Dim's Write Stuff

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...

At a glance, there is not much to this book. A brick wall is wedged in the gutter (middle) of the book with blank pages on each side of it. On closer examination, you'll notice a brick is missing on the left-hand-side of the wall. Supposedly, this is the better side of the book, so it's fortunate the wall is in the middle of the book, protecting it - so says the little knight, who armed with a suitably sized ladder, aims to replace the missing brick. While all this is happening, we catch a glimpse of the other side of the book. It's full of predatory and fierce animals, rhinos, tigers and gorillas. They don't have ladders, just a natural curiosity to explore the other side of the wall, the safe side. They are not the most dangerous aspect of the right-hand-side side of the book though. The knight informs us that honour belongs to the ogre. Oh dear. Lucky for our knight there is a wall for if the ogre was on the other side, he would surely eat the knight. Then a f...

Pure exuberant fun sums up this glee-filled story of Lola, a little brown Jersey calf (my absolute fave cow!) who, much to the consternation of her mother, Clarissa, wants to go to the cow ball. Her mother insists Jerseys are not designed to dance and most definitely should not attend the Black and White Ball on account that Lola is 100% non-black and white. Her hitherto carefree pirouette practising comes to a sad muddy halt as Lola relays her lamentable tale to Pearl the pig. Fortunately, Pearl is a pig of purposeful pleasures and immediately offers to 'dress' Lola for the occasion. Disguised as a black and white kind of Carmen Miranda, Lola is arguably the belle of the ball, belting out rhythmic, graceful, groovy mooves (couldn’t help myself !) until things end in a slippery mess. Her identity and dignity are at steak (er stake), until an unlikely ally establishes Lola's right to dance as much as she wants. Hawkin's debut picture book reverberates with emo...

Goat on a Boat is a fun rhyming romp across a deserted volcanic island that reminds me a lot of places in the Aegean but the end pages and name (Joxx) intimate a more Hebridean nature. A flock of dismal looking sheep eke out a meager existence among the lower marshes and barren rock faces of Joxx. The grass, what little there is of it there, is thin and unappetising. Life is rudimentary at best. One day they spy a boat which brings to shore a stranger; a goat of all things. He's different and if the sheep's leader, Bighorn Bill can be believed, must not be allowed to infiltrate their home. Who knows how much he'll eat or who else he might invite to come ashore. Better to stand firm, lock him up, bite him into submission if necessary warns Bill. But among the motley crew, a young, dark-wooled ewe speaks up, imploring the others to give him a chance. Bill finds it hard to extinguish his prejudices and pre-conceived fear-induced beliefs and while he bleats and bemoa...

To pre-empt a roundup of nature-friendly children’s books, I thought I’d shine the spot light on One Tree , the latest creation by duo, Christopher Cheng and Bruce Whatley . The first thing you notice about One Tree is its understated simplicity. There’s a certain duplicity afoot too, for this larger-sized hard cover edition sports a burnished red spine and textured illustration that entices the caress of fingers. However, the spine is not cloth bound as appears and the undulating fields depicted on the front cover are not course to the touch. This enigmatic ruse continues once you slip inside this story. Text appears mostly on the left-hand side pages, framed pictures on the right, all set against a weathered hazelnut cream background giving the reader as sense of reading something ancient and revered, like a treasured fable. This effective set-up sagely escorts readers through a young boy’s story that begins long before he is born in a mountain village where his grandfather ...

In little over a week, The Fix-It Man will officially enter the much venerated world of picture books. And I couldn't be more proud. I feel as intoxicated with joy and fulfillment as a six-year-old in a jelly bean factory. It's difficult to bottle such excitement - why would you want to? So to mark the publication of our first book baby together, Nicky Johnston and I are throwing a wee party to which you are ALL invited. It's not a month long Blog Tour, or insanely hectic Blog Blast even.  It's a baby BLOG BURST featuring some of our favourite Bookish Blog sites and buddies.    Feel free to float back and forth between these fantastic sites for information on the book, insights on the creators (us 😊), and reviews.  Kids’ Book Review – Tania McCartney Creative Kids’ Tales – Georgie Donaghey Tours at the Tales   Boomerang Books – Romi Sharp ...

Selfies – more and more, what we once relied on others to do, we now love to attempt ourselves. Book publishing is no exception. The sheer volume of printed (and electronically) produced material out there today is overwhelmingly mind-boggling especially for the discerning parent or caregiver on the hunt for useful literary material to share with children. Here is a small sample of picture book selfies that came my way. They represent a number of notable similarities; namely, their authors are all driven by an insatiable urge to share their knowledge and past experiences with an audience of children. In most instances, this enthusiasm shows in bucket loads. The topics tackled are often more extreme than themes covered in more mainstream publications reflecting the authors’ culture and life values. Karen Tyrrell is one such author. Having released two adult memoirs, her attention is now firmly turned to producing books that empower and educate children on a number of mental...

Today is special. Today we welcome two new girls to the neighbourhood. They are Tottie and Dot and they grace the pages of Tania McCartney's and Tina Snerling's latest creation, Tottie and Dot . To celebrate, the girls are having a BLOG BLAST party guaranteed to have you screaming with delight.  H ere's a snippet of what I thought of this yummy picture book. Tottie andDot is the latest picture book deliciousness doled up by Tania McCartney and Tina Snerling. As with their previous bestseller, An Aussie Year, Tottie and Dot effortlessly teams McCartney’s delectable dream-like story line with Snerling’s candy-luscious illustrations. Sweetly simple statements are anchored on full double page spreads with divinely drawn detail, right down to the tiny-tarred paw prints and gumball pebbled paths . You can read the rest of my review of Tottie and Dot here . Meanwhile, I've just spotted illustrator, Tina Snerling . If I can keep her away from the apricot sandwi...