Jessica Au & Cold Enough for Snow

Jessica Au wins the 2023 Prime Minister’s Literary Award for Fiction. Cold Enough for Snow (Giramondo Publishing) wins another literary prize. Congratulations! Read my interview with Jessica Au and other panellists at Brisbane Writers Festival 2023. Jessica Au, Susan Johnson, Anne Casey-Hardy & Ianto Ware at BWF 2023 It was great to be moderating sessions […]

GLIMPSE by jane higgins

GLIMPSE by Jane Higgins ‘FINDING THE WORLD OF GLIMPSE‘ Guest author post at PaperbarkWords blog by Jane Higgins Glimpse is a story about earthquakes and what might happen if some of us could see them coming. The world of Glimpse comes from my own experience of a series of earthquakes that rocked my city of […]

Tulips for Breakfast by Catherine Bauer

Tulips for Breakfast by Catherine Bauer Q&A with Catherine Bauer for Paperbark Words by Joy Lawn Thank you for speaking to Joy in Books at PaperbarkWords, Catherine! You have several interesting titles based around the history of war. How is your latest novel, Tulips for Breakfast different from some of your other books? Hi Joy and thanks for […]

Where the Lyrebird Lives by Vikki Conley illustrated by Max Hamilton

Where the Lyrebird Lives by Vikki Conley, illustrated by Max Hamilton Published by Windy Hollow Books Inside the CBCA Shortlist Inside the 2023 CBCA Shortlist Inside the 2023 Notable Books Author & Illustrator Interview Where the Lyrebird Lives by Vikki Conley, illustrated by Max Hamilton (Windy Hollow Books) is a celebration of the Australian bush […]

BOWERBIRD BLUES by Aura Parker

BOWERBIRD BLUES by Aura Parker On Writing and Illustrating BOWERBIRD BLUES Guest author/illustrator post at PaperbarkWords blog by Aura Parker My latest creation, Bowerbird Blues is a picture book about longing, searching and love. A story which has slowly simmered along over the last few tumultuous years and means a great deal to me. My […]

A is for Australian Reefs by Frané Lessac

A is for Australian Reefs by Frané Lessac Inside the CBCA Shortlist Inside the 2023 CBCA Shortlist Inside the 2023 Notable Books A is for Australian Reefs by Frané Lessac (published Walker Books Australia) A is for Australian Reefs is the latest in Frané Lessac’s impressive body of picture books. Her books are distinctive for […]

Snap! by Anna Walker

Snap! by Anna Walker Inside the CBCA Shortlist Inside the 2023 CBCA Shortlist Inside the 2023 Notable Books Snap! By Anna Walker (published Scribble Kids’ Books) Snap! is an exuberant gem of a picture book for young readers and will also be relished by those who share it with them. It is the dramatic tale […]

Itty Bitty Kitty by Maddy Mara, illustrated by Noémie Geonet Landry

Itty Bitty Kittyby Maddy Mara, illustrated by Noémie Geonet Landry Itty Bitty Kitty 1 & 2 is published by Affirm Press Maddy Mara writes a Guest Author post for PaperbarkWords: Maddy Mara on creative collaborations, and the Itty Bitty Kitty series The first thing you should know about Maddy Mara is that ‘she’ is actually […]

inside the cbca 2023 shortlist

INSIDE THE CBCA 2023 SHORTLIST The Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) Shortlisted Books for 2023 has been announced. Follow the links to those books I have already reviewed, or interviewed the author or illustrator, on the blog. I will add to this list until the winners are announced in August. Also see the 2023 […]

Grace and Mr Milligan by Caz Goodwin, illustrated by Pip Kruger

Grace and Mr Milligan by Caz Goodwin, illustrated Pip Kruger Guest author: Caz Goodwin Could you tell us about your new picture book, Grace and Mr Milligan? Grace lives next door to old Mr Milligan and his goat Charlie. They are the best of friends. But when Charlie passes away, everything changes. Grace is disturbed […]