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 […]

Skipping to Sammy’s Beat by Coral Vass, ill. Blithe Fielden

Skipping to Sammy’s Beat by Coral Vass ill. Blithe Fielden New Frontier Publishing Coral Vass speaks to Paperbark Words blog about her life, career and Skipping to Sammy’s Beat, her new picture book for children aged 3-6 years. I’m Coral. I love writing for children. I also love books, chocolate, good coffee, the theatre and the beach. […]

Myra in the Middle by Seetha Dodd

Myra in the Middle by Seetha Dodd, illustrated by Peter Cheong Published by UQP Seetha Dodd writes a guest author post about her impressive debut children’s novel, Myra in the Middle for ‘Joy in Books’ at Paperbark Words. When my sister was born, I was exactly three years and eleven months old. I had been […]

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 […]

Inside the 2026 CBCA Shortlist

INSIDE THE CBCA 2026 SHORTLIST WINNERS see Winners and Honour awards The Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) Shortlisted Books for 2026 have been announced from the Notables list. Follow the links to those books I have already reviewed, or interviewed the author or illustrator, at PaperbarkWords blog. I will add to this list until the winners […]

Why, Oh Why? The Story of Rainbows, by Roy G. Biv (Tim Hurburgh)

Why, Oh Why? The Story of Rainbows, by Roy G. Biv (Tim Hurburgh) Hardie Grant Custom Roy G. Biv (Tim Hurburgh) writes about his picture book The Story of Rainbows for Paperbark Word blog. Growing up outside Hobart on the River Derwent, life was full of wonder. We were endlessly curious about the natural world […]

The Season for Flying Saucers by Brendan Colley

The Season for Flying Saucers by Brendan Colley (Transit Lounge) Brendan Colley writes about the inspiration behind The Season for Flying Saucers, his artful, left-field novel for adults, for Joy in Books at Paperbark Words blog. In 2014 I was playing around with some narrative poetry, like I usually do as a warm-up before I […]

The World From Here by Cassy Polimeni, ill. Mel Armstrong

The World From Here by Cassy Polimeni, ill. Mel Armstrong CSIRO Publishing – Cassy Polimeni & Mel Armstrong write about ‘The World From Here’ for Joy in Books at PaperbarkWords blog – Cassy Polimeni The first glimmer of what became The World From Here came to me during a writing challenge called Storystorm. I was thinking about countries […]

Treeshape by Trace Balla

Treeshape by Trace Balla Guest author post for Paperbark Words blog by author-illustrator Trace Balla about her new graphic novel Treeshape – the shape of a tree the shape of me. Published by Allen & Unwin This is a story of the trees of my life, and how they have shaped who I am. Perhaps my […]

Muttonfish Magic by Aunty Ruth Simms & Lucy Robertson, illustrated by Jasmine Seymour

Muttonfish Magic by Aunty Ruth Simms & Lucy Robertson ill. by Jasmine Seymour Published by Magabala Books “Muttonfish Magic honours the Kameragyl and Bidjigal people, the traditional custodians of the land around Kamay (Botany Bay) and Guriwal (La Perouse). With sensory lyricism, Bidjigal Elder Ruth Simms and Lucy Robertson depict a loving First Nations family inspired […]