Alexa Dretzke
Alexa Dretzke is a children’s & YA book specialist at Readings Hawthorn
Review — 27 Apr 2015
How Big is Too Small? by Jane Godwin
Size is mostly a measurement but it is also a relative notion too. What’s big to a small child is not necessarily so to an adult. In Sam’s case he’s…
Review — 26 Mar 2015
The Island of Dr Libris by Chris Grabenstein
Escape From Mr Lemoncello’s Library was one of Readings’ bestselling kids’ books for 2014. It was wonderfully puzzling and compellingly un-put-downable. The Island of Dr Libris is not a sequel…
Review — 26 Mar 2015
Home by Carson Ellis
The notion of home is beautifully and imaginatively explored in Carson Ellis’s first picture book. She isknown for her ethereal illustrations in the Wildwood novels and here her talent shines…
Review — 26 Mar 2015
Why I Love Footy by Michael Wagner and Tom Jellett
Why I Love Footy perfectly reflects the experience of going to an Australian Rules match. For kids who love to go to the footy it mirrors their experience and for…
Review — 18 Mar 2015
Thunderstorm Dancing by Katrina Germein and Judy Watson
A good, robust thunderstorm is a fine thing. The world goes dark, ominous and kind of thrilling. A young girl’s holidaying family embraces the storm as it rolls in from…
Review — 26 Mar 2015
A River by Marc Martin
Reading A River is like being in someone else’s dream. As the languid waterway meanders through city, fields, forests and waterfalls you succumb to the rich patterns and serpentine serenity…
Review — 23 Feb 2015
My Pop is a Pirate by Damon Young and Peter Carnavas
Following on from the fun and deservedly very successful My Nanna is a Ninja comes this companion volume which is just as playful and energetic. The poetry is sheer joy…
Review — 28 Jan 2015
Migloo's Day by William Bee
A cast of many is introduced in this very busy ‘find it’ book and children with patience and a keen eye will have plenty of fun with it. Migloo is…
Review — 28 Jan 2015
As An Oak Tree Grows by G. Brian Karas
The 200 year history of a tree may seem a little dull, but believe me this picture book is a gorgeousintroduction to history and nature. From a seedling planted in…
Review — 21 Jan 2015
Beyond the Laughing Sky by Michelle Cuevas & Julie Morstad
This is a small gem of a novel which, with graceful, sensitive prose, opens up the possibilities that come with difference. It champions being true to yourself and learning to…