CHILDRENS BOOKS

Elmers Little Library This chunky little library contains four board books - Colours, Numbers, Shapes and Actions. Little hands will love turning each sturdy page and meeting favourite friends from the world of Elmer the patchwork elephant.

In this slapstick, illustrated crime adventure, the honest Theo Pincher, who doesn’t fit in to his family of criminals, finds himself suddenly on the other side of the law because of an ancient curse.  "Theo and Ellen accidentally break an ancient cat statue in the antique store. When they tell their mother Nic, she turns pale. It must have been the statue that ruined the life of their ancestor Pick Pincher! The curse of the Egyptian cat turns thieves into honest people and honest people into thieves. Pick met a terrible fate for a Pincher—he became a police officer. Now suddenly Ellen can’t lie and Theo is becoming a criminal. Theo and Ellen follow the clues to break the curse—after sneaking into the zoo through secret tunnels, breaking into the antique store and digging his way into more trouble, Theo must decide whether he is or isn’t a criminal.

A quirky, surprise-filled and light-hearted romp through the stuff that makes up our world, from atoms, elements and light, to water, soil and DNA, to buildings, books and smartphones.  A quirky romp through the stuff of our world, from atoms and elements and light, to water, soil and DNA, to buildings and books and smartphones. With chatty explanatory text, fast facts, and clever, stylish and sometimes funny photos, illustrations, and diagrams, this fantastically browsable book offers hundreds of entry points for knowledge-hungry kids.

A darkly comic debut novel for fans of Lemony Snicket's Series of Unfortunate Events, Matilda and Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children.  This is a story so strange, it might almost be unbelievable ... Sisters Lake and Birdy are latest arrivals at the Charitable Home for Poor Unfortunates Touched by Tragic Circumstances. And if you think that sounds bad, that’s just the beginning. Luck is not on the sisters side, it seems. Or is it? Depending on the way you look at it, together these sisters are capable of surviving everything and anything. But it is going to take all of Lake and Birdy’s courage to face their biggest misfortune of all: the dreadful, the awful, the terrible … Miss MacGregor. A darkly comic, fantastic and fantastical tale from Damien Leith, with only a few embellishments, the very odd exaggeration, and much to enjoy.

"Brilliantly spooky and funny." Jennifer Killick, author of Dread Wood"Spine-chilling terror and laughs on every page." S.J. Wills, author of Bite RiskDiscover a brilliantly spooky new horror-mystery series for fans of Dread Wood, Goosebumps and Aveline Jones...Indigo and Rusty might live in a funeral parlour, but they don't believe in ghosts. That is, until Indigo drops an old urn, accidentally releasing the Cinderman: a terrifying ash monster, who will smother their town in ashes and turn everyone into zombies, unless they can stop him by sunset.Using their newly awakened Spooksmith skills, Indigo and Rusty set out to enlist the help of other ghosts. But can the Blasted Banshee and Chuckles the Phantom Toddler really help them find the Cinderman's true name and put him in his grave for good before Ashmageddon strikes?

loved this: funny, quirky, exciting and moving

Rex investigates funny goings-on in the city museum in his latest adventure. The third book in the side-splitting series for 7+ readers, from a Lollies Prize winning author-illustrator.  Rex can't wait for his first trip to the city museum. But, hold on, are those ... bones? Dinosaur bones?! It turns out that museums can be scary places. And now, someone or something has been causing havoc around the place and it's up to Rex, Sandra and the gang to find out who.  Can Rex successfully go undercover as the new security guard? How can he help his newest unexpected friend, an Ancient Egyptian mummy? And most importantly, can he pull off the greatest museum sleepover in the history of sleepovers?  Highly illustrated throughout and laugh-out loud hilarious, this is perfect for fans of The Bolds, Dogman and Bunny vs Monkey.

Relic Hamilton is just your average 12-year-old, living a quiet life with his grandfather above their old antiques shop in Chinatown in London.  Until one day, while polishing some mysterious brass lamps in the basement, something extraordinary happens. Relic feels spine-chillingly cold. Breathless. Scared. And suddenly, a real, live genie stands before him!  But this is no kind, benevolent genie. This genie is evil ... and it feeds on hope.  Relic finds himself catapulted to the centre of a fast-paced underground community of genie hunters, led by the excitable Professor Latimer and the tech-savvy Doctor Raphaela. Together, they travel in their one-of-a-kind jet, the Aladdin, secretly chasing rogue genies before they can wreak havoc on the world…  A thrilling new adventure series from the former Waterstones Children’s Laureate and winner of the Yoto Carnegie Medal for Writing.

‘Parrot Palace is an open invitation from the heart to step into a multi-hued, multicultural, inclusive world where difference is celebrated, tradition is valued, and the language of love is spoken. It certainly does ‘make the world a better place’ A Must Read!’   -    Professor Meenakshi Bharat, Head of English, University of Delhi. Â Three inventive and daring kids, along with their families, live in a three-story apartment block called' Parrot Palace'. Â Hari, Lily-Rosa, and Mikey come from different cultures, but their differences unite them as they form a close-knit team. They share their secrets as they navigate their dreams and challenges. Will Mikey become a joker or follow in his dad's footsteps as a builder? Can Lily-Rosa balance her dreams of becoming a firefighter, and a ballerina? And will Hari fix the disaster he created for his Nani and mother? Â They join together and confront their arch enemy, the neighbour Mr Crabtree. It is here, that they eventually find the real answers to friendship. Â PRAISE FOR PARROT PALACE Â ‘Growing up, some of my best friends were books, and how I wish I’d had a friend and a book like this, reflecting the true, warm, beating heart of Australian multicultural diversity. Hari and his friends will stay with you long after you’ve left Parrot Palace.’ – Dr Sunil Badami a writer, critic, broadcaster, academic and regular reporter for ABC and ABC personality. Â ‘Parrot Palace aptly illustrates the essence of humanity: love, care, and sharing what we have for the common good of the community we live in. I strongly recommend it to all our children growing up in Australia.’ - Dr Andrew Kwong, Winner of the 2021 Michael Crouch Award" ‘With great power, we can teach our children profound truths and timeless value.’ - Professor D.R. Pattanaik, Banaras Hindu University Â ‘An open invitation from the heart to step into a multi-hued, multicultural, inclusive world where difference is celebrated, tradition is valued, and the language of love is spoken. It certainly does 'make the world a better place!' A Must-Read!’ - Professor Meenakshi Bharat, Literature University of Delhi Â ‘An amazing story that brings India and Australia closer together celebrates human relationship which doesn’t change from one side of the Indian Ocean to the other and fosters ‘dosti’ (friendship) between the two great nations.’ - Indranil Halder Ambassador of Halder Â ‘A delightful story that captures the feel of summer, school holidays and the sheer joy of play. From the opening pages, our taste buds are tantalized with the honey of jalebi, the warm sweetness of ripe strawberries, apple pie and samosas. This is a story of now.’ -  Dr Anne Benjamin Educator Â ‘Parrot Palace aptly illustrates the essence of humanity: love, care, and sharing what we have for the common good of the community we live in. I strongly recommend it to all our children growing up in Australia.’ - Dr Andrew Kwong ‘Very relatable and entertaining. I read it to my 6-year-old son and he enjoyed it thoroughly. He found it adventurous and loved how the kids helped Mr Crabtree in spite of him being mean to them. That's a life lesson.’ - Neel Banerjee, Intercultural Theatre Practitioner

Bling Jollygood (The Fairly Secret Files) Brand-new illustrated junior fiction from the bestselling creator of the Very Cranky Bear series! Meet Bling Jollygood: half-penguin, half-canary, full-time undercover reporter.Bling discovers that an egg-shaped comet is hurtling towards Earth! So, she puts together a makeshift crew to blow it up and save the planet. Everyone they meet along the way is extremely helpful. Perhaps too helpful ... A witty and slapstick adventure from bestselling creator Nick Bland.

Relatable, clever, and authentic! Hassan's story will resonate with every Muslim.

"A thrilling and thought-provoking sci-fi adventure that's shot through with humanity. A great read." Christopher Edge  The Last of Us meets Wall-E in this post-apocalyptic tale of family, hope and survival from a multi-award-winning author  Jen and her father are making their way across a deserted world after a technological collapse brought civilization as people knew it to an end. The Flood took out all all technology, but also many people who were connected to a central information hive. Those who are left behind must find each other and build a new life. But Jen's father isn't related to her by blood – he is a human-appearing AI, a glitch in the system, and a secret that must be kept, even from those she wishes she could trust...  Exploring themes of what it means to be human, the value of every individual and where true danger lies – in our technological creations, or the ones who create them – this is a powerful and hopeful dystopian adventure for readers age 9+

Twelve days. Five kids. Many special effects. One giant mystery.

Brock the Croc lives in a thriving swamp. As the only crocodile, he loves attention and parties all day. Brock rides his motorbike, holds extravagant swamp discos, and plays electric guitar. But when humans set up a worksite next to the swamp, Brock and his friends learn their home is set to be filled-in with concrete! The animals all turn to Brock to save them, but has he been exaggerating his achievements? Will he be able to live up to his reputation and stop the humans from destroying the swamp forever?

The Sunday Times No. 1 Bestseller The tinsel is up in the bakery, the lights are twinkling and the mince pies are sold out. It's CHRISTMAS EVE! Greg the Sausage Roll is so excited he could burst. And when he's scooped up as a last-minute treat for Santa, he's catapulted into a magical festive caper beyond his wildest dreams. Hold on tight for a spectacular sausage roll-ercoaster of an adventure! Developed and written by the social media phenomenon that is LadBaby - the king and queen of Christmas and of sausage rolls.