Just So Stories

Random Reviews and Ramblings from Redcliffe


  • Learn with Ruby Red Shoes – Kate Knapp

    Harper Collins Australia   The delightful Ruby is back. The little white hare with the endearing personality has created quite the following in her previous books. Now even tiny people can enjoy her adventures while learning some basic concepts at the same time. Knapp’s delicate illustrations offer a wealth of exploration and cosy talk while…

  • Fiona the Hippo – Richard Cowdrey

    Harper Collins Australia ISBN: 9780310766360 ISBN 10: 0310766362 Imprint: HarperCollins – US List Price: 13.99 AUD When a tiny hippo was born prematurely at Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden in January 2017 she became an internet sensation. Weighing only 29 pounds this little fighter survived and thrived and has become an inspiration to many for her plucky personality and…

  • Dragon Post – Emma Yarlett

    Walker Books Australia ISBN: 9781406379716 Imprint: Walker October 1, 2018 Australian RRP: $24.99 New Zealand RRP: $27.99 Some might argue that letter writing is a dying skill and in one sense they could be write – oops right. But good communication is more vital than ever and teaching children to write letters of varying formats is not only an…

  • The Puffin Book of Summer Stories

    Penguin Random House 9780143793540 October 29, 2018 Puffin   RRP: $29.99 Here’s another beautiful gift book which would delight a little person in your life – just in time for Christmas stockings! Eight simply gorgeous stories are included including some of my very favourites: Summer by June Factor and Alison Lester Max by Marc Martin Grandpa and…

  • Favourite Enid Blyton Stories: chosen by Jacqueline Wilson, Michael Morpurgo, Holly Smale and many more…

    By Enid Blyton Illustrated by Mark Beech   Hachette October 2018      ISBN: 9781444948561 RRP: $39.99   Is there anything better than an Enid Blyton book? The answer to that is only when it is a superb new gift book of excerpts and stories especially selected by some of our favourite authors – including our very…

  • Ariki and the Giant Shark – Nicola Davies. Illustrated by Nicola Kinnear.

    Walker Books Australia July 2018 ISBN: 9781406369793 Imprint: Walker Australian RRP: $12.99 New Zealand RRP: $14.99 It can be difficult to find fiction that focuses on the Pacific/Polynesian cultures particularly for younger readers but this first book in a new series promises to be rich material for this aspect of HASS as well as being an entertaining mystery/adventure. Ariki…

  • Diary of a Wimpy Kid #13 : The Meltdown – Jeff Kinney

    Penguin Random House 9780143309352 October 30, 2018 Puffin RRP: $14.99   There is not much more embarrassing than being an adult of a certain age in public and snort laughing as you read the newest Wimpy Kid book, attracting strange looks from wary observers.  But it does seem to happen to me every time and…

  • The Funny Life of Pets – James Campbell and Rob Jones

    Bloomsbury Australia September 2018 ISBN 9781408889947 Imprint: Bloomsbury Children’s Books RRP: $12.99   This book answers all the big questions, like: do sausage dogs eat sausages? Why has my cat done a poo-poo behind my wardrobe? And, how can I persuade my parents to get me a pet? If you have some reluctant readers in…

  • The Secret of the Youngest Rebel (The Secret Histories #5) – Jackie French

    Harper Collins Available: 21st January 2019 ISBN: 9781460754801 RRP: $14.99   If you have not yet set about acquiring Jackie’s enthralling Secret Histories series it is definitely time to catch up to it. As this school year peters out and we limp towards the finish line, some are already thinking about 2019 and our support of our…

  • Playing Atari with Sadam Hussein –Jennifer Roy, Ali Fadhil

    Bloomsbury Australia November 2018 ISBN 9781786074669 Imprint: One World RRP: $14.99 Like most everyone in the Western World, of a certain age, I clearly remember the days of the early 90s watching the endless news updates about the raging conflict that was Desert Storm, the first Gulf War.  And I confess, though I was vaguely…