The Mystery of Colour: and how to solve it

The Mystery of Colour: and how to solve it by David Cole, illustrated by Margaux Samson-Abadie (Thames & Hudson)  ISBN 978-1-760-76542-2   RRP $34.99 (HB)

Reviewed by Jude Mullen

This bright, enticing, hardcover non-fiction book by David Cole invites children to become colour detectives – to find out how the coloured paints and materials we use today are made, and how they were first discovered.

The book is divided into chapters, beginning with a chapter about ochre - the first colour used in artworks from as long as 250 000 years ago. This is followed by chapters on each of the six different colours. For each colour, Cole provides information on how it was discovered, its historical origins and uses, and interesting anecdotes about its significance. He then ends each chapter by discussing the ways colour is used in art, referencing the work of well-known artists from around the globe, such as Vincent van Gogh, Gustav Klimt, Katsushika Hokusai and Claude Monet.

Every page of this A4-sized book is colourfully coloured in the colour corresponding to the one being described in the written text. Information is spread out over the page in short paragraphs or text boxes, making it an easy and inviting read for children.

There is a particularly Australian flavour to the book with references and examples of Australian Aboriginal rock art, current works by indigenous Australian artist Timothy Cook, as well as other famous Australian artists such as Ken Done, Margaret Olley and Grace Cossington Smith.

At the end of the book, there is a glossary and step-by-step guides to help children make their own paints and paint binders. It will appeal to children’s natural curiosity about how the world works, giving them real answers and many interesting facts to think about. It is suitable for children aged 7-11 years.

Detective Beans and the Map of Mystery

 Detective Beans and the Map of Mystery by Li Chen (Penguin Random House) PB RRP $17.99 ISBN 9781761353420

Here is another graphic novel by a Chinese-New Zealand author-illustrator, part of a series of full-colour graphic novels about a kitten detective. 

In this adventure, Beans is gifted a mysterious treasure map by Captain Scuttlebeard. Alongside his trusty sidekick Biscuits, Beans embarks on a clue-filled journey that leads him all over Cat Town. The duo encounters surprising obstacles, hidden secrets, and unexpected locations along the way. The goal is simple: find the treasure and make it home in time for the evening, all while engaging young readers to solve the mystery right alongside him.

Author and illustrator Li Chen utilises a beautiful, vibrant colour palette that brings Cat Town to life. The books excel at mixing text with dynamic panels, helping early readers (typically ages 7 and up) build confidence and fluency. The humour ranges from silly slapstick to clever deadpan, making it a highly enjoyable read for both kids and adults.

The Detective Beans series is widely celebrated in the children's literature community. The first book in the series, Detective Beans and the Case of the Missing Hat, won Best Junior Fiction at the New Zealand Book Awards and has sold over 90,000 copies in Australia and New Zealand. Map of Mystery is building on that legacy, with community and critical reception praising it as a quirky, clever, and colourful addition that will tickle the funny bone of any reader. 

Poppy Makes Pockets

Poppy Makes Pockets by Jemima Parker & Karen Erasmus. Hardcover picture book published by EK Books in 2026. RRP $24.99. ISBN 9781921497131

Reviewed by Debra Williams

Whilst out walking with her Mum and dog, Poppy collects some treasures: a smooth stone, a feather, a shiny button and a rattling seedpod. But she doesn’t have anywhere to put them, as Poppy’s dress doesn’t have pockets. Once back at home, she empties her wardrobe and sorts her clothing into two piles, large and small, to find something to wear that has pockets. But all she can find is a large, thick coat, which is too heavy to wear on a hot summer day.

Poppy has an idea, and gathers some sewing supplies: an old t-shirt, scissors, needles, thread and pins. All afternoon, she fashions pockets for her pinafore and sews them on. The next day, when she notices that her friend Linh doesn’t have pockets either, she has another idea and gathers old T-shirts from her family members. Poppy sets up a street stall offering free pockets to anyone who needs them.

This warm, crafty story celebrates fairness, creativity and community, and shows how even small hands can stitch big changes into the world. The end paper illustrations are gorgeous, showing the young reader how to sew their own pockets. And look out for the cute dog in the illustrations, especially when he is staring at a Kookaburra perched on the clothesline.

Poppy Makes Pockets is suitable for children ages 5-8.

The Epically Awesome Odyssey

The Epically Awesome Odyssey, as told by Nanny Piggins. R.A. Spratt, Penguin Random House 2026. MG Paperback RRP $16.99. ISBN: 9781761622472

Reviewed by Debra Williams

This is the latest in the Nanny Piggins series, the glamorous pig who ran away from the circus. Nanny commandeers an ancient Greek myth--The Odyssey!--and relates it to her charges, the Green children, as a continuing storyline each day. But, according to Nanny, Homer totally left out the fact that Odysseus was a staggeringly beautiful woman and a pig, and she sets the record straight. Nanny reveals what really happened 3,000 years ago on the most epically awesome journey of all time, if she can be believed.

This is a fun and humorous take on the old Greek  mythology, but told with much chocolate, hot chocolate and cake - a bit too much, in fact! The chocolate permeates almost every part of the story, with chocolate cake even ending up being used to build a boat for Odysseus, who has now been away from her home for over 20 years. She and her crew face man-munching monsters, Greek gods with rage issues, sirens brandishing cake batter to tempt sailors to their doom and a forbidden sausage sizzle on the Island of Helios.

However, there are a couple of points to watch out for. There is a contradiction between pages 75-76, where Nanny is described on page 75 as being four-feet tall and with legs only one-foot long (Imperial measurement). However, on page 76 the children walk 17 kilometres to school (metric). When Odysseus ends up in Hades, there are scenes with the dead, which some young readers may find disturbing. In another chapter, on page 166, there is a description of Greek princesses fighting with each other and indulging in nipple crippling, which others may feel is not appropriate for the readership age group.

The Epically Awesome Odyssey is described as suitable for readers 10+ years of age.

The Mushroom and The Flower

The Mushroom and The Flower, written & illustrated by Sally Soweol Han (Thames & Hudson) PB AU$26.99 ISBN 978-1-760-76472-2

Reviewed by Robyn Gillies

Mushroom has the coolest hot pink hat with snow-white speckles and a velvety touch. Mushroom stands out in the forest of green and is, in Mushroom’s words, ‘A true masterpiece of nature…’.

Mushroom provides shelter and shade to the smallest of the forest’s creatures until one day something pokes up beside it. Mushroom is not happy about this thing being so close to him and asks it to ‘kindly move along’. But the thing continues to grow and bloom until it hogs Mushroom’s view. How will Mushroom manage this situation?

This is a tender allegory about feelings and friendship. The mushroom is chatty and doesn’t understand why the flower doesn’t speak or move farther away. The flower is different.

The core of the story is told in Mushroom's voice, but the reader also ‘hears’ the flower's thoughts, demonstrating to young readers that even the softest voices are valuable.

But this is also a story about friendship, that what may seem uncomfortable at first can bloom if you just give it time, emotional growth, and about a very special gift.

This story is told simply with language that the youngest audience would understand, but as an allegory, there are multiple layers which more mature young readers will also appreciate - that of the circle of life, the balance in a healthy forest, that even beautiful things don’t always last, and also of sacrifice.

 The story also reads well out loud, and as an award-winning illustrator for her first picture book, Tiny Wonders, Sally Han has again created illustrations that tell their own beautiful story.

Tides of Fortune

 Tides of Fortune by Lauryn Hamilton Murray (Penguin Random House) PB RRP $22.99 ISBN 9780241680018

‘Having survived three treacherous trials to win her crown, Blaze is soon to be the Queen of the Aquatori. But first, she must find the Eye of the Soul before King Balen, the usurper to the throne, claims its power for himself.

Her journey will take her deep into the Wildlands and into a temporary alliance with the infuriating but undeniably compelling Fox. She can’t help but feel drawn to him…but can she trust him?

Fortune favours the brave, but will it favour the Stormweaver on her most dangerous mission yet? - Penguin Random House

Tides of Fortune is the second book in a young adult romantasy series. This novel would appeal to an audience who enjoys enemies-to-lovers tropes and elemental magic. Book one, Heir of Storms, is a #1 Sunday Times bestseller. 

Bring It Back

 Bring It Back by Deborah Kelly (Wombat Books) PB ISBN9781761113635

It’s the last term of primary school, and Liam is bored with the same faces, places and lunches – even basketball. When a new student named Clint arrives, things become much more interesting. Soon, Liam is taking risks, bending the rules, and even has a haircut just like Clint's. Liam’s mates are acting weird, though. And Mum keeps asking if he’s OK. His teacher even has ‘a word’ with him. Liam wishes they would leave him alone and let him grow up. He’s going to high school next year!

But when Liam finds himself in serious trouble, he realises how far he’s drifted from the things and the people he loves. But just like a basketball game that’s heading south, can he bring it back?

Deborah Kelly is a multi-award-winning, internationally published author of picture books, junior fiction and middle grade. The Thing about Oliver (Wombat Books) was shortlisted in the younger readers category of the Children’s Book Council of Australia awards, shortlisted for Speech Pathology Australia’s Book of the Year and won the Australian Association of Family Therapists book of the year award in the younger readers category. Her picture book Me and You (Penguin Viking) won Speech Pathology Australia’s Book of the Year award (3-5-year-olds) in 2017.