Liz Anelli - Hand to Hand

Liz Anelli is launching her new children's book, Hand to Hand, at MacLean's Booksellers on Beaumont Street in Hamilton on Sunday 26 July. It's a morning session starting at 11:00, and it's free to attend.

Hand to Hand is a picture book inspired by the 2020 bushfires, and it follows a young koala and his friends as they seek safety from the fire. It's a debut of a different sort: Anelli has illustrated plenty of books before, but this is the first one she's written herself. The launch is built around that—she'll be reading from the book, and there's a drawing activity for kids to get stuck into, alongside a pop-up book shop on the day.

Anelli is a multi-Whitley award-winner who's been part of the Hunter's art community since she moved to Newcastle in 2012. She's also served as a Board Director on the Australian Society of Authors. Before this, her picture books like Dry to Dry and The Seasons of Kakadu won the CBCA Eve Pownall Award for Information Books in 2021, so while Hand to Hand is her first as author, she's well-known around here for her work in children's books.

MacLean's Booksellers is an independent Newcastle shop owned and run by local resident Kathy Sloss since August 2023. It's been at the same Beaumont Street premises since April 1997, when it was first opened by Mark MacLean and Christine Bruderlin. The launch is on Sunday 26 July at 11:00, and it's free.