Just when
Lottie thought life might be going back to normal, everything goes wrong again!
All the things that could possibly go wrong in a tween girls’ life, do go wrong in this book. And it’s a hoot.
Written in diary form, with literal stick figure pictures and a tween
vernacular to die for, the book’s main character Lottie Brooks is the type of
kid that every tween or teen who reads this book wants to be like. Or at the
very least, wants to have as a BFF.
Lottie is flawed and a little bit slow to catch on to things that her squad know instantly.
She’s naïve and funny, clever and endearing, unashamedly herself,
and embarrassed at things that other kids don’t give a rip about.
Which pretty much sums up this extraordinary picture book. With no preamble, the Giant’s story begins, at the ending, with a premise that could easily reflect a reoccurring dilemma for many creators; a stymie of creative flow.
When the picture book
maker, with a strong resemblance to the author himself, experiences this impasse,
his trusty pencil inexplicably springs to life.
The
wee stub shows him her life’s journey from germinating seed to grand dame of
her forest kingdom. We are taken through life cycle after life cycle. From a
sapling’s view point to that of a towering giant’s, residence to a whole
eco-system of invertebrates, animals and birds. It is a wondrous and all-encompassing
experience to stand before this giant and gaze skyward at her unfathomable brilliance,
so strong, so assured, so steadfast.
Words that bolster and build incentive to never give up. Never give in. Especially to the ravages and horrors of war.
One would think that stories centred around
this theme would be a thing of the past and yet, the plight of refugees displaced
by senseless conflicts remains a global concern to this day.
Powerful
Like a Dragon is
a compelling piece of storytelling based on award-winning author, Christopher
Cheng’s real-life family history. Caught in the grips of invasion in the midst
of World War II, many of Cheng’s extended family made the life-saving decision
to flee their homeland in Hong Kong and seek refuge in China.
How many ocean creatures can you name? How many could you recognise?
Your knowledge will increase exponentially when you read An A-Z of Ocean Creatures.
This is another beautiful creation by Myke Mollard, packed with stunning, detailed illustrations in full colour.
A different letter of the alphabet features across pages, each with a list of creatures, and an underwater picture featuring them.
The names of some of the creatures may surprise or amuse you.
The cats are the alter personalities of Oliver’s best friend and co-worker, Agatha, the result of a spell cast on her which has shortened her life span.
Oliver receives a request from a law firm managing the affairs of the deceased, Phillip Thomas, to examine an immense collection of books, and choose those appropriate for the Library.
While searching through the editions and comparing their condition with the old library copies, Agatha discovers discrepancies in several historical titles regarding the borders of their Kingdom, Hallarum, a fault, if discovered, could endanger their safety.
The protagonist is forced to uncover the truth of her powers to save her beloved grandmother, driven into a quest involving ghostly realms, a legendary weapon and allies she trusts, yet remains cautious of, including a deceased childhood friend and a rival prince.
Inspired by Chinese folklore and Western fantasy tropes, the novel blends gothic fantasy, romance and myth to build a legendary world.
That's how it is in This is Us: Essential Poems for Younger Readers, a celebration of life.
An outstanding collection of poetry chosen by Libby Hathorn and Jude Fell, it contains 61 poems chosen from states all over Australia.
At times, full of nonsense and laughter, they include the sky and Earth, and everything in between.
Lots of free verse is mixed in with rhyming and rhythmic poems - about Nitz, mosquitoes, swans in their majestic beauty, wombats and lyrebirds.
Tender and deeply moving ones such as
Santa has checked his list not once but twice and put
the gifts in his bag. If only he was as careful when he was attaching all the
tags!
This is Jackie
Hosking and Nathaniel Eckstrom’s third Christmas offering together, and it is
as delightful as the first two.
At the cake shop, Ladybug and Beetle are squabbling about what they are going to choose, and Leo waits in line, frustrated at the delay.
He leaves without a purchase.
Leo lists all the extraordinary things he’d like to buy for Kimbo, but also all the reasons they are inaccessible.
Leo decides a poem from the heart would be the most appropriate present for his friend. He writes a rhyming verse but at the end he can’t rhyme the last line.
It's that time of the year again when the KBR team like to do their bit for the festive season. This year's question has the potential to give SC the rest he deserves - or at least, according to some of our responses - relieve him of a few calories! So without further ado, from us to you all, a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Question: If you could relieve Santa of just one task this Christmas this season, what would it be and why?Tania
– KBR Founder: Oh,
Santa – talk about overloaded! I would 100% relieve Santa of his children’s
picture book deliveries, for two reasons… Firstly so I could take a peek and
enjoy them all before delivery (remember that time stands still on Christmas
Eve, so yes, I’ll be able to read them ALL… with a mug of gingerbread hot
chocolate, of course).
And
secondly so I could take note of all the addresses they were delivered to. Then
I could pop back on Christmas morning to peek down the chimney and watch the
wide-eyed delight as little ones unwrap their books and tumble into magical
stories from all over the world.
Readers
often wonder where story ideas come from. They come from many places, but
rarely from as deep a place as Gilbert’s Cake.
As author Emily Mir explains, ‘Our first baby, Gilbert, was
stillborn in 2010. Two years later, we welcomed Gilbert’s twin siblings. As
young children, the twins wanted a party, complete with balloons and a cake, to
mark Gilbert's birthday. It was painful at first, but an annual tradition
began. Gilbert’s Cake is the story of our story.’
After working with families who have experienced miscarriage and stillbirth, Emily was inspired to share her family’s story of love, loss . . . and pelicans.
Emily is both a counsellor and a bereaved
mother, and hopes her story sparks joy and love as well as evoking holistic ways
of healing in the face of loss and trauma.
The collaboration of two brilliant creators brings us the visually expressive, The Friendship Book. It explores the human need of friendship - regardless of age, and its many components.
Zannie Louise's rhythmic, rhyming text is minimal and precise, allowing the illustrations to share the focus and create a perfect pairing.
Movement, activity and joy are present in every scene of Nicky Johnston's delightful translation.
Delicate, fine-lined images, showcase children enjoying the natural surroundings, welcoming the emergence of friendliness that play initiates.
For a long time, I believed life had already thrown every curveball it could at me. I grew up marked by losses, first my parents and grandparents, all passing when I was very young, and later the grandmother who raised my siblings and me after we lost our parents.
From
childhood, I understood resilience not as a choice but as a necessity. I
dreamed of creating the kind of loving family I never had the chance to grow up
with, one full of warmth, stability, and affection.
And, for a while, I had it. I married a wonderful man and we were blessed with our beautiful daughter, Sophie. Life felt whole.
50 puzzles are spread across five cases undertaken by the four sleuths of the After School Detectives Club.
There's Agnes and Quentin who are 11, and Sophie and Luca who are ten. They have skills that complement each other in their sleuthing.
Sophie's got a great memory and finds patterns, and Quentin is a fantastic code breaker, while Luca can blend into the background and observe quietly. Then there's Agnes who can talk suspects into revealing clues.
The children are inspired to begin their sleuthing after finding books by the renowned, real life writer of mysteries, Agatha Christie.
