Just So Stories

Random Reviews and Ramblings from Redcliffe

  • Einstein the Penguin – Iona Rangeley. Illustrated y David Tazzyman.

    Harper Collins Australia December 2021 ISBN: 9780008475963 ISBN 10: 0008475962 Imprint: HarperCollins GB List Price: 19.99 AUD This is a fun new read for your kiddos who are moving on from those first easy chapter books to something a little more challenging. Imagine stirring up Paddington stories with Mr Popper’s Penguins with a good dash of Finding Nemo and…

  • Clarice Bean: Think Like an Elf – Lauren Child

    Harper Collins Australia November 2021 ISBN: 9780008470845 ISBN 10: 0008470847 Imprint: HarperCollins GB List Price: 24.99 AUD I am just sorry this one didn’t arrive in time for me to get it read and reviewed before Christmas because it really is a perfect gift to share with a young reader. In her own inimitable manner, Lauren Child, takes us…

  • We Go Way Back – Idan Ben-Barak/Phillip Bunting

    Allen & Unwin August 2021 ISBN:9781760526085 Publisher: A&U Children’s Imprint: A & U Children RRP: $24.99 Idan Ben-Barak first came to my attention with Do Not Lick This Book, and, like so many others, I found it uproariously funny as well as a brilliant informational text for young readers. Certainly, the kiddos with whom I…

  • Happy New Year!

    2nd year in my role as Head of Library Services and kicked some big goals along the way, with more plans already in the works for the new year The Kid started at a regular school in Year 10 and there were plenty of ups and downs but fortunately the ups came out on top…

  • Papa Mawal-mawalpa Tjuta – Johanna Bell-nga & Dion Beasley-nyu

    Allen & Unwin August 2021 ISBN:9781760526696 Edition No: Pitjantjatjara Publisher: A&U Children’s Imprint: A & U Children RRP: $24.99 This is the beginning of the  Pitjantjatjara version of 2016’s award-winning book Too Many Cheeky Dogs.  Pitjantjatjara is a First Nations language widely spoken in central and southern Australia, It is long overdue that our children’s…

  • What do You do to Celebrate? Ashleigh Barton/Martina Heidnezek

    Harper Collins Australia October 2021 I’m pretty sure that in our current situation when many are feeling despondent or fearful, there are many people who have not felt much like celebrating. Personally, I’m of the opinion that we still have plenty to celebrate at this time of year and have endeavoured to make our own…

  • Rapperbee: poems to give you a buzz – Harry Laing. Illustrations by Anne Ryan.

    Ford St Publishing ISBN: 9781925804775 RRP: $14.99 Harry’s poems are a delight for both young and old. If you and your kiddos enjoyed his previous books, including MoonFish, this one will equally entertain you. Particularly for rollicking read-alouds or, for performances, (think 2022 assembly pieces!) this collection of funny and quirky verses will become part…

  • The Beatryce Prophecy – Kate DiCamillo. Illustrated by Sophie Blackall.

    Walker Books Australia October 2021 ISBN: 9781529500899Imprint: WalkerAustralian RRP: $24.99New Zealand RRP: $27.99 It goes without saying that anything Kate writes is superlative, but what I love especially is her ability to create narratives that are so completely different to those by anyone else, as well as her own creative diversity. From the chivalrous Desperaux to the amazing Ulysses,…

  • My Skin, Your Skin – Laura Henry-Allain MBE. Illustrated by Onyinye Iwe.

    Penguin Australia A ongoing discussion amongst my circle of family and friends is how the pandemic has brought out both the best and the worst in people. Of course, racism has been a worrying problem for many years but in some sectors it appears to be a growing hate factor, and one which we, as…

  • Take Me With You When You Go – David Levithan/Jennifer Niven

    My review of this terrific YA novel is now live on Kids Book Review. I highly recommend this to you – it’s fabulous read!