Guest Post: Katrina Germein on My Dad Thinks He's Super Funny

More than Jokes - today best-selling picture book author, Katrina Germein, fill us in on her latest addition to the hugely popular (and funny), 'My Dad' series. 

 My Dad Thinks He’s Super Funny is the third installment in the My Dad series. It’s a sparkling, new collection of entertaining dad jokes but all three books are not just about dads, or dad jokes, they’re about family.

I didn’t know that when I wrote the first one, My Dad Thinks He’s Funny. I began the way I usually do; I started writing about something I’d noticed and wanted to explore. My dad doesn’t typically tell dad jokes. He’s funny but in a very-long-story type of way. My stepdad is funny as well, but in a riddles-and-rhymes type of way. 

So, I didn’t grow up with classic dad humour and it was something I tuned into as an adult. My father-in-law inspired the original story. He would crack a gag, and while his own grown-up children rolled their eyes, I chuckled. 

This family culture was new to me. All the adult kids groaned at their father’s comedy, but you could see that they also loved him for it. I started collecting these jokes and thinking about a ‘funny dad’ character. I kept collecting, and I’m still collecting, as the series grows and grows!

When the first book was finished, I thought it was fun. Tom Jellett’s illustrations were perfect, so clever and humorous. The book made me laugh and I hoped it would make readers smile too. What I wasn’t expecting was the warm feelings of nostalgia it fostered. Adult readers were soon telling me teary stories of grandparents, parents, uncles, and aunties. At each school visit I do, some students share favorite jokes, but most want to describe a beloved funny relative. Hearing these anecdotes is always special and I’m touched to know that the My Dad books bring families together, often to share memories and stories, as well jokes and laughs. I can’t wait to hear what new family tales stir from My Dad Thinks He’s Super Funny.

Katrina Germein is a best-selling picture book author, published worldwide. Her popular title, My Dad Thinks He’s Funny was Highly Commended in the Prime Minister’s Literary Awards and became the first book in the ever-growing ‘My Dad’ series. In 2019 Katrina received a Speech Pathology Book of the Year Award for Let’s Go Strolling and her 2020 release Shoo You Crocodile! was chosen for the Little Big Book Club literacy program and gifted to twenty-three thousand pre-school children. 

Many of Katrina’s other stories, such as Big Rain Coming and Thunderstorm Dancing, have been recognised as Children’s Book Council Notable Books and featured on children’s television programs including Play School. You can visit Katrina via her website.

Don't forget our terrific KBR Giveaway this week. You could add to your library of dad jokes simply by entering our My Dad Thinks He's Super Funny giveaway this week. Competition is free to enter and open until this Saturday.

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Review: It's A Long Way To The Shop

Get your giggles out because this book will have you ‘rolling’ around with laughter. 

It’s a Long Way to the Shop is a quirky story about two rocks on an epic mission to find a tasty snack. Along the way the rocks find plenty of things they can’t do, including climbing, flying and swimming, but somehow they keep being propelled towards the shop. 

Green rock’s practical disposition paired with pink rock’s fanciful nature, causes many funny moments. The ending is totally what I’d hoped for. Just remember to make sure you look at the gorgeous end papers as they are a part of the story.

Full of page-turning moments, Heidi McKinnon’s writing style is off-beat and witty. Her dialogue only text creates great characterisation and places the reader smack-dab in the middle of the action. She simplifies the text by using the colours of the rocks to show the speaker. All in all, McKinnon has created a story of friendship, determination and persistence.

I love McKinnon’s clean and minimal illustration style. The rocks’ colours pop against the washed-out backgrounds. Further the limited colour palette allows the rocks’ expressions to stand out. She has also added layers of meaning especially on the rock concert page so make sure you take a close look.

Both adults and kids will love It’s a Long Way to the Shop, especially fans of Jon Klassen. For someone who is always saying to her kids, ‘Come on, let’s rock ‘n’ roll,’ this story really tickled my fancy. There are rock ‘n’ roll references galore. What more can I say, except read this book and let the good times roll. Sorry, I couldn’t help myself!

McKinnon’s work has been shortlisted for numerous awards. If you’re keen to find out more about this talented creator, her KBR interview is here. You can also read reviews of McKinnon’s other fantastic books including, I Just Ate My Friend and Baz & Benz.

Title: It’s a Long Way To The Shop
Author/Illustrator: Heidi McKinnon
Publisher: Scholastic Australia, $17.99
Publication Date: 1 November 2018
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9781742998855
For ages: 3+
Type: Picture Book

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12 Curly Questions with author/illustrator Philip Bunting

1. Tell us something hardly anyone knows about you.
I can only write by hand in UPPERCASE! It’s a bit of a glitch in the old system, one that I’ve had since I was in primary school. Related to this, I also hold a pencil like a dart – with all four fingers on one side of the pen, and an (almost!) opposable thumb on the other. A dull answer this may be, but I estimate that there are probably one or two other creative types reading this with similar afflictions! So if you’re reading this and you also write in ALL CAPS, or can’t hold a pencil the way they try to teach you in school... please get in touch and we will form a gang. We can drink tea and whinge about how the ALL-CAPS wishes we send in greetings cards always come across just a little too intensely, and other mild inconveniences.

2. What is your nickname?
I am lucky to be able to coach my son’s junior rugby team – the great and powerful Eumundi Dragons U8s! The boys have recently taken to addressing me by a brand new nickname... Stinky Phil. No idea why!? Haha. Outrageous disrespect. Grumble grumble. Kids these days...

3. What is your greatest fear?
Moths, indoors. You should see some of the things that fly into our place on summer nights here in Queensland – they are bloody terrifying!

4. Describe your writing style in 10 words.
Making it up as I go (most of the time).

5. Tell us five positive words that describe you as a writer.
Vincit qui se vincit. Pretentious.

6. What book character would you be, and why?
Doesn’t everyone answer ‘Jesus’ to this one? Granted, he met with a grizzly end, but those 33 years he had were pretty impressive. And what a comeback!

7. If you could time travel, what year would you go to and why?
I’d head straight to 2097 to meet my three children in their 80s, and hear about the wonderful things they’ve done with their time on Earth.

8. What would your 10-year-old self say to you now?
“Heads up – your drawing skills won’t improve from this point on.”

9. Who is your greatest influence?
My three beautiful babies: Leo, Florence and Arthur. I feel like there have been two iterations of me, one pre-, and one post-kids. Becoming a father at 30 gave me such a profound and elemental shift in perspective.

10. What/who made you start writing?
My first book, Mopoke, was written as a first birthday present for my daughter, Florence. I had no interest in getting it published at the time, but my better half, Laura, encouraged me to send the manuscript to a few publishers.

11. What is your favourite word and why?
Can I have two? 'Unbelievable!' for sheer utility and versatility, and 'Squonk!', purely for the phonetic, onomatopoeic, silly joy of the word.

12. If you could only read one book for the rest of your life, what would it be?
I’d quite like to spend some time with the Bhagavad Gita or Lao Tzu’s Tao Te Ching. I’m pretty dumb, so it would likely take me the rest of my life to fully comprehend the wisdom in either of these.

Read KBR's reviews of Liarbird, The Gentle Genius of Trees and How Did I Get Here?

Philip Bunting is an author and illustrator with a soft spot for creating picture books for sleep-deprived, time-poor, raisin-encrusted parents (and their children). Philip’s work deliberately encourages playful interaction between the reader and child, allowing his books to create a platform for genuine intergenerational engagement, and fun. For more information, see www.philipbunting.com.

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Review: Human Kind: Self-belief

Another title in the superb series, Human Kind, Self-Belief inspires, teaches and illuminates, ways for children to reach their full potential by discovering how wonderful and gifted they, and every human being is, or can be.

Children gain confidence, through belief in their abilities, perseverance, and working on what interests and talents they have.

Self-belief is learning who you are and what you are good at.

The approach to these gems is diverse and embracing. A big heart helps you care for the world, care for yourself, and care for others.

Accept people for who and what they are. Everyone is different. Care for yourself and stand up for what you believe.

A person can’t be good at everything but can give lots of things a go. Self-belief is a thing that changes and grows, just as people do.

The book is designed with affirmations at the beginning of the spread, followed by thoughts children frequently have when trying something new. These continue with a positive example overriding the initial negative thought.

Set out like little stories, the concepts are easy to understand. Gorgeous illustrations support each idea. The visual narrative is equally valuable as the text.

Facial expressions relay the concern and anxiety being experienced. Emotions are addressed and explained.

The end of the book has a Let’s Talk about Self-belief section that introduces four different people from a variety of careers, with their experiences in self-belief within their chosen fields.

Discussion Questions for Children, closes the book with suggested topics to initiate conversations between children and adults, and presents opportunities for kids to explain what they felt about, and how they overcame, tricky challenges.

Other titles in this series are Human Kind: Honesty, Perseverance, Courage, Kindness, Resilience and Imagination.

Title: Human Kind: Self-belief
Author: Zanni Louise
Illustrator: Missy Turner
Publisher: Five Mile Press, $19.99
Publication Date: 1 August 2021
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9781922514318
For ages: 5+
Type: Non Fiction

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Review: Duck, Duck, Dad?

Ralph is a dog who loves his quiet life.

When he happens to walk past an egg that is hatching, that life changes immediately.

The first thing the duckling that appears sees is Ralph, and soon the duckling has imprinted on the dog.

And not long afterwards, there are many more ducklings who are following Ralph.

Poor Ralph's quiet life is no longer his own, and no longer peaceful.

What's a dog to do, but try and be a father figure to a flock of ducks.

The trouble is, dogs are not sure about what ducks eat. And keeping the ducks clean is an adventure.

Just like human children and parents, Ralph and his ducklings live a life filled with feeding growing kids, and curiosity-filled questions.

Will Ralph ever have canine children? Will the ducklings ever connect with their duck parents? 

Children and adults will enjoy the journey Ralph goes on in Duck, Duck, Dad? with Lorna Scobie's humourous text and illustrations full of recognisable experiences, and lots of love. 

Title: Duck, Duck, Dad?
Author/Illustrator: Lorna Scobie
Publisher: Scholastic, $ 17.99
Publication Date: August 2021
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9780702304019
For ages: 3+
Type: Picture Books

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Giveaway: My Dad Thinks He's Super Funny

Review: Lilah the Lyrebird

We are introduced to Lilah in Jodie McLeod’s previous award-winning book, Leonard the Lyrebird. 

Leonard is a performer who mimics every sound that he hears in the bush.

He meets Lilah; beautiful and strong-minded. A bird that knows what she wants and will wait to get it.

Of all the sounds that Leonard can make, there is one she still longs to hear.

When Leonard saves Lilah from a fox, they become friends forever.

Lilah the Lyrebird continues their life.

They do everything together; work, play and entertain the animals that share the natural beauty of the Blue Mountains that surrounds them.

Now it is Leonard that longs to hear Lilah sing. She refuses, standing by what her mother taught her: save your song to save the day. But she doesn’t know what that means exactly.

Neither does Leonard. He believes time will reveal the mystery, for he knows a reason for everything is not always visible.

He looks around him and sees the mysteries of nature that make up his world. The giant trees and waterfalls, rock structures and mists over valleys. Even his own plumage and ability to sing.

The new sounds that Leonard brings to Lilah impress her. She listens. As they pour from him with such accuracy, she recalls a groaning heard coming from a bunyip cave.

They are warning sounds; sounds of danger!

Lilah acts quickly. She climbs to the highest branch of the nearest tree. Red swirling, curling air reaching upward has filled the sky in the distance. A dark mist travels behind it.

Her mother’s words come to her. Lilah sends out a song to all the animals of the forest.

Echoing through a sequence of famous landmarks scattered over the landscape, birds, animals and other living creatures flock toward her song; the one saved for this moment.

This stunning book is set in the breathtaking Blue Mountains of Australia. The landmarks of the region - monuments created by nature, are accentuated by the use of rhyme and clever alliteration. 

Eloise Short's outstanding artwork makes the region come alive on the page.

Lilah the Lyrebird is a book about rebirth, courage, self-belief and love, coming at a time when the world needs these words.

Title: Lilah the Lyrebird
Author: Jodie McLeod
Illustrator: Eloise Short
Publisher: Jodie McLeod, $24.95
Publication Date: 5 December 2020
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9780646824444
For ages: 2 – 8
Type: Picture Book

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Junior Review: A Place At The Table

Friends don’t have to be alike for a friendship to thrive. You just have to be there for each other and be able to encourage and understand each other. 

In A Place at the Table by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan a friendship is discovered through food and culture.

Sara is facing a big change, she’s moving from her Islamic private school to a large public middle school, where she’s a stranger to everyone there. 

Elizabeth and her best friend aren’t exactly on the best terms, while her British mother aches for home and her father is often traveling. 

They meet at a cooking club after school, where Sara’s mom teaches. They learn that they work well together and partner to enter a cooking competition. 

While they share a love of food, their differences weigh them down. Will they be able to value their friendship and overcome the challenges? 

 

Authors Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan have intertwined cultures into friendship. This novel teaches you about Islamic and Jewish cultures, and how being friends with different types of people is a great way to learn about other cultures. A Place at the table talks about family, food, and friendship. I hope you enjoy this comical and cultural novel. 

Title: A Place At The Table
Author: Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan
Publisher: Clarion Books , $28.03
Publication Date: August 11, 2020
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: ‎‎978-0358116684
For ages: 10 – 12
Type: Middle Grade Fiction

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Junior Review: Burn

It’s 1957 and a different world. Sarah, a 16-year-old girl has been living on her father’s farm for all her life. With World War 2 on the horizon and the launching of Russia’s satellite, Sarah’s life starts to slowly morph into chaos.

They are not proud of it, but Sarah and her father are hiring a dragon called Kazimir to rid their fields of trees in an attempt to save their farm before it is sold and torn apart. They are also trying to distract themselves from the looming danger.

There is more to this mysterious dragon then meets the eye. He claims he is there to save Sarah from an assassin. Whether or not she can trust him is the question she has to ask herself before her life and the people in it are changed forever.

Malcom is an assassin who must kill a girl he doesn’t even know to save the world from humans and to protect the dragons.

He is a believer, meaning he respects the dragons as if they are gods and is led by Mitera Thea. When he meets a boy who he begins to gain affection for, he starts to question his task. He realises it was all a trap, but too late. After discovering Mitera Thea’s true intentions for sending him on his assassin mission, his world is also forever changed. I recommend you read this book of mystery, fear, adventure, magic, and fantasy.

I enjoyed this book because it was told in extreme detail making it easy and fun to imagine the scenery. I also loved how author Patrick Ness incorporated the dragons into the setting of the beginnning of World War 2. I have always loved dragons and Patrick Ness has described them and their personalities beautifully.

Compare our former KBR review of Burn by Karen Mitchell. Great to have a child's POV!

Title: Burn
Author: Patrick Ness
Illustrator: Alejandro Colucci
Publisher: Walker Books, $24.99
Publication date: May 2020
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9781406398854
For ages: 14+
Type: Young Adult Fiction

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Review: An Unexpected Hero: Pow Pow Pig #1

It is 2050. Although scientists have eradicated diseases, chaos reigns in the world.

Piccolo, known as Pow Pow Pig, has been taught to always help others. He and his animal group of friends, Danielle Duck, Chelsea Chicken and Barry the Goat, have joined CHOC – Creatures Helping Other Creatures, to make the world a better place. Learning skills to be of use to others in need, is their mantra.

Pow Pow Pig’s time hasn’t been utilised to learn training of the usual kind. His allocation was the kitchen. That’s where he met his friends. He is an ace at cooking, cleaning and washing up!

After failing repeatedly to get into classes for other skills, the group decided to reinvent themselves.

Pow Pow mastered the use of a broom as a staff. Danielle Duck, persistent as ever, perfected the use of a tea towel as a Kung Fu whip and was renamed Kung Fu Duck.

The charming and super clever Chelsea Chicken, with her Mixy Fixy, can repair anything. She is transformed into the dancing Cha Cha Chicken. Barry the Goat perfected the art of leaf-raking with fast-paced perfection. He remained Barry.

After three years at CHOC, Graduation Day arrives. At CHOC, each animal is graded in teams alphabetically; A being the best, and Z the worst. Pow Pow knows his parents will be disappointed.

Names are called. Teams are announced. The friends wait. And wait. Z is followed by silence all the way home.

The friends refuse to accept defeat. They continue to train using their own method and weapons.
When a huge explosion takes place, Chief Instructor Carmel can’t find any of the leading animals.

Saving the world now depends on Pow Pow and his friends. They must use a hidden Time Machine to go back to 2030, and reverse the vote to stop helping the poor.

With hope their only weapon, they set out.

Nothing is as they expect. On landing, eight hours are needed to recharge the Time Machine. During this wait, Cha Cha finds a red handkerchief. On this evidence, they are arrested for kidnapping the Princess Tiny, about to be crowned Queen.

They fight buffalo guards and giant crocodiles from the moat in order to escape and find the Princess.

Having to rely heavily on Barry’s extraordinary sense of smell, their own courage and resourcefulness, and refined skills with their cleaning tools, can the friends manage to overpower the giant lizard guards, save the Princess, and flee in the recharged Time Machine?

But where has the Time Machine made its second landing? Certainly not in 2030!

In this new series, Anh Do shines a light on important issues such as class distinction, consumerism, waste, wars, poverty, environmental protection, and the value of hope and friendship.

This will be added to his plethora of successes. Full of optimism and acts of kindness, this new bunch of characters are ideal role models for children to learn from.

Title: An Unexpected Hero: Pow Pow Pig #1
Author: Anh Do
Illustrator: Peter Cheong
Publisher: Allen & Unwin, $ 15.99
Publication Date: 3 August 2021
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781760526405
For ages: 6 – 10
Type: Middle Grade Fiction

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Review: Billy The Punk

Meet The Illustrator: Sarah Anthony

Name: Sarah Anthony

Describe your illustration style in ten words or less.
Realist figurative oil painting and drawing

What items are an essential part of your creative space?
Oil paints, pencils and mediums, beautiful hand pressed papers, coffee and music

Do you have a favourite artistic medium?
I love painting in oils as they have a luminous quality, and vibrancy of colour that is hard to find in other mediums.

Name three artists whose work inspires you.
Denis Sarazhin, Lucy Culliton, Colin Davidson

Which artistic period would you most like to visit and why?
All of them! In particular, though, the Impressionists.
I am personally so influenced by the use of light and colour to convey mood, that characterised the movement.

Who or what inspired you to become an illustrator?
I was working as a painter and hadn’t really thought of turning my hand to illustration until I was contacted by the Associate Art Director at Walker books. I thought “what an extremely great idea!” and the rest is history!

Can you share a photo of your creative work space or part of the area where you work most often? Talk us through it.
As we are currently under lockdown I mostly paint at a tabletop easel in the dining room at home. I have a trolley next to me with all my paints and mediums in and a plan chest for all my drawings.

What is your favourite part of the illustration process?
It’s all interesting, but it is such a buzz when the text is first placed into the illustrations, and the project starts to come to life as a book.

What advice would you give to an aspiring illustrator?
Spend serious time in developing a portfolio that shows the range of work you can do. Join professional bodies and groups that can help promote your work and help you make industry connections. Take your time, and don’t give up!

 Sarah is a Melbourne-based figurative painter, metalsmith and illustrator. Her qualifications include BA Hons Fine Arts / Silversmithing and MA Art Therapy.
She has a particular interest in portraiture and do private commissions and exhibit regularly. In 2020 Sarah illustrated her first children’s picture book named ‘Drover’ for Walker Books.

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

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Review: Just One Bee

This is a beautifully crafted book, written by Margrete Lamond and Anthony Bertini, with haunting and whimsical illustrations by Christopher Nielsen. 

It tells the story of One- Bee, alone in a desolate landscape, lonely and forgotten. Nielsen's illustrations sensitively depict the bleak state the land is in, underscoring the enormity of One-Bee's task.

But she nevertheless dreams of how beautiful it could be, of a field bursting with flowers where there is only heat and dust. 

She knows it is attainable. But how?

One-Bee navigates this world, until she comes across Other-Bee. One-Bee is delighted. Other-Bee, a grumpy, irritable and pessimistic creature, does not share One-Bee's vision and rejects her unapologetically.

Their voices see-saw between optimism and pessimism, hope and despair.

But One-Bee knows that she needs to be persistent and drive the changes that she wants to see.

This is a powerful book about the importance of having a vision and the resilience to persist in the face of enormous obstacles. For a review of Bertini's other work, see here and of  Nielsen's other work see here.

At forty pages, it is slightly longer than most picture books, but I see this as a bonus. It is an important addition to any reader's collection, with its important message of persistence in the face of the overwhelming challenges of climate change. 

Teacher's notes are available.

Title: Just One Bee
Author: Margrete Lamond and Anthony Bertini
Illustrator: Christopher Nielsen
Publisher: Dirt Lane Press, $24.99
Publication Date: May 2021
Format: Hardback
ISBN: 9780648023890
For ages: 4 years +
Type: Picture Book

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Guest Post: Felicity Castagna

Felicity Castagna is a multi-creative artist with a life rich in expression. Her first novel for Young Adults, The Incredible Here and Now, won the Prime Minister’s Literary Award and the IBBY Honour Book for Australia.

Her last book, No More Boats, was a finalist for the Miles Franklin and The Voss Award. 

Her latest book, Girls in Boys’ Cars will be available early August 2021.

Felicity talks to us about this powerful exploration of teenage relationships, and finding one’s place in the world.

You were previously a teacher. When did you choose to make the transition to writer?
I’ve actually always been a teacher and a writer and the two kind of go hand in hand for me. I was a high school teacher for several years before transitioning to teaching at university and teaching workshops all over the place from schools to community centres and correctional facilities. Teaching gives me a really powerfully opportunity to still be in the lives of young people in a meaningful way and to hear about the kind of stories that matter in their world and I think that keeps my writing for young adults more honest and responsive to the world we live in.

How did you decide a non-linear style for your novel?
I love experimenting with form and structure, particularly when writing for young adults because I think it’s not as common in this genre as it is in others. Girls In Boys’ Cars essentially has a framing narrative which is the present time where Rosa is in jail and working out all the things that have led her there, and the past story of the summer she stole a car with Asheeka. I love the idea of having the past and the present sit side by side in the story in alternating chapters – I think it mirrors life where your past is always tangled up with who you are in the present.

Girls in Boys’ Cars has a cast of interesting and individual characters. Rosa and Asheeka are opposites. One vibrant and outgoing; the other uncomfortable in her skin. Please tell us about them.
I wanted to explore a really complicated friendship as most friendships are. They love and care for each other deeply but also can’t stand each other at the same time. They have different levels of privilege, different relationships with their families, boys and their own status as girls but they also come from the same place. I wanted to show how different we can be even within our own geographical communities and I also wanted to show that struggle-and failure-to completely understand someone else even when the intention is genuine.

Both girls live insulated lives. Their escape to freedom is an opportunity to find their place in the world by experiencing things themselves.
I never wanted to write the kind of novel where two girls step out into the world and bam! They find themselves. I think this story is all about the exploration of ourselves and the fact that we keep exploring for the rest of our lives and maybe that is a process that starts most profoundly in our teenage years. Part of the difficulty in working oneself is that we all, in our own ways, live very guarded and insular lives but particularly teenagers whose lives are governed by adult expectations and, of course there’s another layer on top of that when you think about the societal and community expectations that are also placed on girls. I wanted to watch two girls try to free themselves of all that.

You have illuminated the differentiation between male and female sexuality. This was just one of the many issues built upon. What was your main objective?
I wanted all the talk around sex in this book to be about how awkward and strange it can be. A lot of writing around sex that I find, particularly in girl-focused young adult novels, is centred around girls owning, exploring and desiring sex or the opposite – sex as something that can be violent or violating. 

I completely support both depictions of sex and think they are vital and important for young women to read, but I also feel like there is this middle ground full of questions that could be explored more. Girls who are wondering- how come sex is so strange and weird and not like the movies? Why is it meant to be so interesting? How is my body meant to feel in sex? How do I ask for what I want and need and how come boys don’t ask that question first? And, of course, how come boys derive power and status from sex in a way that girls have never been able to?

There is a powerful energy in your writing. How much of what you have used in your characters is drawn from your life experiences?
I certainly remember that endless sense of waiting for my life to really begin as a teenage girl and the incredible frustration it is to try and find your own space to figure things out away from all of the noise of family and life and society’s expectations. I never stole a car but I certainly did a lot of far too risky things that I can only talk about when hiding them on the pages of fiction.

You are also involved in cross-artform collaboration. Can you explain what that is?
I’m really interested in collaborating with other writers and artists and in creating work that is responsive to local place and communities. I always wanted to be in a band but I can’t clap my hands to a beat so instead I’ve been lucky enough to work on lots of projects which involve me writing text and stories with artists in other mediums.

For example, I recently worked on a large-scale work for The Sydney Festival in which I worked with an orchestra, dancers and musicians to create a live work about Parramatta, where the work was set and where I live. I wrote a bunch of monologues about the place and the dancers performed works that elaborated the ideas in the monologues while a performance poet read the works out loud. Sounds weird I know, but it was so much fun and the audience had a great time.

The Finishing School – will you share some information about this other area of your creative life?
I have worked on a lot of storytelling, mentoring and art projects in western Sydney. One of the latest projects I’ve been working on is The Finishing School. It began as a mentoring program for women writers in western Sydney and has helped to produce a lot of great writers and books from this region. We now work as a collective of women writers who create a lot of collaborative work with artists in other fields for art galleries, festivals and publications.

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12 Curly Questions with author Lana Spasevski

1. Tell us something hardly anyone knows about you.
Before writing children’s books, I worked on building the brand stories of some of Australia’s most favourite products. A normal workday could see me on a set of a TV commercial with a cast of puppies causing a ruckus, or developing ideas for new baking products.

2. What is your nickname?
It’s actually Lana which is a shortened version of my full name.

3. What is your greatest fear?
Cassowaries, thanks to an overzealous tour guide on a hike in the Daintree Rainforest!

4. Describe your writing style in 10 words.
Carefully crafted ideas and evocative language that leaves an impression.

5. Tell us five positive words that describe you as a writer.
Optimistic, inspiring, entertaining, impactful and hopeful.

6. What book character would you be, and why?
This is a tricky question. If I must narrow it down to one, it would be Alice from Alice in Wonderland. She’s my kind of book character; a heroine who uses her imagination and wit to successfully navigate her way through a curious world!

7. If you could time travel, what year would you go to and why?
I wouldn’t go too far back in time. I’d love to go back to the 1980s and experience it as a grown-up as I was a child back then. I’m all for crimped hair, neon-coloured fashion and the music!

8. What would your 10-year-old self say to you now?
She would give me the greatest hug and say, ‘You did it!’

9. Who is your greatest influence?
My children. Their hopes, dreams, fears and clever observations drive everything that I do in my life.

10. What/who made you start writing?
I have been so lucky to have been influenced by many supportive and incredible school teachers throughout the years. Their encouragement and love of storytelling is why I started writing at a young age and never stopped.

11. What is your favourite word and why?
My favourite word changes daily! Currently it is smile because it makes me smile whenever I say, hear or read it.

12. If you could only read one book for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Without a doubt, Charlotte’s Web. I have fond memories of my grade four teacher, Ms Phillips, reading a chapter of the book each day at school after lunch. The story of Fern, the Arables, Templeton and ‘some pig’ called Wilbur is what ignited my lifelong love of children’s literature.

Lana is a children’s author who writes stories that tap into the curious world of children. Her writing has been long-listed in the 2018 Children’s Book Council of Australia Charlotte Waring Barton Award as part of the Aspiring Writers Mentorship Award and in competitions such as Creative Kids Tales, Greenleaf Press and CYA. She is also a children’s book reviewer with the CBCA’s Reading Time website and has been invited to present at the 2021 Sydney Writer’s Festival Family Day. A trained lawyer and marketing manager, Lana now writes for children from her book-filled home where she lives with her husband, her two book butterflies and a rescue kitten called Marbles. See www.lanawrites.com for more information. You can read reviews of Lana's picture books here.

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Review: Heroes, Rebels and Innovators

Heroes, Rebels and Innovators, is a collection of seven stories on inspiring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people from history. It reveals and profiles, the lives of extraordinary people and their achievements during Australia’s early years of colonisation.

A young Darug woman, Patyegerang, met William Dawes who studied the stars; a Lieutenant of the First Fleet. They taught each other their language and together they created the first books featuring Aboriginal languages.

Bungaree dreamed big and lived to see his dreams a reality. Proud and confident, he accompanied Matthew Flinders around Australia.

Flinders spent his days drawing maps and his nights mesmerised by Bungaree’s tales. A strong friendship formed with both Flinders, and his cat Trim.

Recognised as a diplomat and explorer, Bungaree was given the title King of Broken Bay by Governor Macquarie. But no monument was raised in his honour.

Tarenorerer was taken by white sealers and forced into slavery. She escaped to witness the destruction of her land by white people.

Fearless and daring, she led armed attacks on the invading settlers, earning the name Amazon of Van Diemen’s Land.

Heroes of Gundagai is what Yarri and Jacky Jacky were called. They warned the settlers that building too close to the flood plains would be catastrophic. Nobody listened. When floods came, seventy lives were lost. The two friends saved many of the townspeople after they clung to trees and rooftops for days before they were rescued.

Newlywed Mohara Wacando-Lifu was on a boat when Mahina, the greatest tropical cyclone hit. Courageous and strong, separated from her husband, she saved two sailors she came across in the water. They clung to her as she swam seven hours to reach the shore.

She became the first Indigenous woman to be awarded the Royal Humane Society’s Gold Medal for Bravery.

David Unaipon was one of nine children. A man of many skills and talents, he was also a writer and inventor. But he was unable to secure funding for his nineteen inventions.

The first Aboriginal author of Ngarrindjeri stories, he also gave talks at universities. He is honoured with his image on the fifty dollar note.

Fanny Bulbuk Yooreel was a resistance fighter and environmental protector, who tried to teach white people how to care for the environment. She took her role seriously, always protesting against things that were sacred to her.

These are only entrees offered, taken from the valuable lives of these inspiring people who have so much more to reveal. Some may be unfamiliar, but this book will encourage readers of any age, to learn more about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Title: Heroes, Rebels and Innovators
Author: Karen Wyld
Illustrator: Jaelyn Biumaiwai
Publisher: Hachette, $ 26.99
Publication Date: 28 July 2021
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9780734419838
For ages: 9+
Type: Non Fiction

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Review: Rea and the Blood of the Nectar

Rea lives in the small village of Darjeeling with her Amma, Bajai and twin brother Rohan. She’s about to turn twelve and she wishes things could be a little different to what they are.

She wishes she had more friends. She wishes her Amma would tell her more about her Baba. She wishes Rohan would speak to her more and include her in things like he used to.

Life isn’t exactly perfect. Really, it’s rather dull. But when Rohan goes missing in the middle of the night, everything changes, and dull is no longer a word Rea can use to describe her world.

Her family seems to give up easily and accept that Rohan is gone, but Rea can’t. She won’t. With her friend Leela in tow, Rea visits a fortune teller and is given a riddle to solve to find her brother. It’s beyond bizarre, but she has nothing to lose, so she follows the clues into the forest and…

…falls into Astranthia.

Another world, a strange and beautiful place, Astranthia is home to both humans and magical creatures. Fairies, dwarves and an evil queen who’s kidnapped Rohan to secure her place on the throne.

Rea and Leela are faced with impossible odds. They can’t get to Rohan, the queen is manipulating their every move and there are secrets that link Rea to Astranthia’s past — secrets her Amma has deliberately kept from her and might now cost her dearly.

Rea and the Blood of the Nectar is a fantastical adventure filled with magic, whimsy and imagination. Author Payal Doshi has built an extensive world and brought it to life with vibrant characters and engaging storytelling.

Rea is a real and relatable character who is flawed, who makes mistakes. She is what is means to be twelve in the real world, with too many questions in her head and dangerous self-doubt that can make her lash out at the wrong people at the wrong times. I love all these things about her. She is a true underdog hero, learning who she is and how to be herself in a confusing world (both Earth and Astranthia). By the end of the book, I wouldn’t say she’s mastered everything either, and I love this too. She is very relatable.

The world Payal delivers is also something special. It has some of the more familiar mythical creatures that we all know and love, but it’s also filled with so much new — butterfly faced sorcerers and plants that whisper secrets. It’s the perfect mix of familiar and new, grounding readers with things they know before pushing imaginations to their limits with unique beings and incredible powers, all infused with culture and place.

This is a great middle grade read for fans of fantasy and otherworlds. It’s a grand adventure in a magical land that sets up things perfectly for more tales to come. And I loved the incorporated ribbon bookmark too! Makes the read extra special.

Title: Rea and the Blood of the Nectar
Author: Payal Doshi
Publisher: Mango and Marigold Press, $35.75 (Aus. RRP)
Publication Date: 17 May 2021
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9781645437635
For ages: 10 - 14
Type: Junior Fiction, Middle Grade Fiction

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Giveaway: Middle Grade Novel: Twitch

Review: Girls in Boys' Cars

Award-winning Felicity Castagna, is the author of The Incredible Here and Now, which won the Prime Minister’s Literary Award and the IBBY Honour Book for Australia. Her last book, No More Boats, was a finalist for the Miles Franklin and the Voss Award.

She is back with another impressive Young Adult novel, Girls in Boys’ Cars, an extraordinary exploration of friendship, freedom, the power of stories, and the demeaning divide between what is acceptable for boys, is unacceptable for girls.

The story starts from the middle working outward.

Rosa is in a juvenile correction centre for six months. Caught after stealing a car with her best friend Asheeka who is now missing, Rosa hopes to find her real self amongst the many parts she has buried inside her.

A passionate book lover and reader, but uncomfortable in her skin, her counsellor suggests Rosa write her own story as a way of connecting with who she really is. It is through the stories she writes, that we learn about how she came to be in juvie.

Asheeka is vibrant, outgoing and part of the popular crowd. She loves clothes, her nails, hair, her emotionally abusive boyfriend Arnold, and his stunning blue car. She strains against the cultural expectations that her mother imposes on her, also against Arnold’s selfishness and lack of respect.

Arnold has a dark side. After he physically attacks then ignores her, Asheeka steals his pride and joy as revenge, and with Rosa, they take off into the unknown.

They continue together through Australian towns and countryside in the greatest adventure of their lives; their own personal freedom, searching with each new beginning, to find an escape from what they can’t resolve.

With a unique turn of phrase, sharp wit and entertaining language, the reader is drawn into the girls’ company as they travel into and through exciting, unlawful and continuous flights of freedom; from darkness into light.

There is no escaping the law-breaking. To survive they must steal again and again. Each mile forward removes them from their insulated lives, to the world beyond that they had never experienced. Until the bushfires stop them. 

Then Asheeka goes missing again.

The ugliness of broken personal relationships, the changes needed to repair them and the revenge that destroys, builds the backstory that is a powerful force in this novel.

A fantastic read, with non-stop, fast- paced action reminiscent of Thelma and Louise, but much more.

Title: Girls in Boys' Cars
Author: Felicity Castagna
Publisher: Pan Macmillan, $ 18.99
Publication Date: 1 August 2021
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 97817760987688
For ages: 14+
Type: Young Adult Fiction

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Guest Post: Dr Jane Williams on Grandparenting Grandchildren

Review: The Travelling Bookshop: Mim and the Baffling Bully

We all know that the best adventures start in bookshops.

 
Mim's family bookshop is a bit different - it travels the world courtesy of their beloved Flossy, a flying horse, and takes the family on adventures to where their books are needed the most.

On this journey, Mim, her Dad and brother, and their assorted pets end up in the Netherlands.

Mim makes friends with the shy Willemina, whose life is quite miserable given the nasty treatment that is being meted out by a bullying peer, Gerda. 

The bookstore has an unerring knack of matching the customer with the book that they need the most at the time - even if they don't know it. 

Mim is certain that Willemina will be given a book about being assertive and standing up for herself.

But, no. She is given a seemingly random volume - could the bookstore have gotten it wrong?

Mim tries to dig a little deeper into the bully's life. Gerda seems to have everything a kid could want. So why is she so nasty and why does she bother to pick on the unassuming Willemina?

Mim needs to work with the bookstore and learn about the nature of bullying - and also find out who the one that actually needs to change is.

This is Book One in the series of the travelling bookshop, and I cant wait to see where Flossy will take the eccentric family to next. 

A sweet book brimming with line drawings by the talented Cheryl Orsini. 

Both Nannestad and Orsini have numerous children's books published between them, and you can read reviews for them here and here.

Title: The Travelling Bookshop: Mim and the Baffling Bully
Author: Katrina Nannestad
Illustrator: Cheryl Orsini
Publisher: Harper Collins , $14.99
Publication Date: 28 July 2021
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9780733341656
For ages: 7+
Type: Junior Fiction

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Junior Review: 90 Miles To Havana

Revolution. This word symbolizes the reason so many parents had to separate themselves from their children in 1961, Cuba. 

90 Miles to Havana is a story of how Julian adjusts to the American lifestyle and completing his family again.

Julian and his two brothers are sent alone to Miami without their parents via the Pedro Pan operation. When they arrive, they’re sent to a crowded camp filled with kids from Cuba waiting to find a new home, which is quite the opposite of what their mother told them their new lives would be like. 

They reunite with old friends and bullies, but Julian’s brothers are sent to a foster home without Julian. Julian decides to act and reunite his family, but how will he survive in this new country, a place where he’s an outsider?

Author Enrique Flores-Galbis has written this novel on his similar experience of traveling from Cuba to Florida without his parents. 

This novel is filled with comedy, wittiness, but is also heartfelt about the struggles of being a young foreigner in a country that is like a completely different word. You can really connect to Julian’s tough experiences in the novel, but the author has made the protagonist stand out because he never let the pain cut through him. You should read this novel that will help you see what an immigrant’s life is like through the eyes of a kid.

Title: 90 Miles to Havana
Author: Enrique Flores-Galbis
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press, $18.99
Publication Date: August 3, 2010
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: ‎978-1596431683
For ages: 9-12
Type: Middle Grade Fiction

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Guest Post: Meg McKinlay on Writing About Special Grandparent-grandchild Relationships

Review: The Big Book of Festivals

Festivals, celebrations and religious Holy Days have always been part of the world’s history. Some go back thousands of years. 

The Big Book of Festivals encompasses a great range of these from around the globe.

The most popular, original and sometime out-there festivals make interesting reading for those who love to expand their knowledge. 

Symbols, motifs and emblems that mark each event, plus plants, music, instruments and dancing, accentuate the essence of each entry.

Over time, each custom has evolved to some degree with change, and movement of people around the globe.

I have chosen the most unusual ones to represent this magnificent collection. They will whet your curiosity to discover what else this amazing book holds.

Everyone has heard about Valencia’s tomato festival. To throw thousands of kilos of tomatoes at one another seems such a waste but to the people who take part, it is fun!

Fire-walking rituals that take part in Northern Greece named Anastenaria, are celebrated by the Greek-Macedonians to honour St Helen and St Constantine in May.

Diwali, India’s festival of light lasts five days. New Delhi has the grandest festival, being the ancient capital. Food and gifts are shared and exchanged.

Konaki Sumo is the crying baby festival, a 400 year-old Shinto tradition, is between two Sumo wrestlers holding a baby. It’s to see who can make the baby cry first.

There are Whirling Dervishes, and Halloween. Seasonal festivals and rituals are guided by the phases of the Moon, depending on the individual calendars that are followed.

The Big Book of Festivals records the where and when each of these celebrations is held. Included are stories, folklore and mythology handed down through generations.

Brilliantly coloured, intricately detailed illustrations fill the pages with movement, song and dance. Strange and unusual some may be, but they are all diverse and educational.

Can you find the children from the opening page in the illustrations? The challenge is to discover them and see to which country they belong.

Title: The Big Book of Festivals
Author: Marita Bullock & Joan-Marie Hargreaves
Illustrator: Liz Roland
Publisher: Hachette, $ 29.99
Publication Date: 31 March 2021
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9780734419972
For ages: 8+
Type:  Junior Non Fiction

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12 Curly Questions with author Kate Foster

1. Tell us something hardly anyone knows about you.
When I’m rich and famous, my dream is to open up a rescue centre for abandoned elderly dogs – the dogs that few people would ever adopt because they may only have a few years left of life. I want all those dogs. I want to set up little rooms for them with lots of comfy sofas and blankets and beds so they can all curl up and rest and live out their days in style.

2. What is your nickname?
I’m soooooo boring that I actually don’t have one, other than people playing around with my name (Katrina, Katriana, Katikins, etc). So, I guess I’m in the market for a nickname if anyone wants to put suggestions forward...

3. What is your greatest fear?
Upsetting people and letting people down. I try so hard not to do this and avoid confrontation, but sometimes it doesn’t work. I’m very hard on myself if I know someone is upset because of me.

4. Describe your writing style in 10 words.
Warm, dogs, cuddly, dogs, upbeat, dogs, heart-tugging, dogs, friendly, and... dogs?

5. Tell us five positive words that describe you as a writer.
Fun, passionate, enthusiastic, lively, and, erm, dogs?

6. What book character would you be, and why?
One of my favourite series as a child was The Worst Witch, by Jill Murphy, and I always wanted to be Mildred Hubble. It just sounded so much fun to be at Miss Cackle’s Academy. But, recently I read and loved Alone by Megan E Freeman, which is about a girl who wakes up one morning to find her town completely abandoned. She teams up with a rottweiler. I would throw myself into this lifestyle of no people and no traffic and no noise, but I’d probably try to find more dogs to be my companions.

7. If you could time travel, what year would you go to and why?
Erm, oooh, this is a tricky one. Well, I love to pat all the dogs, so I think I’d have to go back to the early 1900s and pat and nose-boop Sergeant Stubby, the pit-bull terrier. He was found abandoned as a puppy but went on to help, support, and save so many soldiers’ lives during World War I. What a fantastic dog Stubby was!

8. What would your 10-year-old self say to you now?
"You're an author? Wow! You're an actual, real-life author!" Something like that, I suspect!

9. Who is your greatest influence?
Eek, that’s a tough question with a bunch of possible answers. My mum and dad are definitely the most influential in all my day-to-day choices. However, specifically with my writing, I am influenced by the great David Almond, the extraordinary Neal Shusterman, and the legendary CS Lewis.

10. What/who made you start writing?
I’m not really sure because I have memories of writing stories when I was a teeny tiny person (Monty Mouse was the title of one story!), which I guess means it was probably a calling I was born with, if that’s a thing. As a child I loved make-believe and reading fantasy stories like CS Lewis books, and The Wishing Chair and The Faraway Tree series, by Enid Blyton, so I was swept up in that magic very early on in life.

11. What is your favourite word and why?
Hello. I mean, there are so many ways you can deliver this word – questioning, angry, excited, interested... and everyone uses it!

12. If you could only read one book for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Noooooo! A book lover should never be asked this! A Monster Calls, by Patrick Ness. No! The Unwind series, by Neal Shusterman. No! It has to be Skellig, by David Almond. No! Ugh, I can't answer this question.

Kate Foster works as a literary agent and writes children's books about friends, family and dogs. Originally from the south east of England, she now lives on the beautiful Gold Coast in Australia with her family and rescue dogs. She loves eating cake, reading books and watching cooking programs on TV. For more infoprmation, see www.kfosterbooks.com.

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Winner: Echo In The Memory

Our lucky winner is...

Liz Dorrington, WA

Congratulations!

You have won a copy of the historical page turning YA Novel, Echo In The Memory by Cameron Nunn.

Enjoy!

Thank you to ALL who entered.

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Junior Review: Left-Handed Booksellers of London

Review: Ash Invites Her Friends To Tea

Ash Invites Her Friends to Tea captures the relationship between a grandfather and his granddaughter.

Ash is a young bird who is bored with the tree she is sitting in. She doesn't think there's anything special about it.

Then one day Grandpa shows her the magic that happens after you pick the leaves and dry them.

When hot water is later added, it wakes the leaves from their sleep, and the wonderful smell attracts other creatures.

Ash and Grandpa are visited by a monkey, panda, and a wild boar.

The animals all enjoy the tea made from the leaves, each reminded of something special. Panda tastes the sweetness of fruit and honey, while monkey tastes the silky smoothness of bamboo.

Then a dragon appears and wants its share of the magic. Will Ash share their tea?

There is a sense of peace and tradition in both the story and illustratons in Ash Invites Her Friends to Tea.

At the end of the book you will find instructions for how to make tea just like Grandpa does, in four simple steps. 

Author and illustrator, Fu Wenzheng's style is clearly influenced by her Chinese heritage, and the story's themes can be used to introduce discussion of culture and traditions. 

Ash Invites Her Friends to Tea is a story that can be enjoyed at home by families, including childrren and grandparents, or in a classroom.

Teacher's notes with activities can be downloaded from the publisher's website.

Title: Ash Invites Her Friends To Tea
Author/Illustrator: Fu Wenzheng
Publisher: New Frontier Publishing, $ 14.99
Publication Date: June 2021
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781922326317
For ages: 3+
Type: Picture Books

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Review: Once Upon Our Planet

Once upon a time there was a planet. Our planet. A place of mysterious beauty, filled with heat and ice, forests and deserts, creatures of all shapes and sizes.

If you love whimsy and wonder in your short stories, Once Upon Our Planet is a perfect pick.

The book has twelve gorgeous stories about life, nature and the world — fiction intertwined with splashes of mythology and legends by internationally best-selling author Vita Murrow.

Read the story of the North Wind, where Bo the giant must venture across the lands to blow the first breaths of winter in the south. Read the tale of two suns and find out how two became one. 

Each story is based around nature, seasons, the environment and our planet. Each takes you on a fantastical adventure, but each has elements of the real, making you wonder… could this be true?

This is a lovely book for bedtime shares. It will spark imagination and wonder. Its beautiful and warming.

The stunning illustrations by Aitch will have you running your hands over the pages. Deep colours and whimsical creatures add to the vibrancy of the stories. And they’re there with every page turn, bringing a special magic to this storytelling experience.

With a lovely thick hard cover, the book is one to last the test of time. It’s textured and speckled with gold — hard to walk by without reaching for it.

Once Upon Our Planet will bring special moments into your life. If you’re looking for something unique to share with your kids, this one is for you.

Title: Once Upon Our Planet
Author: Vita Murrow
Illustrator: Aitch
Publisher: Magic Cat, $34.99
Publication Date: 2 June 2021
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9781913520083
For ages: 4+
Type: Junior Fiction

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