Cirrus@Austlit

'Lulu is sick of being in her parents' bad books. They think she'll never grow up and be sensible! On the family's bush holiday, a chance turns up for Lulu to prove them wrong. But will the dangerous path she chooses land her in even more trouble?' (Publication summary)

'When the family arrives Down Under, Lulu has her first glimpse of Sydney's gleaming Opera House. It lights a powerful longing in her to visit it in a way no-one ever has before. How will she, and those she depends on, survive the dangers caused when she follows her dream?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'When The Cat's Away, a picture book for young children, is set in Paris. A family of mice move into their new home beneath the Cafe des Chats. Gussie and her twin brother, Pierre, are keen to explore their new surroundings. It is not long before Pierre's nose for adventure puts his life at risk and takes them far away. It takes some luck and all of Gussie's bravery and ingenuity to stage his rescue. Their triumphant journey through the streets of Paris back to their home almost comes unstuck. And then at the very last minute they realise they have another problem - the resident cat is not quite as far away as they had hoped!'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'A book of poems for young children or anyone who likes poetry.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'The fifth class school camp starts happily enough for Sarah, but then the problems begin. Why is Chilli befriending her? What are Georgie and Belle up to? It is as well Emily somersaults out of the App on Sarah's phone just when she's badly needed. When things take a turn for the worse, Emily has to find a way to save Sarah from BIG trouble.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'This picture book, for 2 to 5 year olds, tells the story of Harriet and her Bear who asks lots of questions. She invents a game to play with her family so she and Bear can find answers together. When Harriet changes the rules, she finds she has an important question to answer.' (Publication summary)

'When Kate's grandpa starts going bald, she puts a special ingredient in his tea to help it grow.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'It is the long school holidays and Sarah is lonely and bored. When visiting her great gran, she is drawn to a girl in a picture hanging on her wall that she’s never noticed before. To her surprise, the girl steps right out of the picture frame. Emily is everything Sarah isn’t - strong minded, adventurous, and wilful. Soon, Sarah cannot imagine life without her new friend, even though she creates tricky situations at the drop of a hat. And then...well, you’ll have to read the story to find out what happens!'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

Wendy Michaels and Donna Gibbs analyse several Australian children's texts regarding the 'pattern and trends in relation to the representation of father and father-figures' (37). They believe it is crucial for young adult readers to develop a critical awareness of 'the subtle processes at work in the fiction they are reading' because of the significance textual representation plays in the construction of child-adolescent identity (42-43). The discussion refers to previous studies concerning the construction of masculinity and femininity and the role of children's fiction as a socialising agent regarding appropriate gender roles providing a framework for the interrogation of textual constructions and representations of the father/child relationship. A close reading of Dogs and The Simple Gift precedes a shorter discussion of the novels Touch Me, Thursday's Child, Wolf on the Fold and Fighting Ruben Wolf, and leads Michaels and Gibbs to contend that none of the fathers in the stories are portayed as having a strong relationship with their children and they draw an interesting parallel to the roles ascribed to wicked step-mothers, arguing that currently, young adult readers are presented with models of masculine behaviour that reinforce cultural stereotypes of fathers as essentially ineffectual or morally bankrupt - or both (42). Effective parenting is often directed at surrogate children rather than biological children while it is the serious flaws and shortcomings of the father-child relationship that are of central concern in the novels discussed (40).