Dad and I
find an injured koala on our property …
Dad says
keeping koalas safe will be a big job.
I need a
plan and help from some friends …’
There is so
much to digest and reflect upon in this book – for everyone, not just picture
book aged readers.
For it is
this father’s undying love that has borne magic, mystery and wonder in
abundance with the birth of picture book, Tiny Dancer.
‘Tiny Dancer
is about making each moment count and living life to the full.’
A tortoise may live for over one hundred years. An olive tree, up to five thousand. But a mayfly lives for just one day.
Well, maybe we don’t need to be that dramatic but you know what I mean.
Lil
desperately wanted
to join in
the class.
But each
time she tried,
She’d land
PLONK on the grass.
Wind Atlas, the third in the amazing weather series by Thames & Hudson, consolidates that appreciation and then some.
Like its predecessors, Wave Atlas and Cloud Atlas, this guide into the world’s fascinating zones of pressure and air movements is both refreshingly informative while simultaneously easy to assimilate.
Ella and the Sleepover Safari brings readers back into Ella’s world — this time for an unforgettable birthday sleepover at the zoo. What should be a dream night of adventure quickly becomes complicated when Ella’s old friend, Viv, and new friend, Mai, struggle to get along.
Polimeni sensitively explores a familiar childhood tension: How do you balance different friendships without anyone feeling left out? It's a situation many young readers will recognise, handled with empathy, humour and just the right amount of wild animal mayhem.
The backdrop of the zoo adds an extra layer of magic and the story is bought to life with Hykie Breeze’s vibrant and expressive illustrations.
‘He can hum
like a cricket and tell you all about Tasmanian devils.’
Our curious
narrator Alexander is working very hard to NOT have a daytime sleep, and
nocturnal animals are his go-to rationale (what is mummy actually
talking about?, I’m not a nocturnal animal who needs to sleep in the daytime!).
And so
begins a cheerful and mischievous adventure.
Filled with a sequence of facts that inform and educate, this collection has set the stage for a new encyclopedic type of book, accessible to readers of all ages.
It's a stunning publication that
The Bee Squad is great for both children and adults. With almost 200 pages packed with information and ideas, it's the perfect resource for inter-generational activities.
Each of the nine chapters have a different focus. The first encourages learning about nature in your neighbourhood and being aware of the plants and animals around you.
You never know what you might find right under your nose.
This first chapter includes a nature quest to record what you find, plus tips and trivia about some of the environments you might be exploring
Other chapters build on information from the first.
Unlike reptiles who share common characteristics, fish don’t.
They might live in fresh water or salt water, have gills or lungs, and even be vegetarian or carnivore.
You just never know with fish.
That’s the driver for Don’t Trust Fish, written by Neil Sharpson and illustrated by Dan Santat.
If fish don’t follow rules, could they be up to something suspicious out there in the water where we can’t observe them easily?
Don’t Trust Fish is a humorous exploration of the wonderful world of fish.
She begins a journey of discovery back through time.
In the company of her dog Tassie, the
weekend becomes a dedication to educating herself enough to complete her
project.
Until she encounters the ghost of the last Thylacine.
Thyla (what Violet names the presence), offers to help Violet obtain the knowledge needed to understand the how and why of extinction. The when, where and who join the group of unknowns.
Through conversations with Thyla, many facts about the extinct Thylacine and other marsupials are revealed and clarified.
This is a
story about how I came with a MASSIVELY brainy plan to CELAN up all the
disgusting pollution on the beach to help save the whole WORLD!!!!!!
(And also
save my own school holidays)
(Which is
not so important as saving the world, I know)
(But I
thought I’d mention it anyway)
(In case
you guys are interested)
This book
from beloved duo Danny Katz and Mitch Vane (think ‘Little Lunch!’) bears
all their hallmark signatures – chaotic, messy words and word-play, with wacky illustrations
that make you laugh out loud and spit drink out your nose.
It offers captivating characters, a tiny voice with big eyes that you want to just reach into the book and cuddle, and a very, very special and different presentation:
This book sits on a shelf like all other books, but when you open it up, the world tilts sideways.
One step,
two steps, what can you find?
This book,
with its sumptuous illustrations and specially cut-out pages, celebrates all of
the good things about a walk on the beach.
From two
award-winning creators and told from the visual point of view of a small child,
the book takes us on an adventure through the high tide line, finding treasures
large and small from both under and out of the water.
Carnivorous plants hold many secrets.
They are eclectic with their food choices and are meat-eaters by necessity. Few are vegetarians.
Over time they have mastered the skill of catching the type of food they need to survive.
A good example is the Venus Flytrap, that
snacks on spiders, flies, and mosquitoes amongst other living delicacies.
International award-winning children's book author, playwright and filmmaker, Maura Pierlot visits us today on the eve of her latest picture book release, Clutterbugs; a book that creates a nuanced look at creating vs consuming. Here's why she pursued this concept.
We live in an age where our self-worth is often built on what we have rather than who we are. The problem of plenty.
Monotremes, birds, reptiles, molluscs, crustaceans and amphibians – all produce babies by laying eggs.
Heidi
Cooper-Smith’s latest picture book release, Hatch is a gorgeous
foray into just how and where these (Australian) animals facilitate this egg
laying / hatching phenomena.
It is the next book in her Illustrated Encyclopaedia series: The Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Extinct Animals.
Some of Bayly’s other books include: The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dangerous Animals and How We Came to Be: Surprising Sea Creatures.
The Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Extinct Animals is a beautifully produced book with debossed (indented) lettering on the cover, cloth quarter binding and in-built satin ribbon bookmark, all features that help to make it both durable and a book worthy of gifting. In addition, the cover and internal design as well as typesetting is by award-winning book designer, Astred Hicks.
Upon opening The Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Extinct Animals, I scan the contents page which features a silhouette of each animal in the book and note a few entries for megafauna. I don’t know about you, but any book with megafauna draws me in straight away. Of course, I’m referring to animals such as the giant marsupial diprotodon, which was related to wombats and koalas. Did you know that the diprotodon is the largest marsupial to have ever walked the Earth and became extinct about 25,000 years ago? Amazingly, these animals lived at the same time as the First Nations people in Australia for more than 20,000 years. Hang on there’s also a giant monotreme! Hackett’s giant echidna was about 1 metre long and weighed around 30 kg (about the weight of a ten-year-old child). Mind-blowing!For each animal in the book, there is a double page spread and information under the subheadings: Description, Extinction Status, Location/Habitat, Diet and Fun Facts as well as illustrations. These illustrations are exquisitely good. Each animal is depicted in watercolour with precision and detail. One of my favourites is the Kangaroo Island assassin spider with its pelican-looking head. Bayly has created rich patterning on the spider’s abdomen and its long, spear-like legs are stunning.
There are not only extinct species in this volume but also near-extinct species, reminding us of human’s impact on other animals. The Kangaroo Island assassin spider is critically endangered so hopefully the curiosity and joy generated by this book helps encourage readers to make good choices regarding the beautiful wildlife that we have around us.
In terms of use in the classroom, on top of inspiring animal lovers, this book provides a great opportunity to model headings, subheadings and tier 2 and 3 vocabulary. There are also teachers’ notes with other ideas. Thank you Sami Bayly for another beautiful book filled with wonderment. My eleven-year-old son adores his collection of your work.
Title: The Illustrated Encyclopaedia Of Extinct Animals
Illustrated for maximum effect against a dark background, they fill the pages with their beauty and abilities between the Introduction and About the Artist.
This book is as much loved by the author as are the creatures featured inside.
There is passion and warmth in its creation, which is
reflected in each word and image that can be felt.
This is a reference and educational book,
We used to play games, guessing where items may have come from and who may have owned them before. I would get excited to see where the donation may end up, who would take it home next.
I loved the idea that an item could be treasured by one person and then treasured again by another.
Memories of these special moments with my mum were the inspiration behind my new junior fiction series, Ariana Treasure.
I like to write from experience and fortunately I loved keeping diaries growing up. To this day, I still journal. Reading records of my younger days (messy handwriting and all) always brings so much joy. It sparks ideas and ignites my imagination. I adore the curiosity and wonder we all innately have within us in those early years of life – something I hope we never lose but at times we waver from. My diaries help bring me back to those precious treasured moments.