Category: Subjects & themes

Stars in Their Eyes creators Aśka and Jessica Walton, and Stellarphant creator James Foley are over the moon about their latest news. All three celebrated their books making it onto the Children’s Book Council of Australia Notable Book list. Plus, all three are thrilled to announce American publications. Stellarphant will be published in the USA […]

Based on the award-winning book by novelist Holden Sheppard, Stan and Screenwest have announced that the television series Invisible Boys is the successful recipient of their joint development initiative. Sheppard said it was a dream come true to hear the project now had the financial backing of both organisations, and he was heartened by their […]

Two gripping new productions will provide theatre audiences with a powerful fusion of great Fremantle Press books, live theatre and cinema. Based on Dianne Wolfer’s award-winning quartet of picture books for older readers, The Lighthouse Girl Saga will open at Albany’s Princess Royal Theatre (Albany Entertainment Centre) on 23 February before playing in Busselton on […]

Noongar Boodja Waangkan: Noongar First Words is for those interested in learning about the vibrant, living First Nations language and culture of the Noongar people. Created by Wadjak Balardong Noongar and Badimaya Yamatji author Jayden Boundry, and Wardandi Noongar and Ait Koedhal illustrator Tyrown Waigana, it is an illustrated book of first Noongar words.

Activity Sheet

'Noongar Walken'

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Ninni Yabini is dual language picture book written by Cheryl Kickett-Tucker, and illustrated with striking contemporary artwork by Tyrown Waigana. In Ninni Yabini, Mother and Father swan are busy rebuilding their nest after a storm when their baby, Ninni Yabini, wanders off. Luckily, the evening star, his namesake, comes out to guide him home. This […]

Activity Sheet

'Yabini's feathers'

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The Wreckers’ Revenge is the second book following on from Norman Jorgensen’s The Smuggler’s Curse. This children’s fiction adventure series follows Red Read who is sold to an infamous smuggler plying his trade off the north-west coast of Australia in the closing days of the 19th century. The Shipwreck Survival activity sheet was designed to […]

Activity Sheet

'The Wreckers' Revenge Activity'

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Mel and Shell is about two best friends living in 1979. Swedish pop group ABBA rules the airwaves and roller skating is cool. Confiding in her pen pal from 1829, Shell discovers she has a lot to learn about loyalty and honesty. The Dear Pen Pal activity sheet encourages research into history and fosters imagination. […]

Activity Sheet

'Mel and Shell Activity'

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Stellarphant tells the story of Stella, who wants to become an astronaut. There’s only one problem: Stella is an elephant. James Foley’s picture book was created to teach children about equity, diversity, feminism, equality and discrimination. This activity encourages children to use fine motors skills and express ideas using visual literacy. For more teaching activities, […]

Activity Sheet

'Stellarphant Activity'

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At the Dog Park is a picture book about dogs and opposites. It is for younger readers who love dogs and rhyming words. Moira Court got the idea after adopting her beautiful kelpie mix Lucy from SAFE Perth – an animal rescue organisation. (Lucy is on the front cover!)

Activity Sheet

'Pet Portrait'

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A change in the weather may be here but you can keep the summer holiday adventures alive with Cristy Burne’s activity booklet. Inspired by her book To the Lighthouse, an adventure packed story about friends Isaac and Emmy exploring Rottnest Island, Cristy has put together a host of activities for kids to do, either by […]

Cristy Burne’s book, Off the Track, has been voted WA’s favourite book by the state’s young readers. Cristy beat out the Wimpy Kid, David Walliams, Tom Gates and Ahn Do to take the 2022 West Australian Young Readers Book Award for Younger Readers. Some 26,000 votes were cast by WA readers across four categories. Cristy […]

Noongar Boodja Waangkan: Noongar First Words by Wadjak Balardong Noongar and Badimaya Yamatji author Jayden Boundry, and Wardandi Noongar and Ait Koedhal illustrator Tyrown Waigana, is an illustrated book of first Noongar words. Created for those interested in learning about the vibrant, living First Nations language and culture of the Noongar people. The book covers words for family, […]

Activity Sheet

'Noongar Boodja Waangkan posters'

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Stellarphant by James Foley is one of just five Australian titles to make the 2022 White Ravens list. Compiled by the team of experts at the International Youth Library, the list features 200 titles in 37 languages from 53 countries. All are recently published books that they consider especially noteworthy and of international interest, and […]

Noongar Boodja Waangkan: Noongar First Words by Wadjak Balardong Noongar and Badimaya Yamatji author Jayden Boundry, and Wardandi Noongar and Ait Koedhal illustrator Tyrown Waigana, is an illustrated book of first Noongar words. Created for those interested in learning about the vibrant, living First Nations language and culture of the Noongar people. The book covers words for family, […]

Activity Sheet

'Noongar Boodja Waangkan Stickers'

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We invite all transgender and gender diverse storytellers and readers to join us for Trans Stories Matter: a publishing industry panel discussion about transgender stories and representation. Hosted by editor and founder of Get YA Words Out, Seth Malacari (he/they), guests will include Nat Latter (they/them) from Rabble Books & Games and Fremantle Press publishers Georgia Richter […]

Helen Milroy is a descendant of the Palyku people of the Pilbara region of Western Australia. She has always had a passionate interest in health and wellbeing, especially for children, which is why she became a Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist. In this Q&A the talented writer and illustrator tells us about her latest book. Tell […]

In Helen Milroy’s newest picture book, Owl loves the sparkle of the stars and sits on his tree at dusk waiting for them to appear. But Owl becomes worried one evening when his favourite, Little Star, doesn’t show herself. So Owl searches far and wide using all his strength to bring her back. This free […]

Activity Sheet

'Help Owl and Little Star Sparkle'

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The Vexatious Haunting of Lily Griffin is the whopper doorstop of never-ending educational resources and inspiration for students ages 8–13. Here some activities for the classroom. Real-life issues/themes The Vexatious Haunting of Lily Griffin is a supernatural fantasy of epic proportions, but wrapped up in all the haunting, high jinks and history lies an earnest and […]

What went into space first, the chicken or the egg?

Ninni Yabini is a dual language picture book – in Noongar and English – by Cheryl Kickett-Tucker and Tyrown Waigana. We asked Cheryl to tell us more about why she wrote the book and why wants you to read this story with the kids in your life. Why did you write the picture book? I […]

Jayden Boundry has been hard at work behind the scenes recording an online pronunciation guide to support readers of Noongar Boodja Waangkan: First Noongar Words. Launched to coincide with the United Nations International Year of Indigenous Languages, the book was co-created by Jayden, a Wadjak Ballardong Noongar and Badimaya Yamatji man, and Tyrown Waigana, a […]

Stellarphant has won Picture Book of the Year in the inaugural Children’s Book Council of Australia Sun Project Shadowers’ Choice Awards. A week to the day from being named a CBCA Honour Book, the little elephant that could has rocketed into the top spot as voted by young readers. James Foley thanked the CBCA for […]

At the 2022 Great Big Book Club held at Success Library with Fremantle Press, historical fiction authors David Whish-Wilson, Sharron Booth and Portland Jones made the writing process sound equal parts challenging and rewarding. Moderator and author Brooke Dunnell kicked off the discussion by having each author introduce their book. Despite their vastly different plots […]

Fremantle Press is proud to announce that we’ve committed to becoming carbon neutral. Over the last few months, I’ve had the pleasure of working with Carbon Neutral on behalf of The Press to take the steps to becoming Green. Taking action to help the environment is one of the most important things humans can do […]