Children's & Young Adult Books
Easter bilbies, mums, fun things: new picture books from Harper Collins
Easter is on the way; the shops full of soft toy bunnies, Easter buns and chocolate eggs. So an Easter-themed picture book is timely, especially as this one is all about bilbies, not bunnies.
Are you the Easter Bunny? by Janeen Brian and Lucinda Gifford features simple, rhyming text and bright, ochre-and-grey themed illustrations. Children can learn about the unique features of this endangered marsupial, and how its habits like digging tunnels for shelter actually contribute to the long-term health of the desert landscapes in which it lives. A lovely accompaniment to a chocolate Easter Bilby, perhaps?
Published in January 2026What do you call your Mum? continues one of my favourite Australian series for youngsters. Written by Ashleigh Barton and illustrated by Martina Heiduczek, it explores words for ‘mum’ used by children in a range of languages including Scottish Gaelic, Arabic, Cherokee, Gumbaynggirr, Malay and Somali (to name a few).
I love these books for their gorgeous richly detailed pictures and the way cultures and languages are celebrated along with different family roles.
Published February 2026Now for something different. Australian vet Dr Claire Stevens has written all about the weird, wacky and downright disgusting creatures of our planet. In Gross Things Animals Eat, she explains the food chain, how different foods help animals grow and stay healthy. The ‘gross things’ are just that: dirt, poop, wood, vomit, blood, rotting animals…kids will love squirming at these fun facts.
The humorous illustrations by Adele K Thomas give a chuckle along with the eeewwws.
Published in March 2026In contrast, Tiny Good Things by Gabrielle Tozer and Sophie Beer, is a picture book that encourages children and adults to look carefully, slow down, notice the little things in the world that can bring pleasure and happiness. I guess it’s aligned with the mindfulness/gratitude movement, which we certainly need more of in our world! The pastel illustrations tap into the child’s imagination as the text hints at adventures above the clouds or beneath the sea. This one celebrates tiny wonders from ordinary days.
Published March 2026These four Australian picture books all published by various imprints of HarperCollins Children’s Books.
My thanks to the publishers for copies to review.Crime fiction for kids: ‘The Lost Ghosts of Lawson’ by Antony Mann
Several months ago, Blue Mountains creative Antony Mann was in my husband’s recording studio working on a new project. (Shout out to Blue Mountain Sound!) Over lunch, Antony happened to mention he was also a writer and had published a children’s book. Of course I pricked up my ears! Being an avid supporter of books for children and of local creatives, I was interested.
In one of those serendipitous moments that can sometimes occur, a little later I was having coffee at a local cafe when I spied copies of The Lost Ghosts of Lawson for sale on a counter. Bingo!
This book is aimed at middle-grade readers, from later primary school to early teens. It is perfect for readers who can handle slightly darker themes, because it is essentially a crime novel for kids.
At the centre is Lewen, who with his mum, dad and younger sister Anna, has just moved to the Blue Mountains from a Sydney beach suburb. Obviously there are many changes he has to adjust to: a very different physical environment (no beaches for a start), a new school where he struggles to fit in, missing his old friends and neighbourhood. Oh, and the ghosts that populate the old house in Lawson the family have moved into, and its surrounding streets.
These are the ghosts of youngsters who have died decades ago, and Lewen and Anna can both see and speak to them. Tricky enough, you’d think, but it gets even more complicated when Lewen begins to suspect that at least one of the children died, not from an accident, but at the hands of an adult.
So, definitely a dark-ish theme there.
This realisation begins a search for clues helped by a girl who goes to the same local school. Roxanne is a bit odd, but friendly, and she and Lewen embark on an investigation into what happened all those years ago, in their very street.
Despite the serious subject, there are moments of humour, especially from the mostly friendly ghost children, and some of the antics that they get up to.
The novel encompasses themes of friendship, right and wrong, duplicity and trust. And it was an absolute delight for a Blue Mountains resident to read a work of fiction where so many familiar places take centre stage. Most of the action takes place just up the road from me and the author has done an admirable job portraying the special nature of the physical environment, heritage and community of the Mountains.
The Lost Ghosts of Lawson will suit readers who are ready for an engrossing story that tackles grittier themes with a slight fantasy and adventure bent.
It was published by Loose Parts Press in 2023.All about school: three picture books for newbies
It’s February and all across Australia, families are getting set for the first day of ‘big school’ as five year olds enter the world of formal education for the first time.
Here are three picture books to ease the transition and explore what littlies can expect.
How to Go To Big School by Sarah Ayoub and Mimi Purnell uses rhyming couplets and soft illustrations to go through all the steps of the first day: packing a lunch and putting on the school uniform, meeting the teacher, new routines and activities, games and making new friends. A great way to reinforce what most kindergarten transition programs aim to do, perfect reading for the days before the Big Day.
All About Starting School by Felicity Brooks and Mar Ferrero is a more interactive type of book, full of helpful info about every aspect of the school experience, where kids can answer prompts, draw pictures, or ask questions. It has an inclusive focus and whilst it has a UK slant, it refers to lots of different styles of schools across the world, with pictures that show a diverse range of children, grown-ups and school settings. It also has some helpful guidance at the back for adults. The many small cartoon-like illustrations invite close examination and ‘spotto’ type games.
The Wheels on the Bus and Other Songs is not strictly about starting school, though as many children will end up travelling there by bus at some stage, it’s absolutely relevant to the whole school experience. And its almost a guarantee that there will be a copy or two of this book in kindergarten classrooms and school libraries. Australian readers will be very familiar with the title song and the characters in this one: Big Ted, Jemima, Humpty, etc, all beloved members of the long-running ABC children’s TV series ‘PlaySchool.’ Along with the ‘Bus’ song, it includes other well known ones like ‘Five Little Ducks’, ‘Teddy Bear’, and ‘Little Peter Rabbit.’ This one just begs to be read (and sung) together and might be the perfect antidote to the night-before-the-big-day nerves.
These three books were all published by HarperCollins Children’s Books in November 2025.
My thanks to the publishers for review copies.For the adventurous ones: ‘The Cherayroos: Underground Rules’ by S.P.Doran
The Cherayroos: Underground Rules is all about an adventurous explorer from a little community beneath our feet.
Chie lives in CherayrooVille, beneath the WhisperDeep forest. The village is enclosed in the ancient winding roots of the Tree of Solace, where little fluffy creatures with twiggy legs and arms and big, saucer eyes (and very strange noses) dwell happily.
They obey the Rootscript of Rules which define how they are to live, study, and work. The most important one is that they are never to leave the village – which is okay for most, but not for Chie, as he is keen to explore the Above and prove his bravery.
What follows is a series of adventures as Chie sets off to find the way out of CherayrooVille and see what lies Above. He meets other creatures, some helpful, some grumpy and some plain scary, but in the end he realises that, while adventures are exciting, the rules are there to protect him and others, and really, all he had to do was ask to make his dream come true.
This is a lovely book for very early readers or to be read aloud. The text is nice and big, on pages that resemble parchment or an old manuscript, complimenting the detailed, richly coloured illustrations. The chapters are short and the narrative moves along at a brisk pace to keep youngsters involved.
Perhaps in homage to Tolkein, there is a terrific map (reminiscent of The Hobbit) and snippets of Cherayroo words and phrases used, with a glossary at the back. I confess I found these a bit confusing due to them all starting with ‘ch’ – but that’s probably just me. At the back the author has included some interesting questions for children to consider about the story and its world.
The book is all about exploring, being curious and adventurous, and encouraging youngsters to observe and ask questions about the world around them. I admire writers who work to get their ideas out there and I hope this one continues with this world and the characters he has created, in future books.
I could also see a fabulous animated adaption of this story appealing to young fans!The Cherayroos: Underground Rules is available in ebook and print versions on Amazon, and via the author’s website.
My thanks to the author for a review copy.Library treasures: ‘A Waltz for Matilda’ by Jackie French
I’ve had this one on my shelf for several years now, picked up at a street library, and finally had a chance to read it. So glad I did! First published in 2010, it is an imaginative re-telling of the origin story of arguably Australia’s most famous (and certainly beloved) folk song, Waltzing Matilda.
Once a jolly swagman camped by a billabong
Under the shade of a coolabah tree,
And he sang as he watched and waited till his billy boiled
‘You’ll come a’waltzing Matilda with me.’In this story, Matilda is a girl living with her very sick mother in an inner-city slum, working long hours in a jam factory to try to make ends meet. When her mother dies, she is left alone to fend for herself in an unkind world.
She goes in search of her long-lost father, a man her mother described as a ‘golden man’, though the couple had separated years earlier. The quest takes her to a drought-stricken isolated sheep farm on the outskirts of a small town, neighbouring a large run established by a squatter, Mr Drinkwater.
Her father welcomes her into his life but because of the drought, is about to leave his farm and go ‘on the track’ as a swagman, searching for work as he travels. He agrees that Matilda can accompany him, because where else is she to go?
Their journey together is cut short, though. Mr Drinkwater traps her father as they camped by a billabong, with troopers arriving to arrest him on a trumped-up charge of sheep stealing. He drowns (no spoiler here, the song says it all) and Matilda is once again on her own.
She decides to go back to her father’s farm and try to make a go of it, with the help of several others who come to help in honour of her father’s memory. He was a man much admired by the shearers and other workers in the district, because of his activism around shearer’s rights and the movement towards a national federated nation, able to pass laws to protect the rights of the more vulnerable in the community.
As always with a Jackie French novel, the story weaves in several important historical events and themes: the crippling1890s drought and subsequent economic depression; movements for better working conditions, women’s suffrage and temperance; conflict between wealthy squatters and the indigenous people of the land they stole.
It also deals unblinkingly with the racism of the time, the way that the move towards a united nation of Australia was motivated by ideals but also by self -interest and racist attitides, especially towards Aboriginal people and the Chinese. I love how this author does not shy away from the more difficult parts of our nation’s history.
A Waltz for Matilda is a big story, and book one of the ‘Matilda’ series. It’s very readable, with moments of both humour and sadness, and characters you can care about. Matilda is an admirable figure and it is a delight to watch her growth from orphaned girl to capable young woman. Best of all, it’s a wonderful way to introduce some important history to young Australian readers. Perfect for middle grade to young adult readers, this (no longer young) reader recommends it highly!
A Waltz for Matilda was published by Angus & Robertson in 2010.
Christmas book bonanza
The last months of the year are undoubtably the busiest in the publishing and bookselling world. The big blockbusters for holiday reading, the gifts for under the Christmas tree, the beautiful recipe books for those who harbour fond hopes of cooking a lot while on their summer break.
And thankfully, there is also a plethora of books for children hitting the shelves. Books make the best Christmas gifts and matching the book to the right young reader is a special pleasure.
Here are four picture books to choose from, for those little readers in your life.
The Christmas Tree Catastrophe by Emma Bowd and Matt Shanks is a funny, light-hearted story of a crooked Christmas tree, bickering baubles, a grumpy nutcracker and a cat-and-mouse chase that goes terribly wrong. With a nod to the classic ‘The Night Before Christmas’, this rollicking poem positions a clever little gingerbread man and some nifty geometry as rescuers, restoring everything to its rightful place before Santa’s arrival.
Published by HarperCollins Children’s books.
This is an Elf by Beck & Matt Stanton is absolutely a book that begs to be read aloud. It posits nonsense ‘facts’ which are humorously contradicted by the bright, simple illustrations.
Kids will adore shouting ‘NO!!!’ as pages ask them to agree that a candle is a Christmas tree and a reindeer an elf. It’s a fun scramble through Christmas icons, turning each of them on their head.
Published by ABC Kids, an imprint of HarperCollins Children’s Books.
A Barney and Gumnut Christmas explores different Christmas experiences as the koala, Barney, is asked by his furry and feathered friends ‘What does Christmas actually mean?’
Is it celebrating with friends, getting and giving presents, swimming in the creek, games and naps, Christmas food, decorations, camping and making wishes on a shooting star? Perhaps it can be any or all of those things. The four friends find their own ways to share their Christmas ideas together.
This one is a large format books, which allows the gentle, detailed illustrations to really shine.
Published by HarperCollins Children’s Books
A Song for the King is a gentle re-telling of the nativity story, but told through the experience of three young animals who love to sing: a donkey, a lamb and a camel.
Sent away because their voices sound raucous and loud to the villagers, they learn to keep quiet – until they witness the birth of a baby boy in Bethlehem and come together once more to give voice to their feelings of joy, love and peace.
This one is written by Katrina Nannestad and illustrated by Freya Blackwood, both of whom number amongst my most-admired in the Australian children’s book world.
It was published by ABC Kids, an imprint of HarperCollins Children’s Books.All of these titles were published in August and September 2025. My thanks to the publishers for review copies.
More Australian favourites: three new picture books
Jackie French, one of my favourite authors of both adult’s and children’s books, has a new release in a series that focuses on animals and the way environmental events like fire, flood and drought affect them. You can read my reviews of the first two, The Fire Wombat, and The Turtle and the Flood.
In book three, we meet Joseph, a young kangaroo in a mob trying to survive drought. The effects of the challenging environment and deprivation are described vividly: the animals’ thin tails, their listlessness. Joseph senses water from afar and he decides to go in search of it. It’s a risk, but he knows that he and his mob won’t survive long without life-saving water and fresh grass.
None of his mob follow, so he must journey a long way on his own, under a hard, hot sky and plains of dust and rock. All of the animals and birds on his way call out for water as he passes through their country. His adventures include one drawn from the author’s own experience – a collision between a kangaroo and her (thankfully stopped) car. The kangaroo was unhurt but the incident began a long connection between her and the animal, which stayed around her property long afterwards.
In the story, it eventually rains and the land around Joseph is transformed with running creeks and lush new grass. He is challenged, but unharmed, by the Big Roo of a mob of kangaroos in the new land he has travelled to, and accepted as one of their own. This is now his home.
This simple story encapsulates the struggle of Australia’s animals and birds when faced with drought, and the survival strategies they use. But I think it’s also about the human response to danger and disaster, and the search for a better life – perhaps a plea for understanding the situations of the increasing number of ‘environmental refugees’ in the world, escaping from intolerable conditions brought about by the climate crisis.
Ms French is well known for her advocacy for animals and environmental protection, and her NSW property is a haven for wildlife. As she remarks in her short Author’s Note: A wild animal can be a friend, even if you never share a word.
The illustrations by Danny Snell reflect the colours of a parched Australian landscape: browns, olives, ochre; but also the welcome cool blue of a billabong when rain does come.
The Drought Kangaroo is published by Angus & Robertson, an imprint of HarperCollins Children’s Books, in October 2025.
Ash Barty, tennis star turned inspiration for children’s books, offers a celebration of the joys of a beachside camping holiday with family and friends, in My Dream Holiday, written with Jasmin McGaughey and illustrated by Jade Goodwin.
Every sizzling summer, my family travels to Minjerribah (North Stradbroke Island) for our dream holiday. We are excited to meet our cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents there.
We will spend days doing all of our favourite things while exploring the beach, bush and creeks.I wonder if fewer children nowadays experience the fun of a camping holiday? Any kids who’ve not had this experience will no doubt want to after reading this book, filled as it is with tents, a campfire, beach games, snorkelling, footy and fishing. And at night, telling scary stories and then sleeping curled up tight in a tent with your pet.
It’s a bright, colourful book that oozes the charms of familiar summer holidays in a familiar place, surrounded by the people you love.
My Dream Holiday was published by HarperCollins Children’s Books in September 2025.
My Story, Our Country: A First Nations Family History is a follow up to Learning Country: A First Nations Journey Around Australia’s Traditional Place Names, by Gudanji/Wakaja artist and storyteller Ryhia Dank. Here, the author explores her own family stories and experiences, reflecting on culture, language, traditional practices. Of course it also encompasses some historical as well as contemporary perspectives.
The narrative includes both celebratory and destructive realities: the loss of traditional land management practices (now being revived) and healthy traditional foods; modern adaptations of cultural practices (from body scarring to tattooing, for example); the hurt and sadness caused by the government policy of removal of indigenous children from their families; the theft of artefacts by explorers and settlers and the long campaigns to have them returned.
The strong theme throughout is
We may look and sound different to our ancestors, but we are the same too. We are still strong, still here and still Aboriginal.
The artwork is beautiful: traditional motifs and design features tell the story of the book in a visual language but the pictures also incorporate text and contemporary images to make a fascinating meld.
One other point I will make about this book is that, despite being in picture book format, it is not really a book for very young readers. The language and concepts are better suited to older children, middle-grade ages for example.
It is a beautiful way to introduce, or reinforce, important ideas and perspectives about Australia, its past and present, and hope for our collective future.
My Story, Our Country is published by Harper By Design in October 2025.
My thanks to the publishers for review copies of these new books. Look out for them in your local library or bookstore.
Immersive adventures for kids: ‘Revenge of the Barbarians’ by S J Morris
I was contacted by the author of this novel for middle grade readers, asking if I’d be interested in writing a review. Since it is a life mission of mine to encourage young readers to fall in love with historical fiction, of course I said yes.
Revenge of the Barbarians is set in Roman-ruled Britain, and the author has planned a whole series of similar books set in different historical times and places. Fabulous idea.
As the series name suggests (Time Path Adventures) the book is of the ‘choose your own adventure’ genre. Each small chapter allows the reader to choose one of three next step options, and be directed to the appropriate page for that choice. The options vary (from the relatively ‘safe’ to the definitely adventurous) and each next step, of course, offers further options. There are several chapters which eventually readers will land on, which serve as resolutions (again, varied) to the story.
The added bonus is that readers can go back and choose a different option to see where it leads, as many times as they wish.
The book is written in present tense and second person point of view, addressing the reader as ‘you’. This is a powerful way to immediately engage readers and make them a central part of the narrative.
It opens with the main character (the reader) as a youngster in Roman-controlled Fort Vindolanda near Hadrian’s Wall, needing to respond to a definitely scary scenario. A frightened messenger has just arrived, babbling about ‘eyes in the forest’. Is this a group of Calendonian barbarians about to invade? Or something to do with the magic of the Celtic Druids that appear and disappear in mysterious ways? What to do: report the situation to the disbelieving adults at the fort, or investigate yourself?
What I enjoyed about this book is that the author asserts in the preface that ‘history should never be boring’, then proves why, with an adventure that keeps the pages turning. There are dollops of humour, too, of the type youngsters will definitely enjoy (latrine jokes, anyone?)
I also love that there are many historical details sprinkled throughout, based on real history. There’s a helpful Glossary right at the beginning so that any readers not familiar with aspects of ancient Rome can quickly find the info there.
A terrific start to a promising series for younger readers that will be sure to engage and – I’m sure – turn them onto historical fiction.
Revenge of the Barbarians was published by Time Path Adventures in 2025 and is available on Amazon books.
My thanks to the author for a review copy.Creativity and friendship: ‘Millie Mak Makes Her Mark’ by Alice Pung
The third and final book in the ‘Millie Mak’ series (my review of book 2 is here) takes young readers back into Millie’s world: family, friends, being creative with crafts and textiles.
Her world extends just a little in the two stories within this book. In ‘Home Work’ she discovers that looking after younger siblings doesn’t always have to be frustrating and annoying. She meets new friends and has insights into the lives of others, beyond her own small family. She experiences heartache and worry when her beloved Pop becomes unwell. And through it all, she uses her creative skills to stitch together bonds with her closest friends and her neighbours.
‘The Lotus’ introduces other concerns: the anxiety experienced by one of her friends; issues of the environment, especially the problems of ‘fast fashion’; the hardships faced by people in other countries and past times. Once again, the ‘Fru-Gals’ use their special skills to find solutions to some of these and in doing so, their friendships are reaffirmed and strengthened.
The Millie Mak books are odes to the values of kindness, creativity, neighbourliness, doing your bit to help, and having fun.
The lovely black and white illustrations by Sher Rill Ng once again bring Millie and her friends to life on the page.Millie Mak Makes Her Mark was published by HarperCollins Children’s books in August 2025.
My thanks to the publishers for a review copy.Island life: ‘Spirit of the Crocodile’ by Aaron Fa’Aoso & Michelle Scott Tucker with Lyn White
A middle-grade story about a youngster growing up on Saibai Island in the Torres Strait, this well-told yarn skilfully introduces aspects of daily life and the unique Torres Strait culture in a lively and relateable way.
Ezra is twelve, and he and his best mate Mason love their life on Saibai, where they fish, go to school, play sport, learn Island dance and song, and try (sometimes unsuccessfully) to stay out of trouble.
But the school year is drawing to a close and next year they must leave Saibai and travel to Thursday Island, where the nearest high school is located. This means being away from home and family for much of the year. While Mason is keen for the adventure, Ezra is not so sure. Why can’t everything just stay as it is?
Then trouble arrives with a dangerous, out-of-season storm combined with a surprise high tide that hits the island. It poses a threat to everything Ezra holds dear – his home, even his loved ones. And he and Mason are called on to help out in the emergency. Can Ezra measure up to the expectations? It’s a scary time and even the adults around him are troubled by this disaster. Is this another result of climate change, along with the rising sea waters that may eventually swallow their beloved island?
The story opens with the excitement of a crocodile spotted on the island’s jetty. The crocodile is the totem of Ezra’s clan – Koedal – and as the novel progresses, he draws strength from the knowledge that his totem animal represents ancient power and toughness.
Readers will learn much about aspects of Torres Strait culture and traditions: food, dance, ceremony, the importance of family and community connections and ties that keep individuals strong. It’s fantastic to see a book for younger readers that focuses on a First Nations community about whom many Australians might know relatively little.
My one disappointment is that there is minimal language other than English used in the narrative. As most people in the Torres Strait speak at least two, if not three, languages fluently, it would have been a great opportunity to introduce more words from Torres Strait Creole and the Saibai language of Kala Kawa Ya.
I have a personal interest in this book and its subject matter: I spent some time on Saibai back in the 1980s and my son is a member of the Koedal clan through his father’s people. So naturally I was interested in the portrayal of the island life today and from a youngster’s perspective.
I found Ezra’s character entirely relateable to any twelve-year-old facing the challenges of growing into the teenage years, facing major change, family complications, and environmental challenges.
He makes mistakes, but by the end of the novel he has learnt some valuable lessons about himself and importantly about others and his community. He learns that it feels good to be involved and to work with others to help make things right again after the storm. He also learns that the right thing to do is usually pretty obvious.
Spirit of the Crocodile is published by Allen & Unwin in 2025.
