 'a cloud that comes along and covers me up.' This is complemented by the stormy palette of Quentin Blake’s beautiful illustrations. Again, this is a book that older readers might appreciate – let’s not pretend children’s books are only for children!

Leaf Litter: Exploring the Mysteries of a Hidden World - Rachel Tonkin
I can’t not mention this stunning book, which chronicles a year of change in a forest’s undergrowth. ('Leaves teach us how to die,'wrote Thoreau.) A blue-tongue lizard decays, and we see in cross-section the carcass breaking down, its nutrients moving through the soil.

The Tenth Good Thing About Barney - Judith Viorst
In this classic from 1971, a family holds a burial for their cat and a child is asked to recall the ten best things about the pet, the tenth thing being the cat fertilising the earth.

Let’s Talk About When Someone Dies - Molly Potter
This is an excellent practical guide to helping kids understand the mechanics of death, the mixed emotions of bereavement and our different cultural beliefs regarding an afterlife. 'Basically an encyclopedia of death,' one co-reviewer suggests.

Read Elizabeth Vercoe's exclusive KBR review of Chloe's Bedtime Story. 

Here is Tania McCartney's KBR review of, The Fix-It Man.

For more picture books that teach children about grief, happiness and love, read another KBR Guest Post by Laura Reid. 

Chloe Hooper's most recent book is the bestselling The Arsonist: A Mind on Fire. The Tall Man: Death and Life on Palm Island won the Victorian, New South Wales, West Australian and Queensland Premiers’ Literary Awards, as well as the John Button Prize for Political Writing, and a Ned Kelly Award for crime writing. She is also the author of two acclaimed novels, A Child’s Book of True Crime and The Engagement. She lives in Melbourne with her partner and her two sons.

Both memoir and manual, Bedtime Story is stunningly illustrated by the New York Times award-winning Anna Walker. In an age of worldwide uncertainty, here is a profound and moving exploration of the dark and light of storytelling.

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Review: The Bewilderbeast

Review: Our Dreaming

Goodjagah, little one, walk with me ... I want to tell you our Dreaming as the Elders told it to me. Award-winning storytellers, Gunai woman Kirli Saunders and Bigambul man Dub Leffler, explore a deep love and respect for Country and all her spirits ... past, present and beyond.

This is a truly beautiful book which was warmly embraced by the Year 3 class with whom I shared it. We all loved the text - which has the effect of being both soothing and gentle -and the children loved guessing the meaning of the words in language used throughout.

Kirli's lyrical and poetic words are so superbly matched by Dub's visually eloquent illustrations. We were all entranced with our close examination of them, and the chosen palette of subdued colours not only evokes the colours of the bush, but further added to the sense of calm our reading conjured up.

Mother and puggle echidna wander through the pages as the narrator explains the meaning, depth and wisdom of the chosen Dreaming. Many will think that there is only one Dreaming in First Nations culture, without realising that for each nation or language group there will be both similarities and differences across the traditional stories. 

One thing in common however is the paramount importance of the love and respect for Country. This is a concept which all Australians should take on board and, indeed, more and more non-Indigenous citizens are beginning to deepen their connection with the land.

It is without doubt one of the most emotive picture books I've seen this year and, certainly, one that is valuable for our sharing of cross-cultural perspectives. I highly recommend it to you for your readers from as early to Prep right up to upper primary, where it will do much to promote understanding and respect.

Title: Our Dreaming
Author: Kirli Saunders 

Illustrated by: Dub Leffler

Publisher: Scholastic Australia, $24.99
Date of Publication: August 2022
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9781742995113
For ages: 4+
Type: Picture Book

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Review: Wonderful Wasps

Explore the world of wasps, with Wonderful Wasps from Katrina Germein and Suzanne Houghton.

This brilliant non-fiction picture book takes flight with a range of Australian wasps, including introduced species like the European wasp and a variety of native wasps, like spider and paper wasps.

Learn about their size and appearance, their role as sky pollinators and their connections to other Australian animals.

This is a great non-fiction book for junior readers. The information is delivered through rhyming story, and each page is filled to the brim with stunning and detailed illustrations to help guide understanding. Then, at the back of the book, go deep and explore the detailed facts about all the wasp species mentioned in the book. There’s also a glossary at the end to help with definitions.

I love how accessible this book is. It can be read both to kids and by kids, making it a great one for school libraries. I also love the focus on native animals and plants, shining an important light on the beauty and importance of our native insects.

This book is truly wonderful!  

Teachers notes are available from the publisher’s website. 

Title: Wonderful Wasps
Author: Katrina Germein
Illustrator: Suzanne Houghton
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing, $24.99
Publication Date: November 2022
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9781486315734
For ages: 3 - 8
Type: Picture Book, Junior Non-Fiction

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12 Curly Questions with author Lynette Noni

1. Tell us something hardly anyone knows about you.
I fell off my horse when I was 16 and broke a bone in my neck. It’s actually a funny(?) story since I hurt my knee bad enough to need an x-ray, but since my neck was stiff as well, they checked that, only to find it was where the worst damage was, not my knee!

2. What is your nickname?
When I was studying at uni, one of my housemates affectionately called me 'splinter-butt' because I was so bad at making decisions that it was as if I was always sitting on the fence. Thankfully, that nickname didn’t get used by anyone else, haha. To my friends and family, I’m just Lyn — nice and simple!

3. What is your greatest fear?
After way too many traumatic encounters, I have a deep terror of huntsman spiders. I’m okay(ish) with smaller spiders, but those beasties haunt my nightmares. *Shudders*

4. Describe your writing style in 10 words.
I write, first and foremost, what I want to read.

5. Tell us five positive words that describe you as a writer.
Creative, thoughtful, ambitious, heartfelt, passionate.

6. What book character would you be, and why?
Oh wow, that’s a tough one. Is there a character that can jump in and out of other books? Or, ooooh, actually, maybe I’d choose to be like Mo from Inkheart because he can bring things out of books just by reading aloud — but I’d want that ability without the curse of having to lose something (or someone) into the book every time it happens! Eeek!

7. If you could time travel, what year would you go to and why?
Somewhere in the future! I’d love to see how much things have changed in, say, 100 years. Alternatively, I’d love to go back and find out what happened to the Lost City of Atlantis!

8. What would your 10-year-old self say to you now?
Probably some random horse fact — I was obsessed with horses when I was 10, and my entire life revolved around them. My early love of reading even came from my obsession, since I would read anything and everything that had a horse on the cover!

9. Who is your greatest influence?
A lot of people have influenced and inspired me over the course of my life, so this is a difficult one for me to answer. But the first person who comes to mind is my mum, who raised me to believe I could become anything I wanted to be, and gave me her love of creativity in all its various forms.

10. What/who made you start writing?
I started writing in the post-Twilight era, when the YA market began to really gain some traction. There were so many books being released to meet the demand, and all the ones I read had different elements that I loved, but I wanted all those elements combined in one book. So I decided to try and write the book I wanted to read — and Akarnae was a result of that.

11. What is your favourite word and why?
It changes every day, but today, it’s 'effervescent'. Tomorrow it might be 'verisimilitude' or 'serendipity' or 'bubbles'. 'Kerfuffle' is always a good one, too, as is 'mellifluous'… and many, many others! I just love words! *Heart eyes*

12. If you could only read one book for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Nooooo, you can’t ask me this! Purely because I absolutely cannot answer! I have this motto: “Life is too short to read books you’re not enjoying.” So similarly, there’s no way I could read just one book for the rest of my life! (*Gasp* The horror!)

Australian author Lynette Noni studied journalism, academic writing, and human behaviour at university before venturing into the world of fiction. She is now a full-time writer and the #1 bestselling and award-winning author of The Medoran Chronicles, the Whisper duology, The Prison Healer and The Gilded Cage. For more information, see www.lynettenoni.com.

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Review: Back On Country

Review: Violin & Cello

Review: Something About Alaska

Meet The Illustrator: Chinua Mosley

Name: Chinua Mosley

Describe your illustration style in ten words or less.
My style in this book is playful realism.

What items are an essential part of your creative space?
My adjustable laptop stand is essential for holding my iPad pro (what I use to illustrate) in a comfortable position.

Do you have a favourite artistic medium?
Digital. This book is a vector illustration, but I really like digital watercolor.

Name three artists whose work inspires you.
Morgan Bissant @morg_city, @crumsart, and Allison Black @allisonblackillustration

Which artistic period would you most like to visit and why?
I like the present. I'm about living in the moment and moving forward.

Who or what inspired you to become an illustrator?
I was going to pay someone to illustrate my book and my friend asked me why not do it myself. Skill was my only barrier, so I got to learning.

Can you share a photo of your creative work space or part of the area where you work most often? 

It's nothing too crazy. It's just a laptop stand with my iPad on a coffee table in front of my TV. The tv has a htpc connected to it and plays chillhop while I draw. I don't know if you can tell from the photo, but I love to play board games.

What is your favourite part of the illustration process?
When the details start to bring a flat piece to life.

What advice would you give to an aspiring illustrator?

When you feel analysis paralysis kicking in, pick something at random and keep moving.

Chinua is a native of Lithonia, Georgia. Both of his parents were artistic. He is self-taught and also an educator of 15 years. He mostly taught science but in the last 5 years moved into teaching design. Chinua loves to draw digitally and create functional pieces out of cardboard.

For more information, please follow Chinua on instagram.

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Guest Post: Carla Fitzgerald on The Personal and the Political - Catching Story Ideas

Review: The Book of Wondrous Possibilities

Books are magic. We all know that, right? 

But what if they were magic beyond your wildest imagination? 

What if stories could come to life if they were written for you in a very special book called a Grimoire?

Arlo lives with his uncle Avery and his pet mouse Herbert. His mother passed away a year ago, and Arlo is still adjusting to his new world. He mostly keeps to himself, working in his uncle’s bookshop.

But that all changes when a girl called Lisette bursts through the bookshop door. Lisette has secrets, but she also has a gift for Arlo – a very special book with a very special story written inside.

Arlo isn’t sure he’s ready for the adventure calling him, but Lisette isn’t the kind of girl who takes no for an answer. She may be a street kid, but she’s also strong, brave and daring. She’s also linked to Arlo in ways he didn’t expect, and she needs his help.

Can Arlo find the courage to fight his inner demons and help Lisette?

The Book of Wondrous Possibilities is a true wonder. Award-winning author Debora Abela delivers heart, humour, mystery and fantasy through this brilliant middle-grade novel. The fantasy elements are fresh and unique — something you won’t have seen before — making this book a special gift to young readers.

Arlo and Lisette (and Herbert, too) are all brilliant characters. Each flawed in their own way (expect for maybe Herbert!), they have their own battles to overcome, and they do so throughout the novel, growing and learning from each other. 

Arlo and Lisette are wildly different, but I still saw myself in both of them, and I wonder if this is Abela’s magical way with words — pulling me into the story world and making me connect with their essence and personalities.

The story moves quickly, and each chapter is action-packed and exciting. There are some wild escape scenes, daring rescues and super-baddies that must be fought. Cliff hangers steal the show at each chapter’s end, enticing you to read more and creating the ultimate reading experience.

Fans of mystery and fantasy will love this book. It’s an addictive adventure not to be missed.

Title: The Book of Wondrous Possibilities
Author: Deborah Abela
Publisher: Puffin, $16.99
Publication Date: 2 August 2022
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781761044021
For ages: 8 - 12
Type: Middle Grade

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Review: The Merciless Ones

Junior Review: Two Degrees

Review: 10 Minutes of Danger

What would you do if you were on a school excursion when scientists discovered an asteroid was hurtling toward Earth? 

What would you do if you found out you were in the blast radius, and if you didn’t get out of the way, the whole building was going to come down on top of you? 

Would you have the courage to lead your classmates to safety?

This is the setting of story one in Jack Heath’s new action-packed collection of short stories 10 Minutes of Danger. And from here, things only get more dangerous!

The asteroid creates havoc for a range of kids in a range of different ways, including causing earthquakes, triggering tsunamis and messing with electronics to turn cars into killers. Each story is an action-packed edge-of-your-seat read and takes only 10 minutes to devour. Each features a new protagonist — a new brave kid — that must throw themselves into danger to survive. Twenty seemingly unconnected kids who have only 10 minutes to escape the terrifying situations they find themselves in.

But wait…

Are they unconnected? Are they all individual stories? If you look closely and watch out for the clues, there are secrets within these stories, and when you read them all and get to the end, you’ll be rewarded with the answers you didn’t even know you were looking for.

This is a brilliant book for junior readers. The stories are bite-sized, and there are even time markers throughout each one to tell you how close you are to the end. It’s a small but really positive feature of the book, encouraging readers to keep going.

If you love action, adventure and danger, this one is most definitely for you!

Title: 10 Minutes of Danger
Author: Jack Heath
Publisher: Allen and Unwin, $14.99
Publication Date: 1 July 2022
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781760978792
For ages: 8 - 14
Type: Junior Fiction, Middle Grade

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Video: Bedtime Story

From the best-selling author of The Tall Man and The Arsonist, a personal tale about death, life and the enchantment of stories. With illustrations by Anna Walker. Watch the stunning book trailer for this moving book that is both memoir and manual.

Let me tell you a story…

When Chloe Hooper’s partner is diagnosed with a rare and aggressive illness, she has to find a way to tell their two young sons. By instinct, she turns to the bookshelf. Can the news be broken as a bedtime tale? Is there a perfect book to prepare children for loss?

Hooper embarks on a quest to find what practical lessons children’s literature—with its innocent orphans and evil adults, magic, monsters and anthropomorphic animals—can teach about grief and resilience in real life. From the Brothers Grimm to Frances Hodgson Burnett and Tolkien and Dahl—all of whom suffered childhood bereavements—she follows the breadcrumbs of the world’s favourite authors, searching for the deep wisdom in their books and lives.

Both memoir and manual, Bedtime Story is stunningly illustrated by the New York Times award-winning Anna Walker. In an age of worldwide uncertainty, here is a profound and moving exploration of the dark and light of storytelling.

Read our exclusive KBR review by Elizabeth Vercoe, here.

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Review: Bedtime Story

12 Curly Questions with Brenton Cullen

We are delighted to introduce a vibrant new face to our renowned KBR family. Brenton Cullen is familiar figure in Kid Lit circles having reviewed and curated titles spanning every genre for years. 

His current passion is the compilation of children's books and their creators through the Golden Age of story writing, namely the 80s and 90s. 

We can't wait to see what Brenton shares with us in the months to come and today share a little bit more about him; the writer and advocate of great children's stories. Welcome, Brenton!

1. Tell us something hardly anyone knows about you.
I saw a ghost when I was ten. Nobody ever believes me, but I swear I did!

2. What is your nickname?
I don’t have a proper nickname, but I am often called variations of my name like ‘Brendan’, ‘Brandon’, ‘Quentin’ (that was a weird one!) – I no longer bother to correct people!

3. What is your greatest fear?
Losing my loved ones. And, running out of time to read, and write, all the books I want to.

4. Describe your writing style in ten words.
My writing style, depending on the book I write, can be intriguing, descriptive yet pared back, full of mystery and puzzles, poignant and emotional, with dashes of subtle humour.

5. Tell us five positive words that describe you as a writer.
Curious, inquisitive, passionate, imaginative, enterprising

6. What book character would you be, and why?
When I was 11, I first read one of my all-time favourite books called The Shadow Thief by Alexandra Adornetto. The boy in the story was named Ernest Pericloff and I related to his bookish personality and his problem with nerves, so I think we are very similar.

7. If you could time travel, what year would you go to and why?
I’d want to go to the 1980s – and witness the ‘Golden Age’ of Australian Children’s Books for myself. It was the time where books flourished, great writers began their careers, and children’s books and their creators were given great media and awards attention. It seems like an innovative and creative period which produced so many classic stories.

8. What would your ten-year-old self say to you now?
I knew you could do it.

9. Who is your greatest influence?
Personally, my mum for showing me strength has no limit and that it’s never too late to take charge of your life. But in the literary world, it must be the writers I loved as a child, who made me a reader and writer, and whom I am proud to call acquaintances, colleagues, mentors and hopefully friends! People like Libby Gleeson, Wendy Orr, Libby Hathorn, Jackie French, Sally Odgers and so many more. The entire community of children’s book authors inspire me every day!

10. What/who made you start writing?
Apart from the authors I mention above, my three favourite writers growing up were Enid Blyton, JK Rowling, and Ann M Martin. I devoured their books, and they are the main non-Australian writers who truly inspired my ongoing love of writing and reading stories.

11. What is your favourite word and why?
Cadbury. It conjures up delicious images.

12. If you could only read one book for the rest of your life, what would it be?
I would go with a long, in-depth biography of an author. Perhaps Agatha Christie: A Life by Janet Morgan – it offers terrific insight into Agatha’s writing process and her fascinating life. For a children’s book, I choose the Teen Power Inc series by Emily Rodda – I know that’s cheating, but maybe there could be a compendium of all the books together. Teen Power was one of my all-time favourite series as a teen because I love the mysteries!


Brenton Cullen is a book reviewer, writer, bookseller, and collector of children’s literature. Passionate about promoting children’s books and authors from the publishing ‘Golden Age’ of the 1980s & 90s, he is currently writing a book on the subject to keep that time alive. 

Connect with Brenton via his website or through Instagram.

 

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Review: 11 Words for Love

You've heard the word love, but how do you explain it?

In the Arabic language there are more than 50 words for love (al-Hob). This picture book focuses on eleven of them and what they mean.

Author Randa Abdel-Fattah and illustrator Maxine Beneba Clarke share this from the perspective of a child whose family, although not really explicitly stated in words, leaves their homeland for a new one. It's there in the pictures and the emotions expressed.

They make a new life and new memories, experiencing love in many of its forms. Love for family, or which grows between new friends. Love for neighbours. Love for home. Also sudden, romantic love, love for siblings, and for the loved ones who are no longer with us.

The illustrations in 11 Words for Love are full of colour, texture and movement. A suitcase and photographs are recurring images, along with symbols of love. And each expressed example is accompanied by both words and the Arabic script.

The text makes use of rhythm and rhyme as it encourages readers to consider all the ways we experience love.

As the story’s narrator repeats throughout the book, ‘There are eleven words for love, and my family knows them all’. How many will you recognise and how many more kinds of love can you name?

11 Words for Love is a happy, hopeful book, perfect for family and intergenerational sharing.

Teacher’s notes are available to download from the publisher’s website.

Title: 11 Words for Love
Author: Randa Abdel-Fattah
Illustrator: Maxine Beneba Clarke
Publisher: Lothian, $24.99
Publication Date: 28 September 2022
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9780734421203
For ages: 4+
Type: Picture Books

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Guest Post: Cherie Bell on $5 Book Reviews

Review: Grub

Although flat, the cover of this book gives the illusion of being tactile sandy earth that makes you want to run your fingers through it. 

The fact that there’s a little squishy-type being sitting atop the one-word title of ‘GRUB’ is a bonus. And then, before even opening to the first line of the story, the endpapers are a creepy-crawly delight.

Down on the rainforest floor, little hungry Grub can sense that something momentous is about to happen which will cause his body to change. 

Upon quizzing insect friends such as the ladybird, dragonfly, stick insect and monarch butterfly, he comes to understand that he won’t follow their paths of change, but that this journey will be all his own.

Alongside beautiful illustrations depicting both the rainforest floor and its exotic flora and fauna, this story also contains the gentle rhythm of line repetition to build up anticipation in the reader.

So he ate and he ate, and he grew and he grew…

What will happen to Grub?

We see Grub changing and growing with every new interaction, until finally he builds a special, protective shell (from his very own droppings, no less) and emerges as something quite special. It’s a lovely surprise but no spoiler alerts here!

The book concludes with five fabulous facts about Grub‘s transformation, and endpapers depicting the transformed insects from those of the front endpapers, which round out the story very nicely indeed.

A beautifully presented work from the winning illustrator of the 2021 Environment Award for Children’s Literature.

Title: Grub
Author/illustrator: Sandra Severgnini
Publisher: EK Books, $24.99
Publication Date: 1 August 2022
Format: Hardback
ISBN: 9781922539267
For ages: 4 - 8
Type: Picture Book

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Meet The Illustrator: Jennifer Horn

Name: Jennifer Horn

Describe your illustration style in ten words or less. 

Stolen crumbs from Quentin Blake’s scribbles, and cooked Jen-style
OR
Whimsical, scribbly, light, evocative.

What items are an essential part of your creative space? 

A visual diary, an eye-height-ish laptop, and room still for a cup of tea. 

Also natural light and a cat at my side would be nice, but the cat doesn’t often stay.

Do you have a favourite artistic medium? 

I’m pretty artistically basic - pencil and paper is all I need. Though a regular on Wacom tablets these days, I admit to have never tried Procreate – I think I’d miss the ‘tooth’ of the paper too much.

Name three artists whose work inspires you.

So many! Other than previously-mentioned Quentin Blake:, Charlie Mackesy, Kathleen Jennings and Charles Vess.

Which artistic period would you most like to visit and why?

Art Nouveau – I love the languid and fantastically curving-over-itself designs, both in the art and architecture. It feels so otherworldly. I was recently so fortunate to visit some of Antoni Gaudi’s art and architecture in Barcelona – very cool walking into buildings inspired by nature but warped by a creative imagination!

Who or what inspired you to become an illustrator? 

As a child I was always drawing, always reading books to my toys, so I think that combination of storytelling visuals had some great incubating. In Grade Five we had to write and illustrate our own picture book – it was one of the most fulfilling school creative projects I remember. Perhaps though, it was discovering Shaun Tan’s The Arrival while I was neck-deep in studying the wrong visually-creative channel for me (Architecture) that really shone a light on illustration as a back-of-the-mind option. The book’s cinematic storytelling power told through classic sketchwork made me realise that illustration could transcend comicy styles built for solely young readers, and could pride itself in being absolutely beautiful and timeless.

Can you share a photo of your creative work space or part of the area where you work most often? Talk us through it. 

This is the little spare room I do my digital work in, complete with daytime natural light and spindly piece of greenery nearby. The cute little orange and white desk was a gift from my husband when years ago I was living in share-houses and the only at-home place I had to work was the busy communal dining table. It’s propped up by a few pie dishes so I can get the workspace height right! Also propped up is the laptop – Harry Potter books are great for this (I like to think I’m typing on the shoulders of giants). 

Here I am working at my Wacom tablet, which is how I add to the artwork once the hand-drawings are put into Photoshop. Recently I’ve invested in a proper cushioned mousepad as I feel it in my wrist if I do too many hours of digital illustrating at once. My A2 drawing board is tucked behind the chair; this is on what I did all the watercolour illustrations for The Precious Plum. Add a few aesthetic old books and room for the cup of tea, and we’re set to work! Riley the cat will probably come in at some point and push his nose into the bedspread skirts to get under the bed.

 
What is your favourite part of the illustration process?

One really rewarding thing is when drawing a person (from a photo or life) and you feel you’ve really captured them. Sometimes not on the first go, but with an extra centimetre to the chin or concentration on their characteristic features, you work out what really makes it them (and it’s definitely not by drawing everything!). Also when freelance clients remark that I’ve really understood the feel of the story’s scene.

What advice would you give to an aspiring illustrator? 

The first step is sharing your work. This can be such a big self-hurdle, but thankfully it gets easier and feels so much more natural the more consistently you do it.

Jennifer Horn is a Brisbane-based illustrator and children’s writer. Her debut picture book The Precious Plum was released in 2021 amongst some very musical live book launches. Her illustrations and short stories have appeared in children's anthologies from Share Your Story and Rhiza Edge. Jen enjoys reading books over radio.


For more information, please visit Jennifer's website.

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Guest Post: Shae Millward on The Inspiration Behind The Story of The Rabbit's Magician

Review: The Raven's Song

Imagine a world where you live in a fenced community of only 350 people. 

You care for the land, live a simple life and use minimal things so everything beyond the fence can grow and repair — so the world can heal after all the damage that has been done to it.

You accept this life. You don’t question it. You want to help save the world.

But when someone starts cutting the fence and stealing sheep, and you discover there are secrets hidden in the trees outside your community… well, would you just repair the fence and go back to looking after the chickens?
Shelby can’t. She can’t ignore the call of adventure. She can’t ignore the questions she has about the past and what it means for her present and her future. 

But the world outside the fence isn’t everything it appears to be, and some of the secrets it holds are dangerous. For Shelby and for her community.

But this isn’t only Shelby’s story. Years before Shelby was born, a boy called Phoenix lives in the world just before it broke. Phoenix lives with his siblings and his aunt. His mother passed away a year ago and he’s doing his best to help protect his brother and sisters. But Phoenix isn’t like other kids. He has a special gift to see things others can’t and it leads him to both doom and glory.

One living in the future and one in the past, Shelby and Phoenix’s stories start separately and then entwine. Chapters alternate between them, revealing secrets one at a time. It’s exhilarating and addictive.

The Raven’s Song is a special and thought-provoking book. It’s a story that lingers in your mind long after you finish it. With strong messages about caring for our earth and being wary of where overconsumption will lead us, it explores very topical and important issues (though the book definitely doesn’t hit you over the head with morals).

But there is something else in this story  — a  fantastical element that speaks to the soul. The otherness of the spirit world, the wonder of believing that there’s something else out there, that hope has power and can change the world.

Author duo extraordinaire Zana Fraillon and Bren MacDibble really deliver the goods on this one. It’s powerful, mesmerizing and unforgettable. If you like fantasy, science-fiction and paranormal stories, I highly recommend picking up a copy of The Raven’s Song.

Title: The Raven's Song
Author: Zana Fraillon and Bren MacDibble
Publisher: Allen and Unwin, $16.99
Publication Date: October 2022
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781761065798
For ages: 10 -14
Type: Middle-Grade

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10 Quirky Questions with author Fiona Wood

1. What's your hidden talent?
I am my family’s handy person. I’m the keeper of the tool box, the electric drill etc. I love fixing things.

2. Who is your favourite literary villain and why?
Iago from Othello is a favourite – jealous, duplicitous and completely ruthless. I had this character in mind when I created Holly in my second novel, Wildlife. Whenever I wondered if something she might do was just too awful, I thought of Iago and that helped me to shape her as a truly horrible false friend.

3. You're hosting a literary dinner party, which five authors would you invite? (alive or dead)
So many possible configurations for some fantastic dinners, but tonight I’ll invite Edith Nesbit, Joan Aiken, LM Montgomery, Tove Jansson and Robin Klein.

4. Which literary invention do you wish was real?
Time machine. See questions 3 and 9.

5. What are five words that describe your writing process?
Daydream. Plan. Write. Rewrite. Rewrite.

6. Which are the five words you would like to be remembered by as a writer?
“Made me laugh, cry, think.”

7. Picture your favourite writing space. What are five objects you would find there?
Computer. Remote keyboard. Coffee cup. 4pm snakes. Window, through which to stare at sky.

8. Grab the nearest book, open it to page 22 and look for the second word in the first sentence. Now, write a line that starts with that word. (Please include the name of the book!)
The word is ‘her’ from Dragon Skin, the superb middle-grade novel by Karen Foxlee.
Her name was Persephone, not that anyone had bothered to ask.

9. If you could ask one author one question, what would the question be and who would you ask?
One of the lovely things about working as a writer is that you can ask another author anything. Authors are friendly and helpful and good at listening to each other’s trials and tribulations. So, present-day questions being sorted, I will travel back in time to ask George Eliot if I could please see her planning papers for Middlemarch – so many balls in the air! If George Eliot were not available for some reason, I’d ask Enid Blyton how she was so prolific: Did she have a team of ghostwriters working with her?

10. Which would you rather do: 'Never write another story or never read another book'?
Neither option is in any way acceptable!

Fiona Wood's first novel, Six Impossible Things was shortlisted for the Children's Book Council of Australia (CBCA) Book of the Year, Older Readers. Her next three books, Wildlife, Cloudwish; and Take Three Girls (co-written with Cath Crowley and Simmone Howell, and winner of the CBCA award for Older Readers) were shortlisted for numerous other awards. Her books are published internationally. Fiona is also a screenwriter and lives in Melbourne/Naarm with her family. For more information, see www.fionawood.com.

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Guest Review: Dr Belle Anderson on The Storyteller's Handbook

Review: You are Loved

You are Loved is a fabulous celebration of the true essence of love — the very heart of it.

You are loved when you win the race.

You are loved when you don’t.

You are loved when you brush your teeth.

You are loved when you won’t.

Exploring all the reasons we love, this picture book is a smile, a kiss and a giant hug all at once. It’s a book for bedtimes and snuggles. Debut author Liv Downing has penned a beautiful rhyming song of love in this picture book. It’s beautiful and heart-warming and all things you want in a book for kids.

Mel Matthews also brings the love to the pages with her stunning illustrations. Colour bursts with every turn, and the funky characters and their friends fill the pages with joy. Picture book size but made with board, this beauty also features die cuts on every page. Starting with a heart at the beginning, pieces are peeled away and rebuilt to make a heart again at the end.

At the back of the book, there is also an eight-step meditation for the kids to try. It’s simple, calming and a beautiful exercise to do together.

Feel the love with You are Loved.

Title: You are Loved
Author: Liv Downing
Illustrator: Mel Matthews
Publisher: Allen and Unwin, $24.99
Publication Date: 5 October 2022
Format: Board Book
ISBN: 9781760878146
For ages: 3 - 6
Type: Picture Book, Board Book

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Review: Plume: Festival Seeker

Welcome back Plume! Our intrepid Antarctic traveller extraordinaire is taking readers on another worldwide adventure, this time exploring some of the world’s most colourful festivals, proving that life is not just black-and-white for all penguins!

Little Plume has many friends from many different countries – as one would expect for such a gregarious little fellow – and when he receives an invitation from his Scottish friend to join in a special event, he tries to tempt his penguin comrades to join him. Alas, they are still very set in their penguin ways but that doesn’t deter Plume. He and Ava, of the Albatross Express, spend a year travelling to various countries to celebrate with the locals and enjoy the colourful culture of each.

As with the previous Plume exploits, there will be some names with which children connect. There will very likely be children who know of, or indeed celebrate, Diwali, Holi or even the Rio Carnival, but I daresay none (nor adults) who have heard of the Up Helly Aa festival from the Shetland Isles or the Boryeong Mud Festival in South Korea. The inclusion of Easter and Christmas help even the youngest of readers to relate these lesser known celebrations to those they might encounter in their own lives as a matter of course.

Needless to say Plume’s penguin buddies remain quite obstinate in their reluctance to try anything new – well at least, until it comes to one particular festival that caters exactly to their tastes!

Once again, Tania’s exquisite rendering of sympathetic and engaging text matched with her superlative illustrations will not fail to engage your readers and, as with the earlier Plume books, this is one that sits perfectly not only on personal bookshelves but in classrooms to accompany curriculum units such as those which look at cultural events and festivals (Year 3 HASS) and diversity.

As always, Tania’s work really needs no recommendation, as its superiority speaks volumes, but in any case, I give you my heartiest recommendation for children from Prep upwards (I recently shared Plume: Global Nibbler with a Year 6 and, rather as Plume would with lovely food, they gobbled it up with delight!).

Congratulations, Tania, on another beautiful creation, and I know I eagerly await Plume’s next outing!

See Sue Warren's incredible interview with Tania on her site Just So Stories, then stay awhile and enjoy all the literary goodness.

Written and illustrated by KBR Founder, Tania McCartney, this is the third book in this Hardie Grant Explore travel series for little ones. See book one World Explorer and book two Global Nibbler. Book four is coming October 2023!

Title: Plume: Festival Seeker
Author/Illustrator: Tania McCartney
Publisher: Hardie Grant Explore, $26.99
Publication Date: 5 October AU/NZ, 13 October UK, 8 November USA/Can 2022
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9781741177909
For ages: 3+
Type: Picture Book

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Review: 29 Things You Didn't Know About Me

Junior Review: Letters From Cuba