This gorgeous book made all the hairs on my neck stand up. It sent little chills everywhere. But good ones. A Quiet Girl, by Peter Carnavas is so very beautiful. We need kids like Mary to force us to be quiet and still and notice the small things. Mary is a quiet girl who notices […]
picture books
Review: Squish Rabbit’s Pet, by Katherine Battersby
I gave this new Squish book to my Mum to read to my 2-year-old niece when she visited. They both very much enjoyed it, which is not surprising given it’s written and illustrated by Katherine Battersby, award-winning author of nine children’s books. Squish Rabbit’s Pet is the third book in the much-loved Squish Rabbit series, […]
Review: The Flying Orchestra, by Clare McFadden
“Mum, how do you give a book a ‘like’?” “A ‘like’?” I asked my 6-year-old son. “Yeah, a ‘like’. Like for videos on YouTube. So other people know it’s really good. ‘Cause this book’s really good and I want to tell everyone.” Mr 6 waved The Flying Orchestra, by Clare McFadden at me. He loves this book. […]
Book review: Morris the Mole, by Nicki Greenberg
‘Let’s read Morris the Mole again, Mum!’ shouts Mr 6 at bedtime, for the third night in a row. ‘Yes! Let’s read Morris the Mole!’ I agree, equally enthusiastically. It’s rare to find a book that both of us want to read over and over and over again. Nicki Greenberg, author of many books including […]
Not So Scary Bear: a picture book about being yourself
Not So Scary Bear, by the very talented Ruth Waters, is a gorgeously illustrated, funny and adorable picture book for young children about bravery, breaking stereotypes and being yourself. Every night Scary Bear roams the forest looking for other animals to terrify by roaring at them, as is expected of any self-respecting scary bear. Every day, […]
5 things you probably didn’t know about May Gibbs
I grew up on stories of Snugglepot and Cuddlepie, the gumnut babies who went on the most fabulous adventures. When you’re a kid you don’t tend to think much about the writer of the book, or how it came to be published. You’re too interested in shoving your fists in your mouth, terrified that Cuddlepie will get […]