Cirrus@Austlit

'Myke Mollard uses his signature illustrations and engaging text to bring kids up close and personal with dozens of Australian creatures, great and small. He focuses on the comparisons of size and scale, showing us how life thrives from the microscopic to the truly colossal. The creatures and plants are not only beautifully drafted, but the accompanying text also vividly describes their lifestyles, habits and how their sizes help them fit perfectly into their various environments. The wonderment of these stunning creatures, delivered in an engaging cinematic punch, will excite the imaginations of children for life, and fully engage any adult with a fascination for the natural world.' (Publication summary)

'The novel is historical fiction set in the early 1950s during the dark Apartheid era, in a small rural town in South Africa, with flashbacks to the battle fields of the Second World War in North Africa. Two girls constantly encounter each other on the farm: Ada, is the only daughter of the farm owner, Jonah Courtnay and his war time bride Johelia. Nicky is a young girl of mixed descent, and daughter of the help on the farm. The harshness of those times, tests this relationship further, when the homestead is raided by the brutal, vengeful policeman, Koos. At the centre of the novel is the Courtnay farm, where Jonah and his war bride Johelia, live with their only daughter Ada and her resentful grandmother. The passive resistance of the people during the Defiance Campaign to the unjust laws of Apartheid threatens the harvesting of the ripe apples waiting to be picked. The workers who usually walk five kilometres from the Black people’s township to the farm don’t arrive to work. However, Nicky and her mother Rosie circumvent the barricades and join the loyal workers and friends of the Courtnays who gather to save the produce. Family bonds are tested, friendships strengthened while others are fractured and even broken as Johelia and Jonah decide to build a school for the local Black children on their property. When Johelia forms a choir for the children, ethnic music, jazz, song and dance fill the farm and the hardships of their lives under racist laws are momentarily forgotten. Interwoven in the plot are the secrets that Jonah keeps hidden within himself and his diary of his time serving during the Second World War.  Ada is determined to unravel the story. Jonah finds a friend and sympathetic listener in the Australian Dr Bainton who too served in North Africa. They lament the treatment of the unrecognised bravery of the Indigenous soldiers of South Africa and Australia. They share their war time experiences of blinding sandstorms, relentless bombardment and fierce fighting at famous battles including Tobruk. The final secret, of Jonah’s last battle at El Alamein, which has impacted so greatly on the family since the war, is revealed as they sit around the kitchen table. By the light of the candle, on a dark night, Jonah reads from his diary until there is no more to be said.'  (Publication summary)

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'“Go for a walk,” suggested the psychologist. Four and half years later, Terra became the first female to walk solo and unsupported around Australia, all in aid of suicide prevention. Not only did the 17,200-kilometre walk set a distance record, but Terra became a roadside counsellor, helping thousands of people on their own paths to mental health recovery. As Terra faces down wild dogs, staggers through dust storms, and battles exhaustion, the story also delves into lifelong experiences of depression, PTSD, anxiety, autism and identity. This is a real-life recounting of surviving and thriving, no matter the odds. The book can be used as a guide for healing, hiking and connecting with Australia’s wild, wonderful, majestic natural places, but above all to living life to the full.' (Publication summary)

'In 1855 talented astronomer and scientist Charles Todd had a dream to build a telegraph line across Australia to connect it to the world. This dream was a bold one and he would have to wait for technological advances to catch up with his ideas. By 1870, however, Singapore and Indonesia were joined to the world's growing telegraph network and it was Australia's turn. Todd and his men would have to erect thousands of telegraph poles across the entire expanse of the country, from Adelaide to the northern coast - one pole every 80 metres - across land that was relentlessly inhospitable and largely unknown to them. They overcame every obstacle and, as well as reducing the transmission of information to the country from months to hours, revealed the splendour of the continent's interior to its rapidly growing population. This is their story, now in paperback.' (Publication summary)

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'Myke Mollards signature illustrations and engaging text bring kids up close and personal with over 150 of Australia’s colourful and characterful backyard birds. These are birds most commonly seen in our gardens and surrounding bush and parks. The birds are not only beautifully drafted, but the accompanying text also vividly describes their lifestyles and habits. The wonderment of these stunning creatures, delivered in an engaging cinematic punch, will excite the imaginations of children for life, and fully engage any adult with a love of birds.' (Publication summary)

'Myke Mollard's signature illustrations and engaging text bring kids up close and personal with hundreds of the creatures found on Australia's Great Barrier Reef: corals, fish including sharks, turtles and other marine reptiles, whales and dolphins, birds, molluscs, crustaceans, even the animals found on the reef's 900-odd islands. The creatures are not only beautifully drawn and coloured, but the accompanying text vividly describes their lifestyles and habits. The wonderment of these stunning animals, delivered in an engaging cinematic punch, will excite the imaginations of children for life and fully engage any adult with a love of Australia's wildlife.' (Publication summary)

'The first Australian cricketer to play 100 internationals across all three levels (Tests, ODIs and T20s), David Warner is a champion of his generation; fabulous but flawed. No Australian opener in history has surpassed his rapid-fire strike rate in excess of 70 runs per 100 balls. Only one other has surpassed his aggregate of 45 centuries across all levels.

'Feisty, flamboyant, verbose and villainous, few have been as entertaining or as polarising as the great David Warner.

'The Bull is the first full-scale biography of one of Australian cricket’s champions of the generation. It features the yarns, the stats and all the fun of cricket’s greatest entertainer.' (Publication summary)

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'He had it all: the heroin chic thing before it was chic, the scars, the swagger, an incredible stage presence. After bursting on to the Australian music scene in 1975, Dragon fast developed a reputation for both hard rocking and hard living. As the highly visible and charismatic lead singer, Marc Hunter was the voice behind such timeless hits as April Sun in Cuba, Are You Old Enough? and Rain. Yet Hunter was also a maverick whose destructive genius and serious heroin addiction led to a turbulent relationship with his bandmates, including older brother Todd. And it contributed to his early death at just 44. Originally published in 2011, this intimate portrait was written with full co-operation from Marc's mother Voi and his brother and former bandmate Todd, as well as contributions from many high-profile Australian music personalities such as James Reyne, John Paul Young, Kate Fitzpatrick, Richard Clapton, Don Walker, Kevin Borich, Tommy Emmanuel and Robert Forster.' (Publication summary)

'Lyra is an active young lady who wants to get out and explore the world - but her father has turned into a Phone Zombie! He spends all his time lying on the couch working... talking... texting... reading... watching sports. Finally she persuades him to go for a walk with her in the bush where they see amazing creatures and Dad is gradually converted into a Nature Zombie! This wholesome tale, hinting at the dangers of the over-use of screens and extolling the benefits of getting out into nature, turns the usual parent-berating-child narrative on its head. The story thus delights children while at the same time tempting them to follow in Lyras footsteps. This is first in an anticipated series of books featuring Lyra and the Wilderness Warriors.' (Publication summary)

'John Farnham is the quintessential Aussie legend. As a teenager he gave up an apprenticeship to chase his musical dreams, hitting the big time with the catchy pop ditty ‘Sadie (The Cleaning Lady)’. But it wasn’t smooth sailing from there.'

'A family man at heart, and the most loyal of friends, John was sometimes uncomfortable with the spotlight and for many years struggled to make his music career as successful as those close to him – including Glenn Wheatley and Molly Meldrum – could see it could be. He finally hit his stride with 1986’s Whispering Jack and the breakaway success of ‘You’re The Voice’, which became the anthem of a generation. John lived it up – holidaying with the Skases in Port Douglas and sharing cigars with Bob Hawke at the Lodge – but always came back down to earth. Inherently humble, the King of Pop would also become king of the comeback, proving to have a longevity rare in the music industry.'

'In this deeply personal and insightful biography, author and music industry insider Jeff Apter, thanks to the support of those close to John, provides a rare glimpse inside Farnsie’s world, unlike any other book about the man. He reveals the drama behind John being named Australian of the Year, how the cassette demo of ‘You’re the Voice’ was nearly overlooked, and how John once accidentally sparked the attention of ASIO. And he explores Farnham’s relationships with the figures who have been instrumental in making him ‘The Voice’: his first manager, Daryl Sambell, his wife of 40-plus years, Jill, and long-time friend and manager Glenn Wheatley.' (Source: Publisher's website)

'Eleven-year-old Clancy has been thrust into life out woop-woop. These are the stories of his outback adventures at his uncle's sheep station, Overflow Station.

'In 'Feral Frenzy', Mum is still trying to work out how to do her thing on Overflow Station and the whole family continues to have a lot to learn about country life. But who would have thought that feral pigs would get into Mum's precious veggie garden? Clancy thought it was pretty exciting at the time but now it is an issue they need to fix pronto.

'At the conclusion of this book there is an Outback Facts section which discusses feral animals in Australia, there is an A.B. 'Banjo' Paterson poem, 'Brumby's Run', and the all-important, Outback Jokes section.' (Publication summary)

'This unique book captures the range and diversity of the wondrous Australian wildlife from prehistory. The book includes over 70 animals that lived in Australia at various times during the Mesozoic and Cenozoic eras (ie from 250 million years ago), from sea creatures to amphibians, dinosaurs, reptiles, birds and mammals. With meticulous attention to the environment and flora of each period, the book presents a succession of the huge animals that marched, flew and swam across our landscape, from the terrifying Daspletosaurus to the more sedentary Diprotodon. This book invites and engages kids (and kid-adults) of all ages to find, discover and learn all the animal names and compare their different types. Assisted by leading palaeontologists, author Myke has ensured the illustrations are as anatomically correct as possible as well as vibrant and engaging.'  (Publication summary)

'Myke Mollards signature illustrations and engaging text bring kids up close and personal with 47 of Australia’s most deadly and dangerous creatures, helping them to discover the true nature of these wonderful animals. As fearsome as many of them sound, what they will come to realise on reading this book is that these creatures live mostly peacefully among us.

'Their deadly venoms, scary teeth and animal behaviour are normally just used as warning signs or, rarely, in defence. In reading, children will come to understand these creatures better, gain courage and form a proper respect for them. The beauty, majesty and wonderment of these stunning creatures, delivered in an engaging cinematic punch, will excite the imaginations of children for life.' (Publication summary)

'This is the story of the A. The A in the Rainforest is a fun Australian-themed phoneme story that teaches young readers about the vowel sound A and where they can find it in different words. Beautifully illustrated by Janie Frith, the rich colours and vibrant use of multi-media enhance the magical experience. The book is about the journey of a young Rainbow Bird from the rainforests of Tasmania to their counterparts in New South Wales. The first book from Judith and Janie, The Oo in Uluru, won a 2019 Book of the Year award from Speech Pathology Australia; this is their fourth book, the others being The EE in the Deep Blue Sea and The O in the Snow.' (Publication summary)