I am a former teacher turned author with a passion for children’s literature. I have a Bachelor of Arts with a Diploma of Education from Macquarie University and a Master of Special Education from the University of Sydney. I’ve previously taught English at all levels in schools and specialised in teaching students with learning difficulties.
I’ve also taught literacy skills to disadvantaged children and adult migrants. I firmly believe that learning to read ignites one’s imagination, fills you with knowledge, and opens doors in the real world. My children’s picture book Merrie Moo is a fun story about a friendly and forgetful cow.
This book is a favourite of mine to read aloud to young children.
The writing is musical with a predictable rhythm that young children enjoy. The story has a repetitive chorus that children instinctively chant along to. As children repeat the chorus, they feel like they are reading, which gives them a sense of achievement.
The story is full of fun onomatopoeia words that children love saying, such as swishing, squelchy, and stomping. This language also allows children to act out the words using their whole bodies, which adds to the reading experience.
The story is full of anticipation and just the right amount of suspense for this age group. This book will keep children engaged from beginning to end.
Gorgeous gift edition of the classic join in story by Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury. Shake up a snowstorm with this perfect gift for brave hunters and bear-lovers everywhere!
We're going on a bear hunt. We're going to catch a big one. Will you come too? For over a quarter of a century, readers have been swishy-swashying and splash-sploshing through this award-winning favourite. This new gift hardback edition includes a superb snow scene on the cover to add fun and festive flurries to your favourite family adventure story. Follow and join in the family's excitement as they wade through the…
I love this book for the way it grabs a child’s interest from the very start by using the big question of who sank the boat?
This question is repeated on every page, giving the story rhythm and predictability. Children love guessing who sank the boat and are engaged throughout the story. The reader can involve the child by asking questions like "Who do you think sank the boat and why?"
The story gains momentum with subtle suspense leading to the big reveal of who it was that sank the boat. The answer is both surprising and humorous.
A charmingly funny read-aloud that asks an important question: "Who sank the boat?"
Beside the sea, there once lived a cow, a donkey, a sheep, a pig, and a tiny little mouse. They were good friends, and one warm, sunny morning, for no particular reason, they decided to go for a row in the bay. Do you know who sank the boat?
"The idea is funny, the pictures are splendid, and the easy text is just right for the very young."-The New Yorker
"A bright, brisk tale, simply told, illustrated by cheerful, comical pictures."-The Bulletin of the Center for Children's…
An engaging picture book for children that celebrates what it means to be American!
What does it mean to be American? Does it mean you like apple pie or fireworks? Not exactly. This patriotic picture book is perfect for Memorial Day, Independence Day, Election Day, or any day you want…
I love this book because of its humour in giving cows human characteristics.
Just the thought of cows typing is hilarious in itself. Children love animal characters that act like humans. It is hilarious while also giving relevance to the child’s world. The large illustrations of cows typing add to the humour and fun in the story.
The onomatopoeia words are fun to say aloud, such as "click clack moo." Children love joining in and repeating these words over and over again. Children are entertained by the fact that the cows are smart and trick the farmer.
Doreen Cronin and Betsy Lewin’s Caldecott Honor–winning book is celebrating its twenty-year anniversary with a brand-new edition featuring bonus content!
It was the typewriter heard ‘round the world. When Farmer Brown’s cows began leaving him notes, that’s when his troubles started—and the animals’ fun commenced! Celebrate twenty years of barnyard shenanigans with this special anniversary edition of the story that started it all, Click, Clack, Moo—now with a bonus poster in the inside cover!
I love this story through its use of tension and suspense.
Children are hooked on the fact that there is a hungry bear on the prowl. The story engages the child, causing them to listen intently. The reader can ask the listener to predict what will happen and what they might do in such a situation. Children also love joining in the bears' growling at the predictable times in the story.
The book has a wonderful surprise and a sense of relief at the ending.
A picture book in which Wendy and Oliver decide to have a picnic in the woods, but they get more than they bargained for when they are approached by a ferocious black and growling bear.
This is one of my favourite books to read to a child at bedtime.
Its rhythm and rhyme have an almost lullaby effect with a soothing tone. So many children are fascinated by big trucks, bulldozers, and building sites, but this story is different as the busy, noisy site is going to sleep. The loud machines are quietening down, giving the child the message that it’s time to settle down, as the world is now going to sleep.
The illustrations painted under a night sky are another way the book projects its time to sleep. Each machine on the building site is packing up and going through a bedtime routine that reinforces to the child that the day is ended and it's time for bed. Even the most energetic child will be calmed by this comforting book.
The #1 New York Times bestselling children's book now available in board book!
An unabridged board book for kids version of the bestselling, best-beloved hardcover, perfect for small hands! Even the roughest, toughest readers will want to turn off their engines, rest their wheels, and drift to sleep with this sweet and soothing story. Vibrant illustrations and gentle rhyming text make this construction book for kids a surefire bedtime favorite for truck-crazy kids everywhere.
Can't get enough of these tough trucks? The long-awaited sequel to this bestselling book series, Mighty, Mighty, Construction Site, is now available for preorder!
Merrie Moo has lost the shopping list she wrote down late last night. What was so important then, and why can’t she get it right? The clock striking every hour, she runs all over town, in and out of every shop, she goes running round and round. Can you guess what Merrie Moo needs? Because she has no clue. Or will she surprise us all and remember what to do?
An entertaining read-aloud picture book that is perfect for a shared reading experience. Merrie Moo is a fantastic and fun way to introduce the concept of time to young children.
Floretta- the story of an old woman who discovers life beautifully anew thru the helping hands of a child. The chakra colors of dawn and twilight are woven through the pages as the cycle of life is magically composed. The subject of “heaven,” has the potential to open discussions with…
When a girl in India discovers a Stone slab on a weedy patch of land she calls to her friends, "Look! Look!" The children clear away the weeds and garbage and find more stones. They called their families to come and see. Word travels to villages nearby and more and…
