Just So Stories

Random Reviews and Ramblings from Redcliffe

  • There’s a Ghost in this House – Oliver Jeffers

    Harper Collins Australia October 2021 ISBN: 9780008298357 ISBN 10: 0008298351 Imprint: HarperCollins GB List Price: 29.99 AUD Without doubt books for young readers which invite the children to become part of the whole experience of text and illustrations are far and away the most popular in any setting, in my experience – just think, Herve Tullet, Beck & Matt…

  • Happy Halloween!

    I have a few fun titles to share and will be posting the reviews this afternoon and evening. We don’t get many trick-or-treaters around here as it’s a neighbourhood with a lot of older people and not so many kids but I still like to make sure I have some goodies – just in case!!…

  • The What on Earth Institute of Wonder – Lisa Nichol

    You can read my review of the The What on Earth Institute of Wonder now at Kids Book Review!!

  • The Magical Bookshop – Katja Frixe. Illustrated by Florentine Prechtel. Translated by Ruth Ahmedzal Kemp.

    Bloomsbury September 2021 Imprint: OneWorld ISBN: 9781786075666 RRP: $14.99 Such a sweet and happy book this is! Translated from the German with great dexterity while retaining just the right amount of that quirkiness of expression that European children’s books often have, this is just a delight from start to finish. Mrs Owl’s bookshop is full…

  • Cato’s Can Can – Juliet Sampson & Katrina Fisher

    Ford St Publishing August 2021 ISBN: 9781025804751 RRP: $24.95 Cato finds plenty of dancers from the local dance school but just as he seems to get close they all disappear. Finally, he is brave enough to go right inside the building and there they all are – the ballet dancers who leap, the rappers who…

  • The Amazing Case of Dr Ward – Jackie Kerin/Tull Suwannakit

    March 2021 Ford St Publishing RRP: $16.99 ISBN: 9781925804706 Dr Ward’s curiosity and innovation enabled the transport of many of the plants – both decorative and useful – to other shores and while, with hindsight, we have come to understand that some of those introduced to Australia have been a disaster for our native habitats,…

  • Good Night, Ivy Bright – Ben Long/Andrew Plant

    Ford St Publishing April 2021 RRP: $16.99 ISBN: 9781925804720 What I didn’t realise while I was writing this story was the importance of the moose.Everyone needs a moose. We all have times when we’re challenged – when we are tired,troubled, or in tears. And it’s at those times when we need someone to sit down…

  • The Incredibly Busy Mind of Bowen Bartholomew Crisp – Paul Russell/Nicky Johnston

    Exisle Publishing Imprint: EK Books ISBN: 9781925820881  RRP: $24.99 Without doubt we (as educators) have all met a Bowen Bartholomew Crisp at some point and many of us will remember our first encounter with a neuro-diverse child before we were even fully aware of such diversity. And we also know, that these children are among…

  • Wandi – Favel Parrett

    Hachette September 2021 ISBN: 9780734420633 RRP: $19.99 When Wandi, the tiny dingo pup, was found in a Victorian backyard in 2019, it was unlikely that anyone would have predicted the lucky canine’s rise to social media superstar status. “Since then he is currently on about 47,000 followers on Instagram — and that’s across the world.”…

  • Dragon Skin – Karen Foxlee

    Allen & Unwin September 2021 ISBN:9781760526108 Imprint:A & U Children RRP: $19.99 One wouldn’t normally associate the outback mining town of Mt Isa with magic or dragons but Karen Foxlee’s newest novel for middle school readers makes this eminently plausible. How to save a dragon:1) Assemble equipment. Water, Weet-Bix, sugar, syringe, sticky tape, scissors.2) Believe…