Review: A Year Of Nature Poems

A Year of Nature Poems is a stunning gift book that draws on the seasons of the Northern Hemisphere. The glorious decorative illustrations begin on the covers where images of nature abound. 

Each month is allocated a double spread with a poem that signifies and salutes the season it reflects. A factual paragraph describes the main subject within the month.

January remembers a legend about flocks of warring starlings in Ireland during the 1600s. Black images of the birds in flight play against an orange sky as the sun sinks behind the hills.

February has environmental elements and refers to the declining amphibians due to Man’s progressive construction.

March is an ode to the 12 types of daffodil. Their names and description fill a single page while the opposite side shows a full page image of daffodils amongst a forest of trees. Butterflies and a rabbit share the joyous yellow blooms.

April is the undecided month. Rain and strong winds are caused by unnatural climate change and erratic weather patterns. On the contrary, May sings her song to the incredible Mayfly and her evolutionary pattern of life.

June heralds the Summer Solstice when the sun is at its highest, while July brings an onslaught of jelly fish to the beach.

August is fruit season while September reminds us of red poisonous toadstools, fairytales and goblins.

October embraces autumn, abscission, log fires and dormancy while chestnuts and empty spiky cases cover the ground beneath and around.

November sees the leafless trees enter a type of hibernation. December pushes it away to accommodate the snow that forces the recollection of memories past, as the white covering brings home the fragility of life.

Title: A Year of Nature Poems
Author: Joseph Coelho
Illustrator: Kelly Louise Judd
Publisher: Allen & Unwin, $22.99
Publication Date: January 2019
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9781786035820
For ages: 8+
Type: Poetry/Picture Book




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Review: Willy Wonka's Everlasting Book of Fun

Willy Wonka's Everlasting Book of Fun is an activity book chock full of entertainment. Enough to do something different every day of the year.

It features one of Roald Dahl's most famous characters, Willy Wonka, and the five children who visited his chocolate factory.

Try your hand at cooking. Recipes include cabbage soup (a warm and hearty staple for Charlie Bucket's family), strawberry-flavoured, chocolate-coated fudge (not one of Mrs Gloop's favourites), and butterscotch (loved by the Oompa Loompas).

Show off your artistic skills by dreaming up and drawing a fabulous new chocolate bar, or your fantasy chocolate factory.

Learn how to draw your own optical illusion, or make a moving Oompa Loompa bookmark.

There's word play, too.

Willy Wonka's sweet-themed riddles and wisecracks will get you chuckling (Why did the chocolate factory close down? It had a meltdown), and you can challenge yourself to think of many different words to describe delicious chocolate.

Quiz questions will test the knowledge of avid Willy Wonka fans. There are also mazes, find-a-words, games, magic tricks, and lots more.

Even if you haven't encountered Roald Dahl and his fabulous stories before, Willy Wonka's Everlasting Book of Fun is bound to please and keep everyone amused.

Title: Willy Wonka's Everlasting Book of Fun
Author: Roald Dahl
Publisher: Puffin, $14.99
Publication Date: February 2020
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9780241428139
For ages: 7+
Type: Activity book




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The Institute of Fantastical Inventions

Review: Judy Moody Super Book Whiz

Review: Raymund and the Fear Monster

Raymund is afraid of many things. He could fall climbing trees, drown swimming in the river, and get hurt playing soccer. 

But most of all he fears nightfall. That’s when the monster prowls their village.

It thrives on fear and has gained gigantic proportions, satisfying its hunger from the children’s reaction to his presence.

Small in stature, and made fun of by the village children, Raymund is answered with laughter when he asks to join them to face the monster. He believes he has the courage needed.

Raymund is determined to overcome the fear he feels. He has worked out a way. Can he succeed in staring the monster down?

Powerful portrayal of fear is presented in both text and illustrations. Higginson’s prose is direct and positive. Ester De Boer, using fine liner pens and watercolour pencils, has employed intricate detail to portray the passion and confidence the monster has in controlling the children through fear. Images of the children at play, and close-ups of Raymund, add poignancy to the scenes and double spreads.

The artwork displaying the trees in the forest is exceptionally beautiful. The spreading roots in the ground and the splayed out branches above, juxtapose the children’s fear magnified, with the monster’s insatiable appetite.

Title: Raymund and the Fear Monster
Author: Megan Higginson
Illustrator: Ester De Boer
Publisher: Blue Brumby Books, $20.00
Publication Date: October 2019
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 97805483381
For ages: 5 - 8
Type: Picture Book




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Meet The Illustrator: Tanja Stephani

Name:

Tanja Stephani

Describe your illustration style in ten words or less.
Cheerful, humorous, a little cheeky, warm, with lot of soul, touching.

What items are an essential part of your creative space?
My pin board, my sofa, my books and my double bass.

Do you have a favourite artistic medium?
Yes I feel very at home with my coloured pencils from all kind of producers.

Name three artists whose work inspires you.
Paula Monderson, Bansky, Picasso.


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

The Picasso time, everything was fresh, new and unusual and the way was open to create crazy stuff. Nowadays nearly everything is done and it is hard to create something new. 

Who or what inspired you to become an illustrator?

My books and my LPs with children stories such as Peter and the Wolf  inspired me, I also wanted to create small worlds. I loved the  Tatjana Hauptmann's work.

Can you share a photo of your creative work space or part of the area where you work most often? Talk us through it.
My work space is an old stable outside my house, I can easily go outside to work and smell the fresh air. I really love my studio, we also play music here, drink coffee together, it is a meeting point for my friends and family.

What is your favourite part of the illustration process?

When the raws are done, than the nice process starts for me, it is cosy to sit over my work with nice podcasts, and colouring the world I created.

What advice would you give to an aspiring illustrator?
Be yourself, be kind to yourself, practice your skills and believe in your dream, but it has really to be what you want to do with your heart and soul. It is sometimes a lonely world as an illustrator.

Tanja is an  illustrator, artist, and a folk music double bass player. She lives and works in an old farmhouse together with her family, dogs and a fabulous grandmother, on a mountain in Switzerland. After art school, she trained as a graphic designer. Computers were less prevalent in the early eighties and  that is how students learned to do everything by hand which is very helpful in case of an internet crash....When Tanja is not working on her illustrations, you can find her in her huge garden, in the forest, on the ground playing with her dogs or sitting together with family and friends, and on stage with her lovely bluegrass folk band.

Please visit Tanja's website for more information or follow Tanja on instagram and pinterest .

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Review: After The Fall, How Humpty Dumpty Got Back Up Again

Review: Duck, Apple, Egg

Delightful, warming, joyful. That’s Duck, Apple, Egg in three words.

From award-winning author Glenda Millard and uber-talented illustrator Martina Heiduczek, this is a picture book that feels like a giant hug when you read it. 

With few words, arranged in delicious wordplay throughout, it follows a child as they play in their garden with a duck, an apple and an egg. 

You can’t help but smile when you read this picture book. It pulls you back into your childhood and the delights of being in nature, doing nothing in particular and loving it. 

Kids will relate to this book. They will love it for its simple beauty and entertainment. Adults, too, will love it. They'll love the gentleness of the story — the quiet and calming flow that acts as a reminder to take things slow and enjoy the world.

Heiduczek’s illustrations are as warming as Millard’s words. Truly they are stunning. I’ve not seen shadow work quite like Heiduczek’s and it’s absolutely beautiful. There are so many details to explore, it’s impossible to notice everything on the first read.

I love books that take something simple and turn it to magic. A special and joyful story for spreading love and warmth all around, I highly recommended Duck, Apple, Egg.

For another magical picture book by Glenda Millard, make sure you check out Pea Pod Lullaby. And For more beautiful illustrations by Martina Heiduczek, check out From Above the Clouds.

Title: Duck, Apple, Egg
Author: Glenda Millard
Illustrator: Martina Heiduczek
Publisher: ABC Books, $ 24.99
Publication Date: 24 February 2020
Format: Hard Cover
ISBN: 9780733340185
For ages: 3 - 6
Type: Picture Book

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Review: I Am Change

12 Curly Questions with author Emma Perry

1. Tell us something hardly anyone knows about you.
But then, everyone will know. I’m not sure I can reveal it. Not yet. Not now. Maybe later… ?!

2. What is your nickname?
Sometimes people call me Em. Does that count? I’m clutching at straws there, aren’t I!

3. What is your greatest fear?
That at some point I will use SO many exclamation marks in my writing that I’ll end up with a page with more exclamation marks than words. What can I say, I like them!!! See. Ooops.

4. Describe your writing style in 10 words.
Giggle-inducing, erratic and hopeful, with a fondness for silly words.

5. Tell us five positive words that describe you as a writer.
Determined, TRYING to be patient (you need heaps of it in this lovely industry), thoughtful, easily distracted and…

6. What book character would you be, and why?
Oooh this is a good one. And a hard one, too. Can I choose one of my own? I’d quite like to be Colin the bear from This Book Has Alpacas and Bear – he’s a bit grumpy to begin with, but he is friends with Alfonso the alpaca, and I know that would LOTS of fun.

7. If you could time travel, what year would you go to and why?
Hmm, I quite fancy going back to 1920s America - Fitzgerald, Gatsby, Jazz Age - that would be intriguing. I might have to follow them to Paris, too!

8. What would your 10-year-old self say to you now?
Blimey! You wrote a book!!

9. Who is your greatest influence?
My kids xxx

10. What/who made you start writing? 
A New Year’s Resolution, after a string of hints that wouldn’t disappear no matter how much I ignored them!

11. What is your favourite word and why? 
Hullabaloo – doesn’t it sound brilliant when you say it out loud? I even managed to sneak it into I Don’t Like Books. Never. Ever. The End.

12. If you could only read one book for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Wait? What? What tricky idea is this? Yikes. Could I go for an anthology? Yes, I should go for an anthology, shouldn’t I? Hmmm, maybe The Lost Words by Robert Macfarlane & Jackie Morris should be the one? Or… I know! Children’s Picture Books: The Art of Visual Storytelling by Martin Salisbury & Morag Styles. Lots of wonderful picture books are tucked inside there, so I can reminisce quite nicely with that one.

 

Emma Perry can be found either writing books, reading them or teaching them. It's always been that way. In fact, her first two picture books are about... yep, books. The founder of MyBookCorner, and organiser of International Book Giving Day, the book obsession shows no sign of slowing down. For more information, see www.emmaperryauthor.com.

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Winners: The Good Hawk

Our winners are...

Ben Tolz, NSW
Kearin Guziak
Joseph Spagnolo

Congratulations!

You have each one a copy of the fantastical, The Good Hawk by Joseph Elliot.

Your prize is on its way.

Meantime, if you want to find out more about the making of this fascinating trilogy, read Joseph's interview.

Thank you to ALL who entered. We think you are all heroes!

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Review: Humanimal

Humanimal takes a fabulous, fascinating look at the many ways animals are just like humans.
Beginning with community and teamwork, the book is divided into topics such as farming, grief, language, inventions and more. For each topic, discoveries about different animals; how they think and what they do similarly to humans in various situations are told.

I found this book so captivating that I read it all in one go, the content is unique to other animal fact books and is highly relatable to us as humans. Some of my favourite parts include the language and teamwork of honeybees, angry llamas, sneaky cuckoo birds, puzzle solving slime mould and ravens who roll down hills for fun.

A helpful glossary, index and profiles of ecologists, marine biologists, zoologists and other people who studied the animals in the book including Jane Goodall and Karl von Frisch is featured at the end.

Humanimal is the perfect book for a classroom and curious minds, it’s educational, thought provoking and beautifully presented.

Mark Ruffle is a UK based illustrator and designer, his textured digital illustrations suit perfectly and give Humanimal modern stylised feel. Christopher Lloyd is a UK author and historian, two of his many other books include Absolutely Everything! and The Big History Timeline Wallbook.

Title: Humanimal
Author: Christopher Lloyd
Illustrator: Mark Ruffle
Publisher: What on Earth Publishing, $27.99
Publication Date: 1 February 2020
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9781912920006
For ages: 4+
Type: Picture Book




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Video: League of Llamas

League of Llamas is a cool new series written by Aleesah Darlison and illustrated by Simon Greiner. Just imagine a bunch of secret agents known as LOL (League of Llamas) whose evil nemesis is a badger named General Bottomburp! How would the llamas save the world and what mischief could ensue?

League of Llamas features characters with tongue twisting names, action packed adventures, and plenty of humour. Look out for The Golden Llama, Llama Impossible, Undercover Llamas and Rogue Llama.


 
Title: League of Llamas 1: The Golden Llama
Author: Aleesah Darlison
Illustrator: Simon Greiner
Publisher: Puffin, $9.99
Publication Date: March 2020
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781760894160
For ages: 7+
Type: Junior fiction




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Review: The Family Travel Handbook

The Family Travel Handbook is a useful resource for adults planning to embark on the adventure of travelling with children. It is also for families who have often travelled, but are looking for inspiration for their next adventure.

All families are diverse in their shape and make-up. This book is primarily focussed on the subset of families consisting of one or more adults (parents or carers) with a child or children. This includes those travelling with infants, toddlers, primary-school-aged children and teenagers. There is a brief section on multi-generational travel, but this is not the primary focus for this particular book.

A perfect size to slip into a suitcase, this book contains 168 pages packed with tips, ideas and strategies to maximise the joys of travelling with children and to minimise some of the inevitable challenges of travelling with children, with ideas for different families at different stages.

Chapters on choosing modes of travel and styles of holidays that work for different families can help families to plan their next vacation, from a staycation (a vacation at home), to a road trip, to travelling sustainably, and to volunteering in various parts of the world. There are also tips on how to find places to eat to meet everyone's needs, ways to stay healthy and a parent Q&A at the conclusion of the book.

The Family Travel Handbook is peppered with photographs, anecdotes and real-world tips that will inspire, reassure and encourage anyone who would like to travel with children.

Title: The Family Travel Handbook
Publisher: Lonely Planet, $29.99
Publication Date: 8 January 2020
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781788689151
For ages: Adults
Type: Non-fiction




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Review: The Big World of Fun Facts

Do you know what the longest word in the English language is? It will take more than a minute to write. I couldn’t even say it!

If you like facts, figures and trivia, and are curious about anything and everything, you’ll love The Big World of Fun Facts. Lonely Planet excels in informational books for kids and adults that love to learn stuff! This is another opportunity to discover unknown things about the world around us.

National symbols, flags, currency, language and everything connected to culture and traditions can be found here, along with snippets of social history and politics.

Historical facts abound. About 7000 languages are spoken on Earth. The Albanians have 27 different words for moustache. Learn how people are named in different countries and why. Read interesting Folklore Facts and learn about unique schools.

Unusual factual stories invite the reader to explore further. Some of them are gruesome and disgusting. Just what kids love to read.

There are music facts, sports and car facts, incredible feats, weird job facts that no one will believe, with dangerous jobs included. Arts and entertainment are also addressed. Each section is separated by individual page colours for easy identification.

Wise words and proverbs from each country that are still used today will surprise. So will the many amazing entries of things I had never heard about.

From rappers to railways; Hollywood to Bollywood, colourful photographs in a montage of colour and shapes fill the pages and complement the excellent text.

I had the best laugh with Real Place Name Facts! They were literally unbelievable!

This will certainly be one of the most entertaining and comprehensive books kids and adults will ever come across. It will be opened repeatedly and at every opportunity.

It has a listing at the end of more books of facts - hard copy and online, for those that love learning, or just reading about fun facts.

Title: The Big World of Fun Facts

Author:W. H. Poole

Publisher: Lonely Planet Kids, $29.95

Publication Date: November 2019

Format: Hardcover

ISBN: 9781788683326

For ages: 9 - 12

Type: Non Fiction

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Review: Ready, Set, Code!

Review: I Heart the World

To try and describe the immensity of the work involved in Tania McCartney’s I Heart the World seems impossible. The research that has gone into creating this magnificent encyclopaedic oversized book is staggering. That’s only the text.

In addressing the illustrations, they have to be seen to be believed. The detail involved needs time and examination to truly appreciate what McCartney has done here. This is perhaps her magnum opus amongst all her outstanding output.

Each full page entry is an excursion into knowledge, statistics and information. With exquisite supportive detailed illustrations.

From cities to jungles; from forests to things that fly, we discover Earthly Extremes, visit the Arctic Circle, the Oceans of the world, buildings and monuments, a history of house styles, national costumes, clothing styles, food, animals – familiar and unfamiliar, rivers, sea creatures, customs and traditions, flora and fauna.

(Please forgive me if I have forgotten something.)

All the continents are touched upon. Each one with all the general information about countries, land mass, language, population, largest city, rivers, highest and lowest point.

Elegant and priceless, this book and McCartney’s gifted talent, shouldn’t be underestimated. Striking covers indicate the quality of the internal content.

Illustrations were created with watercolour, ink, and digital elements, as well as mono printed and photographed textures.

Tania’s purpose with this book was to spark curiosity and adventure…and environmental awareness in children. She has succeeded and more!

Title: I Heart the World

Author/Illustrator: Tania McCartney

Publisher: Hardie Grant Travel, $29.99

Publication Date: February 2020

Format: Hardcover

ISBN: 9781741176711

For ages: 9+

Type: Non Fiction

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Review: The Girl, The Dog and The Writer in Lucerne

Review: Charlie Morphs into a Mammoth

How to describe Charlie Morphs into a Mammoth?

Outrageously hilarious, beyond engaging and the best fun you can have with paper and words!

This is a FANTASTIC series for kids. 

It follows Charlie McGuffin, who has a very special and interesting talent: Charlie can morph into animals!

He can make it happen by thinking about things that make him sad, angry or stressed, but he doesn’t quite have control over the animals he turns into, which results in hugely hilarious challenges for Charlie.

I haven’t read the first two books in the series (Charlie Changes into a Chicken and Charlie Turns into a T-Rex), but it caused me no confusion whatsoever. Author Sam Copeland does a great job of getting readers up to speed on Charlie’s adventures.

In this particular adventure, Charlie and his friends notice that pets and animals are going missing across town (feared eaten). Charlie’s friends suspect it’s Charlie changing into animals and eating other animals without realising it, but Charlie swears it isn’t him, even if the evidence points in that direction. Can Charlie and his friends solve the mystery of the missing (possibly eaten) animals?

Easy to read with large text and brilliant illustrations by Sarah Horne throughout (with some very funny Easter eggs to find), this is an engaging and addictive read. Kids (and adults) who love non-stop laughs and a fast moving story will love this book. 

It’s got a healthy dose of grossness kids will love and so much humour in some really cool and different ways — like the foot notes that appear throughout where Copeland adds in additional notes to hilarious effect, and the funny letters from fans and the publisher about Copeland’s quirky refusal to make Charlie change into the very animal that is described in the title of each book. 

But perhaps this is the one, dear reader. Perhaps Charlie will change into a mammoth in this instalment. 

You’ll just have to read it to find out!

Title: Charlie Morphs into a Mammoth

Author: Sam Copeland

Illustrator: Sarah Horne

Publisher: Penguin Random House, $14.99

Publication Date: 4 February 2020

Format: Paperback

ISBN: 9780241346235

For ages: 7 - 12

Type: Junior Fiction, Middle Grade Fiction

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Review: The Corner of My Eye

This is a book you must spend time with. Because it is the story of a life whose colour has gone out of everything and all is reflected in grey. You will want to read how this came about.

It is presented frame by intricate frame, in whole page illustrations that depict the amount of things collected in a lifetime, and the probability that more than half of them will be forgotten.

…You don’t actually forget anything. You’ve collected so much stuff in your head there’s not enough room for it all, so you throw lots of it away.

Highly significant, these illustrations demand full attention. They are extraordinary; created with striking, detailed art work, and montages of photographs and other media.

Grandad has lost something. Can his granddaughter to help him find it? But what is it that is lost?

Colin Thompson’s story is unavoidably biographic and valuable. The excuse that ageing is uncomfortable to talk about and therefore is frequently avoided, steals from life. This stunning book’s theme is memory; something people of all ages struggle with. Thompson has written about life and its natural evolution, within a relationship between old and young. For nothing and no one is ever the same as it, or they are, at the beginning.

For collectors of extraordinary picture books, this is for you. Lovers of books that move you to tears and touch the heart, and those that want to give a gift that will be treasured, this is a priceless gem for every collection.

On the inside of the back cover is the most beautiful set of words, This is What Should Happen, a hymn to Old Age.

Colin Thompson began writing The Corner of My Eye in 2016. It will stay with me forever and with all those people that take it and read it for what it is.

Title: The Corner of My Eye
Author/Illustrator: Colin Thompson
Publisher: Walker Books, $26.99
Publication Date: October 2019
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9781925381931
For ages: 5+
Type: Picture Book
 



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Review: 7 Steps to Get Your Child Reading

If you’re anything like me, you are constantly worrying that you’re not doing enough as a parent.

You worry you have dropped the ball on something you find out all the other parents are doing. You worry your kids are falling behind in something and you could have done more to prevent it.

Reading and writing are big worries — reading in particular. Reading to kids is essential and exposing them to books at a young age is key.

But when and how and why? It isn't always clear.

Luckily, Louise Park has come to the rescue with 7 Steps to Get Your Child Reading.

Louise is a teacher, children’s author and an educational consultant. She knows what’s what when it comes to books, kids and literacy. 

But this isn’t just any non-fiction book. This is a book that has been written with time-poor parents in mind.

From the information to the layout to the design and fun illustrations, this is a book you will pick up and say ‘yes! This is exactly what I was looking for.’

Let’s start with the information. Divided into seven key chapters (one for each of the steps), Park covers everything from birth and up. There’s information about what comes before books and reading to support literacy, how writing is linked to reading (so really this is a book about supporting kids to write as well!), how to deal with the constant distraction of electronics and TV, and the two main philosophies on how to teach your kids to read. 

Plus more. There’s so much more. 

Park has translated all the research into parent-friendly language, and there’s a fantastic mix of real life stories, fact sections, quotes, detailed explanations (with lots of subheadings) and diagrams. There are also chapter takeaways at the end of every chapter.

The brilliant mix of information leads into layout and design. Different sections are clearly marked, the headings are large and funky, and a good balance of white space helps the eye. Nelle May Pierce’s illustrations also add to the fun and readability. Scattered throughout, they bring pizzazz to the pages. They are joyful and really do add to the reading experience.

But there’s more. One of the things I love most about this book is the step-by-step instructions Park provides for helping kids to read. She doesn’t just advise you to do this or do that, she actually shows you how to do it. 

Using her own brilliant books as examples, Park steps you through how to sit down with your kid and guide their learning-to-read experience page by page. Park outlines words kids might struggle with and what to do if they do indeed struggle to read them. She provides questions to ask them to prompt thinking and help them move forward.

The whole book is filled with useful tips and tricks — lots of them simple things that you can implement immediately without cost or effort.

I also love that this is a book for anyone with kids (or even pre-kid) no matter their age. A child’s reading journey really does start from birth, so if you have young babies, this book is for you. But if your kids are older — about to start school, just started taking home readers or have been reading for a while — this book is still for you. 

There’s so much useful information between the covers for encouraging life long readers. And no matter where your kids are on their reading journey, Louise Park has you covered. Insightful, helpful and made for time-poor parents, this is an easy and fun read packed with all the information you need to support kids through their reading adventures.

Highly, highly, highly recommended.

Title: 7 Steps to Get Your Child Reading

Author: Louise Park

Illustrator: Nelle May Pierce

Publisher: Allen and Unwin, $24.99

Publication Date: February 2020

Format: Paperback

ISBN: 9781760524678

Type: Non-Fiction

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Review: Are These Hen's Eggs?

A delightful and surprising story, featuring Hen, who is diligently protecting her eggs when a storm sweeps through and scatters eggs everywhere.

Hen was counting the days until her eggs hatched, but now she is searching for eggs, counting each one as she finds them, with the help of her friends, including cat, dog, owl, goose and duck. Soon there are many eggs! Hen knows they cannot all be hers - some are big, others small, some are blue, some pink, and some are even spotted - yet Hen cares for all of them.

Christina Booth is an award winning Australian author/illustrator, with a gift for conveying emotion and joy in her many stories. Booth's illustrations are endearing, showing love between the hatchlings and their parents.

Are These Hen's Eggs? is a counting book, an egg hunt and a story of friendship and caring, with surprises to be found on many pages.

Title: Are These Hen's Eggs?
Author/Illustrator: Christina Booth
Publisher: Allen&Unwin, $24.99
Publication Date: 4 February 2020
Format: Hardback
ISBN: 9781760523497
For ages: 3 - 6
Type: Picture Book




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Review: Alice Miranda at School (10th Anniversary Edition)

Can you believe it has been ten years since Alice-Miranda started her first day at boarding school — ten years since the fun and adventure began?

Now with 18 books in the series (and another due out in June 2020), activity books, journals and a movie, Alice-Miranda is a worldwide phenomenon!

But let me take you back to where it all began: Alice Miranda at School.

We are first introduced to Alice-Miranda Highton-Smith-Kennington-Jones outside her new boarding school — the Winchesterfield-Downsfordvale Academy for Proper Young Ladies.

Alice-Miranda is actually too young to start school (she’s only seven and one quarter), and her parents are extremely teary about the giant milestone.

But Alice-Miranda is confident and bold, and she wants to go to boarding school. She’s ready for bigger things, so she moves to the academy, excited for her new beginning. 

Unfortunately for Alice-Miranda, things at Winchesterfield-Downsfordvale Academy for Proper Young Ladies are not quite what Alice-Miranda expected. The headmistress is continuously absent and not very well liked, a mean and spoilt girl is terrorising the school, mysterious and unexplained occurrences keep happening, and the school has some very strange rules.

Alice-Miranda wants boarding school to be splendid and amazing — and she also wants to figure out what's going on at the school — so she pulls up her socks and gets to work, because, well, she’s Alice-Miranda.

Positive and chirpy, Alice-Miranda always sees the good in people. She believes everyone is good, and everyone and everything has value. Sometimes this can-do attitude lands her in trouble, but time and time again Alice-Miranda proves that her way of thinking wins out over negativity. She brings warmth and joy to everything she touches. 

As for the 10-year anniversary edition, how can you go past the stunning hard cover with shiny gold embellishments? You’ll also be treated to a letter from Jacqueline at the start of the book.

This is a brilliant series for junior readers. And like I said, there are 18 books in the series (and another due out in June), so it’s definitely a series to become obsessed with (in the very best bookish way!).

As far as recommended reading age goes, that’s a tricky one. I've heard Jacqueline Harvey mention in several interviews that the Alice-Miranda readership spans from very junior readers all the way up to teens. I recommend that if you know a kid who loves a story filled with adventure, friendship, humour and mystery, they will likely be Alice-Miranda fans.

Bonus: Back in 2010, Jacqueline Harvey did a brilliant guest post on how she developed Alice-Miranda as a character. It’s brilliant, and if you’re an Alice-Miranda fan already, it’s a must read. Check it out here. You might also like our 12 Curly Questions with Jacqueline Harvey and our 2010 author interview with Jacqueline Harvey.

For reviews on other books in the Alice-Miranda series, check out: Alice-Miranda on Holiday and Alice-Miranda Takes the Lead.

Title: Alice-Miranda at School 10th Anniversary Edition

Author: Jacqueline Harvey

Publisher: Penguin Random House, $19.99

Publication Date: 4 February 2020

Format: Hardback

ISBN: 9781760896034

For ages: 7+

Type: Junior Fiction, Middle Grade Fiction

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10 Quirky Questions with Australian Children's Laureate Ursula Dubosarsky

1. What's your hidden talent?
Well I like mowing the lawn. I don't know if I'm exactly talented at it - but I do like it.

2. Who is your favourite literary villain and why?
Count Olaf from Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events. He makes me laugh because he's not very good at hiding his badness even though he thinks he is!

3. You're hosting a literary dinner party, which five authors would you invite? (alive or dead)
Dr Seuss, Wanda Gag, Edith Nesbit, EB White, May Gibbs. All ghosts. I don't think I'd sit down with them. I would be the servant, sneaking in and out with the dishes.

4. Which literary invention do you wish was real?
Thing One and Thing Two, who clean up all the mess in The Cat In The Hat.

5. What are five words that describe your writing process?
Impulsive, anxious, wandering, wondering, discovering.

6. Which are the five words you would like to be remembered by as a writer?
Funny. Moving. Puzzling. Sparking. Sincere.

7. Picture your favourite writing space. What are five objects you would find there?
A nice old desk, a comfy chair, a chandelier, a crystal bottle, a very big bookshelf.

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!)
'Sofas are good for lying on, hiding behind, sliding things underneath, jumping on, squishing up on and sinking down into.'
The book is So Long, See You Tomorrow, by William Maxwell

9. If you could ask one author one question, what would the question be and who would you ask?
Rumer Godden — What really happened in that house in Kashmir in 1944???

10. Which would you rather do: 'Never write another story or never read another book'?
Well, my instinct says I would rather never write another story, because I love reading so much. But I suppose if I was locked up in prison with no books, I could entertain myself by inventing stories. So I'm not sure!

Ursula was born and grew up in Sydney in a family of writers and wanted to be a writer from the age of six. She is the author of more than 50 books for children and young adults and her work is published all over the world. She has won several national literary awards, including the Victorian, Queensland and South Australian state awards for literature, and has also won the NSW Premier's Literary Award a record five times. Internationally, she has been nominated for both the Hans Christian Andersen and Astrid Lindgren awards. She has a PhD in English literature and currently lives in Sydney. She has just been named Australia's new Children's Laureate. For more information, see https://ift.tt/2vEZMrB. You can read more Kids' Book Review interviews with Ursula and some reviews of her books here.

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Review: Izzy & Frank

Izzy and Frank is one of those enchanting picture books, bursting with nostalgia and the freedom of childhood.

Izzy and her best buddy, Frank the seagull, do everything together on their island home, from drawing pictures in the sand to fighting off pirates.

But, one day, everything changes and Izzy leaves her dreamy haven for a life in the city.

Katrina Lehman's delightful, fluid prose highlights the stark contrast between the carefree joy of Izzy's old home and the rigid structure of her new life. But a visit from her old friend, Frank, helps Izzy see the city through fresh eyes and helps her understand there is adventure and fun to had when you have a rich imagination, a sense of curiosity and good friends, old and new.

Katrina Lehman and Sophie Beer created a heartfelt, memorable book in their first collaboration, Wren, and Izzy and Frank is equally divine.

Sophie's careful choice of colour palette gives the illustrations an irresistible retro feel and each page is vibrant with detail and warmth. They are the perfect complement to Katrina's beautiful use of imagery, alliteration and rhythm.

A story about memories, change and finding wonder in new adventures, Izzy and Frank is a book to be cherished.


Title: Izzy and Frank
Author: Katrina Lehman
Illustrator: Sophie Beer
Publisher: Scribble Books, $24.99
Publication Date: February 2020
Format: Hard Cover
ISBN: 9781925849509
For ages: 3+
Type: Picture Book

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Review: Jelly-Boy

Jelly-Boy is the story of a smitten jellyfish who follows a mysterious and suspicious plastic bag into dangerous waters.

When a sweet, endearing looking jellyfish spots a plastic bag drifting in the ocean she mistakes it for a jelly-boy; and for love as first sight. The story then follows the duo on an adventure into the ocean with the jellyfish becoming both more curious and educated about the perplexing jelly-boy. Worrying events and a strong message about the danger and destruction of plastic in our oceans prevail.

I love the flow in this book; how the words, typography and illustrations work together to tell an engaging and meaningful story. The vibrant colours with bold shapes and textures create a beautiful and fitting design with a touch of vintage style.

The last page features facts and statistics about the harmful effects of plastic to our environment which would be great to drive conversation about marine life and ocean conservation in a classroom or group setting.

Nicole Godwin is an Australian author with a passion for animal protection and environmental conservation, her previous books include Billie and Ella. Some of Christopher Nielsen’s other illustrated books include Ponk, Ali Berber and the Forty Grains of Salt and Eerie: Hunter and Collector.

Title: Jelly-Boy
Author: Nicole Godwin
Illustrator: Christopher Nielsen
Publisher: Walker Books Australia, $24.99
Publication Date: 1 February 2020
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9781760651237
For ages: 3+
Type: Picture Book




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Giveaway: The Good Hawk

Australian Children's Laureate: Ursula Dubosarsky

Ursula Dubosarsky (Photo: Sarah Steed)

Congratulations to Ursula Dubosarsky, who was named the Australian Children's Laureate for 2020-21 at a ceremony at the National Library of Australia this week.

As the author of more than sixty books, and winner of multiple awards, Ursula is perfectly placed to advocate for children reading.

Ursula speaking at the announcement of the Laureate (Photo: Tania McCartney)

Ursula has written for a range of ages and genres, with her work including The Terrible Plop, The Word Spy, and The Red Shoe. She's also been nominated for the prestigous international Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award and Hans Christian Andersen Award.

As Australian Children's Laureate, Ursula was presented with a special award in the form of the Laureate's mascot, a magpie.

Australian Children's Laureate award and a laurel wreath being used by Ursula to help explain what a laureate is. (Photo: Sarah Steed)

The theme Ursula has chosen for her two years as Laureate is 'Read for your life'. It's grounded in the benefits of reading, and its importance for everyone, whatever their age or background.

Speaking about this, Ursula explained that reading is not something that you learn and then stop. 'Every book you read makes you a better reader. Reading is for your whole life long.'

The theme is also closely connected to another important message. Ursula wants everyone, especially children, to join their local library, borrow books, and read for their whole life.

Ursula reading her book The Terrible Plop to children at a Canberra library (Photo: Sarah Steed)

Ursula Dubosarsky is the sixth Australian Children's Laureate. The previous laureates are: Alison Lester, Boori Monti Pryor, Jackie French, Leigh Hobbs, and Morris Gleitzman.

Click here for Kids' Book Review posts featuring Ursula Dubosarsky, and remember to visit your local library to register for membership, find and borrow books by Ursula, and many other wonderful authors.

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Announcement: International Book Giving Day

14th February is not just a day to revel in flower and rose-giving. It is also International Book Giving Day and is all about getting books into the hands of as many children as possible on 14th February.

International Book Giving Day is a 100% volunteer initiative aimed at increasing children’s access to and enthusiasm for books.

Since its inception in 2012, International Book Giving Day has continued to grow & grow and is celebrated by people in over 44 countries, including – Ukraine, Czech Republic, Croatia, Cyprus, Australia, Canada, South Africa, France, India, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, the Philippines, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United States, Germany, Nigeria, Nicaragua, Brazil, Egypt, Poland, Greece, Portugal, Mexico, Macedonia, Malawi, Hungary, Malaysia, Israel, Denmark, Sri Lanka, Serbia, Thailand, Indonesia, Jordan, China, Puerto Rico and Bulgaria.

International Book Giving Day is run by Emma Perry (My Book Corner, UK) and brilliantly supported by Catherine Friess – Story Snug (Germany) on Twitter. 

You can get involved in a number of exciting ways, big or small, it doesn't matter. As long as the gift of giving books to children somewhere somehow extends throughout the world, you can be sure you are making a difference.

Visit the official site to download this year's poster and beautiful bookplates to include in your book giveaway.

 #bookgivingday

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Review: The Pigeon HAS To Go To School

Review: Bronte: Me and My Boots

Bronte’s boots shout ‘this is who I am today!’ Adaptable to the many roles Bronte chooses to play, they become brave-girl boots, I-believe-I-can boots, bubbly, and full-of-beans boots. 

With her blue boots on, there are no boundaries for Bronte; no allocated gender roles. She loves to try everything.

Written in clever and descriptive rhyming verse,
Bronte: Me and My Boots is full of positive reinforcement.

It encourages the use of imagination and a can-do mind-set.

Bronte is assertive, strong, imaginative, energetic, brave, and the best friend she can be. She presents as the ideal role model to children who love to express their inner selves.

The first title in the Bronte series by the word perfect Penny Harrison, celebrates life. It reflects the confidence owned by children when wearing their favourite clothing items which allow them to do the things they love, and with which they identify themselves.

By the end of the book we have a clear picture of Bronte’s character and attitude to life, including the support of her exploring mind by her warm family circle and best friend. Being an outdoorsy girl, there is a lot of nature, animals, tools and creativity involved.

Evie Barrow’s delightful and expressive illustrations prepare the groundwork for forthcoming adventures. Her choice and use of colour enhances the sense of freedom and joy which Bronte exhibits.

An abundance of small images flow through the book and invite closer inspection. The decorative white items scattered over blue end pages are a design of Bronte’s life and activities.

Bronte is a carefree, lovable and out-going child that many kids will want to copy, learn more about, and definitely follow to see what she gets up to next!

Title: Bronte: Me and My Boots

Author:Penny Harrison

Illustrator: Evie Barrow

Publisher: Hardie Grant Egmont, $19.99

Publication Date: February 2020

Format: Hardcover

ISBN: 9781760502331

For ages: 5+

Type: Picture Book

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Meet The Illustrator: Sophie Beer

Describe your illustration style in ten words or less.
Bold, electric, bright, haphazard, retro, messy, chaotic, funny (I hope!)

What items are an essential part of your creative space?

Lots of posters to inspire me!

Do you have a favourite artistic medium?
Digital. I have such short attention span that I get frustrated working on paper! I need the freedom to do something quickly, delete it and go over it again!

Name three artists whose work inspires you.

Jon Klassen, Mary Blair, Roger Duvoisin

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

The 1950’s and 60’s! The golden age of children’s book art.


Who or what inspired you to become an illustrator?

I was in the final year of my law degree and really wasn’t enjoying it. The only thing that made me happy was painting, so I took that and ran with it!

Can you share a photo of your creative work space or part of the area where you work most often? Talk us through it.
You can see all the posters on my wall, as well as embroidery from my friends, art from others, and inspiring quotes. I keep flowers around my studio all of the time, plus houseplants. You can see my Wacom tablet and my Mac as well!

What is your favourite part of the illustration process?
When you find a colour combination that works and it all clicks together.

What advice would you give to an aspiring illustrator?

Practise, practise, practise, and in the words of JK Rowling: “ I believe in hard work and luck, and that the first often leads to the second.”

Sophie Beer is a children's illustrator and author from Brisbane. She completed a dual degree in Law and Creative Industries with distinction at Queensland University of Technology, but found her true calling in children's and editorial illustration after being caught doodling in law textbooks too often. Reveling in color, shape, and texture, she lives by one simple rule: Art should never be boring. She has worked with lots of clients over her freelancing career including Disney, Google, Scholastic, Penguin Random House, Hardie Grant Egmont and more. When she's not illustrating and writing, she thinks a lot about equality, nature, books, and Aldi choc-chip biscuits.

Visit Sophie's website or follow her on instagram

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