Cirrus@Austlit

'What does bravery mean? Can it always be seen?
I will give you a bit of a clue:
It's not jumping from planes or surfing fast trains.
A brave kid looks just like you do.

'Being brave isn't always about doing big, dramatic things. It's small, everyday acts that show your bravery! Whether it's saying sorry, trying something new, or asking for help – there are many ways to be brave.

'This is an uplifting reminder that you are braver than you think.'  (Publication summary)

'When do I love you, Little One?

'Well, there is this little list, you know ...

'This sweet picture book shines a light on unconditional love, reminding us that love is never-ending, no matter how fun or tricky the day has been.

'Little Love List is the perfect book to reassure little ones that they are loved more than they will ever know.'  (Publication summary)

'Follow this playful family of giraffes as they splash and laugh through their bedtime routine with jokes, songs and bathtime bubbles.

'This hilarious story and rollicking rhyme is bound to have your little one giggling all the way to the tub!' (Publication summary) 

'Have you ever heard something that doesn't sound true? Something that you know for a fact is false? It feels like a trick, doesn't it?

'Every day, we come across many tricks that keep the world from being a truly equal place. This book helps kids and their grown-ups to learn the tricks that are holding us all back so that together we can smash gender stereotypes and create positive change.' (Publication summary) 

'Busy, busy in the city,

'people going to and fro.

'But baby and me sit quietly.

'We're glad the days are slow.

'While the world rushes on, life with a baby takes a new, perfect pace of its own. Here is a gorgeous ode to the first year of a child's life and all the growing we do together.' (Publication summary)

'The first thing I need to know,' I said to the detective, 'is has a crime been committed?'

'Sonia Orchard was in her forties when she told a therapist about the boyfriend she had when she was fifteen. Sure, he had been a decade older than her, but it was consensual ... wasn't it? To her surprise, Sonia broke down in tears, then began to shake uncontrollably - an unmistakable expression of trauma that lasted for days. She was clearly not okay, but could the relationship she'd thought was loving really have been abuse? Had she been groomed?

'Years later, her own daughters now teenagers and the March4Justice changing the conversation about sexual assault, Sonia tentatively called the police. As she began the gruelling journey through the legal system, she saw how allegations of child abuse and sexual assault were routinely minimised, justified and rarely brought to light. Facing her own court case, she couldn't shake bigger questions: how had we allowed this to happen, and what would it take to fix it?

'In Groomed, Orchard shifts between memoir and research in an attempt to answer these questions. She delves into culture, neuroscience and evolution, unpicking the enduring narratives that fuel these issues. As she navigates her way through a legal system stacked against victims of sexual assault, the obstacles to justice become clearer and more confronting than ever.

'Shocking, compelling and completely absorbing, this is an essential read from a fearless Australian writer.' (Publication summary) 

'Christine thought a year in South Korea would hit the pause button on her messy life. Her dad's death had left her anxious and depressed, and her career in musical theatre had reached a new low of shopping-centre kids' shows. When she found herself pulled over by the side of the road, dressed as a dinosaur and sobbing uncontrollably, it was clear something had to change.

'A role with an experimental theatre company based in Seoul seemed the perfect way to put off dealing with her problems, at least for a year. But she soon found there's no running away from yourself. Travelling through South Korea, immersing herself in its culture and shifting her mindset along with the seasons, Christine discovered that sometimes the place you go to escape your life can hold the answers for how to heal it.

'A heartfelt, sumptuous journey through one of the most fascinating cultures and landscapes on the planet, Five Seasons in Seoul is for armchair travellers and memoir lovers alike.'  (Publication summary)

'Contrasting the frenetic energy of a busy Saturday with the leisurely pace of a slow Sunday, this lively rhyming picture book assures us that fast days and slow days are an equally exciting part of family life.

'Wake up! It's Saturday, jump out of bed!
Brush teeth! Get dressed! Make sure the dog's fed!
There's so much to do, we mustn't waste time.
Look at the clock – it's a quarter to nine!

'Wake up. Stretch and yawn.
We've got the whole day.
There's plenty of time on Sunday to play.

'Journey through a family weekend celebrating the precious shared moments amidst the chaos and the calm.'  (Publication summary)

'Satanists in Perth. Panthers in Sydney. Inner Melbourne's secret morgue.

'Australia is stuffed full of stories that need to be taken with a spoonful of salt. Stories that we all know are silly, but that we also just can't help sharing. In Great Australian Urban Legends, Eamon Evans presents you with myths, misconceptions and barefaced lies about real people and real places down under. These pages libel Captain Cook and slander Phar Lap. They will annoy the Wiggles and David Boon. They will reveal whether Harold Holt really died, if the bunyip ever lived, and which famous Australian now gets by as a ghost.' (Publication summary) 

'Whether it's committing to a tackle, being a dad or writing a memoir, if Zach Tuohy goes in, he goes 'all in'

'Like most Irishmen, Zach Tuohy's first love was Gaelic football. But when an Australian football club came knocking with a professional contract, the then-teenager leapt at the opportunity to travel across the world and come to grips with an oval ball.

'Despite a rocky start navigating a Carlton Football Club in disarray and becoming a father at twenty-three, Zach went on to become one of the greatest success stories of the 'Irish Experiment'. A move to the Geelong Cats made him a star rebounding defender and cult favourite player, and in 2022 he reached the pinnacle of his adopted code, winning a Premiership medal. In 2023, Zach set a new record for the number of AFL games played by an Irish player, passing the effort of the great Jim Stynes.

'With characteristic devil-may care attitude and determination, Zach writes candidly about his experiences in Australia, recounting the good, the bad and the downright hilarious. He has plenty to say about the relationships between the indigenous codes of GAA and the AFL, and what needs to change secure the future of Irish and Australian footballers alike.'  (Publication summary)

'Australia's marine and national parks are our natural treasures. Let's take a closer look!

'Fly with Galahs above Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre, dive with dolphins off Lord Howe Island, find Short-Beaked Echidnas in the Daintree Rainforest, spot Sunset Wrasses on the colourful Ningaloo Reef, and traipse with kangaroos through the eucalyptus of the Blue Mountains.

'These are Australia's natural environments as you've never seen them before: a dreamy pastel-popping testimony to the importance of conservation and biodiversity protection, from award-winning artist Brentos.'  (Publication summary)

'In 1959, Australians thrilled to every move made by a new criminal underdog, a Ned Kelly for the rock'n'roll era.

'Kevin John Simmonds was a charismatic crook whose brazen crime spree had scored him a lengthy prison sentence. But as he was led from court, he boasted, 'They'll never hold me.'

'Two months later, Simmo made good on his promise, staging a daring escape from Long Bay Gaol. When his bid for freedom took a deadly turn, legendary Detective Ray 'the Gunner' Kelly took charge of the search, putting the fugitive in the crosshairs of the biggest armed manhunt in Australian history.

'They'll Never Hold Me is the true story of an antihero with a code of honour who captured the public's hearts and minds even as he enraged the cops and the establishment. Brilliantly researched and written by Michael Adams, of the Forgotten Australia podcast, this never-before-told tale takes us beyond the public adventures that made Simmo into Public Enemy No. 1 to reveal the haunting tragedies he was trying to outrun – and the terrible fate that even he might not escape.'  (Publication summary)

'From underground burrows to treetop nests, and from sandy beaches to riverbeds, Australia's unique landscapes provide homes for baby animals to live and thrive in.

'Here is a celebration of the animals that are born in this incredible country, from Snubfin Dolphin calves to Pygmy Possum joeys, Rainbow Lorikeet fledglings, Huntsman spiderlings, Thorny Devil hatchlings, and many more.

'Come and take a closer look at the adorable baby animals and their habitats across Australia, from one of our best-loved picture book creators.'  (Publication summary)

'A glorious celebration of life in drag through the eyes of our most prominent drag superstars. Featuring a diverse range of artists from across Australia, with stunning photographs and stories about being as fierce as a drag queen, both on and off the stage. Written and curated by the iconic Art Simone, this anthology is a visual feast for the eyes for all fans of drag, cultivating authenticity and championing utter fabulousness.'  (Publication summary)

'This indefinitive collection brings together under one cover the very best comic writing – parody, poetry, prose, plays, philosophy and political treatise – by Australia's greatest living television host. From 'I Was Scott Morrison's Schnoodle' and 'Around the World in One Pair of Underpants' to the deliciously decadent recipe for 'Satyricon Su'rprise', SHAUN MICALLEF's sublime anthology has it all. THRILL to the meta-ironic existential crisis in the Rocky universe; GASP as you learn what happened to Scrooge in the days following A Christmas Carol; DISCOVER what it takes to pass for human in an increasingly convoluted post-Robodebt world. PLUS, there are limericks like this:

'There once was a poet who thought
Using words like fought, ought and wrought
Brought a purity sought
But it all came to nought
When he ended his last line with drought.'  (Publication summary)

'In Australian Cricket's Best of the Best, comedy writer and cricket tragic Dan Liebke not only relives the stage-storming, teleprompter-bungling, attention-seeking history of the Allan Border Medal and its evolution into the modern day Australian Cricket Awards but also looks back to the dawn of Test cricket, highlighting who would have won historically had Border possessed the common decency to be born in the mid-19th century.

'From the modern cricketing brilliance of winners such as Pat Cummins and Alyssa Healy to historic greats including Sir Donald Bradman and, of course, Border himself, which champion cricketers will be crowned … the best of the best?'  (Publication summary)