Coral Vass – författare

The song of the regent honeyeater has been heard in the bush for many generations – but could it soon be lost forever?

Regent’s father had learnt the song from his father, who learnt it from his father too. But with Regent’s species now facing extinction, there is no one around to teach him. Regent tries to mimic the sounds of different birds but without success.

Will Regent learn his mating call before it’s too late? Or will his ancient song be forgotten forever?

Reading level varies from child to child, but we recommend this book for ages 5 to 9.

Shortlisted, The Wilderness Society Environment Award for Children''s Literature 2024: Picture FictionNotable Book, The CBCA Eve Pownall Award for Information Books 2024

Amanda Commander is kind, loyal and a natural-born leader. But even school can be a battlefield at times, so sometimes Amanda and her Squad need a plan just to survive. When every girl in Year Three gets an invitation to Eve’s birthday party except Amanda, Amanda makes a plan, with the help of the Dolphin Squad, to win herself an invitation before the week is through. It’s OPERATION INVITATION! Amanda tries everything to make Eve like her and get an invitation to the party, until she finally learns it’s more important to be kind, not for what you can get but because of who you are. The first in a lovely early reader series about how to rise up to the challenges that being a kid throws at you, while cultivating some great relationships along the way.

Amanda and her two best friends, Lucia and Mai, are the Dolphin Squad. They live by the beach, hang out in HQ and solve all sort of problems. Amanda Commander is nearly nine and there is nothing she loves more than hanging out with her two best friends at HQ, making all sorts of plans and solving all kinds of problems.Amanda Commander is kind, loyal and a natural-born leader. But even school can be a battlefield sometimes, so sometimes Amanda and her Squad need a plan just to survive.When Amanda returns to school after having a sick day, she finds fitting back into the friendship group tricker than she imagined. Amanda makes a plan, with the help of the Dolphin Squad, to go out of their way and include anyone. But when Eve is sick and has a few days off school, how will Amanda ensure Eve doesnt have a blues-day back at school just like she did? Its OPERATION WELCOME BACK! Amanda tries everything to make Eve feel included, even when it means being left out herself. AMANDA COMMANDER - THE BLUES-DAY TUESDAY is the fourth book in a Junior Fiction series promoting kindness, loyalty and friendship.

Amanda and her two best friends, Lucia and Mai, are the Dolphin Squad. They live by the beach, hang out in HQ and solve all sort of problems. Amanda Commander is nearly nine and there is nothing she loves more than hanging out with her two best friends at HQ, making all sorts of plans and solving all kinds of problems. Amanda Commander is kind, loyal and a natural-born leader. But even school can be a battlefield sometimes, so sometimes Amanda and her Squad need a plan just to survive. Written for ages 6- 8.AMANDA COMMANDER - THE GREEN-EYED MONSTER is the fifth book in a Junior Fiction series promoting kindness, loyalty and friendship.

As Amanda and her friends prepare for the school bake-off, their plans are derailed when Amanda is separated and paired up with Eve instead.So, the Dolphin Squad concoct a plan to get back on the same team, but is working with Eve really so bad?Time to bake some delicious treats!It's OPERATION TEAMWORK!

Ray Johnston and his best friend Tom, nearing the end of their first year in high school in Melbourne's vibrant inner-western suburbs, develop a fascination with Melbourne's new West Gate Bridge. After school, they regularly go to the bustling construction site to talk to the workers and collect mementos from the debris. To Ray and the community, the bridge symbolizes more than a mere transportation link from the western suburbs to Melbourne's central business district. It represents progress, superiority, and power, filling Ray with immense pride as his father, Doug Johnston, serves as the lead rigger, and his neighbor, George Demetriou, works as an ironworker.  One fateful day, Ray stumbles upon a conversation between a bridge engineer and a foreman. They express serious concern about a buckle in the bridge and discuss plans to loosen the bridge’s bolts the following day. Tormented by this secret, Ray confides in Tom and ultimately decides to share his fears with his father. But his father tells him to keep quiet about it. Although Ray fears for his father’s and George’s safety, he agrees.  The next day, shortly before noon, Ray is in his class at school when he hears piercing sirens wailing. He sprints toward the bridge, only to find a scene of utter devastation and chaos. Driven by desperation, he joins the courageous team of workers, relentlessly searching for his father amidst the wreckage—fighting against time to save lives.  Hours pass like an eternity as Ray, with his torn and dirt-streaked shirt, abandons his identity as a schoolboy. And then, a glimmer of hope—the unimaginable happens—Ray finds his father alive and well. As months pass, Ray is haunted by the bridge as it hooks his fragmented heart, and he refuses to pass it on his way to Tom’s house. Although he feels somewhat older since the accident, it’s not until Ray learns the biggest lesson of all—to forgive himself—that he is finally free.  And just like the weathered, stressed and damaged pieces of glass he loves to collect, Ray begins to notice they too can be reshaped and strengthened into something new, ultimately reflecting a new perspective and a new way of looking at the world.   On the cusp of adulthood, the two young friends face their own individual rites of passage as they wrestle with tragedy, justice, and a loss of innocence, which will not only define them but change their lives forever.  Reading age of 12+, Interest age 14+ Rhiza Shorts are teen novellas for reluctant readers.

Bear is having a bad day. Nothing is going right, and he wishes he was somewhere else … a long way from home. What will it take for Bear to feel better? An uplifting tale about a bear discovering what truly matters at the end of the day.

Celebrating new ideas that can make a world of difference, Jørn’s Magnificent Imagination is the true story of Jørn Utzon, the architect of the world-renowned Sydney Opera House.Was it a sailboat, a seashell, a swan or an orange peel that inspired Jørn to design Australia’s most recognisable building? In this gorgeously illustrated story, we follow Jørn through childhood as he discovers his love of building and creating, gathering ideas from everything around himself. When he grows bigger, so do his ideas, and something begins to take shape… can you guess what it might be?Jørn’s story is about embracing dreams, believing in your own abilities, and the power of new ideas. Written in honour of the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Sydney Opera House, it is also a topical springboard for educators and families into how the iconic landmark came to be. In celebrating the incredibly talented Jørn Utzon, it shows children that there are no limits to what they might achieve if they follow their dreams.In a world of screens and busyness, Jørn’s Magnificent Imagination is an important reminder of the joy in taking the time to dream and create, a reminder which might just benefit children and their carers alike. Charming and heart-warming, it will enthral and inspire young readers, encouraging them to look at the world around them and use their imagination to its full potential.

A picture book series about the extraordinary men and women who have shaped Australia’s history, including cricket’s greatest ever batsman, Sir Donald Bradman. Don Bradman was Australia’s greatest cricketer. This is the story of how he first came to play for Australia, and how his record-breaking feats in the Ashes series became a source of pride and hope during the hard years of the Great Depression. From Ned Kelly to Saint Mary MacKillop; Captain Cook to Banjo Paterson, the Meet ... series of picture books tells the exciting stories of the men and women who have shaped Australia''s history.