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The Many Selves of Katherine North is unlike any book I’ve read. Part science-fiction, part thriller, it’s not my usual read, but the premise of a phenomenaut ‘becoming animal’ via jump technology got me in. And I’m glad it did. The rich sensory details of each animal jump are extraordinary. Emma Geen’s character, Katherine, projects… continue reading »
One of the best little museums in Australia is tucked away on a cattle farm along WA’s south-west coast. Recollections of War, run by John and Kathryn Shapland, showcases military memorabilia, but their driving passion is discovering the stories behind the historical objects they collect. And those stories are not just human… I visited the… continue reading »
Are you in the Easter Bunny or Easter Bilby camp? Last year I shared a blog featuring five bilby books, so this year it’s the bunnies’ turn. In Australia our connection with rabbits is complex. As an introduced species, rabbits are a pest that threatens native wildlife. This is reflected in literature; compare the sweet… continue reading »
A beautiful new book edited by Leah Kaminsky and Meg Keneally explores this question, and after reading, the answer seems to be a resounding ‘yes’. Animals Make Us Human is a collection of reflections by Australian authors and researchers. Each writer shares a moment of interaction with an animal, exploring a sense of wildness and… continue reading »
Do dogs in the White House influence politics? It seems the answer could be yes. This fascinating article explores how mixed-breed Pushinka may have averted a Cold War nuclear catastrophe in the early 1960s. And check out this thought-provoking YouTube clip: dog lovers for Joe. You can’t fake a relationship with a dog, and showing… continue reading »
Animals have long been used to help children make sense of challenging times. In 1940 a character well known to Australian children was enlisted to help young readers make sense of a complex and changing world. War is frightening, a time when animals, like children, are innocents caught up in adult-created horror. This makes animals… continue reading »
My love of animal stories fueled my doctoral research. One particular interest was learning more about ‘degrees of animalness’ in children’s books. This led me to Ursula Le Guin‘s unusual title, Cheek by Jowl. Le Guin is well known for her Earthsea fantasy series. A Wizard of Earthsea fascinated me when I was younger, so… continue reading »
There is alchemy in the business of writing. Authors are often asked where their ideas come from. Divine inspiration, shells on a beach, talk-back radio … Sometimes I can pinpoint a moment, more often a story grows from linked moments of wonder or interest. As ideas come together and bubble, a manuscript grows, and sometimes,… continue reading »
Dianne is the award-winning author of 19 books for children and teenagers.
Her PhD research into the Crafting of Animal Characters in Australian Children’s Literature resulted in two novels, Dog with Seven Names and Shark Caller. The latter, a cross-cultural quest novel, was a CBCA Notable and shortlisted for WAYRBA. The former, also a CBCA Notable, won the Speech pathology awards, was shortlisted for the NSW Premier’s Awards and will be published in China.
