Ursula Dubosarsky

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Novels

The Golden Day

VISIT THE GOLDEN DAY MAIN SITE There were only eleven of them, like eleven sisters all the same age in a large family. Because it was such a very small class, they had a very small classroom, which was perched at the very top of the school - up four flights of stairs, up in the high sky, like a colony of little birds nesting on a cliff. 'Today, girls,' said Miss Renshaw, 'we shall go out into the beautiful Gardens and think about death.' In the Gardens they meet a poet. What follows is inexplicable, shocking, a scandal. What really happened that day? Is 'the truth' as elusive as it seems? And do the little girls know more than they are letting on?
The Game of the Goose

Fred, Rowley and Rabbit hardly knew each other before the game. The game took each of them on an adventure - a terrifying, wonderful adventure of hoping and saving and living and dying. It was a journey that they would remember for ever. With beautiful black and white illustrations by John Winch.
The Red Shoe

Funny, tough-minded and tender, this is the story of Matilda and her two sisters growing up in Sydney in the 1950s at the time of the Cold War Russian spy crisis known as the Petrov Affair. Punctuated by the headlines of the time, it shows with unsettling clarity how the large events of the world can impinge on ordinary lives.
Theodora's Gift

Almost a decade ago, Ursula Dubosarsky won great acclaim for The First Book of Samuel. Now the story continues, Samuel and Theodora's grandfather Elias is dying, and Theodora begins to see a black cat that could not possibly be real.
How To Be A Great Detective

Claudie's back and she's hunting down a murderer, with the help of William Shakespeare. A comic sequel to "My Father Is Not A Comedian".
Abyssinia

Grace is plunged into a dark and mesmerising world, full of bells, of odd little children, strange events and frighteningly bizarre grown-ups. A psychological thriller, a desperately moving and ultimately uplifting tale of childhood innocence.
My Father Is Not A Comedian!

"I wrote this book. It's about me. And my father, of course. Anyway, it wasn't even my fault - the comedian thing. It was just something I said to a reporter from a newspaper. But then someone started to follow my father. Someone I didn't trust."
Black Sails, White Sails

"So many things Olivia did were for her own secret purposes..." A young woman tracks the dissolution of trust. Is there a reason for everything? A fascinating novel about deception, damage, and they tyranny of childhood.
Bruno and the Crumhorn

"If only he'd had the strength to say no! I won't! I don't want to learn the crumhorn! Can't I just be? Just be Bruno?" Still, if it weren't for the stubborn instrument, he would never have met the exotic Early Musicians and Sybil.
The First Book Of Samuel

On his twelfth birthday, Samuel Cass disappeared. The circumstances of his birth, the holiday when he was a baby, the mysterious past of his beloved grandfather, and even his own name lead to a quiet vanishing, a dramatic rescue and a perfect discovery.
The White Guinea-Pig

"Geraldine hadn't wanted the white guinea-pig at all. But then a single, sudden act of sympathy exploded into something difficult and dangerous, like a kiss given to the wrong person." A small creature, a cold winter, a season of change...
The Last Week in December

"They were coming back! Did they suspect? The must. Just by looking at her, anyone would know she had something to hide..." Bella has a terrible guilty secret. But families work in strange ways, and unexpected things do happen...
Zizzy Zing

That summer, Phyllis discovered a shocking secret from the past... When Phyllis stays at an old convent school in the Blue Mountains, a mysterious letter arrives. It leads her on a funny and frightening journey back in time to the Australia Day celebrations of 1938.
High Hopes

"She shook herself. She was being ridiculous again. No one could suspect her...Children don't do that..." Julia needs to get rid of Anabel, her father's new girlfriend. And fast.

Non-fiction

The Word Spy Activity Book

Dear Readers, I'm back again with a brand new book. Yes, it's The Word Spy Activity Book! You might have read The Word Spy and The Return of the Word Spy. This one is different because now YOU get to write and draw in it as well. It's full of new discoveries, crazy games and playful puzzles, which all have one thing in common: WORDS! Inside the pages of this book you'll meet the mad word inventor, put on a shadow puppet play, learn how to solve cryptic crosswords, make up your own bingo lingo, create your own font – oh, there's just so much, you'll just have to open it up and find out for yourself!
The Return of the Word Spy

Illustrated by Tohby Riddle. From the beginning of time, the WORD SPY has been creeping down hallways, hiding in shadows and journeying through different lands to discover everything there is to know about the English language. In her first book, The Word Spy, she shared with us the secrets she'd learnt about English, from the first alphabet in 4000 BC right up to the tricks of modern texting. In The Return of the Word Spy she continues the fascinating journey through language, with chapters on language families, how we learn to speak, grammar and written forms of communication. In an accessible, engaging style, the WORD SPY explains the meaning of nouns, verbs, pronouns, 'dead' languages, word origins and other wordy wonders.

Packed with cartoons, games, facts and puzzles, The Return of the Word Spy continues the WORD SPY's fascinating journey through the English language.
The Word Snoop (USA)

HERE COMES THE WORD SNOOP!!! USA release. Meet the Word Snoop. She's dashing and daring and witty as can be and no one knows more about the evolution of the English language than she does. Luckily, she's spilling her secrets in this gem of a book. From the first alphabet in 4000 BC, to anagrams, palindromes, and modern-day text messages, readers will learn all about the fascinating twists and turns our fair language has taken to become what it is today. With playful black-and-white illustrations, riddles to solve, and codes to break, The Word Snoop is definitive proof that words can spark the imagination and are anything but dull. This is a book for every aspiring writer, and every true reader. [Non-Fiction]
Illustrator Tohby Riddle's website
The Word Spy (Australia)

Join the Word Spy on an entertaining journey through the English language, illustrated by Tohby Riddle. Learn more about where the alphabet came from, make your own palindromes and impress your pigs by speaking Pig Latin. There are cartoons, riddles and a special code to solve along the way. [Non-Fiction]
Illustrator Tohby Riddle's website

Illustrated Books

The Carousel

Illustrated by Walter di Qual. One winter's day my dad and I Went down to see the carousel. We stood and watched as round and round The little horses rose and fell. So begins the magical journey of a small girl and a wooden horse. A journey of music and mirrors, of green hills and sunlit skies, of wishes and freedom. From this much-loved author and brilliant new illustrator comes a glowing, timeless picture book that celebrates the enduring wonder of the carousel.
Honey and Bear Stories

Illustrated by Ron Brooks. This beautiful full-colour book is a compilation of Honey and Bear and Special Days with Honey and Bear, reproduced in a B format. The ten short stories are exquisitely illustrated by the talented Ron Brooks, and each capture a small moment in the lives of these animal friends.

In Honey and Bear - the silver-eyed bird and the cuddly, rotund bear - Ursula Dubosarsky has created characters that children will love, in the tradition of Winnie the Pooh, and Frog and Toad. The tales are the perfect length for beginner readers to attempt themselves, or to read aloud to younger children.
The Deep End

Illustrated by Mitch Vane. Becky has reached the point in her swimming lessons when she has stopped being a Frog and has moved up to be a Platypus. She has to go into the deep end, and she's not at all sure that she's ready for it. She wishes she could be a Frog for just a little while longer.
The Cubby House

Illustrated by Mitch Vane.

Becky has the best ideas for cubby houses.

She can't wait to show the new little girl next door!
The Terrible Plop

Illustrated by Andrew Joyner. An irresistible new picture book about a little rabbit who learns that some things in life aren't as scary as they seem. Based on a Tibetan myth, a sound in the forest sets all the animals running for their lives from the Terrible Plop. Children will be charmed by the wonderful zany energy of the illustrations and the rollicking rhyming story.
Illustrator Andrew Joyner's website
PLOP! the Windmill Theatre musical based on the book has played to packed houses in Adelaide and Brisbane and Canberra.
Tibby's Leaf

Inspired by the loved Australian children's book creator, May Gibbs, this family story is set in Australia at the beginning of the First World War. Published by the National Museum of Australia.
Jerry

Illustrated by Patricia Mullins For Martha there is something strange and almost magical about a white horse, even an old one like Jerry. Based on a true story.
The Puppet Show

Illustrated by Mitch Vane. Becky can't wait to put on her puppet show. She's even thought of a surprise ending!
Rex

Illustrated by David Mackintosh. Meet Rex. He is the class pet. Every day someone gets to take Rex home. What would you do if Rex came to visit you?
Isador Brown's Strangest Adventures of All

Illustrated by Mitch Vane. If you think Isador Brown's adventures have been strange, finding Lulu's missing parents turns out to be the strangest adventure ever.
Special Days with Honey and Bear

Illustrated by Ron Brooks. Honey is a bird and Bear is a bear. Together, they have special days. There's a birthday, a new year, a surprise and an adventure in this new collection about old friends.
The Magic Wand

Illustrated by Mitch Vane. Has Becky's wand made her little brother disappear?
Fairy Bread

Illustrated by Mitch Vane. Becky only wants fairy bread at her party. But there's so much left over, and she won't throw it out.
The Even Stranger Adventures of Isador Brown

Illustrated by Paty Marshall-Stace. Isador and his friend Lulu have set out on a journey. They find a melting iceberg, a giant bird and some stampeding giraffes. And that's just the start of another very strange adventure!
The Two Gorillas

Illustrated by Mitch Vane. Becky's two gorillas were very scary. Until they had their bath.
Honey and Bear

Illustrated by Ron Brooks. Honey is a bird and Bear is a bear. Together, they have special days. There's a birthday, a new year, a surprise and an adventure in this new collection about old friends.
The Strange Adventures of Isador Brown

Illustrated by Paty Marshall-Stace. Isador, who is almost an orphan, sets out on an adventure. He carries six things in his satchel, one of which is a secret until nearly the end of the story.
Maisie and the Pinny Gig

Illustrated by Roberta Landers. This is the story of Maisie's adventures with her dashing Pinny Gig, whom she meets in her dreams. When Maisie tells her parents and friends about her adventures with the Pinny Gig they are disbelieving. They are not sure what a Pinny Gig is! Do you know?

Anthologies

Free?

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was signed on the 10th December 1948 as an enduring international commitment to human rights. Published in the 60th anniversary year of the Declaration, this is an outstanding collection of short stories, each one inspired by a different human right. The stories have been written especially for young people aged 10 to 15 and demonstrate why human rights are still of crucial importance. This is compelling fiction that contributes to a better understanding of human rights and the values that underpin them.
Kid's Night In!

Edited by Jessica Adams, Juliet Partridge and Nick Earls. All proceeds to War Child. Bedtime stories, rainy-day jokes, holiday reads, funny cartoons, cool art, recipes and tips from celebrities and sports stars... Ursula Dubosarsky contributes 'Beware of the Guinea Pig'. Read it now!
The Road to Camelot

Edited by Sophie Masson. The characters of Arthurian legend have never ceased to fascinate us. But what were they really like, as kids, before they knew their destiny?
The Endless Playground: Celebrating Australian Childhood

Compiled and Edited by Paul Cliff. Ursula Dubosarsky contributes the feature 'Small things with no words': Writing Children's Books.
Mother Love 2

Edited by Debra Adelaide. From the tricky process of conceiving a child, to the frustrating role of teaching a young child to read, here is writing that is honest and lively, passionate and moving.
Hair-Raising

Compiled by Penny Matthews. Ten horror stories by some of Australia's best writers for teenagers - running the whole gamut of horror: twisted, black, challenging, different. Ursula Dubosarsky contributes The Golden Gate.