• Posted on 28 Nov 2022
  • 5-minute read

On the hunt for books to share with the kids in your life? Look no further than our very own UTS community. From connecting with nature at your doorstep to teaching babies rocket science, we have 6 authors from across 5 faculties to get you started.

Pain hacks with Joshua Pate  

If you’re one of the 3.6 million Australians living with chronic pain, you’ll be pleased to know that future generations might not have to suffer the same fate.  

That’s thanks to the latest pain science research and books like Joshua Pate’s Zoe and Zak’s Pain Hacksseries. 

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Descriptive transcript

I think curiosity is really about asking questions and not being afraid to be wrong, and that comes from science. I would think of myself as sort of an intellectual jack-of-all-trades. I don't want to specialise so much that I'm defined by the thing that I do. Most of my research was sort of self-taught in statistical analysis, so I'm this mathematician doing statistics in a physics department who's now moved to an engineering department. I just want to find mathematical problems that are interesting and try to solve them.

I think education is the most important thing. I don't see any problem with introducing science as early as possible. Kids learn most from play and they're not going to be engaged if they don't find it interesting.

I started with Quantum Physics for Babies for a couple of reasons. The main one was to have something that I could read to my daughter that had these scientific concepts. And then the other reason was, you know, I thought it was fun.

The books are a first step at going to the extreme of communicating a complex idea to a large audience. I don't expect that after reading the books that parents, and certainly not children, are going to understand quantum physics. It's something to get you started, allowing parents to maybe not feel that this is such a hard topic that it should just be avoided.

I'm Chris Ferrie, quantum theorist, father of four, and a children's book author.

“Chronic pain is a huge challenge faced by many families,” Joshua says, “but because it’s often invisible, many people don’t realise that most classrooms have, on average, a few kids challenged by chronic pain in them.”  

Joshua’s book series aims to empower children aged 6 to 10 with strategies to help them learn and talk about pain with their family, friends, teachers and health professionals. 

This could mean fewer children missing out on school and sports, undergoing recurrent surgeries and facing a reduced quality of life overall. We like the sound of that! 

The dangerous business of being Trilby Moffat by Kate Temple

Love cake? Then you already have something in common with Kate Temple and her characters in The dangerous business of being Trilby Moffat.

With a bizarre pandemic making its way into the world, the inhabitants of this world are suddenly speaking extinct languages and behaving in all kinds of strange ways – including baking ancient cakes. Trilby steps up to save the world but not before a lot of hilarity ensues.

After co-writing over 20 books, this is Kate’s first foray into writing a solo book and we think she's nailed it.

Baby science with Chris Ferrie

There’s an art to distilling complex ideas into something clear, and Chris Ferrie’s done just that. In fact, his books have gone viral on TikTok for teaching concepts like rocket science and quantum physics to a particularly challenging audience – babies.

But the fun doesn’t stop there. If you attended our virtual pranklab last year, you’ll know that his creative approach to education extends to older kids with scientific practical jokes and he even answers cosmic questions for us grown-ups.

Does anyone else wish they were attending his lectures?

Chris Ferrie is an Associate Professor with the Faculty of Engineering and IT and the Centre for Quantum Software and Information.

Become a backyard Attenborough with the Urban Field Naturalist Project

Did you know that the humble ibis was regarded as a noble bird and symbol of knowledge in Ancient Egypt, long before its claim to fame atop your garbage bin?

If you live in an urban environment, as most Aussies do, it can be easy to disassociate from the nature surrounding us. Guide to the Creatures in Your Neighbourhood is here to help! It’s jam-packed with weird and wonderful facts to connect you with the nature that’s on your doorstep, from cockatoos to magpies, spiders, possums and more.

There are also tips on how to embark on your own urban field naturalist journey with 5 simple steps: slow down, observe, record, ask questions and share.

A family ghost story with Penni Russon

Penni Russon has developed the unique skill of writing entertaining stories that speak to children and young adults about mental health in her 20-plus-year career as an author.

Penni’s latest book, The Endsister, is the hilarious and moving tale of 5 siblings who inherit a haunted mansion on the other side of the world. Amid the ensuing chaos, Penni expertly captures the complexity of sibling relationships and where we belong in it all.

This one’s a must-read for any kids who are dangerously close to sticking gum in their sibling’s hair…

The story of the swamp city grifters with Pat Grant

What does it mean for our children to grow up during the climate crisis? That’s exactly what Pat Grant had on his mind 8 years before publishing his funny (and sometimes dark) dystopian coming-of-age story The Grot.

It’s the second book by the award-winning writer, illustrator and graphic whose work is rooted in graphic anthropology. His first book, Blue, is part sci-fi part autobiography, examining localism and racism on the Australian beach – and you can read it online right now.

But don’t be fooled into thinking his graphic novels are just for young adults – something tells us his books might find their way onto your own bookshelf!

Left: Excerpt from The Grot. Right: head and shoulders portrait of Pat Grant
Left: Excerpt from The Grot. Right: Pat Grant, lecturer at the Media Arts and Production Program, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. (Photo: Gabe Clark).

Know of a UTS children’s author we’ve missed? Get in touch!

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