Just So Stories

Random Reviews and Ramblings from Redcliffe


  • Weirdosaurus – Philip Bunting

    Pre-history’s Most Peculiar Creatures Hardie Grant Australia September 2025 ISBN:9781761214 Price:AU$29.99, NZ$34.99 Publisher:Hardie Grant Children’s Publishing Here are some words from the publisher and the author to describe this hilarious but extremely informative book: playful, humour, witty jokes, funny anecdotes, and fabulous facts. But as it’s Philip Bunting, you would have worked that out without…

  • Omnibird: an Avian Investigator’s Handbook – Giselle Clarkson

    Walker Books Australia Imprint: Gecko Press October 2025 ISBN13:9798765670514 Australia RRP:$37.99 New Zealand RRP:$44.99 Have you seen a bird today? Probably, unless you’re reading this in bed. Did you truly look at the bird? To open your ornithological eyes and ears, meet the Omnibird. An Omnibird contains the essential birdiness of every bird—it was born…

  • No One is Home – Mikolaj Pa. Illustrated by Gosia Herbs.

    translated by Scotia Gilroy New South Books Publisher: Greystone Kids September 2025 9781778402180 AUD$29.99, NZD$34.99 Last year I reviewed No 5. Bubblegum St from this same pair of creators in a week of ‘happy-ness’ reviews. This one seemed a perfect fit for today’s slightly bonkers books, and I love it just as much as I…

  • Bluey: The Sign

    Penguin Australia Close enough to include it in my picture books, this is the stand-out episode that many kids will have seen, and now they can read it as well. In the cutest graphic novel format, find out what happens when the For Sale goes up in the front yard of the Heelers’ place. Bluey,…

  • Miss Understood- Kathryn Apel & Beau Wylie

    Scholastic Australia May 2025 Yes, it has taken far too long to get to this one but it’s worth it – and if you haven’t grabbed it, you should! It’s been way too long since I had a fractured fairytale to share and it’s also been way too long between really excellent, perfectly on point…

  • O.M.G. Oh My G.O.A.T! (G.O.A.T. #3) Kate & Jol Temple

    Scholastic Australia November 2025 ISBN: 9781761642357 ISBN-10: 1761642359 RRP: $19.99 The G.O.A.T. series has had me cackling since the first because a) it really is absurdly funny and b) Mr Surfer is known colloquially as the G.O.A.T. surf coach – I could add, that’s in his own lunchbox, but no, it’s true as far as I can…

  • The Cave Downwind of the Café – Mikey Please

    Harper Collins Australia October 2025 I didn’t see the previous book, The Café at the Edge of the Woods, but as it won Waterstones’ Picture Book of the Year it would be obvious that it was a great success. Certainly, this quirky sequel confirms that. Actually, this is a prequel to that one as it…

  • Wednesday: A Novelisation of Season One

    Penguin Australia If you happen to be one of the handful of people in the civilized world who hasn’t watched Wednesday (1 & 2), you will definitely want to read this ahead of your kids. That way, at least you’ll be up to speed and be able to converse intelligently and compare notes. And for…

  • The Long Shoe – Bob Mortimer

    Simon & Schuster Australia I have always loved Bob Mortimer on WILTY, which I admit is the only place I’ve seen his comedy. I didn’t realise he was also a writer until I spotted this one in a publicity email and immediately was keen to read it. I mean, anyone who can spin the outrageous…

  • Spud and Snowball and the Fancy Fish – Judith Rossell

    Harper Collins Australia September 2025 Continuing the impromptu ‘cat’ theme is this deliciously funny new title from Judith Rossell, which will be perfect for your newly independent readers. These are two cats that are the very epitome of their species. They are self-indulgent, wilful, cheeky, devious, greedy and utterly hilarious in their conniving antics. One…