Dim's Write Stuff

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...

Author in the Wild For those who believe authors working from home maintain a lifestyle of bottomless coffees, frequent contemplative sojourns to the garden to bath in soft sunshine and commune with one’s muse and enjoy uninterrupted hours of serene creative satisfaction, think again. Ridiculously full weekends mean my garden, like many of my manuscripts, is sorely in need of a hard prune-back. My muse is trapped in the untamed growth. There’s a saying Border collie owners like myself live by: silence is golden unless you own a border collie, then silence is stomach ulcer-forming. I have three – dogs – who knows how many ulcers. I have not experienced true serenity for nearly 20 years. My coffee mugs all have bottoms and I have to fill them myself.   That said it’s a short commute to work so I’m not complaining. In fact, I have had zero time to think in a straight line let alone whinge about the kinks. Here’s why. February: lull before the perfect storm, thought I might actuall...

This week’s whopper book list features some of the most favoured and favourite Aussie characters of all time: our wildlife. Look them up in your bookshop or library for some full Australiana immersion . Babies At The Billabong by Maura Finn and Cate James Stunning textural illustrations illuminate one little girl’s late afternoon rambles around a billabong where she spies a bush load of Aussie animal babies. Nomenclature and rhyming singalong verse makes this a sweet read for 3 – 5 year-olds. Affirm Press August 2021 9781922419408 By The Billabong by Maura Finn and Cate James This is the precursor to ‘ Babies …’ and sports just as many gumnuts and superb imagery. A fun and frolicsome exploration of collective nouns that makes a gorgeous bedtime read. Affirm Press April 2020 9781925972474 Dry to Dry: The Seasons of Kakadu by Pamela Freeman and Liz Anelli Anelli’s mixed media artwork and Freeman’s elegant yet fact-driven narrative informs and entices readers to look...

In honour of a brand new year that is carrying with it some woeful old worries and exasperating new concerns, I thought it might be nice to focus on something a little different and uplifting. And what better way to discover new things than in a book of words, like a dictionary, like an alphabetical listing of a collection of word books, with pictures. Ahem, so with that tenuously linked introduction out of the way, let me begin with something small and bright and beautiful: a book list about bugs ! Click on the title links to explore these books further and access ways to acquire them. (The) Bug Collector by Alex G Griffiths A benign visit to the museum of Wildlife with Grandad exposes young George to the wonderful world of bugs prompting him to curate a collection of his own. After much laborious effect and ingenuity, he does so but soon discovers that such fabulousness is not destined to be trapped within a bottle. A beautifully conceived and crafted picture book that will en...

The coupling of these two picture books may at first glance seem peculiar but spend time with each and you’ll soon appreciate their shared affinity. Both are exquisite examples of tender hearted story telling relaying huge-hearted subject matter in ways young readers can easily embrace. Both are illustrated with a gentle hand and soothing colour palette. I urge you to explore more… Extraordinary! Penny Harrison has hit her stride with this glorious picture book showcasing hope. At least this was the main message for me. So many children’s books attempt to broadcast the notion of ‘hanging on’ and ‘feeling hopeful’. We tell children regularly that they are special and unique. Sometimes, we even reward mediocrity in an effort to level their ‘feelings’ playing fields thus doing their self-esteems a terrible disservice. This book rejects all that in favour of acknowledging a child’s desire to dream without boundaries; to harness unicorns and sail around Mars for example. Of course childr...

As our fair land buckles and burns in the grip of vicious summer heat, I can’t help but reflect on how catastrophic events like this remind one of not only the fragility of life but also its unique beauty. Across Australia and indeed the world, humans are rallying to make things better for all the worse they have caused. We are all tiny players in this huge game but I hope titles like these below help highlight the best bits of living in Australia no matter what. They are but snippets of my impressions but hopefully enough to water hope and maintain wonder.  Read on! Dream on! Eco Rangers Wildfire Rescue This is the third in the Eco Ranges environmentally charged series and one of the most salient to date. Despite being conceived and written well before the awful bushfire events of late 2019 / early 2020, this episode of Jay and Ebony’s conservational crusade ironically involves bushland under the siege of wildfires and wildlife under stress. It also illuminates a less wel...