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I was never the highest jumper or the fastest sprinter at school, and standing in the middle of a netball court surrounded by a pack of short-nailed, indomitable girls with only a thin bib between them and my trembling heart filled me with terror. No, sport and I don’t really gel well. I lacked that [...]

It’s the Gold Rush in Australia – a time when bushrangers are rife and travellers, both local and international, are aplenty in the harsh buslands of northern Victoria and New South Wales. Young Hugo Mars and his wealthy Papa are on an intrepid voyage to Australia to research stories for a French magazine (edited by [...]

Happy belated Father’s Day, dads! I hope you were spoiled and adored, as Dad should be on this very special day. In celebration of fathers everywhere, here are my picks for the best new release Father’s Day books. My Dad’s the Coolest (Scholastic) Rosie Smith and Bruce Whatley are back in this sequel to My [...]

Fredrik the gull lives on an icy island where everyone loves fish. Fish for breakfast. Fish for lunch. Fish for dinner. Fish of all types and sizes. It’s clearly no wonder that one day – whilst tucking into his rotten shark fin soup – Fredrik realises something. He’s sick of fish. The townsfolk are so [...]

Can a suitcase can be terrible? What could be so terrible about it? Could it be the way it looks, the way it drags on the ground, its awfully bad manners? Or is it what’s contained inside? I must admit I was little nervous about this and was intrigued to find out, but I should [...]

Banjo is a hoofball star. He loves hoofball so much, he can barely sleep before a game. He practises every afternoon with his friend Bella, and on Saturdays he plays with his team the Whinnies. But one day, Banjo flies too high. He takes a tumble – and is laid up for six weeks. The [...]

Toddlers aplenty know and love Anna Walker’s gorgeous Ollie books, featuring a zebra-like softie and his charming friends, resplendently illustrated in Walker’s inimitable style that remind me of a soft shoe shuffle – gentle, heartwarming and so sweet to watch. In these new board books for toddlers, released tomorrow, Ollie takes little ones through their [...]

So lovely to see classic characters from a classic Aussie author, consistently revised and updated and brought into the current kid consciousness. And how can anyone resist these adorable May Gibbs icons – let alone kids? This large format, hard cover book opens with a wallpaper of character endpapers, then introduces the reader to Snugglepot [...]

Author Penny Matthews takes us to the country in this lovely picture book on the iconic Australian Agricultural Show. Country or city kid alike, who doesn’t love Show Day? Lil wakes to a special day. It’s Show Day. She goes to check on Best Heifer – Princess Marigold (Goldie to the family) – then it’s [...]

Leo is an odd kid. And, alas, odd kids rarely have friends. Well, actually, he does have one friend . . . his guinea pig, Alan Nesbit Kirk; a guinea pig who believes nothing special ever happens to Leo. He even tells him so. ‘Nothing interesting ever happens to you,’ Alan Nesbit Kirk says to [...]

I can still remember laying eyes on my first hologram as a child – and, many decades later, they’re still so much fun. I’m loving the covers of this new Ready to Read (pre-level 1 through 3) series from Scholastic, written by Sarah Creese and designed by Karen Morrison. The full front cover is hologramed, [...]

Grandpa talks about his war adventures all the time. And Harry loves listening. His father was a soldier too, in a different war. But Harry never knew his dad, and his mother won’t talk about him. In finding out why, Harry discovers a deeper truth, one that will change his life forever. Some wards don’t [...]

Scholastic has just released a number of books for the young fact lover and for those young readers who like a book that makes them laugh. WEE ON A JELLYFISH STING and other fibs that simply aren’t true It’s amazing how many half-baked notions, crazy rumours from the internet and recycled must old myths get [...]

I remember Grade Five as being one of the hardest years of my school life. I’d just started at a new school and everyone already had firmly established friendship groups that didn’t seem to be able to make room for me. So The Friendship Matchmaker by Randa Abdel-Fattah was a book that really resonated with me [...]

When I first lifted this groaningly weighty tome, I cringed. Yes, the cover was mesmerising, as was the title – but my goodness me – did I really have three weeks to wade through this brick? No, I did not. Just as I put the book to one side, I noticed the oddly-shaded page ends. [...]

Ben & Duck is a beautiful story about a boy who befriends a curious and fun loving duck. Written and illustrated by Sara Acton for readers aged 3 and over, Ben & Duck is the story of a boy who goes to the park and meets a duck who becomes his special friend. Duck isn’t [...]

Nick Bland’s new picture book, Some Dads has been released just in time for Father’s Day. It heralds the return of the star of the best-selling, The Very Cranky Bear. This is another story about why Dads are special. Whether Dads are naughty, careful, in a hurry or loud, they are special to their children [...]

Today we have a very special guest at Kids’ Book Capers. Ike, the star of the Grim and Grimmer series has promised us an EXCLUSIVE interview.  He is here to talk about his latest adventure, The Calamitous Queen. Please be kind to him. He’s never been interviewed before and he’s a bit shy so he’s [...]

As you’d expect from bestselling and popular Australian picture book creator, Nick Bland, his latest offering, The Aunties Three is a riot of colour and fun. KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK. Pack up your games, dismantle your toys, practise your manners and muffle your noise. Straighten your face, where your smile used to be, for coming this [...]

Written and illustrated by Anna Walker, I Love My Mum is another great picture book for Mother’s Day. It’s all about Ollie the Zebra’s loving relationship with his mum, Ollie is an appealing and distinctive character; a lively zebra who loves to play with his mum and do all sorts of things that kids love [...]

Alpha Monsters, written and illustrated by Chris Kennett offers a fun and innovative way for children to learn their alphabet. It’s an Alphabet book with a story. The hero, Freddy is in his tree house when lightning strikes and hurls him into  whole new world. He lands on a strange jungle floor where he encounters [...]

The Pup’s Tale is the latest book in Sally and Darrel Odger’s Pet Vet series from Scholastic. It’s book number 6 and the story is told from the point of view of Trump, The Animal Liaison Officer (ALO) at the Pet Vet Clinic. Trump the dog lives behind the veterinary surgery belonging to her person, [...]

Little Mates is a colourful new series from Scholastic for children aged 3 +. There are 26 pocket-sized books designed to fit easily into a handbag, nappy bag or backpack. Each book features a letter of the alphabet so the books are both educational and fun. The Little Mates series is written by Susannah McFarlane [...]

I’ve noticed recently that there seems to be an increasing trend to attach giveaways and merchandise to picture books. Harvey the Boy who Couldn’t Fart (Walker Books) came with it’s very own fart machine and I have seen books sold with stuffed toys, jewellery and other paraphernalia. From a marketing point of view, this probably [...]

I have two boys who love  gadgets and technology but they are also avid readers. So I always enjoy buying them books for Christmas. A lot of boys seem to be like mine, and they like to collect hundreds and hundreds of facts about all sorts of things from world’s biggest and world’s oldest to [...]