Just So Stories

Art Director: Ozan Tortop
Publisher: Jacinta Froud
Booksmith: Tadaa Book

March 2023

ISBN: 9780646866604

RRP: $23.99 The Book Cow

Read about this book’s genesis – it’s a story of determination and self-belief.

This one is an older title that the lovely Jacinta Froud sent me in a package a while back and it’s a lot of fun for your young readers. When you want to buy your best friend the perfect book, naturally you go to your favourite bookshop [I have a few favourites, truth be told] and sometimes, even with all the goodwill and help in the world, the poor bookseller just can’t find the right title for you.

This bouncy rhyming escapade through Mr Persnickety’s and Puss : Purveyor of Books will have your Smalls hooting with laughter as every character trope you can think of is trotted out with increasing desperation by the hapless bookseller.

I think it’s a terrific accompaniment to creative writing and narratives, planning characters and plots giving your writers springboards to jump off into their own writing pools. I can certainly think of multiple ways to use it with your burgeoning authors and it would be fun to do as well. Having all the detail of the book’s development to show them is a huge bonus in that regard.

Speaking of favourite bookshops, the Book Cow in Kingston is certainly one and the book is available from there as well as Booktopia. Have fun with it I say – and I’m giving it a 4 📚📚📚📚 rating for readers from Prep upwards to around Year 3 or 4although you could also certainly use it with upper primary and pull out all those tropes, how many can they identify and name! I didn’t meet Jacinta on my recent visit to Canberra, but perhaps next time – thanks for sending this to me!