Cirrus@Austlit

'A delightful picture book that celebrates the joy of young children trying to catch their shadows - from the creators of CBCA Honour Book When Billy was a Dog and Puddle Hunters.

'On sunshiny mornings, we go shadow catching.

'Inside, outside, in our home and in our neighbourhood, shadows dance around us from morning through to night.  

'Our shadows are so tall, then small, then tall again in sunlight, lamplight and even in the moonlight. 

'A wonderful picture book about playfulness and the joy of light and movement.' (Publication summary)

'Imagine you find a stranger on your favourite beach. They are pale, starving, desperate for shelter and speak a language you can't understand. Despite your fears, you treat them with kindness. You feed them and comfort them. They become like family to you and learn how to live on country. 

''Strangers on Country' describes the experiences of six Europeans who were taken in by Indigenous communities of eastern Australia between the 1820s and 1870s. The shipwreck survivors and runaway convicts stayed alive only through their hosts' generosity.  

'Too often Australian history is told only from a European perspective. Imagining events from both Indigenous Australian and European perspectives, the authors have brought to life remarkable true stories that inspire connection and understanding.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

''Can I please, please, please have a dog?' asked Billy. 'Would you walk it every day and wash it if it got dirty?' 'I would, I promise!' said Billy. Billy wants a dog. He really really really wants one. Billy's parents aren't so sure. So one morning, Billy takes matters into his own paws.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Ordinary kids doing extraordinary things. Extraordinary kids trying to live ordinary lives. Real kids doing it tough. When the future looks dark, courageous kids bring light and hope into the world. From outback Australia to Auschwitz, Kids Who Did is packed with true stories about inspiring children who have saved lives, changed history, defied expectations, and fought to survive war and oppression.

'Here are stories of feral kids, fearless kids, Olympic champions, human rights crusaders, climate change activists, princes and prisoners, workers and whizz kids. From the distant past to the present moment, Kids Who Did shows kids making their mark on history and set to change the world.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'When the rain stops it's time to go puddle hunting. Ruby and Banjo and Mum go up the street, and into the park, over the bridge and down to the river flats where the puddles lie waiting . . . Splosh it, Ruby! Splosh it, Banjo! Splosh it, Mum! A glorious celebration of splashing and squelching all the way home. This beautiful book captures the eternal delight of young children splashing about in puddles and experimenting with language.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Be transported into dystopian cities and other-worldly societies. Be amazed and beguiled by a nursery story with a reverse twist, a futuristic take on TV cooking shows, a playscript with tentacles - and more, much more. Plunge in and enjoy!

'A collection of sci-fi and fantasy writing, including six graphic stories, showcasing twenty stellar writers and artists from India and Australia: Isobelle Carmody, Penni Russon, Justine Larbalestier, Margo Lanagan, Lily Mae Martin, Kuzhali Manickavel, Prabha Mallya, Annie Zaidi, Kate Constable, Vandana Singh, Mandy Ord, Priya Kuriyan, Manjula Padmanabhan, Samhita Arni, Alyssa Brugman, Nicki Greenberg and Amruta Patil.' (Publication summary)

Remote-study partners Schaum of the planet MaggiNoo and Jerk of planet Earth do not understand or like each other. Their planets are mutually benefiting from the trade of MaggiNoo dung and as a result the population is forced into unwanted social and inter-cultural contact. An unexpected alliance between Schaum and the small human clones sent to MaggiNoo to perform menial labour brings about an overthrow of Jerk and the mercenary Earthlings. A representation in theatrical form of class struggle and nationalism (or in this case, planetism).

Teenage Ettie sees herself in mirrors, glass and other reflective surfaces variously as overweight, lumpy, spotty, greasy-haired and gap-toothed. However, in one mysterious clothing store the mirror shows her slim and perfect, and the pull of this polished version of herself has her falling into the mirror. An exploration of women’s schizophrenic and complicated relationship with the mirror.

'On Tiney Flynn's seventeenth birthday, every church bell tolled as if heralding a new year, a new era. Tiney stood in the garden, purple jacaranda petals fluttering down around her. One by one, her sisters came outside to join her; first Nette, then Minna and lastly Thea. It was 11 November 1918. Armistice Day.

'For Tiney and her sisters, everything is about to change, but not in the way they might have imagined. Building peace is complicated; so is growing up. From tragedy to undreamt-of joy, from weddings to seances, from masked balls to riots in the streets, Tiney's world will be transformed.

'At the end of the war and the dawn of the Jazz Age, Tiney Flynn must face her greatest fears and begin a journey that will change her destiny.' (Publication summary)

'The room was full of moon shadows and dancing light. But it was the wall around the window that Lucy couldn't stop staring at, the one with the painting of Spring. It was as bright as a sunny day and the tiny yellow flowers that covered the fields were moving, as if a breeze had blown through the painting and set all the petals dancing.

'Lucy McKenzie can walk through walls. Sent to stay with her Aunt Big in a hidden valley, Lucy discovers the old house is full of mysteries. One hot night, she hears a voice calling from inside a painting on the dining-room wall...

'On the other side of the painting, Lucy meets three children. Together they race horses through the bush, battle fires and floods, and make friendships that will last a lifetime. But who are April, Tom and Jimmy Tiger, and what magic has drawn Lucy to them?' (Publisher's blurb)

'To the first Europeans who came to Australia, everything seemed topsy turvy. Christmas was in the summer and trees shed their bark but not their leaves. And the animals were bizarre. There was a bird that laughed like a donkey and a type of greyhound that bound along on its hind legs like a hare. There was an animal in Tasmania whose nocturnal screeches sounded like the devil and a river creature that had a ducks bill at one end and a beavers tail at the other.

'The Europeans had never seen anything like these animals before and gave them names similar to those of the European creatures they already knew. They drew and painted odd pictures of them, showing they did not understand the animals habits. In one illustration, a wombat is standing on its back legs and in another a Tasmanian tiger is wrestling with a platypus of the same size.' (Trove)

'One girl - could she be the last girl alive? One boy, pursued by reckless men who have kidnapped him from his fathers.

'Bo and Callum go in search of a safe haven, a place to call home. But where can they turn and who can they trust? When every stranger is a threat, does their only hope lie in reaching Vulture's Gate?

'Following a journey that takes them across barren deserts and lost valleys, Bo and Callum must discover how to survive alongside runaway boys and crazed religious terrorists, in a world with an uncertain future.

'And what is the disturbing secret at the ruined city's core?'

'Ruby doesn't like working for the Nortons. She wants to go back to Alice Springs to live with her mum. Will Idris, the Afghan boy who works with the camels, help her to return home?' (National Museum)