Just So Stories

Random Reviews and Ramblings from Redcliffe

  • Mega Rich Guinea Pigs – Kate and Jol Temple

    Harper Collins Australia August 2025 ISBN : 9781460767207 RRP: $16.99 Why yes, when it comes to The Kid and I, of course our fondness for rodentia extends to guinea pigs . Although, we only had the one, and that one only for a short time. Only The Kid, then at the height of her home zoo phase,…

  • Happy World Octopus Day !!

    When is World Octopus Day?: World Octopus Day is celebrated on the 8th of October every year. It was first observed in 2014 but has been an annual event ever since. Take a look at some of my octopus reviews especially the two most recent Keeper of the Octopus and Song of a Thousand Seas. And don’t…

  • The Adventures of Pongo and Stink – Lisa Nicol. Illustrated by Karen Blair.

    Penguin Australia October 2025 I can absolutely guarantee you that your kiddos will be rolling about as happily as pigs in mud when they get their hands on this one – and it would make a super serial read-aloud for your younger readers. Pongo and Stink are fully fed up with living in a dark…

  • Between – Anna Walker

    Scribe Publications Imprint: Scribble September 2025 ISBN: 9781761381591AUD$27.99 (Hardback) Anna Walker has created a book that is a pure symphony of thoughts, that swirl around like gossamer on a breeze. I only wish I could give you some idea of how utterly beautiful and soothing it is. It is almost a meditation in print and…

  • Keeper of the Octopus – Neridah McMullin

    Walker Books Australia ISBN13:9781760659479 Australia RRP:$17.99 New Zealand RRP:$19.99 As I’ve said before, I have a fascination with octopuses with their superior intelligence and facility for extraordinary physical feats. And when you combine that with Neridah McMullin’s ability to weave a narrative of magical realism that has echoes of traditional folktales and lore, you get…

  • Great Writers & the Cats who Owned Them – Susannah Fullerton

    New South Books Bodleian Library October 2025 9781851246540 AUD$34.99, NZD$39.99 Oh yes, when you pick up a book that is beautifully bound and feels like a gift in your hands (even with a marker ribbon!) you can pretty much guarantee that you are going to love the contents. After all, it is already screaming quality.…

  • Sid and the Very Hard to Find Squid – James O’Hanlon

    Publisher: CSIRO Publishing June 2025 | $ 26.99ISBN: 9781486319664 To finish off this deep dive into our oceans and marine life is another fabulous title from CSIRO for which all your critter lovers will go wild. Sid, like many kiddos, loves animals of all kinds and is always on the look-out for them. He thoroughly…

  • Ningaloo

    For those of us who have loved Tim Winton’s Blueback since it was first released in 1997 [can you believe that?? eek!], the Ningaloo reef and the continuing struggle to preserve it has always been an issue of real concern. Even The Kid has taken interest since first seeing the film version of Blueback a…

  • You Can’t Pat a Fish – Ruth Paul

    Walker Books Australia March 2025 ISBN13:9781760656973 Australia RRP:$25.99 New Zealand RRP:$27.99 Okay so it’s not a saltwater fish – but remember Don’t Trust Fish! – they can be either salt or fresh water. This one is a fun rhyming book that will add greatly to your collection of ‘pet’ books. If it’s wet, it isn’t…

  • Find Me on the Coast – Jess McGeachin

    Hachette Australia July 2025 Imprint: Lothian Children’s Books | 9780734423634 | RRP $29.99 ‘Let’s walk down a winding path to where the sand meets the sea’ We certainly love our proximity to the ocean, whether here at home – a five minute walk away or when we take a little trip up the coast, an hour’s drive away.…