September 2025
ISBN: 978-1-7640657-0-2 (paperback)
ISBN: 978-1-7640657-1-9 (ebook)
Last year I had the great pleasure of meeting and making friends with both these Sunshine Coast based creators. A more dynamic and engaging pair of personalities you would find hard to meet. Since then I’ve reviewed books from them, followed their adventures (most recently, Sarah’s trip to Galapagos and beyond!) and, generally, enjoyed knowing them.
Now they have collaborated on a wonderful middle-grade chapter book which is heavily STEM and nature-based, which kiddos of inquiring minds and an endless thirst for more information as well as ‘how to’ protect our environment and wildlife will love.
Kai is 10 years old and lives with her Mum in Queensland (of course!). Her best friend is a magpie called Elvis – and she’s always wondering ‘why’. When Elvis goes MIA after a big storm, Kai is spurred on to finding out not only more about magpies, so she can try to work out where he’s gone but, as often happens, one thing leads to another, and next thing she and her Mum are off on a road-trip with plenty of animals and scientists involved to learn more about all manner of related topics.
From climate change to do birds in different geographical locations have accents (yes, they do!), from do cows sleep standing up (yes, they do!) to what’s a yowie (if you go to Kilcoy you’ll find out!), what’s a trigger tree (they are great fun!) and those cone-shaped holes in the sand are made by bandicoots (yes, not so much fun when they’re digging up the backyard you are trying to establish in a new house – GlassHouse Mtns circa 2000!).
From one habitat to another, Kai keeps learning from people with doctorates in their field to experienced expert volunteers. As she builds her depth of knowledge and understanding, so will young readers, all the while enjoying the narrative – and Kai’s artist mum’s habit of quoting Shakespeare as well!
This not only makes a great addition to your collection but I think would be a terrific stocking filler – those long summer holidays are not that far off and just think how cool it would be for kids to read, find out and then explore for themselves some of the wonders our environment has to offer – particularly in their local areas.
I’m getting this up today because if you’re snappy you can participate in the online launch for this and meet some of the scientists involved as well – CHOICE activity for the last week of term. It gets a big beautiful 4 🌱🌱🌱🌱rating from me for kiddos from around Year 3/4 up to late primary.
Details:
It’s a chance to meet ALL the scientists and experts in the book.
It’s also a chance to hear how illustrator, Sandra Severgnini approached the task.
The recorded launch will drop to YouTube on the morning of September 15th
That morning, I will email people who register an exclusive link to the video.
The link remains live for one week only.
Participants can watch or screen the launch as many times as they like during that week.
This makes it perfect for schools/classrooms for the last week of the term!
I will also have three in-person launches:
Cooroy Library, 9.30-11am, September 25th
Cairns Library, 10.30am-12pm, September 30th
Where the Wild Things Are bookshop in West End, 11am on November 9th
Just So Stories 
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