An exceptionally lovely and uplifting exploration of change, memories,  and relationships. Kirkus Star review Out of the blue his parents sit him down and tell him they are getting a divorce and mum is moving out tomorrow. James had no idea this was coming. His life and whole world are thrown into disarray. Something is going to happen though because each chapter is in the form of a countdown (you knew this from the title) to "launch" but a launch of what. Interspersed between the countdown chapters James shares his precious memories of all the good times with his mum and dad. He sh ..read more

Juno's dad works for an aid organisation in a faraway place. Juno is used to her dad's absence but now her mum is going away too. Juno will stay with her grandfather for a few weeks. She does know him, but she has not stayed at his house, and she is desperately missing her mum. On her first day, though, Juno discovers a water damaged doll house in the attic. Perhaps she is too old to play with this but somehow the little, fragile dolls seem to be asking for her care. Her grandfather is a woodworker and so together they build a new house for the four little dolls and then Juno uses her art sk ..read more

Learning a language is a skill I would like to have. I often think about the lucky children I meet in one of my volunteer jobs who have parents who speak to them in their native tongue. The mother of a young child in my apartment building comes from Brazil. I love hearing them speaking to one another in Portuguese. I know another family where mum speaks only German and dad speaks only English and so their three little girls are now fluent in both languages.  There is a raw honesty to this book. Rohan has a happy life in southern India. He has an especially precious relationship with his ..read more

Hanh is sold by her parents to two strangers who offer her a good job as a shop assistant in distant Hanoi. She and other girls from her village are taken to the city but that's when all the promises are broken. They are locked inside a factory, fed only rice, they are only allowed to use the bathroom twice a day, and all of them are forced to work in very dangerous factory conditions manufacturing jeans for the fast fashion industry. Perfectly good denim is distressed by sandblasting. Fabrics are dropped into vats of dangerous chemicals. Machines are used to press creases into the legs of t ..read more

This book completely surprised me. The cover made me think this would be quite a silly story about a spider but instead I discovered a story about persistence, patience and perseverance. These are indeed heavy topics but in Spiro this is all told with a light touch and tons of humour. On the title page Sprio is reading a book - the title is Advanced Web Design. We are off to a good start. Spiro needs food - a juicy fly or a scrumptious moth, or even a stink bug. I talked about this recently - did you notice I used the word (from the text) scrumptious. This is one of the reasons why it is so i ..read more

I have read hundreds or even thousands of books, especially picture books, but every now and then a new book comes along that surprises and completely delights me. The first double spread took my breath away.  Image source: Larrikin House Think about all the conversations you could have over this one page - where are they going? who can you see? how do they feel? how do you know this? what do you know about the weather and the season? can you see some things on the edge of the sand near the water? what might they find? When you walk along a beach you do have to look closely to see a ..read more

What if we are all searching for meaning in all the wrong places. What if we are looking in mirrors, websites and catalogues when meaning is not a thing that can be seen, or clicked on  or bought. What if it is only something that can be given, pushed out into the world. What if our own, individual meaning does not exist, but can only be shared, like air, like breath. What if the only true meaning is kindness? In Small Acts we meet two kids - Josh and Ollie (Olivia). Both have issues and both find school and life itself can be difficult to cope with. Luckily in their Grade Five clas ..read more

The Panda Book Award, initiated in 2008 by librarian Nadine Dewit Rosevear, invites students and teachers from participating international schools in China and beyond to vote for their favorite book published in the previous two to three school years. Titles chosen for the shortlists of the Panda Book Award meet selection criteria that focus on social justice, diversity and inclusion by up-and-coming authors and illustrators from across the world. There is an added spotlight on titles that feature Asian settings, characters or creators.  There are six separate title lists according t ..read more

Moon Mouse lives all alone on ... yes the moon! There is no one to 'squeak to' but he is used to the silence, and he keeps busy with his garden, cooking and viewing earth through his gold telescope. He especially loves to look for birthday parties.  "Lost in that joy - he forgets ... he's alone." Moon Mouse has a plan. He is building a rocket. When it is finished he hopes to go to a real birthday party - one with a magic show. Through his telescope he sees a terrific birthday with cake and singing and friends but then oh no, the little boy lets go of his birthday balloon.  Have y ..read more

"I snuggle up and read you books that you read to me ... " "I hold your hand and smile." The text in this book is an ode to a long relationship which is coming to an end. The older adult or grandparent, is losing their memory, but the grandchild works hard to maintain a connection through shared memories. The memories come from photographs and experiences such as reading books together or eating a delicious cake with cream and jam along with visiting familiar places. This book is a CBCA 2025 Picture Book Notable title. I think it might have a chance at making the shortlist.  I love to ..read more