Most Popular Books by Jackie French

FOR TOO LONG KOALAS HAVE BEEN CALLED BEARS For too long koalas have been called bears. But this koala is out to prove to the world that he is BARE! And that never, ever, ever can a koala be called a bear ... From the internationally renowned author of the bestselling Diary of a Wombat comes a hilariously funny picture book that Jackie French has created with talented new illustrator Matt Shanks. PRAISE FOR KOALA BARE 'The rhyming text appears so deceptively simple and effortless that it reads like an absolute treat. This book is beautifully illustrated by upcoming illustrator Matt Shanks, who creates gorgeous watercolour paintings to accompany the whimsical text.' - 100percentrock.com 'In Koala Bare, Jackie French and Matt Shanks have created a uniquely Australian story for young children.' - Kids' Book Review 'A wonderfully funny look at several important things: the difference between the words bare and bear, the fact that the koala is not a bear and as the reader reads on they will learn some of the attributes of bears. But the main focus is the fun, the wit of French's rhyming stanzas, the prediction of the rhyming word at the end of each phrase, the use of words like posterior, the attempts by the koala to get readers to see him as he is.' - ReadPlus

Pamela the cow loves pears so much that no one else ever has a chance to eat any.

An 'Ice Age' meets Diary of a Wombat story Dippy is a diprotodon, the BIGGEST, friendliest wombat who lived 100,000 years ago. All Dippy wants is happy friends, a place to sleep and lots to eat. Who knew that could be such an adventure? Based on a concept by Ben Smith Whatley and brought to life by the creators of the internationally bestselling Diary of a Wombat, this is a hilarious story of prehistoric daring and chaos set in the fascinating world of ancient Australia megafauna. PRAISE 'Dippy's Big Day Out is deceptively simple but fosters adventure, curiosity, self-sufficiency and getting enough rest after play.' - Books+Publishing

It's Christmas Day in Shaggy Gully.The kangaroos are feeling bouncy, the echidnas are being prickly, the emus are feeling peckish and the possums are just hanging around. Only the Bunyip is gloomy. 'I'm mad and I'm mean! Bunyips don't like Christmas!' Meanwhile, Dawn and her chorus are playing Christmas carols, but somehow Emily Emu can't get a note right. Her musical mishaps float down to the creek, where the Bunyip lives...Can Emily Emu and her friends possibly make the Bunyip smile this Christmas? A delightful new picture book from the team who created bestselling Diary of a Wombat, Pete the Sheep and Josephine Wants to Dance.

The 'War to end all Wars', as seen through the eyes of three young women War is being fought on a horrific scale in the trenches of France, but it might as well be a world away from sixteen-year-old New Zealander Midge Macpherson, at school in England learning to be a young lady. But the war is coming closer: Midge's brothers are in the army, and her twin, Tim, is listed as 'missing' in the devastating defeat of the Anzac forces at Gallipoli . Desperate to do their bit - and avoid the boredom of school and the restrictions of Society - Midge and her friends Ethel and Anne start a canteen in France, caring for the endless flow of wounded soldiers returning from the front. Midge, recruited by the over-stretched ambulance service, is thrust into carnage and scenes of courage she could never have imagined. And when the war is over, all three girls - and their Anzac boys - discover that even going 'home' can be both strange and wonderful. Exhaustively researched but written with the lightest of touches, this is Jackie French at her very best. AWARDS Shortlisted - 2009 ABIA Awards Honour Book - 2009 CBCA Book of the Year Awards (Younger Readers) PRAISE 'Highly recommended for teenage to adult readers' - Readings 'A book of many voices. Poignant, graphic and compulsive fiction about women who volunteered during WWI' - Sunday Age 'Beautifully written. An important story. The use of a sixteen year old protagonist will make the story more real and more confronting for teen readers' - Aussie Reviews 'A well-researched story about the invaluable support women provided during the war. Recommended for secondary school-aged children' - Australian Bookseller and Publisher '... rousing stuff, and it hasn't been watered down. French doesn't shy away from the nightmarish conditions of trench warfare. Highly readable, scrupulous in its history ... an ideal text for schools' - Sydney Morning Herald '... entertaining and uplifting' - Sun-Guardian Blacktown 'This is a moving story about the love, kindness and humanity of the people involved in the bloodshed and carnage of World War I' - Launceston Examiner 'Jackie has woven her usual magic with her deft light touch and humour in this gripping story' - Toowoomba Chronicle 'A warm tribute to extraordinary women in extraordinary times. We must remember them' - Woman's Day 'Younger readers will enjoy this story about the soldiers of World War I and the volunteers who supported them' - Brisbane News 'Comprehensively researched and beautifully written' - South Coast Register

Following on from I AM JULIET (August 2014), this is the second title in a new series for young people that focuses on the reinterpretation of Shakespeare's classic and enduring plays. Ages: 10+ She is the girl who will be queen: Ophelia, daughter of Denmarks lord chancellor and loved by Prince Hamlet. But while Hamlets family stab, poison or haunt one another, Ophelia plans a sensible rule, one filled with justice and the making of delicious cheeses. Even if she has to pretend to be mad to make it happen, Ophelia will let nothing, not even howling ghosts, stand in her way. This is Shakespeares play, but with what might also have happened behind the scenes. And this story has a happy ending. From Jackie French, one of Australias most respected and awarded authors and the Australian Childrens Laureate and 2015 Senior Australian of the Year, comes a book that reimagines the life of one of Shakespeares most intriguing female characters. Praise for I am Juliet: The captivating storyline and well-developed characters will make it popular with high school-aged readers. Magpies

'A MUST FOR YOUR SUMMER READING LIST' -- Better Reading A body has been found in the burned-out wreckage of the church at Gibber's Creek -- with older skeletons lying beneath it. The corpse is identified as that of Ignatius Mervyn, the man who attempted to kill Jed Kelly and her unborn child. Newcomer Fish Johnstone is drawn into the murder investigation, convinced that the local police are on the wrong track with their enquiries. But as she digs beneath the warm and welcoming surface of the Gibber's Creek community, more secrets emerge. And Fish must also face her own mystery -- the sudden appearance and then disappearance of her father, a Vietnamese refugee she never knew. Set during the Indigenous rights and 'boat people' controversies of the late 1970s, this haunting story shows how love and kindness can create the courage to face the past. PRAISE FOR THE MATILDA SAGA 'An engrossing mystery story, an ode to strong women, and a moving exploration of the private wounds we carry ... The Last Dingo Summer is a must for your summer reading list' -- Better Reading 'The perfect read for anyone who loves immersing themselves in Australian fiction. Gripping, emotional and moving, Facing the Flame is a great book to curl up with on a warm spring night' -- New Idea 'Highly recommended ... this was a complete binge, read in one night because it was just too good and too gripping to put down ... a cracking story filled with rich characters both old and new and imbued with all that we hold dear about Australian love of country and mateship' -- ReadPlus

From one of our most respected and award-winning authors, Jackie French, comes a fascinating and fresh interpretation of Australian history, focusing on how the land itself, rather than social forces, has shaped the major events that led to modern Australia. to understand the present, you need to understand the past. to understand Australia's history, you need to look at how the land has shaped not just our past, but will continue to shape our future.From highly respected, award-winning author Jackie French comes a new and fascinating interpretation of Australian history, focusing on how the land itself, rather than social forces, shaped the major events that led to modern Australia. Our history is mostly written by those who live, work and research in cities, but it's the land itself which has shaped our history far more powerfully and significantly than we realise. Reinterpreting the history we think we all know - from the indigenous women who shaped the land, from terra Incognita to Eureka, from Federation to Gallipoli and beyond, Jackie French shows us that to understand our history, we need to understand our land. taking us behind history and the accepted version of events, she also shows us that there's so much we don't understand about our history because we simply don't understand the way life was lived at the time. Eye-opening, refreshing, completely fascinating and unforgettable, LEt tHE LAND SPEAK will transform the way we understand the role and influence of the land and how it has shaped our nation.

THE STORY IS EQUAL PARTS DOWNTOWN ABBEY AND WARTIME ACTION , WITH ENOUGH ROMANCE AND INTRIGUE TO MAKE IT 100% NOT- PUT- DOWN-ABLE. Australian Woman's Weekly A tale of espionage, love and passionate heroism. Inspired by true events, this is the story of how society's 'lovely ladies' won a war. Each year at secluded Shillings Hall, in the snow-crisped English countryside, the mysterious Miss Lily draws around her young women selected from Europe's royal and most influential families. Her girls are taught how to captivate a man - and find a potential husband - at a dinner, in a salon, or at a grouse shoot, and in ways that would surprise outsiders. For in 1914, persuading and charming men is the only true power a woman has. Sophie Higgs is the daughter of Australia's king of corned beef and the only 'colonial' brought to Shillings Hall. Of all Miss Lily's lovely ladies, however, she is also the only one who suspects Miss Lily's true purpose. As the chaos of war spreads, women across Europe shrug off etiquette. The lovely ladies and their less privileged sisters become the unacknowledged backbone of the war, creating hospitals, canteens and transport systems where bungling officials fail to cope. And when tens of thousands can die in a single day's battle, Sophie must use the skills Miss Lily taught her to prevent war's most devastating weapon yet. But is Miss Lily heroine or traitor? And who, exactly, is she?

This story is equal parts Downton Abbey and Wartime Action, with enough romance and intrigue to make it 100% not-put-down-able.' - Australian Women's Weekly on Miss Lily's Lovely Ladies Paris,Christmas 1914 Despite her love for Huw, Elspeth will not give up her espionage work while World War One rages. She will wear his ring around her neck, and marry him when the war is over. But a pregnant unmarried woman cannot, officially, work either. Sent on a secret mission into occupied Belgium, and unable to contact Huw, Elspeth begins to realise she is risking not just herself, but also her unborn baby. As danger escalates, will there ever be a joyous Christmas for Elspeth, Huw and their child? For those who love the Miss Lily series, this is a story about the 'army of women' who played such a major role in World War One, but were left out of official histories. It is also a story of a love so strong it will survive until the chance to bloom again.

The famous story of Simpson and his donkey - a true Anzac legend Most Australians know of Simpson and his donkey, who became heroes at Gallipoli, even among the Turkish forces. Few know where the donkey came from, or what happened to him after World War I. Or that another man carried on rescuing the wounded with the donkey after Simpson died. This is the story of a small unassuming donkey. It's also the story of Gallipoli, of Jack Simpson, and New Zealander stretcher-bearer Richard Henderson, who literally took up the reins after Simpson's death. Exhaustively researched, it gives a new depth to our understanding of this story of Anzac heroism. PRAISE FOR JACKIE FRENCH 'Jackie French is excellent at telling history in an exciting way for children' -- Burke's Backyard

the Fascinating History of Your Lunch is an historical look at food and the food from right around the world. Who invented cheese? Or bread or margarine? Where did lettuce and tomato plants originally come from? the plants we eat nowadays come from all over the world and the way we cook and eat them also come from many different cultures. Apples travelled with the Romans, oranges with the Muslim armies and chocolate started off as ancient Aztec coins. the history of food is the history of the world - the Spanish conquistadors conquered the South American Aztec empire and brought home the bitter beans that would eventually become chocolate. they also brought potatoes and chillies with them. Wars, famines and revolutions bring people from one country to another and they bring their favourite food, too. the most important things to learn from history are how people once lived and thought and how that has led to the world we know today. And one of the most interesting ways of understanding history is to look at what we eat. Ages 10+

In their own original way, best friends Mole and Shrew celebrate five holidays throughout the year.

"The bombs were falling, the smoke was rising from the concentration camps, but Hitler's daughter knew nothing of this. All she knew was the world of lessons with Fraulein Gelber, the hedgehogs she rescued from the cold and the exciting visits from her beloved father Duffi.Until the day she is taken to her father's bunker in Berlin ...Anna's story about Hitler's daughter haunts Mark. Could it have been true? Did Hitler's daughter really exist? If Mark had a father like Hitler, could he love him?Do things that happened a long time ago still matter? "--Publisher.

A SWASHBUCKLING ADVENTURE FROM AUSTRALIA'S CHILDREN'S LAUREATE CAN YOU STILL LOVE YOUR FATHER, NO MATTER WHAT HIS CRIMES ARE? Twelve-year-old Ben Huntsmore is the son of a shipowner, an only child who loves the farming life on his mother's family estate, Badger's Hill. But when Ben's father loses their ancestral home in 1809 as payment for a gambling debt, Ben reluctantly joins him in a desperate venture to win it back, capturing enemy trading ships off the west Australian coast. While at sea, Ben must face not just the giant waves of the Southern Ocean but also the guns of a Dutch ship, along with unexpected treachery. And only the friendships of the mysterious convict Higgins and the young Indigenous sailor Guwara will help Ben survive, as well as show him the true meaning of loyalty and riches. From renowned children's author Jackie French comes a book filled with swashbuckling adventures and which uncovers Australia's hidden history as a pirate port and slavers' den. PRAISE FOR NANBERRY: BLACK BROTHER WHITE 'For really, really good Australian young-adult (and middle-grade) historical fiction, Jackie French has always been a winner ... With Nanberry: Black Brother White she delivers an excellent fictionalised account of the First Fleet's settlement at Sydney Cove ... a powerful novel' -- Australian Bookseller & Publisher, 5 stars 'She is one of few masters who can embed historic characters in rattling good tales, and her meticulous research is seamlessly inserted so that you live the detail rather than learn it. Even if you are not into history, Nanberry will hook you in ... Irresistible for history buffs of any age' -- Good Reading Magazine, 5 stars 'I've been telling all my friends to read this book, and to give it to their kids to read. It's absolutely engrossing' -- Herald Sun AWARDS FOR PIRATE BOY OF SYDNEY TOWN Shortlisted - NSW Premier's History Awards (Young People's History Prize)

At first his whole world had been the pouch; the sweet scent of his mother, her warmth, and the steady thud of her pulse. Now, he wants to find another world. the warrior is ready to explore. But finding a world, his world, away from the safety of the creel flat and his mother\'9291s hole, is hard and dangerous. And for the warrior to make a new world his, he has to overcome his fears and the 㟴he Enemy. Ages 8+

ANZAC Day seen through the eyes of generations of Australians. Ages: 7-12 Anzac Day is the day when we remember and honour Anzac traditions down the ages, from the first faltering march of wounded veterans in 1916 to the ever increasing numbers of their descendants who march today. Containing reference to the many places the ANZACs have fought, and the various ways in which they keep the peace and support the civilians in war-torn parts of the world today, this is a picture book that looks not only at traditions, but also the effects of war.

The school sports day is on and Mothball wombat is competing! She eats. She sleeps. She scratches. But can this wombat win? From the award-winning, bestselling creators of Diary of a Wombat. This is a book about a wombat ... winning. Yes, Mothball has become an athlete, albeit a little accidentally. In her never-ending quest for carrots Mothball stumbles upon the children at the local school competing in the school sports. And despite her somewhat limiting physique and lack of training, Mothball manages to go home with a gold medal. Why puff and pant when you can eat, sleep and scratch? PRAISE 'A great addition to any first reader's library and a book to be savoured many times, alone or in shared reading. Highly Recommended.' -- Reading Time

It’s 1972, and across Australia the catchcry is ‘It’s time’. Time for old folk, time for young folk, time for a new, idealistic Labor government. In Gibber's Creek, it's time for Jed Kelly to choose between past love, Nicholas, the local Labor member, and Sam from the Halfway to Eternity commune. And for Scarlett O'Hara, it's time to dream that one day she becomes a doctor - despite being in a wheelchair. It's also time for matriarch Matilda Thompson to reflect on the life that took her from the slums of Grinder's Alley to the events that began a nation at a billabong in 1894. The 1970s was a time of extraordinary ideals of a better world, but as the ideals drifted from disaster to the Dismissal there were deep conflicts about what that better world might be. Jackie French, author of the bestselling To Love a Sunburnt Country, has woven her own experience of that period into an unforgettable story of a small rural community and a nation swept into the social and political tumult of the early 1970s.

From bestselling author Jackie French comes a book about the secrets we carry, those that we unearth - and those that are too dangerous to tell. The once impoverished medical student Agnes Glock is now the fabulously wealthy Mrs Mulberry. Her estate in the mountains is magnificent, a haven for those too ravaged by the Great War to cope with the society that first condemned them to battle and which now shuns them. The War has, however, stolen Agnes's chance to graduate as a doctor, as well as the fiance she adored. Her husband, Douglas Mulberry, remains shellshocked and unable to speak. Their scandalous marriage is a farce, an act of kindness to keep Douglas's fortune from his uncle's grasp. A chance visit to a circus brings about a mystery in the form of a fairylike child whose guardians claim was brought up by dingoes. The child cannot speak and seems deformed. But Agnes is inexplicably drawn to her and believes she can be cured. The decision to save the child will bring Agnes's lost fiance into her life again, as well as awaken the love of her husband who finds his voice as the three try to solve the mystery of the 'dingo girl'. Agnes has put aside her own life and the dreams she once had. But now she has choices, with the main question the hardest: Who is Mrs Agnes Mulberry? PRAISE FOR JACKIE FRENCH 'a master storyteller ... [she] gives women a rich, strong, and brutally honest voice' Better Reading 'Heartwarming, heartbreaking and hard to put down' Australian Women's Weekly on If Blood Should Stain the Wattle