In Flanders fields the poppies blow Between the crosses, row on row, That mark our place; and in the sky The Larks, still bravely singing, fly Scarce heard amid the guns below… (John McCrae 1872-1918)
In 2003 In Flanders Fields, was awarded the Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) Picture Book of the Year. This beautifully written and deeply poignant story, inspired by a true event, offers a small yet powerful glimpse of humanity in a war of unforeseen horror and brutality.
This anniversary edition is ready for a new generation of readers to gain an understanding of the devastating impact of war. It recounts a moment on Christmas Day 1914, when both sides stopped firing as a young soldier risked his life by venturing into no man’s land to rescue a robin caught in the barbed wire. Both sides watched and waited as he warmed the robin in his hands and set it free. Soon after ‘Silent Night’ was heard from both sides, sung in English and German.
The depth of the illustrations beginning with the striking cover in muted tones of black, brown and grey with the pop of red from the robin and the title, are continued throughout the book. The front endpapers depict the Allied forces in the trenches while the back endpapers mirror the same with the German forces. With the rich and detailed illustrations on each page telling their own unique story, there is much to be learnt from this recount.
With its renowned striking imagery and moving narrative, this new edition once again captures of a snapshot of wartime history, enabling readers to gain an appreciation of a moment of compassion that tells a different story from more distressing World War One accounts. Teacher's notes are available.
Themes World War One, Christmas Day 1914, Flanders Field, Battlefields, Humanity, ANZAC DAY, History, Soldiers.
Kathryn Beilby
You choose Mega: Prehistoric peril by George Ivanoff
Prehistroic Peril is set in a dinosaur themed education centre and the reader is part of a school trip.As with other You Choose storylines, the reader must select where they will take the story with many different storylines available.Will they visit the robot dinosaurs, the research lab or accidentally get transported back in time? All of these are options when you start reading.
Each time the reader starts the story they are taken in a different direction as they can choose the way the story develops through the choices they make at the end of each page.
George Ivanoff is the master of You Choose books and this one does not disappoint with so many options and stories developing.I really enjoyed the Mega aspect of this book with so many twists, turns and different storylines and endings.The story also felt more detailed and engaging without being too heavy or hard to read.Each story was longer than the traditional You Choose books – although I still died very quickly at times!
I have always enjoyed reading You Choose books as they allowed the reader to create a series of short stories around a common theme, the characters remain the same, but the reader gets to choose what happens to them although at times with a surprise twist that keeps you coming back for more.
I really enjoyed the longer and more in-depth nature of this book and know that independent readers will enjoy these aspects too.As with any You choose, this book is bound to be a favourite with readers as they experience the excitement of this style of book for the first time or as a new book in the series.This book could be used as a read aloud in the classroom with students making choices either as a group or individuals.An excellent book for all readers.
Themes Dinosaurs, School, Friendship, Adventure, You Choose, Choose Your Own Adventure.
Prepare to become immersed in Day of now, a gripping dystopian thriller. Dayna and Pax are siblings who have been brought up by their father to be self sufficient, able to survive in a harsh environment after a fungal pandemic has changed the world forever. When their father get sick, attacked by a zombie like person who has been infected by the Pink Mist produced by the fungus, they contact the outer world, hoping to get help for him. But they are betrayed and he is taken by the Hummingbirds, a group of soldiers, to a scientific facility where experiments are taking place to find a cure for the fungal infection. The children face terrible conditions trying to reach their father and save him. Travelling across country, they meet Jason, a young teen, who joins them and together they forage for food in abandoned houses, hide from the soldiers who are trying to find them and try and navigate a landscape with no communication and means of transport.
The character of Dayna stood out for me. She is a pre-teen, but she is the leader of the group, the one who makes the decisions and who has the skills to keep her little group alive. Pax her brother provides some light relief with his naïve outlook, but he is smart and able to pull his weight with his scientific knowledge and skill with a slingshot. Jason, although older, does not have the survival skills of Dayna and Pax, but he does understand the danger that the Hummingbirds could bring to the trio.
Although the main characters Dayna and Pax are young, some of the themes in Day of Now are very mature. They encounter a cult with a charismatic leader who preys on young girls and they are faced with making decisions about the ethical use of science. These themes make it more suitable for older teens, 14+.
Day of now is a gripping, thought-provoking story and I look forward to its sequel. Readers who enjoyed it might like to try Sunny at the end of the world by Steph Bowe and Anomaly by Emma Lord.
Who does not love Spot books! The first, written by British-American author and illustrator Eric Hill (1927-2014), was the beloved lift-the -flap book Where's Spot?(1980). Published now by Penguin Random House, the Spot books have continued to be loved by generations of children globally. The gentle and positive stories feature the happy puppy called Spot who has all sorts of everyday adventures. The illustrations are brightly coloured with the subjects boldly outlined in black. The books are often interactive.
The interactive format of What's next Spot? is important because on every double page, the child makes a choice for Spot by lifting the flaps. The book is full of joy and vitality. "It is the start of a new day and Spot has lots to do. What will Spot choose for breakfast?" The child has the chance to make a decision for Spot about what he might like for breakfast. There is a multiple choice (of 4) for the child to make on each page. Behind each flap you see Spot enjoying the choice and making a positive affirmation such as, "I love fruit." At the bottom of each page there are two questions for the child to answer that reinforce the focus concept - (in this case) breakfast food choices. The book continues in this manner through a typical day for a preschool age child and finishes with choosing a bed time story for Spot. The concepts of order (first and next) are reinforced along with the idea of choice and agency.
What's next Spot? is derived from the original series of works created and written by Eric Hill and the moral right of Eric Hill has been asserted. This boardbook is strong and happily the flaps are also board so they don't rip. It is made to be durable for little hands. This is so important as many lift-the flap books are destroyed very quickly. This book will withstand much handling. The format is comfortingly repetitive and choices that children make are within the categories of breakfast food, clothes, activities, costumes and stories.
What's next Spot? is a delightful board book to add to your Spot book collection.
Themes Making choices, Preschool daily routines, Parent/child bond, Friends.
Wendy Jeffrey
My brother Otto by Ingrid Laguna
Text Publishing, 2026. ISBN: 9781923058729. (Age:8-11) Recommended.
Quinn is not happy with the news that there will be a new baby in her family. The disruption will mean she will have to share a room … and what will happen to her precious lop-eared rabbit who currently lives with her in her space? Quinn is not prepared for the change in her family dynamics at all, and feels the sense of loss of her security. She can throw herself into story writing and cuddles with her rabbit, but she is not really happy. The new baby, Otto, arrives far too early and his life is held by a thread in the hospital NICU, and Quinn and her parents must live with the topsy-turvy uncertainty of the neo-natal life. Will Quinn ever be ready or even able to welcome her brother home and has the tiny baby managed to wrap his finger around her heart?
This story has the lived-experience heart of the author’s own grief and loss, and anyone who has travelled the route of a premature birth in their family will instantly feel the struggle of this story. Written from the perspective of a child, it carries a naive winsome quality that recognises a child’s emotional responses to a significant family change. There is grief as part of the story, so some children reading this may struggle if they do not have the emotional capacity to deal with the big issues of beginnings and endings in life. The story is moving and my own memories of watching my niece struggle after her very premature arrival were instantly at the forefront for me. Make sure that a young reader in the 8-11 age group has sufficient support if they have their own grief to bear or even if a new baby is expected in their family, but it is a beautiful story with a resonance of love that is quite profound. This is written for young readers, and it raises big issues - but books are sometimes the best places to help children see that the world is not always ‘rainbows and rabbits’ and stories do not always have a happy ending.
Themes Grief and loss, Premature birth, Siblings, Emotional growth, Rabbits.
I love mystery stories and eagerly picked up The escape game, intrigued by its unique premise – a murder of a young woman, Alicia Angelos, on the set of an escape-room themed reality game show. A new season is set to go with contestants excited awaiting the beginning of the show. There is Carter, whose online name is Kick it Carter, a math whiz, Beck who designs his own escape rooms, Adi who is great at cryptography and Sierra Angelos, the sister of the murdered girl and who everyone believes is her murderer. As the show progresses it is obvious that someone is behind the scenes manipulating clues and keeping Sierra’s team guessing about what happened to her sister.
Marissa Meyer is the successful author of many novels including The Lunar Chronicles, while Tamara Moss has written adult mysteries under the name of Tamara Moss Bailey, and their collaboration results in a thrilling read, where the reader is taken from one escape room to another. Sierra, Adi, Carter and Beck must use their unique skills to escape the rooms and learn to trust each other, while all having different agendas and needs as contestants. As well as the challenge of unpicking clues, deciphering codes and escaping locked rooms, they face danger as it becomes increasingly clear that someone is out to get them. They are locked in a freezer, Carter’s drink is spiked and Adi must face the machinations of his manipulative mother. And will Sierra find out who murdered her sister?
It is told from multiple viewpoints, with flashbacks to the previous season when Alicia was murdered. The reality show hosts, contestants and behind the scenes workers are vividly described as the reader gets to know the inner thoughts and dreams of the contestants.
The Escape Game is a gripping thriller and the tension is kept up to the stunning conclusion. And there is a sequel to follow with more adventures for the team! Fans of The Inheritance Games series by Jennifer Lynn Barnes are sure to love this.
The flower garden - A Changi secret by Claire Saxby. Illus. by Lucia Masciullo
Walker Books, 2026. ISBN: 9781760657352. (Age:7+)
I have a secret – we have a secret – in this place where secrets are not allowed.
Imagine you're a child with all the natural curiosity, imagination, energy and exuberance that goes with childhood. But instead of being able wander and explore the world around you, that wall is bounded by high walls and barbed wire, patrolled and guarded by brutal soldiers who did not hesitate to impose their power - even on little children. Such was the life of many children and their mothers who were long-time residents of Malaya and Singapore but who, with the fall of both countries to the Japanese in February 1942, were herded like animals into the notorious Changi Prison, and treated as such. Days were spent tending the gardens to grow food for their captors in the morning and then on rows of hard benches learning "numbers, words and formulas" and secret songs under the watchful eyes and ears of gun-carrying soldiers in the afternoons. Not until dusk fell was their time their own.
But in that time, the women tried to make life a little more normal for the children, and one in particular, Mrs Elizabeth Ennis, an army nursing sister began a secret Girl Guides group and taught them how to take their minds, if not their bodies, far beyond the prison walls. So as her birthday approaches, it is time to make a special present, and in this sensitive, softly illustrated story, Saxby and Masciullo not only divulge what that gift will be but expose the lives of those who made it and the risks they took to do so.
The horrors of Changi have been on my radar since my own childhood because even though my dad was a POW in Germany and eventually force-marched across Poland as part of the Germans' human shield, even in those days long before television, let alone the internet, the atrocities and barbarities of Changi were known, and the brutality of the captors was being revealed by those like my future father-in-law who miraculously survived the men's camp, as well as in stories like Nevil Shute's A Town Like Alice, and movies like The Bridge on the River Kwai(where my f-i-l ended up). Yet from the depths of the darkest despair, the human spirit soared and stories like the making of this precious gift have emerged.
As I read this book, including the author's note that offers a short background history of the time, I wanted to know more and a simple search brought many links including stories of those who helped make it, a history of the quilt itself, including close-up photos of it in the Imperial War Museum, as well as information about the other quilts that were made, including the Australian quilt.
In this latest adventure, Billie meets Otto, an adorable foster dog that everyone in her neighborhood loves but no one can adopt. Billie is upset that no one can give Otto a forever home even though they all want to. This book looks at the solution and shows that sometimes using your imagination can help you tackle a new challenge and find a solution that is a little out of the ordinary.
I have always enjoyed reading the Billie B Brown books and I really liked this story for the problem solving that Billie does and the way that the neighborhood works together to find a solution that works for all of them but especially Otto.
Billie B Brown books are the perfect first chapter books for newly independent readers and are wonderful as a read aloud too as they are short but still have a great story that encourages discussion. The illustrations really help to engage the reader as does the fact that each book has familiar characters throughout, including Billie’s best friend Jack.
A dog to keep also introduces the idea of foster dogs and adopting rescue dogs. The language is child friendly, and the story is engaging and shows that sometimes thinking outside the square can help to find the perfect solution. I really enjoyed this book and think it is one of my favourite Billie B Brown books.
Having read the brilliant novel The signal line (2022) about a ghost train arriving in Hobart (there are no trains in Hobart), I was hardly surprised to discover that Colley’s second book is about a father abducted by aliens. The book cover image shows a figure being uplifted by a beam of light. Noah, the son, has grown up with regular ‘prepping’, sitting watching the sky in a state of readiness for the next thing. He writes poetry in obsessive preparedness to also visit another world – and the reader suspects it’s probably the reason his wife Sarah has just left him. He is alone living in the childhood home he has bought, ever a skywatcher, along with his neighbour Malcolm, and other curious people, waiting for the flying saucer lights to descend again.
In the Endnotes to the novel, Colley writes that there’s a ‘steep history of UFO sightings in Tasmania’; he references the sightings reported in documents of the Tasmanian Unidentified Flying Objects Investigation Centre across six decades. It was during one of those visitations that Noah’s father Warwick left his family. But with his departure from Earth, each of the family members seems to be touched with a special gift; for Noah it is an obsession with poetry writing, his mother Patricia sees the spirits of dead people and his sister Martha communicates with dogs.
Noah’s family has all split up; his wife has left him, and he is alone in an empty house with only his neighbour Malcolm interested in also sitting and watching the skies for alien visitors. It is a time of loneliness, but gradually the family reassembles, and with hope comes a feeling of home. It is a bizarre but touching story of humans slowly reconnecting and respecting each other.
If you are interested in reading something out of this world, with a gentle touch of humour, this book is for you.
I was thrilled to read that Patrick Ness had a new book, Piper at the gates of dusk, the first in the New World trilogy, set in the world of the series Chaos Walking, which was a memorable read for me. It is twenty years after the devastating events that Todd and Viola had experienced and they have settled on a quiet farm with their sons, Ben and Max. Ben is looking forward to continuing his studies at a higher level, while Max loves being on the farm where the chooks love him, chasing after him as if he were a deity, saying ‘Max, Max, Max’. A cure has been found for the Noise that had originally affected the men, but it had left Ben mute, having to use a communicator to converse.
Ness immediately drags the reader in with his first page, written in many typefaces: 'everyone thinks you’re a freak. You’re nothing’ and other negative thoughts that the Noise brings into the waking world. Then the reader follows Ben as a god comes screaming out of the woods, a giant alight with flames, burning everything around it and then plunging into the lake and disappearing. Is this apparition linked to the horrible nightmares that Max and other young people are having? An uneasy peace has settled between the Land the original inhabitants of the planet and the settlers, but racism is still an issue and some people find it very easy to blame the Land for bringing in this new threat.
Told in the voices of Ben and Max, short chapters often end on a cliff-hanger, leaving the reader breathless and wanting to continue reading, although at the same time needing to spend time thinking about the words of wisdom that Todd gives Max about being brave and doing the right thing and the problems that can arise in family relationships.
In his letter to readers at the front of the book Ness beautifully summarises the themes of this fabulous read. Piper at the Gates of Dusk is 'a story about storytelling, a story about feeling different and left out, a story about how we are reflected in our parents but how we have to find our own way. A story about brothers.' It is not to be missed.
Simon & Schuster, 2026. ISBN: 9781761633324. (Age:15+) Highly recommended.
In a world of cavernous sinkholes opening in the ground, swallowing people and buildings, and water sloshing everywhere, two unlikely friends are thrown together: the cantankerous old recently widowed, Pam, and the curious spark of a ten year-old girl, Charlotte. When Charlotte’s home disappears, Pam has no option but to care for Charlotte, finding food, and protecting her from marauding looters.
But gradually the roles are reversed as Pam's mind starts to drift, and Charlotte, eager to find friendship and safety, has to overcome the fears of the old woman and find her own solutions. It is a beautiful story of love and kindness in a chaotic dystopian world.
Sarah Walker says that she likes writing about ‘anxiety, intimacy and absurdity’. Her debut novel is both menacing thriller and tender story of friendship. It’s one of those books that will stay with you long afterwards.
Themes Dystopia, Human nature, Ageing, Youth, Optimism, Caring.
Helen Eddy
Young queens collection: The glimmering ghost by Megan Hess
Coco Blair lives in an enchanted castle with her fluffy white cat, surrounded by beautiful rose gardens. She dreams of having a friend and being able to fly as no one in the castle seems to notice her.
Then the King and his children arrive, and chaos ensures as the children are rude, the father is grumpy and a ghost is wreaking havoc throughout the castle. Coco is trying to help when she discovers a royal secret and decides to solve the mystery.
This delightful picture book is perfect for young readers with its gentle adventure, heart-warming friendship, and a little bit of mystery as well.
The rhyming text helps to make this a terrific book to read aloud and share with younger readers. The illustrations are charming and life at the castle is easy to imagine. The colour palette is very pink which got a bit overwhelming at times, but the story is such that readers will enjoy the illustrations as a reflection of the action.
I really enjoyed reading this book and know it would make a fabulous read aloud in a class or home setting. I liked that the rhymes followed a cadence that made it flow which helps when reading aloud.
The Glimmering Ghost is written by the author of Claris and is the fourth book in her Young Queens Collection.
In plenty of time for Easter, this charming new picture book by award-winning South Australian children’s author Janeen Brian, is a perfect read-aloud for young children. Full of clever and creative rhyme sharing interesting facts about bilbies, this engaging tale will be enjoyed by both young and old.
I have a whiskery sniffer-snout. It pokes out from my face. I search in scrub for seeds and grubs, or insects about the place.
There is also a simple but important environmental message coming through the narrative for young readers which may encourage further discussion.
The holes I dig for burrows in land where hot winds blow, let in the air and help prepare, so seeds that fall can grow.
The vibrant, full-page illustrations by Lucinda Gifford enrich the narrative and vividly evoke the colourful Australian ecosystem that bilbies call home. Some inquisitive birds pop up throughout the story adding warmth and gentle humour to each scene.
Are you the Easter Bunny? will be a wonderful addition to a home, school or public library. If you purchase one Easter picture book this year, I highly recommend this one. It is just delightful.
Themes Bilbies, Easter, Rhyme, Facts, Australian Environment.
It's Easter morning and the three little bunnies are awake early, for today promises to be lots of fun. No snuggling in for an extra five minutes - there is an important job to do. So they spring out of bed, and head outside because THIS is the morning of the Easter egg hunt. And what better way to round off the fun than with a picnic, a special story and a snuggle and cuddle with Mummy and daddy Bunny?
With its soft watercolour illustrations and two word captions, this is one that little readers will not only resonate with as they recognise all the fun of their own egg hunts, but will also be able to read to themselves.
Part of a trilogy that includesDaddy Cuddle and MummyCuddle, older siblings who may still have them on their bookshelf will delight in seeing old favourites again and sharing them perhaps creating special moments and memories together.
Perfect for popping in the Easter basket of the little ones in your life.
Themes Easter, Rabbits.
Barbara Braxton
Pink Easter by Tanya Hennessy. Illus. by Sophie Kent
Albert Street, 2026. ISBN: 9781761181153. (Age:3+)
'Twas the night before Easter, the workshop was busy! There were baskets to fill and eggs to make pretty.
There was so much to do for the big Easter quest. And the Bunny herself? She was, honestly, stressed.
But when Winnie the Easter duck suggested sharing the workload with her friends, Easter Bunny declines the offer declaring the work is her mission. She must do it herself because it's Easter tradition. But Winnie is not deterred and unveils the Easter Eggmaster, an invention she has been working on to automatically colour the Easter eggs, summoning the friends to get the eggs sorted while Bunny is busy elsewhere.
But when she turns it on, disaster strikes.... Or does it?
This is the equally-delightful companion to Pink Santa told in the same catchy rhyme and rhythm of Clement C. Moore's original A Visit from St Nicholas with the conversations between the characters continued in speech bubbles so the plot continues without interrupting the flow of the narrative. And like Pink Santa which explores whether Christmas will still be Christmas if Santa's suit is pink, this one examines whether Easter will still be Easter even if Easter Bunny does delegate the tasks, helping little ones understand that it is okay to seek help and take it when it's offered, and so much better than getting frustrated and cranky and discarding the task altogether.
As the supermarket shelves fill with Easter eggs of all shapes, sizes and colours and hot cross buns are popped into shopping trolleys, our youngest readers are very aware of the upcoming celebration and so this is the perfect book to share at this time. Even as it rollicks along, that important message of sharing, co-operating and collaborating with those around us oozes like runny chocolate, offering even our littlest readers the opportunity to think how they might be able to help their friends and family at such a busy time. Just as Easter Bunny has to learn to ask for help - and accept it when it's offered - they too can tune in to what's going on around them and offer to help, just like Winnie did. They are not powerless and perhaps something as simple as picking up their toys or helping with the dishes can be an enormous contribution, Even for those for whom Easter is not a family celebration, this is one with a universal message of being part of a family and a community that will have wide appeal and application.
