Fans pick 83 books like Scarface Claw, Hold Tight

We adore this book and know it all off by heart! Our 2.5 year old can often be spotted sitting ‘reading’ this book to herself, reciting the poems! The simple repetitive story tells the tale of a babysitter (Skinny Doug – although for some reason he has always been known as Lanky Dave in our house!) singing nursery rhymes to Bonnie and Ben, the children he is looking after. Such a lovely book to share and we have even added in our own extra nursery rhymes for the picture of the moon at the end. Judy Horacek’s bright and cheerful and inclusive artwork makes this a family classic.

Our whole family loves this book about an Indigenous child’s smoking ceremony. As a white settler-colonial family in Australia we are keen to read and learn from Indigenous authors and the publisher, Magabala press, are outstanding in the quality of the books they publish. The simple yet effective computer-created artwork gives an intimate insight into the importance of the first lesson of law, connecting to Country, which leads to great conversations and reflection. The inclusion of Indigenous words within the story adds to the depth of sharing with the audience and allows the voices of the women to be heard beyond those who usually attend such an important rite of passage. A real treasure. I wish it came as a board book as our copy has had to be taped together many times!

This is another delight that we found in our local library. The illustrations and design of Little Bird’s Day are exquisite – the background colours of the page change as the story moves through the day and at night the page is covered in stars except for the outline of a bird as it dreams about flying across the sky. The story is beautiful and the artwork by Johnny Warrkatja Malibirr is outstanding. It is no surprise that this book was nominated for several book awards in 2020. It should have won all the prizes. Another excellent Indigenous author and illustrator that I hope more people will read and share with their families.

Two young children jump out of the bath and run around their home naked until they get dried and dressed in their pyjamas and go off to sleep. We love being ‘nudie nudie’ in our house and the fun rhyming words in this book are regularly recited as we play! We also love the Rudie Nudie Christmas edition that came out in 2020. As someone from the UK living in Australia I love the details in this book that let me know it is set in Australia such as the house having a screen door to keep all those pesky mosquitoes out!

Forget Clifford and Snoopy. When it comes to fictional dogs, the most famous of all in New Zealand is Hairy Maclary from Donaldson’s Dairy. (“Dairies” are what New Zealanders call corner stores.)

Hairy Maclary—a black, shaggy dog with a spring in his step—goes off for a walk with some of his cleverly named friends, like Bottomly Potts covered in spots, and Schnitzel vom Krumm with a very low tum. With a fun, sing-songy rhythm, cute dogs, and one very scary cat (the notorious Scarface Claw!), it’s no wonder this book’s been delighting “wee ones” for forty years.

I chose this book because it is a history of cat rescue. Rescuing cats was, and still is, a complex and difficult task. The book deals with the struggle to get cat rescue organised in a way that could benefit not just cat rescuers but also cats!

Individual cat lovers have always fed cats on the street, with the resulting increase in feline numbers! At one point, rescuers thought the only answer was to euthanase all street cats,  but nowadays, a concerted effort is being made to neuter and spay feral cats rather than try to turn them into unsatisfactory pets. The book deals with the growth of Trap, Neuter, and Return schemes, as well as the growing effort to get more cats adopted.

Although this book seems quite different from my other choices, there is a serious message among the fun.

In between the glorious medieval cat pictures, the author tells us what past writers thought about cats. When I read how cats were misjudged and ill-treated in the past, I feel better about the present. So, I read this book to cheer myself up when I am feeling gloomy about cat welfare.

And the pictures are a joy too.

From the workspaces of famous authors to bookish quiz questions to portraits of the most adorable bookstore cats, this one is an illustrated love letter to the universe of books. Jane Mount recommends her best reads from memoirs to fantasy, shows her favourite bookstores, and presents songs about books, books that were turned into great films and so much more, including for sure some beautiful book facts that are new to your giftee.

Escape often gets a bad rap—staying and fighting or enduring your circumstances are seen as more noble—but there are times when choosing to leave a demoralizing, unhealthy environment to make a fresh start is what you need to do to save your soul. In this book, a woman tries to disappear—and finds herself. If you appreciate books where unassuming sentences land like devastating little bombs, read this.

This simple children’s book shares the story of the death of a beloved pet and the subsequent processing of the loss. It has a gentle and clear approach, without any suggestion of an afterlife but rather an appreciation for all the wonderful things about the pet who is gone. 

If you are interested in continuing bonds with a child after a loss, this is a nice way to approach and expand on the topic.