Just So Stories

Random Reviews and Ramblings from Redcliffe

  • The Flower Garden: a Changi Secret – Claire Saxby. Lucia Masciullo.

    Walker Books AustraliaMarch 2026 ISBN13:9781760657352 Australia RRP:$25.99 New Zealand RRP:$27.99 It’s not the only pieced quilt to survive Changi – read about the others at the AWM – but it is arguably the one that would speak most to young readers. Certainly, it strikes a chord for me as a former Brownie and Guide leader… Read more

  • How Our Garden Grows – Saurav Kiran Shrestha. Illustrated by Estee Sarsfield.

    WestWords October 2026 ISBN 9781923044708 RRP: $28.95 There is always something so warming about a feel-good community story and this one from WestWords is a fine example of this with something that is becoming more and more of a staple around the country – a community neighbourhood collective garden. Just as a plant starts from… Read more

  • Bella Grows a Bicycle – Lollie Lopter. Chiara Franceschetti.

    Five Mile, May 2026, 24 pp., $24.99 (hbk), ISBN 9781923457720 Swap/trade/barter groups have been springing up all over in recent times. For many communities this is a terrific way to share abundance and cut down on expenses in supermarkets and stores. And it doesn’t hurt to start early finding about the power of barter. Bella… Read more

  • Picture Book Month Bonus: Lights Out- Saving the Night Sky – Marnie Ogg

    CSIRO Publishing New South Books Marnie Ogg 9781486319558/October 2026/Paperback/AUD$34.99, NZD$39.99 To round off the batch of CSIRO Publishing titles for now, is this one which is most definitely not a PB but is an excellent resource for your studies on the sky/day & night/light etc. The primary focus is on light pollution and I can’t… Read more

  • Thank you again Quick Brown Fox Bookshop!

    Last Reading Between the Wines for this year and they have all been wonderful. Last evening’s was no exception with Jess Galatola, Bethany Loveridge, Andy Geppert and Katrina Nannestad. I was so happy to meet Jess at last in real life!, and to meet Andy properly (last time was a mere blip) and Bethany. Of… Read more

  • Pterosaurs of the Desert Ocean – Andrew Plant

    CSIRO Publishing 9781486320257/June 2026/AUD$32.99, NZD$37.99 I always expect excellence from Andrew Plant and he has not disappointed me with this one. It is the pick of this crop from CSIRO Publishing. We all know how the Smalls and not-so-Smalls go for dinosaurs and when it’s our very own dinosaurs, it’s even more thrilling. For us… Read more

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