Just So Stories

• Publisher: Leaping Lizards Press (November 10, 2026)
• ISBN13: 9781764597005
• LIST PRICE: AU$ 24.99 / NZ$ 28.99

There’s still a while before this one’s official release but I want to share it now because I know that for many of you, budgets will soon be closed and you do NOT want to miss out on a pre-order for this new one from the very talented Mark Carthew. Not just because it’s an entertaining narrative with a twist on a traditional tale but because it’s loaded with some wonderful teaching possibilities particularly for extending Smalls’ literary language and vocabulary skills.

There’s a very grotty troll living underneath a bridge who is also very grumpy. But his grumpiness is caused by the fact that he is lonely and would dearly love some friends. But who wants to be friends with someone so stinky and unkempt?

Fortunately for Bert, Billy the Goat happens to be passing his way [is it just me or does Billy remind you of Peter Carnavas? no? something about him that is so familiar and it’s not just the goat connection I feel]. Billy very kindly offers Bert some sound advice not only for getting himself cleaned up but for making the bridge an inviting place for friends to gather.

Absolutely chockful of gorgeous alliteration, Mark’s always spot-on rhyming with its superb cadence, the fresh take on storybook trolls [they really do get a bad rap so often] and that clever allusion to the Billy Goats Gruff – there is just so much depth to this seemingly simple but joyful text.

Unpacking the themes of friendship, empathy, caring and kindness is going to be a really positive learning episode for any Smalls – or even Biggish kiddos. Mark, being the great teacher he is, has kindly also written up some supporting teaching ideas but there are so many possibilities with this one that there is a wealth of other activities one could explore, depending on the age group.

I love the inclusion of what I always refer to as dynamic fonts but are actually calligrams and always love the idea of having kiddos create their own especially, as I’ve written about previously, when they create their onomatopoeia poems.

Alongside all of this are Shane McG’s terrific illustrations which are not only a visually brilliant match for the style of the text but have plenty of small details for observant readers to spot, as well as delightful endpapers which link beautifully to a significant plot point.

All in all, it’s another one to definitely include in both your teaching program and the kiddos’ reading for pleasure opportunities. It’s an easy and not at all fearsome 5 🫧🫧🫧🫧🫧rating for readers from EC upwards.