Just So Stories

Random Reviews and Ramblings from Redcliffe

Maisy Big, Maisy Small: a book of rhyming opposites – Lucy Cousins

Walker Books Australia January 2025 ISBN: 9781529514209 ISBN-10: 1529514207 RRP: $24.99 Of one thing we can be certain, and that is, Maisy never loses her appeal for little (and even bigger) Smalls! This is an updated version of one of Lucy Cousins’ most popular concept books featuring one of our favourite mouse characters. With big, bold colours…

February 6, 2025
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…

November 30, 2024
Dog Beach – Julie Murphy. Illustrated by Annie White

New South Books NLA Publishing November 2024 9781922507709/ AUD$24.99, NZD$29.99 What a happy and full-of-warmth book this is! We know to expect entertaining animal stories from Julie Murphy, and we also know we can count on some information as well. This one does not disappoint. With some lovely rhyming descriptors of the many and varied dogs…

November 4, 2024
Jonty Gentoo: The Adventures of a Penguin- Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler

Scholastic Australia September 2024 Pesto is the biggest penguin the Melbourne aquarium has ever had — and he’s just a chick As the news about Pesto, the ‘chunky monkey’ penguin chick hits our news reports [first shared with me by The Kid] it’s perfect timing to write up my review for this new collaboration between…

September 30, 2024
No. 5 Bubblegum Street – Mikolaj Pa. Illustrated by Gosia Herba.

New South Books Greystone Kids May 2024 ISBN: 9781778400629 RRP: AUD$29.99, NZD$34.99 This is a super addition to this week’s theme of ‘happy-ness’ with it’s quirky subject matter, lively text and vibrant, hand-drawn illos. I’m pretty sure I’ve not seen these creators’ work before, but it’s sensational, and I can guarantee you that your Smalls…

July 27, 2024
Grandma’s First Tattoo – Phillip Gwynne and Tony Flowers

Yaffler Press October 2023 RRP: $19.99 Well, I was 45, and a grandmother of 2 when I got my first tattoo so I have taken great interest in the development and progress of this book from the very start. Tony’s sharing ideas and concepts for the artwork has been an ongoing pleasure, and I was…

October 19, 2023
Where Will the Sleepy Sheep Sleep? – David Metzenthen. Illustrated by Jonathan Bentley.

Allen & Unwin August 2023 ISBN:9781761066160 Publisher:A&U Children’s Imprint:A & U Children RRP: $19.99 We know that little kids love wordplay (who doesn’t?), and this will be an ideal book to showcase the fun we can have with language. It will be a riotous read-aloud romp but also a completely comprehensive classroom curriculum companion….*grin*. Take…

September 23, 2023
Hairy Maclary from Donaldson’s Dairy [40th Anniversary] – Lynley Dodd

Penguin Australia The real problem with these anniversary editions of our favourite books is that it always makes me feel incredibly old 😫 but, of course, at the same they always bring back so many happy memories of read-alouds for my own girls and grandies, as well as the many kiddos over a long teacher-librarian…

June 26, 2023
Meerkat Christmas – Aura Parker

Penguin Australia October 2022 Seriously, I’m always so in awe of creators who can do both the text and the illustrations – for someone who yearns to have even a smidgin of creativity it seems a little unfair -haha! This is another title I shared with numerous classes over the closing weeks of Term 4…

December 22, 2022
Float or Sink? – Kylie Covark. Illustrated by Andrew Plant

Ford St Publishing February 2021 ISBN: 9781925804621 [paperback] RRP: $16.95 This rhyming story is as cute as the bugs who star in it! When a stick falls into the creek the reader is invited to guess whether it will float or sink and when first a ladybird lands on it, followed by an assortment of…

February 28, 2021