Just So Stories

Random Reviews and Ramblings from Redcliffe

  • My Story, Our Country: a First Nations Family History – Ryhia Dank

    Harper Collins Australia October 2025 When I read this, I immediately sent a text to a dear friend, a committed First Nations ally who always strives to teach her class with solid embedded cultural perspectives, that if she only buys one new book to explain Aboriginality, this is the one. I was so impressed with…

  • Find Me on the Coast – Jess McGeachin

    Hachette Australia July 2025 Imprint: Lothian Children’s Books | 9780734423634 | RRP $29.99 ‘Let’s walk down a winding path to where the sand meets the sea’ We certainly love our proximity to the ocean, whether here at home – a five minute walk away or when we take a little trip up the coast, an hour’s drive away.…

  • Don’t Trust Fish – Neil Sharpson. Dan Santat.

    Penguin Australia April 2025 What happens when you blend non-fiction with narrative with absurdist humour? In this instance, you get Don’t Trust Fish – which is a book that will make all kiddos and adults alike laugh out loud because of the sheer anarchic ridiculousness of it all. It is SO my kind of book!…

  • Curious Kai Asks Why? – Sarah Pye. Sandra Severgnini.

    September 2025ISBN: 978-1-7640657-0-2 (paperback)ISBN: 978-1-7640657-1-9 (ebook) Last year I had the great pleasure of meeting and making friends with both these Sunshine Coast based creators. A more dynamic and engaging pair of personalities you would find hard to meet. Since then I’ve reviewed books from them, followed their adventures (most recently, Sarah’s trip to Galapagos…

  • Song of a Thousand Seas – Zana Fraillon

    UQP September 2025 9780702266317 RRP: $14.99 I’ve made no secret of my admiration of and fascination with octopuses. Some will have read my review of A Journey Under the Water and also watched My Octopus Teacher, both of which increased my manifold interest in these amazing creatures. You may also have seen references to Octopolis,…

  • Volcano – Claire Saxby. Jess Racklyeft.

    Allen & Unwin April 2025 ISBN:9781761180644 Publisher:A&U Children’s Imprint:A & U Children RRP: $26.99 I think we all know from their previous collaborations that the pairing of these two creators is always going to be a stunning result. And this one certainly is that. Kiddos love volcanoes. They love hearing about them, watching films of…

  • The Girl in the Painting – Dee White. Illustrated by Sarah Anthony.

    Walker Books Australia June 2025 ISBN13:9781760657444 Australia RRP:$26.99 New Zealand RRP:$28.99 Dee White is one of the most skilled creators I know – and, happily, I can call her my friend as well. Her talent, which ranges across dramatic middle grade novels to humorous narrative non-fiction, instructional primers for teachers and parents, magazine articles and…

  • The Hullabaloo about Elephant Poo – Dee White. Illustrated by Christopher Nielsen.

    Harper Collins Australia December 2024 To finish off this year’s Picture Book month – ta dah!!! I’ve been waiting and waiting to share this one and I was really hoping that the notes I wrote for it would be already up in their published format [fingers crossed they might be before this goes live] Because…

  • Are You Big? – Mo Willems

    Walker Books Australia September 2024 ISBN13:9781760659905 Australia RRP:$24.99 New Zealand RRP:$27.99 To paraphrase Roy & HG, too much Mo is never enough!! Here’s another one of Mo Willems’ deceptively simple, but loaded with learning books. You can see by the spreads above just how understated it is but conversely, also the immensity of it all.…

  • Tardigrades: Nature’s Toughest Survivors – Anne Morgan/Jennifer Falkner

    CSIRO Publishing October 2024 ISBN: 9781486316052 RRP: $24.99 In one of those weird moments of synchronicity I found out about this book just as I’d finished a MG novel in which the protagonist is doing her class project on tardigrades. They really are the strangest little beasties but how cool is this book that will…