Just So Stories

….a children’s picture book about belonging

Harper Collins Australia

August 2023

• ISBN: 9780733340253
• ISBN 10: 0733340253
• Imprint: ABC Books AU
• RRP: $24.99

It was easy to fall in love with this beautiful book when I only had the galley proofs to look at. Now that I see it in its final form, I find it even more enchanting. It really is a work of art, which will inspire both adults and children to look at their own, and other gardens or nature spaces with fresh eyes.

Each glorious double spread focuses on a ‘garden’ and child from a different country, with so much detail that readers will be exploring each scene intently. The gentle lyrical text is almost poetical and the marriage of it with these utterly charming delicate illustrations will provide much pleasure to children from as young as Prep. And just as fascinating will be this look into Tamsin’s illustrative process. Also, yes!, my love of gorgeous endpapers is suitably fed with these and their panoply of flora and fauna.

As well as reminding us all of the magic of our natural surroundings this book, of course, amply demonstrates to kiddos that we are all alike in so many ways, though outward appearances or details may differ.

There are the snowy scenes of Iceland and the red centre of Australia, there are cheetahs prowling and koi carp lazily swimming, the war-torn landscape of Syria and the lush landscape of Laos- so much variety, and so much to open a child’s eyes to the beauty of the world as a bigger stage than just their own backyard or park.

It really was a pleasure to be invited to write the teaching notes for this one and I can easily see it slotting into a unit of work on the environment, or global/cultural awareness or nature study.

There are many meaningful quotes about gardens and those of us who love to grow greenery of all kinds know many of these, and, of course, Cicero’s has often been used in my libraries over the years but I do particularly like this one, which feeds right back into my many years as a subscriber of Grass Roots magazine.

The glory of gardening: hands in the dirt, head in the sun, heart with nature. To nurture a garden is to feed not just the body, but the soul. – Alfred Austin “Growing with the Seasons: A Sharing of Insights Into the Creative Aspects of Organic Gardening.

This is not only a wonderful addition to any library or classroom collection but the sort of book that makes for a truly special gift for any little greenthumb in your circle. Highly recommended for Smalls from around 4/5 years right up through primary.

We do a lot of planting in pots, given we rent! These are just some from over the past 8 years. (waiting on our first crop of potatoes since we moved in, right now and seeing our new plants thriving, both inside and out. The Kid loves plants as much as I which is very happy making, and most of these pics are the results of her gardening projects.)