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I look forward to a new picture book from Bob Graham with the same shivery sense of anticipation that I do Christmas 😂.![]()
‘The Concrete Garden’ is full to the brim of so many of the things that I love most about a Bob Graham book, including;![]()
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🌻 the small child that draws others into community.![]()
🐌 the natural and warm-hearted cultural diversity.![]()
🌻 the faithful, almost angelic presence of a lumpy, well-loved dog, and a small bearing-witness bird.![]()
🐌 the non-utopian world - full of mess, accidental failure, small silent scuffles, disappointment and opportunities for mending and making up.![]()
🌻 the delicious word pictures that invite a reader to see the world afresh - ‘Children spilled out like sweets from a box.’![]()
🐌 the lifting up of kids, their ingenuity and their agency, the guileless way they can charm, cheer and console, and the way adults always have something new to learn from them.![]()
🌻 the slow reveal - the restrained, poetic text that opens on the half title page. ![]()
🐌 the gorgeous facility for just right character names; Lovejoy, Janet Fairly, Alfie the dog, Indira, Nasrin and the perennial favourite Rosie.![]()
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‘The Concrete Garden’ continues to explore Graham’s profound fascination with the small, easily overlooked, luminous moments of life. And yet we are also humbly invited to remember that there is always more to life than our own current local preoccupations. That in all kinds of ways our stories ricochet out and intersect with other people’s stories, both near and far.![]()
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Written in the time of COVID, this picture book displays Bob Graham’s usual fine degree of emotional attunement. While the world might be tempted to practise a kind of collective amnesia, Graham doesn’t deny the cold, hard, lonely winter. But he also invites us to ponder what might come out of it. He offers a bright, vivid window into the endless goodness of creativity and child-likeness, the vital significance of community and connection, the way rainbows and gardens can be found, even in the most unlikely places.
It was such a joy to celebrate Book Week today with @queenwoodschool ![]()
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There were just so many things I adored about my time there, including discovering the delightful fact that every single member of the school community pauses to read FICTION for twenty minutes every single morning, including all the admin & maintenance staff! That is so glorious!![]()
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The library was such a haven and a hub of creativity! I loved the way the fantastic teacher-librarian Mr Da Fonte wove the @cbcaustralia Book Week theme in every arty-crafty nook & cranny. ![]()
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My other favourite thing was seeing just how much children’s art is treasured & valued. There was so much arty brilliance on display everywhere, thanks to the delightful work of the very talented specialist visual arts teacher Ms Gigner @arteachersydney. ![]()
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And the students were wonderful - so bright-eyed, funny, curious, creative and generous. ![]()
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When I woke up this morning at 6am, I was feeling a little bit tired after a big week. I even asked the dog why she wasn’t ‘wailing her tag.’ By the end of the day, I was buzzing with joy.![]()
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Thanks a zillion, Mr Da Fonte @dafontagram and K-2 and K-2 teachers, for a heart-bursting brilliant day! 🎊💫🎊
It’s always a privilege to speak at a school, to chat with young people about books and stories, creativity, ways of seeing, ideas and inspiration etc. But it’s an especially lovely thing to be invited to celebrate the birth of a new library. That’s like summiting Mount Everest for an author! ![]()
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It was such a joy to be at Liverpool West Public, to be in a school that recognises the fundamental life-giving properties of a library (hello mangroves!) and that treasures the role of a specialised teacher-librarian…the amazingly devoted long-time but ever young Ms Young! ![]()
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I had such a wonderful time at the school. The students were so joyful and fun, and the teaching staff so warm, supportive & dedicated. A highlight was chatting to the deputy principal Mrs Sotiropoulos in her astounding purple-themed office about her life as a teacher and all the things she has learnt from her students over the years, and how they have changed her as a person and as a teacher. I came away from my time at Liverpool West feeling so welcomed, so deeply hopeful and encouraged!![]()
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PS: And there’s no better teacher to go over a waterfall with than Ms Rush.
Speaking with young people about writing (and sharing stories behind the stories) is one of the great joys of being a writer, and a privilege in every way. Next to the delight of writing itself, there’s nothing I love more than seeing a room full of young people laughing their heads off, as they surreptitiously learn about the power of story & the magic of small moments. ![]()
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I’m super thrilled to announce that I have signed up with the good people @bookedoutagency & I’m looking forward to the speaking adventures ahead with them. If you’re keen for me to come and visit your school, I solemnly promise not to accidentally set any audience members pants on fire like I did while acting in ‘Crimes of the Heart’ at the Arts Theatre in Cronulla. Hopefully, just minds & hearts for writing & reading! ![]()
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The morning after the storm. So many seasons today. We saw fog float through the valley in the early morning, like some lithe, smoky dragon. Then this tiny, glorious moment on the way to work. So much beauty in every ordinary day. ![]()
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#awewalk #beauty #joy #nofilter
We planted four flowering gums in our back garden, hoping they’d be magnets for the birds. The trees are two-years old now and this year they are laden with the most gorgeous blossoms. One of the loveliest things is seeing the lorikeets flock to the trees in the early morning, and listening to their chirps, trills, squawks and squabbles. Witnessing their joy over these trees has been an unexpectedly beautiful, early Christmas present!
The first tree I ever climbed to read a book in was a jacaranda at the dead end of our street. I’ve loved them ever since. What a thrill to see them blooming into December this year in Sydney, such vivid clouds of purple wherever you look. This magnificent one is around the corner from where I live. I drive the long way round every day, when I take my youngest son to school, just to admire it. It’s amazing how a simple tree can make you feel so exultant, so intensely glad to be alive.
It was the loveliest thing to be back in Melbourne and such a joy to receive the Speech Pathology Book of the Year Award for the Birth to Three Years category for ‘Hello World’ and to see @leilarudge_illustration after so long. It was also a wonderful opportunity to acknowledge the beauty and the brilliance of all those books on the Birth to Three Years shortlist, so many of them lockdown book babies. Huge congrats to all our fellow shortlisted authors & illustrators!💛🎉![]()
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It was fantastic to be able to thank publicly all those people @harperkidsau that were so fundamental in the making of ‘Hello World,’ including our dynamo of a publisher @chren_kali and our editor Kate Burnitt and of course, the designer @roman_italic, who helped to make our book leap off the shelves like a ray of sunshine. It was also so good to be able to thank @michelle.weisz and the whole HarperCollins marketing and sales team, all of whom were working under much duress to help so many books find their feet in that tricky season. ![]()
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And of course, I was thrilled to be able to thank @leilarudge_illustration, for her gorgeous work, for all the ways she gave such vivid, glowing life to these characters and to their small glorious moments. The fundamental success of any picture book rests on the brilliance of the illustrations and I feel so privileged to have had the honour of working with such a fantastically talented artist for a second time!![]()
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Huge thanks too, to my wonderful agent Jane Novak @textydame12 for all her support and immense hard work behind the scenes!![]()
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In all kinds of ways, this award feels so special. I’ve seen up close the radical difference that speech pathologists make in the lives of so many young people (both in my immediate family and in the students I taught in my previous life as a drama teacher.) It feels like such an honour that our book might be counted worthy to make a significant contribution to language and literacy development in babies and toddlers. It makes the the years spent writing this short, short text and the constant tweaking of it, so worthwhile 😂. A zillion thanks @speechpathaus for such a wonderful day!
🌞It’s been just over a year since ‘Hello World’ came out, in the middle of Sydney’s longest lockdown. It seems like a life time ago, and yet I can still remember feeling so worried that a book that had been so laboriously worked on by so many people, with such love and dedication, should enter the world when no one in Sydney at least, could enter a bookshop!!![]()
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🌞But our sunshine girl found her feet regardless and here she is a grand one-year-old, hanging out with some other gorgeous books on the @harperkidsau bookshelf last week. ![]()
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🌞It was such a thrill to meet so many authors and illustrators face to face at the HarperCollins Author Day last week. Including so many of the HarperCollins team that had been so instrumental in bringing ‘Hello World’ to vivid life. What a joy to meet @harperkidsau Publishing Director @michelle.weisz and editor Kris Kuntz who first commissioned the text and to be able to sincerely thank them. ![]()
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🌞A huge shout out to our original publisher @chren_kali and our fabulous editor Kate Burnitt. I missed seeing you both last week and being able to thank you in person. But I remain so grateful for the brilliant way you stewarded ‘Hello World,’ with such grace and care, from start to finish! It’s hard to believe that our girl is one!
It’s twenty-five years since my dad died, way too young. Every time azaleas come out in September, I think about him, because these fluffy old-fashioned flowers were the crowning glory of our front garden. My dad was the youngest of ten kids and left school at an early age. He was an avid reader and pretty much educated himself. In spring time, our garden was always a wonder, something magic and sweet-smelling in every corner. Whenever I see a bright cloud of azaleas in someone else’s garden, I think about him, working in the garden in the early hours of the morning and in the evenings, bringing so much beauty to the world, all those years ago.
It was such a delight to celebrate Book Week at Sackville Street Public School today, with a gorgeous bunch of K-2 kids. It’s a school that strongly champions books and reading. The Principal, Kylie Lyneham and the Deputy Principal, Michelle Murhan both have large bookcases in their offices, brimming with kids books from their own personal collections! The teacher-librarians, Wendy Chenoweth and Lyn Lynch, have together been an absolute creative force for good, in building a love of reading in the school, and the library as an artistic haven. ![]()
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My favourite question of the day came from a little Kindy boy just after I finished my session. ‘Do you have to do maths to be a writer?’ he whispered, with a gently hopeful look. And suddenly, I was almost back in Kindy myself, with my maths anxiety and my love of reading, and all those books that saved me way back then. 😂
Such a chocolate river after all this rain. But so lovely that the season for wattle has begun.
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Such a joyous day @sydwritersfest Such a thrill to see so many happy kids enjoying books, stories and art! Warmest thanks to @lush_lyf for all your vision and passion. Huge thanks to @harperkidsau for all your support today too! And what a privilege to share the day with so many brilliant kidlit writers and illustrators!!![]()
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Posted @withregram • @gleebooks_kids Phew, what an awesome family day at @sydwritersfest 🤩🤩![]()
We had loads of fun amongst all the free activities in the big backyard with story times, drawing workshops, illustrator sessions, colouring walls, badge making and cool comic choose your own superhero sessions. I am no longer able to put a sentence together, but boy did we have a blast. Prepare yourself for a barrage of photos…![]()
Thanks a million to all the brilliant authors and illustrators from near and far who truly do such a wonderful job keeping reading, ideas and imagination fabulously fun and to all the kids and older folk who joined in all the shenanigans too…and to @lush_lyf for bringing this whole marvellous bookish adventure together!![]()
Bloody love you all!![]()
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@sydwritersfest @crikeyboy @matt.cosgrove @_fredachiu_ @eva.amores @lisashanahan_ @bysarahayoub @maxinebeneba @gleebooks
And so it begins! The @sydwritersfest 2022. A wonderful night celebrating First Nation writers, including stirringly powerful and poetic addresses by Nardi Simpson (@nardiga) Jackie Huggins & Ali Cobby Eckermann (@alicobby.eckermann_ )![]()
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What a beautiful and fitting way to kick off the festival! Such a privilege to be in the presence of such wonderful artists, to hear their stories and thought-provoking reflections. Here’s to a week of good conversations, unexpected detours and grand surprises. #sydneywritersfestival
Delighted to be on the line up for @sydwritersfest, 16–22 May in Sydney! #sydneywritersfestival![]()
www.swf.org.au/.../festival.../storytime-clubhouse/![]()
Hope to see you there for a fun and glorious day of sharing stories!
It’s such a thrill to see our sunshine girl on the 2022 CBCA Book of the Year Notable list for Early Childhood and in the midst of such fine and beautiful company. Huge thanks to @cbcaustralia and to the Early Childhood Judges. What a hard and hectic job! And warmest congrats and a zillion thanks to @leilarudge_illustration for your gorgeous work in bringing our girl to such vivid life 💜💛 and your brilliantly notable Winston too! 🐈 ![]()
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I can’t thank @harperkidsau & @chren_kali & Kate Burnitt & @roman_italic & @michelle.weisz & @textydame12 enough, for all the great fun and joy of making this book together! 🌼🌸![]()
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And lastly, huge congrats to every writer, illustrator and publisher that has brought out a beloved book this year. Making a book is never easy but to publish one in the middle of a pandemic and mostly in the midst of a lockdown almost borders on insanity. Here’s to your astonishing courage; all the laughter, sweat and tears spent over every line and sentence!.![]()
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(Second image courtesy of @chren_kali)
It’s such a delight to see Ruby Lee involved in such a wonderful initiative and in the company of so many other gorgeous picture books too. In what has to be one of the toughest starts to the school year ever, I’m hoping our quirky small girl, with her big imagination will bring lots of laughs to Prep kids across Victoria and a real burst of courage too!Bad surprise: coming home with a squashed lunch at the bottom of the school bag.![]()
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Good surprise: coming home with a brand new Prep Book Bag.![]()
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Around 65,000 preps are starting at Victorian government schools this year. ![]()
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And every single one of them will receive one of our Prep Book Bags - completely free. ![]()
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To make sure no one misses out, the books are produced in Braille too, for students who are blind or have low vision. ![]()
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Starting Prep is no small thing - but these books bags are making sure all Victorian kids get off to a great start.
Here is our Christmas tree, still standing, a little lopsided now with it’s small golden angel, the needles dry and browning but somehow still smelling so intoxicatingly piney. ![]()
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It was the feast of Epiphany yesterday, the twelfth day of Christmas, the last day of the official Christmas season, when the arrival of the magi is celebrated, those wise guys navigating the desert by starlight, bringing their gifts of frankincense, gold and myrrh to baby Jesus. For some strange reason, it’s often the day when decorations are finally taken down and Christmas trees are packed away. I don’t really know why that is.![]()
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Normally, I pack the Christmas tree up with some eagerness, finally overwhelmed by the extra mess around the house. This year, I find myself wanting to keep it up for a little longer. ![]()
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Each day seems to bring some new shock and more uncertainty, in a way that often leaves me feeling quite speechless. But there is something comforting about sitting with Ruby in the quiet, savoring the tree, the last vestiges of Christmas, that age old story of a baby born at the back of an inn to a brave young woman, of singing angels and terrified shepherds, and wise magi and a glittering star, a despotic king breathing out murder, a desperate flight in the night, and a light being born that will never be overcome. ![]()
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There has been such a lot of grief and loss these past two years for so many people and somehow no proper time to grieve those losses, because there’s always some new crisis to face. But I’m thinking so much of our frontline workers tonight, the unbearable conditions you are facing right now and I’m overcome with gratitude for each one of you, for all the ways you have been such light to us all.
It was my first time back in the city yesterday. Many hours were spent at @dymockssydney, searching for book presents, in between drinking the best soy chai latte in the whole of Sydney. The staff were unbelievably helpful, giving some great sci-fi advice with regards to some particular young men in my life 😁. And it was lovely to say hello to our sunshine girl in the kids section!
Such a huge year in every way. But such a thrill and a privilege to work with the brilliant @chren_kali and the whole fabulous @harperkidsau team! And what lovely bookish company ‘Hello World’ is keeping! ![]()
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Posted @withregram • @chren_kali Always feels lovely to gather up my year in #publishing and see all the effort and hard work realised in a beautiful bunch of #books. ![]()
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Big thanks to the team at @harperkidsau and the genius creators behind my class of 2021: @freyablackwood, #TomJellett, @felicearenabooks, @itsmattstantonhere, @misskathleenglasgow, @katrina_nannestad, @leilarudge, @lisashanahan_, @candynjames, @martina_illustrates, @ashleighjbarton, @wagstheauthor, @heath.mckenzie, @beckfeiner_illustrations, @jumurrayillustration, @cherylorsini, @amiekaufmanauthor, @tmillerauthor, @rgraudin, @penguinthemagpie. ![]()
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Proud to publish you all 💗![]()
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And to my beloved HCP pals: @ccap3108, @michelle.weisz, @evieglobal, @lisabberryman, @kadyagray, @ysewankambo, Kate Burnitt, Angie Masters, @jemdilem, @uvrach, @bookie_wookiee, @mrmarkcampbell and the @harpercollinsdesignstudio gang. Love you all x
I always feel like I’ve barely said ‘hello’ to the season of jacarandas before I’m having to say goodbye. There is something so incredibly uplifting about seeing jacarandas pop up like so many purple umbrellas. I’m constantly in danger of a torticolis or a car accident because my head is constantly swiveling as I drive and there is quite a lot of pointing and gasping, much to the horror of my boys. ![]()
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Jacarandas always remind me though that even when life seems dreary or grim, there is always the possibility of unexpected grace, growing sight unseen, until it takes us by surprise. ![]()
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I’m always a little melancholy when November comes to an end. I want the storms and the winds to stay away, just to preserve the season of purple for a good while longer! And yet there is also something about the ephemeral nature of it, that makes it all the sweeter. (Except perhaps if you’re a pool owner, with an overhanging tree 🤣)![]()
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PS. Here is a spectacular tree just around the corner from my house.![]()
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PPS. You can imagine my delight when Leila Rudge chose such a lovely purple onesie for our girl to wear in ‘Hello World’ and then to see the matching type for the front cover too.
It’s Love Your Bookshop Day! As much as I am so grateful to all the wonderful bookshops that have been such unstinting supporters of my work, I am even more grateful for the ways that booksellers have been such a vital help in my quest to keep my three boys lifelong readers, always suggesting just the right book, at just the right time (I’m looking at you Kate Colley!) It feels like such a debt that can never be repaid. ![]()
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I’m looking forward to lockdown ending, so I can head back to those favourite bookshop haunts of mine that always smell and feel like home.
I'm so grateful for all the kindness shown to 'Hello World.' It's been such an encouragement, especially from the middle of lockdown in Sydney, where I am yet to even venture out to see 'Hello World' in the wilds of a physical bookshop. I was especially thrilled to read these lovely words from Barbara Braxton from The Bottom Shelf blog, who is such a brilliant educator, working so tirelessly for so many years to inspire a deep down love of reading in children. I never take for granted the beautiful and often unseen collaboration that goes on between writers/illustrators and educators. It's such patient and painstaking work from their end and they certainly deserve all our wildest thanks and gratitude.![]()
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thebottomshelf.edublogs.org/2021/09/08/hello-world/?fbclid=IwAR2QbjWsiVT3F0kPqa0K9KUM1V7iDYgZH4gW...
Hello World | The Bottom Shelf
thebottomshelf.edublogs.org
Hello World Sep8 Hello World Hello World Lisa Shanahan Leila Rudge ABC Books, 2021 24pp., hbk., RRP $A19.99 9780733340826 There would be few in Australia who have not hel...
I love how @leilarudge_illustration captures something so funny and true about the realities of nap time here; that peculiar and strange exhaustion that can overtake a parent when they least expect it, the cost of being so alert and vigilant when a toddler is so small and adventurous.![]()
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🧡Posted @withregram • @harperkidsau The sun is up ☀️ and so is one gorgeous munchkin, ready to welcome the world!![]()
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Hello World by Lisa Shanahan and illustrated by Leila Rudge is a joyous celebration of the small wonders only a child can help us appreciate. We hope it brings a smile to your face 😊![]()
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#PictureBook
A lovely #bookweek giveaway is going on over ABC Kids Community just now. All you need to do to enter is share your favourite character from a book. I'm a fan of Charlotte from 'Charlotte's Web' and nearly every character from Bob Graham's 'Let's Get a Pup!' To enter pop over the ABC Kids Community and share away. Good luck everyone!🥳 It's time to wrap up another great #bookweek with a giveaway! ✨![]()
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Comment to enter 👇📚 Who is your (or your child's) favourite book character, and why? ![]()
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Five winners will each take home the ABC Books prize pack pictured below! Entries close 10pm AEST, 4/9/21. Read our T&C below.![]()
#CBCA21
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So thrilled to be celebrating Book Week alongside the fabulous ABC Kids Community. This is always a highlight of my year and especially so just now. Here's to books and all the ways they can transport us to old worlds, new worlds and other worlds!
What a joy to see this sunshiny munchkin beaming out from the wonderful Better Reading-Kids community. Warmest thanks for the lovely shout-out!See the world through the eyes of a toddler, with this perfect new picture book from much-loved pair Lisa Shanahan and Leila Rudge. Check out the book here: bit.ly/3Ar4Rje
Timeline photos"As a parent, one of the things I’ve learnt is that when your kids are little, life is just so busy that it can be a challenge to savour the small ordinary moments, to see their beauty and true significance. One of the things I’m hoping with ‘Hello World’ is that this book might offer a lovely window for toddlers and their big people to gather up close, to linger together on all the little things that matter the most in a single day".![]()
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- Lisa Shanahan, author of Hello World 💛 Illustrated by Leila Rudge.
Here's a lovely review from Pat Pledger at ReadPlus. So happy the twirly curly cat gets a mention. That cat is aiming to be the star of the show!
www.readplus.com.au
Toddlers will love the familiarity of all the things that the little girl sees once the sun comes up. The rhythm of the text is beguiling and just right to read aloud to very young children: Hello wo
Here’s a little glimpse of what goes into coming up with the all important cover! Thanks @leilarudge_illustration for this lovely sneaky peek! .![]()
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Posted @withregram • @leilarudge_illustration Big bad news in Newcastle today. 😞 So I’m just gonna keep pumping out the happy stuff…![]()
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We were all a little stumped on cover ideas for Hello World until I sent this internal sneak peek to @chren_kali And she replied ‘Oooohhhhhhh!! I just love this… Do you know what this has? It’s that enthusiasm – the get up and go of a toddler, and also that humour that parents connect to when they see a recognisable image… Could this be our cover perhaps?? Far OUT I love this.´ And just like that, we found our cover. 💛💜
What a lovely note to end the week on! Huge thanks to the whole @harperkidsau team, especially @chren_kali and @michelle.weisz, not to mention @leilarudge_illustration and @roman_italic! So happy to welcome our book baby officially into the world 💜💛
Picture books are often born out of a whirl of memory, observation and deeply felt emotion. ‘Hello World’ certainly arose out of my memories as a parent of three boys. When my boys were small, they were so delighted by ordinary things, whether that was sliding on a pair of stripy shorts in the morning, or spotting a lizard on the footpath, or scrunching their mushy carrots in their fists at dinner. ![]()
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The story also sprang out of my observations of other babies and toddlers too. I can remember one such lovely moment at school pick-up time, when I watched a grandmother walk down the street with her toddler grandson. She was lunging forwards, clutching on tight to his chubby hand, clearly intent on getting to the school gate before the bell rang. Meanwhile, her little grandson was lunging backwards, stopping to greet every dandelion along the footpath like a long-lost friend. I was struck by the exultant way that little boy said hello to each flower, undone by their sunshiny brilliance. And so, with those memories and observations swirling, it was with some trepidation that I set about writing a book for babies and toddlers. I wanted to capture some of the exuberant, wonderstruck energy of that little boy, all the moment-by-moment joy to be found in the rhythms of an ordinary day, from the first ray of sunshine in the early morning, to the first pearly smudge of moonlight in the evening.
Only one week to go until this little one is officially out in the world! One of the things I do love about @leilarudge_illustration’s work is her sublime use of texture. There are just so many delicious patterns for little hands to reach out and pat on every page. 💛💜![]()
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(Illustration from ‘Hello World’ by leilarudge_illustration, published by @harperkidsau.)
Thinking of my Sydney friends and family today. Here’s to glitter and to glue and to messy imperfection and radical kindness in the days ahead, especially those juggling work, kids and homeschooling. ![]()
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(Illustration from ‘Hello World’ by @leilarudge_illustration, published by @harperkidsau.)
So thrilled to see this sneak peek @leilarudge_illustration. I love this adorable girl so much! Not to mention that very cute fat cat. Can’t wait till August!![]()
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Posted @withregram • @leilarudge_illustration Just received some scatter proofs from the new book Hello World @lisashanahan_ and golly gosh they look better than the originals! 🙊 Out this year - around August I think? I’ll share some more sneak peeks soon.
So thrilled to share my review of ‘Iceberg,’ one of the most astounding picture books I have read in recent years over @louiseowens_readme. ![]()
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Posted @withregram • @louiseowens_readme BEST RECENT READ 📖: Lovely Lisa says. ‘I have just read one of the most astonishing picture books that I have encountered in recent years. ‘Iceberg’ written by Claire Saxby and illustrated by Jess Racklyeft, follows an iceberg as it shears from a glacier in a ‘haze of sparkle-frost’ and travels through the seasons, from one spring to the next. It’s stunningly illustrated by Jess Racklyeft, who does miraculous things with a deliberately restrained palette of primarily blue, green and white. But it’s the text by Claire Saxby that really sings. It’s such a daring, poetic, prophetic piece of writing; a delicious tour de force. Saxby never condescends to her readers, either young or old. She has gifted us with a text so finely wrought and so intensely beautiful, that you cannot help but come away from reading it, electrified by a fierce and holy ache to look, see and love the world, with every fibre of your being.’![]()
@allenandunwin @clairesaxbyauthor @jessesmess
So my chat with @cuppawithheather is up/out today (Goodness, what is the proper lingo for this 🤪!) ![]()
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It was so lovely to catch up with Heather. We roamed far and wide in our conversation about my life as a writer. I so appreciated Heather’s warmth and generosity as an interviewer. She has such an open-hearted, questing-to-learn approach to life, which is always an inspiration.
Here is a fantastic giveaway from The Literature Centre. I have such wonderful memories of my time in Fremantle at the Celebrate Reading National Conference in 2019. So thrilled that the conference is back on track!🌟🌟EXCITING BOOK PACK GIVEAWAY 🌟🌟![]()
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To celebrate the school holidays, we're giving away this amazing prize pack of 4 Australian picture books!!![]()
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Feeling lucky? This is your chance to win 📕Midnight by Mark Greenwood and Frané Lessac, 📘Ned Kelly and the Green Sash also by Mark Greenwood and Frané Lessac, 📗Bear and Chook by the Sea by Lisa Shanahan and Emma Quay AND 📙Who’s Afraid of the Quite Nice Wolf? By Kitty Black and Laura Wood.![]()
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HOW TO ENTER: ![]()
1. Like our page![]()
2. Like this post![]()
3. Tag one or more friends or family who love books! (in one comment below)![]()
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🔥 Competition ends Tuesday 13 April at 12pm (WST). One comment/entry per person. The winner will be chosen at random. This prize pack will be sent free to the winner, anywhere in Australia. GOOD LUCK!!![]()
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Frané Lessac - Books and Art ![]()
Emma Quay Books![]()
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Laura Wood Illustration
Here is our little sunshine girl, getting ready to welcome the world! So thrilled to share this cover. I can’t wait to share the whole book, so stunningly illustrated by the brilliant @leilarudge_illustration. She is a genius! Hugely thankful to @chren_kali and Kate Burnitt and the whole team @harperkidsau, including our wonderful designer @roman_italic, for such a beautiful editorial experience. And how lovely to be sharing this so close to #worldpoetryday2021
So thrilled to see this sneak peek @leilarudge_illustration. I love this adorable girl so much! Not to mention that very cute fat cat. Can’t wait till August!![]()
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Posted @withregram • @leilarudge_illustration Just received some scatter proofs from the new book Hello World @lisashanahan_ and golly gosh they look better than the originals! 🙊 Out this year - around August I think? I’ll share some more sneak peeks soon.
I’ve been a little quiet of late, in recovery from the epic job of moving house again, for the third time in five years. But I’ve been meaning to post for the longest time about my absolute joy in receiving one of the earliest copies of ‘Rudie Nudie Christmas’ from my dear friend @emmaquaybooks. ![]()
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Gosh, I adore this book! There are just so many beautifully observed, poignant details to pore over on every page, alongside so many laugh-out-loud moments. From the opening scene with those cute peekaboo faces peering out through the shower steam, to the bubble snow beard on the little boy, to the sweet mistletoe kiss on the second last page. And who will ever forget the hilarious sight of the gingerbread making a mad nudie rudie dash, with their white-frosted bare bottoms?![]()
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What I especially appreciate about this Christmas book is how true-to-life it is. It captures the chaos of bath and bedtime, the witching hour for most parents, with all hands on deck to make it through, whilst simultaneously capturing the exquisite intensity of Christmas Eve for children, their exuberant joy, their wild sense of hope and anticipation, which we all know in truth is one of the best parts of Christmas. ![]()
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One of the many things the acclaimed writer Margaret Wild once said to me when she accepted my first manuscript for ABC Books was that I shouldn’t contemplate writing a sequel ever, unless the idea for the second book was significantly better than the first. I really think Emma has outdone herself in this regard, because ‘Rudie Nudie Christmas’ feels like another absolute classic in the making. ![]()
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Lastly, I think it’s rare to see picture books that celebrate the unashamed, radical goodness of our physical bodies. In some senses, both of Emma’s Rudie Nudie books feel like small hymns of praise to the beauty of human embodiment. What a joy for younger readers to soak up the quiet truth that their bodies are ingenious and glorious and delightful. And what an antidote to the other more shadowy kinds of messages they may receive on their way to adulthood! In this way, ‘Rudie Nudie Christmas’ is a gift that will keep on giving, long after the last present has been opened on Christmas Day.
Such a thrill to be hanging out with these two gorgeous teachers from @taraanglicanschoolforgirls, dressed up today as my goody two shoe characters, Siena and Vienna from ‘Hark, It’s Me, Ruby Lee!’ Three cheers to teachers everywhere for making Book Week come alive through sheer enthusiasm and the power of a hot glue gun!! ![]()
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#harkitsmerubylee #binnyillustration #hachetteaus #bookweek2020 #sienaandvienna #bookweek2020 #bookweekdressup #bookstagram #teachersofinstagram #teachersfollowteachers #teacherlife #worldteachersday
I was thrilled to visit with Ravenswood School for Girls today, to celebrate Book Week with them, alongside their wonderful library staff. What a gorgeous library/learning centre, jutting out over the whole school like the glassy prow of a ship. We had a great deal of fun exploring where ideas come from and how books are made and I was so impressed by the perceptive questions coming from students of all ages. It was such a brilliant day!
I had the great fun of celebrating the launch of Book Week at Toongabbie Christian School today. I walked into the library in the early morning, only to be met by a delightful bunch of impish wild things, including Max, all hot and red-cheeked from parading seven times around the playground in the school Book Week Parade. Seven times in those costumes, I kid you not!!!![]()
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Now, take a closer look at those costumes too...they were hand-made, from top to bottom, slaved over for days and days, outside of school time!![]()
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It’s an astonishingly beautiful thing to witness the heartfelt devotion of teacher-librarians and library staff (here’s looking at you Kerry Pope!) All the lengths they will go to day to day, to instil a passionate love for books in every child. It’s hard not to be completely undone by the quiet, unrelenting goodness of that kind of work! 🐾🐾🐾🐾
This was a gift made a long time ago by a very dedicated class teacher Mrs Rourke and her kindy class, and presented to me after a school visit. 🦍 Each child in KJ chose a swatch of fabric that they would have given Gordon as a replacement for his torn snookie and then each swatch was sewn into this quilted wall hanging. Then they each wrote their names in the middle. 🦍I’ve pondered those names for years, praying and hoping good things for them; Sevanna, Ridma, Llanoi, Justin, Bronte, Cooper, Amol, Laura, Aldiha, Brayden, Chloe, the two Lachlan’s, Alysha, Nicholas, Kayla, Ainsley, Nathan, Owen, Aaron and Susie. They are the class of 2020 now.❤️I’m continuing to hope and pray good things for them, even in this toughest of years. 🦍❤️ I’m so thankful for their outstanding teacher Mrs Rourke and for all teachers and teacher-librarians like her. 🦍 Mrs Rourke, who poured her whole heart out for KJ, hoping they’d catch the magic of reading, and in the process teaching a small community of readers to embody the radical kindness they had read about in a book. 🦍❤️🦍❤️🦍❤️🦍 #gordonsgotasnookie #wayneharris
In what has been such a heartrending year for so many, and particularly so for young people, it's a small bright blast of joy to know that visiting schools; swapping stories, sharing laughter and the wonder of books, in person, is once again on the agenda. ![]()
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Time and time again, over the years, when my own heart has felt stretched beyond capacity, I have turned to stories. I've pushed my way through the mink coats of an old wardrobe and discovered the crunch of snow beneath my feet and the bright light of a lamp in the woods. I have felt reality, as the writer Marilynne Robinson once so magnificently described it, ‘on a set of nerves somehow not quite my own.’ And so often I have come back from these worlds, spending time in the company of those characters, strangely consoled and encouraged. Sometimes I have come back overjoyed and undone. Sometimes I have come back hugely convicted, but mostly I have come back restored. ![]()
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Telling stories, sharing stories, reading stories...it's always a fundamental part of reorientation, of learning how to give voice to what is often subterranean, to find some way of bring coherence out of the chaos. In the midst of any school visit, no matter how hilariously riotous and fun, I think this is what is being implicitly demonstrated and communicated, in ways that are always beautifully understated.It’s been a tough year for all but things are moving forward. We have noticed that schools are starting to book up-coming author and illustrator visits, whether virtual or in person. Need an author or illustrator to visit your school or library? Contact Beth at staff@thechildrensbookshop.com.au or have a look at our website #thechildrensbookshopspeakersagency . Thanks for your support! Looking forward to brilliant Terms 3 and 4! #paulsbooktrail2020 @bethanymacdonaldartist @thefictive @suewhiting4 @timharrisbooks @lisashanahan_ @matt.cosgrove @oliverwinfree @watts.frances @freyablackwood @katejoltemple @erinoko @gusgordonbooks @stephenmichaelking @ursuladubosarsky @deborah_abela_ @andrewdaddo @auraparker @morris_gleitzman
‘What if no one asked anything important?’ Henry Hoobler sensing the weight and virtue of a simple question!
Looking forward to the adventures ahead in this new term, to sharing the wonders of reading and writing books in schools, in fresh new ways, alongside this brilliant bunch of writers and illustrators. So thrilled to be represented by The Children’s Bookshop Speakers’ Agency!On-line Author and Illustrator Visits to your School or Library? ![]()
In Term 2 and beyond, authors and illustrators such as Lisa Shanahan, Belinda Murrell, Aura Parker, Liz Anelli, Kate and Jol Temple, Zanni Louise, Phillip Gwynne, Christopher Nielsen and many others from The Children’s Bookshop Speakers’ Agency are keen to visit your school as Virtual or ‘In Real Life’ Visitors. Let’s provide passionate creative role models for kids! Contact Beth at staff@thechildrensbookshop.com.au to discuss bookings. ![]()
@lisashanahan_ @belinda_murrell @zannilouise #paulsbooktrail2020 @bethanymacdonaldartist @phillipgwynne @lizanelli @auraparker @katejoltemple @christophernielsen #thechildrensbookshopspeakersagency
I'll be forever grateful to Mark Macleod, for taking a gamble on me when he was working as a Publisher with his own imprint at Hodder Headline. I was an unknown writer back then, with a passionate zeal for writing picture books. As a publisher and as an editor, he was so phenomenally wise and generous, with such a keen eye and ear for what makes a picture book really work. I'm so thrilled to see that he is presenting an online course on writing picture books at Writing NSW. It's such a wonderful opportunity. Every time Mark speaks or teaches even to this day, I always come away feeling seriously enlivened, invited to grapple once again with the immense mystery and joy of what it is to make picture books for children.
Picture books as a team sport with Mark Macleod - Writing NSW
bit.ly
We chatted to children's book author and industry expert Mark Macleod on learning from your contemporaries, embracing failures and being a team player when it comes to creating a picture book, ahead o...
It’s taken me plenty of years to work out what true bravery looks like. Thinking today of all those feeling both a little and a lot worried and scared the whole time and who are doing brave things anyway. 💙💚💙
I’m home-schooling two of my boys and even though they are mostly independent learners, I’ve found myself collapsing in a heap at the end of the day! Cue flomp—flomp—thud—snore! Hats off to teachers everywhere for all that you do!![]()
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Given all of that, I’m thrilled to be able to share a link to a series of videos in which Emma Quay and I read BEAR AND CHOOK BY THE SEA, to a group of primary-school aged children, then answer their very astute questions about the text, the illustrations, our working process and inspirations. This educational resource was filmed by the Department of Education, under the genius guidance of two astonishing teacher-librarians, Jenny Scheffers and Ian McLean. ![]()
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There are some wonderful lesson notes from the NSW Department of Education to accompany each video, and there’s plenty of room to improvise with some additional learning. Younger children could make the puppets after watching the reading, and then be encouraged to act out the story with their characters. Older children might be invited to write and then perform a sound poem of their own trip to the sea, from the moment they first wake up, to the minute they arrive home.![]()
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I do hope a little trip to the sea with Bear and Chook might bring a little joy and delight to children everywhere, as well as a little surreptitious learning on the side. And in the meantime, as we continue to stay at home to keep each other safe, may we lift a slice of warm honey toast to each other in solidarity, just the way Bear and Chook like it best.![]()
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Learning resource © State of New South Wales (Department of Education) 2017. Video recordings produced with kind permission of Hachette Australia. @hachetteaus @hachettekids
Teachers are never far from my thoughts just now. I can’t even begin to imagine the intense load they are carrying. Ever year is full to the brim in ordinary time. But to be in class right now, juggling the worry for the well-being of their students, the legitimate worry for their own families, alongside the need to maintain a safe space for learning, both now and into the future, whatever that might look like, which one of us could seriously take it!? Send cards, flowers, gifts, love! Let teachers know that you know and are so deeply thankful for their immense grace under duress! .![]()
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(Illustration of best teacher Mrs Dalton by the fantabulous @gusgordonbooks)
So looking forward to working with Paul and Beth McDonald and to joining The Children's Bookshop Speaker's Agency, alongside so many other fabulous writers and illustrators. It's always a privilege to be invited to speak at a school, or a conference, or a festival, to have this unique and lovely window to share about the joys of reading, the pleasures and the pain of writing, the sometimes funny places that ideas poke up from, the singular power of an ordinary moment. I've spoken to thousands and thousands of kids across the years and the thing that makes me happiest is when one sidles up at the end of a session and whispers that they are off to get a journal of their own that very afternoon. Because as much as I might want to inspire the children I meet to love to read, I'm always hoping that some of them will also come away with an awakened sense of wonder, all those tiny, startling ideas for stories, hiding in plain sight, right in the middle of their own astonishing lives.
There’s still time! The #authorforfireys auction ends at 11pm tonight! 💜🌸If you dream of filling the pages of a picture book (and a child's heart) with your stories and images, you might be interested in the Picture Book Mentorship Lisa Shanahan and I are offering for auction. It is our contribution to the #authorsforfiries initiative, in response to the Australian bushfire crisis.![]()
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It would be our pleasure to help you bring your picture book project to a publishable standard, as well as developing your writing and illustrative skills. We are both experienced picture book creators with over twenty years in the industry, have received awards for our picture book collaborations as well as individually... and are close friends, too! We would love to spend some time with you, and share our enthusiasm and knowledge. If you hop over to my last post, you'll see the details, and how to bid...![]()
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THANK YOU TO ALL, THE AUCTION IS NOW CLOSED TO BIDS. 💚![]()
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#AuthorsForFireys #authorsforfiries #illustratorsforfiries #emmaquaysketchbook![]()
P.S. Not sponsored by Twitter, Instagram or Facebook.
Hi there friends, here is a small way that Emma Quay and I are hoping to help Australian firefighters. Feel free to share and to bid in the auction over at Emma’s page! So grateful to the firefighters of Australia and to the arts community for coming up with such a unique way to offer our support. #authorsforfireysHello, my friends,![]()
We would love to help you, and in doing so join the #AuthorsForFireys community in donating the proceeds to Australian bushfire relief.![]()
Emma![]()
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🌱 THANK YOU TO ALL, THE AUCTION IS NOW CLOSED TO BIDS. 🌱![]()
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An opportunity from award-winning picture book creators, Lisa Shanahan and Emma Quay:![]()
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We have been haunted by the terrible suffering of so many people and animals affected by the bushfires here in Australia. Inspired by the #AuthorsForFireys appeal, set up by Emily Gale and Nova Weetman, we’ve decided to make a joint contribution to the bushfire recovery fundraiser.![]()
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So... together we’re offering—for the #authorsforfiries auction—![]()
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1 X PICTURE BOOK MENTORSHIP, for an emerging or early career picture book creator, including 3 x 1 hour sessions via Skype, with the option of meeting in person if the winning bidder is based near Sydney.![]()
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Feel free to bid for this unique opportunity to be mentored by two bestselling and award-winning picture book creators and collaborators. Together, we’ll guide you through manuscript development and the illustration process, to develop your skills and confidence and help bring your picture book project to a publishable standard.![]()
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Neither of us are big Twitter users, so feel free to bid in the comments below in $AUD. The auction ends at 11pm AEST on the 11 January 2020, with the winning bid to provide proof of donation to an Australian Rural Fire Service. With heartfelt thanks for digging deep and collaborating with us in bringing hope to so many wonderful communities in dire need.![]()
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Thank you for reading and sharing - please place your bid in the comments on the original post at Emma Quay Books.![]()
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#AuthorsForFireys #authorsforfiries #illustratorsforfiries #illustratorsofinstagram #authorsofinstagram #writers #writersofinstagram #writersofig #loveozkidlit #loveozpicturebooks #loveozkidbooks #bookcommunity #writingcoach #writingproject #writinghelp #writingislife #picturebooks #awardwinning #cbca #bearandchook #bearandbookbythesea #australianbushfires #ruralfireservice #donate #help #hope![]()
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P.S. Not sponsored by Twitter, Instagram or Facebook.
I’m overjoyed that ‘The Grand, Genius Summer of Henry Hoobler’ is available now as an audio book, thanks to the brilliant team @bolindaaudio 🚵🏼♂️ It’s so lovely to listen to the exuberant tones of @paddyharve at last! And just in time to keep the whole family entertained on those long, long car trips to exciting holiday destinations. 🚘⛺️🍦🐚🦑🐠🦈
This was such a magic conference. Such a beautiful gift to be there. I’ll be pondering the insights and the wisdom of my fellow writers and illustrators for years to come. There’s always just so much more to learn in this profession. So grateful for the generosity and warmth of Lesley, Sacha, and the whole team at The Literature Centre, including all the volunteers, not to forget the fantastic kindness of all the delegates!We love this photo! ❤️ What an amazing line-up of presenters we had this year at our Celebrate Reading National Conference, pictured with Lesley and Sacha. We’ve been overwhelmed reading the wonderful feedback from Conference attendees. Delegates, if you haven't already done so, please let us know about your Conference experience through the survey link sent to you via email. 😃#CelebrateReading2019![]()
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As mentioned during the Conference, we thank our event partners and supporters, in particular the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries, South West. We are very proud of the success and reputation of this West Australian event, focusing on the very best of Australia's literature for children and young adults.![]()
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📷 Photo credit Shaan Coutinho, Watermark Designs
'Everybody’s born and everybody exists. But to be fully human takes a little bit of effort. I think my novels are about the challenge of actually being human and not avoiding the responsibility of being human, which is very heavy. There’s a responsibility of the single person, the responsibility of the married person and of the person with children, the person without, of the dog lover — each tiny path has its kind of demands upon you, which are incredibly hard to fulfil.' Zadie Smith
www.thestar.com
Acclaimed author of new short-story collection “Grand Union” underlines the effort in becoming fully human, particularly in an age where tech and tech companies create “a system which makes you ...
It’s World Kindness Day today. And if you’re an introverted dragon in a very noisy classroom, you are going to need a very good friend to whisper a story to calm your nerves. Kindness is not the flashiest of the virtues but it certainly makes life worth living. If someone has done something immensely kind for you today, feel free to share! 🌻💜🌻.. ![]()
#bigpetday #gusgordon #worldkindnessday #kindness #kind
There’s a powerful collision of the real and the imagined in ‘Big Pet Day,’ which Gus Gordon captures so artfully in the illustrations, often delicately underscoring this theme with his gorgeous use of collage. The funny little critter dashing out from behind the tree is a capybara, one of the largest living rodents on earth. This enigmatic character makes many appearances throughout ‘Big Pet Day,’ even though I make no mention of it in the text at all. It’s one of the brilliant, joyful surprises of collaborating with such an inventive artist. Now, even though I am not a fan of rodents generally, bordering on being completely phobic if I’m honest, I am deeply fond of this cute little one. And guess what? Now you can see real capybaras because they have just arrived at Taronga Zoo! That Gus Gordon! He is almost scarily prescient! 😁👨🏻🎨
Such a fascinating story!
The 17th century feminist who used fairy tales as a weapon
www.abc.net.au
Life was brutal for 1600s author Mary Catherine D'Aulnoy. So she took to fairy tales to write cleverly coded messages of resistance.
'So what’s behind our heightened connection with children’s books? The journalist Lucy Mangan offers some clues in her memoir of childhood reading, Bookworm. She suggests that children’s tendency towards re-reading is not only healthy but necessary, given the wealth of new information books convey. “You are learning about people, about relationships, about the variety of responses available to them [the characters] and in many more situations and circumstances … than one single real life permits,” she writes. “Each book is a world entire.”'
Why the books we read as children are the ones that shape our psyche
www.theguardian.com
As the TV adaptation of Philip Pullman’s epic fantasy His Dark Materials reaches our screens, one writer tells how the trilogy changed her life
So incredibly lovely to meet Frané at the StoryArts Festival a few weeks ago and then Dianne at the Celebrate Reading Conference at The Literature Centre this past week. They are both fantastic creators of astonishingly beautiful children’s books but also such immensely gracious, hilariously funny, down-to-earth and generous people. The kind of people that make you feel glad to be alive!These two at The Literature Centre! Great Day 1 - Celebrate Reading Conference Dianne Wolfer - Author Lisa Shanahan
Such a joy to present at The Literature Centre today and in the company of so many brilliant writers and illustrators. I feel like I will be pondering the goodness of all I have learnt over these two short days for months and months, not to mention the immense generosity of The Literature Centre team, the unstinting kindness of the volunteers and the immense dedication of all the educators, librarians, parents and carers helping kids to discover the world of books.
This was so much fun! A highlight of my time at the StoryArts Festival, among so many brilliant moments.
I spent a wonderful day at Bethany Lutheran College today. What a fantastic school and what a beautiful place to finish up my time at the StoryArts Festival. So grateful to Michelle Crump for her fantastic hospitality and her superb organisation. And how lovely to spend the day with the always brilliant Mark Greenwood and Frané Lessac
'Chris Buckingham, president of Public Libraries Victoria, agrees that when it gets right down to it, libraries are about people power: “The pursuit of a just and fair society sits at the very core of what we do.” Buckingham thinks of librarians as subversives with big hearts. And a lot of patience.' Jane Cadzow![]()
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Yes! What a wonderful article on the importance of libraries but also on the outstanding brilliance of librarians; book advisers, counsellors, life coaches, cooking instructors, technology wizards, matchmakers...their gifts are boundless.
One for the books: the unlikely renaissance of libraries in the digital age
www.smh.com.au
In a fast-paced, digital age of quid pro quo, libraries stand as safe places where people help other people. Their renaissance is as much about community as their literary riches.
All the starry lights for this lovely book on writing for young people by Rosanne Hawke. It contains all the accumulated wealth of Rosanne’s many, many years of experience as a wonderful writer and her wisdom as a beloved teacher of writing too! It’s a remarkably generous book, as Rosanne anticipates all the questions and queries about the craft of writing for children and the best way to sustain a healthy career over the long haul. Rosanne has also collected some beautiful reflections on the nature of faith and writing from a number of fantastic writers, including a gorgeous meditation on words and music from the brilliant writer @claire_zorn.
It was such a privilege to be teaching writing, alongside the always brilliant Susanne Gervay and Oliver Phommavanh and Simon French. Huge thanks to Steven Body and Brewongle Environmental Education Centre for your fantastic hospitality and to all the kids, for making the day so magic!
So much fun to spend time with these fantastic writers at the Brewongle Environmental Education Centre, exploring the importance of being a collector as a writer; a collector of words, memories, feelings, tiny moments, startling imagery. Such a delight to listen to their poetry, so funny and poignant and astute. And all of this in the wonderfully historic one room public school established in 1878!
So lovely to be at Writers Unleashed Festival today with a whole host of fabulous writers and illustrators, including the wonderful Susanne Gervay. So good to celebrate the work of this festival, these ten fantastic years strengthening and encouraging local writers. What an amazing gift to the arts community!
Huge congrats to all the authors, illustrators and publishers of these wonderful award-winning books! What an exciting day!And here it is! The full list of CBCA 2019 Book of the Year Winner and Honour Books. Congratulations once again to all the authors, illustrators and publishers. ![]()
Head to our website for the details: www.cbca.org.au/winners-2019![]()
#cbca2019
'There’s also something instructive in reading books that, as Rundell points out, are “specifically written to be read by a section of society without political or economic power”. In an age whose political ructions are the result of widespread frustration at the powerlessness of the many in the face of the few, this recognition of how emboldening and subversive children’s books can be feels important.'
www.theguardian.com
A hymn to the energising brilliance of children’s literature
One week to go!! What a privilege to be presenting at this wonderful festival. I'm looking forward to meeting my fellow picture book fanatics and exploring what it really takes to write a picture book, from first seed to final story!How lucky are we that Lisa Shanahan will be part of this year’s Writers’ Unleashed.![]()
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As an award-winning writer of picture books and fiction for young people, Lisa’s talk on The Seed to Story of Picture Books is sure to be entertaining and full of valuable information for both new and more experienced writers. ![]()
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For more info and to get your tickets check out our website![]()
shirewritersfestival.weebly.com/presenters.html![]()
#writingcommunity @authortalks #books
'Fierce, Funny, True: Writing for Children' begins at Writing NSW on Tuesday 20 August at 6.30pm. If you've been pondering whether this course might be something for you, here is the course outline offering a little more detail on what we will cover over the next six weeks. If it sounds like your cup of tea, feel free to head on over to Writing NSW to sign up. I think there are still a few places left and I'd certainly love for you to join us! ![]()
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Week One: On Finding Inspiration ![]()
Discover the four common doorways to fiction. Learn how to develop a regular writing practice and how to gather inspiration, through exercises designed to help participants write with humour and heart. Explore the importance of play and experimentation, how to keep the critical voice at bay. Discover how getting to know your characters deeply (their loves, hopes and disappointments) can help stories grow organically, in picture books and novels.![]()
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Week Two: From Seed to Story ![]()
How can something so short, be so darned tricky to write? Examine two different types of picture books, including a case study of the way a picture book is written from start to finish. Discover the way story arrives seamlessly through a creative marriage between text and image. Learn the importance of picking your words like a poet and how structure can be your friend. ![]()
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Week Three: Crack! Snap! Fizz! ![]()
What does it take to write for emerging or reluctant readers? Crackling plots? Snappy dialogue? Fizzing imagery? Explore some of the special literary and literacy requirements of writing for younger readers and the breadth and depth of stories for this age group. ![]()
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Week Four: Fierce, Funny and True ![]()
Many people have childhood memories of an illuminating encounter with a never-to-be-forgotten novel! Often this kind of novel was an outstanding example of middle-grade fiction. Australian publishing is in the middle of a renaissance in middle-grade fiction. Explore some of the diversity and variety in style and content for novels for this age group and participate in writing exercises designed to help build voice, believability and emotional resonance. ![]()
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Week Five: Class Workshop Session![]()
It’s time to brave the waters and test out that picture book text or the opening pages of your novel. Explore how to give and receive constructive, sensitive feedback about both the strengths and the growth areas of your work. ![]()
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Week Six: Polishing and Publishing![]()
Where to next? Review the importance of editing and redrafting, when and where to deploy a critical eye, and how to process feedback constructively. Explore issues regarding submission, layout of manuscripts, finding publishers and agents, all the practical daily business of being a writer.
I'm looking forward to speaking at Writers Unleashed and chatting all things picture books, in just under two short weeks! I'll be exploring how a picture book is grown from the smallest seed to the final story. And also what really makes them work! I'm excited to be presenting alongside some fabulous authors and illustrators and I hope to see you there 😄🎉
Timeline photosIT'S STILL ON!! 😃 Two book packs now to win due to amazing demand! One drawn today. 2nd winner drawn TUE 6 AUG, 9AM (WST) All entries here are still in it.![]()
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📚WIN THIS BOOK PACK! 📚 Our Conference programme and exhibitions are being finalised and excitement is building. Just imagine meeting and listening to the creators of these four wonderful books by Shaun Tan, Glenda Millard, Stephen Michael King, Lisa Shanahan and Dianne Wolfer, all of whom are presenting at our Conference along with Felice Arena, Leila Rudge and Ronojoy Ghosh. - Lesley![]()
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👉 Competition Details: To enter simply LIKE this post, TAG 1 or more friends in comments and SHARE this post. One entry per person. Winner chosen at random. Comp deadline 9am (WST) Tuesday 6 August, 2019. This pack of 4 books sent free to the winner, anywhere in Australia.![]()
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👉 Find out more about our Celebrate Reading National Conference, 1-2 November 2019 in Fremantle. Book now on Eventbrite. www.thelitcentre.org.au/media/1472/2019-celebrate-reading-conference-flyer-1-2-nov-final-version.pdf
This is going to be such a wonderful conference! I'm sure there will be plenty of delicious stories, much laughter, a few tears and a whole heap of inspiration. I have to admit I am not the bravest person when it comes to flying. I think there may well have been some shrieks on the bumpy plane ride to Canberra for the Prime Minister's Literary Awards in December last year, much to the amusement of my fellow passengers and to the horror of my husband. But see, I'm facing down my flying fears like good old Henry Hoobler because I know it will all be worth it. There are no concurrent sessions at this conference, which means that there will be no missing out on any session, alongside a really lovely sense of community. I hope to see you there in November. I won't be offended if you choose not to sit next to me on the plane!Don’t miss this! Join us 1-2 November in Fremantle, WA for our ‘Celebrate Reading National Conference’ - The Inside Story on Quality Australian Literature for Children. Enjoy two inspiring, insightful and rewarding days at our unique Centre. It’s unlike any other Conference you’ve experienced! Meet and hear from these 8 amazing presenters:![]()
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📕 Shaun Tan (Keynote)![]()
📗 Stephen Michael King![]()
📙 Glenda Millard![]()
📘 Lisa Shanahan ![]()
📕 Felice Arena![]()
📗 Ronojoy Ghosh![]()
📙 Leïla Rudge![]()
📘 Dianne Wolfer![]()
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BOOK NOW via Eventbrite. Follow the link for details: www.thelitcentre.org.au/news/2019-celebrate-reading-national-conference-join-us-in-fremantle-1-2-...![]()
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@shauncytan @stephenmichaelking #glendamillard @lisashanahan @Felicearena @ronojoyghosh. @leilarudge_illustration #diannewolfer
Whoo-hooo! Looking forward to this, more than words can say. I cannot wait to share some of my favourite children's books too; 'The Swap' by Jan Ormerod and Andrew Joyner, 'Fox' by Margaret Wild and Ron Brooks, 'The One and Only Ivan' by K A Applegate, 'Lenny's Book of Everything' by Karen Foxlee and 'The Elephant' by Peter Carnavas, to name but a few. All these fierce, funny and true books; the kind that simultaneously make you laugh, wring your heart out and make you so grateful to be alive that you want to do a little jig in the street. I'm overjoyed to share what I have learnt about writing for children over the past twenty years and to hear the fantastic insights and reflections of other class members too. If you need practical encouragement and inspiration for the long haul journey of being a writer, I hope you will join me at Writing NSW on a Tuesday night from the 20 August 2019 for six lovely weeks. But in the meantime, what are your favourite children's books; the ones that feel so funny, fierce and true to you?
Fierce, Funny, True: Writing for Children with Lisa Shanahan - Writing NSW
writingnsw.org.au
Join award-winning writer Lisa Shanahan for an engaging and interactive six-week course for early and emerging writers. Learn the art and craft of writing for children, from picture books to junior no...
I love teaching at Writing NSW and I especially love teaching this longer course, because it allows participants to explore in so much greater depth the craft of writing for children, just what it takes to master a witty, playful picture book text, or a big-hearted, funny novel for junior and middle-grade readers. One of the real joys of these longer courses is the chance to hear participants share their work and to watch the growth that comes from reading stories out loud, from writing in the midst of community. If you've always longed to write for children but you haven't known where to begin, or if you've begun but feel like you need some extra encouragement, I hope you might head on over to Writing NSW and click on the link and join me and a class of fellow children's book enthusiasts, for an immensely fun and inspiring six-weeks.
Fierce, Funny, True: Writing for Children with Lisa Shanahan - Writing NSW
writingnsw.org.au
Join award-winning writer Lisa Shanahan for an engaging and interactive six-week course for early and emerging writers. Learn the art and craft of writing for children, from picture books to junior no...
'As for libraries, they have for Cowell always been key. “If your parents can’t afford books and your primary school doesn’t have a library because they’ve been shutting over the last 10 years and you don’t go to the public library, how do you become a reader? How is that supposed to happen? Nobody has been able to answer that question effectively for me. At the very least primary schools have to have libraries.”![]()
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But most of all, she wants her laureateship “to be about joy”. “I’m going to make my laureateship all about magic, about the magic of reading, of writing. As soon as it becomes something you’ve got to finish, it’s a task,” she says. “It’s got to be joyful.”'
Cressida Cowell: ‘Books are better than films at teaching children creativity and intelligence'
www.theguardian.com
The new children’s laureate and How to Train Your Dragon author talks about how to get kids reading and why we need the space to make mistakes
My husband retrained as a teacher a few years ago and although he is working in a different area in education now, I got a revelatory glimpse into what life is like as a new grad primary school teacher; the dedication, the passion, the joy, the heartaches, the remarkably loooong hours. I'm just SO happy that the Celebrate Reading National Conference recognises the importance of encouraging teachers in their first five years and that they are offering TWO scholarships for the conference on November 1-2, in Fremantle, West Australia!! ![]()
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Feel free to tag as many teacher friends that would qualify for this scholarship as possible, especially those that love books and good food and wonderful conversation, not to mention the thrill of being able to visit Western Australia!If you’ve had ‘Enter to win a Scholarship’ on your To Do list for ages 📝 and still haven’t done it - now is the time! Primary Teachers in their first 5 years of teaching can apply to come to our Celebrate Reading National Conference, 1-2 November, for free! ![]()
It’s so worth entering... for this amazing presenter line-up, the programme, the food, the bookshops and book signings, the prizes and heaps more!![]()
If you aren’t able to enter, TAG your teacher friends - they’ll love you for it 😇![]()
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Find all the details on our flyer 👉 www.thelitcentre.org.au/media/1526/2019_scholarship_conference_flyer_final.pdf
'It’s awful. Every time one of the stories you’ve laboured over gets rejected feels so hard. I don’t mean to minimise it at all. In fact, I want to emphasise this. I want to acknowledge it. It is damn hard. You spend years working on a novel. You make all the right moves. Get pre-readers, hire a manuscript assessor, take it through a program. And at the end you send it off with your heart attached to it with paperclips and you hold your hands together and sit by the mailbox like a dog waiting for its owner to return. And then you get the form letter.![]()
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It sucks. But I’m saying to you: you can persevere. You’re a writer, damn it. Get off the floor and clench your fists and edit and send it out once more. You can endure. You are being refined. Collect rejections like UFC fighters collect scars; each one of those things is a mark that has created this warrior you’re becoming. Be proud. And send it out again.' Ben Hobson![]()
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There are so many beautiful reflections here from three fantastic writers, around what to do with the pain and the difficulties of rejection, however it comes, whether from a reviewer or from a publisher. This is a really encouraging interview from Irma Gold. Hope it's an inspiration to all those writers recovering from the inevitable stings of a writing life.
Taking licks: On writing rejection and success – IRMA GOLD
www.irmagold.com
Taking licks: On writing rejection and success 26 June 2019 Rejection slips, or form letters, however tactfully phrased, are lacerations of the soul, if not quite inventions of the devil — but there...
I'm looking forward to facilitating this course, starting in late August. It's a longer time frame, which allows for much greater depth into the how and the why of writing for children. It was a real highlight last year, in my previous longer course, to hear the stories of each participant and to workshop their writing. So much story goodness and courage and generosity to be found in that room. If you have always wanted to write for children but feel a little daunted, unsure even where to begin, feel free to come along. I'd love to see you there!
Fierce, Funny, True: Writing for Children with Lisa Shanahan - Writing NSW
writingnsw.org.au
Join award-winning writer Lisa Shanahan for an engaging and interactive six-week course for early and emerging writers. Learn the art and craft of writing for children, from picture books to junior no...
I never would have remembered how much Club Med hovered over my whole childhood like a delicious, unattainable promise land, except for the fact I’ve been writing a story about ‘wonder and wilderness’ for @storiessongsandsoulfood. How could our annual trip up to Coolangatta when I was a kid, in our dusty Ford Fairmont, ever hope to cut it with my best friend’s tales of wild adventure at the Club Med Kids Club, with it’s all-you-can-eat buffet? How could feeding the lorikeets at the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary ever hope to compete? 🦜🦜🦜🦜 Ahh, writing...it’s a beautiful thing. All the ways you get to excavate your deepest, unrequited longings for the sake of the whole world. I’ll be telling a funny story on Saturday night about a recent camping trip. But I will happily confess to my still lingering regret that I never got to enter in to the much fabled promise land of my childhood. I’m hoping at least some of you out there did!?
Stories, Songs and Soul Food is back! This was one of my favourite nights in 2017. I’m looking forward to the joy of laughing, eating, listening and telling stories, with a whole company of fantastic storytellers, singers and artists! ![]()
Posted @withrepost • @storiessongsandsoulfood We are "growing by stories every day... we tell stories, we do not wrap them around our fingers controlled and ordered, we are wrapped and rolled by them....✨for inside your mind are a million sleeping thoughts and a billion masterpieces and a trillion tiny moments they creep into our souls whether we are willing or not they pry us open, open our mouths. we tell stories....ask the scribble script, ask the wet paint, where once was simply the form of wood, now with the carving patience of the artist emerges contours of art body and elegant face, where the musician is found to take sound and fashion out of her a symphony, we drench the world a new colour, call forth what is deeper, pull wide the curtain of separation, show beauty for what she is, we tell stories......" ✨📝🎤🎶Love a good story? Join us this coming Saturday for stories, songs and soul food @charlielovett_peakhurst featuring brilliant storytellers including award winning author @lisashanahan_ 🎶🎤✨🎨📝quoted above- extract of 'we tell stories' by @joelmckerrowpoet
Here is a vital way that Australians can express their concern for the wellbeing of Leo Yang! I hope you might consider signing this petition, asking Peter Dutton to overturn the decision to deport Leo's mother. The treatment for leukaemia is intense and gruelling and it seems unthinkable that we would consider adding to this little boy's trauma, by separating him from his mum. Part of Leo's continued wellbeing and healing will rest on knowing he is firmly loved and is safely held. It's easy for us to turn our eyes away from the things that pain us, to keep on clicking through to a more sunshiny post. I hope that we might all do whatever we can for this little boy, whether it's to email our local minister or to sign a petition.
This is a devastating story. After watching my six-year old nephew endure treatment for leukaemia for these past eighteen months, I know how essential it has been for him to have his mum by his side the whole time; loving him fiercely, comforting and advocating for him at every stage. I do not understand how we could ever entertain the horrific idea of deporting a single mother of a little boy with a life-threatening illness. How our very first reaction isn't immediately, 'Oh my goodness, this is absolutely terrible, what can we do to help?'![]()
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When my nephew became ill, a whole community rallied around his family, to bring them support in every way possible. This little boy deserves no less!![]()
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I'd ask you to write an email to Hon Peter Dutton MP at peter.dutton.mp@aph.gov.au or to your local member, entreating the government to offer Leo Yang and his mother clemency, compassion and all the support they will need for the gruelling years ahead.
Down syndrome, leukaemia — now baby Leo faces foster care if mum is deported
www.abc.net.au
Baby Leo Yang, who has Down syndrome and leukaemia, will probably have to go into foster care. His mother's been denied a carer's visa and may be deported to China in weeks, unless Peter Dutton interv...
Only one week to go! Finishing off some prep today for my course ‘Down the Rabbit-Hole: Writing for Children’ at Writing NSW on Saturday 18 May from 10-4pm. I believe there may be one or two spots left. If you’re still keen to come, head on over to writingnsw.org.au and clink on the link ☺️. This is one of my all-time favourite days of the year because there is nothing better than sharing a mutual love of children’s books with other passionate devotees (except perhaps sharing a mutual love of honey toast 😂.) #bearandchookbythesea #emmaquay #hachetteaustralia #writingnsw #writingforchildren #loveozkidlit #loveozpicturebooks #loveozmg #aspiringwriter #emergingwriter #writersofoz
‘Leonard Doesn’t Dance’ by Frances Watts and Judy Watson is a glorious picture book, from start to finish. Leonard is a large, clumsy, adorable enthusiast of a bird, and although eventually reluctant to dance himself, he understands what it takes to be a true friend. The story traverses a huge emotional landscape; from Leonard’s initial hope to disappointment, to despair and sorrow, right back to ecstatic joy. The text is extremely witty and playful and it reads deliciously out loud. I must say it’s so good to read a text that at no stage condescends to the reader. And the illustrations are a revelation! Such gorgeous line work from Judy Watson, with a breathtaking colour palette that is exuberant and jewel-like and immensely generous, which speaks so subtly to the fundamental themes of the book. The endpapers are to die for (swooon) and the book feels and smells good. I will confess that some friends discovered me smelling the book in a cafe and I invited them to do the same! This is such a big-hearted and beautiful book about friendship, love, sacrifice, perseverance, serendipity and the joy of finding your own unique rhythm. I hope Leonard finds a home in the hearts of many young readers!
It’s so close now! I’m looking forward to teaching ‘Down the Rabbit-Hole: Writing for Children’ at Writing NSW on Saturday May 18, especially exploring inspiration, the crazy way original ideas are often hiding in plain sight! I still feel the deepest gratitude to Libby Gleeson, who lead a writing for children workshop when I was just starting out and who encouraged me to take my own writing hopes seriously, even when it looked like ridiculous folly to everyone else. It took three years from that workshop to publication but the desire to persevere was sown in that course, the sense that writing for children was a good and grand adventure. If you’d like to come along, especially if you’re a beginning or an emerging writer, feel free to head on over to writingnsw.org.au #sleeptightmyhoney #wayneharris #hachetteaustralia
I had a lovely time speaking with Lisa Pellegrino, in the studio, on ABC Radio this morning, about all things picture books! It was entirely nerve-wracking but wonderful too 🤪😂. Hats off to broadcasters that do this every day. 🎩🎓. #picturebooks #abcradio #lisapellegrino #holidays #reading #writersofinstagram
It’s just around the corner now! Looking forward to meeting new and emerging writers, keen to discover something of the arty crafty goodness of writing books for children!
Down the Rabbit-hole! Writing for Children with Lisa Shanahan
writingnsw.org.au
Writing for children is often harder than it looks and it can sometimes be difficult to even know where to begin! Join award-winning writer Lisa Shanahan for an engaging and inspiring one-day course. ...