Julianne Negri, Veena Sahajwalla: ‘Green’ engineer and recycling champion (Aussie STEM Stars) Wild Dingo Press, July 2022, 157 pp., RRP $15.99 (pbk), ISBN 9781925893250 Parents and teachers may remember seeing Veena Sahajwalla on the ABC TV series, The New Inventors, from 2004 to 2011. The Indian-born engineer has a well-deserved reputation for being a problem-solver and inventor. She is the developer of ‘green’ steel, which uses old rubber tyres and other recycling materials to cut down the amount of coal needed in steelmaking. She has also designed MICROfactories to turn recyclable materials into useful everyday items such as green ceramics.…
Author: Admin
Myke Mollard, Australian Dinosaurs and Mega Beasts, Woodslane Press, November 2022, 48 pp., RRP $29.99 (hbk), ISBN 9781922800060 What a book! Be warned, you might need a coffee-table-and-a-half to open it out or a cleared bedrom floor. Not only is this book packed with information, it is a joy to look at and explore. Fascination begins with the endpapers, which offer informative and easy to understand illustrations of the movement of the earth’s tectonic plates and the locations and geological dates for dinosaur and mega fauna discoveries throughout Australia. There is sure to be a site somewhere near you –…
Sara Acton, Jack’s Jumper, Walker Books, July 2022, 32 pp., RRP $25.99 (hbk), ISBN 9781760654054 Jack’s Jumper is like a mug of hot chocolate, coupled with a cosy cushion on a wintry day; it warm’s the heart. Sara’s depiction of Jack and his treasured jumper is as homely as it is rich and expressive. This story about a boy who uses his favourite jumper, a hand-me-down from his older brother, to fill the void that is left in his brother’s absence is akin to Bob Graham’s 2008 classic The Red Woollen Blanket that unravels over time to eventual loss at the blades of a…
Elys Dolan, Rex: Dinosaur in Disguise, Walker Books, June 2022, 240 pp., RRP $14.99 (pbk), ISBN 9781406397703 Rex is a Dinosaur who has everything- he rules the prehistoric world. Life is great for Rex until he finds himself frozen solid with all his fellow Dinosaurs in an Ice Age. When he wakes up, over 60 million years later, everything has changed – fewer trees, no dinosaur buddies and some orange things called CHEEZ NUBBINS. The only way that funny and clueless Rex can survive without being taken to the zoo is with a good disguise, the help of a few…
Jacqui Halpin Wartime Nurses: Care and compassion (Australia Remembers #6), Big Sky Publishing, October 2022, 72 pp., RRP $14.99 (pbk), ISBN 9781922615596 This is one of a series of professionally produced Australia Remembers war-history books for children. They include books on ANZAC, traditions of the Australian Armed Forces, the bombing of Darwin, VC winners, the remarkable Aboriginal pilot Len Waters, and other titles. Jacqui Halpin has been a nurse, and she has a keen interest in nursing history. She is also active in the society of Children’s Book Writers. Across fourteen chapters of boxed text blocks with many historic photographs…
Heidi McKinnon, Floof, Allen & Unwin, July 2022, 32 pp., RRP $19.99 (hbk), ISBN 9781761180088 Even if you aren’t a fan of fluff, you’re sure to be a fan of Floof! This playful story about a flooffy, fluffy kitty is a delight for young children. Floof is a carefree kitten, enjoying all that a brand new day has to offer. From simple activities, sharing time with friends, and redirecting attention away from negative distractions to positive pastimes, Floof exudes optimism and certitude. Heidi McKinnon has crafted a simple narrative with clean and crisp, simple yet engaging illustrations that perfectly target…
Perdita and Honor Cargill (text) and Katie Saunders (illustrator), Diary of an Accidental Witch (Accidental Witch #1), October 2023, 224 pp., RRP $16.99 (pbk), ISBN 9781760656607 Little Spellshire is nothing like where Bea Black used to live. For a start, there are black cats everywhere, what feels like half of the town wear cloaks and tall pointy hats, and there are strange shops with weird signs like GET YOUR FRESH CUCKOO SPIT HERE! Then there’s the fact that Bea’s new school isn’t an ordinary school. She’s enrolled at witch school where she has come to grips with some interesting classes.…
Gladys Milroy Silver Leaves, Magabala Books, December 2022, 80 pp., RRP $24.99 (hbk), ISBN 9781922613622 Gladys Milroy is a Palyku woman from the East Pilbara region of Western Australia. Born in 1927, she was one of the stolen generations of children. She is now active in Native Title Claims for her community and she has become a story teller. With dramatic black and white illustrations in the style of wood cuts, Gladys Milroy tells a story of dispossession, resourcefulness, magic and renewal. She tells her tale through the eyes of Owl and Night Parrot who are night-time comrades, sharing the…
Sean Williams, Honour Among Ghosts, Allen & Unwin, August 2022, 336 pp., RRP $16.99 (pbk), ISBN 9781761065767 Nothing is as simple as it seems in this fast-paced, crime mystery, penned by enigmatic author, Sean Williams. An open and shut case of a stolen cup quickly dissolves into an intertwining series of seemingly unconnected good deeds that, ultimately, reveal a darker and otherworldly mischief. The mystery is tackled head-on by a feisty group of young teens drawn to the originating theft by their own personal needs, each one more alike to the next than they realise, and yet, so extremely different that only a…
Jackie French (text) and Bruce Whatley (illustrator), Diary of a rescued wombat: The Untold Story, Harper Collins Publishers, November 2022, 32 pp., RRP $24,99 (hbk), ISBN 9781460761823 Diary of a Rescued Wombat commemorates the 20th anniversary of Diary of a Wombat – the first picture book in a series about pet wombat Mothball, produced by two of Australia’s great creators of children’s literature – Jackie French and Bruce Whatley. This latest Mothball story takes the reader back to the beginning when she was rescued. Whatley’s illustrations and French’s brief text tell the story of her transformation, over a year, from…