Guest Post: Q & A with Beth Bailey: Winner of The Guinness World Records 2022 Book Cover Comp!

GWR competition winner Beth Bailey at 11-years-old submitted a drawing of what she thought the cover of the Guinness World Records 2022 should look like and out of thousands of applicants Beth won! 

She is now featured on the GWR 2022 Australian edition. Discover more about Beth and this fantastic experience in this exclusive interview.Full Name: 

Elizabeth Bailey but everyone calls me Beth!

Age: 

I am 11

Hometown: 

I live in Togari near to Smithton, we moved to Tasmania when I was seven before that I lived in the UK in a village called Walcote, in Leicestershire, England.

Tell us a little about yourself! What year are you in? Do you have any brothers or sisters? Any pets?
I like horses! I’m in grade 5. I have one brother and we live on a dairy farm. We have 2 horses, 4 dogs, 1 cat, 5 ducks and 1 rabbit.

Do you have a super cool special skill?
Riding Stormy (my pony!)

Why did you enter the competition to get on the cover of Guinness World Records 2022?
My teacher, Miss Cramer told my class about it and we were doing it at school and then I took it home and finished it.

We loved your drawing! Tell us about it...
It is about Australia and a person doing a cartwheel.

How does it feel to be on the cover of Guinness World Records 2022?
I feel happy and excited to see it!

What’s your favourite thing about the Guinness World Records books?
I really like the amazing animals one and the funny records people have done.

Is there a record that you think you could or wish you could break? What is it?
Most horse hugs in a minute!

What would you like to see on the cover of Guinness World Records 2023 (next year’s book)?

My friends and pets.

Global pandemics and lockdowns haven't stopped record breakers from achieving spectacular things: indeed, they've given many people the chance to focus on their ambitions and attain goals beyond their expectations.

The changing pace of the last year has also given GWR the opportunity to take stock of our planet and explore the current state of the environment, as seen through our unique record-breaking lens. Plus, GWR has reached out to some of the young people who refuse to let their age be a barrier to success. What are they doing to change their world? What inspires them? Find out in Guinness World Records 2022.

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Meet The Illustrator: Cindy Lane

Name: Cindy Lane

Describe your illustration style in ten words or less.
Aiming for ‘Happy accidents’, not perfection!

What items are an essential part of your creative space?
Natural light, growing green things, towers of books, a cup of tea, a kitty or two and a ‘What if?’ attitude.

Do you have a favourite artistic medium?
I like creating with anything that allows unexpected results to occur. Even if it means I’ve spilt my water jar over something! 💦

Name three artists whose work inspires you.
Aargh! Three is not enough! I’m a huge fan of quirky, a bit crazy, and graphic styles, which can say so much with so little on the page. I LOVE the work of Bill Watterson (creator of Calvin & Hobbes), Leigh Hodgkinson (books & Olobob Top on the telly), and David Mackintosh (illustrator of his own books, and designer of Lauren Child’s books, whose work I’m also mad for! Can I include her as well? Pleeease?

Which artistic period would you most like to visit and why?
Ancient Egypt, or anything with ‘Ancient” in front of it. I have always found the graphic style and weird perspective of those times irresistible!

 
Who or what inspired you to become an illustrator?
I was illustrating before I even knew it was called that, making and drawing my own miniature books before I started school. It was the sheer excitement of creating MY own worlds within those pages that had me hooked!

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

This is my studio, purpose built when I built my new house. There is no flat ceiling because in previous studios my extended easel kept hitting it, almost punching a hole through the plaster! There are windows on three sides for maximum natural light, as I don’t like working under artificial lights as colours can shift too much.

 
I’m a bit obsessive over storage, and have unusual finds spread throughout the studio to house all my creative accoutrements. Vintage timber map/planner drawers for my large sheets of watercolour paper, wooden library card catalogue chest of drawers for my pastels, vintage timber Japanese letterpress trays for my bottled pigments, old leather travelling trunks and suitcases for sketchbooks, a 100 yr old leather Dr’s Medicine Bag for my eggs, bones and feather collection, and a lacquered Korean apothecary cabinet for my pens and paints.

 
The studio has separate entrances, so I can ‘physically’ leave home, walk down the garden path, and ‘arrive for work’ with my mind focused on creative tasks for the day.

What is your favourite part of the illustration process?

There are two :

1. the very beginning, where I list all the possibilities – so exciting!

2. the very end, where I can see all of the work as a complete collection – an entire book – so satisfying!

  
What advice would you give to an aspiring illustrator?
Don’t quit! I’ve found that even ‘overnight success’ takes at least ten years!

 
Cindy Lane is an award-winning artist and illustrator who loves the ocean. She was born and grew up by the sea in Sydney, lived by the Great Barrier Reef in FNQ, and now has her seaside studio by the Indian Ocean in Perth.

Cindy loves to make her own paints with materials she finds in nature, and collects waters from all over the world to use in her paintings. Seawaters from across Australia were used in Great White Shark, her first picture book.

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

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Guest Post: Claire Saxby on Writing Great White Shark

10 Quirky Questions with author Anna Cidor

1. What's your hidden talent?
Making porridge! Seriously, I am a terrible cook and the only thing I can make is porridge. All my grandchildren demand ‘Nana porridge’ as soon as they see me. My secret is soaking rolled oats in milk all night before cooking, and never spoiling the dish with sugar or fruit.

2. Who is your favourite literary villain and why?
It would have to be Lord Vetinari, the evil Patrician, from the Terry Pratchett Discworld series. All of the characters in Pratchett’s books are hilarious spoofs, and Vetinari, despite his dastardly ways, adds a great humorous touch.

“I have to ask, sir...Why does it have to be done like this?"
Vetinari smiled. "Can you keep a secret, Mister Lipwig?"
"Oh, yes, sir. I've kept lots."
"Capital. And the point is, so can I. You do not need to know.” (From Raising Steam, by Terry Pratchett)

3. You're hosting a literary dinner party, which five authors would you invite? (alive or dead)
Oh, fantastic! I’m going to invite some of the authors who were my favourites when I was a child – the people who put me on the path to becoming the writer I am now:
Rumer Godden, who wrote Miss Happiness and Miss Flower, and fascinated me with her unique writing style; Rachel Field, who wrote Hitty, the adventures of a wooden doll, and ignited my obsession with the past; Enid Blyton who carried me off into other worlds with all her fantasies; Joyce Lankester Brisley, who wrote Milly-Molly-Mandy, and taught me the joy of music and rhythm in prose; Noel Streatfeild who wrote Ballet Shoes and other stories that pulled at my heart strings; A.A… Oh dear, that’s five. I’ll have to stop. Do you think they’ll mind if I serve them porridge for dinner?

4. Which literary invention do you wish was real?
Time travel, of course! For as far back as I can remember, I have wanted to visit other times. But I definitely wouldn’t want to actually live in another time. When I sent Perry back to the Roman Empire, in The Boy Who Stepped Through Time, he had to sit on a shared toilet seat with other people, wipe his bottom with a sponge on a stick, and share a bath with people he didn’t know, in dirty, scummy water. Yuck!

5. What are five words that describe your writing process?
Research, research, research, research, research. I have to drag myself away from the research to actually write – but then I procrastinate for ages with lots of planning! And if I ever get stuck with the plot I just head right back to research and I always find the answer there!

6. Which are the five words you would like to be remembered by as a writer?
Took me into another world.

7. Picture your favourite writing space. What are five objects you would find there?
A closed door – I need peace and quiet to write, a photo of all my grandchildren, a computer, a printer, a pencil – because, although I compose on the computer, every now and then I print out what I’ve written and read it out loud with a pencil in my hand, making corrections. By reading out loud, I hear the rhythm and flow of the words – and check they make sense!

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!)
Don’t be afraid to follow your dreams. (Word taken from The House at Pooh Corner by AA Milne that I’m in the middle of reading to a grandson)

9. If you could ask one author one question, what would the question be and who would you ask?
I always have problems thinking up plots, so I would like to ask any author who writes really gripping, emotionally powerful plots to give me an idea for my next book. Garth Nix would be a good start… Or Glenda Millard…

10. Which would you rather do: 'Never write another story or never read another book'?
That’s easy. I looove reading, and ever since I was little, I’ve kept a book to read on the kitchen table (while I eat my porridge). But if I have to make a choice, I’d have to say I’d never read another book, because I never, ever want to give up writing. While I was writing The Boy Who Stepped Through Time, I was so caught up in the plot that I propped my laptop on the table instead of a book and kept on writing while I ate. I was so emotionally involved in the life and world I was creating, I didn’t want to leave it to read any other book! 

Anna Ciddor has always been fascinated by the past. It would be her dream come true to step through time! Instead, she immerses herself in research and hunts out the tiniest details so she can bring the past to life in her imagination – and in her books. Anna's meticulous work has been recognised by a grant from the Literature Board of the Australia Council, three of her novels have been selected as Notable Books by the Children's Book Council of Australia, and several have been translated into other languages to be enjoyed around the world. For more information, see www.annacidor.com.

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Review: Four All at Sea

The four car friends from Four on the Run, return with fame and new adventures. 

In Four All at Sea, the personification of the characters and the objects that surround them, steer the story through dialogue and point of view with humour.

Flash, Fergie, Lady and Maxie have tasted success after living on the farm in unintended neglect. Now, with shiny new paintwork that matches their stardom, they are travelling for the first time overseas on a ship with their owner Mrs Brown, to film their first movie with Peachey Productions.

Housed in a container with a bright interior, the cars all look forward to this new adventure into the flashy world they have entered.

Bad weather sets in and the ship starts to rock. They don’t understand what is going on. The ship assures them they are safe, but a darkness closes over them as their container is washed overboard.

Landing on a beach, they work as a team to push the door open. Amazed at the beauty of the desert island and the palm grove they find themselves on, their first consideration is to move to safety away from the water.

When Fergie goes to investigate their surroundings and returns followed by a rusty tank that believes they are invaders come to destroy him, the friends are faced with new challenges.

The four must use cunning to find a way to attract attention so they can be rescued. When a navy warship answers their distress call, new developments add a hero to their experiences.

Illustrated short chapters, a fast-moving storyline and trim size with themes of friendship and team spirit, this second book about the adventures of the talking cars will delight early readers and kids that find longer books overwhelming.

Title: Four All at Sea
Author: Sophie Masson
Illustrator: Cheryl Orsini
Publisher: Christmas Press, $13.99
Publication Date: 1 September 2021
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9780648815419
For ages: 6+
Type: Junior Fiction

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Review: Food or Friend?

Have you ever heard of a cabbage butterfly? It would have to look like a cabbage, right?

What about a crab apple? That’s a type of crab, isn’t it? 

Do dragon fruits have wings? 

Is a kiwi a fruit or a bird? Food or a friend?

In this fun and funny picture book, author/Illustrator Rebel Challenger explores a range of things that sound like they should be something, but are, in fact, definitely not.

A cabbage butterfly doesn’t look anything like a cabbage. A crab apple is a type of apple rather than a type of crab. Dragon fruits do not have wings (but their bright pink and green colouring and scaly exterior perhaps reminds people of dragons). And a kiwi is a bird, unless it has ‘fruit’ at the end of it, in which case it’s a piece of fruit.

With vibrant colourful illustrations, Food or Friend? is an engaging laugh and half that also teaches kids about the gloriousness (and sometimes absurdity) of language and how we name things.

At the back of the book, there is a brilliant page that explains why these foods and friends are called what they’re called, and where some of their peculiar names have come from.

If you’re looking for a fun book to read to a crowd and start a conversation about language, this is a perfect choice. With brilliant repetition throughout, it’s a book kids can interact with, and I predict loads of loud and engaging story times stemming from this little gem.

Make sure you check out the teachers notes for this one from Larrikin House. They’ve got loads of fun activities to get you thinking about food, friends and language!

Title: Food or Friend?
Author/Illustrator: Rebel Challenger 
Publisher: Larrikin House, $24.99
Publication Date: 1 September 2021
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9781922503367
For ages: 3 - 6 
Type: Picture Book

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Review: The Monster at the End of This Book

The Monster at the End of This Book is a special 50th anniversary edition of the bestselling book starring the much-loved, furry, blue Muppet named Grover.

Grover is, of course, one of the stars of Sesame Street.

It's a book that's highly interactive.

Grover speaks directly to the reader throughout.

The title of the book is what first raises concerns for Grover. 

There's a monster involved, and Grover doesn't want to encounter a monster!

He pleads with the reader to be quiet and not to turn the page, because that way the monster might not make an appearance.

Would you turn the page if it would lead to a monster? Can Grover stop the pages from being turned by tying them up, or nailing them shut?

The anticipation builds as you read each page, and you might be able to guess just who the monster at the end of the book is. And when you reach the book's ending, you'll find that there was nothing for Grover or anyone else to be afraid of.

A classic publication, The Monster at the End of This Book is a book to able to be enjoyed by everyone.

Title: The Monster at the End of This Book
Author: Jon Stone
Illustrator: Mike Smollin
Publisher: Scholastic Australia, $ 19.99
Publication Date: August 2021
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9781761129476
For ages: 3+
Type: Picture Books

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Giveaway: Australiana Picture Book Prize Pack!

Review: Always

Always is the seventh and final book in Morris Gleitzman’s outstanding series featuring the hero Felix. It marks the end of two journeys; the one taken by Felix, the other, the writing journey with Felix by the author,which began sixteen years ago with Once.

Followers of this series can expect many surprising revelations.

The dearest thing to ten year-old Wassim living in Poland, is the memory of his dead parents whom he frequently speaks to at the cemetery. 

His short list of treasures includes Uncle Otto who has cared for him since he was orphaned almost a year ago.

His last is a book left to him by his Grandpa Amos with a note in it instructing the boy to find the international hero Felix Salinger, if ever he’s in trouble.

He’s in the worst trouble now, after being beaten and almost choked to death by the criminal gang the Iron Weasels. Their racist actions extend to Otto, with frequent abuse, intimidation and death threats. Time to obey Grand's words.

Felix is well into his eighties now. Active and well, he lives in aged care in Australia. Wassim believes he can still solve any problem.

Computer research tells Wassim all he wants to know about Felix. With money from the sale of stolen goods belonging to the Weasels stored in his garage; Otto buys tickets to Australia and Felix. His plan; to return to Poland alone and take care of his persecutors.

Without his consent, Wassim finds himself left with Felix who sees the strength, courage and intelligence of the boy and commits to helping him. Strong bonds are formed between the two.

Everything that Felix holds dear is taken from him by the evil that stretches its tentacles across the world.

Wassim and Felix are helped by special friends who build a ring of protection around them so they can return safely to Eastern Europe and Uncle Otto.

One mystery links to another as the clever Wassim, full of logic and analytic thought, fights with Felix for a freedom which always seems just beyond reach.

But can Felix protect the boy from the agony of a truth, used as a weapon to destroy him?

Within the brilliant main story and deeply-moving sub-stories, the residual horror of war, shivers between the lines that round off the lives of the characters that surfaced long ago.

Title: Always
Author: Morris Gleitzman
Publisher: Penguin, $ 19.99
Publication Date: 31 August 2021
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9780143793243
For ages: 10 – 14
Type: Middle Grade Fiction

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Review: Backyard Birds

Fly free with our native feathered friends in Backyard Birds by Dr Helen Milroy and celebrate their majesty and splendour. 

Milroy is a descendant of the Palyku people of the Pilbara region of Western Australia. She was not only Australia’s first Indigenous doctor and psychiatrist but also AFL’s first Indigenous Commissioner. 

Here we celebrate her work, Backyard Birds, which was shortlisted for the Speech Pathology Australia Book of the Year Awards. Also by Milroy is Backyard Bugs.

In a riot of colour and sound, Backyard Birds brings birds to life and will have you dancing, prancing and singing along with them. Some of the birds like the kookaburra were already familiar to me, while others like the ‘twenty-eight’ were excitingly new. The twenty-eight is the colloquial Western Australian name for an Australian Ringneck parrot, so named because its cry sounds like ‘twenty-eight’. 

Writing sparse, rhyming text, Milroy uses the rhythm of words to draw readers into the book. A few near rhymes, such as ‘laugh/bath,’ are slightly jarring but not so much as to take attention away from the flow of the story. In the text, the actions of the birds are accented to enhance meaning and provide emphasis. 

The illustrations seem to vibrate and captivate me with their aliveness. Each boldly coloured and patterned artwork is richly influenced by the artist’s cultural heritage. The repetition of colour helps tie the spreads together. Stretching from dawn to dusk, the end papers denote the change in light.

This lively and joyful text is well suited for littlies but is also a great conversation starter for older kids, and includes teaching notes for classroom use. Backyard Birds reminds me of Busy Beaks by Sarah Allen but for younger kids. It is a lovely size for little hands and would make a great gift for budding bird lovers and overseas loved ones.

As a bird nut myself, Backyard Birds has in fact encouraged me to sign up for the Aussie Backyard Bird Count which runs annually in October.  

Birds are such a source of wonder and solace with the power to connect us to the natural world. Right at this moment, wattlebirds have nested in our hedge, and I can hear the chirps of some babies. I am utterly enthralled by them. When we feel connected, we are more likely to want to preserve our wonderfully diverse environment. I think this book is just what we need.

Title: Backyard Birds
Author: Dr Helen Milroy
Publisher: Fremantle Press, $19.99
Publication Date: 31 March 2020
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9781925816563
For ages: 2+
Type: Picture Book

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Review: Zoo Crew #1

If you like weird and wacky with a healthy dose of gross, Zoo Crew is for you! 

Hang with Gus the hamster as he fills you in on all you need to know about Bazooglyville Primary School, or Zoo Primary for short. 

He’ll introduce you to the Zoo Crew — Eddie, Mabel and Princeton — and prepare you for the school athletics carnival.

It won’t be easy, though... 

Cheater extraordinaire and school bully Echo is up to her old cheating tricks again, Principal Phaart is being as gross as usual, and competing in athletics is hard! But if Eddie, Mabel and Princeton want to win the gelato prize, they’re going to have to suck it up and get moving.

Zoo Crew is a fun and funny junior fiction novel for fans of laughing, joking and being grossed out. With farts, pus and bum wiggles galore, this is a book for the kids who love a side of silly with their reading.

The illustrations are gloriously entertaining in this book. And there are loads of them. Every page is peppered with multiple pictures, making this a very visual read. They are engaging, detailed and filled with fart puffs. The text, too, is more than just text, delivered in a variety of fun ways across the pages.

This is a book kids will really ‘get’ and really WANT to read, not just because an adult had told them to. The jokes are for them, the grossness is for them, and the relatable characters are for them.

This is Guy Edmonds’ and Matt Zeremes’ first novel, but if you’ve ever heard of the hit television show HARDBALL!, then you’ll be familiar with their work. And as the first book in a cool new series, Zoo Crew is just the start.

Title: Zoo Crew #1
Author: Guy Edmonds and Matt Zeremes
Illustrator: Peter William Popple
Publisher: Scholastic Australia, $15.99
Publication Date: 1 September 2021
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781760976569
For ages: 6 - 9
Type: Junior Fiction

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Review: Treasure in the Lake

With the surge of graphic novels for all ages, comes the opportunity for creators and designers to offer a different style of book to children who find reading words difficult, but are drawn to visual narratives.

A five-publisher auction led Allen and Unwin to secure the brilliant, Treasure in the Lake, a debut graphic novel for Jason Pamment.

Iris and Sam, both thirteen, are best friends that share adventures in their spare time. That’s all they share. 

Intelligent and mature, Iris has dreams of seeing something more than the limits of Bugden where she lives. The only thing that will draw anyone there is the giant fish soon to be unveiled in the square.

Sam is an easy-going boy without any specific vision for his future. The is happy tagging along with Iris who spends her time reading at the river and collecting things she finds.

Her application has been accepted at a city boarding school for an education in archaeology. But there is no money to support her. To recover peace of mind, she camps at her reading spot at the river. In the morning, she finds all the water drained away.

It is an opportunity for discovery; treasures to be found. Perhaps something valuable.

Sam comes looking for her and they set out together. He finds fish and a turtle. Iris artefacts. But the two do not stay together. Iris follows the river to discover a lost city in the lake. Sam gets lost and is found by the old Benjamin, who fills him with stories that give him food for thought.

Both undertake a fantastic adventure that will impact their friendship and reveal to each child, how strong and resourceful they are.

Iris uncovers more than artefacts just before the unpredictable flood waters threaten again. 

Can she make her way back through the flowing gushes? How will all she has seen and experienced, influence what she thinks and does  from now on?

A riveting adventure inspired by existing hidden cities underwater all over the world.

This beautifully illustrated book with strong themes, will send interested readers to their computers to discover where other such cities are to be found and the history that surrounds their flooding.

Title: Treasure in the Lake
Author/Illustrator: Jason Pamment
Publisher: Allen & Unwin, $16.99
Publication Date:14 September 2021
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 978176052 6238
For ages: 8 – 12
Type: Graphic Novel

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Announcement: The Environment Award for Children's Literature 2021 by Wilderness Society: WINNERS!

WINNERS OF 2021 ENVIRONMENT AWARD FOR CHILDREN’S LITERATURE ANNOUNCED

The winners for this year’s Environment Award for Children’s Literature have been announced by the Wilderness Society during Nature Book Week, which runs between 6 – 12 September.

Now in its 27th year, the Wilderness Society shortlists the best children’s nature books before a panel of judges crowns a winner for three categories: Fiction, Non-Fiction, and Picture Fiction. The award showcases and celebrates some of the best writers and illustrators working in children’s literature.

The winner of the Fiction category of the Environment Award for Children’s Literature is The Power of Positive Pranking by Nat Amoore. The book explores the agenda of the Green Peas, who are determined to make a difference in the world. When the adults won’t listen, the kids will find a way to be heard – as long as they can stay out of detention.

The winner of the Nonfiction category is Tree Beings by Raymond Huber, illustrated by Sandra Severgnini. This storybook depicts how much we depend on trees for our survival, yet few understand just how fascinating these beings really are. With a foreword by the world-renowned anthropologist Jane Goodall, Tree Beings is an adventure through the secret world of trees.

The Giant and the Sea by acclaimed author Trent Jamieson and CBCA Award-winner Rovina Cai took out the Picture Fiction category. The book explores themes about the environment, climate change and standing up for what you believe in.

The Ambassador for this year’s award is ecologist and science communications expert, Dr Jen Martin. Joining her as judges of this year’s shortlist are acclaimed playwright and children’s author, Hilary Bell; the New York Times bestselling cartoonist and creator of last year's Fiction Winner, Gavin Aung Than; as well as sustainability advocates, Sadie Chrestman and Matthew Evans, who were both featured on SBS’ TV series, Gourmet Farmer.

Judge Hilary Bell said, 'Congratulations to the winners of this prestigious award, one that is so important in its recognition of the need to inspire our next generation of nature-lovers and -warriors. The prizewinning books were each remarkable in unique ways, but all shared a special quality: that of instilling in kids a sense of empowerment.'

Past winners of the award included acclaimed Australian children’s authors Tim Winton, Paul Jennings, Jackie French, the late Narelle Oliver, Coral Tulloch, Graeme Base, and Wendy Orr.




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Guest Post: Sofie Laguna on The Song of Lewis Carmichael

Sophie Laguna‘s first children’s book in ten years, The Song of Lewis Carmichael, illustrated by her husband Marc McBride, is a magnificent journey deep into The Arctic, but also into the depths of the human psyche.

Sofie tells us about the genesis of the book and what writing  it means to her.

I remember sharing the idea for The Song of Lewis Carmichael with my husband when we were on a holiday together about five years ago. I told Marc all about a boy who travels by hot air balloon to the ice, to find a lost baby.

I described the pictures I saw in my mind: a flock of snow geese carrying a balloon, polar bears thundering across the ice, a cave of dangerous Arctic wolves, the antlers of reindeer resembling the branches of trees. We discussed the possibility of Marc doing the illustrations for this story set in the snow. I was really excited and I began to write it when we returned from our holiday.

I can’t remember exactly how much I wrote, before another book for adults took over! But the story never quite left me alone, and as soon as there was space, I began the story again, in earnest. I was determined to complete it, before more demands were made on me with other books.

It was a real pleasure to escape to The Arctic each time I wrote. I needed ice! I needed polar bears, walruses and Snowy Owls. The more I researched The Arctic the more excited I became. The North Pole is always moving!

As far as why I wrote a book for children again after so many years – well, the story was there, asking to be told.

I just followed the feeling in me. I didn’t ask if the story was for younger readers or older readers, I just knew I wanted to spend time with a crow who could speak, and a boy who needed a friend.

It was exhilarating. It was also a very emotional journey. I felt Matthew’s pain quiet acutely. And I loved the friendship that he developed with Lewis. It meant the world to me, and still does.



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Review: One Million Insects

One Million Insects explores the world of insects.

And there are lots of insects to discover because there are more than one million species!

Insects have many unique characteristics and life cycles when compared to other animals.

Did you know that only about ten percent of insects can properly be called bugs (true bugs)?

In One Million Insects you'll be able to learn all about different insect types.

There are stick insects and beetles, wasps and dragonflies, grasshoppers, butterflies, and many more.

Facts and figures about these 'creeping, crawling, fluttering, scuttling and hiding' insects are also prominent.

From the longest living insects, and which ones are stinky, or biters, to which ones change colour, and which make unusual sounds, some that we can hear, and some that we can't.

You'll find all this and more in One Million Insects, which is written by Isabel Thomas.

Around sixty pages of insight into insects' lives concludes with a glossary and index to help with finding your way around the book.

The illustrations by Lou Baker Smith are numerous and make this book like an enormous one of those bug boxes, or terrariums. It starts on the cover and include flourescent endpages with insect silhouettes, too.

Some children may prefer to browse the pictures to see which insects they can recognise. While others might want to read the text first.

However you approach it, One Million Insects offers an impressive horde of insects to read about.

Title: One Million Insects
Author: Isabel Thomas
Illustrator: Lou Baker-Smith
Publisher: Welbeck Editions, $ 24.99
Publication Date: August 2021
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9781913519025
For ages: 8+
Type: Junior Non-Fiction

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Review: The Magnificent Hercules Quick

Hercules Quick lives with his Aunt Alligator and his pet tadpole, Sylvie. They live on the middle floor of a big red house, with the Elk family above them and Professor Calamari below. Queen Claude lives in the cellar and the turtle brothers, Mike and Herbert, live on the roof.

It’s a wild and wonderful place to live, and Hercules loves it. But… he really wishes he had enough money to buy a marvellous box of magic tricks from the shops.

So, Hercules comes up with a plan. He’ll do odd jobs for whoever is in need to save up to buy the magic tricks. But the plan is easier said than done, because Hercules’ neighbours have some strange requests when it comes to jobs they need done for them.

He answers phone calls for Professor Calamari, cleans the cellar for Queen Maude, recites love letters up at the Elk family’s home and does some very strange paintings for the turtle brothers. But after all the jobs, will Hercules have enough money to buy the box of magic tricks?

The Magnificent Hercules Quick is a vibrant junior fiction novel from dynamic duo Ursula Dubosarsky and Andrew Joyner. How Dubosarsky can inject so much character, history and story into such a short word count I will never know, and Joyner’s delightful illustrations are so much fun to explore as you turn each page.

This is a perfect book for younger readers, with a simple storyline and easy to read language. But while being simple and easy to read, it’s also jampacked with rich characters, loads of humour and lots of fun. Hercules Quick is a very relatable protagonist, filled with enthusiasm and a can-do attitude, but with doubts and fears just like us all.

If you’re looking for a new series for younger readers or kids ready to tackle a book independently, I highly recommend The Magnificent Hercules Quick. From our own Australian Children’s Laureate for 2020-21 and Australian illustrator royalty, how can you go wrong!

For more fabulous books by Ursula Dubosarsky check out The Blue Cat and Brindabella. And for more from Andrew Joyner, make sure you check out The Pink Hat and Boo!.

Title: The Magnificent Hercules Quick
Author: Ursula Dubosarsky
Illustrator: Andrew Joyner
Publisher: Allen and Unwin, $4.99
Publication Date: 31 August 2021
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781761065712
For ages:  5 - 9
Type: Junior Fiction

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Review: Pax Journey Home

An extraordinary and emotional tale of survival of both animals and humans,
I regret having missed the first book, Pax, as I loved Pax: Journey Home, so much!

Its beautiful and moving poetic prose carries countless underlying themes and messages that will move the reader deeply.

Several parallel stories are in play throughout the book.Peter's story, the journey to repair the environment, several sub-stories, and that of Pax. 

Pax and his family have a voice. This allows us access to the strong feelings and thoughts of the animals, and fully understand the bond between humans and animals.

The main character is thirteen year old Peter. Bitter and turned inside himself after the loss of both parents, first his mother, then his father in the war, his grief magnified after having being forced to give up his pet fox Pax, whom he saved as a kit.

Pax now has a family of three, one a girl kit. Pax often thinks of his boy with whom he shared his life, and who then sent him away.

Vola with whom Peter now lives, wants to save Peter from becoming embittered by life and therefore miss out on all the treasure and security love can offer. His grandfather, Peter’s last living relative, bitter and distrustful of everyone and everything, is unable to show any kindness or understanding toward the boy.

To shut people and love out, Peter builds a small hut on his father’s property to live in alone and be self-sufficient. He decides to join the Water Warriors, that analyse and repair waterways that were poisoned during the war, in the hope of restoring safety to the remaining creatures of the forests that have been significantly diminished.

Jade and Samuel are Peter's adult companions on the hike to rivers and streams, and the testing and documenting of the results. The boy is slowly drawn into the work which he does well.

Knowing a great deal about trees, nature and survival skills, the adults are impressed by his abilities. He begins to warm to them, ever cautious to keep a distance between them. Fearful he will get close again to something or somebody, he withdraws from any warmth or emotion that threatens.

But love has a way of creeping in.

When Pax sets out on a journey with his girl kit to teach her how to survive and recognise danger, she becomes sick after drinking the water.

There is only one thing to be done.

Can Peter repeat the thing that broke him? Or will love win him over regardless of the barriers he has carefully built around himself.

Jon Klassen’s black and white illustration reflect the ever-present threat to the animals in the forest, and the aloneness of the boy, in haunting, breathtaking shadows.

A beautifully constructed and executed storyline that explores human emotions; how all living things need and depend on one another to survive. Regardless of the way life wounds them, they can always be healed through love.

Title: Pax: Journey Home
Author: Sara Pennypacker
Illustrator: Jon Klassen
Publisher: Harper Collins, $14.99
Publication Date: 7 September 2021
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9780008470289
For ages: 9+
Type: Junior Fiction

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Review: Super Geeks #2 Planet Pancake

Zeek and Arnie are back to implement Plan B to take over the world. And this time it starts (and ends!) with pancakes.

Dynamic duo and best geek friends Zeek and Arnie want to take over the world. Well, really, it’s Zeek’s obsession, but Arnie is happy to tag along and help his friend achieve his goals.

Plan B is about finding treasures at the edge of the world, because money equals power and power equals world domination!

So Zeek and Arnie build a ship and head out across the ocean in search of gold.

With Eleanor the fish and a sad Arnie in tow (Arnie has misplaced his pancake maker), Zeek navigates the seas in search of the edge of the world. But when a mysterious explorer turns up, and leads them to a strange ice wall, Zeek begins to become suspicious.

What will they find at the edge of the world? Treasures, or something else? And will Arnie ever find his pancake maker?

This is book two in the Super Geeks series, but I found it really easy to pick up and read without having read the first book in the series, Fish and Chips. It’s a brilliantly designed book, in graphic novel style, with fully illustrated pages, loads of speech bubbles and only minimal narrative story.

Truly, it’s a visual feast.

Kids who love more illustrations and less words will love it. It’s filled with action, adventure and splashes of mystery. And it’s fun.

James Hart is the illustrator of so many loved children’s books — D-Bot Squad, Mr Bambuckle’s Remarkables and Little Legends, just to name a few — but Super Geeks is his first series as both author and illustrator. And he nails it.

If your kids like to be entertained, like whacky adventures and books with loads of illustrations, I highly recommend checking out this cool new series.

Title: Super Geeks #2 Planet Pancake
Author/Illustrator: James Hart
Publisher: Penguin Random House, $14.99
Publication Date: 2 July 2021
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781760895143
For ages: 6 - 10
Type: Junior Fiction

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Meet The Illustrator: Matt Cosgrove

Review: Babies at the Billabong

What a wonderful anytime story Babies at the Billabong is! 

A walk through the Australian bush is reason for celebration. There is so much to see and learn about; tall trees, flowered bushes and baby animals playing in their natural habitats.

The little girl sets out for a late afternoon walk in nature. The sun is still high as she heads for the billabong.

Down by the coolabah tree, energetic joeys slide and splash gleefully. But they are too loud, so she keeps walking.

As the sun begins to sink, she wanders to where the wattle blooms. 

Echidna puggles are having a drum-a-thon. Although it is a beautiful sight, added to the joeys’ noisy exuberance, it is too loud, so she continues on through the tree-lined forest.

Along the banks of the billabong, as light flickers through the river red gum branches, cute cockatoo chicks gobble a high tea which they share with the girl. Sweet as they are, their chatter is added to the echidna and joey sounds. Far too loud for her, she walks on to sit at a picnic table to eat her cake.

At the lilly pilly bush where surrounding she-oaks cast long shadows on the ground, goanna hatchlings are building. It is a delight to watch them work. But too noisy when added to the previous sounds of the cockatoos’ tea party, the echidna drumming, and the joeys splashing. Off she goes.

Almost dusk, she comes to the crimson waratahs. Through an opening, she sees a large group of green tree froglets dancing on rocks and fallen tree trunks. They are impressive in their freedom dance. But added to all the previous sounds that now filled her head, she leaves them behind.

Looking high in the branches of a giant paperbark, the girl realizes it is almost dark. Flying fox pups are waking. She calls all the baby animals to her.

Time to wind down around the campfire and share a story together before bed.

From the creators of By the Billabong, stunning matte illustrations portray the beauty of Australia’s flora and fauna in earthy tones. Humorous undertones of the text entertain as children learn about Australia’s magnificent trees and baby animals, with images and by name.

Title: Babies at the Billabong
Author: Maura Finn
Illustrator: Cate James
Publisher: Affirm Press, $24.99
Publication Date: 31 August 2021
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9781922419408
For ages: 4+
Type: Picture Book

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12 Curly Questions with author/illustrator Inda Ahmad Zahri

1. Tell us something hardly anyone knows about you.
I went through a super awkward childhood phase where I looked like Harry Potter – dodgy haircut, glasses, braces, skinny with baggy clothes – and was often mistaken for a boy.

2. What is your nickname?
Inda binda. Someone started it in school, and it stuck.

3. What is your greatest fear?
Being tortured to give up my secrets. This is why I did not become a spy.

4. Describe your writing style in 10 words.
Searching hidden gems, teetering on poetics, occasionally sliding into rhyme.

5. Tell us five positive words that describe you as a writer.
Hopeful, lyrical, hard-working, curious, constant.

6. What book character would you be, and why?
I’ve always wanted to be Matilda! I love Roald Dahl’s stories and Matilda is such a cool heroine – she is clever, has a strong sense of justice, a wicked streak and can control things with her mind!

7. If you could time travel, what year would you go to and why?
If I could bring my daughter along with me, we would travel back to the time of the dinosaurs. She is mad about them and loves pondering paleontological facts, so it would be the most amazing treat.

8. What would your 10-year-old self say to you now?
‘Let’s go over our old stories, now that you have new ways to tell them...'

9. Who is your greatest influence?
I have many influences, but in terms of storytelling, art, courage and magic, one of my heroes is the great Japanese animator and founder of Studio Ghibli, Miyazaki Hayao. Manga and anime were a huge part of our childhood growing up in Malaysia, but I was only introduced to Miyazaki-san’s oeuvre when I was working as a junior doctor – a medical student said I reminded him of a Studio Ghibli character and gave me a ton of movies to watch. I just fell into this blissful lake of magical storytelling!

10. What/who made you start writing?
My mum was the first to instil a love of books in me. I now know what a privilege it was to have shelves stocked with books in my own home. From a young age, she encouraged me to start a diary, and it became something that I did on and off in various mediums, pretty much to this present day.

11. What is your favourite word and why?
Unfurling. It makes me think of something with lots of pent-up potential, finally showing itself off in the sunlight. Paddy fields, flower petals, pages and pages of writing.

12. If you could only read one book for the rest of your life, what would it be?
The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje. In the book, the main character carried a copy of Herodotus’ The Histories as he explored the desert, placing mementos between its pages and scrawling notes in its margins. In real life, The English Patient became my Histories – I took my copy with me on my travels and always opened it up to find some masterful writing, and a different way to think about the world.

Inda Ahmad Zahri writes and illustrates stories inspired by natural and cultural gems curated from her travels and lovingly added to her Malaysian heritage. She is also a surgical doctor, swapping her writer’s hat and paintbrush for scrubs and scalpel when duty calls. For more information, see www.indabinda.com.

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Review: Monster Hunting for Beginners

Do you feel the itch for adventure? Are you pretty sure there is something out there waiting for you? Do you wish your dad would stop being so protective and scared all the time so you can go out there and find your calling?

Jack does.

Jack lives with his dad. His dad is a safe man who likes everything to be safe and likes to stay safe all the time. He doesn’t like adventure or risk. 

Jack craves adventure. He senses there is something more for him, but he loves his dad, so he follows  all the ‘safe’ rules.

But then Jack's dad disappears, and a strange woman turns up claiming to be Jack's aunt. She isn’t very nice, and Jack is suspicious. And then an ogre appears, and Jack knows for sure something very odd is going on.

Jack soon learns that monsters are real, have always been real and are all around you if you only pay attention. He also discovers there is a mysterious and glorious occupation called a ‘monster hunter’.

Following clues and literal hot cross breadcrumbs, Jack and some helpful helpers track down the ogres as they try to find Jack’s dad and figure out how everything is connected. But hunting monsters is not for the faint hearted. There is much to fear and much danger along the way. Plus, there are monster hunting rules that must be followed, and some of them make it really difficult to get the job done.

But there is help at hand. Jack has a copy of 'Monster Hunting for Beginners', a magical guide to the monster hunting profession, with entries on all sorts of monsters and how to hunt them (or avoid them).

Monster Hunting for Beginners is a brilliant new junior fiction series for all fans of the fantastical, mystery and adventure. It’s non-stop action in this book, pulling readers into the mysterious and throwing twists, turns and surprises as each chapter progresses.

The monster guide features throughout the book, with entries peppered throughout the pages, so you get to learn about the variety of monsters out there, even if Jack is yet to encounter them. Fun and funky illustrations also feature throughout the book, supporting the super fun story.

With rich characters, a fabulously fresh storyline and loads of twists, I thoroughly enjoyed Monster Hunting for Beginners. If you’re looking for something new for your monster loving readers, I highly recommend grabbing a copy of this book.

Title: Monster Hunting for Beginners
Author: Ian Mark
Illustrator: Louis Ghibault
Publisher: Farshore Fiction, $14.99
Publication Date: 28 July 2021
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9780755504367
For ages: 8 - 12
Type: Junior Fiction

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Review: Dinosaur Dads

Dinosaur Dads is a fun rhyming story about a bunch of dinosaurs.

The junior dinosaurs are bored and grumpy until the the dad dinosaurs return in all their stomping and roaring glory.

Then the kids begin a race with their dads in which they run and  tramp and stomp through a swamp.

That's followed by a giant mud fight, a swim, a ride on the dads' backs, and finally a nap.

Lesley Gibbes has created a fast-paced story, filled with words that not only rhyme, but also showcase adjectives and adverbs. 

There is also lots of onomatopoeia. Think: splash, splat, and whoosh!

Before reading the story aloud, you might find it helpful to do a practice read through first.

'The water is tingly and tickly and swirly, it's splishy and splashy and gushy and whirly!'

Dinosaur Dads will help children expand their vocabulary while enjoying Marjorie Crosby-Fairall's big and bright illustrations.

You might even be able to get them to try creating their own story using sounds and adjectives.

Dinosaur Dads is highly recommended. It's the perfect book for children who love dinosaurs, or for children who are learning to read, or both!

You can also download dinosaur colouring and craft sheets from the illustrator's website.  

Title:  Dinosaur Dads
Author: Lesley Gibbes
Illustrator: Majorie Crosby-Fairall
Publisher: Scholastic Australia, $ 17.99
Publication Date: August 2021
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9781760663506
For ages: 3+
Type: Picture Books

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Review: Skin Deep

Scarlett lives in her privileged world, not realizing how fragile the bubble that we all live in is.

The story starts some time after Scarlett has survived a horrific accident. She is a survivor, but does not see it that way.

Her survival came at a cost, Scarlett not only has to manage her ongoing pain and post traumatic stress disorder, but the change in her status as a person who now has a very obvious and severe disfigurement.

Scarlett has always been the pretty one, and took the benefits of her prettiness for granted.

Now, she is struggling to reinvent herself and to understand her new identity in a world of social media "likes".

But after she overhears her friends discussing her, Scarlett reaches her breaking point and begs her dad for a getaway - a cottage in the mountains too remote for internet access. 

A break from pitying (or disgusted) eyes is what she needs.

The break triggers a series of events in which Scarlett has to dig deep into her reserves of resilience and strength in order to overcome some challenges that she truly did not foresee, and eventually see her own merits beyond those which are just skin deep. 

This is CBCA shortlisted author Hayley Lawrence's third book. Her previous book was reviewed on Kids' Book review  here.

Title: Skin Deep
Author: Hayley Lawrence
Publisher: Scholastic, $
Publication Date: 1 July 2021
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781760976446
For ages: 12+
Type: Young Adult

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Review: Mel and Shell

It is 1979. Shell is ten years old and in Grade 5. To commemorate 150 years since the first settlers came from England, she has been allocated an imaginary pen-pal, Mary, from 1829, as a history project. She has a sheet with an overview of Mary’s life as a starter.

The intention is for Shell to research the history of that era and learn about how life was lived in those early years, in comparison to current life.

Shell’s letters are diary entries, full of information about her own daily activities and experiences, emotions, dreams, friendships and family life. Through these letters, we are informed about Shell’s best friend, Mel, their mutual love of ABBA music, and their two nemeses, Scary Sharon and Stinky Simon. And the break-up of their friendship.

Many stories surface about the difficulties of those early settlement years, the lack of food, clothing and sanitation. Funny anecdotes connected to the dunnies which were emptied at night, and the occasional accidents that occurred will bring on a smile.

It is the friendships and loyalties that are tested that keep this story strong. Family situations and breakdowns, change the course of the children’s lives while secrets that can’t always be shared, are seen through the narrative of Shell’s diary.

Julia Lawrinson handles personal issues such as the reasons why people act the way they do, and say the things they say, like glass – fragile, inexplicable and irreparable, damage to be hidden from others, especially those closest to the person experiencing them.

Beautifully crafted, Mel and Shell, is full of stories, reasons why, and dreams dreamed not always being what one imagines when they become reality.

Witty and funny, with terrific characters, Lawrinson reveals the cracks in friendships, why they occur, and how they are mended.

Title: Mel and Shell
Author: Julia Lawrinson
Publisher: Freemantle Press, $ 16.99
Publication Date: 1 September 2021
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781760990725
For ages: 10 – 14
Type: Middle Grade Fiction

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Junior Review: Secret Soldiers

Look What I'm Reading! Julia Lawrinson

Julia Lawrinson is an award-winning writer of books for children and young adults. She hails from Perth and, despite leaving school at 15, has a PhD in writing and a Bachelor of Laws with distinction.

 Julia has worked in a range of organisations, from the arts to Parliament to health. She has presented at schools, workshops and conferences across Australia, and in Singapore, Indonesia and the USA.

Julia loves meeting her audience and encouraging reading, learning and curiosity. Her books are about friendship, family and the occasional Jack Russell. She loves the ocean, reading, dog parks and the word serendipity.

Her last novel, Maddie in the Middle was published in 2019. Her current one, Mel and Shell, will be out in September 2021.

Which children’s book are you currently reading?
I am re-reading/re-absorbing Meg McKinlay and Matt Ottley’s How to Make a Bird.

Can you tell us in two sentences what the book is about?
On one level it is a whimsical, beautifully-illustrated story of a girl collecting the elements of a bird and breathing life into it so it can fly. It is also a story about the gathering, organising and courageousness that are the prerequisites of creativity.

How much did you enjoy / are enjoying this title?
There are not enough words to express my love of this book. (Disclaimer: I read this before it was shortlisted for the CBCA awards: I was an early adopter!)

What made you choose this title? Was it a review, advertising, the cover, the blurb, the author/illustrator, or the subject/genre?
Anything Meg writes is a deep delight to read, and to have her and Matt Ottley together for this book is a gift. I attended the launch of this book, where Frané Lessac constructed an actual bird from found objects under an overhead projector, which was exquisite in its own right.

What other titles are on your bedside table / To-Read Pile?
I have a TBR bookshelf at the moment as I can’t stop buying books! In the bedside table pile I have: The History of Mischief by Rebecca Higgie, My Year of Living Vulnerably by Rick Morton, The Edge of Thirteen by Nova Weetman and Song of the Crocodile by Nardi Simpson.

How did you come by these titles: personal choice/request, publisher’s review copy, or other?
I have seen Rebecca and Rick talk about their books, the others caught my eye in bookshops. I have a group of friends who pass books to each other, so that is the other way I get books into the pile.

Do you read from printed books or some other medium? Please expand a little on the why of your choice.
Printed. I read to relax and learn interesting new things, so to have to deal with a screen would be too much like working. Plus, I like the smell, texture and physicality of an actual book.

Website – www.julialawrinson.com.au








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