Just So Stories

Random Reviews and Ramblings from Redcliffe

  • Follow the Dream: the Polly Farmer Story – Steve Hawke with Kim Farmer

    Magabala Books 9781922864642|Sept 8, 2026|RRP $17.99 We have already established that I am not an AFL aficionado and it has been a very slow (and relatively minimal) learning curve. That being said, it’s hard to believe that I don’t recollect that I have ever heard this name before and that sort of surprises me but…

  • Belonging – Ambelin Kwaymullina

    Magabala Books July 2026 ISBN: 9781922864819 RRP: $27.99 This is absolutely stunning – there’s no other word for it. Both Ambelin’s striking contemporary Aboriginal artwork and her simple yet powerful text make this a must-have for any collection. I’m sure many of you will have already seen it but for those who haven’t, let me…

  • My Country – Ezekiel Kwaymullina & Sally Morgan

    The board book edition… Fremantle Press August 2026 9781925816075 RRP: $15.00 Just a heads up that My Country is now available in a board book edition – so even the smallest of Smalls can enjoy it’s vibrant colours and lovely text!

  • Sleeping in the Land – Jasmine Seymour

    Wild Dog Books July 2026 ISBN13: 9781742037288 LIST PRICE: AU$ 26.99 / NZ$ 29.99 This stunning book was particularly synchronistic as I had not long ago been collating information about the resurgence of our First Nations languages for some resources I was writing, and indeed was doing so again last week [as of writing this…

  • Possum Skin Cloak – Aunty Fay Muir & Sue Lawson. Illustrated by Leanne Jones.

    Wild Dog Books Simon & Schuster July 2026 ISBN13: 9781742037226 RRP: LIST PRICE: AU$ 26.99 / NZ$ 29.99 Your readers will learn about the cultural tradition of possum skin cloaks with this gorgeous book but more than that, they will learn of the special lifelong connection. between new life and the Dreaming, clan and Country,…

  • Joey and the Junjardy – Allison Rocca. Illustrated by Brenton E. McKenna

    UQP June 2026 ISBN: 9780702271137 RRP: $17.99 I was already keen to read this one and when I started in and realised it is set in Wakka Wakka country, immediately felt a connection. My first teaching post in 1994 was Nanango SS – yes, on Wakka Wakka lands – so for several years I taught…

  • Finding My Culture – Scott Bromley Johnson & Suzie Johnson and Thomas Readett.

    Little Book Press Distributed by Simon & Schuster June 2026 ISBN13: 978192314162 LIST PRICE: AU$ 24.99 / NZ$ 28.99 Reading the preface of this poignant and impactful book, the reader realises the enormity of the past wrongs, as is the case with so very many First Nations families. The loss of family connection, the erasure…

  • 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 ISBN: 9781761341977 RRP: $29.99 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…

  • 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…