Dim's Write Stuff

Those that know me well know I have a thing for small cute reckless ungulates. My goat fetish began in childhood however, sadly has never bloomed into full-on ownership. How could one not love those rectangular pupils, devil-may-care attitudes and ability to eat anything in their line of vision? The real question here however is, how could one not love Peter Carnavas ' latest junior fiction, Kid.   Kid is a miniature baby goat; dial up the cuteness level. He is sweet natured and open-hearted; giving Wilbur the pig vibes. And he lives on the farm and sleeps with the hens because Kid is an orphan. After a dramatic midnight mission to chase off a marauding fox shortly after his birth, Kid's parents, Buck and Bess disappear into the wilds outside the safe confines of the farm, never to be heard from or seen again. Audrey, the chook literally left holding the baby, raises Kid like one of her own and because of his diminutive size, they share a close and confidential co-existence. ...

Girls. Creatures unto themselves, unique, uncompromising, spirited. Well that's exactly what they can and should be so depicted in this gratifyingly colourful celebration of what girls actually like. Turns out, there is almost no end to what girls like according to the fresh creative duo of Katrina Germein and Deb Hudson . Girls Like is a joyful romp through an endearing neighbourhood of girls as they go about their day to day lives. Each spread addresses a particular generalised 'like', for example food. The thing is, with so many variations of our girls, food favourites vary dramatically, to o. Thus, Green food, hot food, Queen food - what's not to like! Just as young females come in all shapes and sizes, so too do their predilections. How they wear their hair, what type of art they are drawn to, the nights they relish best, the tricks they attempt, the friends they keep. All are as unique and diverse as they are.  The complementary art work by Hudson is beating wi...

Dreams are the conduits to adventure. We've all had a few. Mine, as a freedom seeking teen, was to buy the red and cream bus for sale that I passed everyday on my way to school. Imagine living in a bus, traversing the highways and byways of Oz! Well, Dave Petzold did and wrote about it in the family based adventure, We Live in A Bus . My love of the ocean pulled me in a different direction however thanks to another picturebook-inspired dream - to live on a boat.  I remember a book filled with friendly marine creatures, a sea of swirling colours, freshly caught sea bass for dinner and grilled peaches for dessert, luxuriously illustrated and brimming with whimsical adventure. Could Petzold have shared this dream as well?  We Live On A Boat , is a magnificent ode to the ocean and salute to the 'live aboards' who frequent her currents and tides. Lyrical verse begins with the reoccuring sentiment; we live on a boat which is immediately reinforced with the vessel's name: Luc...

When an adult picks up a junior fiction chapter book and is transported back to a time when nothing else mattered but page turning until the end, you know you're on a winner. Why? Because for me, that time, when I was so utterly absorbed by books my surroundings, time and even food failed to penetrate my intense committment to story, was one of the most joyous in my life.  The Silver Series of chapter books aimed at youngsters between the ages of five to nine not only fuelled that transportation, it actually made me feel like one of those book-loving kids again; like I was nine. This cleverly curated ensemble of engaging stories for kids however is first and foremost that; for kids not a wannabe kid again! And it does so with carefully considered intelligence. So far, I've enjoyed the first three. All sport bright inviting covers, clear theme discriptions and ... joy of joys ... rounded edges! I'm not sure why I like that but feel sure kids with differing tactile sensitivi...

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 ...

When I was a kid, Mum and Dad ordered in a magnificent, leatherbound, two volume set entitled, Singer of the Bush and Song of The Pen; a collection of poems, verse and short stories by Andrew Barton 'Banjo' Paterson. Like many others, I went on to love several of the well-known and well-worn classics. I never made it through every single poem. I still have the two giant tomes. They represent keepsakes and a slice of history. Imagine if other young readers, curious crafters of words and themes they are only just becoming acquainted with could have their own slice of this history. Meet Banjo Paterson - in board book form. Presented in hard cover, thick paged, glossy full colour, this introductory series to the amazing works behind one of Australia's best-loved poets comes to vivid life. Edited to be read in one sitting, these make familiar classics less wieldy and supremely more accessible for both carers, parents, teachers and the little ones they are reading with. Waltzi...

Have you ever left a book on the shelf for months and months, eager to read it but not quite in the right mood to do so? Other titles assume a kind of procrastinate preference over your erstwhile looked-forward-to folio until suddenly, it beckons, loud and unrelenting. Read me, read me now! I love the synchronicity of reading the right book at the right time. This is how I experienced, Kate Foster’s latest novel, The Bravest Word, at time when life needed a little more explaining and the soul a little extra massaging. Without getting over personal or dwelling on the genesis of this story or Foster’s motivation for writing this book, The Bravest Word , is honest and raw and incredibly uncomplicated in its complexity. Matt is an only child with the world at his eleven-year-old feet. He is on the cusp of football legendary-stardom and the start of secondary school. He has loving parents and buddies who always have his back yet for reasons unknown to him, mystifying and confusing, h...

I don’t usually do a lot of second-book-in-the-series reviews because, well life being too short and book shelves being too full and all that, but this follow on story by Nat Amoore warrants a megaphone of praise all on its own. The Power of Positive Pranking is a not just the second in a series about the antics of a bunch of upper primary school scallywags, it’s a standalone rib tickler packed with tidy trays-full of heart, subterfuge and oh yeah...good old fashioned PRANKING!   We’re back at Watterson Primary School, breeding ground of some great characters like Tess and Toby from, Secrets of a Schoolyard Millionaire . This time the focus is on Casey Wu and her secret band of fellow pranksters, Cookie and Zeke aka the Green Peas, a name that can be interpreted in multiple ways but essentially is a club of pre-teens dedicated to the art of pranking for the greater good. So what does this oxymoron actually mean? As with its predecessor …Positive Pranking’s chapters are defi...

Easter is different things to different people: a time of rest and relaxation with family, a moment to reflect on new beginnings, a sacred religious observation symbolising rebirth and renewed hope. Here in Australia a new tradition is taking hold; the Easter Bilby has been bouncing alongside the traditional Easter Bunny as a symbol of encompassing change and compassion in addition to recognition for our very own long-eared lookalike Easter cutie for some time now. While picture book, Evie Is All Ears is devoid of Easter Eggs, it does feature bilbies in abundance and is a tender example of consideration and coping with change; two significant Easter concepts. With that tenuous connection made, let’s explore Evie’s world. Evie lives in the harsh Australian brigalow bush. She attends Miss Briar’s school with gay abandon and applies herself to every bilby task required be it learning to dig with her sharp claws or sniff out tasty morsels using her keen nose. The one thing she finds d...

Since last year, I have been invited to present specialised language programs for gifted and talented school students throughout Australia for the G.A.T.EWAYS Education organisation. It’s always a privilege standing in front of a group of motivated young students no matter who they are. The G.A.T.EWAYS kids are especially challenging for they love to question. Fortunately I love to find answers; to questions like: ‘Where did that idea come from?’ and ‘How to you grow an idea?’ My latest workshops cover these precise quandaries focusing on what ideas become…why marvellous stories of course! Stories themselves illustrate this point best which is why I was delighted beyond words to unearth this gem, What Do You Do With An Idea? by the quietly brilliant award winning, Kobi Yamada and Mae Besom. This book embraces the notion that everything, every single thing, you see and experience around you was once an idea; a huge concept that Yamada breaks down into an absorbing narrative starr...

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...

Saroo Brierley’s tale is one of heartbreak and tenacity. It’s the kind of bad dream that has you waking in a cold sweat; you know the one, where dread and abject terror fill every cell of your body because something so unconscionably bad happens and you are helpless to reverse it. Saroo Brierley experienced such a dream, which for a boy of just five years of age is harrowing enough, except Saroo’s nightmare was real. Separated from his older brother one fateful night whilst roaming the train platforms near his small hometown village, Saroo’s life takes an irreversible detour. From simply searching for opportunities to improve their improvised existence in India’s regional mid-west, Saroo’s young logic transports him half-way across the country to Calcutta (Kolkata); a veritable galaxy away from everything and everyone he’s ever known. Incredibly, he survives alone on the streets for weeks until he finds refuge in an orphanage. Within a month fate steps in again and Saroo is adopted...

The Twelve Days of Christmas with Roald Dahl This redunculusly good collection of festive activities to make and do by one of the world’s favourite story tellers, Roald Dahl is more fun than Dim’s Christmas Countdown. The Twelve Days of Christmas is a nifty little novel-sized compendium broken into twelve chapters that celebrate the most scrumptious and jolly best bits of the silly season. And you know there’ll be a fair amount of silly with Dahl at the helm of this particular sleigh ride. Each chapter is a line out of the beloved Christmas carol and highlights a classic Dahl title; One Matilda in the Library ; Two Smelly Twit s… Five Golden Tickets …and so on. Everybody’s favourite characters get an airing and each chapter relates in some obscure, tricksy way to the novel’s theme. Cleverness aside, this book is a genuine cache of Christmas craft and art, gob-smacking recipes (you must try the Chocolate and Brussels Sprouts pie ) , puzzles, pranks, gift ideas and mind-benders de...

Music Is there a young somebody under your roof with a passion for reality? Then I recommend you scoop up this little non-fiction wonder, Music . Released by What on Earth Publishing , this resplendent encyclopedia of music is just one of the many non-fiction titles this company specialises in all designed to engage (a child’s) natural curiosity and passion for learning . And they are simply astounding. Music is a fold-out graphic history of music which means it can be read from cover to cover as a normal book, but each page is actually a concertina fold which when unfolded spreads out into an engrossing timeline 2.5 metres long! This musical odyssey begins with an overview of the world allowing readers to gain a sense of time and place that is all encompassing. Time is measured in the religiously neutral but same timeframe as BC, BCE and CE (AD) and begins with ancient music from prehistoric times. It’s a fascinating journey and one I am certain adults will want to experience ...

It’s hot enough in Queensland to melt the antlers off a reindeer right now. And at the risk of creating another distressing metaphor, so too are the days  melting away faster than a soft-serve ice cream on a hot afternoon, sigh…Which is why we have not one but three fabulous Christmas reading gift recommendations today, all guaranteed to warm you within but keep your festive-cool chilled and relaxed. Santa Jaws Mark Sperring and Sophie Corrigan’s Mince Spies was a Christmas treat to be relished. Their 2020 Christmas offering, Santa Jaws , is just as enticing, albeit slightly more sinister sounding. I love how Sperring twists a beloved theme, spices it with some clever word play, and laces it all together into a delightful mix of rhyming verse and subversively silly and sensitive scenarios. Shelly Shark’s altruistic intensions bring unexpected joy, then suspicion, then alarm, then pure exuberance for one very stalwart little squid named, Sid thanks to his unmitigated belief i...