Just So Stories

Random Reviews and Ramblings from Redcliffe

  • Our Flowers/Our Marsupials – Bronywn Bancroft

    Hardie Grant Australia July 2026 Our Flowers ISBN:9781761216541 Price:AU$19.99, NZ$22.99 Our Marsupials ISBN:9781761216558 Price:AU$19.99, NZ$22.99 Two new extremely attractive board books from Bundjalung woman Bronwyn Bancroft in her series introducing Australian wildlife to Smalls. Each image is paired with a rhyming couplet making this both a visual and auditory experience for little humans and with…

  • The Drover’s Son – Leah Purcell. Dub Leffler.

    Penguin Australia March 2026 This one may have waited a while but it is all the more timely for having done so as I can share it to mark 2026 NAIDOC Week on this 50th anniversary of the event. This is particularly so because of this being a collaboration between two such incredibly talented First…

  • Narm-Jaap: A Flinders Street Station History – Melissa-Jane Fogarty/Dylan Finney

    Hachette Australia Imprint: Lothian Children’s Books Mar 31, 2026 | 9780734423399 | RRP $24.99 Next in this fantastic series tracing the history of a significant landmark comes this absolutely fabulous book. It is every bit as engaging, informative and stylishly composed as Tubowgule…and moves from Sydney to Melbourne. Once again creators Melissa and Dylan have combined their talents into…

  • 2026 Reconciliation Week and National Sorry Day

    Stand by for a slew of new First Nations titles. Search the blog for older reviews using: First Nations, Indigenous, Aboriginal and related terms. There will also be some to find in the archives (work in progress!!) using similar searches. The System Keeps Failing. Aboriginal Children Keep Dying. And the Answer Is Always More Removal.

  • Ayaiga: Neighbour and Hero – Thomas Higgs with Colin Hall. Illustrated by Wally Wilfred.

    New South Books Publisher: NLA 9781922507785 February 2026 AUD$24.99, NZD$29.99 What an amazing episode from history this is and certainly one I’ve not heard of previously. It makes me wonder how many other little-known Aboriginal heroes are in our history. And how wonderful it is that this book brings this particular story to the attention…

  • Bush Tukka Guide for Kids – Samantha Martin

    Hardie Grant Australia ISBN:9781741179163 Price:AU$24.99, NZ$27.99 Publisher:Hardie Grant Explore Amid the burgeoning interest in First Nations culture and practices (despite the nasty background noise of such as certain political sectors and their brainwashed acolytes), there is a steadily growing interest in cultivating traditional bush foods, as well as native plants. And where better to start…

  • One Race – Gregg Dreise

    Scholastic Australia February 2026 ISBN: 9781761298585 RRP: $26.99 Kamilaroi and Euahlayi author and artist Gregg Dreise always produces extraordinary work that is both beautiful and powerful. And this is another, from the stunning endpapers to the evocative and impactful artwork carried along the rhythm and beauty of the poetic text. At a time when the…

  • Making Trouble (A Good Kind of Trouble #2) – Brooke Blurton. Melanie Saward.

    Harper Collins Australia March 2026 Following up last year’s A Good Kind of Trouble, Brooke Blurton continues the journey of the Noongar girls from the bush, this time with the focus on Stella as she and Jamie head to the big smoke to continue their education under the auspices of Melbourne Indigenous College. Jamie is…

  • Rain Stones: 35th Anniversary Edition – Jackie French

    Harper Collins Australia March 2026 ISBN: 9781460768808 ISBN 10: 1460768809 Imprint: HarperCollins AU List Price: 17.99 AUD When I opened this package a couple of days ago, there was a sharp intake of breath and a gasp of ’35 years! that can’t be right surely!’ but, of course it’s right. And over the course of 25ish years in school…

  • My Country – Sally Morgan and Ezekiel Kwaymullina

    Fremantle Press January 2026 ISBN: 9781760996260 $19.99 GST This great favourite of many which has been in its original format and a board book, is now in a sweet-sized smaller hardback edition, just perfect for little hands who are beginning to enjoy their books. This is exactly the right size for toddlers especially to hold, turn the…