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Literary editors of both The Australian and Sydney Morning Herald newspapers commented about words and grammar in their columns this weekend. The Greatest Gatsby: A Visual Book of Grammar (Viking, Penguin) is a very clever way to help everyone understand words and grammar. Tobhy Riddle is one of Australia’s notable picture book illustrators, with works […]

‘Once Upon A Christmas’ dedicated to:-

SANTA CLAUS!

Launched in the heritage courtyard of Balmain Library with community, kids, parents, fabulous librarians on a balmy Sydney night.

Compiled and edited by Beattie Alvarez who did a brilliant job – it contains the funny, joyous, quirky stories, poems, snippets, illustrations of some the best known authors and illustrators about Christmas:-

Ursula Dubosarsky, Libby Hathorn, Duncan Ball, Kate Forsyth, Sally Rippin, Michael Pryor, Kim Gamble, Adele Geras, Pamela Freeman, Stephen Axelson  ……my small anecdote ‘Grandma’s Christmas’ remembers my children’s Grandma and Grandpa … I can’t wait to give it to my family at Christmas.

Melina Marchetta joined in with her daughter

‘Once Upon A Christmas’ is the brainchild of the multi-award winning author Sophie Masson and Christmas Press and the Christmas Press team – Beattie Alvarez, gifted illustrator David Allen and Fiona McDonald.

Fabulous authors Jesse Blackadder and Melina Marchetta came along to cheer on the launch.

Room to Read Writer Ambassadors were there spreading the word about literacy for the kids of Asia and Africa.

Who sets up a new publishing house in this crazy publishing climate? Sophie Masson of course. With its first title last year, it’s already selling out.

Called Christmas Press

A small press with big ideas..

Born in the early months of 2013, Christmas Press specialises in beautiful picture books for children, featuring traditional tales–folk tales, fairy tales, legends, myths–retold by well-known authors and stunningly illustrated in classic styles that reflect the cultures the stories come from. We also publish special anthologies, full of wonderful stories, poems, memoirs and illustrations, with the first of these, Once Upon A Christmas, just released now for Christmas!

The post Who’s Coming down the Chimney? Santa Claus! appeared first on Susanne Gervay's Blog.

Ursula Dubosarsky has written over 40 books for children and young adults. Some of which include The Terrible Plop, Too Many Elephants in This House, Tim and Ed (Tim and Ed Review), The Carousel, The Word Spy series, and The Cryptic Casebook of Coco Carlomagno and Alberta series. She is a multi-award winner of many […]

A chance to WIN a copy of Ursula Dubosarsky’s ‘The Terrible Plop‘, AND YOU can ask her a question in an exclusive interview, to be featured on the Boomerang Books Blog! To win: 1. Head to My Little Story Corner and LIKE the page. 2. Find the Competition post, pinned at the top of the […]

Having two kids under five is busy enough; constantly picking up after them, the daily hustle and bustle, and the shouts, shrieks and laughter that goes with sibling shenanigans. But what about young, lively, always busy, curious twins? Now that would be a handful! Ursula Dubosarsky and Andrew Joyner make a great award-winning team, already […]

Author Ursula Dubosarsky? Check. Illustrator Andrew Joyner? Check. Elephants? Check. But not too many at all. In fact, this book wouldn’t be even half way as cool if it didn’t have simply too many elephants, which raises the question: can anyone really have too many elephants?

Eric really likes elephants. He has them everywhere. In the living room, in the kitchen, in the hallway, bathroom and bedroom. There’s an entire herd of rollicking elephants delighting and engaging this young lad from dawn ’til dusk.

BUT his mother doesn’t like it. Not one little bit. ‘There are too many elephants in this house,’ she says. ‘They’ve got to go.’

Naturally, Eric is devastated and will try anything to keep his baggy friends safe, including thinking up a very efficient means of elephant storage.

Dubosarsky’s penchant for childlike fun shines through in this adorable book, with Andy Joyner’s timeless and joy-filled illustrations taking her text to even greater heights. With a deliciously retro feel, this is imaginative, childhood magic at its best.

A must for picture book collectors – and kids.

Too Many Elephants in this House is published by Penguin.

St Mark’s Drummoyne was filled with buzzing kids, parents and the wonderful CBCA  (NSW) welcoming authors Nathan Luff, Oliver Phommavanh, Ursula Dubosarsky and me.

Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illlustrators (SCBWI) Australia East and New Zealand supports the Children’s Book Council with authors Oliver Phommavanh, Nathan Luff and I  - we are both SCBWI and CBCA members.

Mary Anne Cartwright from the CBCA committee was a great host – thankyou for a lovely Author Tea, especially the terrific orange cake. I have a terrible sweet tooth.

Author Toni Brisland is the SCBWI (NSW) liaison member with the CBCA.

It was a National Year of Reading (NYR) event – I am proud to be an ambassador for NYR

www.love2read.org

If you’re not away or flying back from Bologna or at festivals and conference, the SCBWI Network is:-

5-7 p.m.

Monday 2nd April

at The Hughenden

14 Queen Street Woollahra (near Paddington, Sydney).

I have been on a conference and festival trail where I have met kids, librarians, teachers, adults, even politicians from Queensland to Picton to the beautiful Dixon Room in Sydney’s heritage Mitchell Library overlooking our Botanical Gardens towards the Opera House.

I’ll be keynote at the Glouceter Festival , touring the USA with my ‘Butterflies’, visiting Taree, Melbourne ….and more ….. and I am looking forward to speaking at the IBBY Congress in London.  It’s crazy but the wonderful life of a writer.

Deborah Abela, Serena Geddes, Lesley Vamos, Christopher Cheng … are just back from Bologna Book Fair; and

shared a fabulous time with heaps of brilliant authors and illustrators in Somerset on the Gold Coast like Jacqueline Harvey, Michael Wagner, Oliver Phommovanh, Ursula Dubosarsky, Tristan Bancks, Karen Brooks, Leigh Hobbs, Scott Westerfield, James Roy, Georgia Blain and the brilliant list goes on.

Frane Lessac, Mark Greenwood, Sally Murphy, Norm Jorgenson, A J Betts, Dianne Lawrenson, Samantha Hughes …

….and all those WA writers and illustrators are on the move throughout WA and NT at festivals and reaching remote indogenous communities.

Sarah Davis and Deborah Abela have flown to Alice Springs to join them. Love it.

Aleesah Darlison is back from Hong Hong; Jan Latta just back from China speaking at festivals; Jacqueline Harvey is doing her Alice-Miranda tour in the USA and UK.

Sue Whiting’s at All Saints in Perth which I loved when I spoke there last year

This is the coolest community ever!

If anyone is in Sydney on Monday 2nd April, there’s a great talk by Wendy Blaxland on non fiction writing; catch up with SCBWI Conference information on 29th June-2nd July and networking at The Hughenden.

Author Libby Gleeson and illustrator Julie Vivas

The Lady Cutler Award dinner was filled with authors, illustrators, publishers, librarians and readers. Lady Cutler’s son presented the award this year to Chris Cheng who spoke to us from Hong Kong.

Authors Oliver and Susanne Gervay, Val Noake from e-lit

I gave the citation speech which was innovative over cyberspace.

Chris Cheng accepting the Lady Cutler Award via skype

Kris from Lateral Learning Speakers Agency and author Ursula Dubosarsky

Bill Condon, Jan Latta, Ursula Dubosarsky, Wendy Blaxland ……. who were celebrating Chris’ achievements and the Children’s Book Council.

Andrew Joyner
(Illustration from The Terrible Plop by Ursula Dubosarsky)

The Secret History of Words and Numbers is for all students in Years 4 to 7. Two outstanding writers and a team of creative actors reveal the stories behind words and numbers in an enjoyable and informative 90 minute program. The Word Spy introduces a whole world of English: euphemisms, malapropisms, acronyms, mondegreens, portmanteau words, [...]