Cirrus@Austlit

'From the author of the stunning Bear and Rat comes a powerful, heartfelt gem about the strength of community and the magic that can come from the innocence of a child.

'In a fractured old house
with a wiggly sign
lived a bent old man, alone.

'But it wasn't always this way...

'When Mr Singer's wife went away, the colour and life disappeared from Dragon Hall.
Can his young friend Evan help to bring back the dragons and the magic?' (Publication summary)

(Publication summary)

'Penny has a massive imagination. She loves to draw up plans, gather her tools and turn sketches and scribbles into new creations.

'One day, she visits her grandpa’s house and is amazed at his gadgets and gizmos. He has a telephone hanging on his wall, an organ with bellows to pump and a contraption with a handle to churn homemade butter.

'Then Penny discovers grandpa’s garage …

'Christopher Cheng’s The Imagineer is a beautiful story about an inquisitive little girl whose imagination is sparked by the things around her. It also highlights the value in spending time with a grandparent and learning from their lived experience.'  (Publication summary)

'A touching and tender picture book about the joy that can be found in companionship and community.

'An old man and an old dog look after each other on their daily trip to the local park. Along the way they meet friends new and old who brighten their day in different ways. A beautiful, heartwarming book that celebrates community and connection.'  (Publication summary)

'Penny has a massive imagination. She loves to draw up plans, gather her tools and turn sketches and scribbles into new creations.

'One day, she visits her grandpa’s house and is amazed at his gadgets and gizmos. He has a telephone hanging on his wall, an organ with bellows to pump and a contraption with a handle to churn homemade butter.

'Then Penny discovers grandpa’s garage …

'Christopher Cheng’s The Imagineer is a beautiful story about an inquisitive little girl whose imagination is sparked by the things around her. It also highlights the value in spending time with a grandparent and learning from their lived experience.'

Source : publisher's blurb

'A touching and uplifting story about love, change and the importance of the natural environment in all our lives. One tall tree on the mountain once marked Grandfather’s farm. Now there is a busy city and Grandfather lives with us in our apartment.

Once he told stories but now he stays silent. Until one day, in the city market, I find something precious . . . something that brings Grandfather’s memories alive again.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Set in snowy rural Northern China this book is about the coming Chinese New Year Spring Festival and one little boy who is told that he’s too small to help out at the Spring Festival. Follow him through his village to see how he finds a way to join in! It’s a very big surprise. The very traditional life depicted in this book, with people wearing thick clothing and where beds are often platforms that are built over small wood-fired furnaces remain the same today.' (Publication summary)

'With a real living scientist (Dr. J Paul Robinson) for inspiration Treasure in the Trees explores the beauty of nature and science.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'This superb picture book celebrates both the necessity of water in our lives. It also evokes, though the poetic use of words and images, a sense of awe and wonder about water in our world. Complemented by the deft use of impressionistic art style and water-colour as medium, the illustrations are like a visual haiku, capturing “in the moment” experiences of water in all its guises. This book is about provoking both the senses and the mind to take pleasure in the ordinary and experience the extraordinary.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'It s morning in the bush. Python stirs and slithers out from her shelter. She warms her head and smells the air with her forked tongue. Python is a beautiful snake, but also dangerous and she is looking for a meal.' (Publication summary)

'The 60 poems in this collection appear in their original, or near original, form and are wide-ranging in their subject matter: animals, the countryside, the struggle of bush life, early transport, sport, growing old, being young and having fun with words! But whether they are humorous, serious or playful, they are simply a joy to read!

No matter if we grew up reciting these classic poems at school, quote from them on important occasions or are meeting them for the first time, there is no doubt that these classic poems embody what it is to be Australian.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.