Dim's Write Stuff

Today's delightful double-whammy comes loaded with well-meaning flavour, colour and fun. These two picture book gems would make great Easter basket additions but are standalone, any time reads, as well.  Hatch and Match  I'm normally wary of seek and find books that use rhyme as a vehicle for treasure hunting, but this inadvertent Easter-suitable title is pure delight. Bunnies are quickly dispensed with as we focus on a tree chockas with chooks, that's chickens to the uninitiated. And what colourful chooks they are, each sporting a unique colour scheme and pattern.  Our sleeping hens are awakened by the dutiful rooster and immediately set out to locate their eggs. Where could they be? Well it's simple if you follow the match and hatch pattern prompts! Spry lyrical narrative and pages and pages filled with eye-popping rainbow colours transforms the reading experience into the best egg hunt, ever ! All tied together with a satisfying reflection on differences and sames. A...

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...

How far would you go for love? If you’re a Magellanic penguin who has imprinted on a kind old man, the answer could be thousands of miles. Where The Heart Is is a gentle tale of findings and belongings inspired by the real life story of Dindim, the tiny oil-stricken penguin found by Joao Pereira de Souza off the coast of Brazil in 2011. This rendition follows the facts closely beginning with Dindim’s salvation by Joao who cleans, feeds and nurtures him back to good health. As a tremendous show of gratitude, Dindim decides to stay and even after being relocated to an island offshore, promptly heads back to Joao’s beachside dwelling for a touching reunion. It is not until Dindim undergoes his first moult and dons his adult plumage that he suddenly decides to leave. In real life, no one knows for sure where this dapper little seabird goes but in Gold’s version, he makes the arduous sea journey back to coastal Patagonia, the breeding grounds of his fellow penguins. Life in the colony is f...

Anyone who knows me well knows I harbour a deep fondness for feathered things. Chooks, ducks, quails, budgies, galahs, turkeys and even rosellas have all graced my childhood at some point or another. And don’t even get me started about the pigeons! That’s a whole other story, right, Pippa ?! So it’s little wonder these next few books enthralled from the get go. They all incorporate avian expression and characteristics in some way that contributes a sky-full of heart and soul to these stories. Take off with them soon! Twitch Twitch is a young lad residing in the English countryside surrounded by broads teaming with birdlife. Like me as a child, he prefers the company of winged creatures to the two-legged ones who frequently ridicule and bully him. His reticent and reclusive ways belie his quick wit and sharp intelligence. He despises school but takes infinite pleasure in his own company. He homes a family of pigeons on a rooftop loft and communes daily with his cackleberry-laying girl...

Considering that over 75 per cent of the Earth’s surface is covered in water, it makes sense to invite a deeper knowledge of our wondrous oceans and seas. This selection of recent picture books are a feast of colourful fun and facts guaranteed to whet the curiosities of many budding oceanographers. My First Book of Sea Creatures Vibrantly illustrated by Zoë Ingram, this illustrated nonfiction picture book is a joy to read and cinch to navigate through. Colourful end pages immediately immerse readers into the world of 20 sea creatures ranging from clownfish, hermit crabs, narwhals and coral polyps. Species specifics are boxed alongside bold and brilliant ‘Did you know?’ fun facts. Particularly alluring are the size scales provided beneath each brief creature description for example, sea snakes are 17 – 128 cm long, equivalent to the length of a bicycle. Everything is reinforced with brilliant visuals. An index at the end of the book provides a colourful reference for kids to tick off ...

Five years ago an incredible book emerged about an odd little bird who saved a family ; the Bloom family, who endured a horrific tragedy and learnt to live with pain and disappointment, heartache and renewed love thanks to an angel clothed in black and white. Penguin Bloom (HarperCollins 2016) was an instant success resulting in the production of a major motion picture still showing on the big screen. This Young Readers’ Edition is the movie-tie in and every bit an emotional heart tug as its parent editions. Samantha Bloom was a young energetic vivacious mother of three committed to life and adventure when she had a harrowing near death accident whilst on holiday with her family in Thailand. Her subsequent paralysation left her broken and wheelchair bound and in terrible mental decline. This was not the life she had planned. She was no longer the woman she thought she’d be. Her sons and husband, helpless bystanders in this tragedy felt every bit of her pain and despair but were un...

These two beautiful picture books by Australian creators will enhance your child’s bookshelf this Christmas and also their sense of collective humanity. Wise and wonderful they are the ingredients for soaring hearts. The Biscuit Maker Despite Liz Anelli’s eye-feasting illustrations, brimming with detail and wit or maybe because of the gorgeous jumble, we don’t immediately realise who Audrey Mae is however we soon discover she and Benedict Stanley are great gardeners and live at 23 Mavin Road. Each morning they greet the world about them with joyful expectation. Sadly, their salutations are never returned. Benedict and Audrey, whom young eyes will by now have identified as Benedict’s faithful companion and fellow watcher, observe the countless comings and goings on Mavin Road every day from the refuge of their bright and cheerful sanctuary. The world bustles by, grim and endlessly busy, punctuated by unique ordinariness that only Benedict and Audrey have the time to notice; and yo...

Hues of winter blues and greys are enlivened by splashes of magnificent emerald green that are, quite simply, Jimmy. Follow the smattering of Jimmy’s green feathers and you’ll soon reach Jack’s story. Jack stays at his Dad’s house now and then. These visits are often strained and painfully quiet as though being together is more of a requirement than a pleasure. Jack wonders about the silences and his dad. Are these symptoms of loneliness, an emotion Jack knows well? How can Jack change these uneasy encounters with someone he is supposed to love? After Dad brings home a stray parrot named Jimmy, Jack feels even less worthy of his father’s love. Jimmy is loud and funny and clever, and full of surprises that amuse and endear him to everyone he meets. Jimmy fills Jack’s father’s house with noise and the type of presence Jack wishes he had causing Jack to retreat into silence and improbable thoughts. He simply cannot deal with anymore ‘surprises’ in his young life, especially ones that se...

I am a staunch believer in normalising life and keeping it as real as possible for kids. I endeavour to present these convictions through my own picture books, daring to tackle subjects that many adults may argue have no place in picture books. Yet as these superb examples demonstrate, desperately hard to accept subjects, namely loss and grief can be beautifully dealt with in ways that enlighten, embrace and evoke calm. Love and loss are irrevocably linked. They represent life. What better topic for small humans to encounter in picture books? Tree Lynn Jenkins and Kirrili Lonergan’s Lessons of Lac series is handful of simply executed but powerful exposes into the lives of the LACs (aka Little Anxious Creatures) and the Calmsters (aka their friends who counterbalance concerns with gentle advice and abundant support). In this episode, Loppy the LAC relies on a giant Tree as a place to practise mindfulness and entreat calm especially when he is worried or upset, like before taking a...

We are all different in some way. Those differences may be indiscernible, as tiny as the smallest birds on earth, or as with Alba, immediately noticeable and something she has had to drag around since birth. Alba was born with what is commonly referred to as a club foot. Twisted in the wrong way and subject to a brace for most of her life, Alba refers to her physical affliction as, Cleo and can’t wait to banish Cleo for a life more normal. Alba’s asthmatic, science-loving best friend, Levi has a desire of his own, to uncover the mystery of their disappearing school librarian and confirm the location of a wormhole that might lead into another region of the universe. For Alba, normal translates into a chance to run in the school’s cross country race, a two kilometre opportunity for her to not just be part of the race but to be in the race . Only trouble is, she has just two weeks between getting her cast off and Cleo into shape before the race. No one believes she can do it, not even...

What do meat pies, hot chips and the land of the Pharaohs have in common? As it turns out, quite a lot thanks to a curious looking, bald-headed bird with stilt-like legs and a beak that arcs like an oversized hairclip. The Straw-necked Ibis is an instantly recognisable suburban bird to even the youngest of humans thanks to its ungainly appearance and potent guano pong. Yet this hilarious tribute to one of our most misunderstood rubbish bin visitors, allows the humble Ibis to take on a glorious new role. Mother Ibis nests high above her suburban kingdom in a palm tree that is home to three adorable fluffy chicks. Despite the eclectic furnishings of their treetop home, the chicks learn from their mother not only how to survive in this modern world but gain a sense of their ancestry and history. For you see, their ancestors used to grace the banks of the Nile in Egypt and were once regarded regally rather than in distain. So when did it go so awry and Ibis became synomous with the term,...

Fly high with your favourite little book birdie! Yes, it's Pippa and together we were lucky enough to share the storytime couch with fellow picture book character, Glitch and Michelle Worthington on Channel 9Go's new children's educational show, reading@homeTV. Reading@homeTV is one of three learning based programs devised by the Queensland Education Department's drive to deliver (shows to) support language and literacy development for children in kindergarten to Year 3.  In collaboration with the Autism Hub and Reading Centre , the department partnered with Channel 9 and several well-loved local SE Queensland and interstate children's authors to read and share their favourite picture books. The program features reading coaches as well who read books aloud and facilitate interactive learning experiences to enhance every child's schooling-at-home experience. The show also encourages children to become involved with the Premier's Reading Challen...

For practically every single one of us, this Easter will be some sort of departure from the norm. We are normally on the road somewhere, camping in the Kombi with the pooches - together. Or else we'd be spending long lazy days on the bank of a river fishing with mates - together. Often this special weekend is spent hosting a colossal barbie with family - together. It's a time for rebirth and celebration. This year, of course, will be slightly different. Crazy as it sounds, my little family pod are not entirely sure what to do with themselves or each other away from the usual external stimuli. I suspect many others are experiencing this odd 'What now?' sensation on some level, too. One thing is for certain, it's a fantastic time to reconnect, reinvigorate old family fun rituals, invent new ones and...drag out the camping games for lounge room use. Before you get suckered into a five hour Monopoly marathon though, why not continue to explore the plethora of ...