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Thought-terminating Clichés: Definition and Examples
Thought-terminating clichés, or thought-ending clichés are also known as semantic stop-signs or thought-stoppers. bumper sticker logic. They’re a type of banality, clichéd thinking or truism.
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Heat Makes You Mad: Going Troppo & Mango Madness
If you live in the Northern Hemisphere and are experiencing extreme heat for the first time, I have some Australian phrases you might find unpleasantly useful.
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Why is the Australian Women’s Soccer Team Called The Matildas?
Many people are wondering for the first time in 2023, why are The Matildas called The Matildas? Is it sexist or fine, actually?
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Describing Australian Landscapes in Literature
How do Australian authors describe Australian landscapes, making it fresh every time? Here are some examples.
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Urban Legend Study: Vicks Vaporub For Everything
Certain products attract urban legends: Vicks Vaporub, WD-40, “miracle polish”… We love products which ostensibly achieve multiple tasks.
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Sinky Boo by Ann Maclean and Art Barton 1947 Australian Picture Book
If you find a copy of Sinky Boo in a secondhand bookstore, look after it. It’s rare. Published in 1947, Sinky Boo was written by an unknown writer called Ann Maclean and a one-eyed artist best known for his fairground artwork at Sydney’s Luna Park.
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The Loaded Dog by Henry Lawson Short Story
“The Loaded Dog” is an Australian short story by Henry Lawson. The story is so memorable, the main imagery of a dog with a firecracker in its mouth has become Australian cultural iconography.
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The Turning by Tim Winton Short Stories Analysis
The Turning is a 2004 short story collection by Western Australian author Tim Winton. In 2013 the collection was adapted for film. It’s unusual to find a feature-length film which is actually a series of short stories, which might partly explain the tagline on the movie poster: A Unique Cinema Event. I really enjoyed three […]
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Bad Guys by Aaron Blabey Novel Study
Bad Guys is a bestselling Australian early reader by Australian author and illustrator Aaron Blabey. The Bad Guys series is frequently recommended for kids who enjoy Diary of a Wimpy Kid, The Treehouse series, stories by David Walliams, Ahn Do Weirdo, the Real Pigeons series, Minecraft Zombie books and other children’s books parents can find at Kmart and Target.
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Two Weeks With The Queen by Morris Gleitzman Novel Study
Two Weeks With The Queen is an Australian middle grade novel by Morris Gleitzman. My edition is copyrighted 1989, though other places on the web will tell you this book was first published in 1990 or 1991.
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The Little Crooked House by Wild and Bentley Picture Book Analysis
The Little Crooked House (2005) is an Australian picture book written by Margaret Wild and illustrated by Jonathan Bentley who, coincidentally, has the perfect name for this story, gotta say.
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The Home Girls by Olga Masters Short Story Analysis
“The Home Girls” is a short story by Australian writer Olga Masters (1919 – 1986), and the first story of Masters’ 1982 collection, also called The Home Girls. I’m interested in Olga Masters partly because her fiction wasn’t published until she was in her 50s. Then, when she was published, she won a bunch of […]
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My Shadow Is Pink by Scott Stuart Analysis
My Shadow Is Pink is a rhyming picture book by Australian author/illustrator Scott Stuart, perfect for Rainbow Storytime, or at any time in fact. I’d encourage readers to compare and contrast this book with The Day The Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt and Oliver Jeffers. The Crayons picture book is a mega bestseller, and I […]
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Which novels are Australian high school English students studying?
This list is collected from online chats about children’s books studied in Australian high schools. Comments are from teachers who have used these books in class in 2020. Australian states and territories set quotas for the minimum amount of Australian content. In Victoria, for example, it’s a third. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas […]
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John Brown, Rose and The Midnight Cat (1979) Picture Book Analysis
John Brown and the Midnight Cat is a classic Australian picture book by Wagner and Brooks. Children read a different story from adults.