Cirrus@Austlit

'A picture book is a book with pictures, but it’s so much more than that! This A to Z guide helps you level up your picture book reading experiences, empowering yourself and the young readers in your world to dive deeper into what makes a great picture book great. With histories, insights and handy talking points for shared reading, come and explore the complexities of modern picture books.'  (Publication summary)

'Long, long ago, storytellers all around the world told tales of wonder both to enchant and entertain us, and also to teach us that – if we are good and kind and courageous enough – we can change the world for the better.

'For this is what fairy tales do. They give us hope.

'As we travel through the dark and dangerous world of the fairy tale, as we fight dragons and outwit ogres and save our sisters and brothers, we learn that we are capable of anything. And then we return to our own world with all that we have learned along the way, stronger and braver than before.

'The stories in this book come from all the corners of the world. Some were told in deep time before history was recorded, and some were written not so long ago. All of them have been unjustly forgotten.

'In this collection of long-lost fairy tales, author Kate Forsyth and illustrator Lorena Carrington work together to bring tales of wisdom, compassion, and courage to life for the modern-day reader.

'This enchantingly beautiful book will transform the way you think about fairy tales. (Publication summary)

(Publication summary)

'From award-winning author Kate Forsyth and illustrator Lorena Carrington comes a fifth magical collection of little-known fairy tales. In these seven tales, strange and marvellous transformations take place, some due to spells and ill-wishing, some arising from the deepest longings of the human heart. A princess makes a promise to a frog and helps to break a curse upon him. A neglected girl goes to the ball in all her rags and, with the help of a gooseherd and his enchanting music, wins the prince's heart. Disguised as a boy, a girl sets out to save a captive princess with the help of a talking horse.'  (Publication summary)

'Flying high above us, or landing at our feet; chattering in the park and wheeling in the air; in the forest and the plain, the land and the sea, the city and the country, birds live alongside us, with our world, and their world, touching and meeting in a special kind of many-voiced, many-winged magic... Bird's Eye View is an enchanting, funny and touching short collection of poetry and prose by award-winning writer Sophie Masson and pictures by acclaimed illustrator Lorena Carrington, vividly illuminating the world of birds, and the world as seen by birds. A perfect little gift book for any occasion.' (Publication summary)

(Publication summary)

'Ancient Roman province of Britannia, AD 84.

'Eleven-year-old Livia has known no other life than travelling alone with her father, a respected eye doctor, for her mother died when she was born. But now her father has died too and Livia has to keep a promise she made him: to take a mysterious key to her estranged uncle Marcus. She has no idea what it opens, and she has not seen her uncle for years.

'But she is determined to keep her promise and sets out with the key, her old horse Pegasus and her father's medicine kit, only to learn that her uncle has left for a friend's place in Viroconium, further north. By the time she reaches that town, her uncle has gone, and his friend, Aurelius Silvius, won't tell her where he is. It seems her quest is at an end: until a boy named Mato informs her that he knows where her uncle is headed. But he refuses to tell her unless she promises to take him with her.

'As Mato and Livia journey on the trail of Livia's uncle, they begin to suspect that the secret of the key is extremely dangerous. But just how dangerous, they will soon learn. And now Livia and Mato must keep their wits about them or pay with their lives. But figuring out just who is friend, and who is foe, in this game of cat and mouse, is the greatest challenge of all.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Every morning early, when no-one’s about, Satin slips out of the forest and walks along the sleepy sunrise streets, looking for blue...

'He’s collected all kinds of blues, from all kinds of places. He’s making something beautiful, with all those blues. But something’s missing, and he doesn’t know what it is. And then, one day, he comes to a street he’s never been in before. And what he finds there will change his lonely life forever. 

'A beautiful, haunting fable by award-winning writer Sophie Masson and acclaimed illustrator Lorena Carrington.' (Publication summary)

'The legend of King Arthur began in Britain. But it is in twelfth-century France that the stories really took off, with gifted writers creating a panoply of vivid new characters and elements such as Lancelot, Perceval, the Grail and the doomed love between Lancelot and Guinevere, within a richly imagined, action-packed world of adventure, magic, romance and mystery. Women as much as men are important characters in the French stories, there’s an intriguing take on shapeshifters and other supernatural beings, and fascinating glimpses of the patterns and customs of medieval life as well as explorations of conscience and the true nature of courage. In the process these extraordinary medieval writers, such as Chrétien de Troyes and Marie de France, created a whole new immensely popular genre of literature whose appeal and influence endures to this day.

'This beautiful new collection of stories translated and powerfully retold by Sophie Masson and superbly illustrated by Lorena Carrington will introduce you to some of the most striking tales and extraordinary characters and places from the French Arthurian tradition, transporting you into a gripping, magical world like no other.' (Publication summary)

'Finn travels the world in a magical quest to find the golden bird, in the company of a wise old fox.

'Rory releases a captured mermaid from his fishing net, and her father gives him a ring that will bring him his heart's desire.

'Bahram saves the life of a cat, a dog and a snake so, when he loses all he loves, the three beasts join together to help him.

'Jack and his mam are poor and homeless, but with the gift of a stick, a feather and a mechanical singing bird, Jack fights giants and outwits a dragon to win the hand of the squire's daughter.

'Prince Ivan sets out to find his long-lost sisters with nothing but his harp and his own wits, while Gervaise joins forces with a serving-maid to rescue his best friend from the wicked enchantment of an unnaturally beautiful princess.

'And Perseus sets out, with the help of the gods, to defeat the gorgon whose glance has the power to turn all living things to stone.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'France is classic fairytale territory. Not just because it’s where many of the most well-known and beloved fairy tales were first written down in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, or because it’s where the term ‘conte de fées’ was invented. France, with its fascinating regional cultures, glorious castles, gorgeous countryside and tumultuous history, lives and breathes fairy tale in a uniquely powerful way.
'French Fairy Tales gathers five stories from different parts of France: some well-known, others newly translated into English. Full of adventure, magic, mystery and romance, with a light-hearted dash of humour and a sprinkling of surprise, these stories feature unforgettable characters: tragic shape-shifters, monstrous creatures, mischievous tricksters, witty youth – and many different kinds of fairies!
'Chosen, translated and superbly retold by award-winning French-Australian writer Sophie Masson and enchantingly visualised by acclaimed illustrator Lorena Carrington, these stories will transport readers into the potently magical heart of the French fairy tale tradition. (Publication summary)

'An enchanting collection of little known fairy tales about young women who prevail because of their kindness and compassion.

1. Snow-White & Rose Red save an enchanted bear from an ungrateful goblin
2. Marushka is sent to find strawberries in the snow by her cruel step-sister but wins the help of the Twelve Months
3. Ailsa climbs Mischanter Mountain to rescue her sister, armed with nothing more than her sewing kit and her parents' blessing
4. Reinhilda outwits a witch and saves her sweetheart
5. A kind henwife helps Morag find a home for her family with the help of a magic pot
6. Agnes and a young Romany woman together overcome the curse of an enchanted cup
7. Brigid honours a promise she made, even though it takes her to the underworld and back

'With an introduction by Isobelle Carmody, Snow White, Rose Red & Other Tales of Kind Young Women contains tales from Germany, Slovenia, Ireland and the Scottish Travellers. It will transform the way you think about fairy tales.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'All of the seven tales in this collection have one thing in common. They are stories of young women who face darkness and danger, but who prevail against the odds because of the brightness of their spirit and the strength of their resolve.

'The Moon is saved from the bog by the courage of those who love her bright light ...

'Fenella stays silent for seven years and weaves cloth from nettles to save her brothers ...

'Nastia must learn to survive alone in the land of the midnight sun ...

'Jiayang, daughter of the Emperor of China, devises an impossible quest for her unwanted suitors ...

'Jennet holds fast to her beloved, despite the cruel enchantments the Faery Queen casts upon him ...

'Sofiya outwits the Tsar and so wins his love and respect ...

'Molly Whuppie outwits a giant and saves her sisters ...

'These stories of bright young women will remind readers of their own inner radiance, which gives them power to illuminate the whole world.

'The Buried Moon & Other Tales of Bright Young Women will transform the way you think about fairy tales. '  (Publication summary)

'For many young women, the only fairy-tales they know are the ones that have been retold by Walt Disney Studios. Once upon a time, these stories of magical transformation were meant for young women as they grew away from childhood and towards adulthood. They were told by their mothers and grandmothers and the wise women of the clan as they spun and wove and stirred their pots and made their potions. The heroines of these old tales set out on a difficult road of trials to discover their true destiny. And, contrary to popular opinion, marrying a prince was not the only goal.

These ancient tales of wonder and adventure are about learning to be strong, brave, kind and true-hearted, and trusting in yourself to change the world for the better. These are not your usual passive princesses waiting forlornly for their prince to come...

The brave young women from tale of yore in Vasilisa the Wise and Other Tales of Brave Young Women will transform the way you think about fairy tales.'

Source: Back cover.