Waiting for Goliath by Antje Damm

I spied this Gecko Press book in the library at Westmead Children's Hospital and the illustrations intrigued me.

Bear sits at the bus stop waiting for his best friend - Goliath. Night falls and Bear falls asleep. Robin tells Bear his friend is not coming. It seems that the seasons are passing. We see the tree with leaves, then fruit and then autumn leaves. A bus pulls up at the bus stop but Goliath is not a passenger. Winter arrives and the birds fly south. Bear climbs off the bus seat and falls into a deep sleep while the snow falls all around him. When he wakes up it is spring.

"He hears a noise like a hand sliding slowly across paper. Goliath is coming!"

I can hear your group of young library visitors squealing when they discover the identity of Goliath! If you can find a copy of this book from 2018 it will be a perfect read aloud in your school library or you might borrow it to share with your young reading companion at home.

An only seemingly simple but endlessly sweet meditation on patience.  Kirkus Star review (contains a spoiler)

It's a delightful story, told in simple, clear language and it highlights the meaning of true friendship which actually celebrates differences rather than allowing them to form a barrier. And Bear is so patient: he's prepared to wait for his friend, no matter what. BookBag

The gorgeous artwork comprises a mixture of cut-outs and collage combined in beautiful dioramas. The endpapers at the front show an empty road, while those at the back feature one set of pawprints leaving. Children will have really good fun predicting and guessing what or who Goliath is. In this warm little story about loyalty, faith and friendship, Damm has created a really likeable character about whom children will want to hear more. Children's Books Ireland

Gecko Press talked to Antje Damm about her illustration technique. It reminded me of the work by Soyeon Kim who also uses dioramas. 

Image Source: Instagram

My first two books with Gecko Press were constructed from paper and cardboard. For The Visitor, I made a box with figures inside and photographed each scene. Colour comes gradually into the story so I painted the figures and the room for each scene then photographed it before painting it again. The lighting effects come through a hole at the top of the box. This was a risky way to make the book, because each time I changed the scene, the earlier version was lost. If the photographs hadn’t worked out, the whole book would have been ruined!

See inside this book here

From the Walker Books webpage: Antje Damm is a celebrated children’s writer and illustrator. Born in 1965 in Wiesbaden, Germany, she now lives with her husband and four children in a half-timbered house near Giessen. She has worked as an architect and has written and illustrated over a dozen books for children. Take a look at her Instagram account. 

I do hope Gecko Press have a plan to translate more books by Antje Damm especially Füchslein im Walde - which is dedicated to the topic of dying, death and mourning.

A fox comes into the forest. He is carrying a large box filled with tomato soup cans, because he is toothless and old. The rabbits, who were first afraid of him, soon understand this, and so some get to know each other who actually have nothing in common. The fox talks about his long life and teaches the rabbits important wisdom. They, in turn, accompany him when the old fox dies. After his death, they put him in his big box, bury him and say goodbye. But he remains alive in her memories.

Gone by Michel Streich

It happened

on a quiet morning

in autumn.

I woke early and saw that my bird had died during the night.

My own bird died just like this one and, like this child, we discovered him in the morning. My mother and I buried my little yellow budgie in our garden under some trees and beside a small rock shelf. I often think about that spot in the garden and wish we had put some sort of marker. It makes me a little sad to think I am the only person now who has a memory of this - I think I was in about Grade 4 or 5 and it was one of the first sad events in my life. 

The child in this book also carries his little friend out to the garden - think about the words in this sentence:

"I gently carried the body into the garden and dig a little hole and there I buried my bird."

Now think about the depth of this sentence:

"I thought about how life ticks away. One minute, one hour, one day at a time."

And what happens when we die? Michel Streich does not shy away from this either - instead each family member contributes their own wisdom. 

Image Source: Michel Streich

You can see the interesting page design used in this book. The text is placed at angles and two of the double spreads ask the reader to turn the book sideways. 

This is a gentle, soft-touch exploration of life cycles and life spans and the emotions that are evoked, made more sensitive by the creator choosing autumn to be the time when the bird passes so the illustrations are naturally those warm colours of red, orange and yellow. Read Plus Barbara Braxton

About Michel Streich: I was born in the Westphalia region of Germany, where I grew up and studied visual communication and graphic design, specializing in illustration. After graduating, I moved to London and started my career as a freelance illustrator. Three years later, in 2000, I relocated to Australia. After living in Sydney for a decade, I am now based in the Blue Mountains West of Sydney.

I am so pleased the CBCA judges did not shy away from selecting Gone which deals with the big topics of death and grief. Last year we had the wonderful book A Leaf called Greaf. It might be good to revisit that book when you share Gone with your library groups from Grade 2 up. 

There are some terrific titles this year in the CBCA Picture Book Notables list - I have picked out four that I am hopeful will make the short list of six - maybe Gone will be one of them. 

I was interested to read the CBCA Judges notes. They mention Old Pig; The Tenth Good think about Barney; When Violet Died (which is a book I have never seen published in 1973) and another book with the one-word title 'Heaven'. I wonder if this might be the book by Nicholas Allen?  My choices for companion books are:

The dead bird

Circles in the sky

The Bear and the Wildcat

When I saw Michel Streich had a 2026 CBCA Notable title I knew I wanted to read it. I adored this previous book:

Writing about Scary Bird in 2021 when it didn't make the CBCA Notables etc. I said: "I am certain this will WIN other awards. I really thought this would be the 2021 Picture Book of the Year winner. Message to the publisher (Scholastic) - please send this book far and wide. Perhaps it might win a future Kate Greenaway Medal as Bob Graham did in 2002 for Jethro Bird Fairy Child or a Caldecott prize as we saw with Hello Lighthouse in 2019. Nop (Caroline Magerl) is on the 2021 Greenaway Medal Long List. I adore Scary Bird so much I plan to add a copy to my own picture book collection."

Here are some other books by Michel Streich:

General Waste

The worst dog in the world

The Thing about Christmas by Jo Dabrowski illustrated by Briony Stewart

Just when you think you have read every possible variation on a Christmas book along comes this one - The Thing about Christmas. Do not worry - I have not gone mad - I know it is March and not December but The Thing about Christmas is a 2026 CBCA Early Childhood Notable title.

The joy of this book is twofold - the illustrations interpret and go way beyond the rhyming text AND this book acknowledges that Christmas does not need to follow a formula. Your family may be small, or mum and dad might live in separate houses or perhaps you don't celebrate this season or Christmas might coincide with a deeply sad event in your life (make sure you look very closely at that page where we see a tiny photo of the family). 

The final words sum up the 'message' of this book (sorry it is not really a message in the sense of being too didactic so please don't worry about my use of the word 'message').

"There's no right or wrong, whatever you do. Christmas in your home's unique, just like you. Because Christmas is not about all of that stuff. Christmas is love and love is enough."

The CBCA judges agree the 'standout' feature of the book are the illustrations:

Taking a closer look at the illustrations - on the first page a child sits in front of a screen looking at an idealised Christmas scene with all the trappings of tree, presents, lights, big family, stockings and a glowing fire. Even though we only have a back view it is very clear this is NOT the Christmas this child will experience. Turn the page and we zoom in on the real-life scene we just saw on the screen which then means the next page might give you a jolt as again we see a child, a different child, standing beside a tiny, slightly forlorn Christmas tree with only a couple of small presents underneath. This child is not looking at a screen, instead he can see a different family-filled celebration in the house next door. It is equally sad when we see a child sitting in a empty room with their two stocking/socks hung over a wall heater and not over the traditional chimney. 

For me, though, the most powerful and poignant page is the one with this text:

"Or maybe your Christmas is split up in two, and the one thing you wished for didn't come true."

Now go back through the whole book and notice the repeated children and their adults. The girl dropped off by her dad appears in another scene decorating a gingerbread house with her mum. The boy who is looking at the neighbours, is later seen with his brother and grandmother having fun with their sword presents and their mince pies on the table! 

Image source: Little Book Press

In another scene dad has died but for Christmas, mum and her son have fun in the sun at the beach. In an early scene we see the family with their chicken, not turkey, dinner and then on Christmas day mum has had her baby, so all the family are seen visiting the hospital. The final double page spread is a summary of each family presented as a reflection in a Christmas bauble - such a lovely way to recap the story. 

The thing about Christmas is that it is an intensely individual festival for each and every person and family. This book is a sublime insight into that concept. Just so Stories

So much care and love has been poured into every illustration in The Thing about Christmas. Briony Stewart used a similar technique of connected stories in her book These Little Feet. 

In all honesty I would never use these but here are the teacher's notes for The Thing about Christmas. 

In 2023 I penned a blog post about the illustrator Briony Stewart. Perhaps you saw her terrific book about the Tooth Fairy.

Tooth Fairy

I previously talked about the other two books (three in total) that Jo Dabrowski has on the CBCA 2026 Notables list - Dear Broccoli and The Making of Martha Mayfield.

The Frindle Files by Andrew Clements illustrated by Brian Selznick

Josh is a student at Clara Vista Middle School. His English teacher (ELA) is Mr N. I love the way he teaches but for Jake it is all too old fashioned. Mr N sets assignments that need to be hand written (neatness counts) and he has no technology in his classroom - instead every student is expected to have, and use, a copy of an old grammar book called The Elements of Style, 4th ed., by William Strunk Jr. and E. B. White (yes that is THE EB White author of Charlotte's Web).

Josh wasn’t sure if Mr. N even owned a computer. There was a rumor that once he’d had a big argument with Mr. Ortega about posting his homework assignments on the school website. Mr. N had told the principal that writing assignments on the board in his classroom was enough—and he didn’t mean one of the SMART Boards that every other teacher used. No, Mr. N had an actual chalkboard that he could move around the room on wheels. The whiteboard was there, but Mr. N kept it hidden behind a huge poster about the parts of speech.

Josh breezes through his other homework but for Mr N he now need paper and a pen. He has almost completed his work when the ink runs out so he picks out a pen from his mother's desk.

Back at the kitchen table, Josh was about to start writing again. Then he noticed something printed on the side of the pen—one word, in bold black letters: It was a word he’d never seen before, which made him curious. And Josh did what any other plugged-in kid would do: He searched the word on his browser—f-r-i-n-d-l-e. And then he hit return. Whoa, 270,000 results?!

What is going on? It's just a pen? Or is it?

“Hey, Mom, where did you get this pen?” She looked, and then smiled. “I’ve had that since sixth grade. Everyone at my school started calling pens frindles, and when those showed up in stores, I bought a couple—so did all my friends. It was kind of a big thing for a while.”

Josh digs deeper and find a photo of the school kid who invented the word 'Frindle' and this kid sure does look like ... Mr N!!

It is now page 9 of a 214 page book. Josh is a very curious boy. He now has a mystery to solve and because he knows Mr N loves words and writing there might be a way to make this interesting. AND Josh is a computer nerd so he can easily do tons of research about this and keep it organised into folders with evidence and photos and online newspaper clippings and so we now have the The Frindle Files. 

Using a fine-tipped Sharpie, he had written the word Frindle in bold black letters along the barrel of a plain white plastic pen. And now that word on that pen was right there on that desk, waiting for Mr. N to discover it. And when he did, Josh would be watching.

Mr N does react but not at all in the way Josh expects and now the battle is on - a battle of wits and words but can there really be a winner? And can this 'joke' go too far?

The Frindle Files publisher blurb: Josh Willet is a techie, a serious gamer. Which is why Josh and his friends can’t stand Mr. N’s ELA class; it’s a strict no-tech zone. Mr. N makes them write everything out by hand, he won’t use a Smartboard, and he’s obsessed with some hundred-year-old grammar book. Then Josh discovers a secret; turns out Mr. N's been keeping a lot more than technology from his students! Together with his best friend Vanessa, and using all the computer skills they’ve got, Josh is determined to solve the mystery of Mr. N’s past. And maybe get some screentime back, too?

You should also feel inspired to read or reread Charlotte's Web after you finish The Frindle Files. 

Frindle (1996) is a book that I read and loved when it was first published.  I mentioned I had read the 'sequel' to Rachel Robson at Gleebooks here in Sydney and she almost swooned - so strong was her own memory of loving Frindle. Sadly, Andrew Clements died late in 2019 so this is his final book which was published posthumously. I did smile when Josh's little sister Sophie asked to see Bluey.

Here's a recap/blurb for Frindle (The Frindle Files can stand alone BUT your reading experience will be so much richer if you have read this famous predecessor). 

Bookseller blurb: Is Nick Allen a troublemaker? He really just likes to liven things up at school -- and he's always had plenty of great ideas. When Nick learns some interesting information about how words are created, suddenly he's got the inspiration for his best plan ever...the frindle. Who says a pen has to be called a pen? Why not call it a frindle? Things begin innocently enough as Nick gets his friends to use the new word. Then other people in town start saying frindle. Soon the school is in an uproar, and Nick has become a local hero. His teacher wants Nick to put an end to all this nonsense, but the funny thing is frindle doesn't belong to Nick anymore. The new word is spreading across the country, and there's nothing Nick can do to stop it.

Or perhaps you could read my 2012 blog post.

The Frindle Files paperback edition has just arrived here in Australia (March 10th 2026) - rush to your favourite independent bookstore today to secure your copy. 

Now that you have your copies of Frindle and The Frindle Files head into your school or local library and borrow some more fantastic books by this master storyteller. My own favourites are:

Extra Credit

The Making of Martha Mayfield by Jo Dabrowski

"I make sets. At least that's what I call them. My sets aren't life-sized, of course. I make them in boxes. ... I've made loads of sets. One of nearly every room in our house. ... I've also made a set for every shop on Charlotte Street ... (and) I've made every classroom I've ever had up to Year Five. ... Oh yes, I made paper people too. ... I use my sets to practice first days of school, excursions and sports days. I've practiced tricky conversations and playdates too. When something is coming up that makes me nervous I do a 'dress rehearsal' with my sets."

Grade five is a time of change for Martha. Mum loses her job. Iris, her sister gets yet another boyfriend, it is the time at school with elections for School Captain, and all of Grade five have to prepare things to sell at a Market Day. Martha is so shy she cannot talk at school, at all. At home she wants to tell her mum about school but she holds back because mum seems so distracted and sad. 

Could Martha run for School Captain? She makes a list from the application form and then she puts the words into two origami boxes - green and red. She has these covered - cares, listens, organised. She needs to find a way to achieve these - contributes, voices ideas, good at teamwork, and confident public speaker. 

About halfway through The Making of Martha Mayfield I stopped to think about the title. Martha does indeed do some making but then a couple of hours after I finished this book, which is a 2026 CBCA Younger Readers Notable title, I realised of course this book is about the 'making' of Martha herself. Martha moves from a very shy and quiet girl who rarely if ever speaks to a girl who finds her voice and a way to express all those terrific ideas she has had bubbling away in her brain and even a way to try out for School Captain.

This book was published in August last year but I overlooked it in many bookshops. The cover didn't really appeal to me but you can see I should not have let this guide me as I have given this book four stars.

The Making of Martha Mayfield is a long book with close to 300 pages of fairly small print so keen readers aged 10+ will need some reading stamina but I did read the final half of this book in one sitting because I become quite invested in Martha hoping she would be able to overcome her shyness and succeed with both the Grade 5 Market Day Project and the bigger challenge of the School Captain elections. In fact as a shy kid with a shy mother some parts of this story really did touch my heart. 

Jo Dabrowski creates four distinct characters:

Martha - "I know why Mum says being quiet is a good thing, and why she goes on about me noticing stuff. She does it to make me feel better about myself. So I feel quiet and interesting, not quiet and boring, which is what the kids in my class think I am. If they think of me at all, that is. I might be good at noticing but I'm even better at going unnoticed."

Iris her sister has no emotional intelligence. The new boyfriend is awful but Iris is so set on having a boy friend she will do anything to please him including taking on a whole new 'goth' style and of course ignoring or dismissing her little sister. There is an awful scene in this book in the chapter entitled 'Sticky Notes' that broke my heart - it is so cruel.

Mum is shy and still grieving the loss of her husband. She finds social situations especially difficult. I imagine she was herself, badly bullied at school. "I picture Mum staying behind, sitting at her machine, too shy to join in." Mum is also a bit overwhelmed by Stella, her husband's mother, who is never short on advice. 

Stella, the grandmother - the girls have to call her Stella not grandma. She's obsessed with Michelle Obama and with looking young and stylish. Stella's character is so well described to the point where I actually did not like her at all. This is so different from most books where the grandmother character is usually compassionate and wise. Stella is so egotistical that she turns every conversation back into a boast about herself. Here is a quote from Stella:

"Stella talks about Dad all the time, without anyone asking. She doesn't tell stories so much as facts. They start out being about Dad but end up being about her. Like, she'll say he was a wonderful son ('He absolutely adored me.'); he could turn the most ordinary event into a funny story ('He got his sense of humour from me, you know.'); people were drawn to him ('He got that from me too,') ... "

I did love creativity of Martha. As you read in the quote at the beginning of this post, she makes models of her home, classroom, and even the shops in her street. These projects are given detailed descriptions in the story - you can almost see her work. And her idea for the market day is brilliant.

Publisher blurb: Martha Mayfield has always been the quiet kid. Martha is, after all, her mother's daughter. The shy child of an even shyer mum. And she likes it this way. That is, until Martha's mum loses her job. And Martha's teacher overlooks her at school. And soon, Martha realises something has to give. Can she really go through life being so quiet that nobody takes her seriously? Should she really keep all her good ideas to herself forever? Putting yourself out there is every quiet kid's worst nightmare, but Martha is determined to make the most of it. And perhaps to make something of herself along the way ...

Click these review comments for more plot details:

The pace is perfect, leading to a dramatic climax that is surprising and very satisfying to read. Kids' Book Review

Whether you’re an anxious fifth grader or not, The Making of Martha Mayfield is an endearing and highly relatable read, with multifaceted characters that you’ll fall in love with. Story Links

Here are the CBCA Judges comments from the Notables booklet:

Jo Dabrowski is the author of two other Notables - Dear Broccoli a 2026 CBCA Notable (Picture Book) and The Thing about Christmas (Early Childhood).

Dear Broccoli

Bravepaw and the Fangstone of Flintfall by LM Wilkinson illustrated by Lavanya Naidu

Titch and her friends Huckleberry, Dollop and their new friend a squirrel named Briar are on a quest to heal a crack in the heart of Alluria. Titch has the Heartstone but ...

"It had been a wise old squirrel who told Titch that the Heartstone was incomplete - that there were other gems out there. One of them - the Clawstone - had hung around the nect of the turtle wizard. But there were more to find, which was why they were on their way to the library city of Lexhelm, to learn more about the Gems of Harmony and the history of Bravepaw."

All librarians and Teacher-Librarians will be thrilled that Titch needs to visit a library! BUT how horrid that they are confronted by armoured silversfish and they are holding the head librarian Master Sticklepin, a hedgehog, captive in his own office. Titch, Briar and Huckleberry fight the silverfish but while some are destroyed many just slither away (I hope we don't mee them again in the next Bravepaw book). 

Master Sticklepin explains to the group about the history of Bravepaw - the first was a rabbit princess named Hazel but more importantly they hear about an ancient monster of pure evil called the Deadroot. This monster is responsible for the danger facing Alluria because every hundred years he stirs again.

Titch has the Heartstone on the top of the staff given to her by Prince Vetiver and she now has one of the four Gems of Harmony - Clawstone. The other three are Fangstone, Dreamstone and Songstone. Titch and her group are now on a quest to find the Fangstone and this will involve a journey deep underground to a crystal cavern. It also means their trust will be betrayed. (Spoiler alert) Why is Clover, a very small, white, delicate looking mouse offering to help them? 

The underground scenes in this third installment are so vividly written I felt utterly claustrophobic. Oh and those awful curseworms are at work again and thank goodness the group rescue and meet Raia, the lavender wolf who I am sure will be back again. 

In 2022 I discovered the first book in the Bravepaw series and I fell in love with the characters and these little chapter books. In 2025 I rushed out to buy the second book and it was an equally terrific quest story. Late last week I saw the author LM Wilkinson and illustrator Lavanya Niadu mention the third book had been published early in March - how did I miss this? 

Yesterday I picked up Bravepaw and the Fangstone of Flintfall and I read the whole book as soon as I arrived home. If you haven't found this series you do need to begin with the first book and please take a minute to read my first two blog posts. I wonder how long I will need to wait for the final two installments. If you work in a school library this book set will look so splendid on your shelves. If you haven't added these to your library make sure you do this now - especially because sadly Book One is from 2022 so, unless it is reprinted, copies could become scarce. 

Bravepaw and the Heartstone of Alluria

Bravepaw and the Clawstone of Rotwood Mire

Is it Asleep? Olivier Tallec

Squirrel and his friend Pock (a mushroom) set out on a walk through the forest to the meadow. They love listening to the birds, especially the song of the blackbird but there is no song. Then they see the blackbird:

"It's lying there completely still. We've never seen a bird so close-up. It must definitely be asleep. So we keep very quiet and wait for it to wake."

The bird does not wake up even after they move in for a close look at the beautiful feathers, even after they whisper to the bird 'Are you asleep?', and then they clap their hands but nothing happens. Three heads are better than two so they fetch their friend Gunther. Guther says they should lift the bird to help it fly but they discover blackbird is too heavy and that's when we read something you and your young reading companion probably suspected:

"That's when Pock says maybe the blackbird is dead."

Here is an interview with Olivier Tallec and Gecko Press.

I seem to be sharing a few books lately about deep sadness, grief and death. Take a look at this video where the presenter talks about when and why to share picture books about these topics. Yes, It is Asleep? is desperately sad but it is also a gentle story about friendship and caring and memories. There is so little text in this book - it demands to be read very quietly and slowly. You should add this book to your library and don't be afraid to pop it on your regular picture book shelves - no need to hide it away in a parent or teacher reference collection. It is also a NSW Premier's Reading Challenge title (K-2). [1367138]

Children read a book about death like they read a story on a completely different subject. They don’t identify with it in the same way as adults. Children are not apprehensive about entering this story. And I believe we shouldn’t be afraid to read them these books. Death is part of life. Olivier Tallec

A laudably candid yet child-friendly examination of life and death. Kirkus

With moving reflection, and a tribute to life lived and lost, death is gently portrayed in a pure, uncomplicated way that children can comprehend.  Kids' Book Review

Olivier Tallec’s work has been called “sensitive”, “stunning”, “breathtaking”, and “beautiful.” Tallec was born in Brittany, France, in 1970. After graduating from the École Supérieure D’arts Graphiques in Paris, he worked in advertising as a graphic designer, after which he devoted himself to illustration. Since then he has illustrated more than sixty books.

We have already met Pock and Squirrel and Gunther the mouse in this previous book:

A Better Best Friend

Here are a few other books to explore on the topics of grief, loss and death:

The Memory Tree

The Bear and the Wildcat

The Hare-shaped Hole