Just So Stories

Random Reviews and Ramblings from Redcliffe

  • The Fierce Little Woman and the Wicked Pirate – Joy Cowley. Illustrated by Miho Satake.

    Walker Books Australia Imprint: Gecko Press ISBN13:9798765671696 Australia RRP:$16.99 New Zealand RRP:$19.99 Not only did this arrive in timely fashion to be included in the fishyness scheme of reviews, but also in the same week as I rediscovered some memories on an old USB including just one from my pirate wedding [yes, you did read…

  • 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…

  • Awash – Marg Gibbs/Sandra Severgnini

    Picture Book – full colourPublished – M J Gibbs, 2025Illustrated by – Sandra Severgnini$28.00 Ages – 3-7 yearsTeachers Notes available from the author – m.j.gibbs@bigpond.com It’s always a pleasure to review for ‘local’ creators. Author Marg Gibbs as well as illustrator Sandra Severgnini, I have been fortunate to meet. Both are Sunshine Coast/Hinterland based which…

  • 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.…

  • Don’t Trust Fish – Neil Sharpson. Dan Santat.

    Penguin Australia April 2025 What happens when you blend non-fiction with narrative with absurdist humour? In this instance, you get Don’t Trust Fish – which is a book that will make all kiddos and adults alike laugh out loud because of the sheer anarchic ridiculousness of it all. It is SO my kind of book!…

  • Piranhas Don’t Eat Bananas: 10th Anniversary – Aaron Blabey

    Scholastic Australia September 2025 ISBN: 9781761528903 RRP: $19.99 This has long been one of my favourite read-alouds and, certainly, my favourite Aaron Blabey book. I have such great memories of sharing it the year it came out with The Kid, in that first year she was living with me [and we so often needed to…

  • Some Fishyness swimming this way

    Just as I had acquired a stack of birdy books and featured them a few weeks ago, now, because I’ve had ocean and fishy books piling up, figure that for the next theme that should be the go with the flow. So swim right on up and check out these titles – many very new,…

  • The Legend of Jessie Hickman – Mark Greenwood/Frané Lessac

    NLA 9781922507853/1 October 2025/AUD$24.99, NZD$29.99 If you believe in legends … I would venture to say that not many people know about Jessie Hickman. In fact, despite my long interest in Australian bushrangers, I probably wouldn’t either except for the fact of having spent a reasonable amount of time in the proximity of Jessie’s one-time…

  • Curious Kai Asks Why? – Sarah Pye. Sandra Severgnini.

    September 2025ISBN: 978-1-7640657-0-2 (paperback)ISBN: 978-1-7640657-1-9 (ebook) Last year I had the great pleasure of meeting and making friends with both these Sunshine Coast based creators. A more dynamic and engaging pair of personalities you would find hard to meet. Since then I’ve reviewed books from them, followed their adventures (most recently, Sarah’s trip to Galapagos…