Just So Stories

Random Reviews and Ramblings from Redcliffe

  • When Santa Got Stuck in a Gum Tree – Jackie Hosking. Nathaniel Eckstrom.

    Walker Books Australia September 2024 ISBN13:9781760657406 Australia RRP:$24.99 New Zealand RRP:$27.99 What if? always such a good provocation for writing … Plenty of children have wondered what if Santa got stuck in a chimney, but what if he got stuck in a gum tree? Well, how could he be rescued? This could be the start…

  • Sleepy Sheepy and the Sheep-Over! Lucy Ruth Cummins. Illustrated by Pete Oswald

    Walker Books Australia September 2024 ISBN13:9781760658953 Australia RRP:$19.99 New Zealand RRP:$24.99 Strangely enough, I just had a conversation with a friend over lunch this past week about children’s first sleepovers. Her older grandchild has slept over regularly while the little sister was having her first experience this weekend [as I write this 24/11]. I commented…

  • 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.…

  • Be the Bus! The Lost and Profound Wisdom of The Pigeon (as told to Mo Willems)- Mo Willems

    Walker Books Australia November 2024 ISBN13:9781760659806 Australia RRP:$19.99 New Zealand RRP:$22.99 As mentioned previously [probably more than once because that seems to be a thing at my age!] I’ve been a fan of Mo’s work from the start. While my favourite is still Nanette’s Baguette, really they are all fabulous. You have only to remind…

  • My Dad Thinks He’s a Scream – Katrina Germein. Illustrated by Tom Jellett.

    Walker Books Australia September 2024 ISBN13:9781760655075 Australia RRP:$24.99 New Zealand RRP:$27.99 While it may have taken it’s time to reach me, it’s here right in time to witch you all a spooktacular Halloween week! I love me a good pun – and a whole book of them? – I love that even more. This is…

  • Brainy about Bears – Owen Davey

    Walker Books September 2024 Imprint: Flying Eye Books ISBN13:9781838741617 Australia RRP:$29.99 New Zealand RRP:$32.99 Oh how I LOVE Owen Davey’s books! Sadly, I don’t always get sent all of them 😦 and I wish I had , because my nerdy inner child just adores his retro style and his fascinating facts. There are now about…

  • Hazel’s Treehouse – Zanni Louise. Illustrated by Judy Watson

    Walker Books November 2024 ISBN13:9781760657222 Australia RRP:$19.99 New Zealand RRP:$22.99 I have followed Zanni’s progress with this one for ages and have eagerly anticipated its arrival. When it was delivered yesterday, wrapped like the cutie it is in brown paper, tied up with string, I couldn’t wait to read it! And I can confirm, it…

  • Junkyard Fairies:#1 Dig Deep – Edwina Wyatt. Illustrated by Lauren O’Hara

    Walker Books Australia October 2024 ISBN13:9781760657048 Australia RRP:$19.99 New Zealand RRP:$24.99 Even without the addition of the adorable little fairy house [thank you so much Walker Books!🍄] , I would have loved this delightful new take on fairies for a contemporary audience. It’s rather like a mash-up of Enid Blyton with Bottersnikes & Gumbles and…

  • Hotel Balzaar – Kate DiCamillo. Illustrated by Júlia Sardà.

    Walker Books Australia October 2024 ISBN13:9781529523782 Australia RRP:$24.99 New Zealand RRP:$27.99 One thing is always certain. A book by Kate DiCamillo will always be captivating. After the first Norendy tale, readers knew they could look forward to more of the magic realism of this series and it has come with another glorious story about stories.…

  • Wedge-tailed Eagle- Claire Saxby/Christina Booth

    Walker Books Australia August 2024 ISBN13: 9781760655686 Australia RRP: $26.99 New Zealand RRP: $28.99 Another stunning book in the Nature Storybook series, combining a lyrical, almost poetic, narrative with fascinating facts, this time about Australia’s largest raptor – surely, one of our most magnificent winged creatures. For a bird nerd like myself, they are always…