Standoff: Kidnapped from Ukraine by Marsha Forchuk Skrpych

For an authentic and very personal perspective on the war in Ukraine, Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch offers a story of Ukrainians from Mariupol and what they saw and felt when the Russians attacked. Can Lit for Little Canadians

When Russia starts the war with Ukraine by bombing the major cities, 12yo Rada and her Dad are separated from Rada’s twin Dariia and their Mom. While Rada and Dad make it to the safety of the Azovstal steel plant, Rada huddles in a bunker while Dad is off fighting for Ukraine’s freedom.  As bombing continues for months, life in the bunker goes from desperate to dire.  Rada has formed a family of sorts, but she won’t find happiness until she can find Dariia and Mom and a new life. (source)

Bookseller blurb: Twelve-year-old twin sisters Rada and Dariia Popkova couldn't be more different. Dariia is outgoing and chatty while Rada is quieter and artsy. But what they have in common is their love for each other and their home. The family lives in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol, which is attacked by the Russians on Feb 24th, 2022. The attack separates the family-Dariia is with her mum and Rada with her dad. Rada and her father navigate the treacherous journey from shelter to shelter as they make their way to the Azovstal plant so that her father can fight in the resistance. Meanwhile, Rada is still trying to get in contact with her sister and mother. As the war rages and each family member must contend with their own battles, their love for their country and their family keeps them going.

At the recent IBBY Congress in Ottawa I met the Canadian author Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch and she told me briefly about her books. Here is her web page.  I had not heard of her work but when I returned to Australia I saw a couple of her books in a bookshop and then I discovered this title in a library where I work as a volunteer. It is book two in this series (Kidnapped from Ukraine) but it seems that each book does stand-alone although the Kirkus reviewer says book one is important and that it is a stronger story than this second installment. 

I recommend this series for readers aged 11+ - senior primary up to Grade 8 in high school. Readers who enjoy books about contemporary events, survival stories, and books about younger kids or teenages as heroes will enjoy this series. This book is also an important way to raise awareness about the war in Ukraine.  It is interesting to note the author is now banned for life from Russia.

Standoff is a fairly new book - published by Scholastic Canada in 2026. Here are the first (2025) and third (2026) books:

Bookseller blurb: 12-year-old twin sisters Rada and Dariia Popkova couldn't be more different. Dariia is outgoing and chatty while Rada is a quieter and artsy. But what they have in common is their love for each other and their home. The family lives in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol, which is attacked by the Russians on Feb 24th, 2022.The attack separates the family -- Dariia is with her mom and Radawith her dad. Dariia and her mother are then separated by Russian officials and Dariia is sent to live with a Russian family. As the war rages around them, the sisters and their family must overcome unimaginable hardships. But they will learn how powerful hope is in the face of disaster.

Bookseller blurb: Twelve-year-old twin sisters Rada and Dariia Popkova couldn't be more different. Dariia is outgoing and chatty while Rada is quieter and artsy. But what they have in common is their love for each other and their home. The family lives in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol, which is attacked by the Russians on February 24, 2022. The attack separates the family-Dariia is with their mum and Rada with their dad. After separate struggles, the sisters have finally found their way back to each other. Though the siege has changed them, their love for their country and their family has remained the same. But their father is still somewhere out there, and they won't rest until they're all reunited.

Mermaids and Mix-ups: Stella and Marigold by Annie Barrows illustrated by Sophie Blackall

Stella and Marigold are sent a gift from a distant cousin. Cousin Judy does not quite send the 'right' gifts to the girls and often they decide to discard or hide them. This year the gift is two identical books - journals. There is a page in the book where you write down the names of all your friends but the problem for the girls is that this page has twenty-five blank lines. Do the girls each have twenty-five friends? This is a huge problem especially for little Marigold. Perhaps there is a way she can get the man next door to be her true friend. She decides to 'take' a precious ornament that Laredo has told her he loves. It is a rather ugly mermaid with teeth.

"She was chewing up a sailor guy, and she had blood on her chin."

Marigold puts the dreadful candleholder under her jacket and takes it home but of course this leads to all sorts of troubles.

Publisher blurb: In this second book, Stella and Marigold receive a purple present-a book for them to list all their friends. That's when they discover they need to make more friends! But how? With magical recipes to make snow fall? With lots of nice Band-Aids? How about a mermaid candleholder? The two sisters are full of ideas and plans. Maybe they turn out, or maybe they don't, but one thing is for sure: By the end of this book, readers will be the best of friends with Stella and Marigold.

About a week ago I talked about this series. At that time, I had borrowed and read the first book. This week I read the second in the series and I have to say it is EVEN BETTER. I especially loved the way the nine stories are interlinked. This book also deals with the moral dilemma of truth and lies. 

If you want to explore the idea of unwanted presents, try to find these:

Lester's dreadful sweaters

And look for this one about honesty:

And as I often do in my recent posts, I do have a Bluey episode to link with today's book - Mermaids and Mix-up (by the way this book is not about mermaids!).

Bingo hides Turtle Boy hoping the owner of this toy will not be able to find him.  Eventually she has to confess her 'crime'.

Series 3, episode 30 "Turtle Boy"

Raising Hare: children's edition by Chloe Dalton illustrated by Denise Nestor

"The leveret lay on its stomach with its eyes open and its short, silky ears held tightly against its back. It was no longer than the width of my palm. Its fur was dark brown, thick and choppy and grew in delicate curls along its spine. Long, pale guard hairs and whiskers stood out from its body and glowed in the weak sun."

"I felt embarrassed and worried. I had no intention of taming the hare, or of keeping it as a pet. I only wanted to shelter it."

This is the essence of this book. As a reader we go on a journey with Chloe Dalton as she accommodates the baby hare careful to keep her distance and not startle the wild animal with loud noises. It feels at times as though it is not only Chloe who is learning how to adjust to the little leveret. The young hare also has to work out how to navigate her house, learn to drink milk, try new foods and follow its instincts to explore wild places always alert to possible dangers and predators. 

I really appreciated that Chloe Dalton resisted the temptation to name the baby hare for many months and for a long time we don't even know it this is a little boy or girl.  

"Ours are different worlds. She can cross into mine, but hers will always be out of reach to me, and that's how it should be."

Publisher blurb: One winter's day, Chloe Dalton went for a countryside walk and discovered a newborn baby hare - no bigger than her hand - chased by a dog and separated from its mother. Worried for its safety, Chloe took the tiny hare home and learned how to feed and care for it . . . and an extraordinary friendship began. This is the fascinating true tale of how Chloe and the hare, with its drumming paws and distinctive charm, lived alongside each other until the time came for it to return to the wild. But when the hare is finally ready to jump over the garden wall, will Chloe ever see it again?

This book cover is sure to entice so many young readers to pick up this book. I have not read the adult version (I did wonder about the difference), but Raising Hare the children's edition is a terrific book for animal lovers and all children who enjoy true stories. The way Chloe Dalton tells this story kept me turning the pages and enjoying her care and kindness towards this small wild creature that she was so privileged to meet. The format of this book in hardcover with a dust jacket (you know I love those) means this book will be a beautiful Christmas gift. [Allen and Unwin AUS$29.99]. The UK publisher is Canongate Books. There are some very useful addition resources on the publisher page such as videos, teaching ideas, and a Q&A with the author. 

Page from Hare files

It is rare in my experience to find end papers in a novel - these are very special:

You already know I am not a big fan of endorsements, but these are actually perfect - 'Glorious' Katherine Rundell; and 'Wondrous' Michael Morpurgo.

My friend at Kinderbookswitheverything has a Pinterest collection of books that explore animal heroes and true animal stories. Your younger readers, even though we are here in Australia with no hares, will have encountered hares in books such as Nutbrown Hare in Guess How much I love you; Aesop stories of the Hare and the Tortoise; the hare in the Frog series by Max Velthuijs; and even a slightly obscure but very funny picture book with the title Bad Hare Day by Miriam Moss illustrated by Lynne Chapman. I also thought of the March Hare in Alice in Wonderland. 

From the publisher: Raising Hare is Chloe Dalton's debut book and was an instant Sunday Times and New York Times bestseller. Chloe divides her time between working as a political adviser and foreign policy specialist in London and her home in the English countryside. Raising Hare was also shortlisted for the Wainwright Prize and the Women's Prize for Non-Fiction, and was selected as a Waterstones Book of the Year and as the Hay Festival Book of the Year. It was a Critics Best Books pick for The Times, Financial Times, Guardian, Spectator and iNews and was a Waterstones Non-Fiction Book of the Month.

I suggest reading the UK RSPCA advice about looking after wild hares. 

Companion books:

Wandi

Singing with elephants

If you want to read another book (totally unrelated to Raising Hare) about hares, try to find this one - it is fabulous:

Mr Lepron's Mystery Soup

Here is the cover of the adult title by Chloe Dalton:

Read an interview with Chloe Dalton about her adult book

A soulful and gracefully written book about an animal’s power to rekindle curiosity. 

Kirkus Star review

The end papers from the adult version are very similar to the ones you will find in the young reader edition:

End papers from the adult edition

Astrid and the Accidental slip between worlds by Jaclyn Moriarty illustrated by Kelly Canby

First off, I should say I have only read the first book in this six (so far) book series called Kingdoms and Empires, so I may have missed important plot details that link the stories. For my reading this book did stand-alone (the Kirkus Star reviewer agrees) but it also piqued my interest to catch up with the other four books that I have not yet read.

The most satisfying part of this book is the utterly amazing way Jaclyn Moriarty pulls together all her story threads. In Part One we meet some men called Pinnacles competing at a major magic tournament. In Part Two we are move to Sydney Australia where we meet a girl called Echo who as recently moved to a large house in Neutral Bay with her dad and brothers - Noc, Syme and Tones; twin sisters Cadence and Bell; older sisters Perry and Melody. Echo has now met Astrid (you know her name from the title of this book) and Astrid (her full name is Astrid Mettlestone-Staranise) has come from somewhere else. The somewhere is the Kingdoms and Empires - that is where the Pinnacles were competing. It is also the place we move to in Part Four where we catch up with Astrid's sister Esther and five other girls from her school the Katherine Valley Boarding School. The girls have been sent on a survival camp for a week and they have to (yes HAVE to) write in a Journal. 

"It summons us to write in it. And it will grade our work when the camp is complete."

Through the journal entries from each girl, we learn about their relationships, their special talents (some are magical) and we also read about a series of extremely strange happenings in the camp. The camp leader seems to have deserted them and food is running short and adding to the panic of this situation there seems to be no way to leave this island and head back to the safety of school. 

Astrid has another sister Imogen and a cousin, Bronte. They have not been able to go to the camp because the have been invited to the Elven Games. Astrid herself didn't go to the camp because she had been sent to assist the mayor at the Pinnacles Tournament. 

Do not try to predict the plot - just read this book and enjoy all the scenes and perspectives not to mention dangers and deceptions. Readers aged 10+ are sure to love this book even if it is the first one from the series that they have read. Hopefully you have the full series in your school library because I am sure word will quickly spread about the magic that comes from reading these books.

This is a brand-new book from Allen and Unwin [AUS$26.99]. At first I was daunted by the 416 pages but this book is such a page turner that I read the whole story over just one day. Time is ticking in this story because if Astrid does not make it back to her 'world' she is in danger of disappearing. 

The page-turning adventure itself is completely satisfying, with plenty of humorous moments and all loose ends addressed. The graceful incorporation of themes of loss and grief, remembering and forgetting, and growth and connection renders it spectacular. A stellar work: enchanting and uplifting. Kirkus Star review

(The books in this series) are long, with many short parts and chapters, but this works ... I can’t put my finger on why, but in this instance it is very effective across the series. And even when we have multiple perspectives, like journal entries, it’s clear who is talking (or writing) which helps shape the characters and their voices. The Book Muse

Kelly Canby has added lots of great illustrations, and the cover and the all important map end papers. She is a multi award-winning illustrator and author of over two dozen books for children. Kelly was born in London, England, but has lived in Australia since the age of three, which is probably around the same age she started playing with pencils and crayons, and it was probably only a few years after that that she decided playing with pencils and crayons was something she wanted to do for the rest of her life. Kelly is well known for her illustration work on writer Jaclyn Moriarty’s Kingdoms and Empires series of books. 

In 2017 I read the first book in this series The extremely inconvenient adventures of Bronte Mettlestone. Here is an interview with Joy Lawn and Books for Keeps where Jaclyn Moriarty talks about the third book in her series. In this 2023 interview with Love Reading for Kids Jaclyn shares more about her series. 

In the US some of the books from the Kingdoms and Empires series by Jaclyn Moriarty have different titles: Oscar From Elsewhere; The Secret of Lillian Velvet; and The Whispering Wars. 

These are some of the US covers illustrated by Jim Tierney

These are some of the UK covers illustrated by Karl James Mountford

The Book Muse as excellent reviews of each of the books from this series:

The Extremely Inconvenient Adventures of Bronte Mettlestone by Jaclyn Moriarty 

The Slightly Alarming Tale of the Whispering Wars by Jaclyn Moriarty 

The Stolen Prince of Cloudburst by Jaclyn Moriarty

The Astonishing Chronicles of Oscar from Elsewhere by Jaclyn Moriarty 

The Impossible Secret of Lillian Velvet  by Jaclyn Moriarty

Astrid and the Accidental Slip Between Worlds by Jaclyn Moriarty

N is for Noni by Alison Lester

A is for apples, the fruit Noni loves.

You might be able to anticipate some of the alphabet choices in this newest book from Alison Lester if you have already met little Noni (N), Coco (C), and Dave (D).

In 2027 several of my friends are expecting the arrival of a new baby. This book, along with others from Alison Lester such as Kissed by the Moon, will be added to their baby book gift parcels. 

There are four Noni the Pony books by Alison Lester - I discovered this from the back cover of this new book from Allen and Unwin published just yesterday [AUS$24.99]. 

Publisher blurb: A delightful rhyming story featuring the instantly lovable character, Noni the Pony – the nicest pony any child could ever hope to meet! – from the phenomenal and much-loved author Alison Lester. Would you like to meet Noni? She's the friendliest pony. She lives on a farm overlooking the sea and has a lot of fun with the alphabet as she plays with her best friends, Dave Dog and Coco the Cat.

When you read this book aloud to your new baby or young child don't rush because you might begin to think there is a predictable pattern to the rhyme but on the page "J is jumping for joy, just like Joe." the pattern changes. 

A couple of years ago a colleague and made a presentation for IBBY Australia about alphabet books. I also have a Pinterest on this topic. Every young child, preschool and school library needs a good collection of alphabet books. 

The first Noni the Pony book was published in 2010 with a 25th anniversary edition published this year by Allen and Unwin. The illustration on the last page of the original book is almost the same as the one you will see on the final page in this newest installment.

If you have all the books in this series, you might also spy the four cows from "Noni the Pony goes to the beach" making a return appearance in the alphabet book "M is the moon shining down on the dancers." and you will also recognise the little joey from Noni the pony rescues a joey. The emu chicks "E is for emu chicks, cheep, cheep, cheep" can also be found in this previous book about the joey along with the koala and I am sure there are other references I have not yet discovered.

Maybe you are lucky enough to have a Noni toy from 2012, a board book or even a magnet book:

In 2012, Alison Lester became Australia's first Children's Book Laureate, a position she shared with Boori Monty Pryor. In 2016, she was awarded the Dromkeen Medal for her outstanding achievement in the creation of Australian children's and young adult literature, and in 2018, she became the first children's book creator to win the Melbourne Prize for Literature, for her outstanding contribution to Australian literature and cultural and intellectual life. In 2019, Alison was awarded an Australia Post Legends Award and featured on a stamp, as well as being the recipient of a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in the Australia Day Honours List. In 2026, her book Magic Beach was voted Australia's Best Children's Picture Book of all time in a Guardian Australia poll. In the 2026 ABC poll of Best Australian books (adult and children's titles) two of her books made the top 100 - Magic Beach and Are we There Yet? 

My own favourite Alison Lester books are Ruby; Are we there yet?; and Clive eats alligators. 

Splish Splash Splosh! by Renae Hayward illustrated by Briony Stewart

What's the best on a summer day?

Grandpa knows – it's water play!

Off we go now! Sunscreen's done.

Splish, splash, splosh, let's have some fun!

This book celebrates summer fun with water play, mud puddles and a patient grandfather. As the publisher says: From sprinklers to mud pies to paddling pools, there's nothing kids love better than messing around with water, and this joyous celebration of summer fun is a delight to read out loud.

The best picture books are the ones where the illustrations perfectly enrich the text. I have said this before, but I enjoy thinking about an illustrator, in this case Briony Stewart, receiving one typed page of text and then thinking about, creating and imagining each scene along with designing the perfect place for page turns. The words give us the story yes, but the illustrations in Splish Splash Splosh! go so much further for example after the day of fun with all that water and the wild spraying of the garden hose, the kids come inside for a bath (yes that is in the text) but turn the page and we see the three kids snuggling in with Grandpa enjoying a reading a book together. This image comes entirely from the imagination of Briony Stewart. And make sure you go back through the book and look at the antics of their family dog. 

I visited a public library today and it had so many young children with their grandparents. Childcare by grandparents is a common part of daily life now and this book beautifully celebrates the joy of those relationships. 

The other wonderful part of this book is the repeated refrain "We're out of water, Grandpa ... more!" A repeated refrain is such a terrific device for read aloud sessions with your youngest readers. And make sure you tilt the cover to see the way the title words shine with spot varnish. 

Image source: Allen and Unwin

Companion book:

Summer Blue

This is a brand-new book from Allen and Unwin published today! and only AUS$22.99. I am sure we will see this book listed by the CBCA in their notable Early Childhood titles for 2027 and I predict it surely will make the shortlist. If you work with very young children in a preschool or you are looking for a wonderful summer holiday or Christmas gift, make sure you head out to your local independent bookstore and grab a copy or two of this book. Huge thanks to Allen and Unwin for my advance copy. 

Renae Hayward was born during a cyclone in Western Australia's Pilbara region but grew up by the beaches of Perth's northern suburbs. She has authored several books for children including Say Hooray and Say Hello, which were both shortlisted for the Speech Pathology Australia Book of the Year Awards, and the CBCA Notable Book, Say Goodnight. She has also contributed as a poet to The School Magazine and the children's anthologies Right Way Down and If I Could Eat the Stars. Renae now lives near Fremantle ... 

Briony Stewart is an author and illustrator of books for children and the young at heart. She lives in Walyalup/Fremantle, in Western Australia. Briony's chief loves are language, word play, whimsy and wonder, and she enjoys working across all categories of children's books in a diverse range of styles and processes. Briony's work has won several awards including CBCA Picture Book of the Year for Gymnastica Fantastica, CBCA Honour Book for We Love You Magoo, and a Prime Minister's Literary Award for Mina and the Whole Wide World (written by Sherryl Clark), among others. Her bestselling books include These Little Feet (written by Hayley Rawsthorne), Bedtime Sorted! (written by Jimmy Rees) and Accidentally Kelly Street.

For more books about playing with mud take a look at this post from Kinderbookswitheverything.

Watching the three children playing with the hose, watering the garden and jumping in their small paddling pool I also thought of this Bluey episode Trampoline (series two episode 33): and where the kids are waiting for their Takeaway and they play with the tap outside the restaurant (series one episode 14; and Slide (series three episode 46).

Slide

Trampoline

Takeaway

Alone like me by Rebecca Evans

A hopeful, universal story about the power of friendship to dramatically improve 

the quality of everyday life. Kirkus Star review

A beautiful purchase about friendship even in difficult circumstances. 

School Library Journal

Publisher blurb: Liling and her family have moved from their rural farm to an overwhelming urban city. Because of Chinese law, Liling can't go to school and spends her days with Mama or Baba at work. At the playground, the other children throw sand at her and tease her old red coat and dirty shoes. But after she shares a smile with a girl in a bright yellow jacket who lives in an apartment beneath hers, Liling has a big idea! She draws a picture and lowers it down to the girl - Qiqi - who returns it with a drawing of her own. When the new friends meet face to face, Liling takes Qiqi's hand, and they walk bravely into the park - together.

This is a perfect book to share with children when you talk about the concepts of Windows and Mirrors - or in this case just 'Windows'.  I am sure the children in your Australian library group will have no idea that some children cannot to go to school. Reading about children who live very different lives to ours is a perfect way to build empathy. You could share this book with children aged 7+ as a way to talk about friendship and even bullying. With students from Grades 5 and 6 you could use this book to talk about the 'Rights of the Child'.

Sometimes I go to work but the can factory isn't a place for little girls either.

Liling cannot go to school because of the Chinese system called hukuo.

The children of farm workers (Chinese: 农民工; pinyin: nóngmín gōng) are not allowed to enroll in the city schools, and even now must live with their grandparents or other relatives to attend school in their hometowns. They are commonly referred to as the "stay-at-home" or "left-behind" children. There are around 130 million such left-behind children, living without their parents, as reported by Chinese researchers. (read more here) Watch this ABC video. 

Alone like me was published in 2022 and is still available. I found a copy in a public library in Melbourne.

Rebecca Evans is a first-time children's book author who has illustrated several picture books written by others, including Two Is a Lot, Plants Fight Back, and If Animals Built Your House. She also illustrated Mark Weston's Finding the Speed of Light, which Kirkus called a "highlight" in a starred review. She lives in Maryland with her family.

If you are talking about the history of China and Mao try to find this fabulous book:

Sparrow Girl