Picture Book Beauties

I always like discovering new picture books. Here are some of the latest ones with great illustrations and lovely stories!

Mending Lucille Jennifer Poulter & Sarah Davis (Lothian)
This beautifully illustrated book is about a young girl's loss of her mother, the grief and the healing that eventually follows. Her father can't mend Lucille, the young girl's doll only mummy can, but when they meet a friendly waitress she does. And with the same healing and loving touch she helps the young girl too.


Hey, Cat! Felice Arena (Penguin)
Can a cat and mouse really love each other? Well according to this book they can - or can they! You will just have to read this wonderful picture book to see. Cat runs a warm bubbly bath. Cat even scratches mouse's back. The truth is revealed in the hilarious illustrations.


Baby Bird's Blankie Margaret Wild & Gwyn Perkins (Working Title Press)
A glorious story about baby bird who, when it comes to bedtime, keeps throwing his favourite blankie out of the nest - he wants to play instead of sleep. Each time he calls for mum or dad or granny to come and pick up his blankie again ready for the next game.


Jessica's Box Peter Carnavas (New Frontier)
Many children begin school wondering will other children play with me and Jessica has that question too. To make sure that she does have friends Jessica take her box to school - the box will have a surprise but each day she returned home without making any friends. But all that changed the day she took the box to school with something inside that was very special. A Treat.


Not Like Georgie Scott Hatcher, Heather Potter & Mark Jackson (Walker Books)
Beautiful illustrations and delightful text make this book wonderful.
A birthday Party is soon to happen but no one wants to come, every one is to busy and has an excuse not to come to the party but that is okay because Georgie is coming and they will have more fun than with everyone else anyway ... oh and he is this young boy's best friend too!



These picture books for young children are great reads and fun to look over again and again. Hope that you enjoyed some wonderful books this Book Week.

Picture Books

Australia creates wonderful picture books and here are some new ones. Some of these are for babies and preschoolers and other for those slightly older. All of them will be enjoyed.


My Big Sister and also My Big Brother Jeannette Rowe (ABC Books)
These flip the flap books are just perfect for the very young. Great for reading aloud and sharing they even have a page at the back of the book for children to glue in their own photos of their favourite big sister or brother. Flip these flaps to find out why big brothers and big sisters are so special.


Dorothy's Memory Book Bruno Bouchet & Mitch Vane (ABC Books)
Fans of Dorothy the dinosaur and Wags the dog are going to really enjoy this book as the two stars take a trip down memory lane flipping through Dorothy's new photo album. A beautiful book about friendship and caring.

Brave Little Penguin Anna Pignataro (Scholastic)
This is a lovely story about a little penguin and his dad and the discovery by Little Penguin of independence that he never knew he had! Nothing though could be better than when Papa comes back from fishing and together they call in the stars one by one.


Sometimes Love is Under Your Foot Colin Thompson (Scholastic)
Kevin the dog loves the family he lives with but he especially like Brian (the dad). The family love him too although Brain often ignored Kevin and sometimes even stepped on his tail. When Brian becomes ill things change and soon instead of stepping on his tail, sending him outside or ignoring him Brian and Kevin become wonderful friends.


Special Kev Chris Mckimmie (Allen&Unwin)
Special Kev is special because out of all his eleventy million cousins he is the only one with curly red hair and freckles. Love is strong in his extended family but when Kev's cousin moves away he becomes lonely and soon gets into trouble when he plays football with Nicky. A story about love and family and friends and everyone being special.

Cindy-Ella Tom Champion and The Redback On The Toilet Seat Slim Newton (Scholastic)
Two more Aussie Gems that take classic aussie titles a new life.
Cindy-ella is of course the Cinderella story told in a totally aussie setting while redback is an wonderfully illustrated version of the classic redback song

Enjoy these wonderful Aussie picture books ... and don't forget - reading is power!

Jokes and Steam - great Non Fiction!

Read and learn. read and laugh ... here are two books to get you going!

501 Great Aussie Jokes Louis Shea (Scholastic)
This book is packed filled with giggles and laughter and stacks of side splitting jokes. Joke lovers will certainly want this one.
Q: What do you call a computer superhero?
A: A screensaver!
Buy this book and not only will you have lots of laughs but you are supporting kids living with cancer. Grab it and giggle and laugh out loud!!!


Steam, Steel and Speed John Nicholson (Allen&Unwin)
Here is the fourth book in this wonderful series about transport, trade and travel in Australia.
Focusing on 1850s-1920s this book shows how the miracle of steam power brought Australia into the mechanical age. Find out how it changed Australia and read about paddle steamers trading up our inland waterways, steam engines riding the railroads and how steam powered factories produced a huge variety of goods as well as powered the tools used by the shearers or the crop growers. The books in this series are brilliant.

Have fun. Laugh lots!

More Younger Readers

Here three books for younger readers that are great reads. They are the next instalments of already existing books and are sure hits!

Sea Magic Kate Forsyth & Mitch Vane (Pan Macmillan)
Here is another Ben & Tim magical misadventure. This time they are meeting mer-children and together they have to overcome the 'viperfish' that is capturing all the sea creatures - including one of the mer-children. They get to breathe underwater and meet the mer-king and mer-queen in their watery domain. This is not the summer holiday adventure that they had planned - but what fun!!!

Frankie Goes to France Ingrid Jonach & Cheryl Orsini (Pan Macmillan)
Frankie is back and this time there is a wedding and a honeymoon for Frankie's mum is getting married Frankie absolutely must go to France on the honeymoon too - she is sure that she will be invited if she learns French. Bt great-aunt marmalade is in arrives and Frankie is sure that things wont work out. And to top it off the local library is threatened with closure and only a Frankie article can keep it open. What is Frankie to do!

The Revenge of Dr Von Burpinburger John Heffernan & Alex Snellgrove (Pan Macmillan)
Eric & his pet mouse Einstein are back for another adventure and Dr Von Burpinburger is right in the thick of it as he tries to outwit Eric & Einstein and capture back his genius mouse. Plan after plan is attempted, he even attempts capture from a hot air balloon. All are failures but then suddenly the mad Dr hits on a plan that might just work. And when he captures Eric in school all seems lost.

Have a great time reading these books ... oh and the kids will too!