AustLit

''For the Love of Patrick' is the captivating story of one man's unique journey, which starts with his forced abandonment by his young mother into the care of nuns in a girls' orphanage in South Australia in 1892.

'After an unorthodox upbringing and wild Australian youth, Patrick grows into the kind of man that other men admire, and that women find irresistible. Through his romances, exploits and adventures, we trace his rollicking path until he eventually finds his one true love. Neither time, distance, nor the ravages of WW1 cause their love to falter.

'Patrick's life story is paralleled by that of his brave mother and key characters who all contribute to produce a pacy, passionate and compelling narrative. All readers who love action, adventure and fiery romance will be captivated by 'For the Love of Patrick.'' (Publications summary)

'For her fifth book in the Wicky Wacky Farm Series, author Doreen Slinkard takes Peppi the Polo Pony and Wilby the Kangaroo to China! Wicky Wacky Farm Stories: Peppi Goes to China is a delightful children's story showing how everyone has the need to succeed, though sometimes the ego raises its ugly head. This timely tale tells how two good friends deal with the situation. Peppi and Wilby have been the greatest of friends since the night they met. Peppi was all alone and not doing well at anything he tried, until Wilby introduced himself and taught the pony all the tricks and rules of the game of polo. Under Wilby's guidance, Peppi becomes a champion polo pony, with his friend always at his side. When Peppi was loaned to the Prince of Horsenland to play polo in China, the pony became ill. Lonesome for his best mate, the prince flies Wilby to China in a passenger airplane, first class! En route, Wilby becomes enthralled watching "The Karate Kid" movie and decides to have a go at becoming a karate champion. Peppi is put out by this, thinking that Wilby should support him instead of pursuing his own glory as a champion. See what happens when two friends learn the true meaning of supporting each other. ' (Publication summary)

'The Wicky Wacky Farm family takes a holiday into the centre of Australia in the fun new children's book The Uluru Adventure: Wicky Wacky Farm Series Book 4. Mother Dora, father Wally, and their children, Donny and Lulu, join some friends when they visit the scenic Outback at Uluru. They have a fun time meeting all the people and animals living in such a different place and they learn about their much different lifestyle. Everyone gets to see world-famous events and icons at this special place in the heart of Australia. At the very end of the holiday, under a full moon, the children sneak off during the night to meet with the Aboriginal spirit of Uluru. Or was their meeting just a dream? Find out for yourself in the wonderfully entertaining The Uluru Adventure. ' (Publication summary)

'Back at the Wicky Wacky Farm in Australia, LuLu receives a white pony for her tenth birthday. LuLu gets busy grooming Miss Pickles for their first horse show together. She is intent on beating Melony Parker. Nobody much likes Melony, due to her boasting. Melony always wins, too, as she's the best rider and has the best pony. But LuLu knows that with Miss Pickles, she finally has a great chance to win. LuLu's dog, Flo, is not allowed to go to the shows, as Flo always hunts down Melony's poodle, MiMi, causing a fight. When no one is looking, Flo hides in the back of the car under a rug. After arriving at the show, Flo immediately runs off to find MiMi. When the dogs meet up, they run under the horses' legs. In the confusion, the horses become loose and get mixed up. It turns out that Melony also received a brand new pony that she named Primrose. Her pony is identical to Miss Pickles! Both ponies are white and wear the same pink headstall and lead. After being caught, and thinking they have the right ponies, the girls mount up for the event, but the ponies will not budge. Read how the dogs get together to solve the wrong pony situation. In the end, everyone learns that it's far easier to work together than against each other. And guess who wins the event? Doreen Slinkard lives at Windermere Farm Wilberforce, outside Sydney, Australia. She is looking forward to publishing more Wicky Wacky Farm Stories. (Publishing summary)

'Donny and Lulu from Wicky Wacky Farm in Australia return to school after their fun-packed summer holiday. Donny is looking forward to seeing his best friend, Tommy, after the long school break. At first, Donny can't understand why Tommy isn't pleased to see him. Then he finds out that Tommy's Dad has left home. Tommy is also upset that he had to spend the entire summer holidays with his elderly grandmother. Tommy is extremely sad and angry that his Dad has left him. When Donny tells his Mum, Dora, she comes up with a wise idea on how to make Tommy understand what is happening to him and to make him feel better. Her plan works and Tommy returns to the happy boy he once was. ' (Publication summary)

'Peppi the Polo Pony was born at the Wicky Wacky Race Horse Farm outside Sydney, Australia. People thought him an ugly duckling, while children loved him. Not capable of being a race horse, Peppi was to be sold, until Aunty Jane, who lives next door, saved the day. She took Peppi to try out for the polo team. Peppi didn't do well at that either, until one night when Wilby, the pet Kangaroo, came to visit Peppi. They became friends and met each morning so Wilby could teach Peppi all about polo. The polo horses at Aunty Jane and Uncle Mark were very smart and beautiful, but were also snobs and looked down on Peppi. One day the Prince of Horsenland came to play polo at the Royal Show and was to choose a horse from Uncle Mark's team, as they were the very best. Much to the horror of the other horses, he chose Peppi! In the last seconds of the game, the teams were tied. Peppi was in front of the pack as the prince swung to hit the ball through the goals, but he missed, whereupon Peppi spun around and kicked in the winning goal. Peppi became a hero and all the other horses now respect and honor the polo pony with heart. ' (Publication summary)