Literally Hilarious! Families Gone Wild

Literally Hilarious! Families Gone Wild by Just Write For Kids Australia and Friends (Daisy Lane Publishing), RRP $17.99 Junior Fiction ISBN 9-781763-670082

Reviewed by Susan Hancy

Opening my beautifully gift-wrapped copy of Literally Hilarious! Families Gone Wild was truly like receiving a box of chocolates. I expected a collection of funny junior-fiction short stories: the book certainly had those, but it also included nuggets of poems, limericks, quizzes, and jokes interspersed between the wacky tales. It even had a couple of pages where my daughter could draw her own take on kooky family portraits! At just 1000 words per story, in large type with fun illustrations, it was the perfect book for my son to whiz through his bedtime reading obligations and still get a laugh.

From serving spaghetti on a hoverboard under flashing disco lights, to hurdling fences to escape a raging bull, to playing hockey with scones gone wrong, the delightfully ludicrous stories kept us guessing with every page turn. The pirate limericks gave me a great incentive to search online for more limericks, which led my kids to make up their own. Verse such as:

“At breakfast Tommy spilled his milk, and dipped his toast in juice,

He licked his sister’s scrambled eggs when she called him a goose”

took me back to my childhood, reading Spike Milligan and searching my bookshelf for my dog-eared copy of Silly Verse for Kids. And despite Literally Hilarious! being made-up stories for kids, I found myself as the real-life parent in the story “Nothing in Particular,” with the too-true everyday experience of serving up scrambled nothings and packing lunchboxes full of nothingness.

Overall, this book shouldn't be exclusive to junior fiction readers; older kids and adults who enjoy ridiculousness and a healthy dose of chuckles should enjoy it too.

Somewhere Lost

Somewhere Lost by Just Write For Kids Australia and Friends (Daisy Lane Publishing/Just Write For Kids Australia) HB RRP $26.99 ISBN: 9781763670051

Reviewed by Dannielle Viera

Walter the duck has ‘a terrible sense of direction’. Luckily his friend, Scout the frog, always keeps him ‘on track’. Until the day that Walter loses Scout! As the befuddled duck meanders through a multitude of magnificent realms – from a snowy forest and a sandy desert to smelly Sockville – he becomes more and more determined to keep going until he finds his little green pal.

Written and illustrated by a wealth of talented Australian creatives, Somewhere Lost is a love letter to the imagination. The simple storyline introduces two charming characters that four-to eight-year-olds are sure to fall in love with. Lyrical language and pops of poetry are scattered across the spreads like lustrous literary gems for youngsters to discover.

Each dynamic and delightful illustration has been created by a different artist in their own unique style. This choice could have been jarring, but instead it adds a unique layer of excitement to the reading of the book. Kids will never know what they’re about to see until they turn the page: the jumble of a collage jungle … swirls of worry in Walter’s head … a rippling reflective ocean of purples and blues. There’s a surprise around every corner. 

Children will adore wandering through wonderful worlds with Walter. But, more importantly, they will cheer when his choice to carry on eventually leads him to Scout. This subtle lesson in the power of persistence is certainly worth getting lost for!

Splash!

Splash! Written and illustrated by Kym Langfield. 2025 Daisy Lane Publishing. Hardcover picture book. 34 pages. ISBN 9781763670020. RRP $24.99

Reviewed by Debra Williams

Lucy is down. Large grey clouds hang over her everywhere and won’t lift. Nothing seems to help. Mum and Dad try to lift her mood. Skipper the dog tries to help, too, but Lucy is still down. Is there anything that will lift the clouds away from Lucy?

When she reluctantly turns up for art club, she is greeted by a large splash of yellow paint landing on the floor in front of her feet. The paint has escaped from a paintbrush belonging to a girl called Abby. She takes the shy, hesitant Lucy into the art room and offers a quiet corner among the noise, where Lucy is encouraged to make a splash, spreading paint onto paper, swirling it into a lovely watery pattern. Over the next few days, Abby encourages Lucy to experiment with more colour, and Lucy’s grey clouds begin to lift.

As she applies layers of paint to her art surface, a beautiful painting emerges, centred by a large rainbow. She plays outside and notices the sunshine and how much colour there is in the world, wondering why she hasn’t noticed it before. When Lucy returns to the art room, she is both surprised and encouraged by the other students who praise her brightly coloured painting. Now Lucy’s mood lifts, as she appreciates the colours and a newfound friend.

Through art as therapy, Lucy is able to face the grey clouds of life and have her spirits lifted and restored. This book, from primary school teacher/mental health and wellbeing leader and illustrator, Kym Langfield, shows the important themes of friendship and the joy of art to help children with their mental health and wellbeing.

Recommended for a reading level of 5-12 years.

Sass and Traz Save the Library

Sass and Traz Save the Library by Michelle Worthington & Naomi Greaves (Daisy Lane Publishing) PB MG RRP $12.99 ISBN 978 0 648819356

Reviewed by Karen Hendriks

Sass and Traz discover that their beloved library is going to be demolished for a carpark. Mrs Burns the librarian says that there is nothing she can do about it. But the library has other ideas. It finds a way to get Sass and Traz and Mrs Burns to make discoveries with characters from books to save the library in the most clever and unexpected ways.  The library empowers Sass, Traz and Mrs Burns to act and stand in their own power.

 

This is award-winning author Michelle Worthington’s first junior fiction, and it ticks all the boxes. Sass and Traz Save the Library, has strong characters, a strong voice and an interesting plot. Most of the action takes place inside the library and the twins are both different as characters yet complimentary to each other. Worthington addresses diversity with Traz being in a wheelchair and each character is distinct and has depth. Sass is a strong female character and Mrs Burns is an adult who is trustworthy and quirky. Traz is a deep thinker who is super smart.

 

The unexpected twist of the library coming to life to help save itself is believable and imaginative. The sentences flow easily and smoothly for a young junior fiction reader. The sentences are a mix of both long and short sentences that pace the action to the storyline. The saving of the library is topical. Libraries are community spaces that provide not only books for people to read but are a safe place for members of communities to visit. The loss of libraries is being felt and this book brings the spotlight upon this issue. Michelle challenges stereotypical roles with Mum being the footy coach. This is a story that is both engaging and imaginative. The squeal of rusty hinges made her jump as down the middle row, a long drawer threw itself open, revealing a long stack of yellow cards. Then everything was quiet.

 

Naomi Greaves is an experienced illustrator, and her bright cover is not only eye catching but gives a good indication of what the story is about. Greaves has included small black and white images at the start of each chapter. This not only guides the young reader into each chapter but gives an idea what that chapter will be about. Greaves’ signature style matches this book perfectly.

 

Sass and Traz Save the Library is the first book in a trilogy that is also being adapted for an animated screen play. This is an added bonus that is sure to inspire young middle grade readers to dive into this clever book. It is a great read for seven years and up and empowers children to believe in themselves.

 

 

Home

Home by Karen Hendriks, illustrated by Alisa Knatko (Daisy Lane Publishing) ISBN 9780648819301 PB $18.95 RRP

Reviewed by Nean McKenzie

Home is a picture book about a girl whose family and the rest of her village are forced by soldiers to leave Czechoslovakia just after the second world war. Told in first person, the story follows her journey by train to a forest, then across the border to a city, enduring hardships along the way. Eventually she gets on a boat and travels to Australia, to settle there. All the way the girl holds onto a heart locket, a symbol of hope that their family will stay together, their culture will be preserved and one day they’ll find another place to call home.

Attractive watercolour illustrations depict the girl’s journey, often showing the faces of her family and people from the village. The colours are used to contrast the dark village with soldiers and empty houses in the beginning with their arrival in bright, sunny Australia at the end. The use of the locket in the story is effective in demonstrating the importance of resilience when going through difficult things in life.

In the back pages of the book are details about the true story this is based on, where three million ‘ethnic Germans’ were expelled from an area originally called Sudetenland, which later became part of Czechoslovakia. A map of the area is also included.

Karen Hendriks has had a couple of picture books published in the past couple of years including Feathers and Go Away, Foxy Foxy. Her latest, Home, deals sensitively with a sad story that is largely unknown. It ends on a positive note which is great for its young readers and is suitable for primary school children.

 

 

Home by Karen Hendriks

War ends, yet its dark shadows remains. A family is forced to flee their home. As they journey through hunger, long cold nights, and homelessness, a heart locket whispers words of hope. And a country that’s far away, calls for those that are no longer wanted. It offers new beginnings and a precious place once more to call home.

Home by Karen Hendriks, illustrated by Alisa Knatko (Daisy Lane Publishing) is a story inspired by my own family heritage. Her mother as a baby, along with Karen's Oma and great Oma, were expelled from their village and forced to walk from the mountains into Germany. 

The Wind and The Mouse

The Wind and The Mouse by Michelle Worthington, Adyna Ferre (Daisy Lane Publishing) RRP $16.99 ISBN 9780648699873

Reviewed by Karen Hendriks

The Wind and The Mouse is a book that helps young children with anxiety understand and cope with change. This book is part of the Willing Kids Program and has an accompanying sensory friendly animation (Https://youtu.be/T3-iYtJ14vk). The Willing Kids Program was created by Georgia Phillips and Kym Haynes. The Wind and The Mouse is based upon the topic that Change is uncomfortable. There are four more books in this series.

Michelle has taken great care with this story and the needs of the children who will be reading and experiencing it. I particularly enjoyed that the book links to the Seasons and how each has a purpose and a place in our world. Little Mouse didn’t want things to change. The wind spoke to her with scent and warmth and helped Little Mouse see that the world changed, and it was wonderful. A child can then see that change can’t be stopped and that it is okay.

The sentences paint vivid images that are clear and precise. This is important for children who suffer from anxiety. The cycle of nature and how all the plants and animals and elements work together is gently shared. Michelle has used rhyme throughout the text, and this adds beautifully to the flow and pace of the story.

Adyna has used soft blues and greens and browns that are subtle and allow space on the pages. The animals are endearing and friendly. I love the simplicity of the illustrations that allow the characters to shine. The swirling lines depict the movement of the wind as warm and friendly.

This is a story that will be enjoyed by children 3-8 years and the sensory animation is a delightful accompaniment. It will be well received by children that are part of the Willing Kids Program.