Just So Stories

Random Reviews and Ramblings from Redcliffe

  • The Bestest Brown – Briony Stewart

    Hachette 780734424150|Sept 22, 2026|RRP $24.99 Get out the paints, the brushes and the smocks because you’re going to need them after this. It’s colour theory for Smalls and it’s a lot of fun because we all know what they’re going to think about making brown – ask them what’s brown? and the first answer I… Read more

  • Found in Australia – Joanne O’Callaghan. Illustrated by Kori Song.

    Allen and Unwin December 2026 ISBN:9781761182563 Publisher:A&U Children’s Imprint:A & U Children RRP: $26.99 This is another book that has some unique features. Yes, it’s a counting book and yes, it takes the reader around Australia looking at especially iconic places but rather than just straight counting, say 1-20 as so many might, it offers… Read more

  • All the Ways I see – Nas Campanella and Ella Hull. Illustrated by Sophie Beer.

    Allen & Unwin October 2026 ISBN:9781761181412 Publisher:A&U Children’s Imprint:A & U Children This is a book that has set a new standard for accessible reading for younger children and is a complete innovation as well with it being tailored to kiddos with diverse needs. We’ve had books with tactile features and sounds and we’ve had… Read more

  • Picture Book Month Bonus: Raising Hare (Young Readers edition) – Chloe Dalton. Illustrated by Denise Nester.

    Allen & Unwin Nov 2026 ISBN:9781837266951 Publisher:A&U Canongate Imprint:Canongate Trade RRP: $29.99 To be perfectly honest, I’d not heard of the adult book despite its bestseller status but when this arrived with this beautiful dustjacket and absolutely divine endpapers, I knew I would love it. And love it, I do! For those of us who… Read more

  • Going Home – Simon Howe

    Walker Books Australia ISBN13:9781760659110 Australia RRP:$25.99 New Zealand RRP:$27.99 Publication Date:1/2/2026 Imprint:Walker Books Australia Not so long ago I reviewed Simon’s Betsy & Bon the first of his I’ve seen as both author and illustrator, and fell in love with his little characters. Now this darling book has exactly that same kind of gentle and… Read more

  • Ginger & Fred – story by Seetha Dodd. Illustrations by Elizabeth Stewart.

    Wild Dog Books September 2026 ISBN: 978174203681 RRP: $26.99 There was a time in history of more than one country, including our own of course, when inter-racial marriage was an absolute no and, in many of those places, punishable by law. But in a lighter vein, we have had a number of fictional examples of… Read more

Archived Reviews