Just So Stories

Random Reviews and Ramblings from Redcliffe

  • Shadow Play – Kate Forsyth. Illustrated by Rosalie Street.

    Wombat Books August 2024 9781925563740 $26.99 I’ve often mentioned here the prevalence of anxiety in children, some of them very young, but it’s also fair to point out that there have always been Smalls who have been scared of one thing or another. I know, I was none too thrilled with the dark when I…

  • Picture Book Month extra!! Cobweb – Michael Morpurgo

    Harper Collins Australia RRP: $19.99 Once again Michael Morpurgo demonstrates exactly why he is a master of middle grade historical fiction, even at the venerable age of 80+. If you have read his memoir Such Stuff: a Storymaker’s Inspiration, you will already be aware that most, if not all, of Michael’s stories are sparked initially…

  • The Garden at the End of the World – Cassy Polimeni & Briony Stewart

    UQP April 2024 ISBN: 9780702265693 RRP: $24.99 In one of those weird kind of quirks, I actually got Cassy’s second book before I got the copy of this, her debut title. When I finally got my hands on it, I decided I would save it to showcase during Picture Book Month because it is such…

  • Tardigrades: Nature’s Toughest Survivors – Anne Morgan/Jennifer Falkner

    CSIRO Publishing October 2024 ISBN: 9781486316052 RRP: $24.99 In one of those weird moments of synchronicity I found out about this book just as I’d finished a MG novel in which the protagonist is doing her class project on tardigrades. They really are the strangest little beasties but how cool is this book that will…

  • November is Picture Book Month!

    November is Picture Book Month, a tribute to the enduring importance of the picture book form. Dianne de Las Casas (author & storyteller) and her team co-founded the month-long celebration to champion the power and beauty of picture books. There are many people trying to keep the event active, following the loss of its founder. Certainly, I will continue…

  • Too Scared to Sleep – Shaun Micallef. Illustrated by Jonathan Bentley.

    Hardie Grant Australia September 2024 Imprint: Hardie Grant Children’s Publishing ISBN:9781761213090 Price: AU$24.99, NZ$27.99 And I’ve saved the best till last for this Halloween. Now, I’ll be truthful. Most times, when I see a ‘celebrity’ name on a new book cover, I inwardly cringe because frankly, there are some celebrities who should just stick to…

  • For the Wild! More Taronga Presents… with Kristin Darell. Illustrations by Laura Wood.

    Penguin Australia November 2024 Imprint: Penguin RRP: $14.99 Back in September I reviewed the first two books in this delighful new series Poo at the Zoo and Party Animals, and now it’s such a joy to present the next two. I’m absolutely loving this series for its cleverly disguised information, the very realistic look at…

  • Spooky Season from Five Mile

    Five Mile October 2024 Tilly’s New Broom – Mary Anastasiou/Giorgia Clerico 9781923091542 RRP: $24.99 I think we’ve all been there. When you need a new ride but nothing seems to be right [thank goodness for my friend who was selling Black Betty just in time for me to hand-me-down Scarlett O’Cara to The Kid a…

  • George the Wizard: Let Your Magic Shine! – Tony Armstrong. Illustrated by Emma Sjaan Beukers.

    Hachette Australia Imprint: Lothian September 2024 | 9780734422163 | RRP $24.99 Tony Armstrong is arguably the hottest First Nations entertainer/actor/celebrity of recent times – he certainly dazzled at the 2024 Logies despite missing out on the Gold and has had a varied, but highly successful career, from football to breakfast TV to Extra-ordinary Things to a forthcoming new…

  • My Dad Thinks He’s a Scream – Katrina Germein. Illustrated by Tom Jellett.

    Walker Books Australia September 2024 ISBN13:9781760655075 Australia RRP:$24.99 New Zealand RRP:$27.99 While it may have taken it’s time to reach me, it’s here right in time to witch you all a spooktacular Halloween week! I love me a good pun – and a whole book of them? – I love that even more. This is…