I love inventing inventions and experimenting with experiments–all in aid of blending science and story to inspire innovation and positive change. My career covers six countries, 15+ novels for primary-aged children, and jobs that include science journalism at CERN (home of the Large Hadron Collider), exploding things at Questacon (as part of a science circus), and collecting bins in the back of a ute (as a garbage analyst). I write for children because I believe (and it’s scientifically proven) that our children are the future.
Smart writing, eclectic characters, and actually funny jokes that range from ferocious puns and hilarious slapstick to sophisticated humor; I love all the Secret Agent Mole books, and my kids do, too.
Seeing the underdogs take on evil and (spoiler alert!) save the day is super satisfying. I love the variety of clever jokes: some are one-liner laugh-out-louds, and others build and build across the entire book, and then wham! Extra points to creator James Foley for dreaming up such a diverse crew of spies.
It’s fast, funny, and fabulous–just what I want in a graphic novel for primary-aged kids.
Max is a mole on a mission. With Helen Hippo and June Bug by his side, Max must stop the evil Goldfish-Finger from stealing a priceless, solid gold fishfinger. This dangerous, top-secret mission will involve explosions, a naked mole rat, and being flushed down a giant toilet. Will Max and the team defeat the fiendish fish? Time to rock and mole!
I adore Cranky Chicken even though (because?) she’s grumpy, rude, and anti-social…and she’s hilarious. Featuring only a few panels per page and just two characters–Cranky Chicken and Speedy the super-cheery worm–this is a masterpiece of snappy dialogue and visual storytelling.
I’ve seen everyone, from adults to small children, race through this story because it’s so adorably funny.
Narwhal and Jelly meet The Bad Guys in this brightly illustrated, downright hilarious chapter book graphic novel full of “sweet, wholesome fun” (BCCB) about what happens when a very cranky chicken is befriended by a very cheerful worm.
Cranky Chicken is, well, cranky. With one cranky eyebrow, cranky eyes, and even cranky, scratchy feet. But then one day, Cranky meets a very friendly worm named Speedy who wants nothing more than to be friends. Young readers will love seeing the mismatched friendship grow over the course of three charming and laugh-out-loud short adventures as Chicken and Speedy become BFFs (Best…
I read this book anytime I’m feeling down and want an upbeat reminder that there are good things everywhere–you just need to find your tribe.
As a nerd myself, I love that Barny the Lamb, Shaama Llama Ding Dong the…llama, and Billy the Kid have all fallen into an odd but relatively successful friend group. But life as a nerd can be tricky, especially on a farm with ferocious bulls and mean cats.
Barny the Lamb and his friends are sick of being picked on. So they decide to form a gang to show everyone that they are not as soft as they look. But how do three fluffy friends stand up to a cunning fox, a gigantic cat, and a bull with behavioural issues?
I love anything that mixes science and creativity, and this book does this seamlessly. Set in a museum, the story is a real mystery, so kids can collect clues and uncover the secrets.
I also love that there are real science facts and ideas woven into the narrative, so while I’m laughing, I’m also learning (without even realizing 😉).
An action-packed graphic novel mystery with gentle humor and Bad Guys–style illustrations, perfect for dinosaur-loving emerging readers.
Hi there, I'm Sherlock Bones.
Who is Sherlock Bones, you ask? Well, I don’t like to brag, but my trusty side-kick Watts says I’m the greatest detective in our whole museum.
Don’t you, Watts?
Watts . . . ?
Sherlock Bones and his sidekick, a stuffed parrot named Watts, live in a natural history museum. So when the precious Royal Blue Diamond goes missing, they are first on the case. What they don’t expect is Grace, a silly, new-to-the-scene raccoon who keeps getting…
I know and love some hopeless optimists and can recognise myself in Angry Wasp and Friendly Bee in equal measure.
This is a quirky and hilarious book about finding friendship in the most unlikely places. I love the messages of loyalty and glass-half-full living, all in a fun mix of near-miss disasters.
It's a great read for younger readers learning about friendship.
Friendly Bee wants to be friends with every bug he meets, whether they like it or not.
Meet Friendly Bee: he's a bee who puts himself out there, a bee who sees the best in other beings. Sometimes, Friendly Bee’s cheerful attitude gets him into trouble – like almost being squashed by an excessively large shoe; or becoming a delicious meal for the mildly homicidal Enormous Hairy Spider. Luckily, Friendly Bee’s reluctant best friend Angry Wasp is there to save this buzzing buffoon from certain doom – if he really has to.
Violet is a science genius. Izzy believes in aliens. Leonardo da Pinchi is a talking crab. Together, they’re on a mission to save their school, only, today’s the sort of day when ANYTHING could happen (including an outer space invasion and explosions!)
It’s time to get down to business with some wacky science in a graphic novel that will leave you sitting on the edge of your (toilet) seat!
I grew up a fan of an evening news segment called “On the Road with Charles Kuralt.” Kuralt spotlighted upbeat, affirmative, sometimes nostalgic stories of people and places he discovered as he traveled across the American landscape. The charming stories he told were only part of the appeal; the freedom and adventure of being on the open road ignited a spark that continues to smolder. Some of my fondest memories from childhood are our annual family road trips, and I still jump at the chance to drive across the country.
Head West in 1865 with two life-long friends looking for adventure and who want to see the wilderness before it disappears. One is a wanderer; the other seeks a home he lost. The people they meet on their journey reflect the diverse events of this time period–settlers, adventure seekers, scientific expeditions, and Indigenous peoples–all of whom shape their lives in significant ways.
This is a story of friendship that casts a different look on a time period which often focuses only on wagon trains or gunslingers.
After four years of adventure in the frontier, Win Avery returns to his hometown on the edge of the prairie and tracks down his childhood friend, Jeb Dawson. Jeb has just lost his parents, and, in his efforts to console him, Win convinces his friend to travel west with him―to see the frontier before it is settled, while it is still unspoiled wilderness.
They embark on a free-spirited adventure, but their journey sidetracks when they befriend Meg Jameson, an accomplished horsewoman, lost on the Nebraska prairie. Traveling together through the Rocky Mountain foothills, they run into Gray Wolf, an Arapaho…
