Cirrus@Austlit

'Phoebe is small, grey, and ordinary - very ordinary. "I want to get noticed!" she declares.

'Zelda is glamorous, talented and famous - and she runs the most popular beauty salon in the forest. And she′s only too happy to help Phoebe become the bird she′s always wanted to be. First a little feather headdress, then wing extensions - until Phoebe is transformed into a Diva.

'She looks gorgeous - but when she tries to take off, surprises are in store for them both!' (From the publisher's website.)

'Edward the emu was sick of the zoo,

There was nowhere to go, there was nothing to do,

And compared to the seals that lived right next door,

Well being an emu was frankly a bore.

'Tired of his life as an emu, Edward decides to try being something else for a change. He tries swimming with the seals. He spends a day lounging with the lions. He even does a stint slithering with the snakes.

'But Edward soon discovers that being an emu may be the best thing after all. And so he returns to his pen, only to find a big surprise awaiting him. . . .

'Edward is tired of being an emu, so he decides to try being something else for a change. First he spends some time swimming with the seals. Next, he lounges with the lions. He even slithers with the snakes. But Edward soon discovers that being an emu may not be so bad after all. So he heads back to his pen, only to find a big surprise awaiting him . . .' (Publication summary)

'Louisa May Pickett's one and only talent is Show and Tell. Until she arrives at Dobroyd Primary school, that is ... When Louisa May Picket arrives at Dobroyd Point Primary, all she has to offer for 'Show and Tell' is ... a juggling mouse, meat-eating plants, a parachute, a singing chair, a painting squid, and an extremely rare pink polar bear that walks the highwire upside down while singing 'We all Live in a Yellow Submarine' backwards. But when her classmates appear unimpressed and constantly outdo her attempts with their own amazing stories, she feels like 'The Most Boring Person in Class'. Poor Louisa May! How can she ever compete? She finally abandons all pretence to amaze her potential new friends and gives up. To her surprise she finds that in order to impress, she need do nothing other than be herself. Ages 5-9' (Publisher's blurb)

'Rod Clement's beautifully detailed and exuberant artwork teamed with rhyming text tells the story of boisterous Olga and all of her tropical wetland friends. Olga must dance now but who will dance with her? 'I want to dance NOW, I want to flap, kick and jump!' 'Well, don't jump on me!' Said a small brown lump. Olga the brolga is in a terrible mood. She desperately wants to dance - but no-one will dance with her. Her parents have other things to do; Ellie the crocodile doesn't feel like jumping around; and Joanna Jacana only wants to sleep. As for Lilly the long-neck, well, she's a bit grumpy, too! So Olga decides to dance by herself; and when she does, something absolutely wonderful happens. Ages 3-7' (Publisher's blurb)

'Frank loves to calculate things. He knows how many humpback whales would fit in his house. He knows how long it would take to fill his bathroom with water. But can Frank guess the number of jellybeans in the jar? ' (Publisher's blurb)