Linda Ruth Brooks

Callan the Chameleon lived in a tall lilly pilly tree with pink tipped leaves. The leaves of the lilly pilly tree grow very thick. Callan felt safe in the rustling tree that was home. He didn't like to be seen at all. Everywhere he went he checked to see if he was blending in with the bush around him.Uniquely Australian, the story revolves around Callan and his bush animal friends, Emily Echidna, Kyle Koala, Katie Kookaburra, Wesley Wombat, Freya the Frilled-necked Lizard and other Australian animals. The book contains a section on Asperger's by Professor Tony Attwood and is illustrated with stunning pencil and watercolour artwork.

Callan the Chameleon lived in a tall lilly pilly tree with pink tipped leaves. The leaves of the lilly pilly tree grow very thick. Callan felt safe in the rustling tree that was home.Uniquely Australian, this story revolves around Callan and his bush animal friends, Emily the Echidna, Kyle the Koala, Katie the Kookaburra, Wesley the Wombat, Freya the Frilled Necked Lizard and other Australian animals. The book is illustrated with stunning pencil and watercolour artwork.

To the outside world Alec and Tess have the perfect marriage. Yet, behind closed doors a stormy pendulum of seduction and coercion exists. Alec is masterful, mercurial, chameleon. Trapped like a pinned butterfly, Tess survives by silence and small acts of compliance. Butterfly Pinning-a modern tale in verse, mirrors the themes of Thomas Hardy's classic, Tess of the d'Urbervilles. Between bold strokes and subtle nuances, Brooks addresses coercive control and sexual abuse where the marriage contract, upheld as a woman's sacred protection, is too often her greatest vulnerability. Written as an act of resistance against silence.

It's midnight. Bridget Galloway is spending her sixteenth birthday at the local cemetery-the only place free from the brutal bullying of her alcoholic father. Alone and friendless, in dark clothes with over-dyed black hair, she is Shadow Girl at school. Bridget misses her mother. Why did she leave? Where did she go?Leah Antoine, celebrity fashion designer, sits at Sydney airport having emptied the house she shared with her husband and put it up for sale. Dressed in drab clothes and wearing a messy brown wig Leah constantly looks over her shoulder. One more hour and she'll be free...A chance meeting brings these two together. Leah provides a refuge for Bridget. For family secrets to be revealed, there are mishaps, mistakes, and a town of unconventional characters: a curious city cop, a gossipy Mayor's wife, a lost old lady and two determined teenage girls who introduce Bridget to real friendship.Shadow Girl reaches honestly into the issues of family abuse and intimate partner violence, addressing the support and courage necessary to escape and find voice. Two glossaries in the book contain terminology and definitions for violence, abuse and also the modern dating terms such as ghosting, gaslighting and stalking.

Nine year old Lucy Meredith Carter is her gentle father's darling, but she has a long list of bad habits. Rattling around town with her pet chook Esmeralda in her bike basket. Dropping in at the local police station to investigate a fire at an old vagrant's bush camp. Brawling in Sunday School. Interviewing the neighbours. Visiting her beloved aunt, Fliss, in the convalescent home at all hours of the day and night. Stealing mail from the convalescent home's office hoping to find the meaning of one strange word spoken by her aunt after years of silence. Rummaging around in her grandmother's upstairs room where there are things NOT for her eyes, searching for lost stories. Retelling dreams of her dead mother, Sylvia, asking why she went away so often, and where she went. Banging on about a war everyone is trying to forget. And worst of all, writing down everything she sees and hears in a tatty old notebook she calls her Book of Known Facts. One day Lucy will stumble on one secret too many...

Animals have unique personalities and experience fear, anxiety and stress. The Banyula Tales are about a group of Australian animals living in the Australian bush. There's Callan Chameleon who doesn't like to go far from home, Ben Bowerbird is very careful and collects blue objects to decorate his bower. Kyle Koala likes to sleep a lot. Katie Kookaburra is loud and bossy. Serena Sugar Glider is thoughtful and takes care of the others. Blue Roo has lots of energy and acts before he thinks. Freya Frill-Neck Lizard is anxious and worries about lots of things. Fleur Possum is shy and kind. Emily Echidna is confident and friendly. Wesley Wombat likes to join in but he can't keep up with the faster animals. The Bilby Twins live in the Dark Forest, which is where you'll find Cassowary and Lyre Bird. There are many other animals: Tyson Turtle, Tazza the Tasmanian devil, Tessa Thorny-Devil, Fraser Frog, Gang-Gang Galah and Peter Platypus. There's Grandpa Koala, Doc Possum and Hawk. Welcome to Banyula

Animals have unique personalities and experience fear, anxiety and stress. The Banyula Tales are about a group of Australian animals living in the Australian bush. There's Callan Chameleon who doesn't like to go far from home, Ben Bowerbird is very careful and collects blue objects to decorate his bower. Kyle Koala likes to sleep a lot. Katie Kookaburra is loud and bossy. Serena Sugar Glider is thoughtful and takes care of the others. Blue Roo has lots of energy and acts before he thinks. Freya Frill-Neck Lizard is anxious and worries about lots of things. Fleur Possum is shy and kind. Emily Echidna is confident and friendly. Wesley Wombat likes to join in but he can't keep up with the faster animals. The Bilby Twins live in the Dark Forest, which is where you'll find Cassowary and Lyre Bird. There are many other animals: Tyson Turtle, Tazza the Tasmanian devil, Tessa Thorny-Devil, Fraser Frog, Gang-Gang Galah and Peter Platypus. There's Grandpa Koala, Doc Possum and Hawk. Welcome to Banyula

To the outside world Alec and Tess have the perfect marriage. Yet, behind closed doors a stormy pendulum of seduction and coercion exists. Alec is masterful, mercurial, chameleon. Trapped like a pinned butterfly, Tess survives by silence and small acts of compliance. Late one afternoon, after revealing his affair with a sixteen year old schoolgirl, Alec left the house in a rage. A loud bang broke open the stillness. Tess felt the air shudder around her, felt it in her blood. Soothing the child, she ran to the rubbish tip on the hill near their house and is shocked on her arrival. What new game is this?Butterfly Pinning is a modern tale in verse, mirrors the themes of Thomas Hardy's classic, Tess of the d'Urbervilles. Between bold strokes and subtle nuances, Brooks addresses coercive control and sexual abuse where the marriage contract, upheld as a woman's sacred protection, was too often her greatest vulnerability. Written as an act of resistance against silence.

Life is a slip on the ice It's a spent gamea try, a clasha save, a dash It's a burger with the worksa song & dance, a purloined chance a flashy show, a slow-river flowa blind quest, a fleeting guest It's a dense mirrora cloudy glass, a quick passa heedless pawn, a crystal dawn, a sly ploy, a heart-busting joy It's a sinner's prayer

In a land as harsh on its wildlife as its peoples, humans have a unique guardianship for the fauna and flora of the landscape. As a child I hated seeing any creature confined, but during the recent wildfire season we've seen the interdependence between us, as birds and animals have sought our care. Many people responded, with sanctuaries, care stations and animal hospitals springing into action. Australians have prioritised pets and wildlife over property. The world, looking on in horror has reached out--from donations to simple kind acts, like making koala mittens. As Australians, we are island-isolated but with the reaction around the globe, we know we're not alone. Australia's favourite bush animals, birdlife and lizards, known and loved around the world are included in this artistic collection in watercolour, pencil and digital art.