Kunyi June Anne McInerney, Kunyi, Magabala Books, June 2021, 60 pp., RRP $24.99 (hbk), ISBN 9781925936575 From Australia’s oldest independent publishing house of First Nations voices, this debut autobiographical work is dense with informational vignettes and rich, matching artwork. The narrative arc around the stolen generations impact and experiences is sensitively told and conveyed in these pages. The author presents in detail her childhood experiences as a child of the Stolen Generation, living in the Oodnadatta Children’s Home in the 1950s. Despite the trauma of family separation, the style is quite unemotive, with the pure facts conveying the reality of…
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Jessica Walton and Aśka, Stars in their Eyes, Fremantle Press, September 2021, 216 pp., RRP $19.99 (pbk), ISBN 9781760990718 It’s remarkable how fresh and relatable Stars In Their Eyes is in the Australian Young Adult literary landscape. An adorable meet-cute graphic novel written by Jessica Walton and Aśka, it is the perfect Australian offering to appeal to readers of the international best-selling series Heartstopper by Alice Oseman. A nerdy, pop-culture convention story, it actively weaves the lived experiences of being disabled by society and the minutiae throughout. Identity, fandom, new experiences, friendship, and blossoming romance all drive the narrative along,…
Terry Denton, Terry Denton’s Bumper Book of Holiday Stuff to do!, Penguin Random House Australia, January 2022, 304 pp., RRP $16.99 (pbk), ISBN 9780143777809 I don’t think anything make me (or my nephews for that matter) turn my nose up more during my holidays than something called an ‘activity book’. Thankfully, this isn’t that title, but it is indeed a massive activity book coming in at 304 pages. That said, I don’t think I’ve ever had an activity book that asked me to draw a sea monster and make it big, ugly, scary and a bit fluffy. Or ask a…
Emma Bowd (text) and Tania McCartney (illustrator), Wonderful Shoes, Windy Hollow Books, May 2021, 32 pp., RRP $25.99 (hbk), ISBN 9781922081988 “The world is full of wonderful shoes. So many to play with. So many to choose…” _ And so begins a clomping, stomping, delightful romp as children in different settings walk about in a variety of shoes made for bigger feet. It is a joyous celebration of uninhibited child’s play. The rhyming text is minimal, and its steady beat ensures a book that is a pleasure to read aloud. Words are carefully positioned on each page, with adjectives highlighted…
Mark Wilson, Rachel’s War, Hachette Australia, May 2021, 32 pp., RRP $26.99 (hbk), ISBN 9780734420114 Author and illustrator Mark Wilson, once again, does not disappoint. Primary readers will turn the pages wanting to know ‘what happens next’ in this exquisite, simply told, well-researched personal story that depicts the role of Rachel Pratt, a nurse on the battlefields of WW1. Her frustration and exhaustion (as part of an under-appreciated military unit) are clearly shown; and the choice of words and phrases distinctly create an authentic character. Wilson’s beautifully executed illustrations vary in style, and include pencil sketches, paintings and drawings, in…
Barbro Lindgren (text) and Eva Eriksson (illustrator), The Tale of the Tiny Man, Gecko Press, February 2022, 36 pp. RRP $27.99 (hbk), ISBN 9781776574094 A little man sits on his steps. He is lonely and longs for a friend with whom he can laugh, talk and play. One day he decides to do something about it. The Tale of the Tiny Man is a beautifully written Swedish picture book that pulls at the heartstrings. At the centre of the story is a man who longs for friendship and connection. While the story is sad it is also hopeful as it draws…
Martine Murray (text) and Anna Read (illustrator), The owl who got left behind, Parachute Press, March 2022, 52 pp., RRP $29.95 (hbk), ISBN 978064503951 The owl and the pussycat went to sea, or so the story goes. This delightful and thought-provoking book starts from that point. What if the owl had a best friend – another owl – who was left behind and felt lonely and sad? Could there be a story there too? And yes, there is. The owl spends fruitless time beside the sea hoping his friend will return. Owls are supposed to be wise but this one…
Jackie French, No Hearts of Gold, HarperCollins Publishers, December 2021, 416 pp., RRP $29.99 (pbk), ISBN 9781460757925 Some girls were not born to be good. Kat Fizhubert, Titania Boots and Lady Viola Montefiore – three women who were born to be more than just good. Kat grew up in England, wealthy and indulged, until a terrible tragedy shattered her exemplary life and everything she had ever known. Left orphaned, Kat’s astute aunt arranges a marriage for her, to a stranger across the world in New South Wales. Titania, widowed and destitute, but with outstanding business acumen, lunges at the opportunity…
Amy Raphael, The Ship of Cloud and Stars, Hachette Australia, January 2022, 288 pp., RRP $15.99 (pbk), ISBN 9781510108417 Nico Cloud longs to be a scientist like her Aunt Ruth. But it’s 1832 and woman scientists are scorned and discredited. So Aunt Ruth disguises herself as a male scientist aboard a ship to allow her to perform her scientific work in secrecy. Nico’s parents scorn her aunt and forbid Nico from studying science, including her favourite topic: seeds. She must tutor her two younger brothers, tend to her embroidery, and prepare to one day marry and take care of her…
Eve Wersocki Morris, The Bird Singers, Hachette, February 2022, 304 pp., RRP $16.99 (pbk), ISBN 9781444963328 This is the debut novel from a new English author. Her fascination with European fairy tales shows throughout this story. Unhappy with a move to the country in the Lake District of England, Layah, who is almost 13, is critical of her mother for taking them and for her father for not being there. She misses her Polish grandmother who was a renowned folklorist and used to tell Layah and her sister stories. She is both intrigued and frightened by the strange sounds she…