Book picks similar to
Pandemic by Jackie French


picture-books
picture-book
historical
australian

A Book for Kids


C.J. Dennis - 1921
    You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery.

Jerilderie Letter


Ned Kelly - 1930
    This is the reverbative document which inspired novelist Peter Carey's highly praised reinvention of the Kelly tale, True History of the Kelly Gang.

The Bomber Dog


Megan Rix - 2013
    Nathan, his trainer, is a brave young soldier. Wolf is a war dog who's seen it all.Grey and Nathan soon become inseparable. Until the day a parachute jump goes tragically wrong...As the Second World War rages, Grey faces his most important mission yet: to find his best friend. With Wolf at his side, he must journey across France and behind enemy lines. His path is fraught with danger. Can he reach Nathan before it's too late?

The Good Son: A Story from the First World War, Told in Miniature


Pierre-Jacques Ober - 2019
    He also wanted to be good soldier, but the whole world was at war and he couldn't be both.A story told entirely with photographs of miniature figurines.

Light Horse Boy


Dianne Wolfer - 2013
    But in the Light Horse they quickly discover the brutal realities of life on the frontline. And nothing will ever be the same again.Featuring charcoal sketches by Brian Simmonds alongside primary source documents and historical photos, Light Horse Boy goes behind the scenes of the great ANZAC legends for an intimate look at their experience of World War I.

The Grandest Bookshop in the World


Amelia Mellor - 2020
    And not just any bookshop. In 1893, Cole’s Book Arcade in Melbourne is the grandest bookshop in the world, brimming with every curiosity imaginable. Each day brings fresh delights for the siblings: voice-changing sweets, talking parrots, a new story written just for them by their eccentric father.When Pearl and Vally learn that Pa has risked the Arcade – and himself – in a shocking deal with the mysterious Obscurosmith, the siblings hatch a plan. Soon they are swept into a dangerous game with impossibly high stakes: defeat seven challenges by the stroke of midnight and both the Arcade and their father will be restored. But if they fail Pearl and Vally won’t just lose Pa – they’ll forget that he and the Arcade ever existed.

Brindabella


Ursula Dubosarsky - 2018
    Then, on one winter morning, a gunshot amongst the trees changes everything.When Pender rescues Brindabella from the pouch of her murdered mother, an unusual friendship blossoms between the lonely boy and the orphaned joey. But Brindabella is no ordinary kangaroo. And though Pender has saved her life, the untameable wildness of the bush--and freedom--call to her...Lyrical and unforgettable, 'Brindabella' explores the brutal beauty of the Australian bush.

And the People Stayed Home


Kitty O'Meara - 2020
    Her words, written in March 2020 and shared on Facebook, immediately resonated nationally and internationally and were widely circulated on social media, covered in mainstream news media, and inspired an outpouring of creativity from musicians, dancers, artists, filmmakers, and more. The many highlights include an original composition by John Corigliano that was premiered by Renée Fleming.

Mr Stuart's Track


John Bailey - 2006
    The Australian continent stretched for another 2,000 kilometres to the north and 2,500 to the west and no white man had the slightest idea of what was there. It was to be the first of six expeditions mounted by Stuart, then aged 42, as he sought to uncover the mysteries of the interior and forge a path to the north.Ultimately he was to become part of a race across the continent, his rivals being the Burke and Wills expedition. In the end Stuart was to be the first European to cross Australia from south to north and return again, as the cumbersome expedition of Burke and Wills turned from farce to tragedy. Yet his hero's homecoming was to be shortlived. Mr Stuart's Track is a fascinating study of a loner, an explorer of no fixed abode, who battled alcoholism and ill-health to push himself to the limits of endurance in crossing straight through the red centre to the northern seas.

Once a Shepherd


Glenda Millard - 2014
    . . .Once Tom’s world was all at peace. Here is the tale of Tom Shepherd, tending his lambs and shearing their fleece and wooing his sweetheart, who weaves the sheep’s wool to make him a coat. But then the Great War comes, and Tom must leave his beloved wife and his unborn child and go off to fight. In a moving, sobering story that resolves in a heartbreaking but beautiful ending, Once a Shepherd evokes the reality of war in a way young children can understand, while fostering a deep-felt hope for peace.

Keeping the City Going


Brian Floca - 2021
    Outside we see the city we know, but not as we’ve seen it before. The once hustling and bustling streets are empty. Well, almost empty. Around the city there are still people, some, out and about. These are the people keeping us safe. Keeping us healthy. Keeping our mail and our food delivered. Keeping our grocery stores stocked. Keeping the whole city going.

Young Dark Emu


Bruce Pascoe - 2016
    Using the accounts of early European explorers, colonists and farmers, Bruce Pascoe compellingly argues for a reconsideration of the hunter-gatherer label for pre-colonial Aboriginal Australians. He allows the reader to see Australia as it was before Europeans arrived – a land of cultivated farming areas, productive fisheries, permanent homes, and an understanding of the environment and its natural resources that supported thriving villages across the continent. Young Dark Emu - A Truer History asks young readers to consider a different version of Australia’s history pre-European colonisation.

Waiting for the Thunder


Patricia Shaw - 2001
    But this year the ominous storm clouds only serve to remind them of trouble brewing - an Aborgine guerilla fighter in the district with some of his men is causing havoc indiscriminately and placing both Zack Hamilton and William Oatley in great danger. As the days drag on, the Aborigines' struggle for survival involves them all in a vicious waiting game until men with revenge in their hearts have to face the truth about themselves.

Lizzie Nonsense


Jan Ormerod - 2004
    Then Lizzie and Mama and baby are all alone in the little house in the bush. Lizzie is always playing and pretending. She is always dreaming. Lizzie nonsense! her mama calls it. Lizzie Nonsense brings to life, through the story of one family, the experience of pioneering women and children left alone in the Australian bush while their husbands and fathers were away working. Seen through the eyes of Lizzie, a playful and imaginative little girl, the joy and exuberance of childhood shines through, despite the hard work and isolation. But Lizzie Nonsense is, first and foremost, a story about a mother and daughter, told with warmth, tenderness and humour. Jan Ormerod's stunning, evocative illustrations make this a rich and resonating book.

The Rabbits


John Marsden - 1998
    Uses rabbits, a species introduced to Australia, to represent an allegory of the arrival of Europeans in Australia and the widespread environmental destruction caused by man throughout the continent.