This month’s book is a picture book, beautifully written and illustrated and full of gentle wisdom. Allow me to present… Bear and Rat Written by Christopher Cheng and illustrated by Stephen Michael King Bear and Rat are the best of friends who do everything together, but Rat wonders if Bear will always be there to hold her hand, no matter what happens… A powerful and uplifting story about loving friendship, even through the hardest of times. The story of Bear and Rat is told as a conversation between the two friends as they walk and journey together. Rat asks a series of questions, beginni ..read more

This month I’ve chosen a junior non-fiction book to share with you. I love folklore and old wives’ tales, so I really enjoyed poring over this beauty… Lore of the Wild: Folklore & Wisdom From Nature Written by Claire Cock-Starkey and illustrated by Aitch Did you know that people used to believe that rabbits’ ears would twitch in the direction of a thunderstorm? That lilies could be used as fairy lamps? And that taking dandelions into the house would make you wet the bed? Through folk tales and ancient lore from around the world, discover how to decode the wild wisdom and sage signs natu ..read more

Next week Refugee Week will be celebrated across the globe. This year’s theme is Healing and will be “a celebration of community, mutual care, and the human ability to start again” (Refugee Week, 2020). In previous years to mark this event, I have shared picture books about refugees and explored how libraries support refugees to settle into their new lives. This year I would like to re-post my review of a junior fiction book that has won several awards for its story featuring a child refugee from Syria. Without further ado, let me present… The Boy at the Back of the Class Written by ..read more

This month’s book has been shortlisted for this year’s CBCA Book of the Year: Younger Readers. Allow me to present… The Detective’s Guide to Ocean Travel Written by Nicki Greenberg and illustrated by Sylvia Morris For as long as she can remember, Pepper Stark has wanted one thing: to join her father, the Captain, aboard the magnificent RMS Aquitania on a voyage to New York. She has never been allowed to set foot on her father’s ship-until now. From the decadent food to the star-studded passenger list, travelling First Class on the Aquitania is every bit as glamorous as Pepper had imagined ..read more

I read loads of brilliant books in April, which made it difficult to choose a book of the month. This one came out on top… The Lion Above the Door Written by Onjali Q. Raúf and illustrated by Pippa Curnick Ever since I can remember, people have always stared at me and my family. Dad tells me it’s because we’re ‘special’. But there’s never anyone who looks like us, or my best friend Sangeeta, in my school history books. But this year is different. Because on our school trip to learn about the Second World War, I saw my name – my exact name – carved high above a church door, lying beneath a g ..read more

Today may be April Fool’s Day, but I’m not kidding when I say this is a beautiful book… Pax, Journey Home Written by Sara Pennypacker and illustrated by Jon Klassen It’s been a year since Peter and his pet fox, Pax, have seen each other. Once inseparable, they now lead very different lives. Pax and his mate, Bristle, have welcomed a litter of kits they must protect in a dangerous world. Meanwhile, Peter-newly orphaned, racked with guilt and loneliness-joins the Water Warriors, a group of people determined to heal the land after the scars of war. When one of Pax’s kits falls desperately ill ..read more

World Poetry Day, a UNESCO initiative, is held each year on 21st March. It is an opportunity to recognise the importance of poetry within cultures and the role it plays in uniting people across the world. Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO conveys this in her 2022 World Poetry Day message: “As an intimate form of expression  that opens doors to others, poetry enriches the dialogue that catalyses all human  progress, and is more necessary than ever in turbulent times” (UNESCO, 2021). To celebrate this occasion, allow me to present a collection of poets, poetry books and poems ..read more

Another month, another brilliant book. Without further ado, may I present… Dragon Skin Written by Karen Foxlee and illustrated by Dale Newman How to save a dragon Assemble equipment. Water, Weet-Bix, sugar, syringe, sticky tape, scissors. Believe in everything. Pip never wants to go home. She likes to sit at the waterhole at dusk and remember Mika, her best friend. At home her mother’s not the same since her boyfriend moved in. They don’t laugh anymore and Pip has to go to bed early, turn off her light and pretend she doesn’t exist. When she finds a half-dead creature at the waterhole, ev ..read more

Australia has extraordinary trees, birds and animals, many of which are unique to the country. In honour of these, I’ve gathered together a collection of books that celebrate the wildlife of this Great Southern Land. What’s Out There? Amazing Plants, Rocks, Creatures and Cultures That Make Australia Extraordinary Written and illustrated by Nicole Stewart We all know about kangaroos, koalas and gum trees, but have you ever heard of the pademelon, handfish or idiot fruit tree? Would you recognise a wombat poo or the cry of a yellow wattlebird, or know how to say kangaroo in Guuguyimithirr? A ..read more

At the beginning of last year, I wrote a post about a Reading Challenge for 2021. I thought I would put my money where my mouth is and undertake the challenge myself. I did and here are the books I read… 1. A book with interesting typography The Wrong End of the Stick Written by Philip Ardagh and illustrated by Elissa Elwick When Sally Stick and her dog (and best friend) Fetch set up a temporary DETECTIVE office at Uncle Bob’s, they soon find plenty of cases to solve… even when there aren’t any. Then they end up catching a real, live CRIMINAL! This is the second book in the Stick and Fetc ..read more