Dim's Write Stuff

Alishba The Great could be a tale touted as moral-driven and whilst helpful notions of self-belief and esteem feature on every page, this picture book by Faeza Samnakay and Sam B , is in fact a delightful and colourful ode to finding one's inner strength and siblings. Alishba hails from a land of antelopes, elephants and passionfruit vines. From the first glowing illustrations depicting Mt Kilimanjaro, we might deduce it to be Tanzania. She is as vibrant as the colours shown to depict her, bold, bouncy and well educated. As she grows, we learn about four precious gifts her family bestows upon her. I personally think her most obvious gift is her nurturing family but more about that later ... From each of her parents and brothers, Alishba receives a cape, each a different colour, a tangible, solid reference to the aphorism that accompanies it: Care, Courage, Determination and Flair.  Her relatives take great pains to explain what each truism means for her and any future she forges ...

Occasionally, one happens upon a book that resonates hard, impacts deep and lingers on. Sketch by Jacques Goldstyn is one such book; a picture book for older readers that speaks to those that feel contrary to the norm. And in a month where I seem to be happily adrift on a sea of art-infused books, Sketch is a tale that sits satisfyingly among them. Sketch is born to parents whose hearts are compassionate and wise. From the outset, he wasn't quite like other babies despite everything being anatomically 'normal', he wasn't drawn quite like anyone else . His parents didn't care, loving and nourishing his energetic joie de vivre and wild exuberance along with his deep-seated love of art.  It is this passion however that further distances Sketch from his more ordinary contemporaries. Sketch lives in a town that is orderly, plain and depressingly practical. His divergent way of thinking and drawing simply does not correlate with such boundaries which is bearable until...

‘ What does the fox say?” Well, in the case of Pax, the red fox, it’s more about what he feels, thinks, smells and reacts to that relays his emotions in such a tangible way, you’d swear you understand fox language. That is one of the most magical things about Sara Pennypacker’s , Pax , along with the charming splatters of illustration throughout by Jon Klassen. Peter is a young boy on the cusp of teenage-hood living alone with his father only he is not quite alone. His closest companion is Pax, a young fox he rescued as a kit. They share a relationship closer than the traditional boy / dog connection that endures the occasional dissent of Peter’s father. Virtually inseparable, Pax enjoys a solace and calm in his human boy’s world that engulfs Peter’s heart just as securely. It’s a bond seemingly unbreakable but is dramatically tested one day when Peter’s father enlists and is summoned to war. This story begins with Pax’s jettison from Peter’s car and … his life after his father in...

The thing that screams most impressively in this tale about the real Turia Pitt , is her raw honesty and dogged determination, a stubbornness to not just never give in but to always push further. True grit is often bandied about as a commodity easily sourced from the self-help section of our bookshops, but this account of someone who has literally been to hell and back, presents life in all its glory, normality and of course horror with unashamed frankness. Having survived the awful fire event in 2011 whilst competing in an outback marathon, Pitt allows the reader to relive her fear, pain and frustrations, before, immediately after being engulfed by flames and then beyond, down the long arduous road of recovery. Along the way she bears more and more layers of herself, some relating to the 'old Turia', others glimpses of the new improved Turia. Improved because as she asserts, if she had not experienced such trauma, her life and future convictions may not have evolved as...

CONGRATULATIONS! Delighted to announce our winners are: Finley Byrd, QLD Kirsten Ealand, NSW Jenny Stubbs, QLD Cecilia Adams, QLD Norah Colvin, QLD Each of you have won a copy of the stunning new picture book, Nop by Caroline Magerl. Your prize is on its way to you soon. Thank you to everyone who entered. It's been wonderful 'travelling' with you all. I've been to England, Uluru, Hong Kong and even inside a video game and back thanks to your wonderful wandering dreams! You are all invited to read my review of Nop   and maybe even launching into a search for your very own, Nop .  Enjoy!

Nop is a scrappy little bear that lives atop of pile of crumbling tumbling forgotten things in a place soft with dust. He has ample time to ponder his past and speculate his future but he’s unable to identify his true presence for he is not sure where he belongs. Could it really be here in Oddmint’s dust encrusted Dumporeum? It’s a strange place, the Dumporeum, where the forgotten things refuse to remain buried. Every night they tinker and mend, experimenting with buttons and bows to make themselves more alluring to prospective buyers. Nop tries too, but none of the scarves or spangles suit this bedraggled little brown being. So he watches, alone as every morning individuals from the pile of raggedy toys find  someplace wonderful to go . Left with nothing but his new red bow and his own thoughts, Nop rescues an idea, a dream to escape the ordinariness of his world and set sail into the unknown. With a little ingenuity and a lot of cross-stitching, Nop’s plan is soon afloat ...

Nop is a scruffy kind of bear. He sits on a dusty armchair in Oddmint's Dumporeum surrounded by the beaders, knitters, patchers and stitchers who are much too busy to talk to him. So he watches the litter tumble until, armed with a new bow tie, he has an idea that will change his life forever. This touching story began with a memory of Caroline's school holidays in Sydney. Her father was welding a steel yacht in a boat yard and she wandered off . . . only to discover the local dump, a home for the things people throw out! Many years later, her daughter Jen made a teddy bear out of scraps for her father. It's a very sorry-looking, but endearing creature. Named Roadkill, ten years later it still sits on top of his desk. Read DIM'S re VIEWS review of Nop to see just how gorgeous this little bear really is. Thanks to the endearing people of Walker Books Australia and to celebrate the November release of Nop ,  Dim's Write Stuff  has not one but  FIVE co...

Ironically, Circus School was one of the first picture book texts I ever penned. It originated as an assignment for a writing course I was undertaking several years ago and features Elise the Elephant who is about to fulfil her dream of performing in the circus. She embarks on her first day of circus school bursting with excitement but in spite of her Coach Caroline’s enthusiastic encouragement, soon realises she is not exactly cut out for life in the circus. Or is she? In a delightful twist of reality, Elise is one elephant who can’t wait to join the circus. This bouncy story of self-discovery and tenacity for pre-schoolers features oodles of fun word play and exuberant onomatopoeia. I just love how Beatriz Mello's illustrations bring Elsie and her circus school chums to bouncy, spinning, teetering life.You simply must discover their antics. This digital story was also featured in Virgin Australia’s inflight kids’ entertainment program in February 2017 as part of...

The argy-bargy that sometimes accompanies the gratuitous use of the terminology 'awards' on social media profiles is entertainment I often find chuckle worthy. Colour me mission brown and call me Splinters if you like, but as a habitual fence sitter, I appreciate both sides' argument: stating you are an award winning author having amassed nothing more than a feeble handful of competition placings compared with someone whose work has gained notable international or national recognition is a bit of a stretch of artistic license and one we have all indulged in from time to time, yours truly included. It does not seem to matter that those very competitions you so diligently entered and conquered no less touted themselves as 'Awards' in the first place. The causal observer may not distinguish the semantics of the situation so easily as they can the sublime subterfuge of it. Nonetheless, if you enter something and are rewarded in some fashion for it, the fact of the m...

True faith drops its letter in the post office box, and lets it go. Distrust holds on to a corner of it, and wonders that the answer never comes. From Days of Heaven upon Earth.  Anyone who knows me, is aware I'm not an overtly devout soul; more a believer of balance, karma, yin and yang kind of girl. But, whether it is a question of your religious faith, your personal life principles or just the confidence in yourself to send that forestalled manuscript in for submission, it pays to let go of the envelope sometimes; to believe in yourself. To have belief in yourself is more than a matter of confidence. It requires commitment; commitment to letting go, breaking free, making choices. In other words, taking risks. Small children do this, without thought, on a daily if not hourly basis. It is their prescription for life, their blue print for learning. They are seldom afraid to move forward because they are blissfully unaware of the risks involved. The...

What defines success for you? Have you succeeded when you get five sets of green traffic lights in a row? Is success not burning the evening meal or even managing to dish up an evening meal? Have you personally won, when you've gained second place in a writing competition? Have you reached your pinnacle after landing the world's most awesome publishing contract, with promises of untold riches and glory? Does the glow of success spread across your dial when a six year old student cries out, "I remember you. You're that author who spoke to us."?   Sadly, at times, I feel it's become an over exploited ideal, often inflated beyond the notion of simply achieving something you set out to attain. Fame, fortune and notoriety are often the measure of success these days in lieu of personal best, self satisfaction and humble adoration from you immediate peers. But it's a label we still all wish that, at some stage in our lives, we can apply to ourselves. So...