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The Bear Out There

Jan17
The Bear Out There

The Bear Out There

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Bear Out There

Jess Hannigan

Quill Tree Books, 2025

48pp., hbk., RRP $A29.99

9780063289482

STOP!  There’s a bear out there.  Hurry inside now! We can wait it out together.  You’re lucky you’re with me.  I know all about bears.  We’ll be safe in here… RIGHT?

This is a quirky take on the traditional tale of Goldilocks and the Three Bears that is told as a monologue by Goldilocks who has answered the door to the reader, and is determined to keep them safe from the bear she knows is out there,  despite not having actually seen it.

“What do you mean. “Have you ever seen the bear

I don’t have to see it to know it’s out there.” 

She has plenty of “evidence” that it is there, and can even draw it.  And she has the three irrefutable signs that danger is lurking…  the hair on your arm stands up; you feel eyes watching you and your feet get really itchy!

So what happens when a bear does knock on the door?  Is it the scary monster the reader is expecting?  Or is there a twist in the tale?

Written in a variety of fonts to emphasise the drama and build the suspense. with an ironic ending on the endpage that the adult reader will appreciate, this is a unique fractured fairytale that perhaps has a deeper meaning that more mature readers might recognise and help the little one understand.  Could it be an analogy for those unfounded fears that haunt us to the extent that we inhibit our experiences?  To me, the pivotal point of the story is Goldilocks saying “I don’t have to see it to know it’s out there” as her imagination paralyses her – yet the end of the story demonstrates that yes. there might be a “bear” out there, but it may not be as scary as it seems.  Can we use it to encourage anxious young people to take a small step forward? 

Or have I read too many books for young ones that have a subliminal message  and I’m now reading too much into what is essentially a new twist on an old tale? 

 

 

 

 

The Lonely Brown Trout

Nov29
The Lonely Brown Trout

The Lonely Brown Trout

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Lonely Brown Trout

Araman Cam

Emma Stuart

Little Steps,2025

32pp., pbk., RRP $A16.95

9781923306400

The little brown trout was happy playing with his friends in the pool in the stream at the top of the hill but then a thunderstorm turned the stream into a rushing creek and his friends were swept over a cascade into a larger pool with an even bigger waterfall at its end.  While his friends disappeared over that, intent on their next adventure, he didn’t have the courage to go with them.  

Shall I shan’t I, or should I beware?
Will I won’t I, what should I do?

Written in rhyme and beautifully illustrated, this is another in the growing collection of stories about little ones, whatever form they take, being hesitant to step outside their comfort zone and experience new things.  But this time, the consequences of staying put are laid bare as the little brown trout finds himself alone for a long time, and he is overcome by loneliness.  Will he have the courage to make that final leap and find his friends?

Sometimes,  staying put can eventually be worse than moving forward, but while we want our little ones to be cautions we need to allow them the freedom to try new things in their own time so they can build resilience and experience. So this is an opportunity to directly engage the child with the story and ask them why the little brown trout was scared and what they would do if they were him, Their answers may be a surprise. 

 

Whatever the Weather We’re in This Together

Nov25
Whatever the Weather We're in This Together

Whatever the Weather We’re in This Together

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Whatever the Weather We’re in This Together

Jessica Braithwaite & Rebecca Ralfe

Laura Bee

Albert Street, 2025

32pp., hbk., RRP $A22.99

9781761182297

No matter what the seasons do, if skies turn grey or sparkle blue,
I love you now, I’ll love you forever …

Whatever the weather, we’re in this together.

Over 10 years ago, according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, (an Australian government body so unlikely to be biased). “Anxiety disorders were the second most common disorders among all children (6.9%), and the most common among girls (6.1%).”  One can only surmise that the numbers and percentages have increased if the anecdotal evidence from teachers is relied on and indeed, more recent, equally reliable sources quote “Of children with a mental illness, half have a diagnosis of an anxiety disorder (2). The prevalence of anxiety disorders is 7% for children aged 4-11 years and is similar for adolescents aged 12-17 years. This equates to a total of 278,000 young people in Australia diagnosed with an anxiety disorder” -and even that refers to a study 10 years old and pre-COVID.

While books like this, which reassure the child of a parent’s unconditional love, are not necessarily going to “fix” the problem, nevertheless they do play a role in easing the child’s mind as it rolls through the various changes of weather as the seasons pass and the parents constantly declare their love.  

I love your smile when the sun shines bright,
when magpies sing in the morning light.
I love your hug when thunder rumbles,
clouds roll in and raindrops tumble.

But as well as its calming words and its warm-hug illustrations, there is also the physical comfort that can be gained through the parent and child bonding together as the story is shared in a special time between the two.  As it is written in the the first person, the child is going to hear a message written just for them, and they are likely to see themselves somewhere in the pictures which feature a variety of parents and children.  At the very least, both parent and child will have a feel-good moment together that might carry them through a tough time. 

 

Whispers and Roars

Nov11
Whispers and Roars

Whispers and Roars

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Whispers and Roars

Patrick Guest

 Jonathan Bentley

Little Book Press, 2025

32pp., hbk., RRP $A24.99

9781923141391

Recently a little person I know, one who would prefer to spend lunch in the library reading, the one who taught me about pangolins when he was just four years old, ventured into the playground to play soccer with his friends instead.  Except, rather than having some fun with them, he was stung in the mouth by a bee and immediately went into serious anaphylactic shock.  Luckily, calm, well-trained staff knew exactly what to do and he was soon on his way to hospital under lights and sirens and even a helicopter ride to a major city hospital.   But now he is back at school, he is very hesitant to go to the front office -somewhere he was once very comfortable having known it all his life because his mum and gran teach at the school – because he associates it with the trauma and pain of his injury.

While this was a major event for this little lad,  and cause and effect is clearly visible, we cannot always know the triggers that cause the “wild whispers” that normally dwell “over the mountain, that overlooks my home, in a field within a forest” to visit, to “swirl themselves around you, wanting you to play, hoping you’ll believe in them and hear them every day.” And so, many of our little ones are plagued by unseen but very real anxieties that prevent them from enjoying the normal happy pursuits of childhood.

They’ll try to make you think of things like spiders, sharks and snakes

They’ll try to steal your confidence and laugh at your mistakes.”

They’ll make the world seem dangerous and stop you having fun.

“Never have adventures!” “Don’t trust anyone!”

Many will relate to the beginning of this masterful rhyming story where those wild whispers are not only acknowledged by the author, but portrayed by the illustrator as real things -somewhat amorphous in shape but nevertheless with scary faces as they lie in wait, and swoop and swirl around, getting larger and larger, with the background becoming darker and more sombre as they close in.

A peek inside...

A peek inside…

But  then we learn that

The voice that makes our worries grow and stops us all from trying. the voice that makes us doubt ourselves, is almost always lying. 

And we are reminded that we have another voice, one that reassures and reaffirms that we can do this, if we just take that first step.  And because there are those who love us and believe in us, that whisper becomes a ROAR!  One strong enough and loud enough to vanquish those wild whispers. 

While there are many books that help our little ones understand that feelings of uncertainty and doubt are normal and common, and that they can be overcome, this one speaks directly to the reader putting them in the role of the main character so it becomes a first-hand experience rather than being at arm’s length sharing the story of a third-party.  Designed to be shared more in a 1:1 situation between parent and child than a large group read-aloud, it is accompanied by notes from a qualified counsellor to help the adult navigate situations where feelings freeze actions so that they, too, have age-appropriate strategies that can move everyone forward sensitively.  

Something unique and special that should be in every library for those times when…

PS.  My little friend is OK although he has a long program of desensitisation ahead but because he has so many who believe that he too will ROAR in time, those wild whispers will be conquered sooner rather than later. 

Clara Capybara

Nov9
Clara Capybara

Clara Capybara

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Clara Capybara

Aleesah Darlison

Ruth-Mary Smith

Wombat Books, 2025

32pp., hbk., RRP $A27.99

9781761111952

There are many ways to say the word “yes” – okay, of course, okey-dokey, certainly, my pleasure, absolutely – and Clara Capybara knew them all.  Not only did she know them all but she used them all as she constantly acceded to her friends’ requests, even the unreasonable ones,  because she had forgotten how to say no.  

It gave her a warm, fuzzy feeling inside to help them because she felt she was needed and the pinnacle was receiving “The Most Helpful Student Award” at school.  In fact, she was so afraid that her friends wouldn’t like her anymore if she didn’t agree, that she spent all her time meeting their needs and not taking care of her own. That innate sense to please those whose approval we want not only drove her but, indeed, she believed, defined her.  Even her mother was concerned enough to tell her to do something for herself instead, but can Clara find the courage to say no?  And will her friends still be her friends if she does? 

Given the current interest in capybaras by many of our young readers,  and cleverly using the natural highly sociable nature of the species, Darlison has created a story that will provoke a lot of thought and discussion about the nature of friendship, and that it is  more than just pandering to the demands of those whose attention we want.  It’s an opportunity to consider what else underpins those relationships that are important to us as well as understanding the old saying, “If we don’t take care of ourselves, we can’t take care of others.”  At the same time, while Clara learns to say, “No,” she (and the readers) learn that it can be done politely and diplomatically, framed in a way that no one is offended and there is scope for the friendship to continue.  Friendship is about give and take on both sides.  

While many stories for young readers focus on social and emotional development as they move from the comfort zone of family, this one also provides the opportunity to delve deeper and consider how Clara’s willingness to always be there help might be disempowering her friends. Is Clara’s need for the approval of her friends selfish because she is not allowing them to learn and grow and be independent? If she doesn’t comb Fox’s ears or tie Toucan’s shoelaces, would they learn to do it for themselves?  If she doesn’t help with Parrot’s homework, will he have to put in extra effort? If she doesn’t lend her dress to Cheetah, how will Cheetah learn to cope with disappointment?  If our students don’t face negatives like failure, disappointment and frustration, how will they develop the strategies to cope with them when they inevitably do? Sometimes setting boundaries for ourselves opens opportunities for others.

Although this book may catch the eye because of its striking cover and the popularity of its main character, in true Darlison style, it offers much more that the surface storyline suggests.  

The Cockatoo Crew (series)

Nov7
The Cockatoo Crew (series)

The Cockatoo Crew (series)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Cockatoo Crew (series)

Elif’s Itchy Palm

9781760803148

Sambu Won’t Grow 

9781760803155

Lora Inak

Kruti Desai

UWAP, 2025

90pp., pbk., RRP $A15.99

As this school year draws to a close, we all recognise the gamut of feelings some students are experiencing as they face a move to a new school, whether it’s because it’s the natural next step in their education, family circumstances or something else that is uprooting them from their comfort zone. Anticipation, expectation, trepidation, anxiety, fear  – all underpinned by the common concern about will they be liked and will they make friends.  Then compound those feelings by being in a new country, knowing no one except your family and scarcely speaking a word of English.  All you know are the few words you learned in school in Türkiye and yet, here you are, in a new country, quieter, greener, wider, bigger  and cleaner than what you are used to with no familiar sights, sounds or smells .

It’s Elif’s first day at Cockatoo Hill English Language School and despite her dede reassuring her that it won’t be long before she feels she belongs, Elif is very nervous.  She meets her special helper who speaks both Turkish and English and who will be by her side at school helping her until she has the confidence to cope but how long will that be? And then she meets the Cockatoo Crew, her eight classmates each from a different part of the world, and each with different beliefs, perspectives and stories. Could these be the friends she has been craving?

This is the first in this new series that is for those who are newly independent readers, whether they are like Elif and just mastering this new language, or just mastering reading or both,  And from the get-go where the front pages greet you with a range of “portraits’ of kids welcoming you in their own language, you know that this is going to be a stand-above series because it is filling a gap in the collection by putting the reader directly into the shoes of Elif and Sambu and the others so they can view the world through the lens of those not born here, who don’t speak the language, are unfamiliar with the food and games, and don’t necessarily understand  the quirky things that Australians do.  Yet, at the same time as learning to appreciate the challenges such children face, it is soon clear through the stories that despite the differences all children share the same hopes, aspirations and fears.  Elif is worried that she has lost the special $2 coin here dede gave her; Sambu that even though he is about to be 10 he is not tall  like his Kenyan Massai Warrior ancestors… And just as the English-speaking child learns that, so too, the non-English speaking child sees a story about themselves and their first experiences as they put their foot in the door of the Introductory English Centre for the first time… and learn that you do not have to be the same as everyone else to fit in and belong.  

With all the supports these children need, including familiar characters and situations, uncomplicated storylines,  shorter chapters, larger fonts and plenty of illustrations to illuminate unfamiliar concepts and vocabulary, the production crew has nailed the formatting, while the critical issue of a well–written, engaging story remains central.

Throughout my time in schools, including an IEC, and particularly on a gazillion playground duties,  if I’ve learned anything, it is that despite any differences they might have on the surface, kids will find a work-around so they can play together, enjoy each other’s company, and have fun.  Everything else is irrelevant because after all, we all smile in the same language.  And this series captures that perfectly, making it a must-have in any school where there is anyone from elsewhere who needs some support and reassurance – with the language or otherwise.  

A simple way to welcome all out students and their families - the kids had to dress themselves in one of the variations of our school uniform! The chatter to ensure they had an original combo was exciting to eavesdrop on...

A simple way to welcome all out students and their families – the kids had to dress themselves in one of the variations of our school uniform! The chatter to ensure they had an original combo was exciting to eavesdrop on…

A Totally Big Umbrella

Oct15
A Totally Big Umbrella

A Totally Big Umbrella

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Totally Big Umbrella

Sarah Crossan

Rebecca Cobb

Walker Books, 2025

40pp., hbk., RRP $A27.99

9781529512021

When the clouds burst open while Tallulah plays with her friend and it spoils her new dress and makes her favourite biscuits soggy, Tallulah decides she hates the rain.. It ruins EVERYTHING. So, she gets an umbrella from Grandma, and even though the rain has stopped, she opens it – just in case.  For a while, she feels better… But is one umbrella enough? Tallulah worries about rain thundering down, and washing her away. She decides that she needs complete protection. So she gets another TOTALLY BIG umbrella and under her umbrella house, Tallulah feels safe.

But … is Tallulah missing out on all the fun happening around her because carrying an umbrella, inside and out,  and trying to be involved presents a lot of challenges? How can she manage her fears and still BE in the world?

We all know a child who, having has one setback and disappointment, starts to worry about the what-ifs and slowly but steadily starts building walls to protect themselves – the living personification of “once bitten, twice shy”.  And while that might be a good thing to help protect them from doing something reckless, when the walls are so high they are prevention rather than protection, and they live in a cocoon of anxiety too scared to break out and try flying, it is time for adult intervention and this story is a strong starting point.  Sharing it with young readers so that firstly they realise that they there can be room under the umbrella for someone else, and that sharing their fears can help manage them and that they can develop strategies to cope with things can be the beginning of building resilience and strong mental health as they get older, more independent and more mature. Like Tallulah, they can eventually break down the walls, leave their umbrella behind and discover a world that they can deal with because they have learned and earned how to do so.

While there are many books to help children cope with anxiety, this one allows the child to see that fears are common, shared and can be very real and overwhelming but they can be managed if not conquered.  Grandma’s gentle patience, acquiescence and understanding provide a guide that perhaps busy parents can’t offer that help Tallulah find the courage to step beyond her self-set boundaries, encouraging young readers to take the first steps themselves. 

Hannah Backwards

Sep11
Hannah Backwards

Hannah Backwards

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hannah Backwards

Kim Rackham

Heidi Cooper Smith

Riveted Press, 2025

96pp., pbk., RRP $A14.99

9781764007139

Hannah loves the familiar rhythm of her days—walking to school with her best friend Izzi, spending afternoons with Nana and Pop, and cosy weekends with her parents. She is one who prefers predictability, routines  and the regular rhythm of her life, but for those times when there is disruption that makes her anxious, she has a secret in her pocket.  Her Nana has given her a special worry stone to rub and trace its spiral to bring calm in those uncertain moments and although she doesn’t realise it, Hannah is really going to need it because big changes are coming. 

First, her beloved teacher Mr. Spicer leaves. Then, the unthinkable—Izzi is moving away. As Hannah struggles with the idea of goodbye, her worry stone is always in her hand, but it can’t stop the storm of emotions building inside her. A moment of anger threatens to shatter everything they’ve shared, and Hannah is left to find a way to make things right.

And can endings really be beginnings, like Mr Spicer says?

This is a verse novel for younger readers, many of whom will have faced similar upheavals as the certain becomes uncertain and threaten to turn their lives upside down.  Because its verse novel format is entirely in the first-person exposing all Hannah’s thoughts and emotions, it is easy for the young reader to become Hannah and relate to what is happening and understand that when you’re young and living in the here-and-now, it’s hard to see the bigger picture and the opportunities and silver linings that disruptions can open up. They will empathise with her anxiety, and feel her confusion about the future as they have experienced similar feelings, focusing on what they  are going to lose and miss rather than being able to look forwards to what could be.  It’s not that they, or Hannah, are pessimists – it’s just where they are at in their emotional development. 

This is an ideal book to read together with someone (or a class) for whom change is coming to reassure them that their feelings of grief and uncertainty are real and natural, but also helping them realise that there is life after loss and that just because a favourite friend or teacher or someone is not physically there, it is possible for the connections to continue, regardless of who makes the move – which is likely to be the theme of the sequel Izzi Upside Down coming 2026.

At a time when it seems some parents are intent on protecting their children from any sort of adversity so they don’t develop the natural resilience to setbacks that we expect, this is an opportunity to discuss the inevitable and how to deal with it, for while a worry stone can be a comfort, it can’t be a solution. Mr Spicer was right – endings can become beginnings.

For those who want to dig deeper, there is an insightful interview with the author here. 

The Haunting of Hindmarsh Hall

Jul26
The Haunting of Hindmarsh Hall

The Haunting of Hindmarsh Hall

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Secret Detectives Club

The Haunting of Hindmarsh Hall

Kate Gordon

Riveted Press, 2025

140pp., pbk., RRP $A16.99

9780645869385

As the first meeting of the Table Cape Scrabble Club gets underway at Fred’s Café with its only two members (also its founders) Rocko and Cosmo in attendance, they have no idea that their latest attempt to join the “cool kids” of this tiny town where everyone knows everyone and nothing ever remains a mystery, is going to lead them on the greatest adventure of their lives so far.

Seated at the table they have reserved for the meeting, is someone who seems to be absorbed in writing furiously on his laptop, carelessly splashing his coffee on the table and clearly not a prospective member of the club. Turns out he is PD Watkins, the renowned author of the Winston the Wizard  series which is a current favourite of all the kids in town, particularly Rocko who is a reader, and Cosmo who is not but who loves superhero movies. Watkins has taken up a writer’s residency in the local Hindmarsh Hall, an old mansion steeped in mystery and rumour but is finding it impossible to write there because of the strange goings-on that are terrifying him. Instead of the quiet writing retreat he anticipated, he has barely been able to work or sleep. There have been weird noises, things rearranged, strange messages carved on the walls … how is he supposed to write another bestseller with all of that going on? And so, joined by Mingus Reid, who is a cool kid and who does want to be a member, the Scrabble Club morphs into The Secret Detectives Club.

But as Rocko starts to investigate, backed by his big sister Pen, who is the coolest kid in town, he starts to realise that no one and nothing is what it seems and that he is not only not the wallpaper kid who was mercilessly bullied at his old school, but that his ability to be in the background and notice things that others don’t is a real advantage. 

This is the first in a new series – the second is due in October – for younger readers venturing into this genre of mystery, crime and the seemingly supernatural by Kate Gordon who consistently writes intriguing stories that engross the reader but which have powerful underlying themes that the reader can relate to and which make her characters so much like the kids they know, giving them a more-rounded personality.  In this one, she explores the idea of people having both a public and private persona, one they want the world to see and view them as, while keeping their vulnerability out of sight, visible only to those who know them well. Just as the mysterious events at the Hall may not be what they first appear to be, so too the characters are not who they first present as, either.

Not only does this have all the hallmarks of being a series that is going to appeal to the younger independent reader, but it may well send them in search of other titles by her such as The Ballad of Melodie Rose,  The Calling of Jackdaw Hollow  The Heartsong of Wonder Quinn, My Brother Finch,  and Small Acts.   A different way to Book an Adventure. 

Skin

Jun10
Skin

Skin

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Skin

Deborah Kelly

Rhiza Edge, 2025

128pp., pbk., RRP $A14.99

9781761112454

“When a tiny freckle on Lexie Collins’s cheek turns out to be a rare kind of melanoma that requires surgery, she is left with a big, ugly scar across one cheek. She had just earned a spot in the state finals for public speaking, but with the scar, her confidence has vanished. She doesn’t even recognise herself anymore.

Mum and Dad keep reminding Lexie how lucky she is that she didn’t need further treatment. But Lexie doesn’t feel lucky at all. She suddenly feels ugly, unsure of herself and different from all her friends. She doesn’t want to be seen—let alone speak—in public ever again.

But when a chance encounter turns into an unexpected friendship, Lexie’s feelings about her scar—and herself—slowly begin to change.”

Recommended for those 14+, this is not normally a book I would review for this blog but because of its important message about body image – from both perspectives of judging others and being judged – which impacts our tweens as much as our teens, I am making this exception as it is one that parents and young girls need to be aware of. Even if a young person, girl or boy, has not been ‘disfigured” by melanoma – itself an important topic to be discussed as the bullet-proof generation disregard all they have learned about being sun-smart – many will have some issue that causes them self-doubt and makes them the target for bullies, sadly, too often with disastrous consequences, so Lexie’s story needs to be known, shared, promoted – whatever it takes to help young people understand that who they and their friends are as they are is enough. Because we know that at this age peer opinion and pressure is more persuasive than anything parents say or do, and even moreso in these days of social media and its filtered reality where even strangers’ comments can overwhelm our own inner voice, this is an authentic story that echoes the lives of many. The author, Deborah Kelly, is no stranger to writing these realistic, empathetic stories which include the CBCA 2020 shortlisted The Thing about Oliver and The Chalk Rainbow  and this is equally as engaging and evocative.

Not a news bulletin goes by without some report of teenage thugs terrifying others as they wield machetes and so forth, seemingly in an attempt to prove something to their peers, and the perpetrators and their victims are younger and younger so, while this story is not going to solve the situation, any tool we have to promote discussion about and improve perception of individual self-worth is worth knowing about and using. 

It is the first in a series called Rhiza Shorts, described by the publishers as “Teen fiction. Minimal words. Maximum impact. A new list of teen novellas for busy teens or reluctant readers. Each book has an easy to follow stand-a-lone story based on topics, struggles and interests that teens face today.”  The list of up-coming titles and the themes they cover can be found by following the link, and again, while their target audience is for those older than this blog caters for, I believe there is a place for them in the Senior Fiction section of the primary library and perhaps as a starting point for a health and well-being curriculum.