Review: Six Take One

We’ve all gone along to parties that we didn’t really want to go to, right? But how often do we end up regretting our decision because someone was murdered during the party? (Hopefully never.)

Unfortunately, this is exactly what happens when seventeen-year-old Cassie’s on-again-off-again friend, Kiah, guilts her into attending a New Year’s Eve party at Johnny’s remote farm, where, among other things, there’s only limited internet coverage.

Before agreeing to go, Cassie elicits a promise from Kiah that they’ll leave by 11 pm. Kiah reluctantly agrees and says she’ll pick Cassie up at 7 pm.

From the outset, reluctance aside, things do not bode well.

Sunday Shelfie - Dear Humans, We Stole Your Crayon!

Happy #sundayshelfie day! It is my pleasure to welcome Anna McGregor. This week we are celebrating Anna’s delightful new picture book Dear Humans We Stole Your Crayon!.

When aliens Zimothy and Meep accidentally discover a mysterious Earth artefact called a ‘crayon,’ they’re amazed by its magical powers — it can make thought appear on paper!

A funny story that celebrates the humble crayon and the universal joy of making art.  This cosmic tale reminds us that creativity knows no boundaries — whether you’re human or alien, the magic of drawing connects us all.

Written and illustrated by Anna McGregor 
Published by Scribble

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12 Curly Questions with children's author Brenton Cullen

1. Tell us something hardly anyone knows about you.

When I was a kid, I had an acting agent – I auditioned for the Diary of a Wimpy Kid movie.

2. What is your nickname?
Too embarrassing to repeat here...

3. What is your greatest fear?
Losing my partner.

Review: Nowhere House

If a spooky cover and an intriguing title are what draw you to pick up a book, then Adrian Beck’s Nowhere House is for you – but only if you also like tension, mystery and the potential for ghosts and drama.

The opening words of this brilliant story have the main character, Nate, muttering “I’d rather be dead,” as he sits in the car with his family on the way to their new home ‘in the middle of nowhere’.

Be careful what you wish for, Nate!

Nate’s parents have just purchased their new home at a bargain deal and it soon becomes apparent why they managed to get it for such a price. It’s rundown, a 90-minute round trip to the nearest school and it has a history. Not a very nice one either.

Review: Making Picture Books

Have you ever thought about writing a picture book? Perhaps Illustrating one? Or maybe both?

Making Picture Books by award winning children’s author Libby Gleeson can walk you step-by-step through the entire process from idea to publication, and beyond.

Part 1 is for writers. Libby shares her experience in working from an initial idea, through the writing and revising stages, all the way to submission and publication.

There is loads of useful information including sections on plot, characterisation, language and tense.

Libby helpfully includes examples of early drafts, followed by the final drafts, so the reader can see the changes that have occurred via the editing process.

Review: Fanny and Mina: The Fastest of Friends

Did you know that it wasn’t until 2020 that the number of Olympic swimming event opportunities for women equalled that available for men?

That’s just one fact that has stayed with me after reading Samantha Tidy and Hilary Cresp’s new narrative non-fiction picture book, Fanny and Mina: The Fastest of Friends.

At the 1912 Stockholm Olympics, Fanny Durack and Mina Wylie – both in their twenties – became the first Australian female Olympic swimmers and the first women in the world to win Olympic medals in swimming.

Review: Sword Echoes : Pirate Academy 3

Welcome back to the Pirate Academy, Coral Sea Province, with most of the students back in their Barracuda Class. 

Yet again the Pirate Academy is battling against mysterious and evil forces and the students are preparing to face even more obstacles to their survival.

Neo, one of the three central characters in this action-packed adventure series, has left the academy to follow clues his renowned pirate mother left him on her trails, in order to understand his own destiny. With help from Captain December Wilde, aboard her ship Brave as the Waves, Neo follows the coordinates left for him to claim a sword bestowed to him by his mum. But now he needs to know what is the significance of the sword? 

Review: Peculiar Parents

Did you know some kangaroo mothers adopt orphaned joeys? Or that a baby humpback whale weighs as much as a large car when it’s born? Find these morsels and more in Peculiar Parents written by Dr Stephanie Owen Reeder and illustrated by Ingrid Bartkowiak.

Using playful text, detailed research and little-known facts, distinguished children’s author Owen Reeder brings animals’ lives to life. Topics such as choosing a mate, home selection and building, family life and parental habits are explored.

Review: Into the Storm

There is something undeniably compelling about a story where the greatest danger isn’t just the wilderness surrounding the characters, but the secrets and regrets they carry within themselves. In Into the Storm, Hayley Lawrence delivers another heart-racing adventure following the success of Into the Wild. This time, she takes readers into the unforgiving landscapes of Tasmania, where every step forward could be a fight for survival.

Silas and Eve are both running—from mistakes, from grief and from the parts of their past they would rather leave behind. After previously crossing paths during a trekking competition that Eve’s team won, the two went their separate ways. But when Eve reaches out to Silas with an invitation to undertake an even more challenging trek, he accepts, seeing it as a chance to escape his own troubles. However, the wilderness has a way of stripping away pretense, and the journey soon becomes far more dangerous than either of them could have imagined.

Sunday Shelfie - A Hat for Every Harriet

Happy #sundayshelfie day! It is my pleasure to welcome Jess Horn and Zoe Bennett.
This week we are celebrating Jess and Zoe’s wonderful new picture book A Hat for Every Harriet.

Harriet wears many hats. She has a hat for listening, for following the rules and even for being silly. Harriet wears a different hat for every job, because every job needs a different Harriet.

But one day, Harriet has too many hats to wear. Can she find a way to just be herself?

From the creators of Bernie Thinks in Boxes comes a beautiful story about thinking differently and accepting yourself in a neurotypical world.

Written by Jess Horn
Illustrated by Zoe Bennett
Published by Affirm Press

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Review: The Baby-Sitters Club Fan Edition: Baby-Sitter Summer

Appealing to new audiences as well as nostalgic fans from generations past, this fan edition stays true to the heart of Ann M Martin's enduringly popular series while weaving in contemporary updates to provide a freshness and extension of character arcs.

 
Like the original BSC Super Specials, this fan edition captures snapshots of the summer break with chapters written from the first person viewpoint of each of the babysitters starting with the iconic postcards in their handwriting.

Written by original series author Ann M Martin, along with an all-star line up of contemporary writers who are also big BSC fans, we catch up with our favourite characters and find out about the ups and downs of their summer break and how they tackled the challenges that came their way.

Review: Ben's Library

Elissa has a very real, very big problem!

She’s already read every single book on her shelf. Can it be that she’s run out of books?

Thank goodness for the school library.

On her way home, piled high with borrowed books, Elissa is moving as slow as a snail and reconsidering her decision to try and carry such a load.

But, it’s books, so she perseveres.

Review: Creative Writing Magic

A follow up to Unleash Your Creative Monster, Creative Writing Magic is full of even more tips and tricks to get young writers writing.

Children can tap into their inner Creative Monster and come on a journey to learn all about writing great stories and creating magical characters. 

Creative Writing Magic is packed with information all about different writing techniques, plotting, and character development, but because of the fun and engaging way it is presented, it never feels overwhelming or difficult. 

Andy Jones speaks directly to the reader in his short conversational chapters, while Olaf Falafel’s cute and hilarious illustrations help to illuminate the ideas.

Review: Tiki and Jill and the Great Australian Camel Race

Some picture books are so much more than a simple story. Tiki and Jill and the Great Australian Camel Race is one of those books.

On one level, this is a recount of the real-life Great Australian Camel Race. Held from April to July 1988, this race saw camel riders race from Uluru in the Northern Territory to the Gold Coast in Queensland – a distance of over 3,000 km.

Meet the Illustrator: Anna Wilson

Name, title, location:
Anna Wilson, illustrator, Edinburgh, UK

Describe your illustration style in ten words or less.
Atmospheric, carefully coloured and observed,

What items are an essential part of your creative space?
A sketchbook, lots of ink, gouache, ink, crayons, markers, acrylic paint, watercolour and old brushes. Paper too. And a scanner.

Do you have a favourite artistic medium?
I love mixing everything together. Sometimes I think I should master a particular medium, but I just really enjoy playing with everything I can find in front of me - often searching for a colour, rather than a material, and then layering things on top of one another. 

I’ve never been very patient, so I like to start with things that cover the paper quickly and then refine it more slowly on top with things that build on whatever I started with.

Name three artists whose work inspires you.
This is a very hard question. And I think I would have a different answer every day I was asked. But…

Growing up in Australia, I loved Mirka Mora. I loved her urban lifestyle and the world she created as a female artist, as well as her wonderful colours. Another Australian artist who inspired me when I was young was Jessie Trail, the printmaker who made incredible etchings of the building of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. I loved her observation of this technical process and I have always loved printmaking.

Picturebook artists whose work I love include Laura Carlin, Carson Ellis, Anne Brouillard, M Sasek, Eva Lindstrom, Marine Schneider, Beatrice Alemagne, Sophie Blackall … That's more than three. Sorry.

Which artistic period would you most like to visit and why?
I think I’m going to just say now. I find so much inspiration everywhere and feel so lucky to be making images today. It is not that it is a perfect climate to be an art maker, but I am so inspired by many people around me who are making work despite the challenges. 

I also think it’s more important than ever to share our observations as humans with everyone else in the world. Human hand and touch and eye are such a key part of our shared humanity. I feel the need to celebrate these things right now.

Who or what inspired you to become an illustrator?
The world inspired me. I think I have always loved observing the world - watching it go past a train window, watching the way people cross their legs (or not) under tables, watching colours change in different places and different seasons and watching how the weather affects lives. I can’t help but want to make pictures of these things I observe. I find the world utterly remarkable and want to share what I see.

Share a photo of your creative workspace or part of the area where you work most often. Talk us through it.
I actually don’t have one of these at the moment. I am quite nomadic and have been between homes for the last year and working in very odd spaces. Usually though, I just have a table covered with way too many things. I will share a photo of my last workspace table when I was working on something. 

You can always find lots of cups of half-drunk tea, too many colours, and whatever I’m working on, plus my computer often balanced precariously behind it all.

Or, my other workspace and one I treat very carefully, is the world. I get most of my inspiration and ideas from sitting out in the streets or fields or clifftops wherever I am based, drawing the world around me.

What is your favourite part of the illustration process? Talk us through it.
The main painting. I don’t like roughs much (although sometimes they look better than the final work). When I don’t have to do too many roughs and can just jump straight in with colours on the paper I feel happiest and the work comes out best.

I tend to work in lots and lots of layers. First getting shapes down and then building up the colour on top. Here I'm starting to lay the brighter colours on top of the shapes of the animals in the water. On my screen is a zoomed-in part of my rough that had been approved for the publisher. 

My desk also nearly always looks this messy. I have no idea how people work with clean desks!

What advice would you give to an aspiring illustrator?
I think just don’t stop drawing and sharing, drawing and sharing. Draw what you love and draw what interests you, and then draw these things again, and again. And then share it. It doesn’t really matter how you share - whether it’s online or sending postcards or things to people - but I think I have grown so much by making, making, making, but also sharing. Putting things out into the world can be vulnerable, but it is also how connections are made. And then, just don’t stop. Whoever doesn’t stop will get to keep going.

Anna Wilson is an Australian illustrator and designer who has spent most of her life travelling the world. She loves storms and snow and is happiest running in the mountains, drawing in the streets of new cities, or imagining new characters and worlds. She is currently based in Edinburgh.

The Festival of Ice & Snow, written by Angie Cui, is Anna's latest publication.

Anna's website is a delightful excursion into colour and whimsical reflection, and well worth a visit. (There is an online shop you can sign up to, for notifications when it is next open!) You can also find Anna on Instagram or follow her journey through her Substack newsletter.

Review: Floating by the Clouds

Floating by the Clouds is a story full of big emotion. Emotions that get bottled up inside until there is only one way out, tears. This can be a hard topic to write about. Most children don’t even have the language to explain what they are feeling, or understand it, but Author Mohammad Awad and Illustrator Nina Nill have managed to create a beautiful book that any child can relate to.