New Unputdownable Series Titles

These two books are rivetting reads and the start of two great new series for independent readers. Boys espeically will devour these books.

Edsel Grizzler (#1): Voyage to Verdada James Roy (UQP)
Imagine a land for kids where you only have to work for a few hours each morning - and all that 'work' is sorting out and categorising the misplaced things and then the rest of the day is FREE!!! No school, No parents telling you what to do (Edsel's are way over protective), Pizza for breakfast, no bedtime - just time to hang out with your friends doing whatever you desire. That has to be the perfect place. And Edsel Grizzler has found it in a parallel dimension at Verdada where everyone stays forever young in this fun place.
But be careful things are not always what they seem.
This is the first title in a new three part series. It is a great read.


Conspiracy 365: Part 1 January Gabrielle Lord (Scholastic)
Are you ready for a 12 part crime action-packed thriller series with one book coming out each month and being published all around the world by one of the best crime writers? If you are then grab this series! I couldn't put this book down. Alex Rider fans will love it!

Callum Ormond is 15 years old. It's New Year's Eve and a sick and wild-eyed man confronts Callum with the dire warning:-
‘They killed your father. They’re killing me.’
‘The Ormond Singularity. Don’t let it be the death of you too, boy!’
And he is told that he has to stay alive for the next 365 days. Suddenly Callum is on the run fleeing criminals and the police. Who wants Callum dead? What is the Ormond Singularity? How can he survive for 365 days? There are drawings on documents that Callum has to decipher. His uncle is nasty and wants Callum out of the picture. And the end of this book is a cliff hanger! Bring on book 2!

For more info you visit the website: www.conspiracy365.com where there are competitions and prizes, online games and much much more. Do also check out the (UK) trailer ... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0uNiX1cFO4g

These books will have readers clammering for more!

Picture Books for older and younger

I just found these - more picture books - sitting there to be put on the blog ... argh!

Wanted: The Perfect Pet Fiona Robertson (Penguin)
It's about a boy who wants the perfect pet and for him that perfect pet was a dog. It's also stars a duck who wants to be wanted. So when the boy advertises for the perfect pet - also known as a dog, and the duck reads this advertisement he turns into - a dog! Lovely illustrations, with clever story, and further text in the sides, make this picture book for young readers a delight to share.


Running With The Horses Alison Lester (Penguin)
This picture book for older readers is inspired by the rescue of the rare and precious Lipizzaner stallions from the Spanish riding school in Vienna during World War 2.
To escape the oncoming war ten year old Nina, her father and an old friend flee with the horses riding through the nights, through forests, past rivers and through snow over the distant mountains. The drama of the escape and the special bond that Nina has with the old carriage horse makes this a powerful read.


Australia at the Beach Max Fatchen & Tom Jellett (Scholastic)
This is the 10th anniversary edition and it is still the great Australia Day book!!!
What do Aussies love to do on Australia Day ... go to the beach and this book, written in rhyming verse, fills out a glorious Australia Day - from heading off, to the beach activities (of course including cricket), building sandcastles, swimming in seaweed forests and finally coming home exhausted.

With great side notes too -- like how to get an ice cream if you are a dog -- this book is a wonderful celebration of Australia and the beach!

Enjoy!

Christmas Picture Books

I Love Christmas ... and these are just beautiful Christmas picture books to share with readers of many ages.


The Watchmaker Who Saved Christmas Bruce Whatley (Random House)
This is a beautiful Christmas tale of Santa, a watchmaker and young boy and a broken watch.
Kids all over ask how Santa can deliver presents all over the world in just one night and here we find out - it is all because of one very special watch that Santa owns and that watch slows down time!! But what happens when that watch is broken - it has to go to a talented watchmaker who uses all his skill to repair the broken wheel.


The ABC Book of Christmas Mark Macleod & various illustrators (ABC)
This beautiful book faithfully retells the story of the very first Christmas; of the three wise men, the shining star, the baby in the manger, the flight to Egypt and of course the shepherds. It is a really fine retelling.
What makes this book extra special are the stunning double page illustrations by each of the contributing illustrators - including Wayne Harris, Stephen Michael King, Ann James, and Anna Walker


Twelve Dogs of Christmas the Kevin Whitlark (Scholastic)
With DOGS and not days in the title you know that this book is going to star DOGS in these very special twelve days. This Christmas the dogs are preparing the Christmas tree and a little chaos develops.
On the first day of Christmas my true dog sent to me - a fat cat in a fur tree ... and there are also dogs a digging and pooping and licking and ffencing and skating and heaps more that will make the readers of all ages giggle with laughter under the Christmas tree.


Brucie Saves Christmas Yvonne Morrison & Michelle Pike (Scholastic)
This is a delightful sequel to An Aussie Night Before Christmas. It is also told in rhyming verse and it is FUN!
When Brucie the joey is born much anticipation surrounds his eventually joining the troop and pulling Santa's sleigh ... but Brucie is timid and shy and small and the other roos don’t think that he "Could be any help at all". But when catastrophe strikes one Christmas Eve and a fog rolls in ... you know that it is Brucie who saes the day - or night!


I Love Christmas Anna Walker (Scholastic)
This is such a treat and perfect for Christmas - and to add to the collection of sweet Ollie and Fred books. This book is just perfect for small hands and for sharing the joy of friendship at Christmas!
In this title we find out all wonderful things that he Ollie loves about Christmas including crinkly paper, the star, the donkey and the baby asleep, twinkling lights and baking cakes - but of course the best thing is listening for Santa's reindeer with Fred!


Share one of these books with someone close and Merry Christmas all!

New Titles from Great Series

Here are new titles from books in existing series that I have absolutely enjoyed reading and most importantly so do the kids they were written for.

The Undys: On the Move Wagner Michael & Gus Gordon (Penguin books)
Oh No! ... Josh Undy and his dad (Fillmmore) have to move out of their public housing apartment. They have just four weeks to find a new dwelling. Manny work has been soooo good that they a re making too much money! So what do they do ... well in-between searching for a new apartment they do a lot! Josh and his friends go crab racing, Josh and his dad learn the art of trampoline dodge ball, and of course when they do find a place to move to ... they have to move all their things - and that calls for some very special strong help!
This is a fun book with short crazy linked tales that kids, especially boys love giggling over!


Battle Boy #3 & #4 - Destroy Troy and Bloodaxe Charlie Carter (Pan Macmillan)
These titles are fantastic for boys - especially those younger readers just starting on chapter books. In each book in this adventure series Battle Boy is flung back into time, in his specially designed body suit (AKA SimulSkin) and with his Battle Watch with the latest downloaded operating system that has all the information for the battle in which he lands. In each case his task is to operate as a HD-CD (Human Data Collecting Device) but not everything goes according to plan.
In Destroy Troy Napoleon Augustus Smythe (AKA Battle Boy 005) lands in 1185 AD has to find out if the Greeks really did leave the Trojan horse outside the city and in Bloodaxe he lands in Dark Age England 954 and is flung into a Viking battle.
Short action packed chapters make this history fun!

Ranger's Apprentice 9: Halt's Peril John Flanagan (Random House)
These are great reads with well developed characters. They are filled with action, mystery and tensions and will have the readers begging for more. Lots of solid reading here in this book for older competent readers.
Following on from the Kings of Clonmel (#9) Halt, Horace and Will are in pursuit of the dangerous cult leader Tennyson and his followers from the Outsider cult. This time Halt really is in peril, his life hangs in the balance as Will and Horace attempt to save him but they are forced to make very heavy decisions. Tension and drama throughout!

This series is award winning and readers just keep wanting more. If new to the series grab #1The Ruins of Gorlan and get going!

Enjoy this bundle!

Sport & more Sport!

A History of Cricket Catherine Chambers (Black Dog Books)
With the sound of bat on ball starting to echo across the playing fields of Australia this is a book to devour for all things cricket.
How did cricket begin?
What are the ashes?
How is cricket played?
Which countries have played the most tests?
What are some of the different forms of cricket?
Who's the best batsman of all time?
This book will provide some insights to these questions and a whole lot more.
Includes a timeline, the top 10 test captains, highest batting averages and more.
Read this to find out all about cricket!


FIFA World Football Records 2010 (Scholastic)
With the 2010 Soccer World Cup just around the corner this is a book that soccer lovers will want to read and read.
It is not just a list of soccer records. This book also inlcudes the 2009 FIFA world rankings (Australia is in the first column), information about the competing countries and players as well as events, including the FIFA world cup, that link the football family. Competitions, players, records and a whole lot more are included in these full colour pages - photos of many stars are here too.
What is the record international score?
When were Greece European champions?
Where is the world's biggest stadium?
Who is the youngest player to appear in a World Cup final?
This is the book that will answer these questions and whole lot more!


for Sports fans!!!

Ballet & Toymaker & Kids Night In!

The Toymaker and the Bird Pamela Allen (Penguin Books)
A toymaker creates beuatiful music on his violin. When a plain coloured bird joins a gathering flock of colourful birds she starts to sing. All the birds stopping to listen to her melodious sounds. The bird travels everywhere with the toymaker but at the dawn of spring flies away. When the bird does return, at season's change, the toymaker places her in a cage so that she can be with him forever ... but the brown bird no longer sings and the toymaker has to make a heavy decision.
Pamela Allen creates some of the most wonderful picture books and this book, of longing, freedom, loss and friendship, is another.


Swan Lake Ballet Theatre Viola Ann Seddon & Jean Mahoney (Walker Books)
This delightful box set will be a request from every ballet lover.
Favourite scenes from Tchaikovsky's best-loved ballet can come alive with this ballet theatre. The package contains the fold-out theatre set with scenery and backdrop (and a draw to store all the parts), figures of the dancers, CD of selected music and story booklet and stage directions. Play the CD, read the story, replay the scenes in the theatre - just wonderful!


Kids' Night In! #3 Jessica Adams (Penguin)
This has long been a favourite - a THICK book with lots and lots and lots of stories written by some of Australia's best kids authors ... and a few other folks as well. It's months of reading!!!
Here are just a few of the wonderful creators in this collection who have written NEW stories, poems and illustrations ... Leigh Hobbs, Meredith Costain, Paul Collins, Gus Gordon, Stephen Axelsen, Garth Nix, Shaun Tan, Libby Glesson, Kim Gamble, Tohby Riddle, Morris Gleitzmann and a whole lot more.
And even more wonderful than a HUGE book chock-a-block full of stories is that every copy purchased raises money for War Child, the aid organisation that helps children all over the world, affected by war.
And don't miss the kidsnightin website.

Enjoy!

Fantasy

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland Lewis Carroll & Robert Ingpen (Walker Books)
This gorgeous hardback book is a joy to hold, to read, and especially to look at the illustrations again and again. This new complete and unabridged edition of the classic Lewis Carroll tale of Alice who falls down a rabbit hole into a fantasy land where she meets characters like the Mad Hatter, the Cheshire Puss and the Queen, has the wonderful illustrations in Ingpen's renowned style. This is a book to treasure for children young and old.

the East Wind (The Cloudchasers 2) David Richardson & Steven Hunt (ABC Books)
This is a very different book, part picture book, part graphic novel, part movie stills this adventure fantasy title is a good read (even the with the frightening Lopper) and the illustrations are well worth close examination.
At the end of the first book, Alice, Thomas and Spinner were sailing aloft in a balloon, no longer citizens of Bankertown but as the Cloudchasers. Now they continue their quest, Still they are chased by the catcher and his army, who are determined to catch the escapees at all costs and by any means, as the trio continue their quest to restore imagination and freedom and to draw! Strange creatures inhabit the pages, from the really small bookworm to the gargantuan sand-monster, and the survival of the trio is continually threatened.
This book is full of unexpected twists and turns and results in a thrilling and satisfying conclusion to the Cloudchasers saga.

Have fun with these ....

A little break but we are back and reading lots of books ....

One, Two, Cockatoo Sarah Garson (Random House)
A delightful counting featuring some of the most amusing cockatoos. I especially love the illustrations of the eight cockatoos hanging upside down drying off in the sun. This is just perfect cockatoo behaviour. Young children will love couting the cockatoos in each picture and of course the 'surprise' at the end.

Baby Wombat's Week Jackie French & Bruce Whatley (HarperCollins)
Mothball, from the amazing picture book Diary of a Wombat is back ... but this time Mothball is not alone. Now Mothball has a baby and once again craziess and havoc follows. There are friends to play with and time to sleep, food to eat and faces to see, and tunnels to dig to create the best hole ever - big enough for a mother wombat and her baby. But where do they find the most enormous hole?

Mascot Madness! & Robot Riot! Andy Griffiths (Pan Macmillan)
Two books in the Schooling Around series that have been out for a little while but which kids just adore. It’s all about class 5C and their teacher Mr Brainfright. These books are full of humour and jokes that younger readers really enjoy.
In Mascot Madness Mr. Brainfright finds a brand new banana suit
"Why anyone would want to throw away a perfectly good banana suite is completely beyond me!" but of course the class teacher didn't know what Gretel knew about that banana suit.

And in Robot Riot ... Henry is suspicious about the new girl in class - Roberta ... could she be a robot? He is quite sure he is but the trouble is convincing his friends! After all she writes amazingly good stories and she certainly does not think Robot jokes are funny!

These books will have kids giggle all the way to the next one!

Grace

Grace Morris Gleitzman (Penguin Books)
This is one of the best books that I have read this year. It was consumed on a recent Sunday morning in one sitting. This is a powerful, rivetting read and just absorbing.
Grace is eleven years old. She lives in a strictly religious community where much of what happens to its members, including her family, is decided for them. Like many eleven year olds Grace is asking questions and becoming an independent thinker ... traits that get her into very deep trouble. Her loving father, who answers his daughter's questions honestly, causes the elders to brandish him as evil and expell him from the church. Grace, though, attempts to right the wrong (with the aide of a tow truck driver and his son), to stay in the church and to keep her family together.

See Morris speak at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89ANChOBUE8

Popular Series titles

These are the latest titles in really popular series and of course they are books that I really enjoy reading - and very importantly the kids are enjoying reading them too.

On the Case (Walk Right In Detective Agency Book 5) Moya Simons (Walker)
They are at it again. The Milk Bay school-aged detectives have some very intriguing cases to solve. Like the case of Jake, the new kid in Milk Bay who has drawer full of stolen things that he swears he didn't steal and now he's being charged. There's also a really bad smell (a killer really) that needs solving and a missing lorikeet that needs to be found.
Great fun reads for kids that they might not even put down.

Monkey Fist (Samurai Kids #4) Sandy Fussell (Walker)
The Samurai kids are back and this time they are venturing deep into China and confronting the advisor to the Emperor - Secretary Lu Zeng. Kyoko has been kidnapped, and sensei knows by whom. But what reason would the Secretary have for this - surely there is only evil in his mind. Could it be to further his search for eternal life?
As with the other titles there is still much to be learnt for the Little Cockroaches in this is a riveting read.

Battle for Rondo Emily Rodda (Scholastic)
This is the thrilling climax to the Rondo books.
Leo and Mimi return for one final time to the magical world of Rondo with its talking creatures and magic and mystery. But the evil Blue Queen herself has become more powerful. This time she has an almighty powerful dragon by her side and the queen has revenge firmly on her mind. A defence shield encompassing the Blue Queen's castle is not enough to protect the world of Rondo. A quest is begun, a prediction whispered from the Tideseer that must be unravelled, a ferocious battle engaged, a name denied, and once again ... the key to Rondo is vitally important and enables the final resolution.
This series has been a joy to read. Rondo readers who love this book and will not be disappointed. Just right for competent readers.

These books are great reads and should be thoroughly enjoyed along with teh other titles in various series.

Picture Book Treats for Youngsters

Fearless Colin Thompson & Sarah Davis (ABC Books)
Lots of folks think bulldogs are scary looking animals ... so naming a bulldog Fearless would usually be just right. And just like people are sometimes given the wrong names it was especially the same with Fearless -- Fearless wasn't! If a car backfired in the street - so did Fearless. He knew there were scary things everywhere, like dangerous black handbags and stairs and monsters! But eventually Fearless does live up to his name when a not-too-nice visitor arrives at the house one night!
Kids will love the story and adore Sarah's fantastic illustrations - especially of the dangerous monsters and the facial expressions of Fearless.


Ten Little Hermit Crabs Lee Fox & Shane McG (Allen&Unwin)
This is a delightfully bright counting book told in rhyming verse.
Ten little hermit crabs scuttle to the sea ... and of course something happens and the ten become 9, the 9 become 8 and so it goes until there is just one little hermit crab sitting on the pier all alone. But that little hermit crab shouldn’t worry ... all turns out well in the end when the nine reappear!
The illustrations are bright, especially with the hermit crab’s ever changing shells. And includes a nice note about hermit crabs in the world too. Great for youngsters starting to count and play.


To The Top End: Our Trip Across Australia Roland Harvey (Allen&Unwin)
Roland Harvey has been creating some of the best Australian picture books for ages and this one continues his outstanding tradition. Readers of all ages will delight in pouring over the illustrations examining all the action on the pages as they follow the twisty windy words.

This time the family is off on an adventure travelling from Tassie to the very tip of The Top End. And of rouse there are happenings in each of the environments that they visit. Lots of jokes in the illustrations too (beginning with the scale of the map on the end papers) ... and there is a football to find in every illustration - I missed one or two!


Halloween In Christmas Hills: The Legend of Stingy Jack Karen Tayleur & Heath McKenzie (blackdogbooks)
Just in time here comes this funny picture book. Everyone in the Johnson family has a favourite holiday and come Halloween time they all dress up and go trick or treating and for the first time Miles gets to join in! They can visit all the neighbour's houses in the street ... except for Stingy Jack's house. But Cameron doesn't listen and rings the doorbell and doesn’t run away! When stingy Jack opens the door Cameron is in for a really big surprise.



What Will Baby Do? Mike Dumbleton & Craig Smith (Working Title Press)
A beautiful rhyming picture book that is just great for babies and their parents to read and read and read again. It features the important things in a baby's day - eating, bathing, going on an outing, sleeping ... and of course being loved.
Bib ... Bowl ... and small spoon, too. Now what will baby do?

Delilah's Dream Ian Trevaskis & Janine Dawson (New Frontier)
Delilah is a hen and she dreams of adventure but her sisters in the coop laugh at her dreams. Still Delilah continues dreaming and one night, when Delilah senses an intruder is coming to threaten their existence she puts her dreams into actions and it is Delilah the dreamer who saves the coop!
With delightful bright illustrations this a lovely tale of dreams coming true and friendship.

Grandpa Baby Margaret Wild & Deborah Niland (Penguin)This wonderful storyteller and illustrator have teamed up to create a picture book that grandpas and their grandkids are just going to love.While Georgie's parents are at work she is looked after by grandpa but one day their roles are reversed and it is Georgie who decides that he is big enough to look after grandpa. Soon Grandpa baby is doing all the things that little kids love to do with their grandparents ... like walking on the fences and pressing traffic light buttons and hanging on the monkey bars. When Grandpa Baby trips over and hurts his knee, it's Georgie who kisses it better but when grandpa baby stops halfway to home Georgie has to be creative to get them both home. Just beautiful.

Glorious picture books to share with younger readers.

TASHI

AWESOME ...
I have been a Tashi fan since the books first dropped onto bookshelves and they continue to be just brilliant. Younger readers developing a love for books will just adore this!

The Amazing Tashi Activity Book Anna & Barbara Fienberg & Kim Gamble (Allen & Unwin)
This is fantastic.
Tashi lovers have been waiting for someting special like this - a Tashi activty book, and inside these pages there are heaps of things to do. Not only is there a wonderful NEW Tashi story (Tashi and the Strangers ... there's a new family in the village and General Zeng's soldiers too) but the activities include a board game, a Tiger pop-up card to make, word puzzles, recipes for some of the favourite foods in the books including Tashi's favourite - fish cakes, a crossword puzzle and Kim has even included a how-to- draw Tashi instuctions.
This has to be a sure fire hit for any Tashi lover.

Enjoy!

Picture Books

Picture Books an be for the very young as well as for the older children and here are three lovely new titles.

Finding Home Gary Crew & Susy Boyer (Ford Street)
A young boy, a lover of books, loves a tall ancient tree solitary standing proudly on his parents bush property. it is the home to a flock of cockatoos which he sees as truly beautiful. His parents though see the cockatoos as destructive pests and set about ridding the property of this last lone tree and to the boy's distress the cockatoos.. Inevitable conflict follows with a dramatic conclusion.
Set in the time of the early settlers with hand driven bush saws, and travelling library staff and ha'pennies, this is a book that will leave an impact on its readers in both the text and in the well created bush illustrations.
This is one of those special picture books for mature readers.


Never Ever Before Stephen Michael King (Scholastic)
Big dreams of drifting with the wind like the Smalls. Talls are wibbly wobbly and fall over in the wind. Smalls are carefree light and drift in the wind ... but when a breeze becomes a big wind all three team together and help each other as one. The Smalls are protected, the Talls, strengthened and Big gets to fulfil his wish.

This is not the usual book about small and big and tall ... this book has a very different treatment for them and has many different themes; about wishing for change, staying the same, safety, teamwork and friendship, security, shelter and wishes.

Beautiful 'shape' illustrations.


Princess and Fairy Most Charming Flower Girls Anna Pignataro (Scholastic)
The delightful bunnies, Princess and Fairy are back in their third look-and-find adventure.
Miss Joy and Princess Charming and getting married and Princess and Fairy are to be flower girls. But before they can attend the wedding they have to find everything on their list of charming things -- which will all be found inside the covers of this book.
With sweet illustrations and delightful rhyming verse, this book will be looked at again and again to find the items on the list and flower girls will especially love this glittery book!

a bit gothic but solid reads

New fiction of the fairy tale sort for long hours!

Tensy Farlow and the Home for Mislaid Children Jennifer Storer (Penguin)
In the world of Tensy Farlow every human has a guardian angel - except for Tensy. She also has no parents, although she is found by loving Albie (who names her after his mother and his truck) but then dispatched to the wicked home for Mislaid Children by Albie's mother. From here she is adopted and then unadopted and again returned to 'the home'. Why doesn't Tensy have a guardian angel? What is her purpose? What is happening in the celestial spheres? And who is the Mud Woman lurking in the river waiting to steal the soul. Read Tensy Farlow to discover the answers ... and much more! There are many humorous moments as well woven through this wonderful read.


The Museum Of Mary Child Cassandra Golds (Puffin)
In the Caretaker's Cottage next to the Museum of Mary Child, living a quiet and near solitary prison-like existence with her Godmother (the museum caretaker), is Heloise. Under the floorboards of her bedroom she finds Maria, a doll which she keeps hidden from her godmother. when she investigates the museum next door Heloise finds hundreds of handmade dolls with black stitches that disfigure their faces ... and she escapes

But who is Mary Child? Why does Heloise's Godmother behave as she does? what of the talking birds? Why is Sebastian, a young Prince, in prison and who really is Heloise?
This book for the mature reader and takes a little effort (I started it twice) but it is very engaging with interesting twists.

Australian Christmas Books

It's getting close to that time of year again because they have started arriving in book stores all around the country - Australian Christmas books and here is a smattering of those on offer. They are great and will make wonderful gifts for friends overseas too becuase these books (mostly) are very very Australian!


I Love Christmas Anna Walker (Scholastic)
The Ollie and Fred books are just beautiful and just in time for Christmas out pops this title.
This time Ollie is sharing all the things that he loves about Christmas; from the crinkly paper to his Christmas decorations, baking Christmas cake, singing about Santa and twinkling Christmas lights.
A gorgeous Christmas gift book for youngsters of all ages.


An Aussie Day Before Christmas Activity Book Kilmeny Niland (Scholastic)
What do you do on Christmas day after all the feasting and all the present unwrapping and giving and sharing and fun? You take out this book and then spend hours filled with Christmas Day activities, all based around the Aussie Day Before Christmas picture book. There are word finds and spot the difference games drawing pages and anagrams and even a page to write a story. There are also stickers to use, recipes, construction activities and a whole lot more.
This should be in many Christmas day stockings!


An Aussie Night Before Christmas Board Game Book Yvonne Morrison & Niland Kilmeny (Scholastic)
This title appeared last year and was hugely successful but this latest evolution takes it to a new dimension. This time not only is the title a delightfully executed picture book with lovely text and illustrations but the book also contains six wonderful Christmas themed board games (with instructions), stickers and playing cards. This book is just perfect for family reading on Christmas day and also for taking care of those "what do we do" hours after the Christmas feast.

Brucie Saves Christmas Yvonne Morrison & Michelle Pike (Scholastic)
This is the sequel to An Aussie Night Before Christmas - this time its Brucie the joey who saves the day.
But how can a roo who loves reading books and doing science reports, who can't tie presents or cook puddings and who definitely can't fly like all of Santa’s other roos save the day?
All will be revealed on the night before Christmas when a blinding storm rolls in that will surely stop Santa delivering his presents!

Australian Twelve Days Christmas Board Book Heath McKenzie (Black Dog Books)
This picture book is now a board book which is just right for little hands who love to grab and hold.
And of course it wouldn’t be the Australian twelve days of Christmas without 12 Australian animals, including emus, wombats crocs, penguins and
... a kookaburra up a gum tree!

Twelve Dogs Of Christmas Kevin Whitlark (Scholastic)
The traditional twelve days of Christmas has morphed into the twelve Dogs of Christmas and is filled with everything doggie. There are puppies pooping pooches playing canines skating labs licking .... and a fat cat in a fur tree!
It is a delightful interpretation of the original.

So dash along to your local independant books stores and grab these Christmas treats.

These are Great!

Chester and Gil Carol Faulkner & Anne James (Scholastic)
A really fantastic fishy tale with adorable illustrations by one of my favourite illustrators.
Two fish live in the same fish bowl but they have very different views of life. For Gill today is just the same as yesterday but for Chester he knows that on any day he could change the world - and today might just be that very day!
Swim on Chester! Life definitely is what you make of it!
One of my favourite books for the year!


I Spy Dad Janeen Brian & Chantal Stewart (New Frontier)
Where is a little girl's dad? While perched in a tree she spies on all the dad's around including a mowing dad, a reading dad, and a snip-snap sewing dad. She keeps searching until she finally sees her dad - he's the one for me! Lovely picture accompany the simple rhyming verse. Perfect for favourite dad's!


Bear and Chook by the Sea Lisa Shanahan & Emma Quay (Lothian)
This delightful book is the sequel to the shortlisted Bear and Chook. This time the two continue their adventures ... by the sea of course! but to get to the sea they have to go around the pond, under the bridge, through the forest and over the mountain and chook is none too happy about that and wants to go home. At the sea the two have great fun ... until Bear is dumped by a wave and soon it is bear who wants to go home! A lovely tale of friendship and sharing and dreaming with great text and illustrations!


Bed Tails Meredith Costain & Mitch Vane (Penguin Books)
An absolutely delightful Good Night tale with a delightful rollicking rhythm, that every mum and dad who have had their sleep interrupted by young visitors will be able to relate to.
When a storm arrives in the evening the parents sleep is not interrupted by the arriving storm but by the visitors to the bed who are just a little afraid of the storm. Soon there are five in bed ...
but not for long!


These books are great for sharing with younger readers with wonderful word play and fun!