Dim's Write Stuff

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 ...

There's a lot swirling around in the universe, depending on which one you're orbiting through. For a diminutive soul like Leif, the cosmos can assume overwhelming proportions which despite his heroic Viking namesake, aren't always easy to overcome by yourself. My Tiny Universe by Maryam Master , is a close up exposé of a universal problem; the art of being big when you feel so stupendously small. It takes us a while to realise the full extent of Leif's physical health limitations because he is the kind of kid to deflect concern and pity with intellect and absurdly rationalised thought. This is relayed through his impressive vocabulary and method of delivery which unfortunately also excludes him from more mainstream schoolyard conversation and interactions. Readers have scant time to dwell on this however because as Leif introduces himself, we immediately glean a potentially new and different side of his personality. One with arsonist qualities. One who is no longer th...

We're doubling down on reptilians today, both of which continue to create rapturous wonder in young hearts and minds. Dinosaur In My Pocket by Ashleigh Barton & Blithe Fielden In a clever incongruous coincidence, James loves two things beyond all else: dinosaurs and miniatures. His collection of both is vast and impressive but lacking a Triceratops. So, when on his school excursion to the museum the perfect Triceratops is spotted, James is besotted. Except, he can’t afford it. After a little light-fingered acquisitioning, the wee dinosaur is escorted back to school in James’ pocket, then home then into his bedroom. Only, dino is not so wee after all. With each passing moment, the dinosaur grows as does James’ shame and guilt. The beautiful thing about this tale is how the crime is uncovered simply because it can no longer be concealed or confined. Lies, guilt, misdemeanours; all have a way of amplifying if left unchecked. When James’ parents discover his dinosaur, they d...

This book needs more than five stars. It is a universe of stars, magnificent and absolute. For me, it possesses all the qualities outstanding narrative works possess rendering them utterly impossible to articulate just how magnificent they are. See what I mean. Hopeless.How does one describe a thing that fills them, tears them, speaks to them so intimately, so personally, so honestly? Therein lies the true beauty and unfathomable skill Dalton has: he sees things. He notices us. He gets it all and then, quite astoundingly, has the ability to write to YOU the individual with undiluted clarity and unashamed compulsion. Dalton's novels feel as though they are tailored specifically for the individual, every single one of us. His characters slam feet first, boots and all, against your emotional armour with such force, it makes you gasp. This is not a bad thing. It's a magnificent and absolute and real sensation. So, yes, I loved Lola. Everything. The anguish. The agony. The sorrow. T...

Thompson's work never fails to enthrall and entertain. This is a majestic foray into the minds of two very different people; one in old age with the onset of dementia, struggling with the enormity of making sense of a lifetime of memories. The other his granddaughter determined to find what he has 'lost'. The search takes both them and the the reader through a detailed adventure of perception, memory, reflection and finally resignation. Some lost things are never found, like time and youth but with kindness and understanding, their previous existence can be cherished. Full page spreads burst with colour, clever jokes, ties to previous works and well-known entities. None of us really know what we are looking, but Thompson prompts us to search anyway. The whole effect has a rather Graeme Base feel to it which is brilliant in my book.  The use of colour, deliberate placement of 'clues' and exploration of 'normal' locations within a home keep minds and eyes acti...

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 ...

Fate and circumstance are curious things that can set storytelling wheels in motion with the most extraordinary outcomes. From the dexterous mind and unfathomable imaginings of Kate DiCamillo comes a new, spellbindingly illustrated fiction that bewitches and bemuses. Five exquisite puppets each with a personality and power peculiar to their maker’s whimsy are locked in a trunk after their former master forsakes them, their story and himself. And that is where their real story begins. An adventure, a quest, a parody of unfortunate near disasters, twists and awkward turns that involves each of the puppets in turn and ultimately as a one for they are all in the same story. Of this they are certain and so vow to each other to remain in the telling until the end. Their journey evokes wonder in simple beauties that are easily overlooked; the colour of moonlight through an open window for instance. The vagaries of misguided vanity. The heartbreak of unrequited expectations. And like the ...

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...

I have to admit, I'm a bit of a Towles fan. Such eloquence of expression is truly spell-binding. This is undisputedly an adults' novel but I'd recommend it for YA readers, as well. Here's why ... Towles writes with such wit, intelligence, compassion and sophistication, to experience one of his novels is less of a reading event rather an exquisite pilgrimage into a world so beautifully crafted and portrayed, so cleverly multi-layered, it's an effort to farewell it. Admittedly, the following does not reveal a great deal about the plot. I'll leave that for the back cover blurb. It's the purpose of the thing that truly resounds.  The Lincoln Highway exhibited elements of The Outsiders and The Rain Man for me but all encapsulated in its own big, bold, unique personality. And just like these two former tales, larger than life characters dripping with charm, tragedy and heart-hugging humour steal the show; characters so finely honed, their hurts and happy moment...

I’m a well-known advocate for the ability of picture books to relay messages of the heart, heavy and often indescribably unbearable ones, like grief. Mizuto and the Wind is such an example, a worthy conduit of emotion that is indescribably, beautiful. Because beneath the mantle of poignant suffering, there is a persistent uplifting whisper of hope. Gifted wordsmith, Kaye Baillie drew inspiration for this stirring story after learning about a real-life Kaze no Denwa – Wind Phone – erected by Itaru Sasaki as a place of respite and recovery. Following the Great East Japan earthquake and subsequent horrific tsunami in 2011, Sasaki made his Wind Phone accessible to anyone who might benefit from visiting. Tragedy often has the most benign and banal beginnings, which describes the morning Mizuto’s father farewelled him, leaving for work, never to return. Following the catastrophic destruction of the seaside township of Otsúchi, Mizuto and his mother are themselves swept up into an ocean...

As the year rolls on, I am once again involved in the hugely gratifying task of presenting specially curated creative and higher thinking workshops to gifted and talented students throughout SE QLD. The programs are facilitated by G.A.T.E WAYS Education who stipulate a new fresh outlook on a plethora of subjects designed to take students deeper and more decisively into the worlds of language, science, maths, technology and more. For presenters, this is an all-consuming challenge but one that helps stimulate the creative verve and expand knowledge borders. And my latest, adventure? Well, it’s exploring the overlapping territories of lurvvve. Love. What it is. How it affects us. Why it’s the essence of art, history, humanity … life . And, its implications for hook-you-in-never-let-you-go storytelling. This week’s (very belated) list of Book Bites therefore naturally revolves around this omnipresent, omnipotent emotion – love. All in the name of ‘research’, you understand. 😊 This Is ...

I’ve recently been examining the notion of friendship; what ignites it, how enduring it is, why it is simultaneously strong yet exquisitely fragile. Friendship cannot exist exclusively but is enriched with kindness and compassion, understanding and infinite patience. Friendship is, I guess, love. And love encompasses the best bits of friendship. This small handful of picture books encapsulates this notion in better ways than I could ever explain. I invite you to get better acquainted … Old Fellow Liz Anelli’s homely and divinely detailed drawings are the perfect accompaniment to Christopher Cheng’s touching tale about two old fellows; an affable elderly man and his furry black dog. They share their days together wondering the suburban streets of their neighbourhood and ambling through the local parks. Life around them is a riot of colour and action. They walk, muse, rest, and remember when they used to play ball and dash after birds. Now is more of a time of simply sitting and smelli...

The alluring title and intricate cover design of this novel provides instant grab but it’s the immediate saturation of raw authentic atmosphere that really pulls you into Salama’s story. Debut author Zoulfa Katouh pours her heart and soul into Salama but does so with enough measured restraint and humour to ensure this exposé of Syria’s present day atrocities appeals not only to adult readers but also its intended YA audience. And, it’s an allure that lingers all the way to the heart touching end. Salama is a young Syrian girl living in Homs, a city located on the Orontes River in western Syria. A city razed to the ground by Syria’s ugly ongoing Civil war. She lives amongst the destruction surviving on less than nothing, enduring nerves more frayed than the fabric of any remaining normality. Every ounce of energy is directed into maintaining the welfare of others, namely those brought into the local hospital in which she works to be cobbled back together again. She mends, stitches, s...