Castle Crashing by Andrea Rowe & Hannah Sommerville

Castle Crashing written by Andrea Rowe, illustrated by Hannah Sommerville Published by Hardie Grant Andrea Rowe speaks to Paperbark Words blog about Castle Crashing, her exquisite quintessential Australian beach holiday picture book, illustrated by Hannah Sommerville. Castle Crashing is a 2026 Notable Book. My inspiration I have vivid memories of making sandcastles on one of […]

Inked by Karen Wasson, illustrated by Jake A Minton

Inked by Karen Wasson, illustrated Jake A Minton Published by Figment Books (Hardie Grant Publishing) “I wish I could blend in.” (Inked) Inked is a graphic novel shortlisted in the Younger Reader category of the 2026 CBCA awards. It was also the first graphic novel to be shortlisted for the Ampersand Prize for an unpublished manuscript. […]

The Secret Landscapes by Clara Brack

The Secret Landscapes: On Not Pleasing Your Mother by Clara Brack Upswell Publishing Clara Brack, daughter of Australian art royalty, audaciously reinvents her parents’ lives in The Secret Landscapes. In an alternate reality, her father, renowned painter John Brack (Collins St 5pm), reveals his inner thoughts to a therapist, T. Her mother, overlooked cerebral artist […]

Once I was a Giant by Zeno Sworder

Once I was a Giant by Zeno Sworder Published by Thames & Hudson Australia “At daybreak the wanderer scrambled through my branches to warn the birds and tunnelled underneath my roots to warn the insects. Before leaving they called out goodbye. ‘Sun seeker. Sky dancer. Life maker. Thank you.’” (Once I was a Giant by […]

The Belly of a Wolf by Julianne Negri

The Belly of a Wolf by Julianne Negri (UWA Publishing) “Musty books, ink-scratched drawings black and white with gashes of red. Look, it’s us, Wolf gasped. inhaling the pages. Hunting different versions of the story. Rummaging dog-eared collections of fairytales. Searching columns on contents pages, hungry for our title. In op shops, secondhand bookshops, the […]

Tom Jellett & Will Fin Win, The Train at the End of My Street …

Interview with Tom Jellett, featuring Will Fin Win? from the ‘Your Next Read’ series & The Train at the End of My Street – Joy Lawn interviews Tom Jellett at Paperbark Words blog about Your Next Read, The Train at the End of My Street and his books and cartoons – Thank you for speaking to […]

The Messy Bath Monster Interview with Tina Wilson, Joan Wilson & Matt Ottley

The Messy Bath Monster by Tina Wilson (words & pictures), Joan Wilson (knitting) & Matt Ottley (music) (One Tentacle Publishing) ‘Monkey knew there was a monster lurking in the bath because it made such a BIG mess! “It must be a HUGE monster,” thought Monkey. It gurgled and it roared … And left puddles on […]

e. Lockhart & We Fell Apart Interview

We Fell Apart by e. lockhart Interview with e. lockhart about We Fell Apart “It was a bad place to fall in love. On the property called Hidden Beach, a wooden castle stood on a monstrous cliff. It was a place of barbecues, sunblock, acoustic guitars, and midnight swims. Oil paint, intrusive briars. Hungry dogs. […]

Super-Frog Saves Tokyo by Haruki Murakami

Super-Frog Saves Tokyo by Haruki Murakami Translated from the Japanese by Jay Rubin Illustrated by Seb Agresti, illustrated and designed by Suzanne Dean Published by Harvill, Penguin Random House Illustrated Short Story for adults Book review by Joy Lawn (Joy in Books) at Paperbark Words blog “Katagiri found a giant frog waiting for him in his apartment […]

TIWI IN PARIS by Glen Farmer Illortaminni

TIWI IN PARIS by Glen Farmer Illortaminni Thames & Hudson TIWI IN PARIS by Glen Farmer Illortaminni, a story of resilience, humour and home “I needed to get back to my Country and back to my family. I prayed for my angel to take me home. My middle name is Gabriel so I knew that […]