The Light in Everything by Katya Balen

Two kids. Two kids with different life circumstances. Two kids with different emotional responses to change and trauma. Two kids who do not yet know each other. Two kids who are so different and seems impossible that they could ever even tolerate one another let alone become friends.

Now for the problem - their parents. Tom lives with his mum. Dad is in jail and this is a good thing because he was a dangerous man - he was severely physically and emotionally abusive towards Tom and his mum. Zofia lives with her dad. Her mum died when she was a baby. Dad is great but he is not always 'tuned in' because his work as a doctor is so intense. 

Have you guessed what happens here - yes this is just like the Brady Bunch except with less kids and less harmony. Tom's mum meets Zofia's dad; they all move into Zofia's house and then the kids hear that a new baby is coming.

Zofia lives her life in a storm of rage or a storm of activity. She is loud and opinionated. Zofia also loves to swim, and she has set herself a long-distance swimming challenge as a way to make her father proud. Tom is small for his age. He is terrified of the dark at night and so fills his room with lights and always carries a torch. Tom is also afraid of small spaces and of upsetting his mum. He knows his dad will not return but the possibility of this is also constantly on his mind. He also has difficulty with trust - especially trust of male adults. 

How will these two kids cope with living in the same house and going to the same, very small, school. Zofia has been at this school since Kindy. Tom is the new kid and yet everyone seems to like him straight away. It warmed my heart to see him make a friend almost from the first day. 

Two of the really appealing aspects of this book are the alternating voices and the very short chapters - you just keep turning the pages racing to that all important happy ending. Well yes there is a happy ending (spoiler I know), but Katya Kalen keeps up the tension for her readers because the baby is born too early, and she is very poorly. The other part of this book that works really well is the way the two main characters are so very different from one another. I kept wishing they would just talk to each other - that they could feel brave enough or open enough to share their fears and hopes and doubts.

This is Katya Balen’s third book, and, like her previous works, tackles emotionally charged issues with sensitivity, told in beautiful and poetic prose. She explores the complexities and challenges of adjusting to a new and blended family. Balen has a keen awareness of the reader, drawing us into the story and creating characters we care about: pages turn with ease as their stories unfold. Just Imagine

Here are the teachers notes for The Light in Everything and some book group discussion questions. I highly recommend The Light in Everything for mature readers aged 10+. 

Why did I select this book from the library? First of all, the cover is beautiful and now I discover this illustration is by HCAA Winner Sydney Smith. Now onto the author - I previously enjoyed several other books by Katya Balen. Her new book due in 2026 is Letters from the upside.

October October

I gave this book four stars and it won the Carnegie Medal in 2022

Foxlight

I gave this book five stars

Ghostlines

I am really keen to read Katya Balen's new book which comes out early in 2026:

This Love by Isabel Otter illustrated by Harriet Lynas

A celebration of harmony around the world

"It doesn't matter who we are,

join hands and stand up tall.

Love is a special language 

that's understood by all."

I picked this book up at a recent Lifeline Book Fair - well actually my friend spied it among the hundreds of books on offer. I have collected a bunch of books for a country preschool. This die cut book is sure to appeal to the young listeners and the staff and could be used for Harmony Day perhaps. It was published in 2019 by The Caterpillar Group who are part of the publisher Little Tiger (they consistently do great books). 

There is no actual narrative in this book - it is a series of scenes showing all the things these children love to do with their friends and with their parents. There are more details in this Kirkus review.

Publisher blurb: Celebrate love from all around the world! A series of gentle rhymes sensitively explores what love feels like to children. This timeless book shows that love is a common language with the power to unite, wherever you come from.

If you are looking for other Harmony Day books Harriet Lynas has a series that looks worth investigating. UK author Isabel Otter has written lots of board books but here are a few of her other titles available as paperbacks or in hardback:

Together

I am a Fish

One Round Moon and a Star for me by Ingrid Mennen illustrated by Niki Daly

Do you look like your dad? Do you look like your mum? In a family photo is it easy to see you really belong? 

A new baby arrives in the family. 

Papa "kneels down to look at the baby's tiny hands.
'They look like my hands,' he says.

He looks at the baby's tiny round ears.

'Mama's ears.'

He unwraps the blanket, and there are two small feet with ten tiny toes.

'They will walk well.' Papa nods.

'I'm the baby's father,' says Papa with a smile."

The little boy is confused and perhaps a little bit jealous. He asks the all-important question:

"Papa, are you really my papa too?"

His father gently takes hold of the boy's hands and shows him how they match, how his eyes are also like Mama's eyes. 

"You are your papa's child and you are your mama's child."

Enriched by an African setting, the familiar theme of reassuring a child about his secure place in the family after a new baby is born. ... Daly's freely rendered art reflects the family's joy and affection while nicely evoking the rural setting. Warmhearted and appealing ...  Kirkus

Take a look at my previous post from earlier this year about the illustrator Niki Daly. One Round Moon and a Star for me was published in 2004 and so it is now out of print. I picked up my copy at a recent charity book sale.

Blurb from the illustrator: A young African boy watches a shooting star falling for his Mama's new baby. The whole village comes together to provide gifts for mother and child. But when he sees his papa smiling at the baby's tiny hands which are just like Papa's own hands, his heart grows dark, like a night with no moon. At last he asks, "Papa, are you really my Papa too?" Set against the backdrop of a rural South African village, Mennen's lyrical text coupled with Daly's evocative illustrations are filled with light and darkness; friendship and community spirit; love and hope, telling the universal story of a young boy's journey to discover his own place in the world.

When the baby comes her brother places two stalks of yellow grass in the roof above the door. No men are allowed in their hut for many days after the birth. Village women bring water for the baby. Others bring a cake of soap for Mama, a small lamp so the baby has light and fresh cow-dung for their floor. Papa leaves a silver bucket filled with milk at the door of the hut. If you want to share different customs for welcoming a new baby you could compare this text with Baby Business.  

Seven for a Secret by Laurence Anholt illustrated by Jim Coplestone

One for sorrow,

Two for joy,

Three for a girl,

Four for a boy,

Five for silver,

Six for gold,

Seven for a secret,

Never to be told.

Ruby lives in an apartment in the city. Grampa lives in the country near a forest. Grampa and Ruby write letters and magically the words in the nursery rhyme that Grampa has sent seem to come true. But what is the secret?

From the blurb: "Told entirely in letter form and woven around the ancient rhyme of the magpies, Laurence Anholt's profoundly moving story is about youth and old age, sunshine and snow, sorrow and joy, birth and death - most of all it is a song of love and hope."

Ruby writes about city life, the noise, the winter cold, the news that a baby brother is coming, then summer arrives and dad builds a bird table, but in the next letter she tells Grampa that mum and dad are worried about money. Grampa writes about the magpie in his garden, tracks in the snow, then he is unwell but he does send a necklace for Ruby and an interesting secret message. Sadly, Grampa dies but when the family move into his forest home they discover an amazing secret! Five for silver, six for gold!

There is a mystical, almost fey, element to this story, along with a lyricism that makes it memorable. The gentle, autumnal watercolour illustrations reflect perfectly the poignant interwoven text, Grampa’s growing weakness, and Ruby’s sadness, and the end pages with post-people carrying the letters in town and country are a delight. Books for Keeps

Everyone has secrets. Some secrets are happy, like the one Grandpa has for Ruby. She’s going to be a big sister, and Grandpa has “been hiding shiny things” that he plans to pass on to her. Other secrets are sad, such as Dad’s fear that they will lose their home and not be able to afford the new baby. But Grandpa has the saddest secret of all: he’s dying and may never see Ruby again or get to meet her baby brother. Foreword Reviews

If I had a rating system for end papers this book would be awarded a gold star. At the front we see the postwoman traveling over a bridge through the city and at the back a different postman is riding his bike across the countryside. I do hope you can find this book from 2006 in your local or school library. 

The very best words by Erin Munro illustrated by Sarah Trolle

Emma has a new baby brother. He can't talk yet, so she decides to help him find the very best words. Over the year - each month - Emma shares words with James. And by the end of a whole year, at his first birthday, James says his first words back to Emma.

This book would be an absolutely perfect present for a family with a new baby. I have a Pinterest of picture books for families with a new baby brother or sister. At the back of the book there is a word list with brief definitions - I found a new word - susurration (a soft whisper or murmur). The list also includes some of my own favourite words - bamboozle; flibbertigibbet; winndershins; collywobbles; and kerfuffle. Of course, the most important word of all is love!

See inside this book here. This is a picture book from New Zealand. It is published by Little Moa. 

Sarah Trolle (pronounced Tro-lay) is a primary school teacher and illustrator living near Kina Beach in Nelson, New Zealand. She has always loved painting, drawing and printmaking, and from a young age was inspired by writers and illustrators such as Margaret Mahy, Joy Cowley, Shirley Hughes, Raymond Briggs, Jan Pienkowski and Julie Vivas. She now spends a lot of her time teaching and creating art with children. You can find Sarah on instagram @SarahJTrolle.

Erin Munro (author) is a content and copywriter by day and can be found working from a local cafe, or her home while the family is out. Working with words keeps her imagination running wild, and she now carries around a notebook to keep track of fun words she comes across - the current favourite is dandelion. The very best words is her debut picture book. 

Before you were Born by Katrina Germein illustrated by Helene Magisson

"Famil and friends all gathered here, bringing their love, good wishes and cheer. All the talk was of you and when you would come. Were you kicking inside? Or sucking your thumb?

In this book each page shows a different family at various family events and in each scene we see a mum-to-be. There is a family part in a suburban backyard; a group arriving at the family farm and a group of ladies sitting on the red earth of the outback. On the following pages we see more gatherings and the giving of gifts - tiny new clothes and toys. On the final double spread we see the four mums with their partners and their new baby. There are subtle references to disabilities - such as the guide dog with the mum sitting in a park. When you go back you will see her guide dog sleeping in the lounge room and her white guide stick. 

Take a look here to see Helene Magisson creating the art for this book. Here is the web page for Katrina Germein. If you use this book with a group of Kindergarten or Grade One students here is a set of teaching notes. 

Helene Magisson’s exquisite illustrations encompass all that Katrina Germein expresses in her verse text, and more. Visually stunning, this outstanding picture book represents every parent, regardless of their origins. Kids' Next Read

Written in rhyming couplets the text focuses on the experience of the baby shower. It features the traditions of a variety of family groups from an array of different cultures. (I would give this book an A+ for sensitive inclusivity). Further, the book beautifully captures the speculation and longing that accompanies many pregnancies. Reading Time

This would be a lovely gift for a family who are expecting a new baby perhaps as a baby shower gift and then it would be a book to share with that child after they are born and through their early years to talk about the excitement of waiting for the new baby. I have one photo of my mum when she was pregnant, and it is a special photo because I can see she is happy and enjoying the garden in her new home. When I was a child I loved this photo because it 'proved' I really did 'belong' to my mum and dad. 

Featherlight by Peter Bunzl

"There always has to be someone watching the sea and the lantern in case of emergencies. For the rest of the hours of this strange night that person has to be me. For the first time ever, I am by myself in the lighthouse, taking Dad's place on the night watch."

A new baby is due to arrive coming into a family who live in a lighthouse on Featherstone Island. Late one night Deryn's father needs to row her mother over to the town and so Derryn is left alone because someone has to make sure the light keeps burning. The first two nights go well and then her grandmother arrives to help but this is when everything goes wrong. Their oil supplies run out and there is a wild storm and Derryn and her grandmother can see a small fishing boat floundering in the waves.

This story is partly realism and partly magical. During her second night alone Derryn rescues a a small bird that has crashed into the glass of the lantern room. Derryn names the small bird Tan. Derryn tries to feed the tiny creature but it refuses every type of food. Derryn's head is filled with the fairy tales from a book her dad has been reading to her each evening. One story is about the firebird.

"Firebirds would drink the oil from sailor's lamps and then fly above their ships, lighting the way for them."

The Firebird is described as a large bird with majestic plumage that glows brightly emitting red, orange, and yellow light, like a bonfire that is just past the turbulent flame. The feathers do not cease glowing if removed, and one feather can light a large room if not concealed. Wikipedia

Could Tan be a firebird? How can Derryn and her grandmother restore the light and rescue the people in the small boat? Perhaps there is a way Tan can help?

This book is perfect for readers aged 9+. It is a short book with just 90 pages and it has a really good pace. Barrington Stoke do an excellent job of creating very satisfying stories written by skilled UK authors such as Peter Bunzl (Cogheart; Moonlocket; Skycircus; and Shadowsea).

It would be great to share a version of The Firebird story after reading Featherlight but I have not had much luck locating one apart from a few that have been written for reading schemes. I am guessing you might find this fairy tale in an anthology. I did find this four minute video story. Jane Yolen does have a picture book based on the ballet published in 2002.

Care of Henry by Anne Fine illustrated by Paul Howard

Using a check list to make an important decision is at the heart of this beginning chapter book called Care of Henry by master story teller Anne Fine.

Hugo has to find someone to stay with, while his mum is in hospital having a baby - the baby will be his new sister.  Hugo meets a man who comes to inspect their house which is for sale. The man has a check list of requirements for his new home and he shows this to Hugo. This is an inspirational idea to Hugo - he makes a check list of all the things he needs so he can decide where to stay.

• Food - what will you feed me?
• Entertainment - can I watch my favourite shows on television?
• Bathtime - can I have it deep with lots of bubbles?
• Strictness - can I skip school and visit mum at the hospital?
• Care of Henry - can I bring my dog, what will you feed him and can he sleep in my room?

Hugo asks his Granny - surprisingly she gets four crosses and one tick.  Mrs Mariposa next door gets four ticks and one cross because Henry is not allowed to come. Uncle Jack gets three ticks, one cross - Henry cannot stay in his apartment, and one wobbly tick because the food sounds a little odd.  How will Hugo decide where to stay?

This is a terrific little book for our Grade 3 students as they look at texts using persuasion   Our library copy was very worn out but just last week I found a new copy with a smart new cover. I recommend this book for all young dog lovers.

I discovered a UK theatre production of Care of Henry. Listen to an audio sample here.  Anne Fine is the author of another very special book -  Bill's New Frock.