My illustrated Picture Books and Junior Fiction.
I love these the BEST! (but please don’t tell the others!)
My pride and joy!
Each of my books have teacher resources to match.
Find them for completely FREE in my store here.
Mila & Ivy
About the book:
Mila likes to build things and is designing a cupcake catapult with her little sister, Ivy.
However, a problem arises when it seems like Ivy is more intent on destroying things than she is on building them.
Frustrated by her sister’s behaviour, Mila decides to build the catapult on her own, but it soon becomes clear that something is missing. Something that only Ivy can help with...
This tale of two sisters is a fun example of how different people work in different ways, and how we can embrace and harness those differences to get better results.
A great book for siblings that don't always see eye to eye.
Publisher:
Wombat books
Year
2022
Available in Hardback and paperback
Review for ‘Mila & Ivy’
Mila and Ivy are sisters who enjoy playing together and creating fantastical designs out of boxes, but they have very different approaches. Mila is an organised Cardboard Design Engineer, while Ivy is a little more chaotic. When Ivy decides to help with building their amazing cupcake catapult, Mila is devastated when Ivy starts tearing things apart. Can they work out how to work together again?
Obviously, this is a story about siblings working and playing together, and about appreciating what different approaches and ideas bring to the table. It’s about being a little flexible when you’re playing or working with others. There are some very sweet moments in the story, when Mila and Ivy are having fun together, and it’s clear that they usually enjoy each other’s company.
This story felt like it would make a good teachable discussion point on cooperation, not just with siblings but also with friends, and learning to be a little more flexible and a little less fixed on your own ideas and way of doing things. In a classroom setting, it could be interesting to discuss some of the things that the story doesn’t address, such as where the story puts the burden of communication between the sisters, and why. How would younger readers feel if they were Mila? What if they were Ivy? How would they handle things if they were in a similar situation? This book could make an excellent starting point for conversations with young readers about empathy and collaboration.
There is an open-hearted charm to the illustrations, which expand beautifully on the story. The expressions of the characters give clear, visual cues to the emotional reactions, and would enhance a discussion about reading peoples’ emotional responses quite nicely.
The various box projects that the sisters create are also a lot of fun, and could be another possible direction to take discussions with young readers. I could see this book becoming part of a kindergarten or early primary unit involving young students learning to work together to create their own Cardboard Designs.
There is a lot of potential in Mila and Ivy to make a great discussion book for young readers aged 4-6 years who are starting to learn how to interact with siblings and other children, to help them articulate responses to the inevitable challenges that come along with working and playing together.
Reviewed by Emily Clarke
Pepper Masalah
Junior Fiction series.
About the books.
Pepper Masalah and the Flying Carpet: Pepper Masalah and her human, Zam, are whisked away on a magic carpet and find themselves in a faraway land. Can their bond and their new friends help them find their way home?
Pepper Masalah and the Temple of Cats: Pepper Masalah’s flying carpet lands in Ancient Egypt where Pepper and Zam are taken to a temple full of cats by a girl called Tabia. Pepper is in danger as the people want to make her into a mummy as she is so special. To make it worse the carpet has floated away on the Nile and Pepper and Zam are stuck in time.
Pepper Masalah and the Giant Bird: In the 3rd book in this series, Pepper Masalah and the Giant Bird, the ancient carpet flies over Afghanistan. A huge bird (the Simurgh from Persian folklore) whisks Pepper off the carpet and up to her nest of eggs high on a mountain. The carpet is disorientated without Pepper and disappears after Zamir falls off. Zam makes the long climb to save Pepper before she becomes food for the bird’s huge chicks. But Pepper and Zam still need to find the carpet in order to get home to Australia.
These Junior Fiction books also have my art of Black and white illustrations inside.
Book 5 is COMING SOON.
Publisher:
Wombat books
Year
2023-24
Available in paperback.
Reviews for ‘Pepper Masalah’
Vivid and evocative, Pepper Masalah is refreshing. Rosanne Hawke is a master at blending cultures and taking us along for the ride. What a pleasure to meet new friends and join the grand adventure.
—Nancy Jackson, author and educator
This is a great new series for junior to middle primary students...This is an easy-to-read story about family, friendship, animal bonds and helping others, that will be loved by those who have a vivid imagination!
Sam at Lamont Books
This story cleverly contrasts life in Australia with conditions in an unspecified part of the Arabian Peninsula. We see most of the action from Pepper’s point of view which should appeal to cat lovers. The back of the book has two useful pages of factual information about cat behaviour and a very amusing newspaper page with articles about ‘boy and cat disappear in freak storm’, and also a word list of Arabic from the Arabian Peninsula.
All in all a very appealing package for newly independent readers made more so by the black-and-white illustrations sprinkled through the pages.
Mia Macrossan at Storylinks
Trolls Tall Tales
About the book:
Discover the hilarious stories behind the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, and Santa Claus, straight from Troll's top secret files.
Troll takes you through the secrets behind the stories you think you know. For instance, rather than just one Easter Bunny there are 418 rabbits secretly trained in the ancient art of egg-fu.
The tooth fairy doesn't look as good in a tutu as you might think either, although he's really a very nice chap. Santa's helpers might not be as elvish as you'd expected (maybe they're a bit more on the automated side?).
Publisher:
Yellow Brick Books
Year
2021
Available in Paperback.
Review for ‘Trolls Tall Tales’
Emily makes me read this book over and over again at bedtime.
It drives me crazy but she won’t pick another book.
I personally blame you.
Reviewed by Emily’s Dad.
My author Michelle Worthington received this from a disgruntled father.
I think we are possibly BOTH at fault. Sorry Emily’s Dad!
Where’s My Dinosaur?
About the book:
What happens when you don’t get what you wish for?
She thought her new playmate was going to be something that she loves – like a dinosaur! She could chase it around and ride it down the street to show all her friends. But when her playmate arrives it turns out to be...a sibling. What on earth are you supposed to do with one of those?
Featuring a culturally diverse family, this gorgeous book explores a child’s anticipation of a new sibling and discovery that there’s something better than a dinosaur—a little sister that loves dinosaurs too! Hidden dinosaurs can be found throughout the illustrations, making this a wonderful book for children to enjoy.
Publisher:
Yellow Brick Books
Year
2021
Available in Hardback.
Review for ‘Where’s my Dinosaur?’
What a real treat this story is! A must have for any family preparing to bring home their newest member.
There’s something growing in Mummy’s tummy… I hope it’s a dinosaur. It could be a chick, a rabbit or even a friendly bear. An elephant or better yet, a dinosaur would make the perfect playmate for this little excited sibling-to-be. As her Mummy’s tummy grows, she imagines all manner of adventurous playmates, but her imagination could never conjure what she finds in the hospital room, swaddled on her Mummy’s lap. What can she do with that?
This comical story embraces the quirky and often absurd notions children concoct after taking adult explanations literally. After all, Mummy growing a ‘playmate’ could mean anything!
I enjoyed the illustrated resolution where the siblings played tentatively together surrounded by the toy version of the imagined playmates. The cyclic nature of the story was also a humourous touch, Mummy growing ‘something’ in her tummy and the youngest member of the family hoping it’s a dinosaur!
I’d recommend this story for any family preparing to introduce a new baby to their children aged 3-7 years.
Reviewed by Katie Mineeff