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

Visit Picture Book Book Club @picturebookbc on Instagram

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.

Review: The Epically Awesome Odyssey, as told by Nanny Piggins

The Epically Awesome Odyssey, as told by Nanny Piggins is an hilarious and illuminating introduction to Greek mythology for children.

When the school bus driver mentions the word ‘odyssey’, Nanny Piggins finds herself explaining the origin of the word, a brave and clever female pig called Odysseus.

Over many days, the Green children, Derrick, Michael and Samantha, hear the account of The Odyssey as written down by Homer and retold by Nanny Piggins in a series of episodes.

Each episode introduces readers to a key event or character in The Odyssey. Readers will meet the Cyclops, giants, along with Scylla the terrifying six-headed giant lizard. They will travel with Odysseus and her men through deadly whirlpools, wild storms, and past the bewitching Sirens.

Review: The Stolen Bairn

The gorgeous cover and enticing title bespeaks the thoroughly engaging nature of this fantasy faerie tale from newcomer Katrina Macdonald Roe. Drawing on Scottish legends and folktales, Katrina has woven a completely absorbing narrative that begs to be read from the very first page and that astounding opening.

To claim that I was single-handedly responsible for the extinction of the faeries, as some have said, is wildly unfair.

Firstly, everybody knew that faery sightings had become increasingly rare long before I met one and nobody did a thing about it.

Secondly, nobody seems to remember how troublesome the creatures really were.

Given my total passion for the Emily Wilde series and all things fae, this book had already won me before I started reading.

Sunday Shelfie - The Dream Keeper

Happy #sundayshelfie day! It is my pleasure to welcome the wonderful Anna Walker.  This week we are celebrating Anna’s beautiful picture book The Dream Keeper.

In a small boat, the turtle sets off on a journey to deliver dreams in the nearby city. Meanwhile, a young girl, scared in the night by the shadows in her room, finds comfort in her toys ... but cannot sleep. 

As the two stories unfold side by side, the young girl and the intrepid turtle must each harness their courage and overcome their fears as their worlds collide in the most wonderful, magical way

Written and illustrated by Anna Walker 

Published by Walker Books Australia

Visit Picture Book Book Club @picturebookbc on Instagram

Review: Lamington Left Behind

In her stunning graphic novel debut, Lamington Left Behind, Andrea Innocent invites readers into a haunting post-apocalyptic world where nature has all but disappeared and bots dominate the landscape. But amid the rubbish and rusting remains, Andrea shows us that hope can be found in small places.

Young Lamington, separated from her mother, fends for herself, living in her abandoned car with a new spider friend, Ulysses. When Lamington discovers the world’s precious seeds are in danger, she sets out with Ulysses and an endearing band of koalas on a courageous quest to save them, find her mother and restore the planet. Racing to beat a deadly storm and a group of troublemakers who want the seeds for themselves, Lamington's journey becomes one of unexpected twists and friendship. 

Review: Hill End Gold

With a glint of gold fever in his eye and gold lust running through his veins, since he was 18, Alfie Wilson’s dad decides to sell their Bathurst family farm and head to the goldfields at Hill End, where the latest gold strikes have been reported.

Alfie and his younger brother are immediately swept up by their father’s optimistic enthusiasm and firmly believe their father’s motto, ‘Fortune favours the bold’ will inevitably lead them to become the Wealthy Wilsons. Their mother and older sister are far more cautious and prefer the safety and security they have on their farm, even though it may not be so profitable. But as a family they begin their journey to Hill End to claim their stake purchased by their father at a gold mine near where big finds have been unearthed.

Review: The Little Girl and the Rain

When I first received a copy of The Little Girl in the Rain I instantly fell in love with whimsical beauty of the cover, with its matt finish, subtle colours and glittery raindrops. It had a somewhat modern feel but was written an illustrated by someone unknown to me, so I did some research. I was shocked to discover this beautiful book was actually first published in 1974, in what is now known as the Czech Republic.

Review: Poppy Makes Pockets

Do you like collecting treasures when you go for a walk? 

And do you have enough pockets to store everything you find?

If not, meet Poppy - a resourceful child who may have the perfect solution for you.

Jemima Parker’s debut picture book (illustrated by Karen Erasmus) highlights a big problem – where can we store all our special things if our clothes don’t have pockets?