Archives

Laugh in the Bath

Nov3
Laugh in the Bath

Laugh in the Bath

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Laugh in the Bath

Rory H. Mather

Brent Wilson

Little Book Press, 2025

32pp., pbk., RRP $A14.99

9781923141478

It’s bathtime in the Giraffe household and even though “pools are cool and so are showers”  the giraffe twins  can “sit in the bath for hours.”  And they do because there is so much fun to be had whether it’s going on a pirate adventure of making silly hair with the bubbles.  

Published by Little Book Press under the auspices of Raising Literacy Australia, a not-for-profit focusing on creating initiatives that encourage families to engage and read with their children from the earliest age, this has all the elements that our youngest readers will enjoy  – a familiar activity, stunning illustrations that they can read for themselves, and rhyme and rhythm that carry the text along at a fast pace.  Who doesn’t smile at the thought of a giraffe in a bath, let alone two?

A peek inside...

A peek inside…

 

Just a joyful, fun read to share with little ones- even those who haven’t discovered the fun of bathtime yet. 

Going Fishing with Nana

Oct29
Going Fishing with Nana

Going Fishing with Nana

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Going Fishing with Nana

Frances Haji-Ali & Lindsay Haji-Ali

Karen Briggs

Magabala Books, 2025

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

978922864048

It’s a special day because it’s time to pick up Nana and go fishing,   But Nana doesn’t live in the next suburb or town like many nanas do – Nana lives in the remote Roper River region of northwest Western Australia and not only is there a road trip  to undertake to get to  both her home and the fishing spot but much to see along the way, Frogs, jabiru, crocodiles… all sorts of wildlife, large and small, are watching them pass. And as the number of creatures increase, so the number of eyes looking does too.  

With rhythmic, repetitive text and clear, vibrant illustrations that make counting easy, young readers are not only encouraged to predict how many creatures will be on the next page, but also how many eyes there will be so the skill of counting in twos is consolidated. In fact, the fish they catch for tea is a bonus!

It’s a story that encourages little ones to appreciate the journey as well as the destination so instead of being focused on “Are we there yet?”, they are more observant towards what they see along the way.  And given the dedication indicates that Nana has passed, it is also an opportunity to talk about their own special times with their own grandmothers.  

An engaging way to  introduce young students to a less-familiar part of this vast country – perhaps even the concept of physical maps using the endpapers as a starting point – as well as the creatures that live there, and encouraging them to develop a new skill.  If all their classmates were looking at them, how many eyes would that be? 

 

 

 

 

The Monster in the Lake

Oct23
The Monster in the Lake

The Monster in the Lake

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Monster in the Lake

Leo Timmers

Gecko Press, 2025

36pp., hbk., RRP $A27.99

9798765670507

When Eric’s friend suggests that they leave their small pond and venture to the lake instead, he is reluctant to follow them because legend has it that it there is a monster living there.  But, nevertheless, he finds his brave, and follows them even though they dismiss his fears and tell him that there only “boring old fish and frogs’ beneath its dark surface.  “Trust us” they tell him as they paddle across the water oblivious to what both Eric and the reader can see in the split-picture illustrations.

For there is  indeed, a monster – one with horns, yellow stalk eyes, and a heap of big white teeth as well as a top hat, bow tie and a striped umbrella!  However  when Eric alerts his friends they think he is joking and so when the monster invites Eric to dive beneath the surface with him, Eric goes alone and discovers something quite remarkable revealed in the double gatefold.

Like Bear’s Lost Glasses, the story is carried along by the conversation between the ducks but unlike them, the young reader can see what is happening below the surface and there is much detail to explore, and there is the impression that this won’t be the only time Eric dives beneath the surface.

There is a very subtle message about having the courage to try something new, dip your toe in the water and all those other phrases about taking a risk because rather than falling you just might fly but our youngest readers are more likely to return to it again and again just to explore the illustrations and identify all sorts of unexpected things.  Look for Eric in the yellow vintage car having the time of his life while his friends just paddle!  And have fun talking about the ending!

 

Here Come the Cousins

Oct22
Here Come the Cousins

Here Come the Cousins

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here Come the Cousins

Maggie Hutchings

Sarah Zweck

Thames & Hudson. 2025

32pp., hbk. RRP $A26.99

9781760764883

I count down the days
all year
until seven smiling cousins bounce through Pop’s door..

Summer holidays have begun and it’s time for the annual family get-together at Pop’s beach house. That means it’s time for  for races to the beach, duck-dives in the waves and snoozy afternoons in the hammock. Last one home for lunch gets the wobbly chair!

Mimicking what many of our students are not only looking forward to but will actually experience, this is a glorious happy, memory-filled celebration of the joy of family and having cousins and all the things you do together, especially when the adults are not watching.  Rather than television and other screens it’s a time for making and having fun even revisiting the times their parents enjoyed the same break doing the same sorts of things because some things don’t change. And sometimes being the smallest means always being the smallest – or, in my case, being the only girl among eight boys was always going to be.

With illustrations that not only reflect the colours of the Australian summer but are as joyous as the children themselves, this is one to share with young readers who are finding the school year to be too long, offering an opportunity to not only start counting down the days themselves, but also to share what their family looks like and what their summer break will bring.  

 

The Messy Bath Monster

Oct20
The Messy Bath Monster

The Messy Bath Monster

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Messy Bath Monster

Tina Wilson, Joan Wilson & Matt Ottley

One Tentacle, 2025

32pp., hbk., RRP $A26.99

9780648511946

Whenever Monkey has a bath, there is always a big mess left behind so he is convinced that there must be a monster lurking there.  He wanted to tell it to stop leaving such a mess, so, being a brave monkey, he decided to go in search of it…

We first met Monkey a few years ago when he took a trip to Venice, and now the little knitted toy is back on a new adventure that involves all sorts of undersea creatures – again, all handknitted by the author’s mother and photographed against real-life backdrops.  But as well as the visual experience, there is also an auditory one as award-winning artist Matt Ottley has created a unique musical score to showcase and connect the images, words and music from this and the many other picture books he has created, which can be downloaded for free.(There is both a QE code and a link to access these included with the book, as well as links to the knitting patterns.)

With the CBCA’s 2026 theme being “Symphony of Stories”, this would seem to be perfect timing to introduce children to both the concept of a multi-modal experience, either of this particular book or Matt’s others which include masterpieces such as The Colour of Music, How to Make A Bird, Teacup and Parachute.   

Sadly, I have had an infection which has left me temporarily deaf so I can’t hear the music to comment on it, but this is a brief trailer which will be part of live performances taking place in Western Australia in October 2025 (perhaps in NSW and Queensland in 2026) as part of The Sound of Picture BooksTM initiative.  Opens up all sorts of possibilities to investigate instruments, the sounds they make, and then, like Tchaikovsky’s Peter and the Wolf, have the children consider which would be best to represent each character. What other creatures might Monkey and Octopus meet and what would be appropriate music for them? 

No harm in starting the Book Week 2026 experience early!

Hickory Dickory Dock

Oct19
Hickory Dickory Dock

Hickory Dickory Dock

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hickory Dickory Dock

Judy Horacek

Walker Books, 2025

32pp., hbk.,  RRP $A24.99

9781761600814

When I was in the classroom full-time way back when, one of my go-to activities was to have students convert familiar nursery rhymes into prose, imagining and exploring the who, what, when , where and why to develop a story.  While Humpty Dumpty and Little Miss Muffet were favourites, not once did I consider Hickory Dickory Dock.

But what if, instead of being fun words that just roll off the tongue, Hickory was a dog, Dickory a cat, Dock a bird and not only did the mouse scamper up the clock but it had a reason for doing so, and staying there for an hour?  

In the wonderful reimagining of that well-known rhyme, first published in 1744 and attributed by some to the appointment of Oliver Cromwell’s son Richard to the position of Lord Protector – a role he did not have the temperament for and from which he resigned and fled into exile after just nine months – Judy Horacek has offered her version of the whys and wherefores. Using just the words from the original strategically placed, and her iconic artistry, she has laid out an entire story that not only gives meaning to the rhyme but sets out an entire story that little people are going to love telling themselves over and over again. 

A companion to Hey Diddle Diddle in which the cat, fiddle and moon-jumping cow take on a whole new adventure, this is going to be such fun to share with our youngest readers as they anticipate why Hickory, Dickory and Dock are heading up the hill to a big stiped tent, and then delight in their delight as their predictions are proven!  

Can there be a better way to engage them with print and build their expectations that they, too, can be “real readers”? 

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. 

The Boo Zoo

Oct10
The Boo Zoo

The Boo Zoo

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Boo Zoo

Kyle Mewburn

Lisa Allen

Walker Books, 2025

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

9781760657826

We’re off on a trip to the Boo Zoo,
in the creepiest part of town …

Imagine going to a zoo, not one where there are animals on display, but all sorts of creatures from the horror world.  So instead of the traditional lions, tigers and elephants, the family encounters “zombies and witches and goblins galore, banshees and werewolves and so much more. ” As a skeleton hand takes their money and they are given their tickets by a mummy, they are prepared to be scared out of their wits, although the clever rhyme and brightly coloured illustrations ensure that while young readers will meet lots of things that usually inhabit the hours of darkness, they won’t be too scared. 

This is one to share as Hallowe’en approaches and thoughts turn to what costumes will be worn on the night, but as well as the usual contenders, there are also some interesting additions from mythology like the snake-haired Medusa,  the multi-headed Hydra, the alluring sirens of Homer’s Odyssey and the Krampus who punishes misbehaving children during the Christmas season from Norse mythology that might spark some investigation not just into who they are, but also the role of such creatures in ancient stories.  There is also a reference to salt being used to “keep ghouls and monsters at bay” that could inspire a probe into what does keep such creatures away, including the traditional jack-o-lantern of Hallowe’en itself.  

But overall, it’s a fun read for little ones who will delight in being scared while still being in a safe place, and which could inspire lots of artwork as they draw their interpretations of what they envisage  these creatures look like. 

 

Creepy Sheepy

Oct7
Creepy Sheepy

Creepy Sheepy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Creepy Sheepy

Lucy Ruth Cummins

Pete Oswald

Walker Books, 2025

32pp., hbk., RRP $A19.99

9781761601460

Hallowe’en is almost here and Sleepy Sheepy knows exactly the costume he wants to wear to go trick-or treating.  And luckily, there is just one left! No matter what Pa said, this was the costume Sleepy had to have.

But come the big night, not only does the costume not feel comfortable, but when he opens the door, he discovers that everyone else has had the same idea and made the same choice. Will he be one of many or will he be one of a kind?

The third in this delightful series for our youngest readers which reflects the everyday events that they, themselves, encounter.  This time, in the familiar setting of the annual Hallowe’en dress-up, it’s focus is on being one of the crowd or moving to the beat of your own drum.  With its bold illustrations and bounce-along rhythm, it features all the familiar images that children associate with the event that they can have fun identifying and building their vocabulary, while not being too scary.  At the same time, adults sharing the story can help our littlies think about why there might have only been one werewolf costume left, as well as talking about how Sleepy Sheepy responded when he saw everyone in the same costume.  What would they have done? 

A fun one to share as little ones prepare for their own big night. 

 

Shibu’s Tail

Sep30
Shibu's Tail

Shibu’s Tail

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shibu’s Tail

Tess Thomas

Kamwei Fong

A & U Children’s, 2025

48pp., hbk., RRP $A24.99

9781761182525

Whatever Shibu the cat is feeling, whether he’s happy, afraid or literally bristling with anger, his tail tells his mood. But when the other cats started looking at him strangely when he expressed his feelings this way, rather than attracting the spotlight, he decides to stifle them. Shibu represses his joy over the milk delivery, his rage over a broken toy, and his fear during a lightning storm but while it might have helped him blend in with those other cats, it wasn’t long before he felt that he was going to explode.  And then, one day, he did… 

Using thousands of tiny, monochromatic strokes as fine as cat fur to depict Shibu and his emotions, and including a tactile cover,  this is a masterful depiction of a cat and its feelings, that once shared with young readers, will enable them to return to it again and again to tell themselves the story unassisted, while the story itself can serve to help them understand that emotions are natural expressions and it is healthy to share how we are feeling, particularly if we are starting to feel overwhelmed.

A peek inside...

A peek inside…

There are many books available to help our youngest learn to recognise and deal with their emotions, but the development of emotional intelligence is a gradual process, different for each and so the more often they hear this message the better equipped they will be.  What sets this particular one apart is that by using Shibu and his tail to express his feelings, they can begin to think about how others might be feeling rather than just themselves.  Learning to interpret facial expressions and body language is a critical skill in developing relationships and this is an excellent gateway to discussing, “How can you tell if someone is feeling….?” or “How can you tell if your mum is cross with you?”  They can have lots of fun pulling all sorts of expressions and adopting different stances, while at the same time learning that there are messages being conveyed and some contain a line not to be crossed.