Maria Speyer, A Feather on a Wing, University of Queensland Press, May 2022, 40 pp., RRP $24.99 (hbk), ISBN 9780702263255 Now a resident of Sydney, this is Danish author and artist Maria Speyer’s first book in English. A little girl, unable to sleep because she is scared of the dark, is comforted by her sister who encourages her to close her eyes and imagine that she is a part of the natural world: a feather on a wing, a raindrop in a shower, a branch in a treetop, and a wave in the sea. She reminds her that in the…
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Mark Wilson, Votes for Women! The Story of Nellie, Rose and Mary, Hachette Australia, June 2022, 32 pp., RRP $26.99 (hbk), ISBN 9780734420138 Award winning author and illustrator Mark Wilson brings us another non-fiction book on Australian historic life and key events. Set in the late 1800s, Votes for Women! tells the story of Nellie and Rose’s friendship with the famous South Australian suffragette, Mary Lee, and their campaign for the right for women to vote. We’re introduced to Nellie Birks as a child grieving the loss of her mother. Then we see her becoming close to her strong-willed stepmother,…
Eddie Woo & Dave Hartley (text), and Mitch Vane (illustrator), Team Trouble (Whodunnit, Eddie Woo? #2), Pan Macmillan, June 2022, 204 pp., RRP $14.99 (pbk), ISBN 9781760983000 Something fishy is going on at the Sunny Side Aged Care Home, and it’s up to Eddie and his friends, Rusty and DT, to work out what’s going on from the clues that elderly Mr Appleby has left for them. Mr Appleby may have Alzheimer’s, but he’s still sharp when it comes to maths and cryptic puzzles. Luckily, so are Eddie and Rusty and DT, and with every piece of Mr Appleby’s puzzle…
Jasmine Seymour, Open Your Heart to Country, Magabala Books, June 2022, 32 pp., RRP 424.99 (hbk), ISBN 9781922613769 Jasmine Seymour is an award-winning artist, author, and teacher. She is a Dharug woman who can trace her heritage back to the time before white settlement. Written in Dharug and English, the book celebrates the joys of returning to Country – and to any place we call Home. Focusing on the natural and spiritual worlds, the story describes the welcome sounds of the bush, the comfort of reacquainting ourselves with the familiar, and the beauty of the stars. The text, which is…
Jane Godwin (text) and Jane Reiseger (illustrator), Say Hello, Affirm Press, March 2022, 32 pp., RRP $17.99 (board), ISBN 9781922711052 Let’s find some animals – off we go! Would you like to meet them and say hello? Meeting the animals is a farmyard full of fun in Jane Godwin and Jane Reiseger’s, Say Hello. In this early years’ picture book, the audience must decide how they would great each animal. If they say ‘Hello’, what will the animal say in return? A gentle rhyming scheme adds an extra element of fun to the mismatched sounds in the story. The idea…
Renée Treml, Sherlock Bones and the Art and Science of Alliance (Sherlock Bones, #3), Allen & Unwin, May 2022, 288 pp., RRP $14.99 (pbk), ISBN 9781761065729 The intrepid trio – Sherlock Bones, the skeleton of a tawny frogmouth; Watts, the stuffed blue Indian ring-necked parrot; and Grace, the living raccoon who loves chocolate – are back. I love Sherlock’s comments about Watts: you might not be able to hear Watts, … but I always know what she’s thinking. They set out to solve the mystery of the haunted painting, a part of the new exhibit in the Natural History Museum,…
Andrew Kelly and Sue Lawson (text) and Dean A. Jones (illustrator), Peregrines in the City, Wild Dog, August 2022, 32 pp., RRP $24.99 (hbk), ISBN 9781742036519 At the back of this handsomely produced picture book is a Falcon Facts page full of interesting and informative details about the Australian Peregrine Falcon. Did you know that the falcon habitat is quite diverse, nesting on anything from skyscrapers to cliff faces? It is also the fastest of all animals and can reach speeds of up to 300 km per hour and can see prey from 3 kilometres away, making their vision 8…
Carl Merrison and Hakea Hustler (text) and Samantha Campbell (illustrator), My Deadly Boots, Hachette Australia, August 2022, 24 pp., RRP $24.99 (hbk), ISBN 9780734421456 The cover of this book had me intrigued instantly – the shapes, patterns, colours, and choice of font all drew me in, inviting me to open the book. And the joy continued as the insides of the cover came to life with bright colours and beautiful Aboriginal symbols telling their story across the page. The words of authors Carl Merrison and Hakea Hustler are brought to life by Samantha Campbell’s illustrations, which when combined bring us…
Katrina Nannestad (text) and Cheryl Orsini (illustrator), Mim and the Anxious Artist (The Travelling Bookshop #3), ABC Books, August 2022, 240 pp., RRP $14.99 (pbk), ISBN 9780733342233 Step inside the travelling bookshop and you will find the right book that might just change your life … Mim Cohen roams the world in a travelling bookshop, along with her dad and her bumbling little brother Nat. Their travelling bookshop is pulled along by a huge horse called Flossy that leads them to where they are needed most. Mim and the Anxious Artist is the third book in the series and the…
Sue Lawson and Karen Tayleur, What’s the Big Idea? Australian Inventions that Changed the World, Wild Dog, August 2022, 44 pp., RRP $24.99 (hbk), ISBN 9781742036267 Australians are an inventive lot. From the innovative tools and equipment of our First Nations people to the pioneering solutions of colonial times and high-tech minds of today, Australians have risen to the challenge of problem solving. Also, Vegemite. We can’t explain that, but we love it anyway. What’s the Big Idea? Australian Inventions that Changed the World is a fascinating look at some of the unique innovations that had their origins right here…