Leila Rudge, Winston and the Indoor Cat, Walker Books Australia, September 2021, 32 pp., RRP $25.99 (hbk), ISBN 9781760652609 Winston and the Indoor Cat is a picture book steeped in thoughtfully designed illustration and charming characterisation. Leila Rudge has a strong background in illustration, having previously illustrated over 10 picture books. Winston and the Indoor Cat is both written and illustrated by Leila, and its Shortlisting in this years’ Awards follows the success of Gary, an Honour book in the 2017 CBCA Awards. Friendship and individuality are explored in this gently-told story of two very different cats. Winston, The Outdoor…
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Timothée de Fombelle, Saving Celeste, Walker Books, October 2021, 128 pp., RRP $18.99 (pbk), ISBN 9781406397192 This memorable and moving short novel by a celebrated French author and playwright was originally published in 2009. Only recently translated by award-winning translator Sarah Ardizzone, it is now readily accessible to English-speaking readers – and read it they should. Narrated in the first person by an unnamed boy and set sometime in a polluted future, it tells the story of how he meets Celeste at school one day and then sets out to find her when she disappears. What he finds is a…
Diandian, The Bear and the Little Green Thing, Berbay Publishing, March 2022, 40 pp., RRP $25.99 (hbk), ISBN 9780645069648 This easy-to-read picture book for young children shows us the brief but important relationship between a bear and a seedling. Beginning as a dropped seed, the seedling slowly finds purpose and meaning in life. We know less about the bear because it is a silent character, but this provides readers with the opportunity to interpret and imagine. The colours in the illustrations are muted, using a lot of natural, earthy tones, which is ideal for a story set in nature. Right…
Claire Saxby, The Wearing of the Green, Walker Books, April 2022, 192 pp., RRP $18.99 (pbk), ISBN 9781760653583 Ma used to say that some people are born shouting for the things they want and others whisper. Together, they keep the conversation moving forward. After losing her family in the Potato Famine in Ireland, Biddy heads to Melbourne where she is sent to work for Mr and Mrs Morrison. Her Ma would say she is lucky to have work and food, but Biddy wants something more than that. She is determined to reunite with her brave but rebellious brother, Ewen. Living…
Britannica Group, Britannica’s Five Minute Really True Stories for Family Time, Britannica Books, January 2022, 192 pp., RRP $29.99 (hbk), ISBN 9781913750374 Britannica Books have previously released 5 Minute Really True Stories for Bedtime and this book follows the same format; a compendium of short non-fiction stories written for young children about a variety of topics, a beginner Encyclopaedia. The stories are mainly based around everyday family activities and places such as breakfast time, playing outdoors. bicycle riding and holidays. The latter section of the book extends this theme to stories about animal families and their activities. The topics are…
Kass Morgan and Danielle Paige, The Monarchs (The Ravens, #2), Hodder & Stoughton, January 2022, 432 pp., RRP $22.99 (pbk), IBSN 9781529363883 The Monarchs is Morgan and Paige’s final book in The Ravens duology. The novel follows two sorority sisters, Scarlett and Vivi, as they navigate college life and attempt to balance the mundane and the supernatural aspects of their lives. Both girls are members of the secretive and exclusive Kappa Rho Nu of Westerly College, a home to a powerful coven of witches. Scarlett has just become the newly appointed head of the sorority after a traumatic and unforeseeable…
Sue Whiting, Pearly and Pig and the Great Hairy Beast, Walker Books, March 2022, 224 pp., RRP $15.99 (pbk), ISBN 9781760653590 The first in a new series starring Pearly Woe and her pig, Pig, this middle-grade novel has mystery, adventure, and a heroine you’ll want to cheer on. The eccentric Woe family possesses an adventuring spirit, but Pearly Woe is not sure she’s got what it takes to be a part of The Adventurologists’ Guild. She has unique gifts, she can speak several languages, depending on her emotions, plus she can talk to animals and is particularly in tune with…
Book of the Year Older Readers Entries in this category may be fiction, drama or poetry and should be appropriate in style and content for readers in their secondary years of schooling. Ages 13 – 18 years. Note: Books in this category are for mature readers and some may deal with particularly challenging themes including violence and suicide. Parental guidance is recommended. Reviews The Boy from the Mish Girls in Boys’ Cars How to Repaint a Life Tiger Daughter Sugar Town Queens Terciel and Elinor Book of the Year Younger Readers Entries in this category may be fiction, drama or poetry and should…
Kayla Miller, Camp, Walker Books, January 2022, 224 pp., RRP $17.99 (pbk), ISBN 9781760654924 Camp is a follow on from Click! in the graphic novel series from author-illustrator Kayla Miller. It isn’t necessary to have read the first book to understand the second, however the backgrounding of the main characters in the first book might be helpful for some readers. While the camp experience can be great fun for kids, it can also be a source of stress and anxiety, and this makes it a rich subject for mid to upper primary readers. The story is about exuberant Olive and…
Eric Carle, Eric Carle’s Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and Other Nursery Rhymes, Penguin Random House, January 2022, 10 pp., RRP $19.99 (board), ISBN 9780593224311 My baby grandchild (now 4 months) watched attentively as I showed her the illustrations in Eric Carle’s new board book Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and Other Nursery Rhymes whilst I sang the nursery rhyme lyrics on each page. This new book in The world of Eric Carle board book series is a lovely accompaniment to five well known nursery rhymes – Wheels on the bus, Hickory dickory dock, Old MacDonald, Incy wincy spider and Twinkle, twinkle…