Sophie Cunningham (text) and Anil Tortop (illustrator), Flipper and Finnegan, Allen & Unwin, August 2022, 24 pp., RRP $19.99 (hbk), ISBN 9781761180071 The tale of Flipper and Finnegan ticks all the boxes when it comes to a kind-hearted, feel-good story for children. Two little penguins are enjoying their life of frolicking and playing in the beautiful blue sea. That is, until one day when they come up to the surface of the waves to find the water covered with a clinging choking substance. An oil tanker has lost its load of a toxic substance. The little penguins would need a…
Author: Admin
Stuart French (text) and Anastasia Bukhnina (illustrator), How Love is Made, Ethicool Books, June 2022, 36 pp., RRP $22.99 (pbk), ISBN 9780648872351 How Love is Made is a poetic reflection on the nature of a parent’s love for their child. Stuart French talks, in the dedication, about how he wrote the text late one night exploring the way loving our children leaves us feeling the deepest of emotions. This is a book that feels like a sentimental gift for a parent or grandparent to give their special young one. The poem takes the reader through the immensity of experiencing love,…
Vikki Conley (text) and Max Hamilton (illustrator), Where the Lyrebird Lives, Windy Hollow Books, July 2022, 36 pp., RRP $26.99 (hbk), ISBN 9780645323566 Three generations of a family set off for a bushwalk in the forest to see if they can spot a lyrebird. They cross streams and bridges, walk past waterfalls and under tree canopies and tiptoe quietly in the hope of catching sight of one. They hear several different bird calls but is it the lyrebird mimicking those birds or the different birds themselves? Sharp-eyed readers will spot the lyrebird hiding on several pages before his tail display…
Jane Godwin (text) and Andrew Joyner (illustrator), All the Words I Need to Know, Penguin Random House Australia, July 2022, 40 pp., RRP $24.99 (hbk), ISBN 9781760897277 Oh, this was fun! Explore words from A to Z with Big and Little Owl in this delightful book, as they go through the alphabet. On each page, the owls show young readers the letters of the alphabet, and words that begin with that letter. The illustrations are full of colourful energy and expressive charm that should appeal to fans of the Little Wombat books by Charles Fuge, and had me smiling at…
Nat Amoore (text) and Mike Barry (illustrator), We Run Tomorrow, Penguin Random House, May 2022, 336 pp., RRP $16.99 (pbk), ISBN 9781760897697 I always look forward to a new Nat Amoore book and this may be my favourite one yet! From the very first page, it’s obvious that Nat loves story and character and is a master at creating both. Her voice is strong and lets you know you are in good hands and in for a wild ride. Sticks, Maki, Jed and Tommy are the Locket Street gang. They’re best friends who live on the same street and adore…
Marcus Pfister, The Rainbow Fish and the Storyteller, NorthSouth Books, October 2022, 32 pp., RRP $32.99 (hbk), ISBN 9780735845008 Celebrating 30 years of the original The Rainbow Fish story comes the latest instalment: The Rainbow Fish and the Storyteller. As in the original, Rainbow Fish and his friends have their impressive, sparkly scales. In this story readers are introduced to a new fishy friend, Humbert, who likes to tell stories, though unfortunately he sometimes exaggerates and embellishes them a little too much. Together Rainbow Fish and his friends come up with an idea for Humbert to continue sharing his…
Frané Lessac, A is for Australian Reefs, Walker Books, October 2022, 48 pp., RRP $26.99 (hbk), ISBN 9781760652258 This bright and cheerful information picture book is a companion volume to Frané Lessac’s A is for Australia and A is for Australian Animals. It contains facts not just about our coral reefs such as the Great Barrier Reef but also about fringing reefs, patch reefs and atolls. There are single or double pages for every letter of the alphabet, including X (xanthid crabs) and Z (zebra seahorses). The entries are not necessarily consistent in subject so, for instance, the F page…
Katherine Rundell (text) and Sara Olgilvie, (illustrator), The Zebra’s Great Escape, Bloomsbury, August 2022, 60 pp., RRP &29.99 (hbk), ISBN 9781408885758 The Zebra’s Great Escape takes readers on a courageous adventure of friendship and rescue. When main character Mink comes across an abandoned zebra whose parents have been captured, she jumps into action to reunite them as a family. This colourful story ignites intrigue and highlights determination in standing up for what is right. The playful and bright illustrations convey the story with movement, shape and colour. The length of this book would suit children ages 4 and above, and…
Katy Warner, Triple Threat, Hardie Grant, September 2022, 320 pp., RRP $19.99 (pbk), ISBN 9781760509101 Triple Threat is my 23rd (yes, I counted) Australian young adult novel for 2022. It has been a good year for contemporary stories, particularly, and Edie’s journey stands alongside others offering a lot of heart, authenticity, and thoughtful exploration of topical issues affecting teenagers today. Edie is very much impacted by the mostly negative reactions towards her. Despite having the ‘triple threat’ (She sings! She dances! She acts!), she is not popular or applauded at her posh school. The same school has provided a scholarship,…
Aura Parker, Meerkat Christmas, Penguin Random House Australia, October 2022, 32 pp., RRP $17.99 (hbk), ISBN 9780143777229 On Christmas Day, ten little meerkats start climbing on top of each other to build a tower, but Careful, Meerkats, don’t you fall. But someone will make them CRASH! Aura Parker has written and illustrated a beautiful Christmas story that begs to be read aloud. It is filled with colourful illustrations that beautifully accompany the cheerful rhymes. While the words might not focus on it, the presentation of some Christmas elements like crackers, reindeer, stockings, and tinsel make Meerkat Christmas a great book for the…