Adventures in KidLitLand December 2025

Praying for love, peace, and light in the darkness especially during this year’s Christmas season, with such sadness in my city.

I’m leaving my usual round up of Kidlitland adventures for a later time, but wanted to share some recommendations to bring warmth and comfort, and maybe even joy and delight:

What I’m gifting:

The Adventures of Pongo and Stink by my writers’ group buddy, Lisa Nicol. It’s a junior fiction illustrated by Karen Blair and is full of Lisa’s characteristic quirk and charm and humour.

A Song for the King by Katrina Nanestad and Freya Blackwood. This one has my heart on so many levels. Pure Christmas love and joy.

The 12 Birds of Christmas. Simply stunning illustrations of Aussie birds by Eloise Short and text with a great rhythmic and rhyming pattern by Jodie McLoud.

And Casper’s pick: Dogs With Jobs by Max Hamilton.

Children’s and adult author, Kiah Thomas’ light hearted bookish romcom, Love on a Bookshelf, set on an author book tour, for my adult friends.

Erstwilder broaches and earrings. I discovered them when they collaborated with the CBCA for Book Week this year. They have an amazing collection for every occasion you could think of, and their book earrings are on high rotation in my earlobes. https://www.erstwilder.com/
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Sydney Sock Project – I must be getting really old because these day I do get excited about a new pair of socks! As well as gifting these beauties, I’ve bought myself a whole heap of ankle socks. They fit really well on my size 7 feet, and they are fun and comfy. Plus, they give back to charity. So much to love! I gave pair of piggy socks to my writer friend, Lisa Nicol, to celebrate the release of Pongo and Stink, as mentioned above. https://sydneysockproject.com/

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For holiday listening:

Chenee Marrapodi’s Writers off the Page podcast is doing a fabulous series about legends in publishing. I’ve listened to the first three and have been amazed at each one.

Words and Nerds podcast is doing a series with writers on ‘Everything I know About Publishing’ which is also insightful.
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Your Kids Next Read is always fabulous, but their Friday First chapters is perfect to find your kid’s next read! And the Summer Series is interviews with creatives.

Newsletter Love:

Katrina Germein’s substack is always insightful. It was a joy to meet Adelaide picture book author Katrina in person when she was in Sydney recently.

Kristian Aus has a comic style newsletter that I love. It makes me smile.

Things to do in the holidays:

Pamela Allen Exhibition at the State Library. For young and young at heart. A wonderfully curated exhibition of an iconic author and her work.

Anything that brings a sense of wonder and delight. Gaze at a baby (I have my first grandson to gaze at and hug this Christmas), pat a dog (Casper is always up for a pat), walk in nature, be transported by art and music, hug your family and friends, gaze at a sunrise/sunset, look up at the night stars.

And of course, read. Something that brings you joy. A gentle and warm book I have enjoyed this year is We’ll Prescribe You a Cat, by Ishida Syou, translated from Japanese.

I’ll be reading, and hopefully chuckling through, the entries in the Just Write For Kids short story anthology, before hitting my tall-to-toppling TBR pile and making space on the bookshelf for all the books I know are under the tree for me this year 😉

Thanks for following me on my adventures, I appreciate your company, even when my posts are few and far between 😊 You can always catch up on book launches and recommendations by checking out my Instagram and Facebook pages.
Oh, and if you know of any little ones starting school/preschool next year, I’ve heard a pretty picture book called Anchored has been helping quite a few children with separation anxiety 😉
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Signing off until the New Year. Wishing you light and love, joy and wonder.
 
Debra xx

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