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How to Have the Best School Year Ever – Jess Sanders. Art by Andrea Onishi.
Simon & Schuster Publisher: Affirm Press November 2025 This one takes another tack altogether from the previous two reviews. This is intended for any child or class at the start of a new year and is, essentially, a primer in resilience, self-belief and growth mindset. All of that sounds quite serious and of course it…
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Handbooks for Little Humans: Compassion & Confidence – Zanni Louise. Kim Drane
Simon & Schuster Publisher: Affirm Press RRP: LIST PRICE: AU$ 19.99 / NZ$ 24. Geez, it’s tricky being human, isn’t it?You have so many things to learn, like: tying your shoelaces, learning the alphabet and eating noodles.Here’s another thing to add to your list: ISBN13: 9781923293175 September 2025 Wow. Being human is tricky, don’t you…
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How Big is the Sky? -Kimberly Brown
Simon & Schuster Publisher: Affirm Press July 2025 ISBN13: 9781923046368 RRP: LIST PRICE: AU$ 24.99 / NZ$ 29.99 While this one fits perfectly into today’s theme in a titular way, it is not about the sky at all. It is, in fact, about a whole lot of different concepts and it is a book which…
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Whispers and Roars – Patrick Guest. Jonathan Bentley.
Simon & Schuster September 2025 As if to prove my comments about these two creators previously in this 2025 line-up of picture books, here is a stunning one with them in combination as they were for the acclaimed The Second Sky. And this one is a good addition to today’s titles focused on well-being for…
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Another Year Around the Sun – Katrina Germein. Alice Lindstrom
Meeting Katrina in person on our trip to Adelaide was such a delight for me, especially as I had reviewed some of her books, known more and written resources for One Little Duck. Now it’s an even greater pleasure to see her new work, and this one is destined to be shared widely and often…
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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…
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The Disappearing Circus – Helen Edwards/Kate Gordon
Riveted Press July 2025 Distributed by Simon & Schuster ISBN13: 9781763526099 RRP: AU$ 17.99 / NZ$ 19.99 I have taken my time with this, both the reading of it and the writing of the review. So much so, that I was strongly reminded of my Oddity review, four years ago, when I wrote: I read…
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Lexie Moon & the Space Day Disaster – Melissa Garside and Lauren Mullinder
Riveted Press August 2025 Distributed by Simon & Schuster ISBN13: 9781764007115 RRP: AU$ 12.99 / NZ$ 14.99 I’m quite sure that your young readers, those who are just starting to gobble up chapter books, will have really enjoyed the first Lexie Moon adventure. This is a great series for those kiddos just hitting their straps…
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Board books for Smalls
Little Miss Daisy is just about too big now for board books, but I’m so happy to be able to share these ones with her before that cut-off! Wibble, Wobble, Walk! – Mike Dumbleton & Sarah Boese Little Book Press Distributed by Simon & Schuster June 2025 ISBN: 9781923141285 RRP: $AU$ 14.99 / NZ$ 29.99…
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Anna’s War – DJ Taylor
Riveted Press Simon & Schuster July 2025 Aside from, of course, Anne Frank’s diary I knew very little about life for the Dutch during the war. I did glean some from Tulips for Breakfast when I read and reviewed it. But this astonishing debut novel from DJ Taylor has certainly opened my eyes to even…
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