Review: Off To The Nursery: A Celebration Of Gardening, Plants And Seasons

This super-duper-hardcover picture book (perfect for surviving the gardens it will undoubtedly end up being read in!) is a feast for the senses.

It’s got two curved edges and a brightly coloured cover which includes a little bit of neon orange, along with a very enticing array of plants in a basket.

Spring is here and it’s time to plant the garden.

Review: Bluey and Bingo's Christmas Cookbook

Bluey and Bingo’s Christmas Cookbook: Yummy Recipes, for Real Life, is a delightful offering for children interested in testing their cooking skills and increasing their interest in food.

Beautifully designed for little hands, the book has wipeable, bright coloured pages and images, sectioned into easy-to-follow instructions and recipes. 

This is initiative enough to send mothers and children off to kitchen cupboards to check for ingredients.

Tips on the importance of preparation before starting, set the scene.

Review: The Welcome Cookies

This warm hug of a book made me want to scoop up armfuls of welcome cookies, throw them into the blue sky and have them rain down on me with abandon.

It’s one of those very special stories where every page-turn is a cornucopia of discovery, filled with things to make your mouth water – and your tummy rumble.

Mabel loves visiting the Sugar Plum Café, and specifically she loves visiting Miss Plum because of her radiant smile (among other things, of course. She is a café owner after all!). 

Review: Cheese!

In an exploration of cheeses from around the world, stunning end pages introduce us, in a novel way through spectacular images by Beatrice Cerocchi, to the mouth-watering cheeses from countries known for these delicacies.

Felice Arena’s use of rhyming verse in delightful rhythm, makes you want to settle down with fresh pasta smothered in grated cheese, crackers with the cheese of your choice, or

Review: Party Rhyme

This fold out board-book from the author of Rhyme Cordial and Rhyme Hungry is delightfully surprising and surprisingly funny.

It’s PARTY RHYME!
Put on your PARTY BAT,

enjoy the LIZZIE DRINKS,

but don’t eat too much HAIRY BREAD!

As the name suggests, this book contains delightful jokes and puns, witty rhymes and playful language.

Review: How We Share Cake

This rather gorgeous story from acclaimed author/illustrator Kim Hyo-eun, is told in the voice of a little Korean girl who is one of five children. 

Everything about How We Share Cake feels fresh, shiny and new. It’s a total delight.

Our narrator tells us that ‘we can split anything.’ She then explains how to divide an orange or a pie five ways, and the optimal place to sit at the dinner table… (There’s no contest - one is closer to the delicious egg rolls and another is next to the youngest child, with his sticky little grabbing toddler hands).

Review: To Stir With Love

This very special book brings together two much-loved creators, in an offering that is simply stunning.

To Stir With Love pays homage to one grandmother in particular - and to all grandparents (along with special cake recipes!) in general.

Kate Mildenhall is best known for her acclaimed books for adult readers and as a presence in the literary scene, while Jess Racklyeft is a celebrated and awarded illustrator. So, this perhaps unexpected pairing actually feels like a perfect match. A slam dunk, if you will!

‘Grandma’s cake is golden and scrumpti-licious and always big enough for everybody.’

Junior Review: Jerk Chicken Magic

Jerk Chicken Magic is a delightful journey into the life of a multi-generational immigrant family, the Higgins, from the point of view of charming 6-year-old Lizzy. 

Set against the backdrop of Jamaica's flavorful culinary tradition, this book takes readers on a savory adventure through the magic of jerk chicken.

Authored by Noel-Andrew and Roxanne Bennett, Jerk Chicken Magic is more than just a children's picture book—it's a celebration of resilience, adaptability, and the profound significance of preserving cultural heritage. 

Review: Mia Megastar

Mia and her family live above their fruit shop. Their extended family are always around with lots of Greek food at the centre of their gatherings. 

Mia loves to sing, dance, and entertain at every opportunity.

She is excited because her stylish, beloved aunty - theia Athina who lives in Paris, is coming to visit. (Mia is her theia’s ‘one’ and ‘only’. That’s what her name means in Greek).

The family is preparing a party to welcome her, with lots of traditional food.

Review: Blueberry Farm: Homegrown

Beautiful end pages that introduce the seasons, invite children into a glorious experience. 

Following, is another introduction - to the people and animals that appear in the story, so the characters are easily recognised.

Stephen Michael King’s Homegrown, Book 2 in the Blueberry Farm series, is typical of his immersive approach to his subject and themes.

Henna, Ziggs and Moe, enjoy the company of all their animal friends on Blueberry Farm.

Delicate illustrations decorate each page as the story weaves its way through the year.

Review: The Independent Pea

Pea is determined to leave the pod and become independent; to create its own success story.

The Pod tries to convince it that only through combining their individual skills, can they all reach their optimum creativity.

As a team, they can achieve something artistic, eye-catching and worthwhile. 

They can become as creative as Peacasso.

Pea is determined to prove the Pod wrong.

It voices its hopes and dreams and sets out alone, to be called back, and shown examples of what can be achieved with teamwork.

On the 8th day of Christmas: Belinda

On the eighth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me, eight maids a-milking…and Belinda, written and illustrated by Pamela Allen. 

Every day Mr Farmer tends his vegetables while Mrs Farmer milks Belinda the cow. 

There is always plenty of warm frothy milk for the dog, the cat, the pig in his pen, for cream and for butter for Mr Farmer's bread. 

Then Mrs Farmer goes away for a while and Mr Farmer must milk Belinda.

Title: Belinda
Author/ Illustrator: Pamela Allen
Publisher: Penguin, $ 16.99
Publication Date: 1994
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9780140544930
For ages: 3+
Type: Picture Book

On the 3rd day of Christmas: Trouble in the Hen House

On the third day of Christmas, my true love gave to me, three French hens…and Trouble in the Hen House, written by Susan O’Meara and illustrated by Yvonne Mes.

There was trouble in the hen house, and let me tell you why... 

When Ellie May, Audrey and Daisy can no longer stand the hot summer days that are cooking their eggs before they're even laid, Farmer John has to come up with an inventive solution... 

A fun rhyming story about farm life in the Australian summer and some very determined chickens. 

Read our review.

Title: Trouble In The Hen House
Author: Susan O'Meara
Illustrator: Yvonne Mes
Publisher: Yellow Brick Books, $19.95
Publication Date: October 2021
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 978648492597
For ages: 3 - 7
Type: Picture Books

Review: Artichoke to Zucchini

Food, food, glorious food! 

If you love food, you’ll devour this tasty picture book with glee!

Artichoke to Zucchini is a fun and arty exploration of lots of different foods, categorised by starting letter, from A to Z. 

There is everything in here, including things you’ve likely tasted (like bananas and pizza) to some more unusual foods you may not have heard of (like dragon fruit and urchin).

Review: A Swirl Of Sadie

With her blue-chalked hair, light-up sneakers and a twirling skirt, please welcome back seven-year-old baker, Sadie Le, in her latest adventure, A Swirl of Sadie. 

Including three stories in one book, A Swirl of Sadie follows Sadie, a determined yet kind character, who shows her love for friends, family and community through baking. 

In this latest book, Sadie creates a treat for her school movie night, puppy treats for a puppy play date and desserts for a family celebration. 

Review: You've Got Yoghurt In Your Nostrils

Oh my goodness, this book is a riot of joy and fun and musical sounds and trash and treasure! Learning to eat is tricky, and this book squeezes every single itty-bitty drop of hilarity from the experience.

Join baby as they discover how much fun food can be – and not just to eat!

From go to woe, there are endless delights in the all-singing, all-dancing, all-whooping, all-guzzling cast of characters – children, mum, dad, grandparents, family friends, pets. This book has it all.

The illustrations are divine – full of fun, energy, zoomies and whoop-die doos. 

Review: Plume: Christmas Elf

Plume: Christmas Elf is a bright and busy festive celebration. It's the fourth book in the series about the curious penguin who loves to travel.

Of course, it all starts in Antarctica in the enormous library where Plume lives with his friends. 

They're busy cooking and decorating when Ava the albatross arrives with dreadful news. Santa is sick, and so are the reindeer! 

Will Plume and Ava be able to save Christmas? It's all aboard the Albatross Express if you want to find out.

Review: Letters for Lunch: How to Eat the Alphabet

The award-winning Maree Coote, with her acclaimed brilliance in the use of words and the alphabet, has come up with another stunning publication.

 Using vegetables, fruit, and nutritious food in the guise of letters, she has created work of amazing beauty.

From the exquisite and clever typography to the creative and individual personifying of each letter, the text takes the prize! 

In rhyming verse, Coote serves the letter well.

Letters for Lunch: How to Eat the Alphabet. 

The title is an achievement in itself. 

We go into the end pages. Stunning colour is alluring. 

10 Quirky Questions with author Lana Spasevski

1. What's your hidden talent?
I’ve recently started making bread, short-crust pastry, pasta and anything that has a dough that needs to be made from scratch. After working in food marketing for over a decade and now on a kids’ book series all about food, I’ve been inspired to take more risks in the kitchen and upskill!

2. Who is your favourite literary villain and why?
The White Witch from The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is such a fascinating villain. I love wintertime and who wouldn’t want to have access to a magical potion that creates enchanting foods like hot chocolate and Turkish delights. Except I would use this magical potion for good causes like creating bottomless pits of writing snacks.

Review: Lunchbox Boss

This book is impossible! I may have to stop being a reviewer because it’s way too hard when it comes to books like Lunchbox Boss. 

Every time I sit down to take a good, long look inside its pages, I get so distracted and hungry that all I can do is stare longingly into the open fridge.

You see, internet sensation George Georgievski is a wizard. Alongside his onomatopoeic name, warm, chatty writing style and massive number of Insta followers, are a bevy of lunchbox photographs that make me want to climb onto high rooftops and sing his praises.