Just So Stories

Random Reviews and Ramblings from Redcliffe

  • Picture Book Month Bonus #7: Friendly Bee and Friends: Woe is for Worm! Sean E. Avery

    Walker Books Australia October 2023 ISBN13:9781760654382 Australia RRP:$15.99 New Zealand RRP:$17.99 This is my first encounter with Friendly Bee and Friends, but hopefully not the last. As many or most know, I’m not a huge fan of graphics – they just don’t do it for me. But this is exactly the kind of absurdist humour…

  • Madame Badobedah and the Old Bones – Sophie Dahl. Illustrated by Lauren O’Hara.

    Walker Books Australia October 2023 Imprint: Walker Books Madame Badobedah Series ISBN13:9781406384420 Australia RRP:$27.99 New Zealand RRP:$29.99 In case you haven’t yet met Madame Badobedah and Mabel who live at the Mermaid Hotel, you are in for a fine treat. And, in case you didn’t know, author Sophie Dahl has quite the pedigree. She is the…

  • Good Night, Good Beach – Joy Cowley & Hilary Jean Tapper

    Walker Books AustraliaNovember 2023 Author: Joy Cowley Illustrator: Hilary Jean Tapper Imprint: Gecko Press RRP: $27.99 At almost 90 years of age, we might reasonably expect internationally acclaimed Queen of children’s stories and NZ national treasure, Joy Cowley, to be slowing down but no, her love of telling stories and writing for children remains undiminished. When I was small,…

  • Picture Book Month Bonus #4: A Kind of Spark – Elle McNicoll

    Walker Books Australia October 2023 ISBN13:9781913311056 Imprint: Knights Of Australia RRP:$18.99 New Zealand RRP:$21.99 Today I had a train trip to the city which I knew would be tiresome as it was not from my usual station, and therefore longer. As I always do, I took a book with me and I can tell you, I…

  • Mr Clownfish, Miss Anemone and the Hermit Crab – Sean E. Avery

    Walker Books Australia ISBN13:9781760654344 Australia RRP:$25.99 New Zealand RRP:$27.99 Here is another quirky tale from Sean E. Avery, whose sense of humour and subtle inferences remind me so strongly of Jon Klassen. And I LOVE it! Most children will know about the symbiotic relationship that clown fish have with anemones, but I’ll guarantee they’ve never…

  • The Puppets of Spelhorst – Kate DiCamillo

    Walker Books Australia October 2023 ISBN13:9781529512854 Australia RRP:$24.99 New Zealand RRP:$27.99 Kate DiCamillo never disappoints and this is no exception. I’d been keenly anticipating it since I first got wind of this new series a while back and so was thrilled to receive the ARC which, of course, I promptly devoured in one gulp. Kate…

  • Rabbit – a global superstar!

    Walker Books Australia Author/Illustrator: Jo Ham September 2023 Uh-oh! Rabbit ISBN13:9781529504439 Australia RRP:$19.99 New Zealand RRP:$22.99 Yippee! Rabbit! ISBN13:9781529509106 Australia RRP:$19.99 New Zealand RRP:$22.99 Have you met Rabbit yet? The brainchild of Joanna Ham, artist and illustrator, Rabbit has graced almost everything from Body Shop packaging to giant murals and art installations. Rabbit epitomises all…

  • Our Country: Where History Happened – Mark Greenwood/Frane Lessac

    Walker Books Australia September 2023 ISBN13:9781760653576 Australia RRP:$26.99 New Zealand RRP:$28.99 This is the second in this stunning series from talented couple Mark Greenwood & Frane Lessac. I have previously reviewed the first (twice! hardback and paperback!) Ancient Wonders and I know that many people took that first title to their hearts. In this new…

  • Alex Rider: Nightshade Revenge #14 – Anthony Horowitz

    Walker Books September 2023 ISBN13:9781529517422 Australia RRP:$17.99 New Zealand RRP:$19.99 My fondness for Alex’ adventures is pretty well-known, and some people may remember my huge excitement with an exchange I had with the boy spy’s creator, Anthony himself, when I did my promo for Alex’ 20th anniversary. Well I remember our collective sadness when we…

  • Shearer- Neridah McMullin/Michael Tomkins

    Walker Books Australia September 2023 ISBN13:9781760653163 Imprint:Walker Books Australia Australia RRP:$26.99 New Zealand RRP: $28.99 Again, Neridah McMullin has delighted me by bringing another significant Australian of the past to a new generation. When I was growing up in the Boomer years, we still referred to ‘Jackie Howes’ (singlets) and I definitely knew why they…