I collect books by Bob Graham and so I am thrilled to see he has a new book coming out 1st September 2025. I almost need a new set of bookshelves to hold all his titles.
Blurb: At the end of a dark and lonely street sits a little house that glows from within. Look through the window, and you might see the Andersons… Mum, Dad, Milly, Sonny, Jonas, and of course Maggie the dog! And don’t forget Grandad – with music in his fingers and magic under his hat. No, really! The children aren’t sure if they believe their Grandad’s fantastical tales – “Oh, Grandad! You’re joking!” they cry. But they really won’t believe what happens when Grandad slowly takes off his hat… From this warm and loving house at the end of the street, dreams take flight and light the way to a brighter tomorrow. A heartfelt tale of hope and love, perfect for children and grandparents to share together, written and illustrated by master storyteller Bob Graham.
I was given a very generous book voucher recently for a mainstream chain bookstore. I know this sounds crazy but I am sightly worried about how I am going to spend this. Luckily, I do have three years but when I enter this particular store I mostly walk out empty handed - and that is a rare thing with me and a bookshop! So I need to compile a list of books that MIGHT be available from this store - their rules say I have to spend the voucher in person, not online, and I am not sure if they would be prepared to order in titles for me from the US or UK. My "Want to read" picture book Pinterest collection has 1800 titles and my "Middle Grade to read" has 340 titles. I have some of the books on both lists.
Today I checked a different online bookseller and using filters I found some new books that will arrive here in Australia over the next three months. With my money I can probably buy around 8 books so I seem to have a found a few I might buy.
The Enchantment of Golden Eagle was published 1st July 2025 Margaret Wild is the author of over 80 books (I could not find the exact number). She previously teamed up with Stephen Michael King for the books Piglet and Papa; Piglet and Mama; and The pocket dogs (and sequels).
Blurb: One day, Ella and her little brother Leif found a fledgling with a broken wing. They took him home, wrapped and fed him, and watched over him for seven days and seven nights. In time Golden Eagle was well enough to fly away, but he loved the children, so he promised to stay with them at the edge of the dark forest. Until one day, the wind whispered and the breeze caressed his feathers, and Golden Eagle forgot his promise ...
I am a massive fan of Sophie Blackall. Her lighthouse book is one of my most treasured titles and I am so excited she has done the art for the new Kate diCamillo book. If we were dogs is the companion text to If I was a horse. If we were Dogs will be published on 26th August 2025.
Blurb: If we were dogs, what kind would we be? I'd be a big dog! And you'd be a little dog.Woof!
Join two friends as they bark and growl, woof and howl - and maybe even quack - in a romp that makes room for everybody's ideas. Sophie Blackall unleashes an exuberant game of pretend that explores navigating friendship and celebrates boundless imagination.
This is the third Norendy Tale. I previously loved The Puppets of Spellhorst illustrated by Julie Morstad and The Hotel Balzaar illustrated by Julia Sarda Lost Evangeline will be released here in Australia on 27th October, 2025.
Blurb: When a shoemaker discovers a tiny girl (as small as a mouse!) in his shop, he takes her in, names her Evangeline, and raises her as his own. The shoemaker’s wife, however, fears that Evangeline has bewitched her husband, so when an opportunity arises to rid herself of the girl, she takes it. Evangeline finds herself far from her adopted father and her home, a tiny girl lost in the wide world. But she is brave, and she is resourceful, and with the help of those she meets on her journey—including a disdainful and self-satisfied cat—she may just find her way again. Return to the magical land of Norendy in this third original fairy tale by renowned storyteller Kate DiCamillo, perfect for savoring alone or for reading aloud with someone you love. Graced with exquisite black-and-white illustrations by Sophie Blackall, this timeless story of a girl and her father will make you believe in the impossible.
From Zeno: This is a book where the tree is the protagonist and hero. As we all tumble towards an increasingly digital, atomised and urbanised world I wanted to make a story about the natural world that touches on ideas of interdependence, metamorphosis and impermanence. Trees make all of our lives possible but they are often absent from stories because we tend to only care and feel for characters that are like us. This story aims to bring trees alive for young people by telling an imaginative story rooted in recent scientific discoveries about the social lives of trees and their abilities to communicate, learn and feel. The story covers the entire span of an individual tree's life and the intimate relationships it shares with the forest and the creatures that it nourishes and houses.
Due for release in Australia on 25th August 2025. I do hope you have seen other books illustrated by Marc Martin such as A River and Every child a Song. I am so lucky to have a limited edition print of one of his illustrations from Max.
Publisher blurb: As the sun slowly rises, many things happen in a small window of time. The world comes alive with the actions of animals, plants, clouds, and sky. A deer drinks, an owl wakes, a dandelion shimmers in the light. A ladybug climbs, a fish jumps, birds call in a chorus. Geese fly away in formation. A flower blooms. Beautifully illustrated with glowing imagery and written with a charming simplicity holding appeal for new readers, Marc Martin’s ode to the slow-blooming beauty of a sunrise and the life that unfolds in its radiance narrows the lens to show the wonder of time passing.
Publisher blurb: When Mommy Boar sends her little snufflebugs to explore the forest for the first time, she cautions them to stick together. After all, the Big Bad Wolf could be near! But Hogbert’s keen nose has other ideas, and after following a trail too far, he finds himself trembling alone in fear. What’s that rustling in the leaves? Just a little red squirrel on her way to visit her sick granny! What’s that growl coming through the trees? Just a snoring white doe who took a bite of an apple that made her sleepy! With each temporarily scary encounter, Hogbert finds that the world is a less frightening place, and that the same sense of smell that led him into trouble may just lead them all out of it again.
Sydney Smith is the 2024 winner of the Hans Christian Andersen award. I am excited to see him again. He was a keynote speaker at the IBBY Congress in Trieste and he will be a speaker at the next IBBY Congress in Ottawa. I would love to own every book he has illustrated. Island Storm will be released in Australia on 29th September 2025.
Publisher blurb: Can you tell when a storm is coming? Can you feel the wind coming and growing? Do you hear the branches bouncing together, hear the whispers of the wind through the leaves? Join in the journey as two siblings bear witness to the steady start, thrilling apex, and gentle end of this island storm. They’ll shelter soon, but first they want to feel it all.
Look at this combination - Katrina Nannestad and Freya Blackwood. I do have a great collection of Christmas stories but I am very keen to see this one when it is released on 30th September 2025.
Blurb: Netta the donkey loves to sing with her friends, Esther the sheep and Uzi the camel. They frolic around town from dawn till dusk, braying, bleating and gurgling. But sadly, not everyone likes to listen. Netta falls silent until something so wondrous happens that her song bursts forth once more.
This was published in March in the US. It has not yet come to Australia but I hope I can buy it somewhere. This is not a picture book - it is a junior novel (272 pages) but with illustrations by the fabulous Fan Brothers. The hardcover is expensive but perhaps one day a paperback will be issued. Here is the Kirkus review.
Blurb: Ivy is the beloved houseplant of young Jillian Tupper of Number 3 Ramshorn Drive, much to the constant dismay of Toasty the goldfish, who is technically the family pet—swimming in his special place of honor, the antique octagonal fish tank—and should be the most loved. It seems that’s how the cookie (or cheese puffs, in Toasty’s case) crumbles in the curious Tupper household, but soon a sequence of thrilling and magical events challenges that way of life forever. First, there’s the arrival of Arthur, a knowledgeable spider with a broken leg and a curious mind, hidden in an old typewriter. Then Jillian throws everyone for a loop when she brings home dear, sweet Ollie, a school houseplant who just wants to be friends and sing. When Toasty splashes the plants with his tank water out of frustration, the friends learn that they can do magical things—like lift heavy objects and turn things invisible! It turns out Toasty’s fishtank isn’t just for fish; it was made by a curious inventor who gave it special powers that, in the wrong hands, could disrupt everything forever. And a curious man with purple shoes just so happens to want that tank at any cost. Can Ivy, Toasty, Arthur, and Ollie grow to be friends in time to work together to save their beloved Tupper family from utter ruin?
I am in love with this cover and I am such a fan of heartwarming stories about dogs. I am excited to see this is available at Abbeys bookstore in the city so I will head in there next week!
Blurb: Ten-year-old Rhys really loves dogs. When he finds a lost black Labrador with big conker eyes and ears like soft velvet, he can’t quite believe his luck. Nobody comes forward to claim Worthington, giving Rhys the perfect opportunity to prove he’s a good owner. But when Rhys moves to London to live with his estranged dad who hates dogs, Rhys decides to keep Worthington secret. Struggling to connect with his dad in a new city, Rhys takes comfort in Worthington. But he soon discovers that looking after a secret dog is anything but easy, and he knows that before long he’ll have to confront his fears and find a way to tell Dad…
No comments:
Post a Comment