Dim's Write Stuff

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...

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...

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. ...

Like Nigella Lawson, I am crushed to have reached the end of this book. It has been a true companion in recent days, a place I have relished (and rushed) to return to. Its occupants devastatingly alluring, a sheer buzz to hang out with, even the reprehensible ones. Lessons in Chemistry is simply the best book I’ve read this year. Okay, it’s the also the first book I’ve read but what a humdinger to start with! Smart, sassy, no nonsense – this summarises the premise, plot and the standout heroine, Elizabeth Zott who it turns out, is the sum of many superlative things: chemist, rower, mother, TV star which ultimately concentrates down to staunch feminist. Or as she prefers, humanist. But that’s not all. This novel heightens one’s sense of intelligence. It’s an articulate read that rallies intellectual spirit and challenges status quo smashing the shackles of antiquated belief systems centering around  useless values based on categories of sex, race, economic status and religion ...

Ripping up roots can cause wilt; in saplings at least and, as it turns out, in young human beings like Queenie Jean Anderson. Queenie is a girl with a passion to rock and roll. At least, she plays a mean guitar but what she has in raw talent, she lacks in confidence. Stricken with stage fright and the belief that her ex-bestie, Sparrow, will out best her every time, Queenie chooses to flee at every given opportunity rather than face the possibility of abject failure. Leaving, exit stage left, is one thing but when she and her mother are forced to move from their rented ramshackle home, aka Peachy, things take on a more desperate and tension-filled tone. Salvation comes in the form of temporary refuge in Queenie’s mum’s place of work, the Diamond Sands Seniors Village. Adaptation is the key to survival and Queenie soon becomes the oldies’ favourite but the situation is short-lived and so begins a hopscotch journey from one place of abode to another. Throughout this pell mell of movi...

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...

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 seas of friendship are challenging to navigate regardless of age or creed. It’s natural for most youngsters to slip effortlessly through the minefields of companionship whilst others struggle with its ambiguities and complex set of social rules. This smattering of picture books highlights the many beautiful highs and lows of friendship. Baz & Benz With a handful of succinct words, Heidi McKinnon creates a lively dialogue between best owlet mates, Baz and Benz. Baz is diminutive yet big on persistence; adopting the tedious interrogative tone a younger sibling might employ when trying to alleviate anxiety. His repetitive quizzing about the strength and longevity of his friendship with Benz eventually wears thin on poor old Benz who becomes increasingly annoyed. Can true friendship endure such taunting or is this the end of Baz and Benz? Simple, funny illustrations accentuate these characters and the endearing storyline. Also available as a board book. Title:   Baz & B...

This book had me at its title, Paws : simple and unambiguous with a huge promise of something cleverly canine exciting the dog lover in me. Having woofed this middle grade fiction down faster than my dog can empty a bowl of kibble, I wonder though if author, Kate Foster had other implications in mind when naming her latest book; we authors are fond of layered meanings and wondrous wordplay after all. For me Paws is a story about self-identity and recognition, of ‘pausing’ for thought not just to give ourselves more time to process a particular situation or emotion but also to appreciate another’s; so much easier to write than do especially if you are 11-year-old Alex Freeman dealing with autism.   Alex’s most pressing life goal is to secure a true and proper friendship before he is obliged to set sail on the unnavigable social ocean of high school. He believes his best chances lie in winning a coveted PAWS Dog Show trophy so spends his mornings and afternoons training his const...