Literally Hilarious! – Families Gone Wild

There’s a new collection of stories, poems, jokes and activities for children presented by Daisy Lane Seeds & Just Write for Kids Australia | 22 August 2026 | $17.99 | Original paperback A5 | ISBN 9781763670082 | Ages 6 - 9

 Created by a sensational community of talented authors and illustrators,

 Literally Hilarious! – Families Gone Wild

is a bumper collection of hilarious family short

stories, poems, jokes and other fun activities!

              You’ll find the FUNNIEST,

              MOST EMBARRASSING,

              yet purely HEARTWARMING tales to  literally keep your eyes peeled and your

              ribs cracking for hours!

              Families will go WILD for this anthology!

Key Features:

·        This interactive, illustrated book for junior

              fiction readers includes short chapters,

              engaging language, easy readability, and

              lots of lively action!

·        Each story contains its own unique QR code to take readers to a dedicated website loaded with activities, games and teachable moments.

·        The stories encourage reflection, discussion, and appreciation of their own and other kinds of families, whilst finding the humour in everyday life.

·        A percentage of sales proceeds is donated to The Indigenous Literacy Foundation.

·        With a foreword and short story by NY Times #1 Bestselling Author Adam Wallace.

Anthology Contributors:

Adam Wallace – Ali Rutstein – Andrew Macintosh – Angela Toniolo – Antonia Ridge – Ayla Cohen – Dannielle Viera – Debra Tidball –

Dianne Bates – Di Scotte – Jacinta Lou – Jacqueline de Rose-Ahern –

Jason Secker – Jennifer Horn – Jeremy Kalbstein – Kelly Louise Jarris – Kirsten Temple – Laura Young – Lellie Lopter – Marg Gibbs –

Mietta Postlethwaite – Norah Colvin – Olivia Coates – Rachael Robertson – Rachel Bell – Rebecca Fraser – Romi Sharp – Steve Heron

Praise for the anthology:

“So many funny stories that I’m sure will inspire comments like, “That’s just like my dad!”, “My mum says that all the time!”, and “My uncle's beard is even weirder than Steve’s!”

“Even though there are no triplets, pet geese or robot dogs in my family, I could still relate to every single side-splitting story!”

“This book is jam-packed with family stories that are short, sharp and very funny!”

“Interactive fun for the whole family!”

DAVID LAWRENCE, AUTHOR & INDIGENOUS LITERACY FOUNDATION AMBASSADOR

“SO much fun to read! Kids will love it!”

CAMERON MACINTOSH, CHILDREN’S AUTHOR

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jill's story

Congratulations to Jill Jackson whose story 'It Only Takes One' aimed at young adults has been judged as a commended entry in a Short Stories Unlimited competition. It will be published in an anthology in August.

The Puffin Book of Bedtime Stories

The Puffin Book of Bedtime Stories (Penguin Random House) PB RRP $19.99 ISBN 9780241438220

This is a thick (400+ pp) book of short stories for children, but mostly extracts from books originally published under the Puffin Books imprint. Authors and illustrators include familiar names, such as Michael Morpurgo, Noel Streatfield, Quentin Blake, Mary Norton, and Raymond Briggs. Names which are lesser well-known include Nadia Shireen, Poonam Mistry, Yassmin Abdel-Magied, Sophy Henn et al. All together there are 60 creators represented, their names listed on the inside back cover.

Variety is the keyword for this book of bedtime stories with contributors being both classic family favourites and exciting new talents. Most of the book extracts – for instance from The Borrowers, Ballet Shoes, Goodnight, Mister Tom, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, and Stig of the Dump – are very short. If a child wanted to read the whole book from which the extract is taken, he or she could look at the four-page Acknowledgements page at the end of the anthology. All the stories are illustrated with black and white pictures, often from the original source, so illustrators are familiar – such as Shirley Hughes, Edward Ardizzone, Nick Sharratt, and R. Palacio.

The book is divided into six sections which are headed with the word ‘Dreams’. In keeping with this theme, are often page-long ‘dreams’ written by children (usually about 10 years old), and adults (whose childhood dreams came true).

The child who enjoys dipping in and out of a book, aged from 10+ years, would most likely find this a long, and rewarding book, especially if they are tempted to read books from which the extracts are taken.

Janeen's Achievements

Janeen Brian’s adult poem, Music for the Berries was awarded 2nd place in the Open category of the International Ipswich Poetry Feast.

Her poem, ‘A Wizard on his Bike’, was published in the anthology, Fire Burn, Cauldron Bubble: Magical Poems.  The poems were chosen by Paul Cookson, illustrated by Eilidh Muldoon, and published by Bloomsbury, UK.

Successes for Amelia McInerney

Amelia McInerney’s debut children’s book, The Chook Book (2019, Scholastic Australia), was recently announced a CBCA notable book in the Early Childhood (Picture Book) category. It was also shortlisted in the Speech Pathology Book of the Year awards in 2019.

Amelia’s second picture book, Bad Crab (2019, Scholastic Australia), will be released in France in May 2020. 

She has two stories in Allen & Unwin’s middle-grade anthology, Funny Bones, which was recently long-listed for an Australian Book Industry Award.

Achievement

The release of a Christmas anthology, It’s Beginning to Look a lot like Christmas embraces a wonderful collection of festive stories and poems.

Margaret Joy Gibb’s poem ‘The Magical Fairy Wish’ and story, ‘The Musical Christmas Tree’ captures the family and magic that the season brings.

Editor Michelle Worthington encouraged and supported all the writers and this book raises money for bicycles for trainee teachers in Tanzania. There was a special book celebration at the Grand View Hotel, Cleveland, USA.

A Miniature Christmas

A Miniature Christmas edited by Beattie Alvarez (Christmas Press) RRP $24.99 PB ISBN 9780648194514

Reviewed by Wendy Haynes

This is jam-packed with Christmas goodies. As the title suggests, the stories delve into many miniature worlds. Beattie Alvarez has done a wonderful job compiling twelve illustrated stories bringing with them Christmas, imagination and the wonder of magic.

Suitable for 7 – 10-year olds this book could be read to a younger audience. Each story brings a sense of the Christmas spirit, the magic of genies, goblins, Fuchsia fairies, the delight of miniature Christmas scenes, toy apps, trees brought to life, the charm of Christmas decorations, elves tugging on your ear, a take on Peter Pan at Christmas, and small creature pulling together to make Christmas great.

There is a story here for everyone.

Some of the authors include Dianne Bates with her story ‘George the Genie’, illustrated by Sally Heinrich.  George is summoned by an unsavoury character, and the wishes he is asked to grant go beyond his moral being. So George and the rest of his clan concoct a plan to teach Bernie Blister a lesson.

‘Christmas with the Fuchsia Fairies’ text and photographs by Kathy Creamer, brings your imagination to life. When Rosie Dimpleberry finds water sprite Tinkle crying, she along with the rest of her friends find a way make Tinkle’s Christmas special.

‘A Mouse Christmas’ by Natalie Jane Prior, illustrated by Amy Bogard, tells the story of Marigold the mouse who lives under floor board under the stove, with her mother and two siblings, Star and Silas. Being mice they sleep all day and venture out at night when the black and white dog, and the humans are sleeping. Marigold gets caught up in the wonder of the Christmas food and though the dog tries to sniff her out, at the stroke of midnight they share a special moment of what Christmas really means.

A Toy Christmas

A Toy Christmas – a magical, illustrated anthology of original stories compiled by Sophie Masson (Christmas Press) PB RRP $24.99 ISBN 9780994234063

Reviewed by Catherine Bauer

With Christmas glittering on the near horizon, if it’s a little festive season magic you’re after, look no further than A Toy Christmas, the latest gem from Australian publisher Christmas Press. Compiled and edited by award-winning author Sophie Masson, the 13-story anthology features Christmas-themed tales by some of Australia’s most talented authors, both established and emerging.

Each beautifully crafted story is themed around toys that magically come to life at Christmas time. There are stories about toys that chase the nativity star, toys that realise Christmas is more about who we are with than where we spend it and truly touching tales about toys that help unite sad souls and help build friendships. There’s a story for just about every taste, whether it’s pure fantasy with dragons, adventure and pixies or more contemporary family scenarios featuring grandparents and annoying siblings. 

Illustrated in full color, the anthology is the perfect book to tap into the gathering Christmas cheer, not just for this year, but for many Christmases to come. So gather the family for a story from A Toy Christmas and let the celebrations begin.

All the Wild Wonders: Poems of Our Earth

All the Wild Wonders: Poems of Our Earth edited by Wendy Cooling, illustrated by Piet Grobler (Frances Lincoln)

HC RRP $27.95

ISBN 9781847806250

Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis

The title poem of this wonderful poetry collection is a lullaby from a mother or grandmother to a new born baby. It is by Australian writer and poet, Elizabeth Honey. It sets the themes of the book which include an environmental conscience, a sense of responsibility towards all living things, the need to be ready to act on what is unacceptable in relation to the environment, and to remember that we are caretakers of the earth for future generations.

There are poems on the sun - what its role is and what ours is towards it. Poems for the forest include a salute to trees in short and long forms that include the stirring and profound, The Prayer of the Tree by Anonymous. Then there are references to the animals and birds that live in trees, and the adverse effect on the landscape of concrete buildings as they replace trees.

Snagger’s Pond is directed at children, for they too, must learn early in life to respect their environment. ‘Snagger’s Pond was dying, there was a bad pollution. So, we cleaned and restocked. We found the solution.’

The range of poetry is enormous. It reaches to caged birds, oil spills and the damage to animals and bird life. It continues with wind farms, the dwindling numbers of endangered animals and other species, the slaughter of seals and whales, and the disappearance of green from the planet.

Well known poets such as John Milton, Alfred Tennyson, Thomas Hardy, Ogden Nash, and John Agard have been included. Other poets’ work from around the world that perhaps we haven’t heard so much about, have equal status in this compilation.

There is a double page list of About the Poets. The book is produced with fine quality paper and illustrated in pencil and watercolour. Wendy Cooling is a highly regarded anthologist.

This is an impressive collection of 35 poems. I hope it gets the attention it deserves for the poems collectively call for attention to their messages. I would love to believe that all readers will be affected by the thought-provoking content and remember, ‘where we see danger, we need to think and act’ to protect our earth.

The Death of the Hat: A Brief History of Poetry in 50 Objects

The Death of the Hat: A Brief History of Poetry in 50 Objects selected by Paul B. Janeczko, illustrated by Chris Raschka (Walker Books)

HC RRP $24.95

ISBN 9780763669638

Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis

This stunning collection follows the evolution of poetry through time and objects. The introduction gives an historical overview of the changing periods of poetry. Beginning from the Early Middle Ages, 400-1000 and ending in Contemporary times, a great many objects are used as a single theme or themes in every poem.

Great preparation and research has been conducted to compile these 77 pages of poems by a variety of authors from all over the world. Included are Rumi, Edgar Allan Poe, Shakespeare, Sylvia Plath, William Wordsworth, Robert Burns, Tennyson, and many that are not well known names, but whose poetry is highly commendable.

As in all collections, there are always poems that stand out from the others for some related reason or other. The Death of the Hat by Billy Collins, which comes close to the end and is the title poem, is clever and thought-provoking. It speaks of times past and habits lost. Stick and Hat by Emporer Le Thanh Tong from the Renaissance Period offers wisdom and insight into the use of two common objects and their versatility.  Boxes and Bags by Carl Sandberg, Mushrooms by Sylvia Plath, and An Hymn to the Evening by Phillis Wheatley are also poems  I’ve chosen for their specific messages.

Readers will find their own favourites and perhaps all the poems will fall under this heading for some. No poetry enthusiast will be disappointed with the selection Paul B. Janeczko has chosen. Illustrations in watercolour and ink support each poem and add beauty to the rhyming and non-rhyming verse presented in this production for the 8+ age group (which includes adults of course).

    

Eat the Sky, Drink the Ocean

Eat the Sky, Drink the Ocean edited by Kirsty Murray, Payal Dhar and Anita Roy (Allen & Unwin)

YA Speculative Feminist Anthology RRP$16.99

ISBN 9781743319789

In late 2012, Australia and India were rocked by violent crimes against young women. In Delhi, thousands protested against rape. In Melbourne, thousands stood vigil in memory of a young woman raped and murdered while walking home. The fate of all young women, what they should fear and what they can hope for, were hot topics in the media around the world. Out of that storm rose the idea for this anthology. (From the introduction)

To see a collection such as this, written specifically for young people with its feminist message by contemporary authors who crossed cultural boundaries  and set in exciting alternate and dystopian worlds and different realties hit all the right notes for me.

The anthology includes seventeen works of fiction, including a play and six graphic stories written by twenty-two authors and illustrators and set in dystopian or fantasy worlds and sometimes in distant galaxies.

Contributors were given the added challenge of working in collaboration with a partner from the other country on which they give an insight in brief notes at the back of the book.

My favourite stories include ‘Cast Out’ by Samhita Arni, ‘Cat Calls’ by Margo Lanagan and ‘Memory Lace’ by Payal Dhar; I also was immersed in the graphic story by Isobelle Carmody through the illustrative style of Prabha Mallya. In 'Cast Out', girls showing signs of magic, even in self-defence, are cast off in the ocean to die a gruesome death. The main character also finds herself in this position, and what she finds will change her life as much as it has been saved. 

Reading the inspiration behind the story which was based on conversations between Samhita Arni and her Australian counterpart, Alyssa Brugman, on feminism and consumerism gave an insight into how this story came to be. Brugman’s story ‘Weft’ is a very different, thought-provoking story showing the main character’s reflections while she is in the process of buying a full head of hair.

This is a strong contender for my favourite anthology of the year!

Yvonne Mes is a children's author. Her first picture book, Meet Sidney Nolan (Random House) is scheduled for release in October 2015. www.yvonnemes.com

Once upon a Christmas

Once upon a Christmas compiled and edited by Beattie Alvarez (Christmas Press, 2014)

PB RRP $24.99
ISBN 978 0 9922838 5 8
Reviewed by Dianne Bates

How wonderful to see an anthology of Christmas stories, poems and illustrations for children produced by this fairly new Australian publisher! Dedicated to Santa Claus, the book has an eye-catching cover of a red door on which hangs a Christmas wreath; it is also flanked on both sides by decorated Christmas trees. The book is a visual treat with coloured plates by illustrators including Fiona McDonald, Stephen Axelson, Kim Gamble, and black and white illustrations by Allan Stomann, Nette Hilton, David Allan, and others.

Every page in the book is garlanded with black and white borders of ribbons with bells and mistletoe to help create a festive flavour. The book’s contributors, from both Australian and overseas writers and illustrators, are numerous.

So what of the book’s contents? Just to say that it is wide and varied. Christmas family memoirs include Isabelle Merlin’s recollections as a French child living in Sydney (she even includes a recipe for a French Christmas log cake). Dawn Meredith compares her first Christmases in England with beach visits in Australia and a Christmas in Norway with her extended family. Libby Hathorn writes of a bush Christmas. Susanne Gervay pays tribute to her late parents.

Some stories are set in blazing hot Australia; others take place in bleak and snowy overseas. Victoria Nugent’s ‘Festival Floods’, describes another scenario while Beattie Alverez’s story is set in a toy factory. Subject matter is truly varied. In ‘Season of Plenty’, Rebecca Fung tells a story from Santa’s point of view; Helen Evans writes about a pirate Christmas. Sophie Masson retells a traditional Russian Christmas legend in ‘Babushka and the Star’.

Animals feature in a number of stories such as Sue Bursztynski’s ‘The Sheepdog in the Stable’ and Sally Odger’s story about animals which can speak on the night of Christmas Eve. Duncan Ball contributes a humorous Selby the speaking dog tale, Nettie Hilton writes of a mouse.

 It is gratifying to see several poems by Australia’s very talented Anne Bell, including her poignant, ‘The Donkey’, one of the very few references to Christmas as a celebration of the birth of Jesus. Adele Geras’s ‘Christmas at the Homeless Shelter’ is another powerful poem worthy of mention.

 There is much one could say about this engrossing anthology. It is certainly comprehensive and full of hours of reading for children aged 9+ years (and for adults, too). My only criticism is that some of the stories seem over-long. A special feature of the book is contributors’ biographies at the end of the book. There is also a comprehensive copyright acknowledgement page.

 Well done Christmas Press for this excellent addition to children’s literature!

Books can be purchased at www.christmaspresspicturebooks.com