Lower Primary
The Children’s Book Council of Australia 2019 Book of the Year Shortlist was announced this week and of course it has ruffled some feathers and made some book creators weep with joy…
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A super sparkly story of one independently minded little girl, and the unexpected, precious ways life sometimes works. Title: ‘Go Go and the Silver Shoes’ Author: Jane Godwin Illustrator: Anna Walker Publisher: Penguin…
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This list of must-have books is for little readers who are just starting their independent reading journey and can read a text with minimal assistance. Age range varies here as reading progression…
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Title: ‘The Flying Optometrist’ Author: Joanne Anderton Illustrator: Karen Erasmus Publisher: National Library of Australia Publishing Age Range: early childhood – middle primary Themes: optometry, eye-health, glasses, remote communities, outback, flying, aviation, medical professionals.…
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I’m a big fan of encouraging the reading of non-fiction texts, it’s an entirely different reading experience and skill set and one that I don’t think we encourage enough in our young…
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Title: ‘Zobi and the Zoox: A Story of Coral Bleaching’ Reviewer: Dr Sam Lloyd Author/Illustrator/Creators: Ailsa Wild, Aviva Reed, Briony Barr and Gregory Crocetti Publisher/Production: CSIRO Publishing (2018) in partnership with Small…
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Title: ‘The Incredible Freedom Machines’ Author: Kirli Saunders Illustrator: Matt Ottley Publisher: Scholastic Press Themes: freedom; boundaries; persistence; imagination; wonder; freedom; hope; machinery; tinkering; motors; cogs; motorbikes; third person narrative; visual literacy.…
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I have long loved the writing of Anna Fienberg. It’s hard to not fall head first into the Tashi series, and ‘Horrendo’s Curse’ (and its companion book ‘Wicked’s Way’) will also always…
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This is Part Two of the story behind the story of ‘Monsters’. Part One is here. In Part Two, my very dear friend and talented illustrator, Stephen Axelsen, shares with us how…
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This review is another by Dr Sam Lloyd AKA one of my neighbours, and also an ecologist and manager for South East Queensland Fire and Biodiversity Consortium. Sam is also a former…
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I feel like I’ve been waiting for this book for a long time, having read it in manuscript form some time ago and having followed Rachel Noble’s own journey with grief since…
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Title: ‘The Last Peach’ Author/Illustrator: Gus Gordon Age Range: early childhood – adult lovers of illustration Themes: sharing, friendship, friends, bugs, nature. One fine summer’s day two bugs discover the most beautiful…
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Title: ‘A Boat of Stars: New Poems to Inspire and Enchant’ Editors: Margaret Connolly and Natalie Jane Prior Publisher: Harper Collins Age Range: babies – middle primary Themes: poetry, rhyme, language, anthology,…
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A lovely member of the Your Kid’s Next Read Facebook group asked the other day about books for young children which help to explain divorce. I had done a post several year…
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I recently discovered that my library copy of ‘For All Creatures’ was missing in action and I rather scrambled to find a replacement as it is one of my all time favourite…
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I have most excellent neighbours – I really do. I always knew this, but the past few months has really proven this; the care they have shown the girls and I, as…
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Click on title links or cover images to purchase. I really love books which tap into those parts of young minds that like to dream of future careers. Most young girls I…
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Andrew Barton ‘Banjo’ Paterson loved to write poetry. He loved hunting and fishing and horses, too, especially a horse named Banjo. In this exceptional picture book, young readers can celebrate the life…
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We are incredibly fortunate to have living with us, a delightful student from Macau, who keeps up totally up to date with all things Chinese, and we greatly enjoy celebrating Chinese New…
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When you live in a village at the edge of the No-Go Desert, you need to make your own fun. That’s when you and your brothers get inventive and build a bike…
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