It is nearly time for the April picture book party! I am very excited to welcome back the brilliant Liz Ledden as our special guest. We will be chatting ‘Representation in Stories’ and also celebrating Liz’s wonderful new picture book ‘Everyone Wants an Octopus Book‘ , beautifully illustrated by Makoto Koji. Here are the chat questions! Q1. Why is representation in picture books important? Share favourite picture books that are examples of inclusive and representative stories #picbookc Q2. What characters do you think are over-represented and under-represented in picture books? Why? #picbookb ..read more

The chat is back for 2024! Hooray! I am so excited to welcome the amazing Binny Talib to the chat for the first time! Bring your party hat and dancing shoes as we chat animals in picture books that love to party! We will also be celebrating Binny and Rory’s fun and vibrant new picture book ‘Sloth’s Love Parties‘. Here are the chat questions! Q1. What are your favourite picture books that feature animals that love to party! Share pics! #picbookbc Q2. What do you love about picture books featuring animals and parties/celebrations? #picbookbc Q3. Sloths are very sleepy and slow, who would hav ..read more

It is nearly time for the final picture book party of the year! I am very excited that the delightful Tania McCartney will be joining us as for some festive fun! We will also be celebrating Tania’s gorgeous picture book ‘Plume:Christmas Elf’ – a sparkly picture book that celebrates the joy and magic of Christmas around the world – all wrapped up with a visit to Santa’s workshop in the North Pole. Horray for Plume! Thanks to Hardie Grant Books, one lucky chat participant will win a copy! Here are the chat questions Q1. What’s your favourite picture books/s that celebrate Christmas? Share a ..read more

The countdown is on! 3 sleeps until the October picture book party! This month we are chatting ‘tricky topics’ in picture books with the brilliant Zewlan Moor. We will also be celebrating Zewlan’s wonderful picture book ‘Nothing Alike‘ which is a ‘masterful picture book about race and perception‘ , beautifully illustrated by Peter Cheong. Here are the chat questions! Q1. What are your favourite picture books that deal with ‘tricky topic’?! Share pics! #picbookbc Q2. Which picture books are good conversation starters and why? #picbookbc Q3. Is didacticism ever good? #picbookbc Q4. Is exploring ..read more

Horray! It is nearly time for another picture book party! This month we are chatting about ‘grief and loss’ in picture books and will be joined by the wonderful Kaye Baillie . We will also be celebrating Kaye’s recent picture book ‘Mizuto and the Wind’ which is a story about the forces of nature, grief, family and the importance of hope. It is beautifully illustrated by Luisa Gioffre-Suzuki. Here are the chat questions! Q1. What are your favourite picture books with themes of grief and loss? Share pics #picbookbc Q2. Why is it important for bookshelves to include picture books with sad themes ..read more

Horray! Our August #picbookbc chat is only 4 sleeps away! We are super excited to be celebrating ‘friendship’ themed picture books with Andrea Rowe! We will be also celebrating her brand new picture book ‘Sunday Skating’ , beautifully illustrated by Hannah Sommerville. Thanks to Hardie Grant Books, one lucky chat participant will win a copy! Here are the chat questions! Q1. What’s your favourite picture book/s that celebrate friendship and being cheerleaders for each other? Share a pic! #picbookbc Q2. What can the friendships in picture books teach us about dealing with difficult situations a ..read more

Horray! It is nearly time for another awesome picture book party. We are super lucky to have Amelia McInerney joining us this month! We will be chatting ocean themed picture books and celebrating the super fun ‘Neil the Amazing Sea Cucumber‘ written by Amelia and illustrated by Lucinda Gifford. Thanks to Affirm Press, one lucky chat participant will win a copy! Q1. Dipping into the deep blue ocean of picture books, what’s your favourite ocean themed book? Share a pic! #picbookbc Q2. Share a favourite non-fiction picture book about the ocean #picbookbc Q3. Do you think we talk enough about oce ..read more

Horray! It is nearly time for the June picture book party! This month special guest Ashleigh Barton is taking us ‘around the world’ as we celebrate her new picture book ‘How Do You Say Hello?‘, featuring beautiful illustrations by Martina Heiduczek. Here are the chat questions!  Q1. What are your favourite picture books that take you around the world?! Share a pic! #picbookbc Q2. Share a picture book that teaches the reader about another culture #picbookbc Q3.Why is it so important for bookshelves to include picture books that are set in different countries? #picbookbc Q4. What is ..read more

The countdown is on! Only 3 sleeps until the May picture book party! This month we will be chatting about ‘Music’ themed picture books! I am also super excited that we will be joined by special guest David Litchfield! (so cool!!) Here are the chat questions!  Q1. What are your favourite picture book featuring music?! Share a pic! #picbookbc Q2. What is so appealing about a music theme in picture books? Can they help encourage a love of music? #picbookbc Q3. Have you noticed any common themes /lessons featured in picture books with a music theme #picbookbc Q4. What does music mean to ..read more

Horray! It is nearly picture book party time! I am super excited to welcome back Deb Tidball as our special guest! We will be chatting ‘vehicle’ themed picture books and celebrating Deb’s gorgeous new book ‘Anchored’, which is beautifully illustrated by Arielle Li. A lucky chat participant will win a copy thanks to E K Books! ‘In this sensitive tale, Tug and Ship are connected by bonds of love despite being oceans apart. Anchored honors the intrinsic value and worth of a child, the parent–child bond, attachment and the sustaining power of love. It’s an empowering story that will give children ..read more