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Bluey: Bartlebee’s First Christmas
Penguin Australia So in the tiny board book Hooray Presents! we saw Bluey get a mini Heeler toy. Meet Bartlebee! Bluey is enchanted with this new friend and hurls him straight into all the family Christmas shenanigans including Classic Catches in the pool and being licked ‘hello’ by Socks. Bartlebee is baffled to say the…
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A Barney Gumnut Christmas (Barney Gumnut #2)- Tamsin Ainslie
Harper Collins Australia August 2025 Hmm, I don’t know why but I never saw the #1 Barney Gumnut [gives the HC crew the side-eye] which was surely some kind of oversight? Regardless, this is my first meeting with Barney and his friends and, honestly, I’m in love with them all. There’s Barney – as you…
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Mrs Claus – Renee Price. Illustrated by Travis Price.
Simon & Schuster Publisher: Affirm Press August 2025 This is another I’ve been sitting on since August but it’s worth the wait. I wish you could see how shiny the cover is because that’s just completely gorgeous. Aside from that the first thing that struck is me that glorious mid-century vibe about the illustrations –…
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Your Time Brisbane Edition 129 – December 2025
Look who’s got the cover story!! *takes a bow*
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The Aussie 12 Days of Christmas – Brentos
Simon & Schuster August 2025 Publisher: Affirm Press ISBN13: 9781923135413 LIST PRICE: AU$ 22.99 / NZ$ 27.99 It’s a whole new vibe for the Aussie 12 Days of Xmas we may all know and personally I love it. The subdued pastel palette employed by Brentos in all his work encourages us all to view our…
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Lost Evangeline – Kate DiCamillo. Illustrated by Sophie Blackall.
Walker Books Australia November 2025 ISBN13:9781529525892 Australia RRP:$24.99 New Zealand RRP:$27.99 As it arrives hard on the heels of the 25th anniversary of Because of Winn-Dixie [one of my all time favourite books!] it is a special treat to review a new Kate book. It arrived yesterday, much to my delight, and, of course, I…
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Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire – J. K. Rowling. Illustrated by Karl James Mountford
A sumptuously illustrated gift book with magical interactive surprises Bloomsbury Australia October 2025 ISBN: 9781526691262 Imprint: Bloomsbury Children’s Publishing RRP: $69.99 Is it a Christmas book you might ask? NO, not exactly but remember the Yule Ball !! but of course it would make an insanely exciting Xmas gift for any Potterhead of your acquaintance.…
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The Christmas Tree Catastrophe – Emma Bowd. Matt Shanks.
Harper Collins Australia August 2025 ISBN: 9781460765883 ISBN 10: 1460765885 Imprint: HarperCollins AU List Price: 24.99 AU I fell in love with this the day it arrived when I read it immediately, but as I explained to Emma, I really wanted to save it for the Xmas Countdown because – to be honest- this year the Xmas books have…
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Bluey – The Most Amazing Advent Book Bundle
Penguin Australia When they say it’s AMAZING, that’s exactly what they mean! Any Bluey fan is going to LOVE this advent calendar with a new little book to reveal each day. And how good will it be to add to the magic of Christmas approaching? From the publisher >>>> Stories include: Daddy Robot, Charades, Yoga Ball,…
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2025 – the Christmas Countdown
With Picture Book Month done and dusted (what a marathon it was this year!) it’s time for the Xmas Countdown. There have been not so many Christmas books come through but the first started to arrive back in August and I have saved them up. So as well as purely Christmas titles, I will be…
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