Picture Book Delights

My Baby Love Meredith Costain & Beatriz Martin Vidal (Hachette Australia)
This simple rhyming verse is a glorious celebration of the joy and bond between a mother and her young baby as they play and dine or splash or when going to sleep. Gorgeous soft illustrations fill the pages to make this the perfect gift for a mother on her first Mother's Day!


Goldilocks and the Three Koalas Kel Richards & Claire Richards (Scholastic)
A wonderful twist on the story of the three bears ... of course the three creatures here are koalas (which are NOT bears) and these three also eat porridge, (gumleaf porridge) and there’s Goldilocks, (whose real name is Shirley because she had a mass of hair, fluffy, blonde and curly). Told in rhyming verse with fantastic illustrations this book is great!


Big Bad Bushranger Bob Brown & Ben Wood (Scholastic)
Many Aussie children have grown up singing the song of the big bad bush bushranger and here it is now in picture book form. This clever bush ranger is a wombat, he knows the best places to hide and has a cave filled with his loot. He never gets caught and even has a girlfriend called Gayle! Whimsical illustrations accompany the verse. Also includes the music to the words.


Captain Crabclaw's Crew Frances Watts & David Legge (ABC Books)
From the team who created Parsley Rabbit's Book about Books comes this swashbuckling adventure of a pirate and his attempts at gathering a crew worthy of sailing on the Speedy Squid. Of course Captain Crabclaw’s crew is not the fearsome crew that he originally envisioned to sail the seven seas in search of treasure. But when they are laughed at by real pirates the crew devise another plan to fill the treasure chests with gold!

These books for laughing and sharing and treasuring are delightful. Enjoy!

A few more Picture Books

-- and one in time for Easter!

Fair Dinkum Aussie Easter (Book & CD) Colin Buchanan & John McIntosh (Scholastic)
It's nearly Easter time in Australia so grab this book to read the verses and sing the songs (it comes with a CD) and find out about some of the Easter activities here ... find out why the Easter bunny got the sack, discover Easter verse are about Hot Cross Buns, an Aussie Easter Egg Hunt, that very special Easter long weekend holiday drive, and the wonderful, ever popular, school Easter hat parade!
A great holiday read and sing and share!


Princess and the Packet of Frozen Peas Tony Wilson & Sue deGennaro (Scholastic)
This is a fun rework of the Princess and the Pea fable although this time the princess is confronted with one thin mattress and a whole packet of frozen peas ... talk about sleeping rough!
Delightful classroom-style illustrations accompany the fun text.


My Aussie Mum Yvonne Morrison & Nicola Bright (Scholastic)
Now just what is an aussie mum and what does she do? Well this picture book might give you an idea as it tells us all the things that an aussie mum does. She will give anything a go from looking after sick children (although she can also detect someone throwing a sickie), buying lollies as a treat, doing taekwondo, driving everywhere, to playing sports. Told in rhyme with lovely illustrations, this is a timely book for Mother's Day too!

Have fun sharing and singing and reading and exploring!

Picture Books to share and discuss

Beautiful new pictures books to be treasured ...

I Love My Mum Anna Walker (Scholastic)
Ollie the zebra is back and this time it's all about mum. Told in simple rhyming verse, this is a delightful gift book celebrating the joy of a mother and child in simple daily activities shared together. Perfect for mother's day - of course!

One Dragon's Dream by Peter Pavey (Walker Books)
It is a joy to find this classic Australian book back in print. This fantasy is about a rather unique dragon and a very strange court case is also a counting book and a book to explore. There are surprises on every page so close examination of the illustrations on every page is essential. Just try and find the matching number of items on every page ... on some pages it is not an easy task and readers will be looking every which way! This was enthralling when it was first published and it will be so again for a new generation!

My Mother's Eyes Mark Wilson (Lothian)
This picture book for older readers is based on the true story of the boy soldiers who lied about their age to enlist and fight in World War 1 -- their 'great adventure'. William is 15 when he slips away from the farm to go to war, first training for war and then fighting in the trenches. As well as the text, story is told in the illustrations and also in the letters that are part of the illustrations.
A powerful reminder of something that no adult or child should ever experience.

How Big is Big? Gretel Watson & Yr1-2 Curl Curl N Public School (ABC Books)

Maths really is fun ... just ask the students of 1-2 W at Curl Curl North Public School ... they created a book out of this math's activity!
The question 'How big is Big!' is repeated and solutions posed. There are maths activities on every page including a maths sum related to the page number. Littered with maths concepts and the children's own collage artworks this is a must read book for every 1-2 class!

Have fun reading the words and pour over the pictures too!

Great New Fiction

Turn off the TV and turn over these pages. These books are terrific reads and children should enjoy them - they might even ask for more.

The Remarkable Secret of Aurelie Bonhoffen Deborah Abela (Random House) From the author of the great Max Remy series comes this wonderful new book about Aurelie Bonhoffen, a 12 year old girl who is born into a family of entertainers. They live at their delightful seaside pier but rising taxes and a nasty trickster mayor who wants to destroy the pier so that a luxury hotel development can be built on the pier makes life very unpleasant. And there is also the evil school headmistress Mrs Farnhumple who causes Aurelie to be removed from her family so that all the family will be removed from the pier. Then on Aurelie's 12th birthday the most remarkable family secret is revealed that will help Aurelie and her family survive.
I loved this story and hope there is more!

The Zoo of Magical and Mythological Creatures Sam Bowring (Pan Macmillan)

Twelve-year-old Zackary is the youngest child in the royal family and he is proving to be a great disappointment. Whatever tutor is engaged to instruct him proves unsuccessful so he is set to the castle administrator Barnabas. He sends Zackary on an errand to the Zoo of Magical and Mythological Creatures and here Zackary finds his calling as the assistant to the zoo's sorcerer. The zoo's creatures are extraordinary but when the zoo is about to take delivery of the famous and vicious creature it is Zackary who solves a mystery, foils the plot to destroy the creature and most importantly is acclaimed by his family!


Lightning Strikes
These two books are part of the Lightning Strikes series of fast-paced great reads for reluctant readers latching onto short chapter books.

Freaky Sue Whiting (Walker Books)
City kid Jayden is forced to stay with his totally cactus-mad country loving aunt and uncle and their computer geek son. But when the group visit the local botanical gardens and purchase an exotic and extremely rare cactus plant Jayden gets the shivers and knows things are not quite right. The freakiness soon begins because this cactus is a rare and dangerous plant that houses tarantula eggs which stay dormant for years until there is heavy rain. and when Jayden’s uncle asks him to water the newly planted cactus erupts with horrific results.


The Meteorite Kid Carol Faulkner (Walker Books)
Morgan takes a stunning catch at the baseball finals. unfortunately it wasn’t a ball. Something blue and solid has fallen from the sky into her grasp and it is Morgan's job to protect this blue meteorite that everyone in town wants to see. what is the object that has strange powers over anyone who touches it (except Morgan), what is sending Morgan messages that only she can see, can she hide it from inquisitive reporters, can she look after it until ....

Have fun reading!

More Delightful Picture Books

More picture books - a few are funny, a few are sad but all wonderful to share .



Jasper McFlea Will Not Eat His Tea Lee Fox & Mitch Vane (Lothian)
Parents everywhere know the times when their children will not eat their food and for those occasions ... this is the book!
Jasper McFlea will not eat his tea, no matter how hard everyone tries to make him - except for pasta! His twin sister ginger eats almost anything and makes a prediction that her brother's cricketing future is not too good if he doesn’t eat! So off to the family doctor they go who has a special secret that makes Jasper change his ways!
Told in rhyming verse this fun read is also very important for children's healthy eating!


Her Mother's Face Roddy Doyle & Freya Blackwood (Scholastic)
Siobhan was three when her mother died leaning just her and her father, a very sad and quiet man who keeps to himself. They never speak about her mother. Now ten Siobhan cannot remember her mother's face although she can remember her hands, face and her singing. A beautiful woman Siobhan meets tells her that all she has to do to remember her mother is to look in the mirror - and she also has a message for Siobhan’s father. As she grows older her mother's reflection begins to be seen ... until as an adult, with a daughter of her own, she sees her mother's reflection and remembers the message for her father.
This longer text picture book for older readers of longing and family and remembering, is a beautiful story and has delighful soft illustrations.


Fredrik Goes Bananas! Melissa Firth & Cheryl Orsini (Scholastic)
Another fun book about food, problems and problems solving!
Fredrik was sick of eating fish at every meal ... which was kind of unusual for a fish eating bird and living where the whole island surrounded by snow and ice eats fish! So he stopped catching fish and came up with an ingenious idea for another food source. The whole village thought Fredrik had gone bananas as they watched his glass house take shape! a parcel arrives and Fredrik sets to work planting and soon the whole village has gone bananas.


Harry and Hopper Margaret Wild & Freya Blackwood (Scholastic)
This is a loving story with wonderful illustrations about love and loss and saying goodbye.
When hopper the puppy came to live with harry and his dad, harry taught hopper everything a dog should know and as hopper grew older he even helped harry with his homework. They were best mates. One afternoon harry comes home from school and hopper is not there to greet him. Harry can't let go of hopper but with time, Harry gets to say good bye to hopper in his own special way!


Enjoy these delights.

Picture Books for Younger Readers

Picture Books are wonderful to share with big and small hands, or read alone in a quiet time. Here are recent publications.

Ruby Makes A Friend Tina Burke (Penguin Books)

Tina burke creates beautiful picture books and this one continues the tradition. When Ruby's big brother leaves for his first day at school a new friend, Milo appears for Ruby ... and a wonderful time begins. They play chaseys and fancy dress; have tea and cake, and draw and heaps of other fun. And when Ruby goes to school ... so does Milo! Together they meet Jacinta and her best friend Boris (a friendly bear) and together they share adventures until Ruby and Jacinta build a cubby house - big enough for just the two of them!A loving story of imagination and friendship.

Norman Enormous Dave Hackett (Penguin Books)

An enjoyable picture book told in rhyming verse about friendships and difference ... The book stars two Normans one enormous and one not-so-enormous. Norman Enormous is lonely so decides to choose someone to invite to afternoon tea ... and that chance choosing finds Norman no-so-enormous. As the Normans gather they are both a little worried because they are soooo different. And things don't go too well to start with but when not so enormous Norman starts conversation these two Norman’s have a great time!

The Wrong Book Nick Bland (Scholastic)

Have you ever tried to tell a story and been interrupted only to resume and then be interrupted again? Well that is what is happening to Nicholas Ickle. Each time he starts to tell the story his is interrupted by characters form other stories including an elephant, a monster, a pirate, a queen and other invited guests. He tells each uninvited visitor that they are in the wrong book and to Go Away! but they stay around.Great illustrations and fun text.

Bananas in Pyjamas by Carey Blyton (ABC Books)
B1 and B2 are back in a brand new edition of the original Banana's song. Kids will love it!

Play School Come and Play - Alphabet (ABC Books)
This is a wonderful sturdy board book for very young hands to grasps and explore. the perfect way to learn the letters of the alphabet in a fun and simple way with Play School.

My Memory Scrapbook With Dorothy the Dinosaur The Wiggles (ABC Books)
Dorothy the dinosaur had such fun making the memory book that she returns this time to create a memory scrap book. With spaces for children to stick in their favourite photos of families, and houses and friends and lots more; and places to stick in other special memories; and spaces to draw pictures this is a fun book to make full of memories.

Fairy Dancing Jen Watts ABC Books.
Little girls love fairies and this lovely TV tie-in book will show them all about fairy dancing and how it is done. The book has simple instructions and photographs of fairies dancing the proper steps so that young fairies will all want to copy the Fairies with Fairy Dancing -- just like they do on The Fairies TV series and the DVDs.

Enjoy these picture books, share them and explore the fun of reading.