AustLit

'Hally Toe-Siss is a selfish and wasteful tooth fairy who does all the things that fairies aren’t supposed to do, such as judo, karate and kung fu. Having used up all his fairy dust on some rather silly spells he’s now unable to perform any magic for the fairy queen’s birthday party. Hally needs to collect another tooth to make more fairy dust but none of the children on his list have lost a tooth yet. Whatever shall he do? Fortunately, with help from Grandma, Hally improvises and discovers the joy of giving.' (Publication summary)

'Today is
a story about the beauty we find in everything. A child ventures out with his
best friend - a bear, and the two enjoy a day of realization and acceptance.
A joyous celebration of love and friendship.

'Today sends a message that little things are special and fun which makes
this is great read-aloud book. The child in the story shows that every day is
full of possibilities - especially TODAY!

'Today inspires
imagination and fun. It's an empowering story for making choices and
celebrating life to the fullest and to find a piece of ourselves. It clearly shows that
a bear is the little child's best friend, as they play and share together.

'This story is perfect
in starting a conversation with young children about the ever-changing world we
live in and our relationships. It will appeal to parents who would much prefer
their child spending time outdoors versus time spent indoors, watching TV or on
the computer.'(Publication summary)

'This story draws attention to the importance of biodiversity on the reef and illustrates the special roles and relationships animals have under the sea. Told through the eyes of Roger the wrasse, a small and brightly coloured reef fish who is in charge of a cleaning station on the reef. Roger’s bright colours are almost like a neon sign advertising his ‘cleaning services’ to other sea creatures on the reef.

'This is the actual action used by cleaner fish to remove dead skin, parasites and bacteria from the bodies of their ‘clients’. This is a very special relationship as the cleaner fish provide a cleaning service to their ‘clients’ and in return, the cleaners get a full stomach. This is a great example of mutualism in nature where two organisms of different species are in a relationship where both benefit.

'Through the art of marine science this story will help children to become aware of the importance of biodiversity on the reef. This real-life nature story also illustrates the benefits of helping each other, an important concept to share with young readers. Education and awareness through storytelling is a powerful way of engaging with children and their readers (eg. teachers, parents, grandparents, family, friends etc) as only through positive storytelling can we hope to change behaviours and encourage children to look after each other and look after and protect the ocean.

'Based on the latest marine science the last page of the story explains reef cleaning stations and the concept of mutualism in nature which is explained in terms early readers can understand and teachers can use as part of their classroom discussions and learning activities.'  (Publication summary)

'Tessa wants a grandma. She’s never had one before. So she sets off to find the perfect grandma – one who can dance, and sing, and tell funny jokes. Oh, and bake yummy cookies! Tessa finds lots of lovely grandmas at Lakeview retirement village but she is captivated by a sad old lady who doesn’t seem to want to talk to her. Will Tessa find a way to get Ivy to open up and play with her? Find out in this charming story about how one kind gesture can change someone’s life.' (Publication summary)

'Sid the octopus loves socks, and he has LOTS. Every night he delights in counting his matching sets of eight, hung throughout his house in neat rows. When the socks start disappearing one by one, Sid’s life is thrown into turmoil. One missing sock means seven odd socks, and soon the odd socks’ box is overflowing. It fills a room and, pretty soon, has straggled out the door. Sid decides to stage a stake out to catch the thieves in the act. He uncovers the stolen stash, secreted away by a troupe of sneaky mice in need of a cosy nest. But the socks are ruined – chewed and smeared with food – and all seems lost. Only when he tips out his odd socks to bid them goodbye, does Sid see his mountains of mismatched treasures in a new light. Odd Sock Sid is a light-hearted mystery, rich with color and pattern, littered with matching and counting fun, and featuring an underlying message of the importance of embracing change.' (Publication summary)

'On Monday, a mattress appeared under the overpass.

'On Tuesday, a blanket, and an upside-down box.

'On Wednesday, most of a sofa.

'On Thursday, a pile of clothes.

'On Friday there appeared a rickety old man asleep on a rickety old chair.

'‘We have a new neighbour!’ said Mum.' 

'It is Christmas time, and a homeless man sets up a makeshift home under a bridge, across the river from Melody’s house. Their homes are different. Their lifestyles are different. Their cultures are different. What will Melody think about her new neighbour? How will they get on?

'Christmas Under the Overpass is a delightful, sensitive, heart-warming story of compassion, curiosity, and empathy for the homeless and marginalized in society.' (Publication summary)

'This story follows a diverse gang of friends, who work together to solve a mystery that threatens an important day on their island home. The most fun and special day will be ruined if they don’t find some clues. With clever detective work and a little pinch of magic, the gang find the cheeky culprits just in time. Triumphantly returning to their friends, they enjoy singing, dancing and yummy, tropical treats. The best fiesta ever is a joyous time of friendship, sharing and enjoying the simple things.' (Publication summary)

'Monet Chases the Light introduces children to the famous French artist and his obsession with capturing light in his paintings.  Monet paints at all times of the day, in all seasons, and in all kinds of weather, chasing the light as it frolics through the fields, dances in the treetops, and skips across the water.  He paints quickly as the light never stays still for long.  Eventually the light comes to rest in Monet’s beautiful waterlily pond.' (Publication summary)

'Emma has thousands of freckles, but sometimes she wishes she didn’t. Grandma has a special story from long ago to share with Emma. A story about a beautiful island with a mist that dances off the ocean and stars that speak to you from faraway places. Emma is amazed to learn that freckles can be more special than she could ever imagine. A magical story of self-acceptance based on the Gaelic myth of how people got their freckles.' (Publication summary)

Everyone knows the story of The Tiger Who Came to Tea at Raffles Hotel, but did you know there were other visitors whose arrival caused tremendous surprise and laughter for everyone at the most beautiful and famous hotel in Singapore. Who were these unusual visitors? You’ll have to read the story to find out!' (Publication summary)

'A baby penguin wants to show his mama how much he loves her, so he tries to catch a shooting star for her birthday. Kip chases the star as fast as he can, but it disappears before he gets close. Determined to find the star, Kip continues on, but soon finds himself lost in a strange place surrounded by scary creatures. Will Kip ever get the chance to show his mama how much she means to him? Find out in this charming story that celebrates the power of love and the special bond between mother and child.' (Publication summary)

'A Squiggly Line is a story about the pursuit of one's dream, similar to the rules of taming the life we live. A funny and exciting journey into the power of positive thinking and discovering your creative abilities and self confidence. A brave little mouse begins an adventure armed with just a pencil and a blank page...he doesn't know where he's going or what he will encounter along the way. During the process, even though his drawing may seem squiggly and messy at first, he soon develops the confidence to overcome the stumbling blocks and surprises along the way-surprises that he never thought existed. And from that moment, his creation comes to play.

'Told in a unique way full of play and creativity, the story will send a powerful message about the endless possibilities of having fun with one's imagination. It will help children to explore how they can turn a simple squiggly line into a playful idea.

'A Squiggly Line is a fun and entertaining story about how life is very much the same as a squiggly line. Our squiggly line, our life, is shaped by the directions we take in our lives and how we can develop the confidence and ingenuity to overcome the problems that try to trip us up.

'A Squiggly Line is a story about embracing life's journey and creating the life you want. It shares lessons for life. It offers great advice for anyone. It's a simple message about life and what it entails to sail on a pursuit of one's dreams.

'This story will appeal to children graduating, celebrating a milestone or mastering the first day of school. It's a great inspirational story to motivate children.

'Like the brave little mouse in the story, we all have a life that yearns to be created!' (Publication summary)

'A humorous jungle adventure about a troop of mischievous monkeys who while helping a lost and rather noisy baby elephant named Peanut, to find his mamma, discover that elephants can climb up trees. Even more surprising, they discover that enormous hungry crocodiles can shimmy up a tree even faster than a baby elephant. The monkeys reunite a very emotional Peanut with his joyous mamma and the elephant herd, while a terrified crocodile wonders how on earth he's ever going to get down from the rather tall tree he's just climbed up.' (Publication summary)

'Granny Smith looks after her husband, her children and the trees that grow in her orchard. The original Granny Smith was in fact more famous in her lifetime for being the local midwife than she was for her now internationally acclaimed green apples, hence her name. Her husband was ill, and she had to take the fruit from the orchard to the market by herself. When one tree doesn't look like the others, she still helps it to grow big and strong, to find out what it will be. Could it be the perfect tree, or will all her hard work be for nothing? With patience and resilience, from little things, big things grow, including love. In the end, this is also a love story between her and her husband.' (Publication summary)

'Tilly loves to wander and explore. But one day she can’t find her way home and it’s getting dark. Luckily the old dog, Buster keeps her safe.'(Publication summary)

'At bedtime, a small boy checks his bedroom for monsters like Heeby Jeeby, Creepy Critter and the Toe Taster. He looks under his bed, in his cupboard, behind the curtains. Satisfied they are not there he jumps into bed with his teddy bear. Before saying goodnight to his babysitter, she reads him a story about a boy just like him who tames monsters. "I want to be a Big Boss, just like Max in the story," the boy whispers. During sleep the monsters appear. They jiggle and jive with the boy, just like Max in the story his babysitter read. They wiggle their big bottoms and jiggle their jelly bellies, and beat their hairy chests. They howl and yodel and make lots of noise. But who is the big boss? The boy? Or the monsters? And next morning, before school, who is the boss?' (Publication summary)