As a retired school librarian I have read, as you can imagine, a large number of children’s books and am familiar with authors not only from the UK but some from around the world. My knowledge of international authors is not extensive however and this is something that I would like to address. Ursula Dubosarsky was a name that I knew however not a writer whose work I had read. When Jon Appleton of Roffo Court Press let me know about her new book I was intrigued to find out more about one of Australia’s most internationally acclaimed writers. A former Children’s Laureate, the winner of more than ten major literacy awards and nominated for both the Astrid Lindgren and Hans Christian Andersen awards, Dubosarsky has an impressive pedigree. My lack of knowledge was shameful! Jon has written an article for this month’s Books for Keeps which provides an excellent introduction to her work: The Wide, Wild World of Ursula Dubosarsky.

Life and Breath, a collection of short stories brought together in one volume for the first time, was for me, a first taste of this author’s style and it has left me wanting more. I agree with Jon when he says this is an excellent place to start with Dubosarsky’s work. The stories included vary in content, sometimes containing a wry humour, often poignant and all make the reader pause and think. These are not neat children’s tales with ‘happy endings’ but wide ranging in theme and ideas with that element of surprise that leaves the reader pondering on meaning and hidden depths. Pitched for readers at the upper primary and lower secondary level they are stories with a relevance to young people and blend together friendship, fun and pets with life changing family events, loss and grief. The opening story, or prologue, only a couple of pages in length sets the tone for what to expect, describing a little green leaf which is a little different to the other leaves on the tree. From here we move on to the first part of the book with the heading Old Bones and then the second, Young Blood. The stories move on through pets, toys and parties and the loss of a beloved local horse to darker stories linked to war, the hidden challenges people may face and possible family trauma. Each of the stories is grounded in the every day life of families and are in the main set in the author’s native Australia. However, Duborsarsky has a knack for introducing the magical or fantastical into this seemingly mundane setting. This reminds me a little of Joan Aiken’s style, particularly in her short stories. Sometimes imaginative and occasionally surreal in their climax quite often I found myself rereading a particular story to gain further insight. I imagine that young readers will be tempted to do so at times too.

Ursula Dubosarsky provides notes on the background to the stories at the end of the book and I found that this increased my understanding and enjoyment. Some are based on true life memories and others were written for specific events or compilations, one actually started life as the beginning of a novel. This detail is helpful when considering the tone of some of the stories. This slim volume is a satisfying read and has whetted my appetite to try one of the author’s novels. If you would like to find out more about the author and her books her website is well worth a browse.

Life and Breath Stories is an excellent collection to use in schools, both primary and secondary, and teachers and school librarians will be pleased to learn that there are some excellent Teachers’ Notes available on the author’s website. These have been created by primary school teacher and secondary school librarian, Chris Baker, you can find him on Instagram at @broadeningthebookshelf. These notes are comprehensive and detailed, highlighting which stories are suitable for KS2 and KS3, summaries of all the stories, activity ideas, question prompts, possible curriculum links and discussion ideas plus guidance on reading them aloud. You can find them here.

Life and Breath was published on 12th March and I should like to thank Jon Appleton for kindly providing my copy.