Just So Stories

Random Reviews and Ramblings from Redcliffe

  • One Wise Sheep – Ulrich Hub. Illustrated by Jörg Mühle

    Walker Books Australia Imprint: Gecko Press ISBN13:9781776575961 Australia RRP:$17.99 New Zealand RRP:$19.99 I read this last night, cosy in bed, and was absolutely giggling all the way through. This is the most hilarious take on the biblical Christmas Story ever, with the entire episode from ‘winged creatures’ appearing with blazing lights to finding an empty…

  • How to Make a Snowman – Nick Bland

    Harper Collins Australia October 2024 Yes, I know. It’s not a Christmas book and while we do get snow, it’s not generally at Christmas time – but! Snowmen have become such an icnonic symbol of Xmas all over that it seemed a good idea to add this one to the countdown. This is Bunny and…

  • When Santa Got Stuck in a Gum Tree – Jackie Hosking. Nathaniel Eckstrom.

    Walker Books Australia September 2024 ISBN13:9781760657406 Australia RRP:$24.99 New Zealand RRP:$27.99 What if? always such a good provocation for writing … Plenty of children have wondered what if Santa got stuck in a chimney, but what if he got stuck in a gum tree? Well, how could he be rescued? This could be the start…

  • On the Hunt for Santa – Lesley Gibbes and Stephen Michael King

    Penguin Australia September 2024 Here’s a completely fun one to share with your Smalls, especially those who love Scary Night. Once upon a snowy day, three friends set out on a journey. Hare with a honey pot, Cat with a candy cane, Pig with a plum pudding. But where were they going that snowy day,…

  • Emma Memma: Christmas Lights

    Penguin Australia October 2024 Christmas is coming and the excitement and the sparkle is building! Emma Memma and Elvin Melvin are ready to show little readers all the beautiful twinkling lights around their town. Once the sun goes down it’s time to twirl and dance their way from one set of lights to another, right…

  • Dear Santa: I Don’t Need Socks. Consuelo Fernandez Ortiz

    Five Mile September 2024 9781922943477 RRP: $24.99 This is a very cute story of Christmas from two very different perspectives. One Koala lives in Mallacoota, along with his best friend Too (a cockatoo, of course). Their tree is their home, They have ocean views and it is a quiet place to live. Cousin Olavi lives…

  • Warning! These Jokes Will Annoy Everyone You Know at Christmas

    Penguin Australia September 2024 You’ll definitely have at least one kiddo who will be delighted with this new fun-filled cracker. I know a boy who I’m pretty sure will relish it. Over the many years in libraries, the jokes and riddles section has always had the heaviest traffic in the non-fiction shelves. I’m pretty sure…

  • 12 Days of Bush Christmas – Megan Van Den Berg & Emma Bamblett

    Hardie Grant Australia September 2024 Imprint: Hardie Grant Explore ISBN 9781741179088 $24.99 As I started on the Xmas countdown, going through the books I’d been saving, and having shared a pic of a Blak Santa somewhere else, I was thinking we need more First Nations themed Xmas books. And we have one for this year!…

  • Baby’s First Christmas – Cheryl Orsini

    Little Hare/Hardie Grant Children’s Publishing October 2024 ISBN 9781761213335 RRP: $19.99 It’s the perfect gift for any new Small human in your circle. And it’s certainly going to be perfect for Little Miss M Daisy, who gave me the sweetest smiles when I saw her last week – showing off her four tiny teeth ❤️.…

  • Christmas at Hogwarts – J. K. Rowling. Illustrated by Ziyi Gao.

    Bloomsbury Australia October 2024 ISBN 9781526677082 Imprint Bloomsbury Children’s Books RRP: $29.99 Christmas was coming. One morning in mid-December, Hogwarts woke to find itself covered in several feet of snow.’ Harry’s first Christmas at Hogwarts was always bound to be memorable, given his previous dismal experiences. But the sparkle and warmth and magic of a…