12 Curly Questions with author Stephanie Owen Reeder

It's a delight to welcome back  author, researcher and illustrator, Dr Stephanie Owen Reeder, who first answered our 12 Curly Questions back in 2015! Check that version out right here, and enjoy this fresh update on a remarkable creator.

1. Tell us something hardly anyone knows about you.
One of my manuscripts has been rejected by 23 publishers since I first wrote it in 1986. Although my motto as a writer is ‘Never Give Up!’, after 40 years of trying, it may finally be time to accept that this one is unpublishable.

2. What is your nickname?
As a child, my three younger siblings called me Neffie, as ‘Stephanie’ was too hard for them to pronounce. My latest nickname is ‘Dame Stephanie’ – bestowed upon me by my cheeky coffee-club friends after I was awarded an Order of Australia Medal this year.

Review: Exploring the Elements - A Complete Guide to the Periodic Table

This book – and its companion books (see below) are like the perfect day for me. With caramel on top. The joy they bring me – I can't even.

The thing about this stunning series is that it is intensely comprehensive yet served in bite-sized pieces... an intellectual smorgasbord that keeps you coming back for more.

In Exploring the Elements, my periodic table fangirl side entered overdrive. Earth's elements are a regular fascination but this deep dive, sans too-boggling jargon, will cram young heads with wows. 

Happy Easter! A Picture Book Celebration

Happy Easter!

KBR celebrates this Easter with a look back at some of the picture books we've enjoyed over the years - some relating directly to Easter or with the theme of eggs, spring and new life. 

Some may be new to you, some quite old. If these titles are no longer on the shelf, consider giving them a second life by scouring second-hand stores or resale sites online.

Click on each cover for its review, and also check out this Easter Books post from 2014 and KBR Recommends: Vintage Easter Books from 2011, which is utterly fabulous.

No matter how you celebrate this time of year, we wish you a peaceful and uplifting time with family and friends - and maybe even a hint of chocolate.

A Very KBR Christmas! 2025

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.

Review: Plantabulous! More A to Z of Australian Plants

‘I wonder what that plant is called?’ Ever heard yourself or your kids saying this? Me too! I often find myself walking through the bush curious about the name of plants. 

Plantabulous! More A to Z of Australian Plants not only helps me identify plants with indigenous, common and genus names but also captivates with its vivid illustrations and inspiring information. 

Plantabolous! details 26 native plants and follows up from, Plantastic! A to Z of Australian Plants. It also includes a glossary and a map with a list of plant ecoregions. 

A botanist with a passion for Australian native plants, Catherine Clowes has created a thoughtful book which exudes her enthusiasm. For each letter of the alphabet, a plant is listed with striking illustrations, an activity and facts. For example, did you know that the native palm called burrawang, is a plant from before the dinosaurs! 

Announcement: A Very KBR Christmas Wishlist 2024

As the world seems to grow more confining and life more confounding, we here at KBR take a moment to ponder, as always, the pure simplicity of childhood. It's wonderment, its curiosity. Its magic. Despite all the madness, it is hard to imagine a world without these precious notions. 

And so, this year's Team's Christmas Question was simply:

If you could ask Santa for one thing and one thing only for Christmas, what would it be? 

Grab a fruit mince pie or two or three, sit back and enjoy our team's responses. 

From all of us to all of you who have read, shared and enjoyed our reviews and features throughout 2024, a very MERRY CHRISTMAS!

May your New Year be filled with light and joy and a magic that sustains and endures forevermore. 

Cover reveal! Flora: Australia's Most Curious Plants

I’m beyond thrilled to reveal the cover for FLORA: Australia’s Most Curious Plants – a long, long-awaited companion to FAUNA: Australia’s Most Curious Creatures. This book has been a dream of mine for many, many years, and it was a true passion project to finally piece the wonders of our botanical world together. 

As ever, books take a village. Huge thanks to the @nationalibraryau, to my incredible publisher Lauren Smith, managing editor Amelia Hartney, editors Kath Kovac and Tricia Fitzgerald, image coordinator Madeleine Warburton and the glorious First Nations peoples who added so much richness to this work. 

FLORA is released 1 October, but you can pre-order now – at your local store or online – with the knowledge that pre-ordering is a real gift to book creators and their publishers. The National Library of Australia Bookshop will have copies a couple of weeks ahead of the national launch date, so if you can’t wait, do pop in to the Library, phone or hop on their Bookshop website to snaffle an early bird copy. 

I hope you love this homage to our phenomenal native flora and its spectacular beauty, resilience and mindboggling survival strategies that will blow your socks off. You thought you knew our native plants? Think again. Enter this magical garden of Gondwanan wonder. 

Tania McCartney, KBR Founder

FLORA: Australia’s Most Curious Plants 

National Library Publishing (Australia)

ISBN: 9781922507716 

MUSIC: Snow is Coming by Purple Planet Music

Winners: Plume: Christmas Elf

Our lucky winners are ...

• Christina De Blam, NSW
• Louise Brooks, QLD
• Emily Williams, NSW

Congratulations!

You have each won a copy of the very merry, Plume: Christmas Elf by our very own, Tania McCartney.

Thank you to ALL who entered. Your answers filled our Christmas cups with cheer and incredible warmth. Merry Christmas! 

Giveaway: Plume: Christmas Elf

It’s Christmas in Antarctica and our favourite travelling penguin is popping with festive excitement.
There are gifts to wrap, cards to write, fairy lights to untangle and gingerbread to bake. 

The penguins are buying up big, decking their halls with the biggest and best gifts of all. But things go awry; Santa’s
workshop is in trouble and toy production has stopped! With a little help from his penguin friends,

Plume is off to the North Pole. Can he help Santa and make children's wishes come true? (We hope so! KBR Ed.)

Join the adorable Plume as he decks the ice halls with joy this Christmas. The fourth title in Tania McCartney’s fantastical travel series that is the perfect Christmas gift for children aged 4 to 7 years. Plume: Christmas Elf is a sparkly picture book that celebrates the joy and magic of Christmas around the world – all wrapped up with a visit to Santa’s workshop in the North Pole. To celebrate our favourite time of the year, the hard-working elves at Hardie Grant Explore have teamed up with us and have THREE copies of Plume's latest adventure to giveaway, in time for Christmas!

For the chance to win this beautiful Christmas picture book simply tell us in 25 words or less what you love most about Christmas?

Review: Plume: Christmas Elf

Plume: Christmas Elf is a bright and busy festive celebration. It's the fourth book in the series about the curious penguin who loves to travel.

Of course, it all starts in Antarctica in the enormous library where Plume lives with his friends. 

They're busy cooking and decorating when Ava the albatross arrives with dreadful news. Santa is sick, and so are the reindeer! 

Will Plume and Ava be able to save Christmas? It's all aboard the Albatross Express if you want to find out.

Announcement: KBR's High Ranking News

Did you know ... as of September 2023 KBR is ranked #2 in the top 25 Best Australian Children's Book Blogs and Websites by Feedspot (second only to the global powerhouse of Kids' Lit, SCBWI. It's a honor we humbly attribute to our dedicated team of reviewers and contributors and of course YOU, the reader. It's a genuine privilege to be able to share our unashamedly ridiculous love of children's books with you all.

Kids' Book Review is a 100% voluntary children’s literature and book review site that supports and features authors, illustrators and publishers Australia-wide and internationally.

Founded by Australian author/illustrator, Tania McCartney in 2009, it is run by a small team of women who have decades of experience in the children's book industry, with roles such as author, publisher, editor, illustrator, bookseller, blogger, book designer, typesetter, speech pathologist, teacher, librarian, children's literature academic, psychologist, early childhood educator, IT techie, digital content creator, magazine editor and columnist, education specialist, mother and book lover.

We cover news, reviews, interviews, articles, guest posts, events, specialist literacy articles and much more, attracting readers from all over the world including teachers, librarians, industry professionals, and of course - parents and kids.

KBR consistently falls into the top 700,000 - 900,000 websites worldwide (Alexa), and has over 600 referring domains, with a PR Quality listed as 'strong'. With over 4 K Instagram followers and a social media presence that earns its place among some of Australia's best Kid Lit sites, KBR frequently ranks #1 in a Google search for 'reviews, books, kids, children's books' and was ranked no. 23 in the Top 100 Review sites worldwide in October 2016. In December 2017, KBR was honoured as the world's #1 kidlit site by Feedspot. We achieve an average of around 80,000 hits per month, with a peak of 249,395 for the month of November, 2017, and we are proud to be one of the most respected literary sites on the web. 

Review: Phoenix and Ralph

'...First, the fires came rampaging up the valley, taking everything in their path.

Those of us who were here that summer got ready to run...'

And there is the opening to this harrowing yet hopeful picture book.

Goosebumps? I thought so. Prepare for more.

Canberran icon, Barbie Robinson, is an arts journalist, writer, book designer, photographer and arts advocate, whose support for locals and the wider community is legendary. In her new book, Phoenix and Ralph, she utilises her every artistic skill to bring us a fiery tale based on true life events.

Review: Charley Harper's Animal Kingdom

Charley Harper is a mid-century artist who long ago captured my heart. His work is beyond iconic, exquisite and way ahead of its time, with graphic design-style illustrations that are both pure simplicity and intricate detail. Using elements like line and pattern to bring richness to shapes filled with predominantly flat colour, Harper's illustrations are both modern and retro, stylised and classic.

Review: Full of Life

The title of this astonishing book says it all - it's not only full of life, it's bursting at the spine seams. 

Subtitled 'Exploring Earth's Biodiversity', Full of Life sets out to tackle a universe of content. Abridging and arranging life on Earth is an almost incalculable feat. I know - I've tried this with some of my own books - but what I've produced doesn't come within a protozoa's whisker of what Isabel Thomas has achieved in this book.

Review: Letters to Live By

Gotta love an alphabet book. They are ever such fun, and it's even lovelier to find one that sits outside the square and is clever in so many ways, it entices both adults and children in equal measure.

'An alphabet book with intention', Letters to Live By features a range of vibrant children from around the world, engaging with each other, caring for animals, sharing emotions, discussing differences, giving, learning, offering, embracing good things, resisting not so good things, and honing that desperately underrated gift - being kind.

Each page features just two or three [mostly alliterative] words, making it perfect for early childhood, and kids learning to read. 

Cover Reveal: Dorrie

Cover reveal! 

Dorrie, by KBR's Founder Tania McCartney, is a biographical tale of a young Dorothy Wall, the creator of Australia's iconic larrikin koala, Blinky Bill. 

A picture book for children aged 3+, it follows the journey of a young girl from the land of the long white cloud to the squeaky beaches of the world's oldest continent - a place of hot red deserts and squeaky beaches, with cackles in the trees and spiky brushes in the bushes.

Dorrie is a master creator. She sings, dances, sews, crafts jewellery, designs patterns, paints nature and draws superb illustrations for all manner of magazines, catalogues and books.

But when a cheeky koala appears in a tree outside her window, her world is turned upside down. A fascination and passion for Blinky soon becomes her life work - and a lifelong friendship is born.

Published by Angus & Robertson/HarperCollins Children's Books, Dorrie will hit the bookshelves on 1 February 2023. You can pre-order right here and folllow Tania on Instagram for some upcoming illustration reveals, giveaways and lots of Blinky fun! 

Stay tuned for a Dorrie review on KBR.

 

Review: The Book of Dirt

Two books that sit on the top shelf of my favourite picture books of all time (it's a squeeze - every single Miroslav Sasek book sits there, too) are The Book of Trees and The Book of Bees by the phenomenal Piotr Socha, written by Wojciech Grajkowski. Have you seen them? If not, I'll wait right here while you go look them up.

Subtitled 'A smelly history of dirt, disease and human hygiene', and penned with utter panache by Monika Utnik-Strugala, The Book of Dirt is the latest in this series, and is a book you never thought you'd need let alone take such delight in. 

From Cleopatra's donkey milk baths to Roman toilets where everyone wiped them bums with the same poo stick (I know...), it's little wonder kids of all ages will be both fascinated and boggled by some of the coolest content they'll ever read.

Guest Post: Chloe Hooper on What To Read To Your Children When Explaining Loss and Grief

Last month I fare-welled a dear friend as she left our world in the form we'd always loved her in to become another. The loss was felt all the more keenly for the fact that she was a youngish mum leaving two beautiful children behind. This is not the first time such a loss has occurred and in all likelihood, it won't be the last. Such is life. Before she died, I sent her and the children a copy of my picture book, The Fix-It Man hoping it will provide some degree of soothing and comfort, understanding and peace in their days to come. 

I'm a fervent believer in the power of storytelling to address and normalise the more weighty and onerous moments in life. So too is Chloe Hooper, bestselling author of, Bedtime Stories. What follows is a collection of picture books she curated and reviewed with her young sons. There are some absolute gems here. Feel free to add , The Fix-It Man, if you wish. Ed.

Review: Plume: Global Nibbler

My friends are all very aware of my penchant for penguins. Surely, they are one of the cutest creatures in the world? Although, if you have ever participated in penguin-spotting research via live stream, you will appreciate that the little darlings are very hard to distinguish one from another… 

Cover Reveal: Plume: Festival Seeker

One of the most important things we can gift our children is an appreciation of culture, diversity and celebration. Plume: Festival Seeker is a culmination of all of these things, but it's also a testament to connection, especially with those who experience lives so different to our own.

Written and illustrated by KBR Founder, Tania McCartney, this is the third book in this travel series for little ones – and it is, indeed, a celebration. 

At a time when the world has seemingly closed down, Festival Seeker entices readers to remember the joy, colour and excitement to be found in travel, celebration, connection, and the joie de vivre we've seemingly lost these past few years.

Plume: Festival Seeker is the most gorgeous children's picture book celebrating – what else? – celebrations! Throughout the year, the world is plump with astonishing festivals and Plume loves them all. Journey alongside this adventurous, colour-loving penguin as he jumps aboard the Albatross Express to enjoy a range of enchanting events across the globe.
 
Stare in wonder at the Up Helly Aa fire festival in Scotland and the freaky Day of Masquerade in Costa Rica. Get messy at the squelchy Boryeong Mud Festival in South Korea or La Tomatina tomato battle in Spain. Scatter a rainbow of colour during Holi in India or enjoy a celebration of gifts, sweets and kindness at Eid al-Fitr in Algeria. 
 
A year of wonder and excitement culminates in Plume’s favourite festival of them all – Christmas! Will his reluctant penguin friends join him for the celebrations?

Featuring a stunning rainbow-foil cover, Festival Seeker makes the perfect gift for travel-lovers and culture-buffs of all ages.

See this Festival Seeker review by the amazing Sue Warren.

PRE-ORDER THE BOOK RIGHT HERE

PUBLISHING
5 October Aus/NZ
13 October UK
8 November USA + Canada