The Argonaut Queen by LP Hansen illustrated by Marlo Garnsworthy

The subject of this book is a totally new discovery for me. I had no idea about this amazing creature.

This creature is sometimes called a ‘paper nautilus’ isn’t actually a nautilus. Also known as argonauts, these creatures derive their name from the paper-thin, spiralled shell that females produce to shield their eggs.  Argonauts are a type of octopus, while the nautilus is, well, a nautilus. Both species are cephalopods, the taxonomic class comprising all octopuses, cuttlefish, squid, and nautiluses. Argonauts happen to be the world’s only pelagic octopuses. Instead of living near a structure on the seafloor, like a rocky shoreline or coral reef, like most octopus species, argonauts spend their lives floating near the surface of the open ocean. The genus Argonauta derives its name from Greek mythology. The Argonauts were the famed sailors of the ship Argo, who helped Jason on his quest to recover the Golden Fleece. Early naturalists thought that argonauts ‘sailed’ around the ocean using two of their tentacles, hence the name… and a lot of weird anatomical postures in early drawings of argonauts. (In reality, argonauts scoot about by expelling water through their funnels.) Source

The Argonaut Queen opens with six huge shells on the end papers - these are the six species of Argonauts. 

"She's a Queen of the Ocean, bold and beautiful, around the size of a human hand. She travels the seas, carrying her shell like a Greek goddess's helmet. She's a pink coloured octopus called an argonaut and she makes this shell herself."

I laughed when I read that the male argonaut is the size of a peanut! The Queen starts making her shell when she is just twelve days old and when it is large enough it can hold up to 250,000 eggs at a time. When the babies are born they are smaller than a rice grain. If I was sharing this book with a group of students I would bring along a container of rice and hold up one grain. I was also fascinated to read that the argonaut can repair her own shell. 

How do we know anything about the argonaut? The first research was done by a French woman named Jeanne Villepreux-Power. She was a marine biologist and she worked out a way to study the argonaut in the ocean using her invention of an aquarium. Sadly, though, her large collection of shells, reports and drawings were lost when the cargo ship carrying them sank. Also, as with many women scientists of her time it took years for her research to be taken seriously. 

I found two more books about this remarkable woman who was born in 1794.

This book is why I visit school libraries, it's why I read kid's books, and it's why I wish I was back in my former school library. I would love to add this book to my library collection and then put it into the hands of readers and teachers. The Teacher-Librarian in the school where I work as a volunteer has such a good eye for book treasures. She found this one in a local bookstore.

Publisher blurb: Dive into the oceans — and into the depths of history — with the Argonaut Queen, an expertly-told story that weaves together the marine science of these fascinating creatures and the woman who we have to thank for it, Jeanne Villepreux-Power, one of the earliest studiers of this subspecies of octopus and the many features that make it so unique. Though Villepreux-Power’s scientific illustrations were lost to the seas in a shipwreck, this book pays homage to them through exquisitely-rendered, real-to-life drawings of the creature she dedicated her life to.

LP (Linda) Hansen is a New Zealand based author. Marlo Garnsworthy is an author, illustrator, editor, and Antarctic science communicator. When she’s not making books, you’ll find her paddling her kayak, hiking a trail, having adventures in far-flung places, or dreaming of Antarctica. She lives in a National Park on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, USA. Read more about Starfishbay Publishing here. There is a link from their page to a pdf of the Teachers Notes.

Further Reading:

• Museums Victoria
• Jeanne Villepreux-Power: Marine Biologist and Inventor of the Aquarium
• The Seamstress and the Secrets of the Argonaut Shell
• Wikipedia Argonaut (Animal)
• Natural History Museum
• Critter Science

Your school or local library are sure to have lots of books about the Octopus but not all will have information about the argonaut. I did discover this book which I am sure will be in the library:

The Cooper Tree by Hilary Robinson illustrated by Mandy Stanley

This book is sad, very very sad - please read it yourself first to judge if it is the right book for your young child. This group of kids love their teacher Miss Evans but then she gets sick and cannot come to school. She manages to make one last visit to her class before she dies. In the illustrations you will see she has created a wonderful classroom for these preschool kids.

Their new and wise teacher suggests the children write their memories and these are then engraved on copper leaves and placed on a tree in the school foyer. I sobbed.  

This excellent picture book deals sensitively and truthfully with the subject of bereavement. When their teacher Miss Evans isn’t well and can’t come to school, her class maker her a get well card, even Alfie Tate who’s nearly always causing trouble. She comes to see their play and though she’s lost her hair and has to use a wheelchair, she smiles all the time. Not long after that, another teacher Mr Davis tells them that Miss Evans has died. It’s alright to feel sad, he says, or angry. The children make remember notes and transfer them onto copper leaves for a copper tree dedicated to Miss Evans. The leaves are bright and beautiful in the sunshine, just like she was. A gentle way of showing how memories remain to comfort and console. Love Reading 4Kids

I know I said this book is sad, and it is, but it is also very gently told with tiny touches of humour. Hopefully the children or child in your family will never have to experience the death of their teacher but this book might be one you could share long after that event. In my former school a very loved teacher did die - very suddenly. She was a reading specialist teacher and so she interacted with children from many different grades over many years. Perhaps the families of children who were deeply affected by this loss might have read this book - but possibly a few months after these events when the feelings were not so raw. 

Here is a trailer (for adults) from the publisher. I didn't recognise the name Hilary Robinson but I should have because she is the author of several books from the splendid Leapfrog and Hopscotch series.

Hilary Robinson is an award-winning radio producer and author of over 50 picture books. Awards include the 2016 Historical Young Quills Award for ‘Flo of the Somme.’

I had been inspired by the local hospice, St Gemma's, who had constructed a Tree Of Life on to which bereaved relatives could hang a copper leaf inscribed with the name of a loved one who'd died, and, motivated by the powerful effects of memory as means of healing, my book, The Copper Tree, was born.

AND Mandy Stanley is the illustrator and author of the Lettice series. 

The Copper Tree is one book from a series called The Copper Tree Class dealing with life topics. Tom's Sunflower deals with divorce; Christmas Surprise shows there is more to Christmas than presents; and Help a Hamster is about care of pets. Even though these books are from 2014 they are still available.

CBCA 2026 Notables

Last night I attended the CBCA NSW Night of the Notables. I will pen a separate blog post to share the three books that were 'launched' at this event and other CBCA happenings. For now, I need to show you the 125 Notables and give links to a few of my blog posts AND as usual I will share a few of the titles I think should have 'made the cut' - I can these THE MISSING. 

Since I no longer work in a school library I am not going to attempt to read the fifty plus titles from three of these lists that I have not yet seen or read mainly because there are only four weeks to do this before the shortlists are announced and my own to read pile is out of control. Instead, I have listed a few that I am keen to borrow from a library or perhaps buy. Blue links take you to my blog posts:

Picture Book

A is for… A Rabbit’s Tale, Lucinda Gifford, text by Jackie Hosking (Walker Books Australia) 

Being Indy, Estee Sarsfield, text by Zoe Gaetjens (WestWords Children’s) 

Between, Anna Walker (Scribble) 

Bigfoot vs Yeti, James Foley (Fremantle Press) 

Bob and Dob, Sean E Avery (Walker Books Australia) 

Bored, Felicita Sala (Little Hare) 

Dawn, Marc Martin (Walker Books Australia) 

Dear Broccoli, Cate James, text by Jo Dabrowski (Affirm Press) 

Dropbear, Philip Bunting (Walker Books Australia) 

The Frog’s First Song, Jason Phu, text by Jazz Money (University of Queensland Press) 

Going for Pippies, Tori-Jay Mordey, text by Wilaaran Laurie (Magabala Books) 

Gone, Michel Streich (Thames and Hudson Australia) 

Hello Cocky, Antonia Pesenti, text by Hilary Bell (Scribble) 

Here Come the Cousins, Sarah Zweck, text by Maggie Hutchings (Thames and Hudson Australia) 

How My Family Says I Love You, Aurore McLeod, text by Yvonne Sewankambo (Walker Books Australia) 

Jo and the No, Judy Watson, text by Kyle Mewburn (Dirt Lane Press) 

My Mum is a Bird, Evie Barrow, text by Angie Cui (University of Queensland Press) 

Neville’s Great Escape, Sean E Avery (Walker Books Australia) 

Once I was a Giant, Zeno Sworder (Thames and Hudson Australia) 

One Day, Michael Speechley, text by Shirley Marr (Walker Books Australia) 

One Word and a Bird, Stephen Michael King (Scholastic Press) 

Rain on the Rock, Valerie Brumby, text by Jodi Toering (Bright Light) 

Some Days You’ll have Days Like These, Stephen Michael King, text by Josh Pyke (Scholastic Press) 

The Thing About Christmas, Briony Stewart, text by Jo Dabrowski (Little Book Press) 

Tiwi in Paris, Glen Farmer Illortaminni (Thames and Hudson Australia) 

On my own to read list now the Picture Book Notables have been announced I have Bored; Gone; The Thing about Christmas; Rain on the Rock; and Hello Cocky. I made my predictions a couple of weeks ago. I am pleased my top three - One day; Dawn; and Once I was a Giant made the notables. BUT here are a couple of books that are 

THE MISSING:

The Fishmonger and the Pastry Chef

The enchantment of the Golden eagle

A Hatful of Dreams

Emmie builds something new

Younger Readers

Chickenpox, Remy Lai (Allen & Unwin) 

Creature Clinic, Gavin Aung Than (Figment Books) 

Frances Bloom, Katrina Nannestad, illustrated by Marina Zlatanova (ABC Books) 

Ghost Guitar, TJ DOOM, illustrated by Nahum Ziersch (Penguin Random House Australia) 

The Hits and Misses of Melody Moss, Helen Dallimore (Penguin Random House Australia) 

How to Sail to Somewhere, Ashleigh Barton (Lothian Children’s Books) 

Inked, Karen Wasson, illustrated by Jake A Minton (Figment Books) 

Into the Bewilderness, Gus Gordon (Figment Books) 

Jungle Escape, Nathan Luff (Walker Books Australia) 

The Keeper of the Octopus, Neridah McMullin (Walker Books Australia) 

Little Bones, Sandy Bigna, illustrated by Tamlyn Teow (University of Queensland Press) 

The Making of Martha Mayfield, Jo Dabrowski (Affirm Press) 

Moonboy, Anna Ciddor (Allen & Unwin) 

The Paperbark Tree Committee, Karys McEwen (Text Publishing) 

Promises and Other Lies, Sue Whiting (Walker Books Australia) 

Run, Sarah Armstrong (Hardie Grant Children’s Publishing) 

Seriously Soccer, Matt Stanton (ABC Books) 

The Serpent Rider, Yxavel Magno Diño (Bloomsbury Children’s Books) 

The Silken Thread, Gabrielle Wang (Penguin Random House Australia) 

Something Terrible: Tim Tie-Your-Shoelaces, Sally Barton, illustrated by Christopher Nielsen (Walker Books Australia) 

Song of a Thousand Seas, Zana Fraillon, illustrated by Aviva Reed (University of Queensland Press) 

Spirit of the Crocodile, Aaron Fa’Aoso & Michelle Scott Tucker with Lyn White (Allen & Unwin) 

The Surface Trials, H.M. Waugh (Allen & Unwin) 

Too Big to Be a Fairy, Kiah Thomas, Bec Kitson, Hardie Grant Children’s Publishing 

The Year We Escaped, Suzanne Leal (Angus & Robertson)

I am planning to read The Year we escaped; The Surface Trials; and The Paperbark Tree Committee.

THE MISSING:

Trapped

Oceanforged: The wicked Ship

Danger Road

The Wondrous Tale of Lavender Wolfe

Early Childhood

The Bin Monster, Annabelle Hale (Affirm Press) 

Castle Crashing, Andrea Rowe, illustrated by Hannah Sommerville (Little Hare) 

The Colours of Home, Sally Soweol Han (Thames and Hudson Australia) 

Counting Crocodiles, Students from Bulla Camp Primary School (Indigenous Literacy Foundation) 

Derek, Anne Donaldson, illustrated by Matt Shanks (Little Hare) 

Dropbear, Philip Bunting (Walker Books Australia) 

Earthspeak, Sean McCann, illustrated by Jade Goodwin (Allen & Unwin) 

The Emperor’s Egg, Rae Tan (Lothian Children’s Books) 

Fly Mama, Fly!, Anna McGregor (Scribble) 

Frogs Are Our Friends, Toni D’Alia, Madeline White (Bright Light) 

Going Fishing with Nana, Frances Haji-Ali & Lindsay Haji-Ali, illustrated by Karen Briggs (Magabala Books) 

How to Help When You Really Want to Help, Davina Bell, illustrated by Hilary Jean Tapper (Lothian Children’s Books) 

Laugh in the Bath, Rory H. Mather, illustrated by Brent Wilson (Little Book Press) 

Look, See, Find Me, Sandra Severgnini (CSIRO Publishing) 

My Father’s Arms, Toni D’Alia, illustrated by Mimi Purnell (Little Hare) 

My Nonno Loves, Adelle Frittitta, illustrated by Claudia Frittitta (Little Hare) 

Now You Are a Chicken, Andrew McDonald, illustrated by Ben Wood (Little Hare) 

Our Beautiful World, Sarah Speedie, illustrated by Margeaux Davis (New Frontier Publishing) 

Potion Commotion, Rebecca Grant, illustrated by Niña Nill (Affirm Press) 

Say Goodnight, Renae Hayward, illustrated by Rebecca Mills (Fremantle Press) 

Sidney of Sydney, Sue Whiting, illustrated by Liz Anelli (Walker Books Australia) 

The Thing About Christmas, Jo Dabrowski, illustrated by Briony Stewart (Little Book Press) 

The Train at the End of My Street, Tom Jellett (Affirm Press) 

What is a Dot?, Johanna Bell, illustrated by Amelia Luscombe (Thames and Hudson Australia) 

Where the River Runs Free, Vikki Conley, illustrated by Jedda Robaard (Windy Hollow Books) 

There are some important and possible familiar names on this list - people I have talked about previously such as Briony Stewart; Liz Anelli; Sue Whiting; Sally Soweol Han; Anna McGregor; Hilary Jean Tapper and Vikki Conley. 

You can see the Eve Pownall and Older Readers lists her. I previously talked about:

Foal in the wire (for ages 14+)

Drift

All About Antarctica

The Great Shark Egg Case Hunt

Platypus Bend

This Bird

Terrific titles for an advanced Grade 2 reader

This is the first from a set of four - one for each season

A True Home is the first book

Last week I helped the Teacher-Librarian compile a list of books to share with a young reader. Sadly, the specialist teacher suggested titles that in my view are better left until this child, who is now seven, is older. We need to keep in mind it is early in the year here in Australia - she has only just started Grade 2. This request for books goes back to one of my 'pet' topics - building field knowledge. The teacher suggested books that are part of our "stupidly" prescriptive English syllabus - titles the child will encounter in higher grades. There are so many other books she could try now and so many I am sure she will enjoy. If I were her teacher or Teacher-Librarian or parent, I would be so excited to go on this reading journey hunting out fantastic books. 

On the upside though, it's great this teacher was asking for advice. 

A UK commentator commented on this issue recently - he posed the question:

How can schools support teachers with keeping up to date with children's literature?  Jon Biddle

I've put a few social media answers at the bottom of this post.

Here are the books I suggested which are in one of her two school libraries:

Yes, this is an old book - but that is the value of a school library - 

many are sure to have this whole series of four titles. 

Hazel Green

Gooney Bird Greene - this is such fun!

You will fall in love with young feisty Clementine

Yesterday Crumb and the storm in a tea cup

Operation Bunny

Stella by the Sea from the Aussie Chomps series

Frances Bloom this could be a good follow-on 

because she has read Pippi Longstocking

Tua and the Elephant

The Year of Billy Miller (and sequels)

Giraffe Island - this book is a wild ride

The Girl who bought Mischief

This is the first book in a sweet story slightly reminiscent of The Borrowers

Miss Happiness and Miss Flower (My own childhood favourite)

Leeva at Last

Dragonkeeper

The Adventures of Catvinkle

Facebook group Reading for Pleasure in Schools - here are some answers to the question posed above:

When I trained as a teacher, we had to keep our own reading journal of children's literature and share it regularly as part of our PGCE. In an ideal world, starting a staff meeting with one book recommendation from one member of staff on a rota would be great and time set aside to share book ideas too. If we want true buy in and a reading culture that permeates our schools, then it has to be everyone not a tokenistic tick box or just the English Lead

I’m currently reading a book a week that the children recommend to me from their reading bookshelves.

We compare reviews. There’s a lovely buzz as they try to convince me to read their favourites.

In my previous school, during the daily DEAR time, teachers were encouraged to model reading alongside the children. This was the perfect time to read children’s literature. So often, the book I chose didn’t make it back on the shelf as the children had created their own waiting list for it.

Platypus Bend by Diane Jackson Hill illustrated by Craig Smith

The rivulet begins high on a mountain top. It twists and turns and turns and twists 

until it swirls around a bend and softens into a calm pool...

No-one knows – but in that pool there is a secret.

We have some truly curious creatures here in Australia - the kangaroo, koala, numbat, wombat, potoroo, frilled-neck lizard, goanna, dingo, Tasmanian Tiger, emu, echidna, quokka, and birds like the kookaburra and lyrebird but one of my favourites is the platypus. Sadly, I have never seen one except in a zoo, and when you read Platypus Bend it is very clear why because this special solitary monotreme is very good at hiding in order to stay safe.

The joy of this book, apart from reading and learning more about the platypus, comes from the wonderful depictions of our Australian bush by Craig Smith. Take a look at this gentle video made by Craig Smith to showcase his book. And in this video Craig talks about his book. Please watch the video - it will give you a terrific insight into Craig's work as an illustrator.

Image source: Museums Victoria

As we observe the life of the platypus you need to notice the parallel story of the family who live near the creek. This illustration which is part of a larger double spread shows the family moving into their new home.

The fact section at the back of Platypus Bend made me smile with their creative heading - Platypus Particulars. 

Read about the Citizen Scientist project - The Great Australian Platypus search. Here are some classroom resources. 

I am sharing this book today (24th February) because tonight the CBCA will announce their 2026 Book of the Year Notable titles. I am absolutely certain Platypus Bend will be one of the over one hundred titles. Platypus Bend fits into the Eve Pownall Award for Non Fiction.

Look for other books in your local or school library about this curious creature [599.29] - The Platypus: In 2020 I penned this blog post. 

Here are three other books where Diane Jackson Hill and Craig Smith have collaborated.

Windcatcher