Self-published, Australia, 2021
Artwork by theillustrators.com.au
On one level this is a picture book made for country kids, especially those who live on working farms. It presents the day to day lives of such children in a way that mainstream picture books and other children’s literature do not, thus acknowledging and valuing their real world experiences.
Hardie Grant Explore, Australia, 2021
Design Jo Hunt
Tania McCartney is both author and illustrator of this book, a story which delights in individuality, cultural diversity, travel, an adventuresome spirit, reading, sharing of experiences and the power of the image.
Allen & Unwin, Australia, 2021
This picture book, written by sports journalist and commentator Alister Nicholson will delight many children, not least because it is about something they enjoy and relate to – playing sport with their friends.
It’s illustrated by Tom Jellett in a lively and amusing manner with animated young cricketers of all sorts happily playing the game in school yards, backyards, at the beach and on sports fields.
Albert Street Books, an imprint of Allen & Unwin, Australia, 2021
Biographies by well-known sporting entities have long been part of the big book industry, particularly making an appearance around Christmas. In recent times quite a number of high profile sports people have published children’s picture books such as this one.
Continue Reading“Nic Naitanui and Fátima Anaya – Little Nic’s Big World”
Halstead Press, Australia, 2021
This happy picture book reminds us of the joy of simple childhood delights.
Told in the voice of a small boy, it recounts his day from wake up to nap time, observing the beauties of nature in his own backyard on a rainy day – the pond with its fish, droplets falling from a tree, puddles to splash in, the delightful sensation of mud between his toes, a conversation with a friendly frog, a rainbow, the colours of the plants in a sunshower.
Continue Reading“Jennifer Bardsley and Mez Thomas – A Land of Muddy Puddles”
Windy Hollow Books, Australia, 2021
This charming book is Catherine Meatheringham’s second, and follows the equally joyous My Possum Plays the Drums (Catherine Meatheringham and Max Hamilton, Windy Hollow Books, 2020).
Like its predecessor, it delights in the use of onomatopoeia, a favourite device of children’s authors for engaging both the interest and the participation of young listeners. The author has shared with us the words a number of different cultures and language groups use to denote the sound of the dog’s bark – in English Woof Woof.
Allen & Unwin, Australia, 2021
Humour is great way to impart serious messages to readers of all ages and especially to children. This book covers current issues including food allergies and how to respond to them, and the need for the utmost care in reading all labels on foods and chemical products used in the home.
Lothian Books, Hachette, Australia, 2021
Artist-writer Mandy Foot has tackled some interesting and important issues in this beautifully presented work.
The surface story is of a little girl growing up and having to stop riding her beloved pony. The application of this to a wider context is clear – we all have to cope with change and loss and to support others as they do so. Lucy’s Pa is a gentle adult figure in the story guiding her through the difficult path to acceptance and the finding of new joy.
EK Books, an imprint of Exisle Publishing, Australia, 2021
This book is a perfect example of the capacity of the picture book to both enchant and inform us. Based on the true story of a remarkable relationship between a Magellanic penguin Called Din dim and Joao, the man who rescued him after an oil spill, Where The Heart Is is on first reading a love story.
Allen & Unwin, Australia, 2021
Lucinda Gifford is a children’s book author and illustrator based in Melbourne Australia, who also spends a lot of her time drawing in front of an audience.
Lydia Williams is an Indigenous Australian soccer player, goal keeper for the Australian Matildas and for Arsenal in the UK. She spent her early childhood in outback Australia, then moved to the city with her family.
Continue Reading“Lydia Williams and Lucinda Gifford – Goal!!!”
Cover and internal design: Ingrid Kwong
Lothian Children’s Books, Hachette Australia, 2021
Mike Lucas first started writing silly poems quite a while back to amuse his children. After a time this morphed into writing picture books, many of them full of fun but others also touching on major environmental themes (Vanishing, Midnight Sun, 2018) and love and friendship (Olivia’s Voice, Midnight Sun, 2017).
New Zealand based illustrator Daron Parton has been working as an illustrator since 1990 and is also an illustration tutor at Auckland University of Technology. Daron’s books include The Ultimate Survival Guide to Monsters Under Your Bed and A Crocodile in the Family.
