A vivid colourful front cover will attract many eyes as they scan the shelves for a new book. Happily each page inside the covers is filled with the same exuberance, enticing young readers to read or offer it to someone else to read aloud.
Granny is 90 and everyone on Rainbow Street has been invited along to the party. A street party is nothing new to the neighbours, as they always celebrate special birthdays, Halloween, Chinese New Year, Christmas to name a few. Dad and Papa’s table is the first, offering bush tomato soup and lemon myrtle cake, along with fairy bread, sausage rolls and party pies. Next door is Cherry’s best friend, Fern and her mum. Cherry’s family is a rainbow family as she has three homes, one with her dad and grandpa, one with her mum and stepmum, and a third with mum and Felix.
On Chinese New Year, Granny hired a fireworks expert, but when she tried some out for herself, mayhem occurred. Fern’s mum is an expert dumpling maker so they all had dumplings that day. Granny always brings paint to the street parties and the kids can paint over the street. Cherry’s ma is terrific at pavlova and today has cooked a triple decker for granny’s birthday. They still talk about the Halloween party where granny dressed the pram like a spaceship. Next house down has Ajay and his large family. His grandparents have flown out from India and the whole family plays cricket with Cherry and the other children. Ajay’s mum has made tandoori, and crisp popadams, but granny accidentally dropped a tin of red powder for Holi, onto the cat and he ran through the house, colouring everything red.
Mr Amorosi lives by himself and makes the best spaghetti and meatballs, while Granny always dances with him, encouraging everyone to get up and dance.The last table is where Cherry and her mum and mum’s partner sit. He makes the most wonderful ice cream cake. The party is ready, everyone is seated ready to eat the most wonderful food. But where is granny?
This ebullient homage to diversity, to inclusion and to a street of difference will have all readers looking at the detail on each page, smacking their lips over the glorious food, marvelling at the inhabitants of the street, and wonder where granny has got to.
This wonderfully illustrated shuffle is brimming with inclusion and fun, neighbours and family, and will have wide appeal amongst kids eager to try a shared party for themselves.
The title Hedgehog or Echidna? Animals who are the same . . . but different! gives the reader an immediate insight into what the book might be about with its appealing illustrations of the two animals. Turning the page to the rhyming narrative the reader will become engrossed as an echidna meets a hedgehog, saying ‘You look familiar...’ The story then goes on to list the differences between the echidna and hedgehog. The cute illustrations add to the information allowing the reader to visualise the similarities and differences. The echidna is bigger and older and eats ants; the hedgehog lives in a colder climate and has smaller feet. Then the reader is asked to guess if there are any other animals who might get confused and turn the pages to find an alpaca and llama, alligator and crocodile, sea snake and eel, rabbit and hare, sea lion and seal, ostrich and emu, and leopard and cheetah. Unfamiliar creatures like tuatara, ‘200 million years new’ and birds like raven, jackdaw and rook are introduced, with the last pages showing a surprise.
The illustrations are gorgeous, the animals having wonderful expressions on their faces, some showing curiosity and friendship. The alligator and crocodile have huge teeth and scary eyes while the rabbits gather in their cosy burrows. Children will learn about the animals’ habitats by looking closely at the pictures which complement and add to the flowing rhymes. They might have fun trying to think of other animals that are similar and work out why there are no hedgehogs in Australia. Extensive teaching notes will be a boon for teachers who want to pursue the topic more closely.
With its lovely illustrations and accessible rhyming text, Hedgehog or Echidna? is sure to be a hit with young readers and very useful in the classroom.
Themes Similarities, Differences, Animals.
Pat Pledger
Ariana Treasure: The missing book by Jacqueline de Rose-Ahern. Illus. by Karen Erasmus
For those young junior primary children beginning to show more interest in reading early chapter books, this new series Ariana Treasure will provide an excellent stepping stone from classroom readers. With six novels in the series, there is an opportunity for children to become familiar with Ariana and The Treasure Chest – a thrift shop which her mother owns and manages.
In the first story The Missing Book, Alex who is a new boy in town, accidentally purchases a book from The Treasure Chest that Ariana was reading but more importantly it belonged to her beloved grandfather, the original owner of the thrift shop. Ariana and Alex did not quite hit it off when they first met and Alex refuses to part with the book. However, inside the book is a message ‘This book belongs to Mr Treasure at The Treasure Chest. If found, please return. Happy to swap this precious item with an item from The Treasure Chest, the best thrift shop in town!’. Much to Ariana’s delight the next day Alex returns the book and exchanges it for what he really wants.
The vocabulary used in this book is accessible and provides repetition. The text is large; the sentences are simple and well-spaced. This first book was a relatable read about new beginnings and problem solving. The idea of using a thrift shop as a setting will provide a unique experience for some readers or a familiar one for others who visit second hand shops.
Themes Thrift shops, Books, Family, Friends, New Beginnings.
On Gallant Wings features a 13-year-old girl, Ava, who is living with her family and homing pigeons in Darwin. Pigeon Essie is Ava’s favourite. A Japanese family lives next door and their son, Kazuo, is her best and only friend. Ava overhears an argument between her mother and older brother Fred, who lied about his age to join the army. After the bombing at Pearl Harbour, Fred trains in Darwin and later helps set up a pigeon service in Townsville. When most of the civilians leave the town, Ava stays in Darwin with her mother, because her mother is important to the war effort. The military police take Kazuko, his family, and many more Japanese people away in a truck to a holding camp, much to Ava’s dismay. On February 19, 1942, Darwin is bombed, and Ava and her mother are evacuated in a train with the remaining women and children. Desperate to help with the war effort, Ava’s mother joins the military and begins work at the Secret Base. Living by rules is how Ava has always felt safe but when her best friend escapes camp, Ava is faced with the hardest decision of all. Should she report the ‘dangerous’ escapee to the authorities? Or protect a most beloved friend?
I absolutely loved On Gallant Wings. It’s a beautifully written and deeply moving story that stayed with me long after I turned the last page. The main character, Ava, is so brave and real – navigating a world at war with quiet strength and a heart full of love, loyalty, and questions. The friendships, especially between Ava and Kazuo, are touching and powerful, and the way the pigeons are woven into the story adds such a unique and emotional layer.
One of the things I appreciated most was how the story handled complex issues like war, loyalty, prejudice, and doing what’s right – even when it’s incredibly difficult. The historical setting in Darwin during World War II made the story feel even more grounded and impactful.
I’d highly recommend On Gallant Wings to anyone who enjoys historical fiction.
Emaan A. (Student)
A wreck of seabirds by Karleah Olson
Fremantle Press, 2025. ISBN: 9781760996505.
Briony’s sister, Sarah disappeared over a year ago and she has struggled with depression and self-blame ever since, so when she sees a boy around her age standing in the sea, weeping she knows he is in a bad place and reaches out to him. Ren has returned to their small seaside town about 2 hours from Perth to be carer for his father who has dementia but his grief is for Sam, his younger brother who was drowned some time earlier. The story is divided into very short chapters; The Shore, Briony and Ren’s story; The Deep, Ren and Sam’s story; and The Shallows, Sarah and friend Aria’s story, stranded on a sinister offshore Island. This layering of time and space enables the reader to understand the characters’ struggles with loneliness, hope, blame and grief. Hope can be worse than knowing, the unanswerable questions are still the same and the comfort of friends and family can be a lifeline from a very dark place. The book is an exercise in “Coastal Gothic” with the two girls stranded on a sinister island but this was the least successful part of the book and ultimately I lost interest in what happened there. The characters of Ren and Briony made up for it, their gently blossoming relationship acknowledging their damaged personalities and need to find themselves a stable place in the world before moving forward. The ending was a disappointment, lacking resolution and it took me until halfway through the book to realise the significance of the chapter headings indicating which thread I was reading, but most of the writing was well worth the effort. A great discussion starter in senior classes or book clubs.
Themes Grief, loss, depression, loneliness.
Sue Speck
Crunch, Kaboom! by Conor Mills and Clodagh Starr. Illus. by Alison Mutton
A big yellow truck on enormous wheels is featured on the cover of Crunch! Kaboom! Mighty Mining Machines, set against an ochre and brown background. Turning to the first page the reader is immediately drawn in with the rhyming text setting the scene for the narrative:
Outside the town, in the heat and the dust, where the sky is bright blue and the earth is like rust, is an iron ore mine that’s bigger than big with mighty machines that blast, drill and dig.
Then follows an expose of all the machines that are used in mining iron ore. There are dump trucks, a drill rig, a truck filled with dangerous goo ready to blast, a grader making safe roads for the machinery and water carts to keep the dust down. An excavator lifts the rocks to the haul truck which takes them to a belt going to the processing plant, and the book finally shows how steel is made using the iron ore and concludes with a list of how steel is used.
Onomatopoeia matches each of the machines (Crunch! Ka-Booom! Vroom Vroom, Chugga Choo) and the rhyming verse and fabulous bright pictures make it very easy for the reader to visualise the mining and production process, one that I found fascinating.
Notes from the publisher give extra information about Conor wanting ‘to write a book that helped parents share what they did for a living – particularly FIFO parents’ and it succeeds brilliantly. And children who love machines will delight in this fabulous book that reads aloud perfectly, while the process of mining for iron ore, its production and use will be a boon for the classroom teacher. Teaching notes and an activity are available from the publisher.
Crunch! Kaboom! Mighty Mining Machines is a wonderful introduction for everone to iron ore production which employs more than 200,000 Australians, while it will be appreciated by young children for its depiction of large trucks and machines.
Themes Mining industry, Trucks, Machinery.
Pat Pledger
The Secret Fairy Club by Emma Roberts, Raahat Kadjuli & Mira Miroslavova
Magic Cat, 2023. ISBN: 9781915569059.
One on my earliest childhood memories is my grandmother sharing Cicely Mary Barker's Flower Fairies with me, as I lay in her big double bed face swollen with the mumps and beyond miserable. Living in Bluff where the next stop is Antarctica, as the waves crashed across the road but the room was warm as because there was a fire in the hearth (it was a long time ago) she read the poems from the book that she had given my mum when she was a child and which I still treasure.
So it is no surprise that despite (or because of) being the only girl growing up amongst eight boys (seven of them were cousins) I grew up in a world of fantasy and fairyland; that my favourite authors were Enid Blyton, Peg Maltby, Shirley Barber, and, of course, Barker herself; and that as soon as I knew I was having a granddaughter, the nursery and later, bedroom, were always going to be a wonderland, shelves full of classic and modern fairy books! Not to mention my obsession with buying Flower Fairy fabric!
My granddaughters were always going to dwell in Fairyland...
And so I was the perfect person to answer the first question in this magical book - A very special society is looking for new recruits to join their number. I don't suppose you'd be interested, would you? They don't say anything about an age limit - just adopt a fairy name (Barbara Freesia) and then read the information about fairies in the book, and collect the badges as I go, then after reciting the ancient oath, find the secret surprise at the end! What could be better for someone who is still that little girl with mumps - or any little one you know who believes?
This is a companion to The Secret Unicorn Club, and is just as enchanting. Its presentation follows a similar format as readers learn about where fairies are found, where they live, what they wear, how they help to protect their world, and culminating in the Fairy Queen's Ball. Information is in manageable chunks and there are plenty of illustrations to pore over. It even has its own secret book hidden away, a story within a story.
Usually my review copies go to local schools but this one will be on that shelf of special books, right beside that one my grandma read to me and The Sun's Babies, a 1910 publication that she, herself, grew up with. Perhaps my granddaughters will value them as much as I do.
Debut author Leanda Herring has written a compelling crime story involving travellers in the outback of South Australia and an evil unstable woman. Posing as an accommodation host, Annie Butler is secretly searching for a female partner for her son Ryan who has suffered terrible childhood abuse at the hands of his missing father.
The story begins with the discovery of an unknown young woman’s body at the base of a summit in the Flinders Ranges. Detective Sergeant Bianca Mills is called in to investigate and seeks the support of clinical psychologist Jack Collins, who is struggling with the loss of his Forensic Psychologist wife Melissa. Bianca and Jack find it challenging initially without Melissa’s input into the case but gradually they methodically work through the clues and leads and make steady progress. Added into the mix is the historical case of four missing female students in the same area. Could these two cases be related?
The strong character development throughout the novel provides the reader with a powerful glimpse into how each person fits into the plot. Jack seems initially weak and self-centred but over the course of the investigation proves his worth. Bianca is the stabilising influence and doggedly persistent. Annie Butler is cruel, vindictive, manipulative and unpredictable. Ryan Butler is so badly mistreated in so many different ways, that you cannot but help find some sympathy for his actions.
As a first crime novel, author Leanda Herring has achieved a degree of success with all of the elements of crime fiction: an intriguing and mysterious crime, heightened suspense, a strong likeable detective, plus two key suspects - one malicious and one broken.
Themes Crime, Australian Outback, Violence, Detectives, Family, Travellers, Psychologists.
Talented First Nations author/illustrator Helen Milroy has created a stunning smaller-sized picture book that shares the story of Cloudmaker, an ancestral being who sees how things are changing and has become disillusioned with his existence. He has created over a passage of time, clouds of all shapes and sizes but the world he exists in has enough clouds now for all eternity.
Cloudmaker now finds his life is lacking purpose and one of his favourite cloud creations, Cirra, feels concern for Cloudmaker’s sadness. Cirra tells stories of the antics of some young clouds and spends time with Cloudmaker trying to cheer him up. When a new planet called Earth forms, Cloudmaker is excited and has a new task to create more clouds for the for the growing planet. He watches and learns about Earth and its growth from the creatures who live there. Cloudmaker begins to feel a sense of purpose and reflects on the legacy he will leave behind.
This is a stunning book both in the story it tells and the striking illustrations. With white text against a predominantly blue background until the creation of Earth where bold, vibrant colours are introduced, the thoughtful use of glossy paper adds to the overall appeal.
Many readers both young and old will have childhood memories of wondering about clouds or even lying down and finding shapes in the clouds. This imaginative story will complement those actions and feelings and add another layer to the mystery of clouds. A fabulous read.
Themes First Nations, Creation, Connection, Nature, Clouds, Destiny, Imagination.
Kathryn Beilby
Mermaid of the Ningaloo Reef by Chantelle Ciccotosto
At the end of Covid, Mia found a new swimsuit, snorkel and flippers on the end of her bed with a note from her parents telling her that they were going to see the biggest fish in the world. The family drove until they reached Exmouth and they boarded a boat to take them to the reef, where Mermaid Mia ready to swim. Magically Mia becomes a mermaid and the illustrations show her swimming with the array of animals and corals under the sea.
Children will love the idea of becoming a Mermaid and swimming with the small reef fish and the larger ones as well, including the magnificent whale shark. Interesting illustrations will attract the attention of all readers as they seek out all the detail shown on each page. At the end of the story are a number of pages of information, giving facts about some of the things Mia can see.
Ningaloo Reef is under stress as a result of climate change and the rise in ocean temperatures, with a corresponding impact on the animals that live there. The Australian Marine Conservation Society has worked for sixty years increasing people’s awareness of the problems faced by Ningaloo Reef. The pages of information will necessitate children working with older children or adults as the six pages of facts are followed by two pages of questions. This is a book which seems to be aimed at older readers or children visiting Ningaloo Reef. It gives lots of factual information and these are supported by detailed illustrations.
The Terrakeet by Jo van der Borgh. Illus. by Jo Beasley
Walker Books, 2025. ISBN: 9781760657673.
In the shade of the gobi trees on the edge of Pincer Sea, live a family of Finlocks as peaceful as can be. They lomf and fish and fish and eat and hope that they will never meet the Frimbulitic Terrakeet!
Described as "Dr Seuss meets The Gruffalo" this is a delightful story in rhyme that tells the story of a family living alone, fending for themselves but constantly in fear of meeting this maniacal monster who will eat them at the first opportunity. But then, when Mother Nature isn't as plentiful as she has been, the youngest decides to look further afield for food but, instead encounters the terrakeet...
On the surface this appears to be one of those stories full of imaginative, made-up words that just roll off the tongue and become etched in the brain. Whether it's Seuss, Lewis Carroll, Spike Milligan or others who have mastered the art of inventing a word to suit the circumstances, children love to listen to the rhyme and rhythm and let their imaginations soar as the nonsense evolves. The soft, gentle watercolour and ink illustrations offer a clue that all might not be as it seems, and there might be a surprise ending.
But this also has a more serious message, one that takes it into the realm of older readers because even though the youngest Finlock has been conditioned since birth to believe that the Terrakeet is a scary, dangerous monster to be avoided, he discovers something quite different. So, just as wolves have been portrayed as fierce, fearsome creatures in stories and we have been encouraged to rethink those beliefs, is it time to re-examine some of our own perceptions and preconceptions to discover the truth? In a world which seems to becoming increasingly black and white (or black versus white), are there any shades of grey? Are strangers in fact friends we have yet to meet? Could this be an opportunity to investigate the role of monsters and other fearsome creatures and outcomes passed on to generations through a culture's myths, legends, fables and folklore?
Themes Monsters, Courage, Mythical creatures.
Barbara Braxton
Ebb & Flo: Party pooper by Laura Bunting & Philip Bunting
Anything written by Laura and Philip Bunting warrants attention from librarians, teachers and parents! Laura is a children's book author and Philip is an author and illustrator. Australian readers are familiar with books such as Liarbird and Mopoke, which along with others have been recognised by the Australian Children's Book Council as notable books. Ebb and Flo: Party pooper is the latest addition to the Ebb and Flo series which is a fun learn to read series based around the idea of "Small words, big feelings!" As Megan Daley, Raising Readers says, "Ebb and Flo are the friends your child needs by their side on their learn-to-read journey!" Even the title reminds the reader of the joyful wordplay that is infused through books written and illustrated by the Buntings.
Ebb and Flo are two delightful little cartoonish characters. Flo is a little yellow ball shaped creature reminiscent (slightly perhaps) of the Mr Men or Little Miss series and Ebb is a purple pear-shaped blob. Pastel colours are used. Ebb and Flo are invited to Zig's party. The two friends are full of different expectations - Flo loves the games and Ebb loves party food. At the party they play traditional party games but to Ebb's increasing horror the prizes are all healthy vegies and there is no sign of sweet party cakes etc. For Ebb a party is not a party unless he has eaten so much that he has vomited. Ebb becomes increasingly upset and rude to his host. He is a real party pooper until Flo reminds him of his own strange habits that Zig in turn might find weird. In the end Ebb apologises and puts on a good face in order to be a proper friend. Ebb experiences a range of feelings including anticipation, disappointment, anger and regret and he learns what he has to do to rebuild a relationship and stop being a horrible party pooper.
The tone of Party pooper is warm and buoyant. Sentences are short and each is illustrated. The font is large and bold. There is a bonus page of fun stickers and also a How to step-by-step procedure on how to draw Zig included in the end pages.
Warm, delightful and instructive, Ebb and Flo: Party pooper is highly recommended - in fact you will want to collect the whole Ebb and Flo series to read together at home and at school! All is well in the world when children have access to books like Ebb and Flo: Party pooper.
Themes Manners as a guest, Respecting difference, Birthday parties, Feelings.
Wendy Jeffrey
Whispers and Roars by Patrick Guest, Ill. Jonathan Bentley
Little Book Press, 2025. ISBN: 9781923141391. (Age:5+) Highly Recommended.
Patrick Guest and Jonathan Bentley who created the beautiful picture book Windows have collaborated once more in this wonderful new release, Whispers and Roars. For many children and adults, the negative ‘inner’ voice they often hear can affect their mental health and overall well-being. In this very telling and thoughtful narrative, a young girl tries to deal with the constant thoughts that plagued her in her daily interactions.
The textured cover with the word Whispers in soft flowing cursive font and the word Roar in a bold oversized font is a powerful introduction to the story. Followed by glorious front endpapers in deep green tones, the story begins with an introduction to the whispers who appear as floating creatures with tales, scales and over exaggerated faces.
There’s a place over the mountain that overlooks my home. It’s a field within a forest, its where the wild whispers roam.
They swirl themselves around you, wanting you to play, hoping you’ll believe in them and hear them every day.
As the young girl goes through her day the colour palette is often darkened and the whispers become bolder and bolder. They follow her and the feeling of aloneness is keenly felt. As she tries to shake the negative thoughts and focus on positive thoughts and feelings from both within herself and the people around her, the colour palette lightens to shades of yellow. Finishing with the back endpapers, a riot of golden colour and a calming visitor.
The clever and perfectly constructed rhyming text is brilliantly complemented by the full page striking illustrations. The visual impact of these illustrations adds a surreal atmosphere and clearly portrays the varying feelings of the young child on her journey. In the final pages is a letter to Parents and Carers from a certified counsellor providing strategies when sharing this book with children.
Whispers and Roars is a must-have for home, school and public libraries. As well as being a visual treat, it has an important message to share.
This delightful smaller picture book for young children is full of vivid colour, joy and imagination. The front cover perfectly captures the vibrancy of the story and the endpapers are a visual treat with the animals hidden amongst the colourful foliage on the front and at the back the same animals appear with some unusual additions.
When the young child begins to hang out the washing, little do they know that the wind will take them and the washing on a marvellous journey to the zoo next door. Here all the animals are overjoyed to find an array of clothing to wear but there are not enough items to share and things become chaotic. It is up to a wise monkey to save the day and with some creative help makes sure the washing arrives home safely.
With the clever rhyme complemented by lively, appealing and detailed digital illustrations, this book is a joy to read aloud.
The animals were chasing one another high and low. There was trouble, there was chaos, there was nowhere safe to go.
The use of alliteration, onomatopoeia and an abundance of verbs showcasing the fast pace of the engaging narrative, will make this book a firm favourite of younger readers.
For lovers of fantasy worlds, Gracie Kim has developed in Dreamslinger, a humdinger of a fantasy world with her creation of The kingdom of Royal Hanguk. UK publishers Piccadilly Press have certainly thrown some talent in with it because, inside the book, readers will find a shiny lift-out inset containing a detailed map illustration of Royal Hanguk by Virginia Allyn. Allyn is a fantasy map illustrator and her hand drawn cartography has illustrated more than 200 maps for novels, helping to establish a rich immersive fantasy world for each novel. Included in this inset is a summary of the 4 seasonal palaces of the Kingdom of Hanguk, a summary of the 4 "Dreampanions" and their "seasonabilities," a map of "The Asleep" and a curious badge token. The cover design by Zareen Johnson beautifully evokes the tone and substance of the story with a dragon appearing with a young girl tossing a glowing orb. As the author writes in the Acknowledgements, "They say you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but I hope readers do judge Dreamslinger by its stunning face."
Graci Kim is the Korean born award-winning author of Gifted Clans, a Korean mythology inspired middle grade series. Dreamslinger is the first book in a new series pitched at the Middle Years cohort of readers. It is refreshing to read a fantasy world that is inspired by Korea. Korean customs, sayings and terminology are scattered throughout the book. We are immersed in a fantasy kingdom but it is definitely through and through Korean infused from the palaces to the hanbok to the food and etc. The kingdom of Royal Hanguk exists within Seoul, something like Bukchon Hanok village or Ikseon-dong Hanok Village (preserved traditional villages with hanoks from the Joseon dynasty) which exists for visitors to see within the busy streets of contemporary Seoul.
Fourteen- year-old Aria Loveridge is the likeable heroine. She lives, separated and exiled from society, in a home for Dreamslingers of which she is one. Dreamslingers have a genetic mutation that allows them to be transported to a magical realm while they sleep and they have powerful magic. Dreamslingers are blamed by the rest of society for an historic event which killed hundreds called The Great Outburst and are therefore distrusted. To keep society safe they must identify, isolate and suppress their power. However, the Kingdom of Hanguk opens Dreamslinger trials to Dreamslingers from around the world and Aria feels that she must go through the trials in order to infiltrate the royal kingdom to take it down. Things do not go as she initially thinks and she begins to question her whole past and identity. Aria forges new and deep friendships and allegiances. The trials are slightly reminiscent of The Hunger Games (Suzanne Collins) and adhere to the satisfactory, tried and tested fairytale formula that dictates that the hero must pass a set of three trials. There are dream slingers, anti-slingers and freedom slingers. There is violence and a battle for power. Sides have to be chosen and Aria chooses. The guiding principle underlying the story is found in the dedication, " To all those who are exceptions to the rule. May you rise to be exceptional." In Aria, readers have a model of a character who is internally strong and ethical, able to stay true to herself and her values and to flourish. There is plenty of fertile ground in Dreamslinger with Aria, its engaging central character, for readers to keenly await subsequent novels in the series.
With its strong Korean influence, the Dreamslinger series will be an excellent vehicle for expanding the reader's world view, knowledge and intercultural understanding whilst at the same time being an original and exciting read.
Dreamslinger is also available as an ebook and in audio.
Themes Friendship, difference, dragons, magic, dreams, Korean culture and life.
