we are all just one small disaster away from sinking, and sometimes you only realise when you're gasping for air On a daylight street in Minneapolis Minnesota, a Black man is asphyxiated - by callous knee of an officer, by cruel might of state, and under crushing weight of colony. In Melbourne the body of another woman has been found - this time, after catching a late tram home. The Atlantic has run out of the English alphabet, when christening hurricanes this season. The earth is on fire - from the redwoods of California, to Australia's east coast. The sea draws back, and tsunamis lash out in Samoa and Sumatra. Water rises in Sulawesi and Nagasaki. Bloated cod are surfacing, all along the Murray Darling. The virus arrives, and the virus thrives. Authorities seal the public housing towers up, and truck in one cop to every five residents. Notre Dame is ablaze - the cathedral spire blackened, and teetering. Out in Biloela, the deportation vans have arrived. Every Friday, in cities all across the world, children are walking out of school. The wolves are circling. The wolves are circling. These poems speak of the world that is, and sing for a world that may one day be. 'One of the most compelling voices in Australian poetry this decade' Overland Literary Journal 'a powerful and fearless storyteller' Dave Eggers 'Readers are left with the sense they have been seen, heard and understood' Books + Publishing

How Decent Folk Behave

Literature & Fiction

Beneba Clarke, Maxine

Poetry

Hachette Australia

The Patchwork Bike

Wide Big World

Difference is everywhere, just look and see. This whole-wide-big-world is wondrous-unique. A gorgeous picture book about our diverse and wonderful world from award-winning author Maxine Beneba Clarke and illustrator Isobel Knowles. PRAISE FOR THE PATCHWORK BIKE 'Like all the best writing, The Patchwork Bike asks more questions than it answers, making it a great conversation starter to learn more about other cultures, but it's also a delightful picture book for kids aged three and up that depicts the universal joy that riding a bike bestows.' - Books+Publishing 'This is a wonderfully fast-moving picture book that celebrates the rebellious, the inventive and the just plain entertaining spirit of kids who are left to, rather than on their own devices.' - Picture Book Perusal

Children's Books

Growing Up & Facts of Life

Lothian Children's Books

Review\nWide Big World is a cheerful and direct celebration of difference that uses the natural wonders of the world to highlight the diversity of experiences around us ... This book would be a great starting point for conversations about fostering positive relationships with others and taking the initiative to practice inclusivity, both at home and at school.―Books+Publishing\nWide Big World is a cheerful and direct celebration of difference that uses the natural wonders of the world to highlight the diversity of experiences around us ... This book would be a great starting point for conversations about fostering positive relationships with others and taking the initiative to practice inclusivity, both at home and at school.―Books+Publishing\nDifference is everywhere, just look and see. This whole-wide-big-world is wondrous-unique.\nA gorgeous picture book about our diverse and wonderful world from award-winning author Maxine Beneba Clarke and illustrator Isobel Knowles.\nPRAISE FOR THE PATCHWORK BIKE 
'Like all the best writing, The Patchwork Bike asks more questions than it answers, making it a great conversation starter to learn more about other cultures, but it's also a delightful picture book for kids aged three and up that depicts the universal joy that riding a bike bestows.' - Books+Publishing\n'This is a wonderfully fast-moving picture book that celebrates the rebellious, the inventive and the just plain entertaining spirit of kids who are left to, rather than on their own devices.' - Picture Book Perusal

About the Author\nMaxine Beneba Clarke (Author) Maxine Beneba Clarke is the author of 9 books, including the Indie and ABIA award-winning short fiction collection Foreign Soil, the memoir The Hate Race, the Boston Globe/Horn Prize and CBCA winning picture book The Patchwork Bike, and the recently released picture book Fashionista. She lives in Melbourne's glorious, diverse western suburbs, and has met many kids like Taj in her neighbourhood, who've journeyed to Australia in search of save haven. Some struggle to fit in, but just like Taj, most eventually find their light. Nicki Greenberg (Illustrator) Nicki Greenberg is a writer and illustrator based in Melbourne, Australia. Her first books, The Digits series, were published when she was fifteen years old. She later spent ten years disguised as a lawyer, while maintaining a not-so-secret Other Life as a comics artist and children’s book author. In 2008, Nicki’s innovative graphic adaptation of The Great Gatsby was selected as a White Raven at the Bologna Book Fair. She then went on to tackle Hamlet in a lavish 425-page ‘staging on the page’. Hamlet was joint winner of the 2011 Children’s Book Council of Australia Picture Book of the Year award. Nicki now dedicates most of her ink to books for younger readers and has written and illustrated many exuberant picture books. Her favourite activity is making books, but when she does manage to tear herself away from the desk Nicki loves to rollerskate and crochet bizarre sea creatures. Nicki is a frequent presenter at schools, festivals and conferences, where her speaking style is described as passionate, engaging and full of energy.\nHi! I'm Taj. This is my favourite T-shirt. I brought it to Australia from my old home. My family came here after a long journey. It was hard at first, but now I love my new home!

Aussie Kids: Meet Taj at the Lighthouse

Puffin (AU YR)

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Beneba Clarke, Maxine. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Beneba Clarke, Maxine

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Beneba Clarke, Maxine. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

How Decent Folk Behave

The Patchwork Bike

Wide Big World

The Patchwork Bike

Wide Big World

Aussie Kids: Meet Taj at the Lighthouse