Just So Stories

Random Reviews and Ramblings from Redcliffe

  • 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.…

  • Cheer Up, Blobfish! – Julie Murphy. Illustrated by Rachel Tribout.

    Affirm Press April 2024 AUD RRP $19.99 ISBN 9781922863966 Check out the adorable cover on this gem!! The Kid and I have long had a soft spot [so to speak] for blobfish, going way back to her days as mini-Attenborough, so this book was always on my radar. And really, who could go past that…

  • Salt Water Therapy

                              Here are four picture books all of which centre on the ocean but with very different purpose, style and execution, each of them truly lovely.   Beach Song – Ros Moriarty. Illustrated by Samantha Campbell Allen & Unwin January 2024 ISBN:9781761180248 Publisher:A&U Children’s Imprint:A & U Children RRP: $24.99 Ros Moriarty comments ‘my emotional wellbeing…

  • Nothing Ever Happens – Heidi McKinnon

    Scholastic November 2023 ISBN:   9781761298561 RRP: $19.99 Be careful what you wish for is almost always good advice. In this instance, it most definitely is. The text is simplicity itself, but the illustrations are what tell this most hilarious story. ‘Nothing ever happens!’ ‘Every day is always the same.’ ‘Same old rock. Same old shell.’…

  • A Friend for Ruby – Sofie Laguna/Marc McBride

    Allen & Unwin ISBN:9781761067648 Publisher:A&U Children’s Imprint:A & U Children August 2023 I know you don’t need me to tell you that this is sensational. Given the two creators how could it be anything but? The story itself is fairly simple and fluid. Ruby wants – needs – a friend, and as she walks home…

  • Gigantic- Rob Biddulph

    Harper Collins Australia This is just an absolute cracker whichever you turn it – both the splendid rhyming text (perfectly cadenced) and the stunning illustrations combine to make it a sure-fire winner. And, definitely, a stand-out to kick off a little series of ‘sea’ themed picture book reviews. Loads of your Smalls will be very…

  • Parcel for Turtle – Shelley Knoll-Miller

    Penguin Australia How absolutely delighted am I that the first ‘Parcel for…’ title I review, so closely reflects our happy place – the beach, and some of its very nicest inhabitants – indeed, practically our neighbours. Each book in this series is a clever, but simply written guessing game for Littles, with absolutely gorgeous comic…

  • Meet Mim – Sandra Severgnini

    Exisle Publishing August 2023 ISBN: 9781922539557 Imprint: EK Books RRP: $24.99 After a slow delivery to get this one, what an absolute joy it is to finally see it. As you might imagine with us living by the ocean, and with The Kid spending many weekends in the surf, we are pretty keenly interested in marine…

  • Neil the Amazing Sea Cucumber – Amelia McInerney & Lucinda Gifford

    Affirm Press April 2023 RRP: $19.99ISBN: 9781922848635 These days The Kid and I have beach days that look like her surfing and me sitting, enjoying the view or reading but in the past, from the time she was toddling, exploring the beaches at low tide was one of our favourite pastimes. We especially loved the…

  • Moon Sailors – Naomi Woodward. Illustrated by Rachel Gregg

    Ford St Publishing October 2022 ISBN: 9781922696182 RRP: $16.95 If you are exploring the depths of the ocean or the limitless skies or if you simply are looking for a beautiful lyrical book to share with our kiddos, this would be a wonderful choice. It offers so much for even very young readers with elegant…