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...

Mouse is perhaps one of the most beguiling pervaders of FOMO you're ever likely to encounter. He resides in a cosy house in a field as big as the entire world within the warmly hued pages of Where The Heart Is   by uber-talented Shirley Marr and Michael Speechley . And fortunately for us, is brave enough to share his tale about friendship and loss and fear of missing out. Each autumn Mouse farewells not just the summer and its lively glow but also those friends he made then: the Monarch butterflies, the swallows, the geese. All depart to mysterious southern climes much like we humans seeking solace from winter's grim countenance. When the last leaves settle and the last wings flutter out of sight, everything is still and empty, like Mouse's heart . He yearns to seek the wild wide blue skies for himself so packs up his things and sets off, after lunch as it were. At first the thrill of something new, heading into the unknown is the adventure he always thought he wanted a...

Realisation can be a slap in the face when you're convinced beyond all reason that a thing is so. Even more so for the very young who cling to conviction like a shipwrecked sailor to flotsam. When enterprising naturalist, Maeve lands her first fish, she is determined to give it the best life possible. It's just that life doesn't always go to plan. Fish Don't Hop by author illustrator, Jojo Leslie, is the divine proof that change is inescapable or rather can result in escape. Let me explain. After a rousing session at the local pond, Maeve nets what she believes is a tiny fish. Her mother gently points out that while it looks and behaves very much like a fish, it is indeed not a fish . Maeve is resolute. Mumma is wrong and this fish needs a home, which she dutifully sets out to establish.  Maeve's fish has everything it could want not least of which is Maeve's vigilant attention. It's through this constant observation that Maeve notices her fish's chan...

The need to connect and share, align and alight with others is a human condition hard to ignore. Occasionally, we find ourselves on our own. Not necessarily lonely but in situations where the need to diminish that situation of solitude becomes singular. The Little Girl and the Rain by Milena Lukešová and Jan Kudláček is a picture book that highlights this circumstance of want, need and outcome that ultimately arrives at friendship. One day a little girl with no one to play with goes for a walk. It begins to rain. Rather than hurry back to her indoor isolation, she welcomes the plic plic plic drops. The rain whether in over exuberance or naivete increases, forcing the little girl to run for home. The rain persists and follows her but is kept outside by steadfast doors and closed windows.  The rain prevails increasing in need and desperation to continue the play began with the little girl's encounter. But this pursuit, from one umbrella to another only causes discomfort and an...

One is never too old, nor delightfully too young, to widen one's knowledge of the natural world. Especially when that natural world is a veritable ocean of wonders and mysteries and ... cetaceans! Following on in his exquisitely illustrated and concisely factual picture book series, What's That? Myke Mollard has triumphed with his latest volume focusing on our own hemisphere of whales, dolphins and porpoises. Each category of these ancient ocean dwelling mammals is divided into clear sections and this is where realisation spawned into renewed understanding (for me!). That a toothed whale and porpoise are one in the same, that there are several species of dolphin whose appearance is similar but habitats and behaviours differ and that the roto-tail jump is a unique signature move for the Striped Dolphin.  Introductory information about each species found in or around Australian waters and coastlines is revealed in compact paragraphs. Tantalising titbits are showcased in floatin...

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...

How does one grow something, from nothing at all, into one's dream no less? Bella, the new little cutie on the block has worked out a way. Bella's dream is no easy peasy desire either. It's her very first bicycle. And like many youngsters, the 'getting' of one's ultimate wish becomes the ultimate fixation. In Bella Grows a Bicycle , Bella has to work hard to realise her heart's desire. Creative duo, Lellie Lopter and Chiara Franceschetti show us how she does so while embracing a backyard bursting with thought provoking implications. Financial empathy and marketing savvy might not be first and foremost on the minds of primary schoolers, however their sense of cause and effect, if ... then concepts and personal gain are almost instinctive. Building on this, Lopter introduces us to a typical family scenario of, "I want ...!" versus, the almost shameful admission, of "It's too expensive". I still utter this to the family at large, solvi...

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 ...

The meaning of life. The beginning of time. Existential significance for human kind. Pretty hefty topics for pre-schoolers and those over 14 years of age. And yet, here are an eclectic collection of picture books that I feel do these notions proud. Funny, informative and touching; the scope is broad as are the concepts but their combined purpose further serves to broaden our children’s minds in the aspects of time and space and humanity. Enjoy! Ada And The Galaxies by Alan Lightman and Olga Pastuchiv and Susanna Chapman Ada loves the night sky and not just for its twinkling stars. Yet living in the city can make it difficult to appreciate distant galaxies of stars, let alone see them! So, when Ada spends time with her grandparents at their seaside home, new universes of nature, meteorology and space become accessible in the most spectacular way. Visually arresting and factually fascinating. A gem in the night sky. Walker Books Australia (Mit Kids Press imprint), September 2021 ISB...

In the lead up to the silly season where, as everyone knows, the best present of all is a BOOK, it’s time to throw some scintillating options at you. This collection features content showcasing our reef and ocean life with a few surprises along the way. Click on title links to access more information for perfect summer reading. Enjoy! A Is For Australian Reefs: A fact astic Tour by Frané Lessac This is an ABC book with a difference. It’s not simply a collection of alphabetised sea creatures but a colour saturated, detail imbued meander around our coral reefs which includes nomenclature (species names) and terminology. Random fun facts pop up on every page adding interesting and depth to one of the most biodiverse environments on the planet. Highly recommended. Walker Books Australia, October 2022 ISBN: 9781760652258 Big World, Tiny World: Reef by Jess Racklyeft Another memorable masterpiece highlighting ocean life in and around our beautiful reefs. Racklyeft combines lyrical ve...

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...

Beauty comes in many forms: the bizarre, the whimsical, the wondrous. Author illustrator and two-time Caldecott Medallist, Sophie Blacknall embraces the very best of beauty in her visual and imaginative picture book narratives creating imagery that makes your heart swoon. Here are two of her latest masterpieces. If I Was A Horse When I was much shorter, I dreamed of owing a horse. It was a dead-end desire however my love for all things equine never diminished so instead of walking, I galloped. Instead of speaking, I whinnied. Instead of sitting in the shelter shed at lunchtimes, I careened around the school oval …like a horse. I didn’t just want a horse. I was a horse. This is the premise of Blackall’s 2023 release; exploring what a child would do if she were a horse. This joyful expose of imaginative play and sense of self is splendidly supported by Blacknall’s exquisite illustrations created with a combination of media including watercolours, pencils, and collaged materials res...

As a young tween, the closest phenomena I encountered resembling pestilence and epidemics was the odd mouse and locust plague. Both highly irregular, indescribably disturbing occurrences that eventually, mercifully passed. For the generations before me, war assumed similar levels of upheaval and unrest. Imagine though being born into an era of extreme disruption, disease and prolonged uncertainty as your 'new normal' as  recently experienced by many modern-day Gen Alphas. How would you function? What expectations of the future would you possess? Would you want to escape to a better place? This is the unspoken premise of Wendy Orr’s latest middle grade fiction, Honey and The Valley of Horses . ‘Horses’ was my immediate pull card as I’m sure it will be for hundreds of equine enthused fans but the horses in Honey’s tale are much more than decorative incidental whimsy. They inhabit an enchanted valley and hold the key to the family’s survival and subsequent escape. Beset by t...

Not every one of us wants to be the centre of attention however nearly all of us craves the necessity of inclusiveness no matter how slight. To feel special and needed; purposeful is a common want even in the very young. It can therefore come as a shock when we discover our perception of self is not quite what the universe deigns to be true. This is the simple but striking premise of Alison McLennan’s latest picture book, Birdie Lights Up The World . Birdie is a cuter than cute penguin who resides in the local zoo, which the very astute reader will deduce from clues on the half title page. The rest of us will be too busy soaking in the gorgeous ochre and pink highlights of Birdie’s introduction as the chosen one . You see, it’s Birdie’s job to light up the world, which she does with enthusiastic dulcet tones each evening as the sun goes down. Her sunset serenades, literally seem to light up the evening skies. Fellow zoo mates gather to listen and watch in awe as one by one the sta...