Tell ’em They’re Dreaming — Available for Pre-Order

Frequently on the blog, I bring you interviews with authors or news of new picture books. Today, I am delighted to let you know of a new anthology that is now available for pre-order. It will be available for purchase on 1 November and will make a special Christmas gift, or anytime gift, for children up to twelve years of age. I am extra-delighted about this one because one of my stories is included in it.

About the anthology

Tell ’em They’re Dreaming is an anthology of Bedtime Ballads and Tall Tales from the Australian Bush, published by Share Your Story under the leadership of Australian author Michelle Worthington. I previously introduced Michelle to you in an interview about her picture book Super Nicholas.

The 36 poems, stories and ballads were selected from submissions to a competition conducted earlier this year.

The clever prologue by David Perkins Forgetting How the Banjo Works is a fitting introduction to the stories and poems to follow. A tongue-in-cheek poetic tribute to the poetry of one of Australia’s most famous bush balladeers Banjo Paterson, it is fun, funny and perfectly captures the spirit of Australian ballads and the Australian ability to laugh at ourselves.

In addition to my ballad about a bully bullfrog, the anthology contains works by other authors I have interviewed, including Marg Gibbs and Karen Hendricks as well as Michelle Worthington,

It also has stories by other already-published authors including:

Belinda Meredith

Kayt Duncan

Christine Crawford

Dannielle Viera

Maura Pierlot, and

Sandra Bennett

and many other wonderful writers too.

A Sneak Peek

Here are a few of the titles to whet your appetite:

Oh Dear, Oh My, a Drop Bear by Karen Hendriks

New Boot Dreaming by Kim Horwood

Peek-A-Boo Echidna by Sandra Bennett

Septic Tank Swim Team by Annaleise Byrd

And here is the first verse of my ballad, Once Upon a Billabong

Once upon a billabong way out west,

Sat a great big bullfrog boasting he was best.

Along came another, seeking shelter for the night,

Last thing he wanted was a ding-dong fight.

 

To find out what happens, you’ll just have to buy the book.

Sales raise funds

The authors have donated their stories so that proceeds of the sales can be directed to the NSW Rural Fire Service.

Michelle explained the reason for choosing the Fire Service as beneficiary of the sales when she announced the competition:

Australia battles bush fires every year, but little has compared to the widespread devastation of this fire season. Millions of acres have been torched and entire homes have been swallowed by flames.

More than 20 people have lost their lives and the number of animals affected could be as high as one billion nationwide. In total, more than 17.9 million acres have been burned across Australia’s six states – an area larger than the countries of Belgium and Denmark combined. A total of 28 people across Australia have died this fire season, including several volunteer firefighters. Our Fire and Emergency Services work incredibly hard and risk their lives to battle these blazes. In the last 50 years bushfires have resulted in over 8000 injuries and over 430 lives lost. The Rural Fire Service is often led by volunteers who take time off work to protect other people’s properties and families even when their own life is in danger. Australia has the world’s largest volunteer fire service.

This is the third anthology published by Michelle Worthington’s Share Your Story.

The previous anthologies were Spooktacular Stories: Thrilling Tales for Brave Kids and It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas.

If you don’t already have a copy of Spooktacular Stories, it would be a great collection for reading aloud to, or quietly by, children with Halloween just around the corner. And, of course, we can never have too many Christmas stories in our collection.

How to order

The book is now available on Amazon for pre-order in Australia by following this link.

Also available from:

Booktopia

Angus and Robertson

It can also be pre-ordered internationally with free postage from

Book Depository

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