Dim's Write Stuff

A person's identity, their story may begin before the day they are born. From that day though, their living, growing narrative takes shape and form, evolving into a tapestry of ancestorial significance. For many First Nations peoples, that tapestry is a possum skin cloak. Possum Skin Cloak describes not just a precious article of clothing, it's a picture book that stitches together the delicate weaves of belonging, family and cultural identity. Penned by Aunty Faye Muir and Sue Lawson , Possum Skin Cloak , begins at birth with the wrapping of a newborn in the warmth of possum skin. It's a practical way to keep baby dry and warm and safe but also close to their mother's heart. As the child grows, so too does their story, their connection to Country and their understanding of their place within it all.  The handcrafted cloak is cobbled together with additions and subtractions, imbued with language, sacred stories and places . Understanding. The appreciation of one's...

Culture can be as ingrained and omnipresent as sunshine for kids. Their interpretation of the world around them is of course influenced by those in their world; their immediate family, peers and community. It becomes the norm, unquestioned and hard to relinquish. As a 'third-culture kid' growing up in Singapore, Yashika Mody is well qualified to commentate on the unique qualities of socially accepted cultural norms having experienced them all her life; like the use of the words Aunty and Uncle within Singaporean communities. FUNcles is a picture book penned by Mody and illustrated by Adriena Fong that highlights one small lad's confusion after he adopts this terminology for everyone he knows. The results are both heartwarming and hilarious. Told in comforting first person, we first meet this boy in his classroom where he is assigned a worksheet to complete about his family (tree). He immediately proclaims that he has a gazillion uncles . Undeterred by the self-perceived ...

From the vast red centre of Australia to the war-torn terrain of central Europe, Joey is one of those characters who inadvertently sees more of the world than anyone ever anticipated. And he's not even real. Well, he is to Art. But how exactly does this intrepid little kangaroo traverse so many miles much less survive them? Joey Gets His Wings by Catherine Bauer and Jennifer Horn shines a beguiling light on this incredible tale based on real-life events. Sweet Joey, the childhood toy of Art begins his tale in Australia's outback under a blue umbrella of sky, just as any young kangaroo might. Together with Art he weathers the melancholy rhythm of country life and shares Art's dream-filled nights of flying off to explore the world.  When Art is old enough, he joins the Australian Flying Corps and is sent off to the Great War with little else but fierce determination. Fortunately, little Joey with his address-embroidered red scarf and jolly smiling face, accompanies him....

Harriet is one busy little primary schooler. To help herself navigate the many different personas a young girl needs to be in order to facilitate all the roles a young girl needs to fulfil, Harriet utilises a veritable millinery of hats. Hats help Harriet manage whatever situation she finds herself in. She has a hat for listening, a Get-To-The-Point hat, even a Calm-Down Hat for when feelings flair up uncontrollably. Harriet's hats enable a high level of self-regulation creating a beautiful, relatable metaphor for self-help. Trouble is there are a few too many. When it's time to decorate the school hall for a big dance, the sheer variety of coping devices eventually overwhelms her. Harriet is unable to choose which hat is best to fulfill a variety of tasks. This leads to a metaphoric collapse of not just her towering pile of hats but also Harriet's sense of self.  Best mate Bernie advises her to just be herself but after wearing her assortment of different selves for so lon...

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...

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...

  A day out at the beach evokes a rainbow of emotions. Excitement, anticipation, urgency. How children compress, distil and then express these feelings is the subject of a jolly series of picture books ...! Said Rabbit by European author illustrator, Marjoke Henrichs . This one, Again! Said Rabbit stars the same little roguish Rabbit and his extremely patient and yielding parents.  Like any self-respecting, ego-centric youngster, Rabbit loves being the centre of attention. He possesses big bold feelings and conveys them with equal fervour and assurity. Despite Mum and Dad's announcement that beach time is time to relax, games are immediately launched, kites are flown and sandcastles are constructed. Rabbit thrills from one high energy activity to the next crying out, ' Again!'  to continue play.  It's a refrain recognised worldwide by parents whose soul job it seems is to entertain and engage, incessantly. Until ... Dad needs a little lie down! To change it up...

Do you remember making abstract ink art with your toddler? You know, the type involving splodges and straw blowing? Perhaps you were more into spotting cloud shapes. Maybe finding patterns in chaos is more your thing. The geometry of the natural world and its accidental occurrences is not something we consciously celebrate. These two picture books however standout because of their focus on simplicity and artful creativity. Read on, or better, experience the incisive visual literacy of these books first hand. What's That Splat by Johanna Bell & Amelia Luscombe I love the feel, look and premise of this book. Let's talk about the bevelled, rounded corners first. These give the book a cosy, comfortable feel suggesting there's nothing scary inside here, just a bit of fun. Lusciously thick GSM (page density) guarantees a long life of frequent page turns and reinforces connectivity with the target audience, ostensibly two-year-olds and above, plus it's easy to turn. Colou...

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...

Picture books about parenting and the unfathomable love and connection between a baby and their mother occupy more space than is often available on bookshop and bedroom bookshelves. So, I was suitably intrigued to see how Learning You By Heart by Sarah Wallace and Michelle Conn tackled this reoccurring well represented subject. Happy to report, with remarkable heart and toe-warming joy. Sung in beautifully metered rhythming verse, this sweet picture book hooks from the start. A mother whispers gentle aphorisms of love to her young baby. She's loved them from the start but knows that life evolves thus recognises the need to learn her child by heart, so that they might always be with her. A heart melting proposition that immediately warms to parents sharing this story with their children and those children snuggled down beside them. Good move on behalf of the creators. I've yet to meet a youngster who doesn't possess some curiosity about themselves and their existence, bl...

When I was a kid, I wanted to be a mum. I had a younger sister, my bestie but to fill the sibling gap (and several years before motherhood would be a reality), I had a backyard of furred, feathered and finned buddies. Much like Little A, (my own moniker for him) our main character in Maura Pierlot and A Yi's latest picture book, Our Family Zoo . This little boy's backyard, and kitchen and bedroom are filled to bursting with animals of every description. There are your run of the mill domestic moggies and doggies, the old chook, plenty of questionable reptiles and amphibians not to mention a host of native pet rescues. It's exactly the kind of animal menagerie I yearned for as a youngster, although I did manage to rack up a loft full of pigeons, quails, budgies, ducks, chooks, mice, dogs, cats, rosellas, a galah named Freddie, and at one point, a ping pong eating giant oscar fish. Little A would have been proud. But where my parents drew the line at an Arabian stallion, Li...

One of the most seemingly benign 'firsts' a parent and their child have to face - the first hair cut ... in a salon - is often fraught with some of the most intense emotions. Fear, confusion, grief, all the indescribable fears toddlers and youngsters encounter are distilled into this gorgeously rendered picture book, Max And The Haircut . The title sets the premise straight away, suggesting that the act of getting a hair cut assumes an entity too overwhelming to name.  By his own admission, Max's mane needs taming and at first a trip to Wendy's Hair Salon with his mum seems a fun interesting outing. The trouble is, the salon is too bright and noisy and full of sharp, spiky objects . Doubt grows faster than Max's curls. What is normal and accepted for us from learned experience, the odd smells, curious sounds and intrusive atmosphere, quickly overwhelm Max as they do many young children. Despite Wendy's gentle assurances that the all-encompassing aprons and shar...

When nonsense invites silliness, silliness begets joy. And joy is one of the best things we can feed to our young folk. Unfettered amusement is exactly what you're served in James Foley's , Oh No!   I'm no grammar junkie but as a writer, I do adore a good dollop of onomatopoeia. Oh No! not only promises this from the very first end papers, it delivers it on every single page. Which is great for ramming home the meaning behind this multi-syllabic device, but also achieves the penultimate objective of any picture book, repeat read throughs. Every splish, splash CHOMP ! is accompanied by the query of ' What's that noise? ', because these onomatopoeic words describe sounds which set the scene for the aforementioned silliness and invite further investigation.  It all begins with rapturous applause, or rather a pageful of clap clap clapping for an elephant with a very special cake. Sadly, things soon spiral into a vortex of catastrophic mishaps each more ludicrious ...

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...

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...

The term umbrella can mean many things. Ostensibly, protection, shelter, inclusion, unification. All admirable qualities, ones that entice a visit within. Trouble is, not all umbrellas are of equal size. Not all possess the capacity to encompass those that perhaps are in greatest need of them. And yet, as is oft the shared human condition, we all at some point crave to fit under that mantel of shared connection – to fit in. And those that appreciate this inherent desire better than any other are children. This is the core of Niki Foreman and Binny Talib’s stunning new creation; an exploration of a young person’s observation of their social standing, their subsequent efforts to change it and their eventual realisation of self. Characterised by a non-gender specific child, the realities of not quite fitting under the umbrella is apparent from the get go. Our main character has but their robust raincoat and desire to join those comfortably already under the umbrella, noticeably withou...