Dim's Write Stuff

Hi guys! Remember me? The part-time blogger (what’s a blog?), erstwhile reviewer. This post title sounds like a new novel, doesn’t it? I wish it was. Truth be known, not a lot of new words have been written this year, either as a burgeoning story, or blog post, or even in my diary. It’s just been one of those years. We’ve all had ‘em. But about this (as yet) unwritten novel … Let me explain. An Apology Remember how it was one of those years? Loss, shock, anger, frustration. Realisation, resignation, enlightenment, hope. A veritable rollercoaster of ups and downs and those horrid tummy-turning tight bends. I normally don’t mind an adrenaline filled experience but 2024, seriously! So, the gazillion reviews I’d hoped to clear this year got somewhere left behind in the G force of life. Apologies to the creators, publishers, publicists and me who expected more. But ... ‘Sometimes not getting what you want is the best luck of all’ A Promise It’s not all gloom and doom, though. Far from it. ...

Over a slew of silly seasons aka Christmases, I’ve reviewed some truly stunning Christmas inspired books. You’ll find many of them  here  and as curated booklists at  DIM’S re VIEW S . This year, like my intake of dried fruit treats and sugar, I’ve reduced the selection to this humble handful. Droll wit, Aussie flavoured, and spirit-filled are the themes of the day or rather season so, enjoy! Happy Christmas! How Does Santa Go Down The Chimney? by Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen Good question lads. This, my non-Shakespearean friends, is the real question, one exasperatingly left incompletely answered. This book is a magical, maddening meandering through the various ways our St. Nickolas aka Santa, is able to silently and stealthily enter the number of dwellings he does in the time that he has. As we follow SC across the rooftops (and under the front doors) seeking answers, other enigmatic quandaries are raised like whether or not he pauses to do laundry between hou...

It’s that time of year to untangle the LEDs, consume enough sugar to drown Willy Wonka, and hark and herald the angels until you are hoarse. I LOVE it! But for less sensory abuse and a better excuse to take a moment off from the crazy this time of year can induce, turn to a picture book. You don’t even need someone small to share it with although if you don’t own a small person, consider reading your favourite stories at your local library, charity or children’s organisation. Sharing the merry is what it is really all about and this handful of new Chrissy titles is but a teeny selection of what is on offer. To really fill your stockings check out some of my traditional festive favourites either at DIM’S re VIEWS or over at Boomerang Books Blog.  Now, let’s start Rocking Around the Christmas Tree! Jingle Smells  – Fun Rhyming Parody Mark Sperring loves a quirky silly sounding rhyme. Turns out he is partial to a bit of stink too, which becomes the theme and Christmas’s even...

In a world where curiosities outweigh everyday normalities, works of non-fiction have never been more sought after. If a young person you know constantly besieges you with relentless enquiry, consider these titles. There will be more to follow in months to come – my non-fiction TBR just about out-towers my other book piles – but for now these are just two of the titles Kids’ Book Review is featuring in their current Giveaway and come personally recommended. Be warned, you’re going to need a bigger Christmas gift books stocking. Alice’s Food A to Z Touted as an edible adventure from culinary icon, Alice Zaslavasky, this is a re-vamped re-issue of Zaslavsky’s first culinary offering. Part cook book, part food encyclopaedia, A to Z does just that; escorts young foodies through an alphabetical edible expedition of scrummy facts, cooking tips and recipes. There are plenty of checkpoints along the way to stop and absorb interesting food facts and figures including how to mix and match ...

The Pipi Café tucked away in the New Zealand village of Havelock North is not as proprietor and chef, Alexandra Tylee purports, a cake or dragon or dog but rather a pretty pink institution of fine pizzas and local cuisine. And fortunately for us, she is also a cookbook of the most divine proportions. Egg and Spoon: An Illustrated Cookbook looks less of a cookbook for kids than a regal creation resplendent in its deep red, egg adorned cover. It is the gold crown atop the boiled egg however that hints at rich, tongue in cheek things to come. Tylee wastes no time in getting to the point orientating would-be cooks with kitchen layout and utensils before strutting confidently onto the most important meal of the day, breakfast. Each recipe is allocated a full two page spread, dividing method and ingredients into neat eye-catching panels with nifty informal suggestions scattered throughout offering alternatives, tips and tricks and useful hacks. Tylee flavours each entry with her unique...

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...

The Grandest Bookshop in the World It’s something I’ve always wanted to do – live in a bookshop and be surrounded by the magic of words and other spellbinding things, like cake. Siblings Pearl and Vally Cole are living that dream. But it’s not just any old bookshop; it’s the Cole’s Book Arcade in Melbourne. Their fantastical story germinates from their father’s own stirring rags to riches tale and meanders closely to the actual chronological time line of the eccentric Edward Cole, founder of Coles Book Arcade in the late 1800s. The key thing to remember be you staff, family member or patron of the Arcade is that buying a book is secondary to enjoying your visitation. Customers are encouraged to relax, read, dine on tantalising fare, wander through the exotic gardens harbouring monkeys, or perhaps select a curious toy for a well-behaved youngster. These fascinations really did exist and in the Cole children’s thrilling tale form the critical backdrops to their chilling (fictional) a...