Great March Reads

There are so many wonderful books released this month that we hardly know where to start!  Fantasy, history and fashion along with a few books to get you thinking and the return of a well-loved classic. There’s also something for all ages from teens to little ones withLove, Lie, Repeatto There’s Only One Mum Like You. Check out our highlights list below and enjoy!

We’re Going on a Bear Hunt: 30th Anniversary Edition by Michael Rosen | illustrated by Helen Oxenbury

This is a classic story time book not to be missed, one to be acted out, sung, shouted and to be read over and over again. It’s also one to reminisce with, so if you have an old copy of We’re Going on a Bear Hunt that you read to your children or grandchildren, or one that was read to you, why not celebrate the 30^thanniversary of this very special bookby taking the time to cuddle up and share it with a little person in your life.

There’s Only One Mum Like You by Jess Racklyeft

The moment you open There’s Only One Mum Like You, you enter picture book heaven. For those of you who melt upon seeing exquisite illustrations, we’d recommend you quickly make your way to the bookshop or library to check out this gorgeous new picture book in which award-winning illustrator, Jess Racklyeft, weaves her water colour magic, and pays tribute to the unique magic of mothers, creating the perfect book to share with little ones on Mother’s Day.

Cocoon by Aura Parker

Dawn and her best friends have a plan!  They are going to eat as many leaves as they can, weave cocoons and turn into moths so they can FLY!
Easy peasy, right? But what happens when days go by and Dawn still doesn’t have her wings? What if she doesn’t grow them at all? Will Dawn ever get to chase the lights with her friends?

This is a beautiful story about patience and achieving your dreams filled with details to discover on every page. There are look-and-find bugs hidden throughout the endpapers and themes of friendship, patience, imagination, teamwork, counting, insects, goals, flying.

 Yahoo Creek by Tohby Riddle

Luminous images accompanied by newspaper extracts dating back to the early 1800s and words by Ngiyampaa Elder Peter Williams explore the ongoing mystery of yahoo encounters.
Throughout the first century or so of Australian settlement by Europeans, the pages of colonial newspapers were haunted by reports of a bewildering phenomenon: the mysterious yahoo or hairy man…
But what was it? Yahoo Creek breathes life into this little-known piece of Australian history – which, by many accounts, is history still in the making.

Vivienne Westwood: Little People, Big Dreams by Isabel Sanchez Vegara | Illustrator Laura Callaghan

Included in the bestselling Little People, Big Dreams series, isthe inspiring story of this flame-haired fashion designer and businesswoman.

When Vivienne was a young woman, she wasn’t sure how a working-class girl from England could make a living in the art world. But after discovering her passion for design and jewellery making, she erupted onto the fashion scene with a bang. Vivienne’s designs became iconic, and she became famous for letting her clothes speak for themselves. This moving book features stylish and quirky illustrations and extra facts at the back, including a biographical timeline with historical photos and a detailed profile of the designer’s life.

Kensy and Max: Undercover by Jacqueline Harvey

The Kensy and Max books are highly entertaining with their pace-filled plots and highly developed characters who show amazing resilience in the face of danger and uncertainty. The junior spies are often called on to be extremely independent while they wait for their parents to return from their own mission.

With maps, casts of characters and case notes, readers 8+ will be drawn in to the suspenseful plot in no time and no need to worry too much about the impending danger – they are after all extensively trained to deal with whatever their current mission throws at them. A great way to enjoy international intrigue from the safety of your own home!

You Must Be Layla by Yassim Abdel-Magied

A heart-warming story that will give young readers insight into the lives of migrants to Australia and the struggles with racism and identity that they grapple with. It also explores the pressure that students can be under from their parents to perform at school and how this can play out in very detrimental ways. Layla is a wonderfully warm and vibrant character who will stay with you long after you have finished reading her story. A perfect book to get young readers thinking more about issues in the playground and to the bigger world beyond it.

52 Mondays by Anna Ciddor

For Anna, the quest to find the most beautiful doll she has ever seen is the most important thing in the world. But it’s only one of the adventures to be had growing up in 1960s Australia.Was it really such a short time ago that there were no computers, no mobile phones… no seatbelts? That milk was delivered to your front door every morning, and animals lived in tiny concrete cages at the zoo?

Anna and her family celebrate birthdays and Passover, navigate friendships, illness, surprises and mishaps – all the lessons that come with growing up. And through it all, Anna never loses sight of her dream: to find an antique doll to love and treasure.Based on the author’s real childhood, this is a warm, funny and fascinating family story from the author of The Family with Two Front Doors.

Elementals: Scorch Dragons by Amie Kaufman

Hot on the heels of The Ice Wolves, the first in her highly praised Elementals series, is the just released Scorch Dragons and the good news is, it’s every bit as good. After the dramatic battle between the Wolves and the Dragons in the last book, the two clans are understandably wary of one another. For Anders and his twin sister Rayna things have progressively become more complicated when in an unprecedented turn of events, Anders is able to transform into a wolf and Rayna a dragon. So, where does their allegiance lie?

The Haven by Simon Lelic

The action starts on the very first page of new series, The Haven and doesn’t stop until the last. Abducted in the middle of the night, 13-year-old Ollie Turner and his guardian Nancy, wake up in pain on a cold, hard floor.

In no time at all Ollie has been taken into the inner sanctuary of The Haven a place where kids who have nowhere else to go – the homeless, refugees, orphans – take refuge. This secret underground organisation, led by Dodge, Flea, Sol and Lily, only looks after the interests of kids – no adults allowed – particularly in a world where they are often mistreated. They look after each other and educate the next child to enter The Haven.

Love, Lie, Repeat by Catherine Greer

Love, Lie, Repeat is a thrilling, page-turner that has been compared to We Were Liars and Little Fires Everywhere, along with being called YA’s answer to Liane Moriarty. Australian author Catherine Greer has taken the perfect lives of three beautiful teens and turned them upside down to reveal the toxic underbelly.

‘It’s about mothers and daughters, the pressure to be perfect, and why we hurt the people we love,’ said Greer. ‘It’s…full of private schools and privilege, opportunity and competition, love and disappointment…and what that does to women and girls.’