Just So Stories

Random Reviews and Ramblings from Redcliffe


  • Frogs are Our Friends – Toni d’Alia. Madeline White.

    Hardie Grant June 2025 ISBN:9781761212987 Price:AU$24.99, NZ$27.99 Series:Our Friends in the Garden Publisher:Hardie Grant Children’s Publishing Finishing off today with a splash that is not in the ocean – here’s a really cute rhyming book featuring so many kiddos’ favourite – the frog! This is third in a series, which I have not unfortunately seen…

  • Baabinje’s Backyard – Ella Noah Bancroft & Bronwyn Bancroft

    Hardie Grant Australia Little Hare July 2025 ISBN:9781761214325 Price:AU$24.99, NZ$27.99 Imprint:Hardie Grant Children’s Publish My baabinje always had dirt under her fingernails. She would take me out to the backyard and say, ‘Sit, Marli. Observe and connect with the day.’ While I do miss the days when The Kid and I would garden, at least,…

  • The Garden of Broken Things – Freya Blackwood

    Harper Collins May 2024 We always know, when we hear there is a new Freya Blackwood on the horizon that it will be both beautiful and insightful. Freya’s incalculable talent for creating atmospheric narratives and illustrations has become a standard of excellence. Her numerous awards, including the coveted Kate Greenaway Medal in 2010 (for Harry…

  • In My Garden – Kate Mayes. Tamsin Ainslie

    ….a children’s picture book about belonging Harper Collins Australia August 2023 It was easy to fall in love with this beautiful book when I only had the galley proofs to look at. Now that I see it in its final form, I find it even more enchanting. It really is a work of art, which…

  • Ten Little Figs – Rhian Williams/Nathaniel Eckstrom

    Walker Books Australia April 2020 ISBN: 9781921977312 Imprint: Walker Books Australia Australian RRP: $24.99 New Zealand RRP: $27.99 Here’s another beautiful book which would make a super complement to that reviewed in my previous post, to add vigour and depth to your backyard holidays. Kiddos will just love this rollicking rhythmic countdown as the ten juicy figs disappear…

  • Duck, Apple, Egg – Glenda Millard/Martina Heiduczek

    Harper Collins Australia February 2020 ISBN: 9780733340185 ISBN 10: 0733340180 Imprint: ABC Books – AU List Price: 24.99 AUD Another perfect accompaniment to being at home and enjoying simpler pleasures, this is just delightful in its simplicity and charm as a little person plays in the garden. Duck on the green, sun in the sky, egg in the nest,…

  • Seeds – Carme Lenniscates

    Candlewick Press March 2020 Imprint: Candlewick  Studio ISBN 9781536208443 Another timely book – certainly for us – as we’ve been re-invigorating and re-planting our veggie patch after a long hot summer. Magical seeds are popping up in the propagator on our front verandah waiting until they are sturdy enough to be planted out in the…

  • Grace’s Mystery Seed – Juliet M Sampson/Karen Erasmus

    Ford St Publishing March 2019 $16.95 Have you ever had your children (or grandies) garden with you? I used to garden with my girls and now I have my beautiful granddaughter growing up here also loving planting and watching things grow. She especially loved planting radish seeds to spell her name and only having to…

  • The ABC Book of Food –  Helen Martin/Judith Simpson. Illustrated by Cheryl Orsini

    Harper-Collins ISBN:9780733334269 ISBN 10: 0733334261 Imprint: ABC Books – AU On Sale: 01/03/2016 List Price: 99 AUD Yes this was published last year and no, I hadn’t lost it! But for some reason it only came to me recently. Since today I’ve already looked at butterflies and seeds I thought it might just complete the day’s reviewing. An informative…

  • What Will Grow? – Jennifer Ward. Illustrated by Susie Ghahremani

    Bloomsbury Publishing Australia Imprint: Bloomsbury USA Childrens February 2017 ISBN: 9781681190303 RRP: $19.99   In my experience children love to garden and they are fascinated to see seeds sprout and grow – especially when they can eat the end results! This charming book with a very simple but engaging rhyming text and fabulous richly coloured…