Dim's Write Stuff

For those who like their YA reads studded with action and prickling with peril, Into The Storm is your next unputdownable read. Like Hayley Lawrence's first novel, Into The Wild , this tale is unashamedly rugged in nature and refreshingly wild.  Teens Silas and Eve couldn't be more different yet are linked by the same overriding emotions; unfathomable grief and the urge to live by brushing shoulders with death in order to erase past mistakes and shortcomings. Both share an almost obsessive addiction to adrenalin, with a continuous pull towards the wilds of nature, albeit for different reasons. Silas is the son and sole heir to revered mountaineering legend and tycoon, Will Black while Eve is the estranged daughter of an off-the-grid family entrapped in their own cocoon of loss.  Following the tragic death of his father on a far-flung mountainside, Silas spirals into an abyss of despair. Alone, questioning, empty. Miles away, Eve fights her own demons and the smothering pro...

A person's identity, their story may begin before the day they are born. From that day though, their living, growing narrative takes shape and form, evolving into a tapestry of ancestorial significance. For many First Nations peoples, that tapestry is a possum skin cloak. Possum Skin Cloak describes not just a precious article of clothing, it's a picture book that stitches together the delicate weaves of belonging, family and cultural identity. Penned by Aunty Faye Muir and Sue Lawson , Possum Skin Cloak , begins at birth with the wrapping of a newborn in the warmth of possum skin. It's a practical way to keep baby dry and warm and safe but also close to their mother's heart. As the child grows, so too does their story, their connection to Country and their understanding of their place within it all.  The handcrafted cloak is cobbled together with additions and subtractions, imbued with language, sacred stories and places . Understanding. The appreciation of one's...

One of my all-time absolute Aussie animal favourites is the dingo. It is often also one of the most misaligned of native Australians thanks not to its reputation or standing as an apex predator but because of our own human occupation of its territories. It's time to get a more realistic appraisal of this fascinating wild canid which is exactly what Dingoes Up Close  by Jane Forge does. This no-nonsense non-fiction picture book doesn't mess around with text boxes and flashy fonts. It delivers straight forward, easy to read facts in clear narrative blocks. Serif font is used to describe the dingo's history, introduction to Australia, habitat and unique behaviours. Uncommon words are capitalised and bolded for emphasis and focus.  Particularly interesting are the explanations of dingo human interaction. First Nation groups were as important for the welfare of the dingo as the dingo was for them. The relationship between some indigenous groups and dingoes was almost spiritually...

We're all guilty. Spurred by an impulse too intense to ignore. Rationale and logic shoved to the backseat in favour of letting impetuousness drive. Despite knowing better, validation for such behaviours is often reduced to a dismissive, all encompassing, we did it anyway, which is the haunting underlying premise of Carla Salmon's latest young teen novel, We Did It Anyway. Hot on the heels of our first encounter with the youths of the coastal Red Sands community, this racy adventure focuses on other erstwhile members of the friendship circle; Alex, Otto and Jasper. The spotlight doesn't just rest on the boys however with Luna and best mate, Milly, firmly lending narrative nouse and balance. Set on the rugged island of Talmar, the group gather to partake in an Easter holiday life-saving club training camp. Opinions oscillate wildly about this; the boys are all up for a bit of freedom. Luna is less convinced about the camping vibe but with the twins' dad there to supervi...

Unless you are familiar with Melbourne's skyline and Australia's recent past, you may not be acquainted with The Skipping Girl, aka Audrey. Audrey Skips is a beguiling picture book that changes all that. Based on Australia's first sequenced animated neon sign Audrey Skips escorts readers through a fascinating tribute to a treasured landmark, thanks to the animated rhyming text of Andrea Rowe and the exquisite illustrations of Lisa Coutts. Audrey first sprang into life atop the Malt Vinegar factory in Abbotsford in 1936. Her role was simple, to promote Skipping Girl vinegar. This she did with clockwork appeal and tireless vigor. Bedecked in her vibrant red dress, Audrey skipped and flipped, twirled and glowed rivalling the pinks and oranges of Melbourne's sunsets with her neon bloom. Spirited verse sets this scene vividly as Audrey becomes a silent yet reliable fixature of the city's skyline. Over the years, Audrey becomes the backdrop to city life, an impartial ...

By now, most of us have heard of the Easter Bilby. A cute long-eared, pointy-snouted, nocturnal marsupial native to Australia’s arid lands aka the Australian Easter Bunny. But when a trio of young desert dwelling birds encounter their very first bilby, they are in need of a bit of convincing that this critter is not in fact EB Og. And who better to persuade them than Bilby himself. In lilting rhyming verse, Bilby escorts his curious companions through an intriguing list of his best qualities. What makes this adventure so alluring however, is the choice of descriptive wordplay Janeen Brian employs to do so. Bilby’s eyes become his peepers , two tall pink straight-ups are his ears and his scratcher-scritchers …? Well, you be the judge. Clues are secreted in follow-up verse as Bilby explains what each of these features help him do, eat, and shelter from. The results are both delightfully informative and hilariously goofy. I will never be able to look at my dogs’ wagging tails again ...

Connections. I like the serendipitous ones the best. Unplanned, organic, braided by curiosity, like mindedness or rapt admiration. Which is how I embarked on a fascinating exchange with Dub Leffler , book illustrator, animator, mixed media artist, storyteller and foremost, proud Bigambul man. I knew and had admired Dub’s work from books co-created by industry mates of mine but the artist’s true identity remained a mystery to me, one I’ve only began to appreciate through his daily social media story shares. Visual musings. Sneak peaks, Animations camouflaging a more encompassing tale, too abridged for the small screen. It felt like I was glimpsing something slightly off stage, in the wings, waiting full exposure … I recognised part of what I saw, faces and images that seemed poignantly familiar. More than drafts and spreads, these late night, early dawn reveals were the heartbeats of a soul of a story soon to become a stirring new picture book, The Drover’s Son. Penned by Leah Pur...

This book needs more than five stars. It is a universe of stars, magnificent and absolute. For me, it possesses all the qualities outstanding narrative works possess rendering them utterly impossible to articulate just how magnificent they are. See what I mean. Hopeless.How does one describe a thing that fills them, tears them, speaks to them so intimately, so personally, so honestly? Therein lies the true beauty and unfathomable skill Dalton has: he sees things. He notices us. He gets it all and then, quite astoundingly, has the ability to write to YOU the individual with undiluted clarity and unashamed compulsion. Dalton's novels feel as though they are tailored specifically for the individual, every single one of us. His characters slam feet first, boots and all, against your emotional armour with such force, it makes you gasp. This is not a bad thing. It's a magnificent and absolute and real sensation. So, yes, I loved Lola. Everything. The anguish. The agony. The sorrow. T...

I’m currently embracing all things Aussie and story. This means my awareness and appreciation for the stories created on Traditional Country, Sky Country and Sea Country is slowly but surely growing. It’s a wonderful study to be part of, acknowledging the stories, culture and history of our First Nations people and basking in their enormous pools of knowledge. This new release from the creative brains of Brentos is not just another picture book listing the conservational status of our unique Australian wildlife, it is a colourful ode to the Aussie bush and surrounding seas connecting readers with the heart and soul of the land on which they reside. And it’s a corker. Sadly though, not every creature is thriving alongside our human existence or more accurately, because of it. Australian Animals From Beach To Bush , clearly identifies species from coral reefs to inland skylines that are vulnerable, endangered or currently doing okay. Definitions are coloured coded prior to journey...

Katrina Nannestad has well and truly cemented her position as one of Australia’s most accomplished historical fiction writers with her latest novel, Silver Linings . Most of us are aware that clouds have them, silver linings that is, but what exactly do they mean and do they really exist? Nettie Sweeney sure thinks so. Nettie’s story, set in the 1950s, reads as a middle grade novel yet champions Nettie Sweeney as the young protagonist who has just started primary school. Nettie’s tender years, beguiling naivety and childlike foibles are neatly offset however by the fact that she is the fourth daughter of a farming family with the ability to write and think beyond her years. Couple this with the assured determination of a person set on visiting the moon and you’ve got a character exploding with charm, wit and wonder. In short, Nettie is larger-than-life adorbs! Nettie’s singular desire is for a mother to love and cuddle having lost hers at birth. Her dreams come true in the shape o...

Despite having no interest in history as a school kid, my exposure to the past has increased in my adult years thanks to a deepening love for narrative non-fiction. Weaving historical events, facts and figures into an engaging narrative with larger-than-life characters is (for me and many kids) one surefire way of infusing history and those who peopled our past into meaningful context. Novels do this with ease. Here are a few recently released picture books that manage to portray the past in captivating words and pictures for younger readers. Shearer by Neridah McMullin and Michael Tomkins Jack Howe was a tower above men and legend among shearers in the late 1800s. Not only was his sheer physical prowess awe-inspiring but his I-can-do attitude enabled him to beat and set a new hand-shearing record that remains unbeaten. This is his story set in Jack’s day when the wool industry was experiencing a boon like no other before the advent of mechanical sheep shearing. Howe is portrayed with...

Neridah McMullin’s latest middle grade fiction is more of a tender-hearted hug than simple story. It is also the perfect example of latching onto an actual historical event and unlocking the story within by utilising those two liberating words: What if? When a steamship is wrecked off the coast of south-west Victoria in the late 1800s, a young parentless mute girl is the first on scene. Instead of waterlogged sailor survivors, she discovers an altogether different kind of flotsam on the beach of her rugged rural home; an Indian rhinoceros, aka, Rhinoceros unicornis . How delightful that this creature’s scientific name reflects the magical qualities of this human animal encounter and ensuing tale. Rhino was part of the exotic cargo of animals bound for the Royal Melbourne Zoo as part of their questionable ‘acquisitions’ projects. Despite sluggish improvements on the captive animal front, the care of these horrendously displaced animals and birds was still woefully misconceived and ...

Aside from the groovy sounding title, the thing that strikes you first about debut author, Alison Stegert’s Boogie Woogie Bird , is the jaw dropping detail of Sandra Severgnini’s illustrations. I have known and lived with curlews, notably, the Bush stone aka the Thick-knee curlew for some time and am gobsmacked by the level of exactness both of these creators have imbued within their adorable character, Curlew. Curlew cries his plaintive call, alone and forlorn, night after night. He needs a friend, more than a friend in fact. A mate. Someone to share his random pile of leaves with. But his yearning cries aren’t cutting it, at least not for Fairywren who insists that fancy dancing is what he needs to win someone’s heart. In a priceless, side-splitting promenade of boogie woogie moves, tangled legs and knocked knees, Curlew finally concedes that curlews can’t dance in spite of the detailed instructions bestowed upon him by some of the best ‘dancing’ birds in the business aka Aussie bus...

This week’s whopper book list features some of the most favoured and favourite Aussie characters of all time: our wildlife. Look them up in your bookshop or library for some full Australiana immersion . Babies At The Billabong by Maura Finn and Cate James Stunning textural illustrations illuminate one little girl’s late afternoon rambles around a billabong where she spies a bush load of Aussie animal babies. Nomenclature and rhyming singalong verse makes this a sweet read for 3 – 5 year-olds. Affirm Press August 2021 9781922419408 By The Billabong by Maura Finn and Cate James This is the precursor to ‘ Babies …’ and sports just as many gumnuts and superb imagery. A fun and frolicsome exploration of collective nouns that makes a gorgeous bedtime read. Affirm Press April 2020 9781925972474 Dry to Dry: The Seasons of Kakadu by Pamela Freeman and Liz Anelli Anelli’s mixed media artwork and Freeman’s elegant yet fact-driven narrative informs and entices readers to look...

It’s that time of year to untangle the LEDs, consume enough sugar to drown Willy Wonka, and hark and herald the angels until you are hoarse. I LOVE it! But for less sensory abuse and a better excuse to take a moment off from the crazy this time of year can induce, turn to a picture book. You don’t even need someone small to share it with although if you don’t own a small person, consider reading your favourite stories at your local library, charity or children’s organisation. Sharing the merry is what it is really all about and this handful of new Chrissy titles is but a teeny selection of what is on offer. To really fill your stockings check out some of my traditional festive favourites either at DIM’S re VIEWS or over at Boomerang Books Blog.  Now, let’s start Rocking Around the Christmas Tree! Jingle Smells  – Fun Rhyming Parody Mark Sperring loves a quirky silly sounding rhyme. Turns out he is partial to a bit of stink too, which becomes the theme and Christmas’s even...