Just one of a clutch of books about the Australian environment: birds, reptiles, mammals and frogs, What’s that? is a welcome addition to books about our landscape and what lives here.
Woodlane Press produces field guides and books for travellers, books about facets of our environment, books for cyclists and family adventures, all produced with stunning photos and illustrations. All of their books encourage families, groups and individuals to explore, understand and value the land on which they travel.
Australian birds is stunningly illustrated, with images almost filling each of the pages, with paragraphs of information arranged around the animal in question.
At the beginning is an explanation of the term bird, then they are divided into three groups, each with its own band of colour. There are native and endemic birds, migratory and vagrant birds, and introduced species.
Page 13 for example introduces the reader to the Australian magpie. A strip of colour on one side of the page shows that this bird belongs to the native and endemic bird group. At the top of the page is a map of Australia showing where this bird can be found, and images of the bird in flight. A fact box tell us that this bird was named Australian Bird of the Year in 2023, and is sometimes aggressive during breeding season. Their beautiful morning call is called caroling, and is sung mainly to mark out its territory, and they walk over lawns and grassy areas in search of worms.
Each other page is similarly presented, giving snippets of facts that kids will find absorbing, and the map and images will make it easier for readers to go out and look for examples of that bird.
There are some lovely pages for kids to explore: bush turkeys, apostle birds, bower birds, zebra finches to name a few.
Themes Australian birds, Birds.
Fran Knight
Warren’s wombat adventure by Liam Kelly. Illus. by Claire Donovan
Liam Kelly, 2025. ISBN: 9781763767102. (Age:3+)
This is an unusual addition to the stories which project animals or the environment, through travel, as Warren the wombat goes to an array of places in South Australia. Unusual in the way it is presented, no publication page or information about the publisher or author, so it is simply up to the book to worm its way into the hands of young readers.
They will love going around the state of South Australia with Warren as their guide, although he is a bit lost and is searching for his home, where he must be home by three for tea.
In four line rhyming stanzas we follow Warren, saying some of the lines with the reader as they are repeated, and we see him at various well known destinations. Starting at the Wellington Ferry, he goes to Chinatown in the centre of the City of Adelaide, then boards the tram for Glenelg, and Mosley Square. We find him then at Hahndorf in the Adelaide Hills, followed by Port Adelaide, looking at the lighthouse and boats in the harbour. Off to Berri with the Big Orange, then north to dance with the locals, down to Port Lincoln, known for its fishing, and here he is told to go north to Ceduna. Here he finds his home, and all is sweet.
Kids will love getting a map of South Australia on which to trace Warren’s journey, and find out more about the southern hairy nosed wombat, South Australia’s animal representative.
The illustrations by Claire Donovan will intrigue readers, looking at the sights, sounds and colours of South Australia, taking in the range of differences around the state. Animals, environments, and flora can be seen during Warren’s adventure.
Themes South Australia, Adventure, Journeys, Tourism, Flora and fauna of South Australia, Pitjantjatjara.
After a series of brushes with the law, 16-year-old Joel is sent to serve out his time in an isolated cabin in the WA bush. He has 90 days to reflect on his choices and loyalties, while learning to appreciate a solitary life in a not-always welcoming environment.
First published in 2010, and reprinted several times since being named a Notable Book by the Children’s Book Council of Australia, this second edition will continue to resonate with readers, as its themes are universal and still relevant.
Told mainly from Joel’s perspective, we also read letters between him and his two main supporters; his girlfriend Bella and father, as Joel learns to take responsibility for his previous behaviour and decide what sort of future he wants.
Unfortunately, Joel’s new-found self-confidence and sense of purpose is tested when his friend Craggs, the source of much of his earlier troubles, arrives, fresh out of juvenile detention. Joel struggles to reconcile loyalty to his dare-devil mate with doing what he knows is right and responsible.
Fitzpatrick has written an adventure tale that balances high-stakes confrontations and youthful escapades with more introspective moments, especially when Bella and Joel’s father reflect on their respective relationships and experiences, and show their support for him. Joel’s relationship with both of them changes as he matures, and Joel himself is constantly reflecting on how he responded to peer pressure, whether he can make a fresh start and how others will view him in the future.
Highly recommended for the engaging way in which contemporary issues are presented and resolved, but most suitable for 16 plus, as domestic abuse underlies many of Cragg’s problems, and drug use, swearing and violence are regular features of the boys’ days.
This is the dangerous story of Trilby Moffat, who took on one of the most treacherous jobs of all time. Well . . . outside of time, to be precise.This book is the true and accurate record of how Trilby Moffat became (accidentally) the Time Keeper.
The Dream Sickness is making people bake ancient cakes, speak dead languages and fall into an endless sleep. Trilby and her mother live alone but when her mother starts showing signs of the sickness, she knows she must take the train to the edge of time to find her last remaining relative and ask for help.
Upon her arrival she discovers several problems with asking her aunt for help, not least of which is that her aunt isn’t around to help, then there is the man in the top hat trying to kill her and so much more!
This is the story of an ordinary girl who just wants to save her mum but, in the process, might just save everyone and have an incredible adventure along the way, as long as she survives long enough to discover the cure!!
I absolutely loved this story, Trilby is a quirky character who has a never say die attitude even when there is someone intent on ending her existence.The story is full of time-twisting treasures and adventures and humour that will captivate the reader and leave them wanting more.This book will be a favourite in classrooms as a read aloud with students hanging out for the next chapters.It is also great read alone for students who are looking for a similar read to Nevermoor and Lemony Snicket.It would suit an independent reader who is looking for a challenge.
I absolutely loved this book and can’t wait to read the next one in the series.
Themes Fantasy, Adventure, Family.
Mhairi Alcorn
Skuduggery Pleasant: The haunted house on Hollow Hill by Derek Landy
This is a stand-alone story about Valkyrie and Skulduggery as they navigate a who-done-it murder mystery where ghosts and ancient spells are at play in a mansion set on Hollow Hill which is cut off from the rest of world by the traditionally terrible British weather.
When they arrive at the “most haunted house in Britain” to interview the Dark King of television magic they instead discover the body of a murdered man and a killer who is taking out the visitors one by one. The two mysterious Irish Detectives, Skulduggery and Valkyrie, have only hours to figure out who is the killer in a hotel filled with tortured spirits!
The inclusion of the obscure facts that Skulduggery has collected made this fit in with the other books in the series while still sitting outside the typical world of Skulduggery Pleasant.
Although this is a standalone novel, separate to the main series it is also a great introduction to the series for new readers and I think that this novel achieves a lightness that would engage younger readers who enjoy horror, murder mystery and a bit of humour.
This story was unique in that you could read it without knowing the background and get a lot from it while also giving lovers of the series a short side story that allowed the characters to act differently than they do in the main series. A excellent addition or start to the Skulduggery Pleasant universe.
Although initially daunted by the prospect of reading 643 pages, once I started reading, I was drawn into this engrossing, exciting fantasy that cleverly combines a Raven narrator, a lonely scholar, court intrigue, a murder, a thrilling competition and a slow burning romance. Having read a mystery written by Antonia Hodgson, The devil in the Marshalsea, I knew that the writing and plot would be outstanding and I was not disappointed.
It is hard to decide on one aspect of the novel that I most enjoyed; the themes are all so well developed and interesting. The world building was wonderful. The kingdom of Orrun with its king, Bersun the Brusque and the machinations of the court surrounding his successor are brilliantly depicted. Having sacred animals, Raven, Fox, Tiger, Ox, Bear, Monkey and Hound and the Dragon proxy as the inspiration for the contenders for the trials to become leader, is a unique way for the reader to learn about them as they reveal the traits that the sacred animal has given them. The trials involved thinking and problem solving as well as fighting and I held my breath as each contestant fought to win. And of course the characters are wonderful. Neema Kraa the Raven Scholar is lonely, ambitious and very clever. Thrust into the trials as an unwilling contestant she must use all her ingenuity and intelligence to stay alive, at the same time as she has been tasked by King Bersun to find the killer of one of the contestants, a young woman who had once made her life a misery. Fighting for the throne is Cain, once Neema’s best friend but now allied to the Monkey clan, and Neema is unsure whether she can trust him. As she begins to unravel the mystery that surrounds the murder, she uncovers secrets hidden for years that bring her into great danger.
Hodson cleverly breathes new life into tropes that are familiar to fantasy readers – a lonely young woman, slow burning romance, fierce competition, unexpected twists – and leaves the reader longing for more. This is outstanding fantasy. Readers ofFourth wing by Rebecca Yarros are likely to enjoy The Raven Scholar. It is highly recommended.
I loved Stiefvater’s standalone novel The Scorpio Races as well as the Raven Boysseries and eagerly picked up The listeners her adult novel, which was so engrossing that I could not put it down, reading it in a couple of sittings.
January 1942. June Hudson is the General Manager of the Avallon Hotel & Spa, owned by the rich Gilfoyles. It has always been the height of luxury for its influential and powerful patrons. Set in the wilds of West Virginia, the sweetwater that runs from the mountains eases away the pain and troubles of its high society clientele. Then June is told that all its guests will have to leave and instead it will host three hundred diplomats and Nazi sympathisers, supervised by the FBI as part of the war effort. Many of June’s staff have friends and relatives already serving in the armed forces and she has the massive job of juggling their feelings while trying to keep her unwelcome guests happy. FBI Agent Tucker Minnick is there to listen to the diplomats’ secrets, but with an Appalachian past, he understands the threat of the sweetwater that flows beneath the hotel.
I loved the magic realism in The listeners. The sweetwater can harm as well as heal and must be kept happy for the guests at the hotel to be content and the sacrifice that June makes to keep everything on an even keel is gripping. Tucker understands the power of water, showing June the flow from his village, and recognises her true nature and what she is undertaking.
In the author’s notes Stiefvater discusses her historical sources relating that luxury hotels were taken over to house diplomats following the attack on Pearl Harbour. The description of the running of the luxurious hotel and the amount of work that is involved in providing for unwanted was fascinating and gave a depth to the novel. However it was the complexity of the characters that stood out for me. I gradually grew to know the inmates of the hotel very well. June is unusual, a woman managing a hotel, still retaining her Appalachian accent and Tucker has secrets from his past and ones from his career as an FBI agent. The heartrending plight of Hannelore, the little girl who does not speak and could face danger if deported to Nazi Germany with her parents is a thread that I followed eagerly, as well as that of Sandy Gilfoyle, also silent in a wheelchair.
There are twists and turns, surprises and romance making this a memorable and unique story. It is highly recommended.
Themes Love, Lies, Secrets, Betrayal, World War 2, Hotels, Magic realism.
Pat Pledger
Celeste Express: The war of the wurms by Alexander Slater
Penguin Random House, 2025. ISBN: 9780241670583. (Age:6+) Highly Recommended.
Wyrm holes, evil Wizard, a tyrannical nine-year-old and stardust bunnies. What more could a young reader ask for?
In the kingdom of Galaxandria, Princess Celeste Starwing is in big, big trouble.
As punishment for her ongoing tyrannical behaviour, she is sent to the dusty intergalactic post office. A place that hasn’t been functional for a very long time as evidenced by the piles of undelivered letters.
It is here that she meets Podge, the only other employee of the post office since the postmaster disappeared and his Nana stopped working there. It is also here that Celeste discovers piles and piles of undelivered mail and as she begins the mammoth task of delivering the letters the consequence of letter delivery shapes the adventure within the story.
In a quest to prove to her father that she deserves to come home she is determined to make the post office popular again, unfortunately she is nine years old, and her actions are not always unselfish or without serious consequences. Along the way she makes a friend or two, saves her kingdom, uncovers mysteries, and delivers a letter or two in her quest to be allowed back into the castle that is her home.
This is a brilliant book that I couldn’t put down. The story is simple yet engaging and the illustrations throughout the story make this a delightful read. I would definitely recommend this book to any child who is looking for a realistic fantasy with adventure and giggles asking the way. This is a great introduction to chapter books as the chapters are short and the illustrations help the story.
A perfect class read aloud although students might not like having to take a break in the middle of the action-packed chapters. I can see this being an extremely popular book in any school library. I was very excited to see that Celeste’s next adventure is coming soon!!
Themes Fantasy, Friendship, Other worlds, Adventure, Good vs. evil.
Biologist Martin Wikelski shares his circuitous journey underlying the Icarus project - nearly 50 years of trial and error to support an unfolding vision he terms, the Internet of Animals. Along with the digital revolution, Wikelski drew inspiration from the 'internet of things'.
“Animals are so diverse that they all have different feelings, senses and social skills both as species and as individuals. The sum of their knowledge is superior to the sum of any knowledge we will ever gather from human-made systems.”
Proof for interesting theories such as the idea that animals domesticatedof Humans, include encounters with an arctic fox and a white stork. His experiences are global given the information he was first seeking from migrating birds who know no borders, but includes domesticated species such as earthquake detecting cows in central Italy and rice rats on the Galapagos. Martin’s fascination with animal behaviour, sprinkled through numerous stories of his fieldwork and determinations that animals needed to be seen and heard by upscaling data collection, motivate he and his colleagues to overcome insurmountable communication and technical struggles.
Martin’s family phylogeny (the web of ancestors) and ontogeny (academic development) including his formal and informal education, are foundational to a unique vision to track animal behavior to reveal their perceptions and collaborations with nature for myriad reasons; including a shared sustainability of our planetary ecosystem and species. The Icarus project too needed to be continually modified in a period of rapidly developing technology and geo-political shifts - facing multiple challenges and set backs and peppered with just enough tantalizing insights and successes to keep the dream alive. Partners included several long term colleagues and institutions such as German space startup SpaceTech, the ever dependable Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Inradios communication engineers and Roscosmos the Russian Space Agency.Suspense mounts when on the verge of largescale surveillance of earth’s wildlife geo-political events such as the pandemic and the war in Ukraine cause delays.
The importance of reaching his goal meant staying open to new tech and partners over time. His perserverence means we can anticipate real-time exponential surveiling of earth's co-inhabitants, understanding their messages and acknowledging an interspecies partnership may help preserve or reverse the harm of the Anthropocene era. Al user friendly index and several colour plates increase the joy of sharing the extraordinary background to an even more extraordinary future purpose.
Big ideas certainly for all conservationists and animal lovers at heart.
Bravepaw and the Clawstone of Rotwood Mire by L.M. Wilkinson. Illus. by Lavanya Naidu
Allen & Unwin, 2025. ISBN: 9781761180569. (Age:6+) Highly Recommended.
In the second Bravestone book, Titch, Huckleberry and Dollop are lost in a never-ending swamp. It is wet, cold and miserable and that isn’t even the worst of it! Faced with swamp monsters, a brave warrior squirrel who has been banished from her village by a group of brainwashed squirrels and a grumpy turtle, the trio must work together to survive, help the squirrels and continue on their journey to find out if Titch really is Bravestone or if it is all a huge mistake. As they are faced with each new and unexpected challenge, Titch will learn that there is a more to the Bravestone prophecy than she had previously heard and they will meet Briar, a warrior squirrel who helps the trio continue on their quest to save Alluria.
The second book in the Bravestone series is just as wonderful as the first with the addition of a couple of new characters, some of who are good, some not so good and some who are downright mean! The characters are well written and ensure the reader knows who is good, bad or beguiled!! The illustrations help the story and are wonderful additions to the text, guiding the reader in their journey to Alluria, if the fearless trio can find their way out of the swamp.
Titch and her friends have just the right amount of bravado vs. caution and their adventures are bound to be favourites in the classroom or library. These books are written for emerging readers but will be loved by any young reader as they combine adventure, fantasy, good vs. evil and friendship.
The Bravestone series is definitely one that could be read aloud or independently.
Themes Fantasy, Adventure, Good vs Evil, Friendship, Quests.
Tessa is excited to be going on holiday with her Mum, Uncle Mo, little brother Felix and the twins Kivi and Tess. They are going to the Nannup Music Festival, staying in a cottage, part of an old timber cutter’s village nearby, in a karri forest with lots of wildlife. The festival is great with lots of new experiences while the drive back to the cottage in the dark is a bit scary, especially after Uncle Mo tells them the Tasmanian Tiger didn’t just live in Tasmania but could have been in this area too. After narrowly avoiding a big kangaroo on the road everyone is on the lookout for wildlife, especially the Nannup Tiger. Then, on the second night they do hit something, a strange looking bird with big eyes. Tessa helps wrap the injured bird in some old towels and they take it back to the cottage. In the morning they find that there is a registered wildlife carer nearby and they take the bird, a tawny frogmouth, to Otto, a bit of a local character living off grid and caring for lots of injured wildlife. They leave the bird with Otto but Tess is conflicted, she has bonded with the bird and is worried about it being cooped up in an aviary. What should she do?
This simple story about a family rescuing an injured bird has a lot to offer, a lovely location with issues such as conservation and the importance of wild places to learn about Australian wildlife. There are incidental learning opportunities like not feeding wildlife inappropriate food, rules for handing over injured wildlife to a vet or registered carer within 72 hours and why light pollution interferes with viewing the night sky. Everyone can relate to the children’s reluctance to use the outside toilet at night but sharing it with a possum changes Tessa’s mind, even if she does scurry inside after and bolt the door against the tiger. Fremantle Press has an activity sheet for classroom use. Readers of Deb Fitzpatrick's Kelpie Chaos will enjoy this warm animal tale.
Themes Australian wildlife, Wildlife rescue, Conservation, Family.
Sue Speck
The Jolly Swagman by Bec Nanayakkara. Illus. by Kim de Haan
Woodslane, 2025. ISBN: 9781922800893. (Age:3+)
A story which parallels the poem by Banjo Patterson, Waltzing Matilda, written in 1895 when swagmen were a common sight on the back roads of Australia, will appeal to younger readers eager for more knowledge of Australian myths and stories.
In this story, Ollie, the swagman is a regular visitor to the station where this young boy, Will lives. Ollie and the boy have a close relationship, Ollie teaching Will of things within his culture, when he comes each year at shearing time. Will dreams of being a swagman and watches Ollie closely. At night the boy is astounded to see Ollie care for the sick and injured animals, and is taught the names these animals have.
When the troopers come to the farm looking for Ollie, convinced he has stolen a sheep, Will defends his friend, telling the men that Ollie has taken the wounded sheep to tend to its injuries. He is not believed and can do little, and Ollie is never seen again. But Will keeps on learning about his environment, often putting his swag on his back and going off to the bush.
The line, ‘come a waltzing Matilda with me’ is taken at its broadest meaning, that of inviting people to ‘come walking with me’, so Will invites the readers to come and see what the environment is like, to tread its paths, to see its animals, to be part of the land.
And the swagman Ollie is seen in a different light than that given in the poem, here is of a man who needs to tramp the countryside in search of work and keep himself going. These people, like today’s homeless, need our support.
A neat introduction to the Australian classic poem and song, this book gives a new background to the story and shows the swaggie in a different light. Kids will be eager to read the original and compare the differences, and find out which Aboriginal language is referenced in Ollie’s animals.
Themes Australian mythology, Australian classics, Swagmen, Australian bush life.
Neville's story begins well before the beginning of the book. It starts back in Frank's Red Hat, when, being a risk-taker, he agreed to wear the beautiful red hat that Frank had made. But as soon as he put it on, he was swallowed by a killer whale!
Now, Avery continues the tale because while everyone assumed that landing in the whale's throat was the end of Neville, in fact there was a further tale to tell. Because as well as being a risk-taker, Neville was brave and bold and figuring that he hadn't yet been eaten, he was determined to escape. Not helped by the pessimism of Reg - a seal also awaiting its fate in the whale's maw - he, nevertheless, is persistent in his efforts to get out of there. There's no wiggly teeth to dislodge and wriggle through, and the whale's blowhole is not only out of reach, but not even in the same part of its body.
So - does Neville succumb to what seems the inevitable, particularly as the whale starts to make eating-like movements, or is there a happy ending?
Avery is a master of offering original, whimsical, offbeat stories and this is no exception. Perhaps with some slight overtones of the biblical tale about Jonah, the reader finds themselves hoping that Neville's plans will work and that the joyless Reg who is happy to play cards while he awaits his fate will be proven wrong.
Given that Frank's Red Hat was not only shortlisted for the 2023 CBCA Picture Book of the Year but won the of Shadow Judges Picture Book of the Year this is a companion title that has to be in the collection, particularly as the ending suggests that there is yet more to come..
Themes Penguins, Killer whales, Individuality.
Barbara Braxton
Nightweaver by R.M. Gray
Penguin Random House, 2025. ISBN: 9780241735060. (Age:16+YA) Recommended.
A product of R. M. Gray's active imagination, Nightweaver's action, plot and setting leaps from the pirates' ocean world (which has previously been claimed for the safety of pirates and humanity) to gothic Bludgrave Manor in the Tamed Lands (which have been claimed by the sinister Nightweavers) on the shore of Ink Haven. Our heroine, seventeen- year-old pirate Aster Oberon, has been living a pirate life safe from the Nightweavers who are mystical beings with elemental powers who rule the land. There is an epic battle at sea and the Oberon family are defeated and forced to live on land with the Nightweavers who generously offer employment on their estate. Nothing and noone is as they appear it seems... There is elemental, brutal and supernatural violence of vampire-like monsters, the untamed powers of nightweavers, the violence of villagers and medieval type princes and the ordinary, cut-throat violence of pirates. The Nightweavers have been cursed in the past and the monsters who are on the hunt are so much worse than them. In stark relief to the violence are delightful mythical pixies and unicorns who inhabit an arborial area of the manor and the love between the pirate family members. There are references to a supreme being and much reference to symbolism which is important to the plot.
Although the setting is hundreds of years in the past (medieval aspects), Nightweaver somehow suggests a dystopian future - a world that has been plunged into chaos. Humanity are reduced to slavery to the new order of cruel beings.
The love interest is well-written. There is a sweet and powerful budding, forbidden romance between the determined female main character, Aster and Will, the morally grey male main character. It's a "dancing with the enemy" situation which is morally repugnant to Aster but strangely accepted by her proud, tightly-knit pirate family. Character development is slow burning and well written making the reader turn those pages.
Nightweaver is an absorbing and demanding read- an amalgam of characteristics of Pirates of the Caribbean, The book of Revelations, Star Wars, many books of contemporary fantasy and even the book of Esther. Aster is, like Esther, quite the archetypical brave and courageous woman who never gives up, has a special, yet-to-be-developed power and uses her pivotal role within a royal court to save her people. R.M Gray concludes her acknowledgements with a reference to Esther 4:14.
Dark and violent- sometimes almost to excess, Nightweaver is full of brutality and political intrigue. The reader is drawn close to Aster, as the story develops from her perspective. She suffers through many devastating twists and heartbreaks which test what she has wholeheartedly believed in all her life. Her belief in family, herself and the world as she knows it are severely rocked.
R.M Gray has allowed her characters to emerge partially and incrementally in Nightweaver in such a manner that the reader will really want to know what is in store for them; for Aster and Will of course - but what about Henry... a "dark horse" and Margaret... etc. The sequel to Nightweaver will probably be full of more dangerous and upsetting twists and painful betrayals, keeping readers on their toes.
Karma is three cats by Bella Montgomery. Illus. by Carolina Marando
Allen & Unwin, 2025. ISBN: 9781761181955. (Age:3+)
Life according to Taylor Swift’s kitty best friends, the subtitle on the front cover, exposes what this book is about. For Taylor Swift fans, this book is a must, and for cat owners, there are many incidents which will evoke recognition and laughter.
The cats introduce themselves: Benjamin Button, Olivia Benson, and Meredith Grey, the hardest working cats in show business. Intrigued? Turning the page the animals reveal just what they do to bolster and encourage Taylor Swift’s talent. Meredith walks across the piano, making noises which are incorporated into the music, while Benjamin and Olivia purr on her lap, being the muse which impels her to work. They go along to the photo shoots, advise on her personal appearance and accompany her on her tours. At her shows it is the trio of cats that do their stretching exercise, encouraging her to do hers before she appears on the stage, and of course help her wind down after the show.
Sometimes she is feeling low and it is the cats who help her shake it off. They help her with the many letters she must write to the fans.
But the best of all jobs is to keep her happy, and bring joy into her life.
A cute story about Taylor Swift’s cats and how important they are to her life, will endear Swift fans enormously. Others will come to the book via their interest in the person or their love of cats. The book shows how the cats work in her life, even being taken on tours.
Lovingly illustrated by Carolina Marando, the cats are easily identified, and their antics recognised by eager readers. A great deal of Taylor Swift’s life is also shown: the friendship bracelets, her clothes, hair style and make up for example.
