Dim's Write Stuff

God love our mums. I know, I know; it’s no longer Mother’s Day. But that’s not quite true is it? Each and every day is a testament, or should be, to the stoic, tireless, selfless, fatigue-hazed, love-filled actions of mothers – everywhere. They walk with their hearts exposed, vulnerable, fierce, at times, uncertain. Always there, which is the crux of this unique picture book on motherhood, A Mother Is a House . Rather like a kangaroo nursing her joey in her pouch, safe, contained and snug, I cherished pregnancy, mourning the day when bub would eventually want out. But how does a baby perceive this perplexing first coming of age? What do they make of their mother? Sustainer of life. Guardian. Advisor. Mountain. House? A Mother Is a House affords readers a baby’s fascinating view point of this relationship from moments before their birth to their first tentative steps some 12 months later. Brief descriptive declarations carry reader and baby through the day to day activities baby’...

Before my beloved child transformed into a ghoulish teenager, her unconditional love for me was the wind in my sails, the gentle eddies that kept me afloat. It was the best (and most incredulous) thing ever being the best in her eyes. So books expressing the wonderfulness of motherhood create more than just joy through their tender sentiments, they stir up a certain wistfulness that turns dry eyes damp and melts hearts alloyed by time. Here are a couple of picture books that should find purchase with mothers at any stage of motherhood. The Best Mum I love this book. Its colour and verve jostle for attention from the gorgeous cover (which, along with the back cover, complements the story just brilliantly). I love the lux feel of the paper stock too, thick and glossy, perfect for repeated shared reading sessions with little hands that need to poke and stroke a story, like mine. Penny Harrison’s amusing rhyming verse paints a clear and comical comparison between one little girl’s mo...

Mothers' Day - an accumulation of so many things: the caress of a gentle hand when you’re feeling less than yourself; the comfort of a kind voice that understands your deepest thoughts; the knowledge that someone is always there for you no matter what. These are the attributes of motherhood that should be celebrated every day, by all those who administer them and receive them. Here are two picture books that exemplify the goodness of motherhood and its importance in the notion of family. Isla’s Family Tree Isla is a little girl with tangerine coloured hair and some serious worries. She is struggling with the realisation that any day now, her family is about to change. As we all know change can bring with it a suitcase full of concern and what ifs. We can only guess what Isla’s might be but as the firstborn it seems pretty obvious that she is anxious about the threat of her impending new sibling. ‘ Our family is too full! ’ she protests. And then her mother informs her, the...

There are probably as many glorious books tucked away on bookshop shelves celebrating the magic of motherhood as there are ways to say ‘mum’. These are but a sprinkling of newish picture books for significant female role models to share with their kinderlings this Mother’s Day – or any day. Welcome: A Mo Willems Guide For New Arrivals When you see the name, Mo Willems , you know chuckles are in store. Supremely clever, witty and super super cute (in a non-cutesy way), this robust hardcover board book is the ultimate new arrival gift. Postmodern and interactive in style and format, it begins with YOU or at least a reflection of the young tot you might be reading this to thanks to the inbuilt mirror. It continues with a message of thanks and relief, an invitation to lie back, relax, and enjoy the stay then features several notifications that baby might enjoy such as cats and stories. There are cautions that happiness may not prevail at all times, ice creams inevitably will be...

Q. What is as big as a mini iPad, more full of ideas than Paul Jennings and doesn't involve looming (of the rubber band type)? A. Awesome Aussie Things to do with Mum . Being a mum pretty much outstrips all other occupations for me. In spite of the startling similarities it shares to being a writer: negligible pay, crippling self-doubt and reoccurring frustration, the ecstasy received from ones own child is unrivalled. I wouldn't swap that feeling for all the stars and moons combined and neither would my Miss 8. Well, maybe she'd short-loan me for a few thousand looms. So in this age of screen-addicted, attention-deficient youngsters, books like these are worth their weight in mini-iPads. Awesome Aussie Things to do with Mum by Ed Allen and Simon Williams, is quietly sensational from this X-generation mum's point of view. Things I like: Nifty, no-nonsense hard-cover, compact size. It's an activities book disguised as favourite fiction. Groovy layout ...