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.

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: 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: 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: 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: 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?

Review: Benny's Bad Day (Choose Your Ending Book #1)

Have you ever been reading a book where the character does something and you think, ‘No! Why did you do that? You should have done …’? 

It can be so frustrating when the author sends their character off in the ‘wrong’ direction.

Or when the ending is not the ending you would have chosen.

If you find yourself wishing that you had more control over what your favourite characters were doing, then Nathan Luff’s new Choose Your Ending series is probably what you’re looking for.

Review: Wanted: The Cutest Baby in the World

Sometimes, it is worth reading the author’s dedication first: 

‘For tired parents everywhere – your tiny master criminals are lucky to have you’.

Davina Bell’s dedication sums up the entire premise of Wanted: The Cutest Baby in the World better than any blurb could.

When the detective arrives at Mum and Dad’s house, it's very late at night, which is okay because everyone’s awake anyway. 

Meet the Illustrator: Brenton E. McKenna

Name, title, location
Brenton E. McKenna, Author/Illustrator, Broome, Western Australia

Describe your illustration style in ten words or fewer.
Manga, Marvel and Disney meet Kimberley kid bush graffiti.

What items are an essential part of your creative space?
My blue graphite pen, an empty scrapbook and heaps of random reference material.

Review: Australian Geographic - World's Most Freaky

If you love animals and love being able to wow your friends with random fun facts, then Australian Geographic’s World’s Most Freaky is for you.

 
Sorted by world regions and with plenty of ‘freaky’ animal facts clearly sectioned with a photo and a small amount of text, this book allows readers to either dip in and out or devour the details from cover to cover.

The facts within are not intended to horrify, repulse or make you cringe – as the title word ‘freaky’ may imply – but rather to intrigue, fascinate and elicit the ‘wow – no way!’ factor. The whole point is to open your eyes to the uniqueness and tenacity of nature, with a side dose of awareness, so we can all step towards conserving these beautiful creatures for generations to come.

 

Review: Learning You By Heart

Some books beg to be read aloud while you’re snuggled up with the ones you love. Sarah Wallace’s newest book, illustrated by Michelle Conn, is one of those books.

A lullaby for a precious child, Learning You By Heart captures a mother’s absolute devotion to her child as she delights in every smile, every touch and every breath.

 
Learning something ‘by heart’ usually refers to the rote memorisation of times tables, spelling words or scientific formulae at school. It involves close observation, repeated actions and intense focus.

Review: Daddy Bear

There’s something extra special about a child’s relationship with their father. 

And there are some things, like this relationship, that simply can't be celebrated enough.

Rory H. Mather and Helene Magisson capture the essence of this relationship in their delightful picture book, Daddy Bear – a gentle and heartwarming peek into a child’s beautiful bond with their daddy.

Review: The Wild Unknown

With the rapid escalation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in recent years, it’s not so hard to imagine a world – twenty years from now – where each human has a personal AI bot and most jobs are performed by bots.

This is exactly the world Emily Gale has imagined in her middle-grade tech adventure novel, The Wild Unknown.

Set in 2045, Year 6 student Eddie lives in a world where bots keep tabs on everything he does. They’re useful, yes, but also a little intrusive at times and not everyone fully embraces these tech advances.

Sometimes, Eddie takes his mica earbud out so its not aware of what he’s up to.

Eddie’s dad refuses to use the Goodbot delivery service.

Meet the Illustrator: Clare Yang

Name, title, location
Clare Yang, Picture Book Illustrator, Sydney, Australia

Describe your illustration style in ten words or fewer.
Warm, observant, playful, nature-filled stories with gentle humour.

What items are an essential part of your creative space?
An iPad, sketchbooks, traditional art materials and a growing wall of picture books are always within reach. 

However, the real heroes are my ergonomic chair and iPad stand. I spent the last three months illustrating my second picture book almost entirely in Procreate, and honestly, I don't think my shoulders or back would have survived without them.

Review: The Lost Defenders

An eclipse only happens every so often.

Normally an event worth anticipating, this particular eclipse has been long-awaited for a more sinister reason.

Jace can see monsters. He wishes he couldn’t because they get him in trouble when all he’s doing is trying to save people from them. Clearly, though, he has no idea what he’s doing because right now, he’s on the brink of expulsion.

Despite having resolved to lay low and ignore what’s in front of him, he realises now is not the time to do that. In fact, he’s just found out that he’s a ‘seer’ – a rare human who can see and communicate with monsters from the other side of the ‘veil’.

Thankfully, he’s not the only one with these skills.

Review: Oh No!

An elephant carrying a three-tiered wedding cake down a set of stairs … what could possibly go wrong?

Author and illustrator, James Foley, really is the master of the ‘what if?’ and he doesn’t disappoint in his latest picture book offering, Oh No!

It’s not only the elephant that’s involved in this hilarious tale, though; there’s also a pig, and a piranha or two. 

And a wedding!

But ... where did the chaos start?

Meet the Illustrator: Peter Carnavas

Name, title, location

Peter Carnavas, Author/Illustrator, 

Brisbane (Australia)

Describe your illustration style in ten words or fewer.
Pen and watercolour, preferably small. (I fear big backgrounds.)

What items are an essential part of your creative space?
The most essential items for me are the usual things – brushes, pens, papers. 

I draw everything with 2H pencils first, building up the illustration. (See the progress below)

Otherwise, all I need is just a comfortable chair, a good lamp, cups of tea and my dog Florence.

Meet the Illustrator: Freya Blackwood

Name, title, location 

Freya Blackwood, author/illustrator, Orange, NSW

Describe your illustration style in ten words or fewer. 

Emotive and warm, loose linework, perceptive.

What items are an essential part of your creative space?
I need a desk on a slant, with my reference material and inspiration around me in a bit nest-like arrangement. I like to have the things I’ve collected nearby, things that feel like ‘me’.

Do you have a favourite artistic medium?
Probably watercolour with coloured pencil over the top, but I like using oil paints for illustrations too, especially with a thick brush so I can’t be too precise. I like my drawn pencil lines to stay visible.

Review: Oceanforged 2: The Silent Island

Book 2 in Amelia Mellor’s five-book fantasy adventure series begins in a sea of calm. But don’t be fooled because once we’re reacquainted with Cori, Jem and Tarn, the action moves into top gear.

The three teens, thrown together in Book 1 when Cori stole a magical gauntlet and was unwittingly thrown into the role of Champion, are now tasked with locating the other pieces of Oceanforged Armour and saving their nation from destruction.

Thinking that the Loyalists will help them, Cori is shocked to discover they’re on their own. 

What’s more, they have less than six months to find the hauberk tunic – the second piece of armour – and push back the Great Dark Tide that is on its way and will destroy the nation of Aquinta and everything they know.

With no other choice, Cori, Jem and Tarn set off in Jem’s houseboat, Lucky, to try and find Mutemont, the mysterious island thought to be the hiding place of the hauberk.