The sweetness of love (and oranges): ‘One Volcano and the Many Oranges’ by Khuanta Mahasay
The blurb for this lovely book, a debut by Australian author Khuanta Mahasay, includes this description:
An illustrated chapter book to share aloud with children ages 6 to 9, and with anyone who needs it, including grown-ups.This beautifully captures the theme and feel of the story.
The main character is Omar, who lives with his mum and grandma at the base of a spectacular volcano called Mount Tangy. Omar loves living here and helping his family grow oranges in their orchard. But he feels sad a lot of the time because his dad has died.
A special place Omar loves to visit is the spot on the mountain’s slopes where the family had scattered Dad’s ashes. Sometimes he cries a little bit when he sists there, but he feels lighter, too, gazing over the valley and his home, far below.
When the mayor announces a competition to see who among the local farmers can grow the sweetest oranges, everyone is very excited. Then, when Omar’s tears drop onto the orange tree he had planted with Dad years before, something very special and magical happens.
The day to choose the competition winner arrives and the whole town is there; excitement grows amid a festival atmosphere as the community comes together for the event. But Mount Tangy has other ideas and threatens to erupt. What can they do?
More magic – and some quick-thinking from Omar – help to save the town. In the process, Omar learns that it’s OK to feel sad, that we can keep those we love close to us with our memories, and that magic can take all shapes – and when it comes to oranges, all sizes, too.
It’s a sweet book, redolent with the scent of sticky oranges and the sourdough bread baked by Grandma. Warmth and love work their own magic to help Omar heal from his loss.
Short chapters and the gorgeous illustrations by Estelle Corke make this a perfect book for early readers who are ready for more text-rich books, or for reading aloud together.
One Volcano and the Many Oranges is published by the author in 2026.
It can be purchased on Amazon in both paperback and ebook formats here.
Disclosure: The author is a family member.
Readers of my blog will know that I champion children’s literature whenever I have the opportunity; this book is the first of what I’m sure will be many more books for kids that Ms Mahasay will produce.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.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.
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.Country, language, love, wonder: new picture books to enjoy.
This is another ‘picture book bounty’ post, with four picture book arrivals to share.
I have introduced Gumbaynggirr artist Melissa Greenwood’s work in earlier posts with her beautiful books in which her First Nations language sits side by side with English as she writes and paints about the world. Darruyay Yilaaming Marraala, Buwaarr (Welcome to the World, Little Baby) is just as lovely and also a little different: it is presented as a baby book, in which proud parents, grandparents, aunties, uncles or other important adults in a child’s life can record features of the birth, special memories, family, Country, relationships, and baby’s developmental milestones. It’s designed for First Nations families but not exclusively so. A very welcome addition to a tradition of baby books.
Published by ABC Books imprint of HarperCollins in March 2025.All the Ways Mum will be there for You by Sarah Ayoub is another celebration of love between parent and child. This one features an array of mums and kids going about busy days and evenings, sharing adventures, quiet times, special moments together. The vibrant colourful illustrations by Kate Moon add to the scenes and little ones can put their own imaginative minds to work as they turn the pages.
Published by HarperCollins Australia & NZ in February 2025.The World Needs the Wonder You See by Joanna Gaines is a reminder to us all, young and old alike, to slow down and take notice of the world around us – something we often forget to do in the busyness of the modern world. It’s a North American setting so Aussie kids will see bunnies, foxes and squirrels cavorting in meadows and forests, with a fair bit of anthropomorphism going on, but it makes for a magical world that young kids will relate to, perhaps akin to the world of Winnie the Pooh and the Hundred Acre Wood. Julianna Swaney’s illustrations provide detail and variety to engross small viewers.
Published by Tommy Nelson in the US, an imprint of HarperCollins, in January 2025.Finally, Learning Country: A First Nations Journey Around Australia’s Traditional Place Names by Ryhia Dank, takes small readers to some well-known places in Australia, describing them by their traditional names and the stories told by the Old People. We visit Boigu in the Torres Strait, Canberra, Meeanjin (Brisbane), Narrm (Melbourne), Boorloo (Perth), among others. Ryhia is a Gudanji/Wakaja artist from the Gulf of Carpentaria and has illustrated the book with vibrant contemporary artworks that bring to life the stories she has chosen to tell about the traditional names of Australia.
Published by HarperCollins Australia & NZ in June 2025.My thanks to the publishers for copies of these books to review.
Picture book treasures for Christmas
Christmas is peak book-buying time and picture books make perfect gifts and stocking fillers for littlies. The bright colours and enchantment of a good story and illustrations never fail to delight.
Three of the books shown above are being published by HarperCollins in early December, just in time for busy parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts, friends (and Santa) to buy for the big day.
The fourth, How to Make a Snowman, has been in bookshops since October this year. I have written previously about how much I love Nick Bland’s Bunny and Bird series. As always, in this new version of the friends’ adventures, Bunny is embroidering his fanciful tale whilst being completely oblivious to the action going on behind his back. While he talks of a magical hole from which emerges a bull, a tiger, a bear, sticks, stones and a wombat, Bird has been quietly building a snowman. When it starts to snow, Bunny decides they had better head home when – oh look! – the magic hole has turned into a snowman!
Small readers can again use their observational skills to enjoy the sly humour of this story that plays out in the pictures: an early lesson in subtext, if you will.
The Hullabaloo About Elephant Poo will definitely appeal to the scatalogical tastes of youngsters while teaching them something about the many uses for elephant dung: compost, paper, coffee (!!) gas to power stoves or lights, smoke to repel mosquitos… It is funny, colourful and educational. A nice little package. Dee White’s rhyming text works well with the bright illustrations by Christopher Nielsen.
Costa’s Garden: Flowers by ABC TV favourite Costa Georgiadis and Brenna Quinlan is all about – well, flowers. The motif of a garden gnome is a clever device to get up close and personal many types of flowers we might see in our gardens, and the parts of flowers and the special roles they each play. There is also reference made to the the role of watching and noticing by First Nations people:
Flowers tell stories. They are like a bush billboard. First Nations people read Country and have shared their science and stories of connection to land, sea and sky for generations. Flowers are a signal that other things are happening in nature.
Costa’s Garden : Flowers
There are also some lovely references to Costa’s early garden love, sparked by his grandparents; early memories of sweet peas, carnations and orchids grown by them.
I once lived next door to a four year old who was mad about plants and gardens. He’d be in his late 30s now, but I imagine that if this book had been available then, he’d have absolutely loved it.
Last but not least, Boss of Your Own Mind is the latest offering by the Teeny Tiny Stevies (Byll & Beth Stephen, with illustrations by Simon Howe.) This one is among a welcome and growing number of books addressing young people’s mental well-being. Boss of Your Own Mind talks about some of the situations in life where children can’t control their circumstances (and, being children, there are many.) From the trivial (changes of plans or routine, the weather) to the more profound (hurt feelings, unfair behaviour by others.) The one thing anyone, child or adult, can control, is their response. It’s actually quite a grown-up concept but presented in very child-friendly language and with examples and illustrations that all youngsters could identify with. And definitely finishes on a positive note:
And even though you’re the one deciding,
you might find some days YOU need reminding.
YOU’RE THE BOSS OF YOU’RE OWN MIND!All four books are published by HarperCollins Children’s Books and I thank the publishers for the copies to review.
