AustLit

'“Go for a walk,” suggested the psychologist. Four and half years later, Terra became the first female to walk solo and unsupported around Australia, all in aid of suicide prevention. Not only did the 17,200-kilometre walk set a distance record, but Terra became a roadside counsellor, helping thousands of people on their own paths to mental health recovery. As Terra faces down wild dogs, staggers through dust storms, and battles exhaustion, the story also delves into lifelong experiences of depression, PTSD, anxiety, autism and identity. This is a real-life recounting of surviving and thriving, no matter the odds. The book can be used as a guide for healing, hiking and connecting with Australia’s wild, wonderful, majestic natural places, but above all to living life to the full.' (Publication summary)

'In 1855 talented astronomer and scientist Charles Todd had a dream to build a telegraph line across Australia to connect it to the world. This dream was a bold one and he would have to wait for technological advances to catch up with his ideas. By 1870, however, Singapore and Indonesia were joined to the world's growing telegraph network and it was Australia's turn. Todd and his men would have to erect thousands of telegraph poles across the entire expanse of the country, from Adelaide to the northern coast - one pole every 80 metres - across land that was relentlessly inhospitable and largely unknown to them. They overcame every obstacle and, as well as reducing the transmission of information to the country from months to hours, revealed the splendour of the continent's interior to its rapidly growing population. This is their story, now in paperback.' (Publication summary)

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'Myke Mollards signature illustrations and engaging text bring kids up close and personal with over 150 of Australia’s colourful and characterful backyard birds. These are birds most commonly seen in our gardens and surrounding bush and parks. The birds are not only beautifully drafted, but the accompanying text also vividly describes their lifestyles and habits. The wonderment of these stunning creatures, delivered in an engaging cinematic punch, will excite the imaginations of children for life, and fully engage any adult with a love of birds.' (Publication summary)

'Myke Mollard's signature illustrations and engaging text bring kids up close and personal with hundreds of the creatures found on Australia's Great Barrier Reef: corals, fish including sharks, turtles and other marine reptiles, whales and dolphins, birds, molluscs, crustaceans, even the animals found on the reef's 900-odd islands. The creatures are not only beautifully drawn and coloured, but the accompanying text vividly describes their lifestyles and habits. The wonderment of these stunning animals, delivered in an engaging cinematic punch, will excite the imaginations of children for life and fully engage any adult with a love of Australia's wildlife.' (Publication summary)

'The first Australian cricketer to play 100 internationals across all three levels (Tests, ODIs and T20s), David Warner is a champion of his generation; fabulous but flawed. No Australian opener in history has surpassed his rapid-fire strike rate in excess of 70 runs per 100 balls. Only one other has surpassed his aggregate of 45 centuries across all levels.

'Feisty, flamboyant, verbose and villainous, few have been as entertaining or as polarising as the great David Warner.

'The Bull is the first full-scale biography of one of Australian cricket’s champions of the generation. It features the yarns, the stats and all the fun of cricket’s greatest entertainer.' (Publication summary)

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'He had it all: the heroin chic thing before it was chic, the scars, the swagger, an incredible stage presence. After bursting on to the Australian music scene in 1975, Dragon fast developed a reputation for both hard rocking and hard living. As the highly visible and charismatic lead singer, Marc Hunter was the voice behind such timeless hits as April Sun in Cuba, Are You Old Enough? and Rain. Yet Hunter was also a maverick whose destructive genius and serious heroin addiction led to a turbulent relationship with his bandmates, including older brother Todd. And it contributed to his early death at just 44. Originally published in 2011, this intimate portrait was written with full co-operation from Marc's mother Voi and his brother and former bandmate Todd, as well as contributions from many high-profile Australian music personalities such as James Reyne, John Paul Young, Kate Fitzpatrick, Richard Clapton, Don Walker, Kevin Borich, Tommy Emmanuel and Robert Forster.' (Publication summary)

'Lyra is an active young lady who wants to get out and explore the world - but her father has turned into a Phone Zombie! He spends all his time lying on the couch working... talking... texting... reading... watching sports. Finally she persuades him to go for a walk with her in the bush where they see amazing creatures and Dad is gradually converted into a Nature Zombie! This wholesome tale, hinting at the dangers of the over-use of screens and extolling the benefits of getting out into nature, turns the usual parent-berating-child narrative on its head. The story thus delights children while at the same time tempting them to follow in Lyras footsteps. This is first in an anticipated series of books featuring Lyra and the Wilderness Warriors.' (Publication summary)

'John Farnham is the quintessential Aussie legend. As a teenager he gave up an apprenticeship to chase his musical dreams, hitting the big time with the catchy pop ditty ‘Sadie (The Cleaning Lady)’. But it wasn’t smooth sailing from there.'

'A family man at heart, and the most loyal of friends, John was sometimes uncomfortable with the spotlight and for many years struggled to make his music career as successful as those close to him – including Glenn Wheatley and Molly Meldrum – could see it could be. He finally hit his stride with 1986’s Whispering Jack and the breakaway success of ‘You’re The Voice’, which became the anthem of a generation. John lived it up – holidaying with the Skases in Port Douglas and sharing cigars with Bob Hawke at the Lodge – but always came back down to earth. Inherently humble, the King of Pop would also become king of the comeback, proving to have a longevity rare in the music industry.'

'In this deeply personal and insightful biography, author and music industry insider Jeff Apter, thanks to the support of those close to John, provides a rare glimpse inside Farnsie’s world, unlike any other book about the man. He reveals the drama behind John being named Australian of the Year, how the cassette demo of ‘You’re the Voice’ was nearly overlooked, and how John once accidentally sparked the attention of ASIO. And he explores Farnham’s relationships with the figures who have been instrumental in making him ‘The Voice’: his first manager, Daryl Sambell, his wife of 40-plus years, Jill, and long-time friend and manager Glenn Wheatley.' (Source: Publisher's website)

'Eleven-year-old Clancy has been thrust into life out woop-woop. These are the stories of his outback adventures at his uncle's sheep station, Overflow Station.

'In 'Feral Frenzy', Mum is still trying to work out how to do her thing on Overflow Station and the whole family continues to have a lot to learn about country life. But who would have thought that feral pigs would get into Mum's precious veggie garden? Clancy thought it was pretty exciting at the time but now it is an issue they need to fix pronto.

'At the conclusion of this book there is an Outback Facts section which discusses feral animals in Australia, there is an A.B. 'Banjo' Paterson poem, 'Brumby's Run', and the all-important, Outback Jokes section.' (Publication summary)

'This unique book captures the range and diversity of the wondrous Australian wildlife from prehistory. The book includes over 70 animals that lived in Australia at various times during the Mesozoic and Cenozoic eras (ie from 250 million years ago), from sea creatures to amphibians, dinosaurs, reptiles, birds and mammals. With meticulous attention to the environment and flora of each period, the book presents a succession of the huge animals that marched, flew and swam across our landscape, from the terrifying Daspletosaurus to the more sedentary Diprotodon. This book invites and engages kids (and kid-adults) of all ages to find, discover and learn all the animal names and compare their different types. Assisted by leading palaeontologists, author Myke has ensured the illustrations are as anatomically correct as possible as well as vibrant and engaging.'  (Publication summary)

'Myke Mollards signature illustrations and engaging text bring kids up close and personal with 47 of Australia’s most deadly and dangerous creatures, helping them to discover the true nature of these wonderful animals. As fearsome as many of them sound, what they will come to realise on reading this book is that these creatures live mostly peacefully among us.

'Their deadly venoms, scary teeth and animal behaviour are normally just used as warning signs or, rarely, in defence. In reading, children will come to understand these creatures better, gain courage and form a proper respect for them. The beauty, majesty and wonderment of these stunning creatures, delivered in an engaging cinematic punch, will excite the imaginations of children for life.' (Publication summary)

'This is the story of the A. The A in the Rainforest is a fun Australian-themed phoneme story that teaches young readers about the vowel sound A and where they can find it in different words. Beautifully illustrated by Janie Frith, the rich colours and vibrant use of multi-media enhance the magical experience. The book is about the journey of a young Rainbow Bird from the rainforests of Tasmania to their counterparts in New South Wales. The first book from Judith and Janie, The Oo in Uluru, won a 2019 Book of the Year award from Speech Pathology Australia; this is their fourth book, the others being The EE in the Deep Blue Sea and The O in the Snow.' (Publication summary) 

'Many of Australia’s creatures are facing extinction and we can’t save what we don’t understand. Mykes signature illustrations and engaging text introduce kids to 134 of Australia’s most endangered animals. While some may be well-known, many are not: all have their plight, beauty and character delicately presented in this important new book. Australia’s wild creatures are facing a fast-changing environment that has humankind’s fingerprint all over it and hundreds are in danger of complete extinction. We can’t save what we don’t know or understand: awareness is paramount to helping these endangered creatures survive into the lifetimes of future generations. Myke Mollards signature illustrations and engaging text bring kids up close and personal with 134 of Australia’s most endangered creatures, highlighting both the common and uncommon threats to each species and revealing the fragile balance existing in nature and how our human impact is collapsing ecosystems and unbalancing the natural world. While some of these creatures may be iconic and well-studied, many of them are less known: all have their plight, beauty and character delicately presented in this important new book.' (Publication summary)

'Exploring common names, aboriginal names, Latin names and from every corner of Australia, the book includes over 400 native animals, from sea creatures and insects, to amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals. The book highlights the endangered, sometimes the extinct and the rare beauty of Australia and its islands and territories. Fully indexed, this book invites and engages kids (and kid-adults) of all ages to find, discover and learn all the animal names and compare their different types.

'Originally assisted by leading biologists, author Myke has ensured the illustrations are anatomically correct as well as vibrant and enchanting. As a bonus, you can find one human in the book doing what Myke loves best as a recreational pursuit.'  (Publication summary)

'This is the story of the O. It’s an interesting sound, as I’m sure you know. The O in the Snow is a fun Australian-themed phoneme story that teaches young readers about the vowel sound O and where they can find it in different words. Beautifully illustrated by Janie Frith, the rich colours and vibrant use of multi-media enhance the magical experience.

'The book is inspired by The Man from Snowy River and celebrates the creatures of the High Country and the drovers that once mustered horses and cattle on the high plains. The first book from Judith and Janie, the Oo in Uluru, won a 2019 Book of the Year award from Speech Pathology Australia.' (Publication summary)

'Jon English was the original multitasker. He was the pop star with the raccoon eyes who sang such hits as 'Hollywood Seven', 'Six Ribbons' and 'Hot Town', and the rocker in leather duds who packed beer barns across Australia. Jon was also the swashbuckling Pirate King in the hugely successful Pirates of Penzance, and, in the words of Tim Rice, 'a brilliantly judged and truly exciting' Judas in Jesus Christ Superstar. And on the small screen he was as comfortable portraying faded rocker Bobby Rivers in All Together Now as he was the brooding convict Jonathan Garrett in Against the Wind. It seemed that no role, or song, was beyond his reach. But there was a lot more to Jon English. He was a proud father of four who married his high school sweetheart Carmen when he was barely out of his teens. He was such a diehard fan of rugby league's Parramatta Eels that he wrote their team song. And Jon was also a composer whose rock opera, Paris, proved to be the biggest creative and personal challenge of his life. This authorised biography, written with the full support of Jon's family, friends and peers, Behind Dark Eyes tells   the complete Jon English story, swinging from the massive highs of Jesus Christ Superstar and pop stardom to his struggles with alcohol and depression, and his tragic, untimely death in 2016 at the age of 66.' (Publication summary)

'This is the story of the ee. A curious sound as you can see. The Ee in the Deep Blue Sea is a fun Australian-themed phoneme story that teaches young readers about the vowel sound ee and where they can find it in different words. Beautifully illustrated by Janie Frith, the rich colours and vibrant use of multi-media enhance the magical experience. The book explores many undersea and reef environments and introduces children to twenty of the creatures that live there.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.