Children’s Book Reviews
In a world filled with children’s books, it can sometimes feel overwhelming to find those which reflect your family and your lives.
We have done some of the ground-work for you.
Here you will find books in which breastfeeding , babywearing and family beds are normalised. Books to help toddlers on the journey to weaning. Books for children with big feelings and books about living your best life, whatever that looks like. Families come in all shapes and sizes and here you will see them in all their diversity. We have found books showing children growing up around the world and books showing families navigating big changes.
We have stories which honour the land on which we live and the people who have lived here for tens of thousands of years - and those who have recently arrived. And we have books about the wonderful planet we share, the challenges it faces and the ways we can help. We have books about the beginning of life … and the end and all the stages in between. Books for babies about their world and books for teens as it changes around them.
We love exploring books for children and the adults raising them to share and to enjoy in quiet moments.
We hope you enjoy them too.
Pandemic
This poignant picture book tells the story of the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic through the eyes of a young girl. As sickness spreads and communities go into lockdown, the narrative focuses on courage, compassion, and the everyday heroes who cared for others during a time of fear and uncertainty.
Respect (Our Place series)
This poetic and deeply meaningful picture book explores the value of respect from an Aboriginal perspective. It teaches children to respect Elders, Country, stories, traditions, and each other. With lyrical language and rich, symbolic artwork, the book introduces foundational cultural values in a way children can understand.
Rainbow Is My Favourite Colour
This joyful book celebrates a child’s love for all the colours of the rainbow—each one reflecting a different mood, activity, or part of their world. With warm illustrations and lyrical text, it encourages children to embrace their unique preferences and the beauty of diversity in all its forms.
Somebody Swallowed Stanley
Stanley looks like a jellyfish, but he’s actually a plastic bag. As he floats through the ocean, sea creatures mistake him for food—with dangerous consequences. This imaginative and emotional story ends with a hopeful reminder of how small actions, like recycling, can make a big difference.
Some Brains: A Book Celebrating Neurodiversity
This uplifting and inclusive picture book celebrates neurodiversity in all its forms. It explains that brains work in different ways—some are fast, some are slow, some love music, some love maths—and that all brains are valid, valuable, and worthy of love and respect.
Some Boys
This inclusive and affirming picture book challenges stereotypes about what boys can do, feel, and be. It celebrates a wide range of interests, emotions, and expressions—reminding readers that “some boys” cry, dance, wear pink, love dolls, or grow up to be gentle fathers.
The Invisible String
This much-loved picture book introduces the idea of an invisible string that connects us to everyone we love—no matter how far away they are, or even if they’re no longer living. It reassures children that love transcends time, space, and absence.
The Hug Blanket
When a beloved grandmother dies, a young child is left with a deep sadness—until they remember the special blanket she made. The blanket becomes a source of comfort and connection, wrapping the child in memories, love, and warmth as they navigate grief.
Starting School
This gentle, realistic picture book follows five diverse children as they begin their first year of school. It explores their different feelings—nervous, excited, shy—and the experiences they share during the first term, from packing lunchboxes to making friends and learning new things.
The Girl With Two Dads
When a new girl named Matilda joins Pearl’s class, Pearl is curious—Matilda has two dads! As they become friends, Pearl realises that there’s nothing unusual about Matilda’s family at all. In fact, her dads are just like any other parents—loving, supportive, and sometimes even a bit embarrassing.
Tomorrow Girl: A Tale of Mindfulness
Tomorrow Girl is always rushing—thinking about the next task, the next place to go, the next thing to do. But when she pauses and takes a deep breath, she discovers the beauty of now. This gentle picture book offers a relatable and poetic introduction to mindfulness for young children.
The Tomorrow Book
In this imaginative, eco-themed story, a young prince wonders what tomorrow could look like—and sets out to create a better, greener world. With help from friends (including a goat on a skateboard), he explores sustainable solutions like solar power, recycling, and eco-housing in playful, hopeful ways.
Today I Feel . . . An Alphabet of Feelings
This thoughtful A-to-Z picture book introduces a wide range of emotions—one for each letter of the alphabet. From “Anxious” to “Zany,” each feeling is accompanied by a short, reflective description and illustrations that invite children to explore what that emotion might look and feel like.
The Most Magnificent Thing
A young girl sets out to build the most magnificent thing—but things don’t go as planned. As her frustration builds, she learns that mistakes, rest, and persistence are all part of the creative process. This story celebrates resilience, problem-solving, and emotional growth through trial and error.
Up! How Families Around the World Carry Their Little Ones
This vibrant, cut-paper collage book celebrates the global tradition of babywearing. From the mountains of Peru to the villages of Vietnam, it shows caregivers carrying babies in slings, wraps, shawls, and arms—all with the same purpose: keeping their little ones close and connected.
Welcome Home
Welcome Home is a lyrical celebration of birth, bonding, and the early days of life. With gentle, rhythmic text, the book honours the emotional journey of welcoming a baby—highlighting the warmth, closeness, and connection between parent and child from the very first moments.
Welcome to Country
This poetic picture book welcomes readers to Country through the voice of an Aboriginal elder. It shares the deep connection between people, land, and culture, inviting respect, care, and celebration of Indigenous traditions and stories.
Mama Holds Me Close: A Babywearing Book
This tender rhyming picture book celebrates the everyday magic of babywearing. Told from the baby’s point of view, it honours the closeness, comfort, and connection of being held against a caregiver’s chest throughout the day. The story features diverse families and culturally inclusive illustrations.
Mama Feeds Me All the Colors: A Book of Breastfeeding
This vibrant bilingual picture book (English and Spanish) celebrates the breastfeeding journey from a child’s point of view. Each page features a new colour representing different moods, sensations, and environments that shape the rhythm of nursing. It affirms the emotional and sensory richness of breastfeeding as a lived relationship.
Milky Moments
This beautifully illustrated book captures a wide range of breastfeeding experiences—at home, in public, during play, while cuddling, and through everyday family life. Written in gentle rhyme, it celebrates the warmth, comfort, and connection of nursing, featuring diverse families and nursing relationships.