Just So Stories

• Affirm Kids (September 30, 2025)
• Simon & Schuster Australia
• Length: 24 pages
• ISBN13: 9781923022911
• RRP:  AU$ 22.99 / NZ$ 27.99

Meeting Katrina in person on our trip to Adelaide was such a delight for me, especially as I had reviewed some of her books, known more and written resources for One Little Duck.

Now it’s an even greater pleasure to see her new work, and this one is destined to be shared widely and often because it really is a birthday book.

Katrina has penned what is essentially a beautiful poem celebrating another year in a child’s life, from the perspective of the parents. Accompanied by Alice Lindstrom’s very colourful and detailed illustrations, it evokes a real sense of the day-to-day simple pleasures and little adventures, moving through the seasons in all kinds of settings: beach, autumnal woods, umbrellas-up rain, lots of garden and outdoors and bookended with a family picnic to celebrate.

It is just a delightfully happy book with great styling – love the sparkly accents and raised title on the cover! which is just terrific design work.

Just joyous!! What a magical birthday gift for any small person, right up to 8 or 9 – and certainly perfect for those Smalls of even more tender years. A gorgeous one for our little Miss Daisy I think. It’s a 5 🎂🎂🎂🎂🎂from me.