David Atherton (text) and Alice Bowsher (illustrator), My First Green Cook Book: Vegetarian Recipes for Young Cooks, Walker Books Australia, September 2021, 78 pp., RRP $32.99 (hbk), ISBN 9781529500608 My First Green Cook Book: Vegetarian Recipes for Young Cooks is packed full of vegetarian recipes for kids, including classics like spaghetti ‘bolognese’ and cheesy veggie bake, as well as more inventive dishes like pea-camole and cauli hot wings. Most of the recipes have added vegetables or ‘superfoods’, like the strawberry pink scones that get their colour from beetroot, and the ice-dream smoothie made with frozen cauliflower. Each recipe has an…
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Bob Graham, Maxine, Walker Books Australia, September 2021, 40 pp., RRP $27.99 (hbk), ISBN 9781912920747 Bob Graham infuses a little bit of life’s magic into every one of his books. We first met the Superhero family in Graham’s 2005 picture book, Max. Now Max is about to become a big brother and everyone’s excited. Baby Maxine arrives and she’s born wearing her superhero mask. She’s a perfect fit for the Superhero family. As Maxine grows, she discovers that maybe, just maybe, there’s more to her life than what was expected of her. But can she be true to herself and…
Favel Parrett, Wandi, Hachette Australia, September 2021, 256 pp., RRP $19.99 (hbk), ISBN 9780734420633 For readers who enjoyed Pax by Sara Pennypacker, about a young boy and his love for a small, orphaned fox, they will find an equally compelling and beautifully written story in Wandi. Told from the point of view of a young dingo pup called Little One, we meet him snuggling with his family in a den in the snowy alpine region of Australia. His parents teach him how to hunt for food but also warn him that the most dangerous thing of all is the Human,…
Zana Fraillon (text) and Phil Lesnie (illustrator), The Curiosities, Lothian, September 2021, 32 pp., RRP $26.99 (hbk), ISBN 9780734417848 This is an unusual, haunting picture book which lingers in the mind long after closing the covers. It concerns Miro, who wakes up one morning to discover that the Curiosities have chosen him as their nesting place. At first they are not obvious but gradually they exert an influence on Miro so that he sees, feels and experiences things differently. Others begin to notice the Curiosities, especially when they are very loud, and Miro feels overwhelmed. But threads of knowing begin…
Melina Marchetta (text) and Deb Hudson (illustrator), What Zola did on Sunday, Penguin Random House Australia, September 2021, 96 pp., RRP $12.99 (pbk), ISBN 9781760895228 After six books about our vibrant, charming hero, Zola, and what she gets up to on each day of the week, we have finally arrived at Sunday, and everyone is excited because it is time for the St Odo’s community fete. After months and months of planning, Zola can’t wait for the big day with its cake stall, organic stall, knitting stall and loads of competitions, like the dog and cat show and the grandparents’…
Tina Wilson (text and illustrator), Joan Wilson (knitting) and Matt Ottley (music), Afloat in Venice (Monkey’s Great Adventures), One Tentacle Publishing, September 2021, 40 pp., RRP $27.95 (hbk), ISBN 9780648511960 With so many children’s books published every year, it must be difficult for authors, illustrators and other creatives to be original. Afloat in Venice, the first in the Monkey’s Great Adventures series, from a new, boutique publisher, feels refreshingly different from what the big publishers produce. The story itself is simple: one main character goes to a new place, loses something they thought valuable only to realise in the process…
Laura Bunting (text) and Nicky Johnston (illustrator), Coco and the Bee, Scholastic Australia, September 2021, 48 pp., RRP $19.99 (hbk), ISBN 9781760975265 This is the third book in a series about Coco, a kitten who has human desires. She is delighted when her mother arranges for her to have a playmate over but unhappy that it turns out to be a boy, Max. Coco thinks he will not be interested in what she likes – dancing, gardening, crafts, dressing up, tea-parties and fairies. However, like the bee Coco meets, there are all sorts of boys as there are all sorts…
Sophie Gonzales and Cale Dietrich, If This Gets Out, Hachette Australia, December 2021, 288 pp., RRP $17.99 (pbk), ISBN 9781444963793 In a peak year for queer teen fiction, If This Gets Out, is a perfect way to end 2021. This collaboration of authors, (Gonzales writes as Rueben and Dietrich is Zach) works extremely well. They are clearly matched in vision and characterisation because the story flows seamlessly between the two points of view. Two parts of a four-member boyband, Rueben and Zach have been best mates since the inception of Saturday back when they were only 15. Now turning 18,…
Joesph Coelho (text) and Fiona Lumbers (illustrator), Luna Loves Dance, Walker Books Australia, September 2021, 30 pp., RRP $29.99 (hbk), ISBN 9781839130564 Luna loves to dance but is filled with nerves as her dance exam approaches. Everyone else in the class can manage the tricky dance steps, except for Luna. Will she finally prove herself as a real dancer? Luna Loves Dance is an anthem to us all to embrace our inner rhythm. Beautifully diverse and colourful, it highlights the importance of family, culture and the sheer joy of dancing. Each page is a celebration of exuberant colour, as Luna…
Shannan & Tayla Stedman, Lola Out Loud, The Recipe for Disaster (Lola #2), Scholastic Australia, September 2021, 240 pp., RRP $15.99 (pbk), ISBN 9781760974428 #The recipe for disaster is the second book in the Lola out loud series about a lively, fun loving and creative 10 year old vlogger. It’s school holidays and with Lola’s parents going away for the holidays and exuberant and glamorous (but not entirely responsible) Aunt Helen coming to stay, Lola anticipates reporting the “best school holidays ever” to the 11.5k subscribers of her Youtube vlog. But things don’t turn out as Lola hoped. Aunt Helen…