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May for Kids

Picture books

Don’t Forget by Jane Godwin & Anna Walker
An uplifting picture book for 5+, reflecting on what’s important for each of us to remember, from award winning author Jane Godwin & award winning illustrator Anna Walker of All Through the Year and Today We Have No Plans. Don’t forget to make your bed, and wear socks that fit your feet… Don’t forget to care, to play, To run, to laugh… Sometimes, we need to remember all the things we can do to be part of the world. Small things, like offering a smile. And bigger things, like hoping, dreaming, imagining ($20, HB)

The Katha Chest by Radhiah Chowdhury (ill) Lavanya Naidu ($25, HB)
Six-year-old Asiya loves to go to Nanu’s house. Best among all of Nanu’s treasures is the big old chest filled with quilts that tell the stories of the women in Asyia’s family. With gorgeous, fresh and beautifully colourful illustrations inspired by Bangladeshi katha quilts and traditional West Bengali pattachitra panel illustrations, The Katha Chest is a beautifully woven tale about the bonds of love, culture and memory.

Move that Mountain by Jol & Kate Temple
There are 2 sides to every story. A whale has become stranded on the beach, but the tiny puffins are far, far too small to help. When this book is read in reverse, the puffins realise they are not too little to help—together they can fix the problem. A heart-warming and inspirational story about how even the smallest voice can make a big difference. Illustrated by Terri Rose Baynton ($25, HB)

While You’re Sleeping by Mick Jackson
Have you ever wondered what’s happening in the world while you’re asleep in your bed? From bakers preparing bread and cakes for your table and firefighters waiting patiently for a call, to hospitals helping people have babies and caring for those who are ill. There’s foxes foraging, bats flying, and owls hunting for prey. And around the world other children play, learn, eat & read while you’re tucked up fast asleep. Illustrations by John Broadley packed with detail—this is the perfect book for bedtime. ($25, HB)

NON FICTION

Masters of Disguise by Marc Martin
Now you see them, now you don’t! Cloaked in a riot of colour, pattern and texture are a dozen animals—from chameleons and polar bears to Gaboon vipers and mimic octopuses—that have mastered the art of fading into the background. Melbourne-based illustrator Marc Martin offers fact-packed pages that segue into clever & beautifully illustrated seek-and-find spreads that put readers’ newfound knowledge of each creature & its ecosystem to the test. ($27, HB)

Pranklab by Chris Ferrie Byrne Laginestra & Wade D. Fairclough
What’s more fun than a practical joke? A scientific practical joke! Using everyday household items, kids can exploit the laws of physics, biology, and chemistry through entertaining (and perfectly safe) activities. Each prank includes easy-to-understand instructions, step-by-step diagrams, and diary-style illustrations. Additional notes in each prank explain the science behind the fun. Pranks include: Fountain Dew; Natural Selection Candy; Disappearing Ink Stain; Ghost toothpick and more! ($25, PB)

Masters of Disguise by Marc Martin
Now you see them, now you don’t! Cloaked in a riot of colour, pattern and texture are a dozen animals—from chameleons and polar bears to Gaboon vipers and mimic octopuses—that have mastered the art of fading into the background. Melbourne-based illustrator Marc Martin offers fact-packed pages that segue into clever & beautifully illustrated seek-and-find spreads that put readers’ newfound knowledge of each creature & its ecosystem to the test. ($27, HB)

The Gentle Genius of Trees by Philip Bunting
There are around 3.4 trillion trees on our planet. That’s around 400 trees for every human—but at our current rate of deforestation, we’re losing almost 1.5 trees per person, per year. Limit the things you buy, plant a native tree if you can, and spend more time in the woods. What could we clever humans ever learn from trees? Take an unashamedly anthropomorphic wander through the woods with Philip Bunting to learn a few life lessons from our foliaged friends. ($20, HB)

Dorling Kindersley: Life Skills ($20, HB)
Life Skills includes practical advice & real-life examples that teach problem solving, how to make good decisions, and excellent communication skills. Kids will learn how to better understand themselves and others, as well as create coping strategies for difficult situations. The book has activities like making your own mind maps, thinking about body language, putting yourself in someone else’s shoes—developing life skills not just for better prospects at school & career, but it also for more confidence to aim for a bright, secure & happy future.

FICTION UNDER 8s

Super Geeks 1: Fish and Chips by James Hart ($15, PB)
Best friends Zeek and Arnie love solving problems, inventing, playing video games, coding, reading comics, cooking (mostly Arnie) and planning WORLD DOMINATION (mostly Zeek). But when Zeek puts a microchip in Arnie’s pet fish, Eleanor, things go horribly wrong. A super-intelligent Eleanor decides she’s going to become the supreme ruler of the world. Illustrator James Hart’s new graphic novel series is oerfect for fans of Real Pigeons, Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Dog Man.

The Secret Explorers & the Smoking Volcano by S. J. King ($10, PB)
Meet the Secret Explorers—a band of brainiac kids from all around the world. This outing rainforest expert Ollie is joined by engineering expert Kiki on an mission to rescue a lost baby orangutan in the steamy rainforest of Borneo. Along the way, they encounter greedy plantation owners who are plotting to destroy the forest to expand a palm oil plantation. ‘Ollie’s Mission (end) Notes’ summarise of all the scientific facts and discoveries made throughout the story.

What Zola Did on Friday by Melina Marchetta (ill) Deb Hudson ($13, PB)
Zola loves living on Boomerang Street with her mum and her nonna. Every day of the week is an adventure. But Zola has a problem. No matter how much she tries, she can’t keep out of trouble. Like on Friday, when she and Alessandro decide to paint Nonno Nino’s little yellow boat. There are 7 stories in this series by Looking for Alibrandi author Marchetta—Saturday & Sunday out in June & August.

Dog Man #10: Mothering Heights by Dav Pilkey
Dog Man & Petey face their biggest challenges yet in adventure number 10. Dog Man is down on his luck, Petey confronts his not so purr-fect past, and Grampa is up to no good. The world is spinning out of control as new villains spill into town. Everything seems dark and full of despair. But hope is not lost. Can the incredible power of love save the day? Dav Pilkey’s wildly popular Dog Man series explores universally positive themes, including love, empathy, kindness, persistence, and the importance of doing good. ($13, PB)

FICTION 8-12

Plum and Woo #1: The Puzzling Pearls by Lisa Siberry ($17, PB)
Hannah Plum loves fashion, fun & junk food. Patti Woo is obsessed with detective novels, lives in leggings, and is definitely not Hannah’s friend. But the 2 girls are stuck at the beachside Heartbreak Hotel together while Hannah’s dad & Patti’s mum are out birdwatching and—yuck!—falling in love. When a hotel guest’s beautiful pink wedding dress is stolen, Hannah is determined to get to the bottom of it. With a reluctant Patti in tow, the two girls are launched into an ever-deepening mystery. Every episode in this series will see Hannah & Patti investigating a surprising & sinister fashion mystery while also navigating their newly blending family.

Huda and Me by H. Hayek ($15, PB)
When their parents have to travel to Beirut unexpectedly, 12year-old Akeal & his 6 siblings are horrified to be left behind in Melbourne with the dreaded Aunt Amel as their babysitter. Things do not go well, and Akeal’s naughty little sister, Huda, hatches a bold plan to escape. After stealing Aunt Amel’s credit card to buy plane tickets to Lebanon, Huda persuades her reluctant favourite brother to come with her. So begins Huda & Akeal’s hair-raising & action-packed journey to reunite with their parents half a world away, in a city they’ve grown up dreaming about but have never seen. 9+

Heroes of the Secret Underground by Susanne Gervay ($17, PB)
Louie lives with her brothers, Bert & Teddy, in a hotel run by their grandparents. It is one of Sydney’s grand old buildings, rich in history—and in secrets. When a rose-gold locket, once thought lost, is uncovered, it sends Louie & her brothers spinning back in time. Back to a world at war: Budapest in the winter of 1944, where their grandparents are hiding secrets of their own. From bestselling author Susanne Gervay comes a heart-racing timeslip story inspired by her own family’s escape from Budapest during the Holocaust.

TEEN FICTION

The Prison Healer by Lynette Noni ($17, PB)
17-year-old Kiva Meridan has spent the last 10 years fighting for survival in the notorious death prison, Zalindov, working as the prison healer. When the Rebel Queen is captured, Kiva is charged with keeping the terminally ill woman alive long enough for her to undergo the Trial by Ordeal—a series of elemental challenges against the torments of air, fire, water and earth, assigned to only the most dangerous of criminals. Then a coded message from Kiva’s family arrives, containing a single order—Don’t let her die. We are coming. Aware that the Trials will kill the sickly queen, Kiva risks her own life to volunteer in her place. If she succeeds, both she & the queen will be granted their freedom. But no one has ever survived.

House of Hollow by Krystal Sutherland ($20, PB)
Iris Hollow & her 2 older sisters are unquestionably strange. Ever since they disappeared on a suburban street in Scotland as children only to return a month a later with no memory of what happened to them, odd, eerie occurrences seem to follow in their wake. And—their dark hair turned white, their blue eyes slowly turned black. People find them disturbingly intoxicating, unbearably beautiful and inexplicably dangerous. 10 years later, 17-year-old Iris Hollow is doing all she can to fit in & graduate high school—something her two famously glamorous globe-trotting older sisters, Grey & Vivi, never managed to do. But when Grey goes missing, leaving behind only bizarre clues, Iris and Vivi are left to trace her last few days. As they brush against the supernatural, they realise that the story they’ve been told about their past is unravelling and the world that returned them seemingly unharmed ten years ago, might just be calling them home.

Being Black ‘n Chicken, and Chips by Matt Okine
Mike Amon just wants to fit in. He wants to be a star athlete. He wants his dad to stop embarrassing him. He wants his first kiss. He also wants his mum to survive. When his mum is diagnosed with advanced cancer, Mike figures if he gets his own life right and makes his mum proud, maybe it’ll be enough to help her get better. But this might be harder than it looks. First, he has to move in with his African dad whose skills in the kitchen don’t extend beyond heating up frozen chicken nuggets. Then he has to contend with the school bully who has it in for him, and all while navigating puberty as a late bloomer and trying to face a serious phobia of jellyfish. As if that wasn’t enough, the girl he has a crush on has her own heartbreak to deal with, and after a dramatic encounter down at the Jetty, Mike finds himself being rushed to hospital nursing the worst injury imaginable. If he can’t even sort out his own problems, how can he possibly save his mum? ($20, PB)

NEW BLUEY BOOKS

Where’s Bluey? A Search-and-Find Book ($15, BD)
Have you seen Bluey and Bingo? There are lots of other hidden items too, so join the fun in this search-and-find book!

Bingo ($15, BD)
With Bluey away for the day, can Bingo find a way to play by herself? A board book with a special puzzle surprise.

Mum School ($17, HB)
Bluey wants to play Mum School instead of having her bath. But will the kids listen to her?

My Mum is the Best ($17, HB)
Bluey and Bingo love their mum and she loves them! Discover all of Chilli’s special mum skills in this touching and humorous book.

GRAPHIC

Animorphs 1: The Invasion by K. A. Applegate (ill) Chris Grine ($17, PB)
Jake could tell you about the night he and his friends saw a strange light in the sky that seemed to be heading right for them. That was the night five normal kids learned that humanity is under a silent attack—and were given the power to fight back. Now Jake, Rachel, Cassie, Tobias & Marco can transform into some of the most dangerous creatures on Earth. And they must use that power to outsmart an evil greater than anything the world has ever seen.

Brightly Woven by Alexandra Bracken ($20, PB)
Extraordinary things don’t happen to 14-year-old Sydelle Mirabil, a talented weaver who dreams about life outside of her tiny village—until a mysterious young wizard named Wayland North appears needing her help to stop a war between kingdoms. Battling sudden earthquakes, freak snowstorms & a dark wizard, Sydelle discovers more about North’s past & her own strange abilities—and realises that the fate of the kingdom may rest in her fingertips.

Holocaust by Hugh Dolan (ill) Adrian Barbu ($15, PB)
An outing for cheesecake becomes living history when David, the baker, relates his experiences of Nazi occupied Warsaw Ghetto—tracing the story of the rise of Nazism and Hitler’s persecution of the Jews, merging historical imagery and documents with the haunting tale of David and his family. A story of fear, resilience and compassion, and a legacy of love and hope.

Off the Map by Scot Gardner ($20, PB)
Our home town. Sometimes it feels like the centre of the universe, sometimes it’s the bum-end of nowhere. We are her sons and daughters. These are our triumphs and our heartaches, our fears and hopes for a better life. Getting lost, falling in love, pushing boundaries, exploring the world—powerfully honest stories to make you think and feel, from the award-winning author of The Dead I Know and Changing Gear.

Every Thing We Keep by Di Walker ($19, PB)
Trailing her orange suitcase, and a heart full of worry, 13-year-old Agatha is about to go home. She has been in & out of foster care for years now, but her latest new life lived with naval precision with Katherine, Lawson & their dog, Chief, has proved to be the salvation that Agatha needed. She has new friends, a sense of place, and space to breathe. But when the social worker says it’s time to return to her parents, her world comes crashing down. ‘Home’ has always made her anxious & ashamed—and she can’t understand why now she is being forced to go back. Is it possible to find a way to love her parents without having to live with them?

When We Are Invisible by Claire Zorn ($20, PB)
Instinct has kept us alive so far. It’s like a compass and I tune in to the needle often- trust/don’t trust, run/stay . . . I can’t read the needle right now. The warmth of the room is clouding my judgment. In the midst of a nuclear winter, Lucy, Fin and Max flee the chaos of Sydney with blood on their clothes, a gun and handwritten directions to safety. When they reach Wattlewood, it seems like their struggle to survive might be over. There is food, warmth and adults in charge. So why can’t Lucy shake the feeling they’re still in danger? Lucy’s survived the apocalypse, but can she escape a more insidious threat?

ACTIVITIES

Find My Favourite Things ($15, BD) A perfect interactive book to share with pre-reading toddlers or older children just beginning to read—with characters, objects, colours to follow & find from page to page.
LEGO Life Hacks ($20, PB) LEGO-fy your life with a speaker that amplifies your phone, a weekly planner made of LEGO bricks, a catapult that flings paper into the wastepaper basket and much more.
Learn about Aboriginal Culture Topic Cards $34.95 A set of 30 double-sided Topic Cards about Aboriginal Australia that cover Kinship; Totems; Caring for Country & much more.
Science Topic Cards $34.95 25 examples of the scientific ingenuity and innovation of Aboriginal people including Boomerang and Aerodynamics, Toxic to Edible, Bush Medicine & Traditional Fire Management.
Bush Foods Snap! $32.95 Classic memory game using bush foods.