Discover the new kids' books our booksellers are excited about this month!
Picture Books
Nature Knows
Yvette Farmer, illustrated by Chloe Jasmine Harris
Today we find ourselves surrounded by the constant hustle and bustle of day-to-day life and technology. Yvette Farmer and Chloe Jasmine Harris have tried to remind us that taking a step back and spending some time in nature can offer a much-needed reset. Nature Knows brings together beautifully calming yet vibrant illustrations and a story of a young boy and his family who need some time away from the chaos of their city home to deliver an essential message about the necessity of taking some time to stop and smell the flowers.
Scattered throughout are bite-sized facts about the calming presence of nature, such as how playing in dirt can strengthen our immune system and how seeing the morning sun helps us feel more alert and awake.
A wonderful picture book for any child feeling overwhelmed by the constant happenings of indoor living and an even better reminder for adults to stop and seek out the calming wisdom to be found in nature. For ages 3+.
Reviewed by Lili Reus-Smit.
WANTED: The Cutest Baby in the World
Davina Bell, illustrated by Sarah Zweck
Dedicated to tired parents everywhere, this picture book lets you laugh at yourself and the troublesome, tiny, master criminals you have brought into your home.
Highlighting some of the harsh truths about having a little one in your life, the book reads with a cheekiness that is humorous and brutally honest but altogether sweet. Filled with bright, playful and colourful illustrations, the pages taunt the reader with the chaos and joy that babies bring into our lives.
Opening with a detective in search of ‘the most devious supervillain the world has ever seen’, the family in the story is adamant they haven’t seen him. The detective isn’t so sure, describing to them all the horrendously silly, tiresome and tyrannical deeds that the cutest baby in the world has done – the worst of all being, of course, capturing your heart.
For new, growing or, really, any families, this picture book is the perfect story to bring a smile to your face. For ages 3+.
Reviewed by Lili Reus-Smit.
Junior Grade
The Lonely Lunch Club (Your Next Read: Silver)
Maddy Mara, illustrated by Laura Stitzel
A heartfelt and universal story about friendship, loneliness and defying expectations, The Lonely Lunch Club sees Maddy Mara (the co-writing duo behind several smash-hit series, including Dragon Girls) team up with beloved illustrator Laura Stitzel, whose work you’ll recognise from The Big Backyard Plan and 100 School Days.
Benji plays footy every lunchtime, everyone knows that! Until one Monday, he goes to sit on the worst bench in school – except, it isn’t unoccupied! Mabel the spider lives there, and Alice eats lunch there too, just so Mabel isn’t lonely. Actually, there are quite a few kids who find their way to the Lonely Lunch Club, for all sorts of reasons. But Mabel’s rickety habitat is at risk of being demolished by anything stronger than a breeze, and then where will the Lonely Lunch Club meet? This charming story of friendship and teamwork is the debut title in the Your Next Read: Silver collection for readers aged 5–8.
Reviewed by Tamuz Ellazam.
The Missing Pencil Case (Your Next Read: Silver)
Jasmin McGaughey, illustrated by Jade Goodwin
Lea is proud to have raised money selling chocolates, but disaster strikes when her pencil case goes missing, full of all her hard-earned fundraising dollars! What follows is a fun and adventurous tale of community, honesty, and looking after your things – the second book in the new series for 5–8-year-olds Your Next Read: Silver, brought to you by Affirm Kids and Your Kid’s Next Read. The series encourages young readers to develop a regular practice of reading by providing fun, approachable, and engaging titles by some of Australia’s best authors and illustrators.
The Missing Pencil Case features a diverse cast – Lea’s family and friends – who help her search and share their own past (and present!) struggles with misplacing important things. Whether read together or solo, chapter by chapter or all in one go, this fantastic new series is all about building great habits and a love of reading, while enjoying a sweet story from prolific duo Jasmin McGaughey and Jade Goodwin.
Reviewed by Tamuz Ellazam.
Middle Grade
The Boy and the Dog Tree
Fiona Wood
Mitch’s life is being uprooted. Instead of moving to Melbourne as a family, his parents are delayed by work overseas, meaning Mitch and his little sister have to go ahead and stay with their gran. A new city means a new school. Within minutes of his first day, Mitch is the target of the resident Grade 5 bully, Seb. In an attempt to fit in and keep Seb off his back, Mitch announces he’s getting a dog. He never imagined his lie would become true, but it does in the form of Argos, an ancient magical dog who emerges from an old oak tree. Argos has been summoned to help guide Mitch. But not everyone sees Argos like Mitch does – and they’ll do anything to remove the ‘wild and dangerous’ dog.
I absolutely adored this book! Mitch and his friends are lovable and relatable and prove the importance of staying true to yourself and finding your voice when it means the most. Fiona Wood has fully captured the magic of friendship between a dog and his boy.
This bewitching and humorous story is perfect for children aged 9+ who feel deeply, struggle with change, or who just love their pets. It’s sure to be a new favourite.
Reviewed by Lucie Dess.
The Lions’ Run
Sara Pennypacker, illustrated by Jon Klassen
It’s been a decade since Sarah Pennypacker’s Pax was published and now, with The Lions’ Run, she has delivered another instant classic. Like Pax, The Lions’ Run is a moving adventure story featuring animals, set during a time of conflict. In this historical novel, a boy named Lucas is resident at an abbey orphanage in a French village that is under Nazi occupation. Lucas rescues some kittens from local bullies and in his furtive efforts to care for them, forms a somewhat unlikely friendship with Alice, the bold daughter of a wealthy English horse trainer.
Alice has secrets too, as do others in the village. Lucas learns that many within his community are engaged in inspiring acts of resistance. Lucas is a great character, sensitive and kind with a moral strength that leads him to action. The final act is thrilling.
Pennypacker does a great job of acknowledging the complexities of family, class and bravery, which are major themes of the book. Don’t miss the hardcover edition, which has a stunning cover and interior illustrations by Jon Klassen. This book is set in the past, yet feels timely, and readers aged 10+ will love it.
Reviewed by Kim Gruschow.
Kids Graphic Narrative
Lamington Left Behind
Andrea Innocent
Lamington Left Behind is the fourth title to be published by Figment, an exciting new imprint of Hardie Grant that is dedicated to publishing graphic novels for young readers. It follows Gavin Aung Than’s Creature Clinic, Karen Wasson and Jake A. Minton’s Inked and Gus Gordon’s Into the Bewilderness. Each of these books has offered readers something unique, and it’s fantastic to see such high-quality publishing of talented Australian creators.
Andrea Innocent has worked across a variety of graphic media, and the bold palettes of yellows, pinks and aquas used in her debut book are striking. The story is set in a strange future populated by authoritarian robots. It follows Lamington from a life alone in the wilderness to a high-stakes supernatural conservation operation alongside talking koalas. There are shades of Mad Max evident, and the author’s love of Australia’s flora and fauna is unmistakable. Readers aged 8+ who have enjoyed Jason Pamment’s books or the Lightfall series are advised to check out this cool debut!
Reviewed by Kim Gruschow.
Kids Nonfiction
Bush Tukka Guide for Kids: Bushfoods to Gather, Cook and Share with the Whole Family
Samantha Martin
Known to many as ‘Bush Tukka Woman’, Samantha Martin is a descendant of the Jaru from the East Kimberley region. She is passionate about honouring and sharing the traditional foods and culture of Australia’s Indigenous people. This edition of her Bush Tukka Guide has been created with younger readers in mind. The book introduces us to the diverse cultures, geography and climates within Australia, and within these, an incredible array of foods. Martin uses a field-guide style and each food is listed alongside a photograph, Aboriginal and botanical names, and other information relating to location, seasons, cooking methods, nutritional values and medicinal uses.
Importantly, the book also includes relevant advice regarding safety and conservation. There are tips for those who wish to start a bush tukka garden, and the family-friendly recipes will inspire young chefs who will surely be excited to eat bush tukka after reading this book. For ages 7+.
Reviewed by Kim Gruschow.
Kids Classic of the Month
Witch Week (Chrestomanci, Book 3)
Diana Wynne Jones
A hidden gem written four years before her most celebrated work (Howl’s Moving Castle), Diana Wynne Jones’s Witch Week is the perfect blend of boarding-school drama, parallel-world fantasy and characterisation by a master at the peak of her powers.
In a world where witchcraft is a crime punishable by death, Larwood House fills a sad necessity – the education of witch orphans. The strictly regimented curriculum, which includes mandatory journalling, is designed to produce compliant, obedient children, but everything begins to unravel when an anonymous note appears: ‘SOMEONE IN THIS CLASS IS A WITCH’.
Through journal entries and multiple points of view, we watch as the school devolves into suspiciously magical behaviour, pranks and puritanical finger-pointing. Set over the last four days of October 1981, Witch Week is a reminder that we’re never as strange, as alone, or as unredeemable as we feel, and that, in fact, the things that make us feel different are often what others find most fascinating and admirable.
A timeless example of why this student of both J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis, a mother who was frustrated with the poor fare available for her children, a mentor and an icon in the fantasy community, is more than overdue for a re-read. For ages 10+.
Reviewed by Tamuz Ellazam.
