Just So Stories

Random Reviews and Ramblings from Redcliffe

  • Magic Counting – Nabeel Khan. Illustrated by Tete Garcia

    Scribble Kids Books June 2024ISBN: 9781922585400 RRP: $24.99 I am no big fan of maths but there are some aspects that I just love, and one of those is connections, just like the ones made in this book, between numbers, shapes and geometry. Although the suggested age group is 3-7, astute educators will recognise the…

  • The Adventures of William Brambleberry: Aviator Mouse – Geneviève Hopkins. Illustrated by Alexandra Heazlewood.

    Brambleberry Press ISBN: 978064815520 RRP: $23.99 From the first moment I saw this book, I knew I had to get my hands on it. How could I not… as the daughter of an WWII RAF crewie, albeit different squadron and different aircraft? When absolutely adorable softie William arrived with my copy from Geneviève, I was…

  • Mimi and Buwaarr/Mother and Baby – Melissa Greenwood

    Harper Collins Australia March 2024 Being your miimi (mother) is the most precious gift life can give. When you were born you opened my heart as wide as the ocean. Every new Melissa Greenwood book I see I love, and think – they can’t possibly get any more beautiful. And yet, here we are –…

  • The Unexpected Mess of it All- Gabrielle Tozer

    Harper Collins Australia May 2024 Oh yes, a rom-com that will have your young readers absolutely in paroxyms of delight! This was just so engaging from the very first page, and I loved every word, character and certainly, the outcome. Jamila Dakhoul feels her life is in a complete mess. Since her family home (and…

  • The Garden of Broken Things – Freya Blackwood

    Harper Collins May 2024 We always know, when we hear there is a new Freya Blackwood on the horizon that it will be both beautiful and insightful. Freya’s incalculable talent for creating atmospheric narratives and illustrations has become a standard of excellence. Her numerous awards, including the coveted Kate Greenaway Medal in 2010 (for Harry…

  • National Reconciliation Week 2024 & Sorry Day

    My beautiful friend, Kirsty, asked me if I had some suggested titles/resources for Reconciliation Week and that was a prompt for me to create another post focused on First Nations titles and resources. I did also post one in 2023. Of course, there are [now] many books and resources to encourage cross-cultural embedding in your…

  • Grace the Amazing – Aleesah Darlison

    Wombat Books May 2024 ISBN: 9781761111174 RRP: $14.99 Eleven-year-old Grace is, in her imagination, Grace the Amazing – a skilled magican who dazzles with her wondrous feats of legerdemain. Certainly that’s how she visualises herself but in reality, it’s more like Grace the Impetuous… Grace the Truculent… Grace the No-Filter… Grace the Friendless. She is,…

  • Cheer Up, Blobfish! – Julie Murphy. Illustrated by Rachel Tribout.

    Affirm Press April 2024 AUD RRP $19.99 ISBN 9781922863966 Check out the adorable cover on this gem!! The Kid and I have long had a soft spot [so to speak] for blobfish, going way back to her days as mini-Attenborough, so this book was always on my radar. And really, who could go past that…

  • Begin Again: The Story of How We Got Here and Where We Might Go – Our Human Story. So Far. – Oliver Jeffers

    Harper Collins Australia November 2023 Oh yes, I know it’s taken me some time to get to this one, but it was quite deliberate. I’d heard a lot about it – though I haven’t read any actual reviews. I knew it was going to be profound and powerful, and I wanted to not just read…

  • Leo and Ralph – Peter Carnavas

    UQ Press February 2024 ISBN: 9780702266218 RRP: $16.99 I did have to wait a while to get my hands on this one, but thank you UQP for allowing me to do so at last 🙏. Not only because Peter is a ‘local’, and I’ve had the good fortune to meet with him, but because his…

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