Just So Stories

Random Reviews and Ramblings from Redcliffe

  • Down the Bush Track, Little Bee – Sarah Jane Lightfoot

    Affirm Press April 2026 Affirm Kids ISBN13: 9781923293526 RRP: AU$ 24.99 / NZ$ 27.99 Sarah Jane Lightfoot’s books are always a treat and this one is certainly that. I knew we had different types of native bees but I’m pretty sure I didn’t know all of those described in this lovely flit around the country.…

  • Betsy & Bon: Three Sweet Stories – Simon Howe

    UQP September 2026 ISBN: 9780702268953 RRP: $26.99 Here’s a little book that will absolutely delight younger readers (and very likely, older ones as well) because it is as sweet as the title suggests. It is delightfully pretty with the cutest of cute characters and the problems faced by these little critters are certainly very real…

  • Little Bee’s Year of Blooms – Sarah Jane Lightfoot

    Publisher: Affirm Kids August 2025 Distributed by Simon & Schuster ISBN13: 9781923293502 AU$ 16.99 / NZ$ 19.99 I’ve had quite a few board books come my way this year and truly they’ve all been lovely but this one is the pièce de résistance with its sculptured pages and combination of plants and insects. I hadn’t…

  • World Bee Day – bee-yootiful bonus!

    Did you know that this Tuesday, May 20th is World Bee Day?  What is World Bee Day?With more than 20,000 identified bee species in the world, and the importance of bees to the world’s environment – not least to the production of both food and oxygen, World Bee Day  was initiated on May 20th, 2017 by the…

  • Pollinators Week 2024

    Just in time for Pollinators Week, I have two smashing picture books about the critters who, realistically, feed us. If it wasn’t for their pollination what would grow? Why not see how you can help out our hard workers by visiting the Australian Pollinators Week website? You’ll find heaps of events along with resources like…

  • Billie’s Buzz – Alison Brown

    Harper Collins Australia July 2024 ISBN: 9780008715014 ISBN 10: 0008715017 Imprint: Farshore Picture Books GB RRP: $26.99 To finish off this week’s little theme of mini-beasts comes this enchanting book from Alison Brown showcasing the extraordinary talents of bees! Take a bow, bees of the world bee-cause we know you are the absolute superstars of the insect world.…

  • The Beehive – Megan Daley/Max Hamilton

    Walker Books Australia February 2024 ISBN13:9781760655228 Australia RRP:$26.99 New Zealand RRP:$28.99 Given it’s World Bee Day, it seems the right time to finally get to this one. I’m happy to say that Megan Daley and I go back quite a long way, and though we don’t often physically cross paths, we have some shared experiences…

  • Bugs in Danger – Mark Kurlansky

    Bloomsbury Australia Published: 07-01-2020 ISBN: 9781547600854 Imprint: Bloomsbury Children’s Books RRP: $20.00 I think there are many of us who are looking out for books that will both engage our students as well as inform them with the intention of developing their environmental conscience. I think there would be many who are already hanging bee…

  • Bee & Me – Alison Jay

    Walker Books Australia Imprint: Old Barn Books July 2016 ISBN 9781910646052 RRP $24.99 When an exhausted bee flew into Alison Jay’s studio she revived it with some sugary water and the genesis of this beautiful book was underway. A wordless story about friendship and a gentle introduction to an important ecological issue, this is an…