There are so many fantastic new books this month as we zoom to the end of the year. Our Book of the Month is a delightful picture book about a penguin who loves to explore the world. We also have a graphic novel about a flying pig, a story about voices missing from the history books, and a beautiful re-imagining of the Snow Queen. In non-fiction, we have a picture book autobiography by Australia’s sprint queen, Cathy Freeman, and Tim Flannery writing about dinosaurs and other weird creatures from the past. Our Classic of the Month is an Australian story of schoolyard rivalries reviewed by our head book buyer, Alison Huber. Plenty of potential presents and great reading to discover!

For our young adult new releases for November visit here.

CHILDREN’S BOOK OF THE MONTH

Plume: World Explorer by Tania McCartney

Plume is not your typical Antarctic penguin. Sporting a bright yellow plume on the top of his head, Plume is bored of black and white, of shuffling around and snoozing on icebergs. He much prefers to cook, read, knit and sky dive. He craves colour, adventure, excitement! He wants to seize the world he’s discovered in the books of his library.

Plume’s great hope is to grow the hearts and minds of his friends. Through his travels, children will engage with friendship, acceptance, understanding and the wellbeing of our planet.

Suitable for children aged 4 and up.

MORE GREAT CHILDREN’S BOOKS TO ENJOY THIS MONTH

Batpig: When Pigs Fly by Rob Harrell

Gary Yorkshire was your perfectly average, fuzzy pink pig who loved eating tasty sandwiches, playing video games and hanging out with his friends Carl the fish and Brooklyn the bat.

Now, he’s an unstoppable super-swine hero who boldly fights for justice - from catching litterers to defeating powerful supervillains intent on destruction.

Will Batpig prevail? And will he find a suitable spandex costume to flatter his rear end?

Fun reading for ages 7 and up.

Frindleswylde by Natalie and Lauren O'Hara

When the mysterious boy Frindleswylde enters Cora and Grandma’s house in the woods, he steals the light from their lantern. Without it, Grandma will not be able to return home after work in the dark. Cora is determined to get the lantern back, but first she must follow Frindleswylde down a hole in the pond that leads to his magical frozen kingdom, where he sets her three Impossible Tasks.

Reminiscent of The Snow Queen, beautifully written and sumptuously illustrated, Frindleswylde is a classic in the making.

Suitable for children aged 5 and up.

Lion Above the Door by Onjali Q. Rauf

Leo and his best friend Sangeeta are the odd ones out in their school. Leo’s dad is always telling him, it’s because they’re special. But if they’re so special, how come they never see anyone who looks like them in their school history books?

Then, on a class trip to a nearby cathedral, Leo’s attention is drawn to a large marble slab high above the doors of the hall. In the middle of a list of war heroes, Leo finds himself staring at something incredible: his own name.

The two friends embark on a search to uncover missing stories from the past, which they are determined to put back into their rightful place in the pages of history.

Suitable for readers aged 9 and up.

Born to Run by Cathy Freeman

As a little girl, Cathy Freeman had only had one dream - to win a gold medal at the Olympics. At twenty-seven years old, that dream came true. At the Sydney 2000 Games, she crossed the finish line, won a gold medal for Australia and became a national hero. How did she go from being a little girl who loved to run to an inspiration to people around the world?

Accompanied by beautiful illustrations by Charmaine Ledden-Lewis, Cathy tells her story about where self belief, hard work and the power of a loving family can take you.

Suitable for children aged 4 and up.

Explore Your World: Weirdest Creatures in Time by Tim Flannery

You’re about to meet the weirdest, wildest and most amazing animals that have ever lived - and died!

Could you outrun a T-rex? Can mushrooms talk to each other? Which dinosaur had a second brain near its butt? Did the Earth used to be a giant snowball? What do human-sized scorpions eat? Fire up the time machine - you’re about to find out!

Each page is packed with vibrant illustrations and bursting with bizarre facts about the incredible creatures that once roamed the Earth - prepare to gasp, laugh and squirm in disgust!

Suitable for readers aged 7 and up.

OUR CHILDREN’S CLASSIC OF THE MONTH

Hating Alison Ashley by Robin Klein

Erica Yurken knew she was destined for great things. Never in any doubt about her own genius, she felt superior to everyone at notorious Barringa East…that is, until Alison Ashley turned up.

In between dealing with her embarrasing family and focusing on her on-screen destiny the arrival of perfect Alison Ashley at Barringa East turns Erica Yurken’s fairytale world around as, from the moment Alison arrives, Erica becomes determined to hate her.

Suitable for readers aged 9 and up.

NEWS AND EVENTS THIS MONTH

• Explore our collection of recent children’s books in translation here.

• We’ve also curated a collection of books for the children who are deep thinkers right here.

• Hear celebrity and skincare mogul, Zoe Foster Blake, talk about her latest book Scaredy Bath and why she writes books for children in this article from The Age.

• Here is a collection of beloved WWII stories for children, contemporary and classic.

• Plus, it’s nearly Christmas! Here is a list of our favourite new and classic books about Christmas for kids.