June was a busy – and hard – month, with the loss of by beautiful Mum, who gave me my love of reading and writing.  I may write more about this but, for now, thanks Mum for that great gift, which now more than ever helps me navigate life.

Here’s what I read in June:

Books for Children

1. Kid, by Peter Carnavas (UQP, 2026). Oh wow. I love this. Kid is cute, brave and surrounded by unlikely friends.

2.At the Pond, by David Elliott and Amy-Schimler-Safford (Candlewick, 2022). This is a lovely little poetry collection with each poem focussing on a different pond resident while also tracing the day from dawn until night.

3.The River That Brings Us Life, by Sarah Ang (WS Education, 2022). I was lucky enough to be gifted this book by Sarah, the very talented creator behind this important book which tells the story of the Singapore River which, once pristine, became increasingly polluted until the 1980s when a big clean up began and restored it to its beauty and source of life.

4. Out & about in Singapore, by Melanie Lee & William Sim (Marshall Cavendish, 2020). Another book gifted to me when I was in Singapore for the AFCC. I love that this has insights to lots of familiar parts of Singapore, and also introduces me to new ones, making me want to go back there. Soon.

5. The Midlands, Kate Gordon (Riveted Press, 2026). Kate Gordon is one of my favourite writers for young people, and this latest did not disappoint. Set in the midst of the Great War, but not a story about war it is, instead, a story about siblings and families and loss and so much more. Beautiful.

Books for Young Adults

1. Once Upon Tomorrow, by Karen Comer (Lothian, 2026). A complex, thought provoking verse novel

Books for Adults

1. The Survivors, by Jane Harper (Pan Macmillan, 2020). This had been in my audiobook queue for quite a while, and proved the perfect listen for several long car trips up and down to Perth this month.  I like Jane Harper’s crime/mystery writing – lots of character development and twists and turns.
2. The Artist’s Way, by Julia Cameron (Souvenir Press, 2020). I’m adding this one here even though I didn’t read the whole book in June – it took me three months, as it is designed.  This is a guided journey through uncovering, or rediscovering, your creativity, and was something I really needed this year.  I found it really helpful, and it has led to some changes in my creative practice and in my life plans too.

That brings my total for the year to 53,  and with half the year still to come, lots more reading ahead.

I’m a bit late with my list of May reading – but I did get through quite a few reads in May in spite of lost of busyness. here’s what I read.

Children’s Books

1. 1. 1. The Watching Lake, by Elaine Forrestal (Penguin, 1991). Picked up from a library discard pile I was glad to revisit this one from a long standing West Australian author who I admire.
      2. Water Music: Poems for Children, by Jane Yolen & Jason Stemple, Wordsong, 1995). Every time I teach a class about poetry to my education students I take in a collection of poetry books from my library. And every time I rediscover something I haven’t read for a while. This time it was this lovely little offering.
      3. The Most Magnificent Thing, by Ashley Spires (KidsCan, 2014).  Cute, funny and with a lovely reminder about creativity. I was glad to discover this.
      4. Luna Roo the Kangaroo Baller, by Adam Jackson and Adrian Lloyd, illustrated by Jack Minto (Little Book Press, 2025). I listed to this as part of National Simultaneous Storytime. What an excellent choice Goallll!
      5. Under the Cat’s Eye, by Gillian Rubenstein (1997). From my to-read pile and rescued from an op shop some time ago, I read this one on a plane trip and finished it before we landed.  With an evil headmaster in a strange boarding school, this was a great read.
      6. We Shall Remember: The Story of Singapore at War, by Sim Ee Waun, illustrated by Lim An-Ling (Pepper Dog Press, 2022).  Picked up while in Singapore for AFCC and read with interest – the nonfiction explanation of WW2 from a Singaporean perspective taught me things I did not know, which is important.
      7. We Are Family: Six Kids and a Super-Dad – A Poetry Adventure, by Oliver Sykes, illustrated by Ian Morris (Otter Barry, 2024). A moving, sometimes sad, often humorous collection based on the poet’s experiences growing up, with he, and his siblings raised by their father after their mother left them.
      8. Ratwhiskers and Me, by Lorraine Marwood (Walker Books, 2008).  I was really saddened by the death of Lorraine, a fabulous poet, author and friend, earlier this month and , while it was only a small comfort, I went back to reread some of her works. Ratwhiskers was the first historical verse novel I read, some time ago, and it still stands strong.
      9. A Shakespeare Story: Othello, by Andrew Matthews & Tony Ross (Orchard, 2006). Ricked up in a Little Free Library, an accessible and much-condensed version of Shakespeare’s Othello.
      10. The Stories Grandma Forgot (and How I Found Them), by Nadine Aisha Jassat, illustrated by Sandhya Prabhat (Orion, 2023). Another book bought while in Singapore – Denise from Closetful of Books is very persuasive, and knows how much I love verse novels. Glad I bought this one.
      11. Star Jumps, by Lorraine Marwood (Walker Books, 2009). Another lovely reminder of Lorraine Marwood’s legacy.
      12. Red Sky at Night; Poet’s Delight, by Alex Wharton, illustrated by Ian Morris (Firefly, 2024). Continuing a poetry rich month, this collection delighted me.
      13. The Swallow Who Stayed, by Philip Giordano (Greystone Kids, 2024). Nawwww. What a sweet book from a sweet author illustrator who I was lucky enough to meet at the AFCC. I wanted to buy ALL his books but had to stop at this one.
      14. When You Can Swim, by Jack Wong (Orchard Books, 2023). If you know me, you’ll know how much I love swimming, so when I had to choose just one Jack Wong books (yes, again in Singapore) this was the one. It’s lovely, as is the amazing Jack Wong.

Books for Young Adults

1. Of a Boy, by Sonya Hartnett (Penguin, 2002, 2009). First read a long while ago, this reread wasn’t disappointing – powerful and discomfiting.
2. The Belly of a Wolf, by Julianne Negri (UWA Press, 2026), Brilliant verse novel – one of the best I’ve read for young adults.

This brings my total for the year to 45. Lots more to come.