Samara Rubin and the Utility Belt

Samara Rubin and the Utility Belt by Sharon Giltrow (GiltWrote Publishing), RRP $15.00 Junior Fiction ISBN 9-781765-547307

Reviewed by Susan Hancy

Samara Rubin and the Utility Belt is the first book in The Utility Belt Series, self-published by Sharon Giltrow with intriguing illustrations by Thu Vu. Gecko-loving Samara Rubin is about to turn 11, and she has one wish – to be courageous enough to stand up to Toby King, the meanest boy in school. Little does she know that when she receives the curious gift of a utility belt from Uncle Steve for her birthday, she’ll discover the confidence to not allow herself to be bullied.

The utility belt used to belong to Samara’s deceased father, and turning 11 is the age that Uncle Steve and Mum have agreed on for Samara to inherit it. But it’s not just the belt she’s received. To Samara’s and Mum’s surprise, it’s come with a Madagascar Day Gecko, whom Samara names Madi and who guides Samara on how to use the belt.  She has 7 days to use all 11 secret gadgets that it contains – or else! What that “or else” is, is anybody’s guess, but it sounds pretty ominous.

Over the following chapters, the reader is pulled into Samara’s world of 11-year-old life challenges, wondering what Madi is going to recommend as the next utility from the belt, how Samara will decide to use it and how she’ll overcome Toby as her class nemesis. Even though this book is positioned as speculative junior fiction for 6 to 12-year-olds, I think it will be a great read for the 7 to 10-year-old age range of kids who have surpassed typical junior fictions but are not quite ready to take on the length and smaller print size of middle grade fictions. It was a hit with my 9-year-old daughter, who took a sneak peek at the end of the book, which introduces book two of the series about Toby King and his utility belt. That got her – and me – even more curious to find out what is going to transpire between Samara and Toby, why he also has a utility belt, and how his perspective will either confirm or change our opinion of him as the class bully. We can’t wait to read book 2!

Lots of Love: Just Be Yourself

Lots of Love: Just Be Yourself by Emma Freya, co-illustrated by Rae Freya (Vittra Publishing) PB RRP $24.99 ISBN 9781764098106

It's the first day back at school, and Love, a young Swedish girl, is feeling nervous. Today there will be new classmates, a new teacher, and all the little uncertainties that come with change. As she lines up for class, Love tells herself it's just another day. But when something goes wrong, she finds comfort in the small treasure tucked safely in her pocket. 

Love makes a new friend, Mel, who quickly becomes friends with both her and Izzy. And when their teacher assigns everyone to present something cultural that they do at home, Love needs to decide what to share. Pappa suggests something very Aussie, while Mamma has a Swedish idea. Love picks her favourite tradition to share, but things don't go quite as planned. With Mamma and Pappa's support, she works to make everything right for her big moment. And what will her friends choose to share? From pocket treasures that bring comfort to shared traditions that bring joy, Love discovers that the simplest moments - when we're brave enough to be ourselves - can turn an ordinary day into something wonderful.

This is a must-have children’s novel for readers interested in the Swedish language. The book tells the story of a girl with a Swedish name whose parents speak to her in a combination of English and Swedish. At the foot of each page where the Swedish words are used, the author provides not only a meaning of the word, but a practical way of learning how to pronounce it. Thus, as part of Love's story, readers will also learn some Swedish, including how to pronounce the vowels and the words that appear throughout the book.

At the back of the book are pages that help the reader learn more about the Swedish language. For instance, there is a double-page spread with black-and-white illustrations for different meals throughout the day. We learn and see words such as coffee (kaffe in Swedish), chocolate (choklad), and glas (glass and glasses). The information the author provides is clearly set out and very interesting.

Just Be Yourself is a gentle story celebrating the small, special moments that make everyday life precious. It is ideal for independent readers building confidence with chapter books, as well as family read-alouds that spark conversations about friendship, family, and the special moments of everyday life.

 

What is a Dot?

What is a Dot? (Thames & Hudson) Johanna Bell and Amelia Luscombe PB (Board Book) RRP $24.99 ISBN 9781760764814

Reviewed by Karen Hendriks

What is a Dot is a board book that explores the joy of drawing, showing that a dot that becomes a line can be anything. It sparks a child’s curiosity and imagination. Themes are imagination, art, drawing, creativity, poetry, and rhyming verse.

Johanna Bell writes fiction, poetry and children’s books. Her work is widely published, and she has won numerous awards, including a Tasmanian Literary Award for the manuscript of Department of Vanishing. What’s That Splat? is the sequel to this book.

Amelia Luscombe’s illustrations focus on fun, curiosity, and childlike qualities. This is her first picture book.

Bell’s use of rhyme, alliteration, onomatopoeia and word play spark curiosity and wonder in a young child. Is it a bounce? A ball? Or a wag? The text is creative, unique and fun. It allows so much scope for the illustrator with its open word choices. Is it a swish? A sweep? Or a swirl? The word choices are concise, and many of the sentences are two or three words long. So much is left to the child to discover themselves. The book asks the reader this question throughout: What is a dot when a dot is not? The text reads aloud joyfully, and Bell’s background as a poet shows. The verbs used highlight movement as the dot and line change form and move through the story.

Luscombe has fully embraced the fun of the story and let her imagination out to play with her simple yet striking line drawings.  I love how hidden objects are created that are not voiced in the text. Like one, two, three ice-creams. The line is multi-coloured and changes colour as it moves through the book. The illustrations stand out on the white background and draw the eye immediately. I think Luscombe was the perfect illustrator choice for this story, which is a celebration of drawing.

What is a Dot? is great for children 3-9 years. It encourages creativity and self-expression and is perfect for preschool to early primary readers. It is a wonderful resource for classroom discussions about art, shapes and imagination. Parents, carers and teachers alike will enjoy sharing this book.

 

Last Bat of the Night

Last Bat of the Night (CSIRO Publishing) David Gullan and Samantha Metcalfe PB RRP $26.99 ISBN 9781486318728

Reviewed by Karen Hendriks

Last Bat of the Night is a delightful introduction to native Australian megabats on their nightly adventures to feed, drink and pollinate. As the stars come out, a colony of bats passes overhead on a nocturnal adventure. Who will be the one to spot the last bat?

David Gullan is an educator, writer and a lover of nature. He creates stories that introduce young learners to Australian wildlife. He hopes his books encourage children to look up, look down and then take another look around our natural world. He is also the author of the picture book Life in a Hollow.

Samantha Metcalfe is a natural history illustrator whose inspiration comes from the Australian bush. She works primarily in colour pencil, creating realistic and detailed illustrations to capture Australian native flora and fauna. Samantha's previous books include Alight and The Voyage of Whale and Calf. She was shortlisted for the 2019 Children’s Book Council of Australia Award for New Illustrator.

David Gullan has written an engaging rhyming narrative that introduces young learners to Australian megabats. The metre feels natural, not forced, and the text reads aloud smoothly. Cleverly, Gullan has included a game where someone hopes to be the one to spot the last bat of the night. This allows the book to go beyond the pages and be taken into the real world when exploring in nature. The language chosen is simple, playful and keeps the story flowing. Each page has a few sentences that have verbs that bring the Australian bats' habits and movements to life. Bats sprawl and screech among stars overhead, the children entranced as they head home to bed. Dialogue is used at just the right moments.

The text and visuals are balanced and complementary. When each different bat is featured, the name of the bat appears at the bottom or top of the spread. This allows the learner to learn the bat’s name without taking away from the storyline. Threats to bats like powerlines are gently addressed. The descriptive language gives a fullness to the bat’s natural world. The end matter includes information about bats along with the instructions how to play ‘Last Bat’. A handy glossary is included. 

Samantha Metcalfe’s detailed and realistic illustrations of nocturnal settings capture the fleeting moments when day turns to night. The pages move from warm, dusky lit skies of purple, orange and green to the dark pinks, purples and blues. White space is used to great effect with silhouettes of bats against the sky showcasing the shape of the bats as they glide over parks and trees. The illustrations really do have a magical feel and a sense of wonder. The endpapers are an extension of the story with the first spread featuring bats flying across a purple sky and the end spread showing the very last bat flying across a starry sky.

Last Bat of the Night is written for children 5-9 years and appeals to anyone who loves our natural world. Children, parents and teachers will find it an easy-to-read book that can be revisited often. The book beautifully mirrors the bats world and creates wonder and curiosity.

 

The Thing About Dads

The Thing About Dads (Thames & Hudson) Deborah Frenkel and Daniel Gray-Barnett PB RRP $24.99 ISBN 9781760765194

Reviewed by Karen Hendriks

The Thing About Dads is a heartfelt, joyful celebration of fatherhood in all its forms. From an award-winning duo comes a rhyming ode to the dads who make life extraordinarily special.

Deborah Frenkel is an award-winning picture book author who wrote The Truck Cat, which won the prestigious 2025 Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) Picture Book of the Year and ABIA Picture Book of the Year and National Simultaneous Storytime title. She has also written How to Get Home, 100 School Days, The Sydney Harbour Fairy, Boldilocks and Naturopolis.

Daniel Gray-Barnett is an acclaimed illustrator whose debut book, Grandma Z, won the CBCA Award for New Illustrator. It was also in the Society of Illustrators’ Original Art and annual shows. He is self-taught and lives in the Huon Valley in Tasmania.

Deborah Frenkel has crafted a joyful, rhyming story that captures dads in a warm, heartfelt, and loving way. The thing about dads is, they sometimes look tough, but they’re usually filled with the softest of stuff. The story voice is real and endearing. Children will see their dad in the pages, whether he is funny, a big softie, smart, a cook or somewhere in between. Then emerge full of crazy ideas you can do. What I like most is that this book shows dad love and loyalty and that a dad will do anything for their child. The focus is not on masculinity, but the roles dads play, and that role is clear and distinct from a mum. Frenkel has nailed the different dad characters, and I think this is what makes reading the text feel so good. She has used a repeated refrain that makes the reading easy and memorable. The thing about dads is they hide in the loo… I love how she shows that dads have a dad.

Daniel Gray-Barnett’s illustrations are happy and bright. The bright yellow cover is eye-catching with fun dads in action around the title. The book looks like fun before you even open it. The endpapers showcase different dads in different photo frames. Bright colours and cartoon-like depictions of dads not only visually tell the story but are appealing to the eye. Humour appears, bringing smiles to so many spreads. Dad on the loo with hairy legs and a dreamy face is one. Perspective changes from small vignettes to a double-page spread of a dad and child in the bath. I think Daniel Gray-Barnett captures the boundless love, energy and dynamics of dads super well.

The Thing About Dads is written for children 4-6 years with a broader interest age range of children 2-6 years. Commercially, this book would make a lovely Father’s Day gift or read. I can see it appealing to children, parents, teachers and librarians.

 

Just Be Yourself

Just Be Yourself by Emma Freya

 Love has a big day ahead — a new class, a new teacher, new faces, and a name that's tricky for some to say. With pocket treasures and her friends Izzy and Mel (the new girl in class) by her side, she starts finding her footing.

Then comes the assignment to present something cultural from home. Vegemite on toast? Backwards pants? Pappa's ideas don't feel quite right. Mamma suggests fika, a Swedish tradition worth sharing, so together they make chocolate balls for Love's presentation — though the first batch doesn't go to plan. A warm, heartfelt story about new beginnings and the courage to share what makes you, you, and the wisdom of Mamma's advice: just be yourself.

Swedish words are woven into the story and are understandable through context. Translations and pronunciation guides are included for extra support.

A 'Question Time' reflection activity is included to extend reading into conversation. You'll also find the recipe for the Swedish chocolate balls that Love makes in the book.

Peace and Me

Peace and Me by Ali Winter, illustrated by Mickael El Fathi (Lantana Publishing UK — AU edition 2026) HB RRP $ 26.99 ISBN: 9781911373285

Reviewed by Sylvia Forbes

 Inspired by and based on the lives of Nobel Peace Prize Laureates of the 20th and 21st centuries, Peace and Me profiles twelve international, shape-shifting peacemakers, including Nelson Mandela, Mother Teresa, and Malala Yousafzai. The book tells how each recipient (through their own particular skill sets, observations, bravery, and heart) dedicated themselves to helping make the world a better, more equitable place for people to live in. 

Peace and Me begins with Alfred Nobel himself, who, after studying chemical engineering, met a man who had invented a liquid called nitro-glycerine — and after seeing first-hand how dangerous it was, became determined to find a way to make it safe. He invented Dynamite. He made a lot of money from its success, but he wasn't happy because he realised his invention was being used as a weapon of destruction. Thus, in his will, he instructed that the money he earned from his invention be distributed each year as prizes to people who had achieved greatness for the good of all mankind in the fields of Physics, Chemistry, Medicine, Literature, and Peace. 

Ali Winter has done a great job in whittling these life stories down to a succinct single page of words — keeping them interesting, informative and easy to read and digest.

Mickael Eli Fathi's outstanding, highly detailed illustrations — crafted in a multi-layered mix of patterns, colours, textures and motifs — complement not only the story for each recipient but also give a sense of their character. My favourite elements (out of many) are — the decorated cow with Mother Teresa's story and the ornate wire cage with Shirin Ebadi's story. 

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, learning about these amazing people and their achievements. (Some I hadn't heard of and some I didn't know enough about.)

I love how each recipient’s story is accompanied by a single line which encapsulates what peace means to them — Peace is ... making sure every child gets to go to school.  

And I love how it concludes with the question — What does peace mean to you?

With peace being an issue of our times, it is important for us all to learn about, discuss and be inspired by these key figures who dedicated their lives to the upholding of peace — and to recognise that they were just regular, every-day people like us. They simply saw an unevenness in society and then did something to rectify it.

Inspirational and beautifully illustrated, Peace and Me is a book for every home, school and library bookshelf.  

Highly recommended for readers aged 7-12+.