Review: Wave Atlas: Everything You Need To Know About Waves

To say things have been a little turbulent weather wise lately (at least in my small part of the world) is a wee understatement. 

Much of that recent SE QLD tropical cyclone turbulence resulted in storm surge, disastrous beach erosion and record-breaking massive wave heights (12.3 metres off the Gold Coast).

You don’t have to be an ex-sailor, like me, or even a storm chaser to appreciate the wonders of weather however; the pulse and rhythm of waves has a hypnotic pull that most of us find difficult to resist. 

Which is why, Thames & Hudson’s latest atlas-styled publication about the phenomena of waves rates high on my barometer of brilliant reads.

Following a similar format to Cloud Atlas, Wave Atlas: Everything You Need To Know About Waves, takes young readers (and old sea dogs like myself) through a fascinating journey around our water dominated planet. We explore the hows and whys of our oceans’ existence and the global currents, tidal pulls and meteorological conditions that induce those great oceans to move.

Review: Wonders Under the Moon

Tai Snaith is an author and artist based in Melbourne. Her impressive, Wonders Under the Moon, is a collection of 216 nocturnal creatures. 

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,

Meet The Illustrator: Evie Barrow

Name: Evie Barrow

Describe your illustration style in ten words or less.
A hand-drawn celebration of warmth, texture, and imperfection.

What items are an essential part of your creative space?
Books, pencils, paper and a comfy chair.

Do you have a favourite artistic medium?
Graphite of all kinds and coloured pencils. I like buttery, soft leads like Prismacolour Premier, Derwant Drawing and Caran d’Ache Luminance.

Review: Croc Candy

This is the amazing success story of Angus Copelin-Walters, who at seven years old, started his own business. 

Now, at fifteen, he is an inspiration to all those - young and older, who dare to dream even when they are a little different.

Angus loves Crocs and loves candy. But he finds reading and spelling hard. 

He decides to do something that excites him and that he is interested in. Making Candy!

This is no easy feat. If at first you don’t succeed, then try, try again!

12 Curly Questions with children's author Angie Cui

1. Tell us something hardly anyone knows about you.

I once won a school storytelling competition by making up a story on the spot about a talking dumpling.

2. What is your nickname?
My friends sometimes call me Ang, but my kids just call me Mummy. But I do have a Chinese nickname - Ting Ting (very popular name thou).

3. What is your greatest fear?
That I’ll start a sentence and forget what I was saying halfway through… Oh wait, what was the question again?

Guest Post: Jacqueline de Rose-Ahern on Writing Stories From Treasured Moments

When I was around five years old, my mum volunteered at a local charity shop/thrift shop. I remember unpacking boxes of donations with her and a team of other volunteers. 

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.

Review: The Big Book Of Rights

Did you know 2024 marked the 35^th Anniversary of the adoption of the UNCRC? The UNICEF United Nations Convention on the Rights of A Child consists of 54 articles declaring the rights that each and every child on planet Earth is entitled to enjoy.

The Big Book of Rights is the genius collaboration between Queensland author, Dannika Patterson, illustrator Amanda Letcher, Children’s Rights QLD and dozens and dozens of young people.

After deep consultation and invitation to use the youngsters’ artistic and intellectual input, this big book is a glorious, colourful creation aimed at evoking curiosity and understanding of these rights in an age-appropriate way.

Guest Post: Claire Thompson On Inspiring Young Readers With Real-Life Kid Stars

As soon as I dived into the world of picture books, I knew I wanted to write true stories. And not just any true stories—stories starring amazing real-life kid heroes changing the world.

Kids who stood up, shook things up, and never gave up. Young activists, artists, eco-warriors, entrepreneurs, inventors, rock stars, and scientists.

Review: Every Rock Has a Story - An A to Z of Australian Geology

How well do we know our country? 

We set out on a journey of adventure and discovery through Australia’s landscapes to test our knowledge.

Every Rock Has a Story - An A to Z of Australian Geology, goes through the alphabet, answering that question with a plethora of valuable information encompassed between its stunning covers and end pages.

Beneath each letter has a subject title. A Fact box at the bottom contains historical and educational information that will amaze.

Review: My Language Rights – A Child’s Right To Their Language

This is one of a number of recent, important non-fiction picture books to make a splash. 

My Language Rights offers young children information that they can use in daily life, and that may not be accessible to them by other means. 

Drawing on the Universal Declaration of Linguistic Rights from PEN International, the book empowers children and their families to use and protect all languages - be they big or small, strange or familiar, easy or difficult!

Review: The Jolly Swagman

The narrator, Young Will, wants to be a swagman and go Waltzing Matilda with Ollie the shearer, who comes every year to help shear their sheep. Ollie is funny, knowledgeable, and the boy’s friend.

But there is a lot for Will to learn before then.

So, he must ask questions. They fly from his mouth as he watches Ollie dragging, heaving, and holding the sheep in place. 

He is as quick as lightning!

One night Will follows Ollie into the bush and observes how he sets up camp under the stars.

That’s not all he sees. Bush creatures come out: wombats, kangaroos and possums. An owl hoots from a hole of a tree.

He is introduced to other friends of Ollie"s – animals whose lives he saved with bush medicine.

Things go wrong when a storm hits. The fences go down and the sheep escape.

When the troopers arrive and charge Ollie with theft of a jumbuck, Will’s world crumbles.

Can he convince the troopers that Ollie is innocent, although now gone?

Will learnt from his friend to never give up. He sets out to acquire as many skills as possible in preparation for the day he will set out with his swag to find Ollie, and go Waltzing Matilda together.

This is a story filled with optimism,persistence, friendship, determination, and love for wild Australia.

Beautifully designed, writer and illustrator, Kim de Haan, brings to life the definition of Waltzing, Matilda, and jumbuck, making their meanings clear to those who don’t already know them.

The front-end pages depict a path through glowing red earth and Will starting out alone, with the outcome on the back end pages.

A well-rounded purely Australian story with excellent text by Bec Nanayakkara and underlying themes that showcase how age is never an obstacle in friendship, nor is skin colour.   

Title: The Jolly Swagman
Author: Bec Nanayakkara
Illustrator: Kim de Haan
Publisher: Woodslane Press, $27.99
Publication Date: 1 March 2025
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9781922800893
For ages: 5+
Type: Picture Book

Review: Little Love List

This book is absolutely divine – it’s like a perfect, illustrated love letter to all the children of the world.

I love you when you’re brave.

I love you when you’re done.

I love you when you won’t wear pants.

I love you when you’re fun.

Little Love List brings us the very best of what is on offer in picture books today. 

From the sweet idea of writing a ‘love list’ for a child to the playful, fresh and joyful illustrations, it’s easy to feel good about everything about this book – even the bad stuff! 

Review: Sidekicks (Book 1)

Sidekicks is book one in a fantastic graphic novel series by the award-winning Dan Santat.

Superhero Captain Amazing is tired and getting older. He needs help. And it's his pets, who are worried about him, are the ones who come to the rescue. 

Captain Amazing, also known by his non-superhero name Harry, decides sidekicks could give him a helping hand. There's an eclectic group of humans and animals who want to audition for the role.

Amongst Harry's pets, first up there's Roscoe the dog and Fluffy the hamster. They tend to squabble a bit.

Then there's a brand new pet, a chameleon who Harry names Shifty. Roscoe and Fluffy aren't sure what they think about Shifty yet.

And finally there's Manny the cat. Manny used to be Captain Amazing's sidekick, going by the name Static Cat. 

But something happened and Static Cat disappeared into apparent retirement.

When Fluffy heads out to practice his superhero skills, much to his dismay he's shadowed by Shifty.

Then Fluffy and Shifty unexpectedly cross paths with Manny. Manny, who has experience, knows what it takes to be a superhero sidekick, and starts teaching them what they need to know.

Will Harry's pets be ready and up to the job when the day of the sidekick auditions arrives? Can they save the day when the villain Dr Havoc makes trouble?

Sidekicks is a great graphic novel for younger readers. Packed with slick, colour illustrations, and just enough text, the story features family, friendship and teamwork, mixed with a generous dose of adventure.

Title: Sidekicks (Book 1)
Author/Illustrator:  Dan Santat
Publisher: Scholastic Australia, $ 19.99
Publication Date: 2024
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781761640261
For ages: 8+
Type: Graphic Novel

Review: Chicken Pox

Younger siblings are like viruses. They’re tiny, and they make you sick.

This is how twelve-year old Abby, on the cusp of adolescence, feels about her four younger siblings. 

The wish she made when very young – to have a sibling to play with, turned into four obnoxious ones.

Remi Lai frequently draws on her own life experiences to create believable stories. 

This graphic novel takes a humorous and realistic look into the dramas played out in many families between siblings. 

The bold, detailed illustrations reinforce the daily dilemmas, situations so familiar, they force a smile that remains fixed till the end of the book.

Review: A New Day

Today is a new day, today’s a fresh start.

I move through this day with open mind and open heart.

Affirmations for children to memorize, fill this gorgeous book.

Rainbows make the end pages attractive.

A stunning title page groups all the characters together in the rainbow colours that continue throughout the book. 

Heather Dryden's stunning illustrations tell a parallel story to the text.