Just So Stories

Random Reviews and Ramblings from Redcliffe

  • Treeshape – Trace Balla

    Allen & Unwin March 2026 ISBN:9781761181252 Publisher:A&U Children’s Imprint:A & U Children Trace Balla’s work always fills me with both admiration and emotion, and I think really, this one is the best yet as it is the most intensely personal as well, outlining the journey of Trace from child to present. Leaf-light (2023) and Rivertime…

  • Tiny Good Things – Gabrielle Tozer/Sophie Beer

    Harper Collins Australia Imprint: Angus & Robertson March 2026 ISBN: 9781460764978 RRP: $24.99 Two talented creators teaming up with a result of this gorgeous book. It’s sweet and satisfying. I love – LOVE – that the rhyming text has such lovely cadence and, at no point, comes across as contrived or forced, but has a gentle…

  • The Flight of the Drakkonbarq- Sarah Giddy

    Riveted Press October 2025 Simon & Schuster ISBN13: 9781764007146 LIST PRICE: AU$ 18.99 / NZ$ 19.99 Here’s another gift suggestion for an astute reader from about 10 years upwards. You could get a small sense of this book from the blurb, which has probably been rehashed by at least one reviewer, but it truly needs…

  • Handbooks for Little Humans: Compassion & Confidence – Zanni Louise. Kim Drane

    Simon & Schuster Publisher: Affirm Press RRP: LIST PRICE: AU$ 19.99 / NZ$ 24. Geez, it’s tricky being human, isn’t it?You have so many things to learn, like: tying your shoelaces, learning the alphabet and eating noodles.Here’s another thing to add to your list: ISBN13: 9781923293175 September 2025 Wow. Being human is tricky, don’t you…