Just So Stories

Random Reviews and Ramblings from Redcliffe


  • The Bee Squad

    Boosting biodiversity in your neighbourhood – Judy Friedlander New South Books Ferbruary 2025 ISBN: 9781742238227  RRP: $27.99 Last year there were quite a few books come my way with bugs and biodiversity featured. This one is almost a complete wrap-up of them all in a non-fiction package. We know kiddos are enthusiastic about environmental activities.…

  • Picture Book Month extra!!! Taronga Big Book of Animals – Taronga Conservation Society Australia

    Penguin Australia October 2024 Meet the Four Artists Behind Taronga Zoo’s Big Book of Animals In case you missed my recent reviews of Kristin Darrell’s new junior fiction series featuring all the excitement of Taronga Zoo, you should really pick them up now and pair them with this extraordinarily beautiful encyclopedia of animal facts, showcasing…

  • 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…

  • Howzat Pat series #1 and #2 – Pat Cummins & Dave Hartley. Illustrated by Serena Geddes

    Harper Collins Australia October 2024 I admit that I’m not quite the cricket fan I once was [though, of course, I went to see the Bradman Collection when we were in Adelaide a fortnight ago!] but it was still pretty exciting, and also a lot of fun to write teaching notes for these two titles,…

  • Ella and the Amazing Frog Orchestra – Cassy Polimeni. Illustrated by Hykie Breeze

    UWA Publishing July 2024 ISBN: 9781760802899 RRP: $15.99 I had to wait a while to get my hands on this one but it was definitely worth the wait. This is the first in a four book series by relative newcomer Cassy Polimeni and it is a super start indeed. Ella, and her family, has just…

  • The Crayons Love Our Planet – Drew Daywalt and Oliver Jeffers

    Harper Collins Australia March 2024 The crayons are funny and make an impact on kiddos every time they pop up in a new adventure. It is remarkable how utterly imbued each one is with a distinctive personality. In this most recent story, the Crayons are showcasing the wonders of the world in all its amazing…

  • A Good Heart – Lucy Melo & Sandra Severgnini

    Red Back Publishing April 2024 ISBN: 9781761400247 RRP: $26.99 Just a few weeks ago, I had the absolute pleasure of a lunch with some amazing people including award-winning illustrator Sandra Severgnini, who graciously gifted each of us a copy of this adorable and very special book, which was inspired by the real-life bond between elephant siblings,…

  • Kimmi: Queen of the Dingoes – Favel Parrett.

    Hachette NOV 1, 2023 | 9780734422057 | RRP $19.99 Many readers fell in love with story of alpine dingo, Wandi, and his followers on SM are astonishing in numbers. Now comes the story of Kimmi, the tropical dingo, destined to be the Queen of her mob. A farmer in their Kimberley homeland has already killed Kimmi’s father, now her…

  • Mother Earth: Poems to celebrate the wonder of nature – Libby Hathorn. Illustrated by Christina Booth.

    Hachette June 2023 9780734421555 | RRP $24.99 |Lothian Children’s Books Synchronicity is often amazing. Earlier this week a colleague was asking for suggestions for poetry for little people, and after much discussion and ideas, I picked this up from my bulging review shelves, and thought- PERFECT! Because the poems contained within are of a wide variety of…

  • The One and Only Ruby – Katherine Applegate

    Harper Collins Australia June 2023 We first fell in love with Ivan and his friends over ten years ago (yes! I know!!), and I still defy anyone to read the gentle gorilla’s story with dry eyes. Then, the amazing Katherine Applegate followed up with The One and Only Bob, and again we were both amused…