Format: Paperback
Review:
When I read a book, one of the ways I decide how good it is depends on how desperate I am for the kids to finally be in bed so that I can pick up where I left off. After The Fall – the first novel by Australian author Kylie Ladd – had me virtually counting the minutes until bedtime.

After The Fall tells the story of two couples – Luke and Cressida and Kate and Cary – who become social friends. Both couples seem to have the ‘opposites attract’ vibe happening. Luke is charming, good-looking and maybe a little shallow. His wife Cressida is the ‘good girl’ of the piece. A dedicated paediatrician she comes across as a cool beauty in the Grace Kelly mould. Cressida’s more retiring nature is the foil for Luke’s sexual magnetism and her trusting nature allows her to have faith that he will never act on his wandering eye.

Author: Fiona Thomas Hargraves

Publisher: Allen & Unwin

Format: Paperback

“What they don’t tell you in the pregnancy books is that Hurricane Baby is about to hit you and the ensuing chaos can leave you in shock.”
So writes Fiona Thomas Hargraves in this ‘keepin’ it real’ guide to getting and staying fit when you’re a mum. Billed as a guide for ‘real people who live in the real world, not the world of celebrities’ this book has chapters on the mental aspect of keeping fit as well as eating well and exercising before during and after pregnancy. The author is an exercise scientist as well as a mother. This may be why she includes a Plan B - for when things don’t go quite as you planned - which, as all mums know, happens a lot.

Click Here for your chance to win a copy of Fit & Fabulous for Life After Babies.

Author: Yvonne Morrison

Illustrator: Nicola Bright

Publisher: Scholastic

Format: Hardcover

My Aussie Mum tells of a child’s adoration for his mother with a quirky sense of humour. From mum being glamorous in her trackie daks to hogging the ball in a netball game, we get to see a real mum who “also buys treats and eats more than me”. Brightly illustrated and also interactive this book encourages little ones to glue a picture of their mum in the front of the book. It asks, “Is your mum true blue?” Even though mum sometimes isn’t patient, and can be angry or even forgetful, the one thing that shines in this book is the unconditional love and general up-lifting of mum no matter how or who she is.  A great book to be shared between mother and child.

Author: Tony Wilson

Illustrator: Sue deGennaro

Publisher: Scholastic Press

Format: Hardcover
Review:

As the mother of a five year-old girl who believes princesses must have long blonde hair, blue eyes and stilettos (preferably gem-stone encrusted), this book was a breath of fresh air. The story follows Prince Henrik and his quest for the perfect girl to become his Princess. His selection criteria are simple: she must love hockey and camping. His search ends with Pippa, a wholesome-looking outdoorsy type with a lovely laugh. Everything about this book, from the prose to the unique pencil illustrations, is refreshingly down to earth. It offers a realistic perspective on what it takes to be a real princess – no tiaras required!