Listen, Hippo! Written and illustrated by Gabriel Evans

Listen, Hippo! Written and illustrated by Gabriel Evans Published by Puffin “’I’m feeling sad,’ said Billy. My thoughts are whirling and twirling like a pinwheel. I think what I need is – ’ ‘Aha! As your best friend I know exactly what you need,’ said Hippo.’” (Listen, Hippo!) I jumped at the offer of an […]

Clever, Funny, Thinking Picture Books

Picture Book Reviews by Joy in Books at Paperbark Words blog Books published by ABC Books, HarperCollins Australia & Working Title Press 2023 has produced a really great stash of picture books from ABC Books, Working Title Press and HarperCollins, as well as the reissue of some of the latter’s contemporary classics. The following books should be bought, borrowed […]

Bryan Brown Interview ‘The Drowning’

The Drowning by Bryan Brown (published by Allen & Unwin) Author interview with Bryan Brown The Drowning is a compulsive, gritty crime novel with plenty of dry Australian humour. It grabs your attention from the start because it is so easy to read. It has a large cast of male and female characters. We are […]

BACK TO THE STORKS by CRESSIDA GAUKROGER, ILLUS ANDREW JOYNER

Reviews > Back to the StorksCressida Gaukroger, illus Andrew JoynerLittle HareReviewed by Joy LawnReleased October 2023HardbackISBN 9781761211874RRP $22.99Category: Children’s picture book Back to the Storks (Cressida Gaukroger, illus Andrew Joyner, Little Hare) 8 August 2023 Unlocked content from the archive. Books+Publishing (This review was commissioned by Books+Publishing and is reproduced with permission.) Back to the Storks plays on […]

One Song by A.J. Betts

One Song by A.J. Betts (published Pan MacMillan) Author Interview with A.J. Betts about her YA novel One Song for Joy in Books at PaperbarkWords blog I think that One Song is original and highly memorable. Why do you think this is so? One Song is unlike anything I’ve written before, or anything I’ve read. […]

Fleur Ferris and Seven Days

Fleur Ferris, Seven Days & other books “It blows my mind to think what we do today matters – not just to us, but to those who come after us, to those who aren’t even born yet. It can impact someone one hundred years from now.” (Seven Days) All of Fleur Ferris’ novels (published Penguin […]

Granbad by Penny Tangey & peter Baldwin

Reviews > GranbadPenny TangeyUQPReviewed by Joy LawnReleased August 2023HardbackISBN 9780702266232RRP $24.99Category: Children’s picture book Granbad by Penny Tangey, illus Peter Baldwin (UQP) 13 June 2023 Unlocked content from the archive. Books+Publishing (This review was commissioned by Books+Publishing and is reproduced with permission.) Grandad is a rebel who breaks so many rules the family call him ‘Granbad’. He […]

Tiny Tradies by Tami Sussman illus Tom Jellett

Reviews > Tiny TradiesTami Sussman, illus by Tom JellettAffirm PressReviewed by Joy LawnReleased March 2023HardbackISBN 9781922848123RRP $19.99Category: Children’s picture book Tiny Tradies (Tami Sussman, illus by Tom Jellett, Affirm Press) 6 December 2022 Unlocked content from the archive. Books+Publishing (This review was commissioned by Books+Publishing and is reproduced with permission.) Tami Sussman and evergreen illustrator Tom Jellett […]

Hello Twigs by Andrew McDonald & Ben Wood

Hello Twigs by Andrew McDonald & Ben Wood “Nature stuff is TREASURE!” (Hello Twigs: Let’s Find Treasure) The new Hello Twigs series of lively, humorous graphic novels for children has great appeal because of its familiar and yet unpredictable stories based around four friends (the familiar) who are twigs (the unexpected) who all have an […]

Dirt by Sea by Michael Wagner, illustrated by Tom Jellett

Dirt by Sea by Michael Wagner, illustrated by Tom Jellett (published by Penguin Random House Australia) Inside the CBCA Shortlist Inside the 2023 CBCA Shortlist Inside the 2023 Notable Books Dirt by Sea by Michael Wagner, illustrated by Tom Jellett (Puffin Books, Penguin Random House) Author Interview with Michael Wagner Dirt by Sea by Michael […]