AustLit

'Issy uses the words ‘what if…’ a lot. What if there is a monster in my cupboard? she wonders before going to sleep. Or What if my floor turns into quicksand and swallows my bed? For her, ‘what if…’ are two little words that start worries and lead to uneasy feelings. But maybe they can be used for something a little more fun…

'Share Issy’s wonder and excitement as her mum shows her that asking ‘what if…’ can lead to imaginative adventures far beyond the everyday. After all, What if trees had cupcakes hanging from their branches instead of leaves? Or the clouds were purple and orange and green? These kind of ‘what ifs’ are what this creative and hopeful story is all about.

'Showing children that their ‘what ifs’ can lead to feelings of fun, happiness and freedom is key in teaching them how we can change the way we feel simply by changing the way we choose to think. Written by an experienced author/clinical psychologist and illustrator/art therapist duo, What if…? is an exploration of how little worriers think, and how they can choose to turn those worries into wonders.

'Young children, parents, carers, teachers and therapists alike will find methods to manage anxiety and to open conversations about worry in this playful and accessible tale. Plus, kids will love the imaginative adventures their ‘what ifs’ can create!'(Publication summary)

'Tree is the much-loved centerpiece of the community. But one day Curly and Loppy notice that Tree’s leaves are starting to fall — at the wrong time of year — and Tree’s bark is flaking.

'It’s Tree’s time to leave. Fortunately Curly is able to teach Loppy how to accept that Tree is leaving, say goodbye, and commemorate Tree’s life.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'One day, Dad invites Billy into his shed to build something, but Billy soon finds out that he is only allowed to watch. As Dad becomes engrossed in his project, Billy takes Dad’s off-cuts and other items from around the yard and shed and starts to copy what his Dad is building. Dad remains blissfully unaware!

'At the end of the day, they reveal their creations — two very different racing carts — and Dad discovers that Billy has more skills and abilities than his dad had ever imagined! Joining forces, Dad and Billy set out as a team to build a cart together — the best one yet — and enter the upcoming local cart race.

'Up to Something beautifully explores the father–son relationship, and how they can bond while doing things together that they both love, as well as touching on the power of imagination and creativity, and the satisfaction to be gained from recycling and making things ourselves. '   (Publication summary)

'The fourth book in the popular ‘Lessons of a LAC’ series, Grey-glasses-itis helps children to understand the link between how they see things and how they feel. Loppy notices that he feels differently when he looks at the world around him through different-coloured glasses. Yellow glasses make him feel cheerful. Grey glasses make him feel sad. Children will learn that a simple shift in perception can often give them some influence over their feelings, helping to build their emotional resilience.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Perfect Petunias is a book especially for those little people who find it hard to make mistakes, designed to ’shape’ perfectionistic tendencies towards being a little more self-accepting and flexible. Loppy LAC is very worried about not doing his homework well enough. He is always focusing on what he hasn’t done rather then what he has, and he becomes very frustrated. So, his friend Curly teaches him about how petunias grow — in lots of different, imperfect directions that we can’t control! Loppy learns that by trying to control whether he makes mistakes or not it’s as if he’s always trying to grow ‘perfect’ petunias.  Sometimes he just needs to accept that things go a certain way and to change his definition of ‘perfect’ to mean trying his absolute best. Perfect Petunias is the third book in the ‘Lessons of a LAC’ series. This gorgeous series, by an author and illustrator who are passionate about giving children ways to think about and manage common emotional difficulties, is a valuable resource for every child to help guide their emotional development.' (Publication Summary)
 

'Ollie’s Treasure is tale of mindfulness for young, developing minds. It’s a story about how simply noticing and taking in what is on offer to our senses can lead to the Holy Grail of treasure — happiness. Ollie’s Treasure takes children on a treasure hunt. Ollie’s grandma sends him a treasure map that promises to lead him to ‘something that will make him happy always’. Of course, Ollie thinks this ‘something’ will be a toy of some sort, but he gets both a rude shock and a big surprise when his treasure turns out to be him! By following his grandmother’s treasure map, he is taken on a journey of his senses, encouraged to notice what he can see, hear, touch, smell and taste. It comes as quite a surprise to him to realise that noticing such things makes him feel happy, and that the key to happiness can be found in his own mind not in material possessions.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Have you ever needed to do something that made you nervous even thinking about doing? Kids do all the time. Going to bed, weathering through storms, going to school, speaking in class, making a new friend and so on. Children are expected to just get on with it! What they need is to find their BRAVE! Something that is inside of them but they just can’t find. The much- loved characters of Loppy and Curly are back to teach kids how to find their BRAVE.' (Publication summary)

'This heart-warming picture book explores the bond between a father and his daughter. One day, a little girl notices her father mowing the lawn — in the process destroying her favourite flowers: the dandelions. She rushes out to stop him, but she’s too late, they’re all gone. There’s nothing for it: she’s just going to have to sit outside and wait until they grow back! But fortunately, Dad has another idea. Taking her hand, he leads her to the front step, and there, nestled in a crack in the concrete, are two tiny dandelion puff balls.

'Father and daughter each blow as hard as they can, and the tiny dandelion parachutes spiral and spin, up, up and away, spreading their seeds to create new generations of dandelions far and wide. And together, father and daughter lie down on the grass, watching as they whirl and twirl through the air.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Loppy the Lac has learned its whole life to look out for danger. Looking out for what can go wrong is all it knows - until Loppy meets Curly Calmster. Curly teaches Loppy that it doesn't have to look out for the everyday worst-case scenarios all the time.' (Publication summary)