Author: Schizanthus Nerd

Dragons: Father and Son – Alexandre Lacroix

Illustrations – Ronan Badel

Dragons: Father and Son tells the story of a father attempting to teach his son the dragon tradition of burning down houses. Drake is not exactly proficient at fire breathing, having used his abilities for cooking snacks but nothing ever as big as burning down a house!

Drake finds that he’s not quite a chip off the old block when he flies to a nearby village the next day, ready to make his father proud. Humans don’t seem to be as ferocious as his father has taught him. Can Drake find a way to make his father proud and still stay true to himself?

I loved the expressions captured on particularly the father’s face in Ronan Badel’s illustrations. The father’s use of glasses near the end was a chuckle moment for me. The illustrations complemented the story well and I imagine children will enjoy the father’s cranky expressions at the beginning of the book and the son getting ready to burn down parts of the village in earnest to please his father. I really liked the drawings of the bats.

My favourite picture would have to be when Drake tries to go to sleep the night before he sets out for the village. The look on Drake’s face as he contemplates the next day’s activities is priceless and there was a special cute factor with him holding onto his bird’s leg while the bird sleeps peacefully.

Also, dragons!!! 🐉 😃

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group – words & pictures for the opportunity to read this book.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

Strokkur is a young dragon, whose father instructs him to act like a proper dragon – and to go out and set fire to some houses. But Strokker isn’t confident about his skills and he doesn’t want to hurt anyone. How will be prove himself without upsetting his dad and everyone around him? A funny and moving story about the bonds between fathers and children, with a positive, peaceful message – and all the magic and mayhem you’d hope for in a tale about dragons.

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Killer Fashion: Poisonous Petticoats, Strangulating Scarves, and Other Deadly Garments Throughout History – Jennifer Wright

👠 Fashionably Fatal Friday the 13th Feature 🎩

While I strongly believe that clothing’s not supposed to hurt you, there are plenty of people that don’t seem to have a problem with suffering in the name of fashion. There are heels that ruin your feet, jeans so skinny the logo button ends up imprinted on your belly, clothes you can’t sit down in, clothes that make you sweat, clothes that make you freeze, and ties that should come with a choking hazard warning.

But what lengths would you go to in order to pull off the latest style?

Is a fashionable death in your future?

I loved Killer Fashion: Poisonous Petticoats, Strangulating Scarves, and Other Deadly Garments Throughout History so much that it has inspired me to break out in poetry to give you a taste of some of the wonderfully wacky causes of death in this book.

Disclaimer: I know some of these ‘rhymes’ don’t exactly rhyme but you will never, ever hear me claim that I think I’m a poet.

Radium’s glow makes you look hot
Until your jaw begins to rot

Your fancy bra’s underwire
May conduct that lightning’s ire

Are you ready to break your toes
To fit into tiny shoes like those?

Dye turns dark hair pale
Until your kidneys fail

Lice crawl all around your wig
And that mouse is mighty big

A man lay dying in the gutter
“Blame that skirt”, they heard him utter

Breathe in those toxic fumes
And you’ll soon go looney tunes

Fake silky attire was a phase
Until it set the room ablaze

Wear makeup laced with lead
And you’ll soon look pretty dead

With plenty of opportunities to die gruesome deaths for both men and women, for wearers and makers of the often toxic or flammable items, Jennifer Wright’s quirky book is perfect for those strange and unusual kindred spirits of mine who gravitate towards equally strange and unusual books.

While I had heard of some of these torture devices and death traps disguised as clothes and accessories throughout history prior to reading this book, I hadn’t read them in such an entertaining way before. I also learned a lot more than I would have expected from a book that’s under 60 pages.

With quotes from such sources as newspapers, a magazine and a medical journal, and including citations that allow those of us who are so inclined to delve deeper, Killer Fashion is one of those books I got a lot more morbid enjoyment out of than I should probably admit.

Each fashion item is allocated two pages. One page has a paragraph ranging from a few sentences to a page of information. The opposite page has a four line poem under an almost full page illustration. Using black, white, grey and red (of course!), Brenna Thummler’s illustrations ramp up the quirky factor nicely. Skeletal flapper girls dancing on stage? Brilliant! Just brilliant!

I definitely need to read this book again and investigate some of the books referenced throughout. I’m saying this with the greatest respect to the book, its author and illustrator; this would be a perfect gift book for the weirdo in your life. I would love it if someone bought a copy for me!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for the opportunity to read this book.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

A beautifully illustrated book about deadly fashion – real historical stories of strangulation by scarves, neckbreaking high heels, and riot-causing top hats – from the author of the popular histories Get Well Soon and It Ended Badly.

Isadora Duncan was Red
Put on a scarf; popped off her head
Fashion is silly, thought Stein
It may tear your head from your spine

A darkly comic book about some surprisingly lethal garments. Featuring stories like the untimely demise of dancer Isadora Duncan caused by her signature red scarf and the bloody riot that greeted the appearance of the first top hat, among many others, these bite-size accounts will frighten and delight. Killer Fashion includes over twenty of these short tales along with beautiful full-page illustrations. Both morbid and humorous, this book will appeal to fans of Edward Gorey and dark historical trivia. 

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Dogs in Origami: 30 Breeds from Terriers to Hounds – John Montroll

I adored origami when I was growing up. My interest faded until recently when I binge watched Prison Break. For some mysterious reason as I gazed into Wentworth Miller’s soul eyes for hours my interest in origami grew once more. 😍

Needless to say, I’ve seen so many origami books recently and the animal ones in particular have been … interesting. They’ll have the title saying the next project is a pig. The paper will be pink and there’ll be lots of folds and glue and all of this intricate work, then they show you the final product. I then look at the final photograph of their masterpiece and I’ll be thinking, ‘That’s a pig??? Okay … If you say so …’ 🤔

Not so with Dogs in Origami. The final products actually look like dogs and not only that, they look like the actual breed they’re supposed to be. Even at glance on the cover image you can identify the types of dogs they are – without captions!

Varying in complexity from intermediate to complex, you get step by step coloured pictures to make 31 projects (30 dog breeds) that progress in difficulty throughout the book. Each project only requires one square-sheet and you don’t need to cut or glue anything.

My personal favourites in each chapter are the Beagle, Scottish Terrier (I have two favourites in Chapter 1), Basset Hound, Bull Terrier, Boxer and Labrador Retriever, but they’re all amazing and so creative. I admire people who can make something artistic out of practically nothing.

Maybe I should start on the ‘I can’t believe that’s a pig’ before I move on to the intermediate Beagle unless I want my Beagle to look like it crawled out of Stephen King’s Pet Sematary. Hmm … Now that’s an interesting Halloween idea …

I loved this book and look forward to my dogs looking like dogs in the nearish future. I really want to check out more of John Montroll’s books. This man is an origami genius!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Dover Publications for the opportunity to read this book.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

Origami master John Montroll pays tribute to man’s best friend with this guide to creating origami dogs. Suitable for folders of intermediate to advanced skills, the book presents step-by-step instructions and full-colour photographs for each model. More than two dozen breeds range from the familiar Beagle, Chihuahua, Yorkie, Boxer, and Lab to the more exotic Basenji, Akita, Otterhound, and Bernese Mountain Dog. 

Internationally renowned author John Montroll has significantly increased the origami repertoire with his original designs. Best known as the inspiration behind the single-square, no-cuts, no-glue approach, the American origami master offers readers meticulously developed folding sequences that allow them to create better models with fewer steps.

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Geronimo Stilton #2: The Curse of the Cheese Pyramid – Geronimo Stilton

Warning: Super Duper 🧀 Cheesy 🧀 Review Alert!

I promise you’re going to want to hit me over the head with something by the end of this review, most likely a massive block of 🧀 cheese 🧀. Don’t say I didn’t warn you!!

So, I’ve arrived in the 🧀 Stilton 🧀 universe fashionably late. First published in 2001 and now being rereleased, The Curse of the Cheese Pyramid is the second book in the Geronimo Stilton series.

This illustrated children’s book is a 🧀 Blenda 🧀 adventure and humour. Including maps of New Mouse City, Mouse Island and The Rodent’s Gazette, the illustrations and formatting are really 🧀 Gouda 🧀.

When Geronimo arrives at work one morning he discovers that the founder of The Rodent Gazette, his grandfather William Shortpaws (AKA Cheap Mouse Willy), has gone on a penny pinching bender and fired the employees and sold most of the furniture.

The family business is now going to be exclusively run by the family – Geronimo, cousin Trap, sister Thea, favourite nephew Benjamin, and Cheap Mouse Willy. Geronimo, previously the “big cheese”, is understandably 🧀 Moody Blue 🧀 upon hearing this news. His mood doesn’t improve when he finds out he’s the one who 🧀 Goats 🧀 to do all the work now.

However, the 🧀 Explorateur 🧀 in him is excited when his grandfather tells him his assignment is to travel to Egypt and write a report on the pyramids. By the time Geronimo gets off the shaky flight he’s feeling a bit 🧀 Off Kilter 🧀 but is happy to meet Professor Alrat Spitfur who has an invention to tell Geronimo about. The Professor takes Geronimo on a camel ride to 🧀 La Pyramide 🧀 where Geronimo experiences more than he expected.

With some interesting information about Ancient Egypt your mouselets are going to accidentally learn bits and pieces about the pyramids, mummification, Egyptian gods, hieroglyphics and the curse of Tutankhamen’s tomb.

I enjoyed reading this book but given the age group this series is aimed at, I found the lack of resolution at the end to be off putting. Of course there were other books planned so I’m fine with there being a lead up to the next adventure but for the essential ‘mystery’ of this book being something for “another story” irritated me.

I also have a pet peeve with books that wind up saying something along the lines of, ‘Someone involved in this story told me it would make a great story so I wrote a book about it, and guess what?! This book that you’ve almost finished reading is the book that I wrote about that story!’

If you were to start from scratch and get up to date with the 🧀 Abondance 🧀 of Geronimo Stilton books … taking a deep breath … and the Geronimo Stilton Special Editions, Kingdom of Fantasy, Journey Through Time, Thea Stilton, Thea Stilton Special Editions, Creepella von Cacklefur … another breath … Cavemice, Spacemice, Micekings, Thea Stilton: Mouseford Academy, Geronimo Stilton Graphic Novels and Thea Stilton Graphic Novels, I have calculated that you could probably do it in … brain rattling … about two gazillion shakes of a mouse’s tail. 🧀 Holey Cow! 🧀 And I thought The Baby-Sitters Club series had a lot of spinoffs!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Sweet Cherry Publishing for the opportunity to read this book.

While I apologise for my 🧀 cheesy 🧀 review (sort of), I did have a lot of fun reading all of the 🧀 PsycheDillic 🧀 names for cheese that exist. If you feel like an 🧀 Impromptu 🧀 lesson in cheese 🧀 Slices of Bliss 🧀 like I did, I recommend you check out cheese.com. They’ve got details of over 1831 varieties of cheese! If you visit, you’ll be in a 🧀 Reverie 🧀. Okay, I’m stopping now. Promise! 😃

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

I’m off to Egypt! I climbed onboard a crabby old camel that would take me across the desert to the Great Cheese Pyramid. There, among mummies and hieroglyphics, I would learn the secret of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient Mouse World …

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The A to Z of Eating Disorders – Emma Woolf

In The A to Z of Eating Disorders Emma Woolf tackles the whole alphabet, including those pesky consonants Q (quinoa), X (xerophagy) and Z (zinc). Using personal experience along with recent neurological discoveries and the changes to classifications in the DSM-5, Emma’s dictionary takes a whole body approach to explaining risk factors, along with the experience of and recovery from eating disorders.

Covering topics focusing on physical, psychological, neurological, social, emotional, mental, behavioural and societal issues surrounding these disorders, this is a helpful tool for those wanting to learn more about eating disorders or those experiencing them firsthand.

E is for extremes
A is for alexythymia
T is for teeth
I is for insula
N is for neuroscience
G is for gastrointestinal complications

D is for dishonesty
I is also for impromptu
S is for selenium
O is for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
R is for recovery
D is also for deprivation
E is also for emotional eating
R is also for refeeding
S is also for set point theory

S is also for self-compassion
U is for urination
C is for carbohydrates
K is for Key’s classic study

Naturally, there is no substitute available for professional advice and supervision but this book provides useful supplementary information and guidance.

Having said that, I personally know that books can benefit someone with an eating disorder greatly. While it didn’t cure my eating disorder a young adult novel (before the genre existed) was the catalyst that stopped me vomiting after eating. It was 1993 when I read about oesophageal tears for the first time and became so terrified of them I stopped that behaviour immediately. If anyone is interested that lifesaving book was Please Don’t Go by Katherine Applegate and I originally found it at my local library. Yay libraries! I’ve since bought my own copy and will never part with it.

I’ve read many books about eating disorders since they came into my life 25 years ago (geez, that makes me feel old!) but I learned a lot personally from reading Emma’s book. I really nerded out during the explanations of how different vitamins impact on the brain’s functions. Some complex ideas are explained in ways that are accessible to those without scientific backgrounds.

I never realised that the brain uses 50% of the body’s blood sugar, even when you’re at rest and that fat makes up 60% of the dry weight of the brain. Just those two points explain so much about the behaviour and thought patterns of people with food starved brains.

I wasn’t aware of the correlation between disordered eating and hoarding tendencies, although given the similarities in traits between the two it shouldn’t have been a surprise. It also turns out there are many “rexia’s” I’d never heard of including bigorexia, drunkorexia, orthorexia and pathorexia, along with terms like Veganuary and Flexitarianism. I guess I’ve been away from social media just about the right length of time if I’m becoming out of touch with the social world.

I found this book’s no nonsense approach to be refreshing. It encourages accountability and taking steps to help yourself along with obtaining much needed support from professionals. It provides empowerment rather than condescension, hope rather than condemnation, and talks to rather than at you.

I loved the explanation of the role of control in eating disorders. Those with anorexia in particular can feel that their lives are out of control and the only thing they can control is food – what they eat, when they eat and how much they restrict, but in fact this is an illusion. Emma made a 💡 lightbulb moment 💡 point for me, that it’s actually the eating disorder that controls you, not the other way around.

I don’t personally believe the superfood hype so to read that Popeye was right made my heart sing. 🎶 Spinach is more nutritious than kale! 🎶 I detest kale!

My small gripe with this book is the lack of references. The author will say that “studies have shown…” but doesn’t back her statement up with citations which could diminish the credibility of these claims in the eyes of the reader. So unfortunately I can’t tell you the details of the studies that debunk kale, but I want to believe!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Sheldon Press for the opportunity to read this book. I’m definitely interested in reading more from this author.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

Are you worried about your food intake? Do you weigh yourself most days and feel guilty if you gain half a pound? Do strict rules dominate your mealtimes and life, just so you can feel more in control?

The A to Z of Eating Disorders is a road map for anyone who wants a way out of the bewildering world of disordered eating and body-image anxiety.

From anorexia, bingeing and clean eating, to social media, yo-yo dieting and size zero, this book explores these complex conditions from a range of angles, offering valuable insights and hope.

In this inspiring, impeccably researched book, renowned writer and broadcaster Emma Woolf says, ‘Eating disorders cause untold misery and can affect anyone at any time of life. As someone who has lived through anorexia and recovery, I receive emails every day from those desperate for guidance. The A to Z of Eating Disorders helps to demystify disordered eating and sets you back on the path to a happy, healthy relationship with food.’

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The Unbelievables #1: The Girl Who Ignored Ghosts – K.C. Tansley

👻 Haunted Halloween Book! 👻

“Ghosts don’t exist. They can’t touch me. They can’t hurt me. They aren’t real.”

The Girl Who Ignored Ghosts is one of those books that has everything you want and all the stuff you didn’t even know you needed, and yet it doesn’t feel cluttered.

Intelligent female main character that loves to read and doesn’t have a perfect body – ✔️

129 year old murder mystery to solve – ✔️

Intergenerational multi-family curse – ✔️

Ghosts, AKA, “I see dead people” – ✔️

Library in a castle on its own island with signed and first editions galore – ✔️

Time travel without a flux capacitor – ✔️

Bacon, eggs and coffee – ✔️

Secret passageways – ✔️

Sparkly gemstone jewellery – ✔️

Magic – ✔️

Kat grew up believing in the unbelievables. Ghosts were her childhood friends until something so scary happened that she had to stop believing. Fast forward eight years and Kat, now a junior at McTernan Academy, surrounds herself with people (especially unbelievers), animals, plants and stones, and recites her mantra to protect herself.

Kat accessorises with metal and stone – earrings, necklaces, bracelets, you name it, for additional protection. I loved that her knowledge of gemstones carries over into her descriptions of people whose eyes aren’t boring colours but instead are aquamarine, larimar, hematite and iolite.

Assisting Professor Astor with his research into the mysterious events 129 years ago at Castle Creighton, Kat knows she is delving into dangerous unbelievables territory. Along with best friend Morgan, Evan the Terrible and serial flirter Seth, Kat winds up at Castle Creighton to investigate what really happened there and to study the Radcliffe Curse. Now Kat is stuck on an island with a hurricane approaching and there’s no escaping the unbelievables.

I loved the way Castle Creighton’s creeptastic secrets unfolded throughout the story. This story had friendship, forgiveness, hope, secrets and betrayal. It also had love, lots of love. Now, you’ve heard of a love triangle, but have you ever heard of a love pentagon? As a bit of a summary of how a love pentagon works (and for the sake of not ruining who everyone is in love with, we won’t use their real names):

  • A is in love with B.
  • B is in love with C, is friends with A, is jealous of D, is using E to make D jealous.
  • C is marrying D but has history with and also still loves B.
  • D is marrying C but has history with E.
  • E still wants D but is having fun with B, is using B to make D jealous.

Did you get all of that?

Beginning The Girl Who Saved Ghosts immediately! I would’ve gone mental waiting for the sequel if I’d read The Girl Who Ignored Ghosts when it was first published.

Tip to readers: Make sure you have the sequel on hand when you finish this book. While a lot of plot lines are wrapped up other questions are raised and you’re not going to want to wait to find out what happens next!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Beckett Publishing Group for the opportunity to read this book.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

Kat Preston doesn’t believe in ghosts. Not because she’s never seen one, but because she saw one too many. Refusing to believe is the only way to protect herself from the ghost that tried to steal her life. Kat’s disbelief keeps her safe until her junior year at McTernan Academy, when a research project for an eccentric teacher takes her to a tiny, private island off the coast of Connecticut. 

The site of a grisly mystery, the Isle of Acacia is no place for a girl who ignores ghosts, but the ghosts leave Kat little choice. Accompanied by her research partner, Evan Kingsley, she investigates the disappearance of Cassie Mallory and Sebastian Radcliffe on their wedding night in 1886. Evan’s scientific approach to everything leaves Kat on her own to confront a host of unbelievables: ancestral curses, powerful spells, and her strange connection to the ghosts that haunt Castle Creighton. 

But that’s all before Kat’s yanked through a magic portal and Evan follows her. When the two of them awaken 129 years in the past with their souls trapped inside the bodies of two wedding guests, everything changes. Together, Kat and Evan race to stop the wedding-night murders and find a way back to their own time — and their own bodies — before their souls slip away forever. 

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The Murders of Molly Southbourne – Tade Thompson

Spoilers Ahead!

💉 Halloween Haemorrhage Book! 💉

Molly Southbourne’s parents teach her four very important rules:

“If you see yourself, run. Don’t bleed. Blot, burn, bleach. Find a hole, find your parents.“

Sorry, but that’s about all you’re getting from me about The Murders of Molly Southbourne. If I tell you any more than what you read in the book’s blurb I’m going to spoil the story for you.

This novella is a quick read and I needed to keep reading to find out how it was all going to be resolved. There’s a nice twist and potential for another book. I’m usually a fan of endings that don’t form question marks above my head but for Molly I really feel the ambiguity of what happens after the final sentence works in its favour. Having said that, should there be another Molly/molly book I would be interested.

Despite rule #2, there is a fair bit of bloodshed in this book so if you’ve got a case of haemophobia and an overactive imagination, buyer beware. It’s in context with the storyline and I didn’t feel it was gratuitous at all.

There was one section that really annoyed me because it didn’t feel like it belonged in or added any value to the story. I didn’t see why there had to be a threesome with Molly, the professor and a molly. Call me a prude if you want but I just don’t see why you’d be interested in having sex with your doppelgänger and if for some reason you were, why you would when you know you’re going to kill them in a few hours time.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

The rule is simple: don’t bleed.

For as long as Molly Southbourne can remember, she’s been watching herself die. Whenever she bleeds, another molly is born, identical to her in every way and intent on her destruction.

Molly knows every way to kill herself, but she also knows that as long as she survives she’ll be hunted. No matter how well she follows the rules, eventually the mollys will find her. Can Molly find a way to stop the tide of blood, or will she meet her end at the hand of a girl who looks just like her?

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Rogue Justice #1: Twisted Truth – Melinda Leigh

Having never heard of Melinda Leigh (I know … shame on me!) this novella seemed like a perfect taste test of her writing. A double homicide with a surprise find, a child chained in the basement, this sounded like my kind of book. So I ignored the fact that it’s listed as a romance (ARGH! Get it away from me!) and instead focused on the mystery and thriller categorisation (WOOHOO!) and dived in. This was fun!

I don’t know about you but I innately trust a book that has a sentence like “Small Town Rule #1: There’s always room for pie.” If an author understands dessert, then they’ve gotta be OK.

Twisted Truth is told in alternating chapters by Rogue County Detective Seth Harding and his county social worker wife, Carly. Seth and Carly have an eight year old daughter, Brianna, who has a pygmy goat called Prince Eric and a pony called Maximus.

Now, it seems to me that this town would be lost without Carly’s family as they practically run the whole show. Are you ready???

  • Carly’s mother, Patsy, is an emergency foster carer and the family farm also takes on the overflow from the county animal shelter. Patsy has an Irish Setter called Trina.
  • Carly’s late father had been the police chief of Solitude, their hometown.
  • Carly’s younger brother, Bruce, is the new rookie in the sheriff’s department and is adorable!
  • Carly’s older brother, James, is the mayor of Solitude.
  • Carly’s sister, Stevie, is a Solitude patrol officer and is married to Zane Duncan, Solitude’s police chief.

I really enjoyed reading this book. It felt like the words were flowing around me and I could imagine it as a great beach read. There was always something happening to move the story forward. There was enough information about the characters to make you care about them and hope they didn’t get killed. There was a close family but they still had problems so you could relate to them and admire their closeness without them coming across as idealistic.

I really liked that Carly was haunted by a previous case as that gave her character more depth and gave me something to chew on while I was digesting the details of the main story. My only niggle was that there were a few loose ends about the baddie/s that weren’t neatly wrapped in a bow for me. However, book 2 is coming soon so I expect my questions may be answered in time.

Favourite Character: Prince Eric. This little pygmy goat escape artist has horns and knows how to use them. A close second was Patsy. A woman adept at pie making and knows her way around a shotgun? What a cool grandma!

You know that classic Raiders of the Lost Ark scene when Indy goes up against the swordsman?

Remember that when you’re reading and you’ll understand why I cheered towards the end of this book.

Oh, and naturally the FBI rock up after the action’s all over. Yay FBI guys!

So, the biggest negative of this book? The fact that I have discovered Melinda Leigh so late in the game, so I have about a bazillion of her books to catch up on. Ha! Like reading has ever been a chore! 😜

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Montlake Romance for the opportunity to read this book.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

When Detective Seth Harding responds to shots being fired, he faces a familiar sight: a double homicide. However, he is shocked to find a young boy chained in the basement. The terrified child refuses to speak, but Seth knows he is the key to something sinister.

Reluctantly, Seth calls the only social worker he trusts with the traumatised boy — his wife. Carly is recovering from her own trauma suffered on the job, but she can’t turn away from this case, not from another child in trouble. With torrential rain bearing down, threatening to isolate their little town in a killer flood, Seth and Carly know the best way to keep the boy safe from danger is to take him back to their farm.

But danger is as relentless as the storm. And it’s following them all the way home.

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Grug Goes to Hospital – Ted Prior

I love Grug! I read a lot of these as a kid and recently rediscovered them in packs of ten at Big W. They’re just as adorable as I remembered. Who says they’re for kids?! My mother and I love them! I actually bought the packs for Mum and have been randomly hiding individual books for her to find when she least expects it. Today I hid this one for her and it’s the LAST. ONE. I. HAVE! Need to remedy that ASAP!

In Grug Goes to Hospital, which I hadn’t read before, Grug shows Cara how he can swing on a rope and falls off.

Cara pulls Grug on the ambulance to the Bush Hospital. On the way the ambulance tips over and Grug gets a headache. Once at the hospital Cara patches Grug up, splinting his leg and wrapping a bandage haphazardly around his head before instructing him to rest. Grug gets a visitor while he’s in hospital and works on a project to cheer up other patients.

I adore Cara! You can almost hear her thinking, ‘What trouble are you going to get yourself in to now, Grug?’ She’s a great friend who’s always there to figuratively lend a hand – as a snake, she doesn’t have any. I love this series so much! It doesn’t matter what Grug does next. I’ll be reading about it no matter what.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

Poor Grug has hurt himself! Keep him company as he goes to hospital!

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Pea Pod Lullaby – Glenda Millard

Illustrations – Stephen Michael King

At first glance this book looks really sweet and it is, but once you start reading you realise there’s a depth to it and sensitivity in its commentary about refugees.

Fleeing from a war torn area, this mother, her children and dog set sail in a small boat that barely looks like it can float on a journey to the unknown. Filled with so much hope, this book impressed on me the depth of this mother’s love and courage.

With few words and accompanied by watercolour and ink drawings by Stephen Michael King, this story was a lovely surprise.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

I am the small green pea, you are the tender pod, hold me.

Words sing over the pictures in this evocative story: a beautiful lullaby about what we can be for each other.

A mother and baby, a boy and a dog run for their lives. A little boat carries them across the sea. A polar bear, too, has come adrift. When will they find land? Where will they find friends? Who will welcome them in?

The Pea Pod Lullaby is an inspiring and timely story of courage, endurance, and hope … for a world in which we can reach out and embrace one another.

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