Big World, Tiny World: Forest by Jess Racklyeft

Jess Racklyeft speaks about her new picture book, Big World, Tiny World: Forest at PaperbarkWords: Jess Racklyeft on Big World, Tiny World: Forest Big World, Tiny World: Forest was inspired after watching the way my children would find a little universe in a tiny mossy garden – naming snails and building them houses – finding […]

One Potoroo by Penny Jaye & Alicia Rogerson

One Potoroo: A Story of Survival by Penny Jaye & Alicia Rogerson, published CSIRO Publishing Penny Jaye tells us about her new book One Potoroo, as well as some of her other books. Thank you for speaking to PaperbarkWords, Penny. Thank you for having me here. Where are you based and what is your involvement […]

Australian Backyard Birdies by Andy Geppert

Andy Geppert writes about his new book, Australian Backyard Birdies: I thought I loved birds more than anyone else…. until my daughter Harri came along, that was. Harri was an early bird herself. She used to wake up before most roosters and our daily ritual was to go straight outside onto our small back deck […]

Are Literary Panels a Bad Idea?

David Free believes that Literary Panels are a Terrible Idea By Craig Lawn In response to David Free’s article about literary awards in the SMH 9/7/21 https://www.smh.com.au/culture/books/judge-a-literary-prize-no-thanks-they-re-all-a-giant-waste-of-time-20210706-p587cu.html As a commentator, David’s role is to engage the reader. He has done this by writing a polemic piece. He has been one-eyed and controversial, but he has […]

The Book of Australian Trees by Inga Simpson, illustrated by Alicia Rogerson

“Trees tell stories about places … When you first stand in a forest, the trees all seem the same. But if you look more closely, they are each a little different, like people.” (The Book of Australian Trees) I have read and loved all of Inga Simpson’s novels for adults – Mr Wigg, Nest and […]

Busy Beaks by Sarah Allen

Inside the 2021 CBCA Shortlist Most books shortlisted for the 2021 CBCA Book of the Year: Early Childhood award are fiction. Busy Beaks by Sarah Allen (Affirm Press) has broken the mould in fine style. It is a superb non-fiction picture book about Australian birds. Thank you for speaking to PaperbarkWords, Sarah. Congratulations on Busy […]

Carole Wilkinson, Earth Matters and Matthew Flinders

Inside the CBCA Shortlist Matthew Flinders: Adventures on leaky ships “It’s not too late. Together we can save our climate … The state of our planet matters. You can help make it a safe and healthy place for us.” (Earth Matters) Carole Wilkinson is one of Australia’s most popular and enduring writers for young people. […]

Inside the 2021 CBCA Shortlist Books

The Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) Shortlisted Books for 2021 has been announced. Follow the links to those 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. Congratulations to those creators who have been shortlisted. Sincere commiserations […]

Inside the 2021 CBCA Notable Books

The Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) Notable Books for 2021 have been announced. Follow the links to those books I have already reviewed or interviewed the author or illustrator about on the blog. I will add to this list until the winners are announced in August. See CBCA Shortlist post Congratulations to those creators […]

FLY: Financially Literate Youth by Marlies & Jai Hobbs

FLY: Financially Literate Youth (Penguin) is such a good idea for a book for high school students and those who have left school. It is a comprehensive and well set-out handbook that will help people make informed decisions about their financial future and also prevent them from falling into potholes. Thank you for speaking to […]