Ailsa Wild

A portrait of a nurse in Australia as she returns to the ICU and encounters the frontline of the pandemic crisis on many fronts

A Pandemic Nurse's Story

The Care Factor

Briony Barr

An illustrated science-history graphic novel exploring parallel experiences during WWI. The story takes place on two different physical scales - the macro-scale, from the point of view of a Victorian nurse supporting troops in the trenches of the Western Front - and simultaneously on the micro-level, from the point of view of the gut microbes which fight to keep her body alive when she contracts dysentery. This fictional story is based on accurate scientific and historical facts, in consultation with academic experts from Australia, France, UK and the USA.

A Tale on Two Scales

The Invisible War

Squishy and her twin "bonus" sisters Vee and Jessie are intrigued when a Ming vase disappears from the apartment above them, especially when they find out it is apparently one of a set stolen during the Opium Wars--and when they hack into the apartment building's security cameras and see what appears to be the ghost of a Chinese warrior they are determined to investigate the mystery.

Squishy Taylor and the Vase That Wasn't

It's not easy being the only pixie at a human school, especially when you have to keep it a secret - but if anyone can do it, Jenifry Star can! Jenifry Star is a very loveable, very naughty young pixie who decides to go to human school to make some friends. Everyone knows grown-up humans are terrifying; they hunt pixies, they stomp on their houses and even pickle pixies in jars. But surely human children are perfectly safe? Jenifry is willing to find out! With her infectious sense of humour, knack for mischief and irrepressible charm, Jenifry must figure out the surprising rules of school and human friendship while keeping her pixie side hidden. Book One comes with a magical full colour sticker sheet! With gentle environmental overtones and a generous sprinkle of Faraway Tree magic, this series is a delightful romp in and out of a hidden world for readers aged 6+. You'll never look at your garden in quite the same way again ...

The Naughtiest Pixie in Disguise

Why are tunnels both exciting and scary? How do dogs always know who the bad guys are? Why are pinkie-swears so important? Who's storing toxic waste under the park? It will take a sleuth like Squishy Taylor to investigate these mysteries!

Squishy Taylor and the Tunnel of Doom

"First published in Australia by Hardie Grant Egmont 2016."

Squishy Taylor and a Question of Trust

You’ll Be a Wonderful Dad is your practical and emotional guide on fatherhood in the lead up and months following the birth of a baby. Once a letter to a dear friend and quickly passed on from dad to dad, Ailsa Wild’s warm and encouraging words of precious love and excitement have expanded into a beautiful hardback book to be shared on the parenting journey. You’ll Be a Wonderful Dad is a kind and important guide on how dads can be proactive in supporting their partners and family through the lead up to birth and new parenting: from practising emotional labour and sharing the mental load to embracing play and connection. Complete with illustrations from Bernard Caleo, this is a must-read and perfect gift for new or expecting fathers. Since writing her original letter, Ailsa has heard from countless families sharing what her words have taught them. Becoming a father is a time of love and learning, when sexism and gender roles can be frustratingly reinforced. But dads belong right in the middle of their families, experiences all the joy and messiness. It’s going to be wonderful. You’re going to be wonderful.

Advice on Becoming the Best Father You Can Be

You'll Be a Wonderful Dad

Aviva Reed

Gregory Crocetti

This is a story about trees and fungi connected through a ‘wood wide web’ – told by one tiny fungal spore. A little fungus meets a baby cacao tree and they learn to feed each other. They cooperate with a forest of plants and a metropolis of microbes in the soil. But when drought strikes can they work together to survive? The fourth book in the Small Friends Books series, this science-adventure story explores the Earth-shaping partnerships between plants, fungi and bacteria.

How Fungi Shape the Earth

The Forest in the Tree

The Care Factor tells the story of one incredible nurse – one among many – who chose to meet an unprecedented global health crisis on the frontline. Simone Sheridan has one of the most sought-after skills today. As a nurse, her skill is to care. When Covid-19 began to spread across the world in 2020, Sim volunteered to retrain to work in Melbourne’s intensive care units. And as she prepared to go back to ICU and case numbers began climbing, Sim started talking to her friend Ailsa. Through the exhaustion, the confusion, the many tears and the surprising moments of hilarity, Sim kept talking. And Ailsa started writing. In The Care Factor, Ailsa walks behind Sim as she faces the realities of the coronavirus. The result is a deeply human account of what the pandemic has really meant, not just for Sim and her fellow health professionals, but also for their patients, their families and friends, and the many who faced life in lockdown. This is a celebration of nursing, of friendship, and of the layers of connection and care that allow us to keep going when it feels impossible. Hardie Grant Books will donate $1 from each copy sold to Drummond Street Services 'This book has single-handedly restored my faith in humanity. Offering a rare and thrilling glimpse into the life of a frontline healthcare worker during the COVID-19 Pandemic, The Care Factor is full to bursting with spirit, guts, empathy and love. It humbled and moved me in so many ways. I can’t recommend it enough!' – Emily Bitto, author of Stella Prize winning novel The Strays

A story of nursing and connection in the time of social distancing

What's the best way to sneak onto a film set? Why do grown-ups trust you more when you're carrying a baby? Is pizza a pizza without mozzarella cheese? What do you do when everyone dislikes your hero? With Squishy Taylor on the case, these mysteries don't stand a chance.

Squishy Taylor and the Mess Makers

Squishy Taylor and the Bonus Sisters

Originally published: Richmond, Victoria: Hardie Grant Egmont, 2016.

With her home under threat from a warming ocean, Zobi, a brave rhizobia bacterium, teams up with a family of slow but steady Zoox (zooxanthellae). As the coral bleaches, everyone begins to starve... Can Zobi and the Zoox work together to save the day? This beautifully illustrated science-adventure story, set on the Great Barrier Reef, was originally published in 2015, but has been extensively re-written and revised to delight and captivate primary school-aged readers. Zobi and the Zoox: A Story of Coral Bleaching is the first in the new Small Friends Books series – Stories of Partnership and Cooperation in Nature.

A Story of Coral Bleaching

Zobi and the Zoox

S. Patricia Stock

This is a story about tiny creatures that live in the darkness of the soil. When a tree cries out in pain, some unexpected heroes come to the rescue. Nema and her gang of young nematodes (tiny worms) embark on a dangerous journey underground. The Xenos, a group of wise but deadly bacteria, hitch a ride. The story of how they help the tree is full of action, life-or-death challenges and microscopic warfare. It is a story of co-operation and ancient partnership, about events happening all over the Earth, in the hidden worlds beneath our feet.

Ailsa Wild

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