KIDDO BOOK CLUB SEPTEMBER: This month in KIDDO Book Club, with book week on the horizon come October, we’ve given you a big selection of September new release kids books to look at, as well as a handful of stellar options for tweens and teens, and…of course… us parents!
Me & My Shadow takes children and families along for the adventure as a young girl tries to befriend her shadow and, along the way, plays games, solves problems, and enters into the highs and lows of an imaginary friendship that is both fantastical and intangibly honest at the same time.
Find out what Kiddo Book Club book reviewer Kate Younie thinks of The Minute I Saw You by Paige Toon.
Netflix has just premiered the quirky documentary, The Speed Cubers, one of those hidden gems the popular streaming service offers from time to time. If you think The Speed Cubers is just a documentary about a bunch of brainiacs competing in a colourful, hands-on, pseudo Mathletics championship and filming it for YouTube, you’ll be surprised by what you actually get, which is more of story about friendship, rivalry and finding one’s place.
Aussie series ‘The InBESTigators’; what parents need to know, is it any good and what can our kiddos learn from watching it?
Have you watched Brainchild on Netflix with your kids? Brainchild makes science fun for kids, and answers the big questions in ways that are kid-appropriate and fun for the whole family!
Have you heard of Woodhouse Activity Centre? Chances are, if you haven’t, you and your kids are missing one heck of an outdoor adventure! We stayed for a weekend and got stuck into all the activities Woodhouse has to offer, and we’ve got everything you need to know!
The new mini golf course at The Beachouse is open after it’s recent refurb and we were lucky enough to head down to check it out with our mini KIDDO crew during the recent school holidays. Here’s what we thought!
Part of the littlest KIDDO crew had the exciting pleasure of heading to Funtopia Prospect during the July school holidays and let’s just say this place is just the most fun filled awesome time imaginable for little people!
The Netflix adaptation we have all been waiting for (or is that just me…?) is here. That’s right; The Babysitters Club, a book series made absolute cult classic by Ann M Martin, absolutely beloved by girls the world over, has had a reboot and is available to stream on Netflix, and let’s just say, we’re excited.
Netflix has a new show, The Floor is Lava, and it’s about to be your kids’ favourite!
Find out what Kiddo Book Club book reviewer Kate Younie thinks of Below Deck and The Safe Place.
Title: Just An Ordinary FamilyAuthor: Fiona LowePublisher: Harper Collins Book Review by Kate Younie @Big_little_words Alice is jobless and broken hearted in Melbourne. She decides to return to her seaside hometown of Kurnai Bay, where her family still reside. Her twin sister, Libby, is a successful GP who is happily married to Nick and has two adorable children. Libby also has a devoted and inseparable best friend, Jess. Libby has everything Alice always wanted; but she always found herself living in the shadow of her sister and in competition with Jess. Nevertheless, Alice slowly forges her place back into the community and her family. She begins dating and works hard to forge her independence. The twins’ mother, Karen, is supportive of her girls. She has always guided them the best she knew how. Her childhood was difficult and she tried her best to shield her girls from her past. But while Alice’s life is rebuilding … Libby’s is crumbling. As Libby’s life starts to unravel, Alice is there to pick up the pieces, but also finds herself in the middle of the destruction due to Karen’s past lies. This is a true family drama and tale of sacrifice, betrayal and ultimately forgiveness. One for the Liane Moriarty and Jodi Picoult fans.
Title: Earth HeroesAuthor: Lily DyerPublisher: Nosy CrowRelease: October 2019 Review by Kasey Chambers “The future is ours for the making. You too can change the world.” When faced with climate change, the biggest threat our planet has ever confronted, it’s easy to feel as if there’s nothing you can do… but this book shows we can all make a difference. Lily Dyer’s collection of twenty inspirational stories celebrates the drive and determination of people from all walks of life to make a difference in their communities and on a global scale. Featuring famous activists Greta Thunburg and Sir David Attenborough, Earth Heroes also showcases activists who you might not know, from Mohammed Rezwan, an architect of floating schools and clinics in his local Bangladesh, to Doug Smith, who helped reintroduce wolves to Yellowstone National Park and Isatou Ceesay, who transformed the growing plastic waste problem in the Gambia to provide incomes for women. Faced with a relentless news cycle of negative stories, it can be difficult to find the good things that are happening to combat climate change. Dyer’s Earth Heroes is a timely reminder that across the planet, people are using knowledge, skills, passion and innovation to transform our world. Perfect for bedtime reading, your little activist will find themselves dreaming of ways they can change the world. Featuring the stories of David Attenborough, Isatou Ceesay, Andrew Turton and Pete Ceglinski, Yvon Chouinard, William Kamkwamba, Renée King-Sonnen, Ellen MacArthur, Stella McCartney, Chewang Norphel, Mohammed Rezwan, Rok Rozman, Bittu Sahgal, Marina Silva, Doug Smith, Isabel Soares, Amelia Telford, Greta Thunberg, Sheila Watt-Cloutier, Melati and Isabel Wijsen and Yin Yuzhen. Available from Dymocks
Jake Dean is a writer, surfer and bibliophile who’s counting down the days to take his six-month-old boy, Koa, for his first wave. Follow him on Twitter @JakeJDean. A Word from… Dad By Jake Dean If you’d told me a year ago I’d be a parenting columnist, I would have laughed so hard, with coffee literally seeping from my nose. But a healthy little boy, countless nappies and darkening rings under my eyes later and here we are. I surf less than I used to and I’m writing this on the train as it’s a rare moment to myself. But those annoying dad-isms turn out to be true, don’t they? “I wouldn’t trade it for the world,” I’ve said time and time again. I’m even enjoying those moments with the boys when you take stock and realise you’ve been comparing pram wheels for the past half an hour. Life comes at you fast, eh. Nevertheless, I’ve no real sage father wisdom to impart. I’ve discovered that despite thousands of well-meaning tips on raising a kid from every man, woman and dog, you really do have to fumble through this dad caper. So instead, here are three mostly un-kid-related hot tips from one sleepy fella to another. READ: On the Java Ridge, by Jock Serong: A boat-load of Aussie surfers anchored at a remote and uninhabited Indonesian island cross paths with another boat, full of asylum seekers, in devastating circumstances. Good luck putting this political thriller down until you’ve reached its punch-in-the-guts crescendo, which also might change your views on asylum seeker policies. Looking for a banger new kids book? Try The Surfing Animals Alphabet Book by Swedish illustrator Jonas Classen. It’s packed with vibrant colour, classic A-Z rhymes and 26 animals cutting sick in the ocean. Available from Dymocks Burnside Village WATCH: Manchester by the Sea: I admit this film is from 2016, but give us a break. I’ve been busy procreating. We finally finished this slow-burn drama over 25 instalments rand can confirm it’s primo Friday-night-on-the-couch-when-the-kid’s-finally-asleep fodder. Life comes fast at Lee, a brooding Massachusetts janitor, who’s faced with the prospect of caring for his teen nephew, Patrick, when Lee’s brother dies suddenly. Heart-wrenching flashbacks explain the characters’ fractured relationships and you’ll have all the feels from the cast’s stellar performances, laden with grief and intimacy. What’s this salty discharge coming from my eyes? DO: Onkaparinga River National Park: Can you recommend somewhere you’ve never been? Is that a thing? Stuff it, I’m doin’ it. I’ve seen enough Insta pics of this place, barely 30 minutes south of Adelaide, that I’m pulling the finger out and taking the fambo for an overdue nature hang there pronto. How good is it strapping the kid in the carrier and doing fun stuff while they stare in wonder or catch some zzz’s by the way? I’ll see you in the Park. Twitter: @JakeJDean Instagram: @byjakedean Blog: jake-dean.com