Posts

Double Delight: Hatch and Match & Two Rabbits

Image
Today's delightful double-whammy comes loaded with well-meaning flavour, colour and fun. These two picture book gems would make great Easter basket additions but are standalone, any time reads, as well.  Hatch and Match  I'm normally wary of seek and find books that use rhyme as a vehicle for treasure hunting, but this inadvertent Easter-suitable title is pure delight. Bunnies are quickly dispensed with as we focus on a tree chockas with chooks, that's chickens to the uninitiated. And what colourful chooks they are, each sporting a unique colour scheme and pattern.  Our sleeping hens are awakened by the dutiful rooster and immediately set out to locate their eggs. Where could they be? Well it's simple if you follow the match and hatch pattern prompts! Spry lyrical narrative and pages and pages filled with eye-popping rainbow colours transforms the reading experience into the best egg hunt, ever ! All tied together with a satisfying reflection on differences and sames. A

Influence and Impact - Inspiring Storytelling: A Podcast Profile

Image
Influence and impact. Two words lightly applied to a number of situations and experiences yet can carry a great deal of weight. Where does one gain inspo? Why are the touted influences of a few often revered by the many? How does this impact on societal well-being or more importantly on the individual? When podcaster and noted educator, Karen Caswell invited me to join her for a session of shared inspiration, I was super excited. And anxious. What possible gems of wisdom could I possess that others might find useful? Fortunately for us both, my innate ability to wax lyrical about myself, my wants, likes and pet peeves reminded me that most of us revel in self-talk, have a tendency to overshare and thus will inadvertently pass on some nugget of truth or bearing that will eventually tumble into smoothed meaning for others. Well, I hope so.  You be the judge. Tap on the links below or explore your fave podcast platform to listen to my takes on what I do, why and whom for, seasoned with so

DIM'S DICTIONARY OF DYNAMIC READS: Once Upon A Time In Space …

Image
The meaning of life. The beginning of time. Existential significance for human kind. Pretty hefty topics for pre-schoolers and those over 14 years of age. And yet, here are an eclectic collection of picture books that I feel do these notions proud. Funny, informative and touching; the scope is broad as are the concepts but their combined purpose further serves to broaden our children’s minds in the aspects of time and space and humanity. Enjoy! Ada And The Galaxies by Alan Lightman and Olga Pastuchiv and Susanna Chapman Ada loves the night sky and not just for its twinkling stars. Yet living in the city can make it difficult to appreciate distant galaxies of stars, let alone see them! So, when Ada spends time with her grandparents at their seaside home, new universes of nature, meteorology and space become accessible in the most spectacular way. Visually arresting and factually fascinating. A gem in the night sky. Walker Books Australia (Mit Kids Press imprint), September 2021 ISB

Review: Red Day

Image
Charlie lives in a regional Australian town with a colourful past. Charlie also has synaesthesia. To describe her as supersensative is not quite right. She just senses things differently, intensely. Days of the weeks have colours. People have auras and sounds have scents.  She's accustomed to her unique ways of perceiving the world, it is after all all she has ever known. But when Japanese exchange student, Kenichi is relegated to her dead brother's bedroom for part of her new school term, Charlie's senses intensify to the point she begins to suffer flashbacks accompanied by violent and unpredictable visceral reactions.  Despite Charlie's determined stance to keep Kenichi, aka Ken, at arm's length (loving the Japanese culture is her mum's jam not hers), they soon come to realise they are inextricably linked not only to each other but to unravelling a puzzling mystery surrounding the infamous Cowra Breakout.  Sandy Fussell has a natural flow and rhythm to her st

Review: The Corner Of My Eye

Image
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

DIM’S DICTIONARY OF DYNAMIC READS: Built With Love

Image
Picture books are renowned for tackling a plethora of subjects that illuminate imaginative thought and spark creativity. None more so than those centred around construction, building, making . As an adult, I am constantly moved and enlightened by the ability of humans to design and create homes to shelter in and communities to thrive amongst. Imagine then how enthralling these types of books are for youngsters. This crafty collection of recent releases escorts young readers from architectural triumphs, to design to the notion of ‘home is where the heart (or pet) is’. Enjoy! Digby & Claude by Emma Allen and Hanna Sommerville This hefty picture book is a moving tribute to the re-developmental phase of housing in Australia in the late 1930s. It is also a powerful testimony to change, the evolution of friendship and resilience of community spirit. Digby and Claude unite as a change in the appearance and composition of their street begins; new flats are being built. As the demolition

Review: Lessons In Chemistry

Image
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 and