Apple TV users will be able to rent thousands of commercial free HD TV episodes on iTunes®. Users can also rent over 7,000 movies with over 3,400 available in HD, with most new releases available the same day they are released on DVD.

The new Apple TV also streams content from YouTube, Flickr and MobileMe™, as well as music, photos and videos from PCs and Macs to your HD TV.

“The new Apple TV, paired with the largest selection of online HD movie and TV show rentals, lets users watch Hollywood content on their HD TV whenever they want,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “This tiny, silent box lets users watch thousands of HD movies and TV shows, and makes all of their music, photos and videos effortlessly available on their home entertainment system.”

Apple TV will be available in Australia later this month and can be pre-ordered online at the Apple Store for A$129.

The new Apple TV is part of Apple’s new product line-up which includes: new iPod touch from A$289; the new iPod shuffle® for A$69; the new iPod nano® with Multi-Touch™ starting at A$199; and the iPod classic® in a 160GB model for A$329.

Speaking at the official launch of the new iPod Touch on September 1st, CEO of Apple, Steve Jobs said, “We’ve put our most advanced technology inside the new iPod touch. Whether you’re listening to music, playing games, making FaceTime video calls, browsing the web, capturing HD video or watching TV shows and movies, the new iPod touch with its Retina display, A4 chip and 3-axis gyro is more fun than ever.”

The Retina display has 960 x 640 pixels—four times as many pixels than before and with the new front-facing camera and mic, iPod touch users can make FaceTime video calls over Wi-Fi. With just one tap of the new FaceTime app, iPod touch users can call other new iPod touch or iPhone® 4 users to see what their friends are up to and show others what they are seeing by switching to the rear-facing camera. The rear-facing camera also enables users to capture HD video wherever they are and share it via email, MobileMe™ and YouTube.

Apple’s A4 chip provides iPod touch users with exceptional processor and graphics performance along with longer battery life. Apple says the power-efficient chip, along with the Retina display and 3-axis gyro, makes games on iPod touch the best they’ve ever been on any mobile device.

iPod touch with Game Center, enables users to challenge and play friends or be matched automatically with new opponents. With the App Store on iPod touch, users have access to over 250,000 apps, including over 65,000 game and entertainment titles to choose from.

Music and entertainment lovers can also access iTunes® Ping directly from their new iPod touch. iTunes Ping lets you follow your favorite artists and friends to discover the music they’re talking about, listening to and downloading. iPod touch users also have the entire iTunes Store® at their fingertips, giving them instant access to music, TV shows and movies.

Price & Availability
The new iPod touch will be available in Australia at the Apple Store for A$289 for the 8GB version, A$378 for the 16GB version, and A$499 for the 32GB version.

Apple’s new lineup also includes a brand new iPod shuffle® for just A$69; the new iPod nano® with Multi-Touch™ starting at A$199; and the iPod classic® in a 160GB model for A$329.

Consumers in Australia can find more information at the Apple Store at: store.apple.com/au

Before I went to school, or so mum always said, I would insist on getting on the bus ‘without her’, paying my own fare, and sitting at the back and pretending she wasn’t there. I didn’t realise the great gift I had been given. It wasn’t until I’d ‘grown up’, that I realised that my idyllic upbringing was not shared by all girls.

Because I am a Girl in Australia, I had the opportunity to travel to other countries, at first through exploring their cuisines. Later as an adult, I did ‘actually’ travel overseas. These were eye-opening experiences.

While I was in Uzbekistan, for example, I was hugged by women, strangers, in the street, who ran to me with roses and smiles, to greet my independence. I was born into a family, culture and country where I had choices, and was treated no differently, because I am a girl. For me, cooking isn’t a daily chore and responsibility, but pure joy in being able to nurture others. I do not need to wait and be the last to eat in the family, because I am a girl. For me, there is the time and opportunity, to cook for pleasure, to eat in restaurants, and to indulge my passion Inside Cuisine.

The more I saw and the more I read, the more I realised it was my responsibility as an independent woman, to create a brighter future. I sponsor three girls: Anyi and Yenti in Honduras, and Gisselle in Ecuador.

My name is Rebecca Varidel from Inside Cuisine and I am a member of the Because I am a Girl Coalition for Investment in Girls. I hope you’ll join me in supporting this very worthy cause and together we can ‘feed’ the world.

How you can Support the Because I am a Girl campaign:

• Join the Facebook Community – Help build a community united to fight for girls’ rights and help them break the poverty cycle. Join Plan’s Because I am a Girl Facebook page to keep learning and get involved or post a link to the website or campaign videos on your wall.

• Talk it up on Twitter – Stay up-to-date and share the latest information, stories and activities with your networks by following Plan’s Because I am a Girl on Twitter.

• Buy a campaign T-Shirt – Look good and feel great while telling the world that we need to invest in girls in a Fairtrade Certified Organic Cotton campaign tee.

• Share Videos – Email the campaign videos to your friends or post them to your blog or Facebook. You can also check out the latest campaign videos and learn more about the lives of girls and young women in developing countries at Plan Australia’s Channel on YouTube.

• Sponsor a Child with Plan – When you sponsor a child with Plan your money funds projects chosen by the child’s community that benefit everyone. Girls and boys are sponsored equally in each community, but all Plan programming aims to take into consideration the unique obstacles faced by girls.

• Donate to Plan’s GirlsFund – Plan International Australia has established a GirlsFund to support efforts to identify and respond to the barriers girls face. Your donation to GirlsFund will go towards initiatives like this within priority projects that address unique obstacles faced by girls. This will help give girls every opportunity to thrive and break the poverty cycle.

• Join Children First! – When you donate regularly through Children First, your money funds Plan Australia’s priority projects that address the specific development needs of communities.

Keep an eye out for AWO’s recommended Young Adult Fiction, Children’s and Non Fiction reads – and we’ll also give you some great new book recommendations for summer reading.

The House of Dust and Dreams by Brenda Reid Orion, AU$32.99RRPA young British diplomat and his wife have been posted to Athens. Hugh loves the life there but his spirited and unconventional wife, Heavenly, finds it hard to fit into the whirl of endless parties and socialising. When Hugh is sent to Crete to sort out a problem, they stay in a rundown house owned by his family. Heavenly falls in love with the place and the people, and stays on when Hugh returns to his duties. As she tries to rebuild the ramshackle home, Heavenly makes firm friends with Anthi, a young woman from the village and Christos, the handsome and charismatic young builder. But the dark clouds of war are gathering and the island will become a crucible of violence and bloodshed in the days to come. For Heavenly, her friends and family, it will be the greatest test they have ever known. A house in ruins. An island at war. A love affair just beginning… You can buy this book online at: Angus and Robertson Online – AU$23.95* Fishpond.com.au – AU$26.35* Emporium Books – AU$28.70* * Prices subject to change by the retailer

The Hopeless Life of Charlie Summers by Paul Torday W&N (Hachette), AU$32.99 Hector Chetwode-Talbot, Eck to his friends, has left the army after a rather nasty moment in Colombia. From a privileged background, he is slightly at a loss as to what to do next, when he is approached by an old army pal, Bilbo Mountwilliam. Bilbo runs an investment fund company and persuades Eck to join the company. It is on a golfing trip to France with his friend Henry Newark that Eck first meets Charlie Summers, a fly-by-night entrepreneur who is hiding out in France after a ‘misunderstanding with Her Majesty’s Customs and Revenue.’ Charlie’s latest scheme is to import Japanese dog food into the UK. Henry casually mentions that Charlie should ‘look us up’ if he is ever in Gloucestershire. But not only does Charlie Summers look Henry up, he arrives with his suitcase, intent on staying with the Newarks and relaunching his dog food business in their area. But with the financial crash looming, Eck begins to ask himself if they are so very different… You can buy this book online at: Amazon.com – Kindle eBook US$11.99* Angus and Robertson Online – AU$14.95* Emporium Books – AU$28.70* The Nile – AU$29.49* * Prices subject to change by the retailer

My Last Duchess by Daisy Goodwin Headline Fiction (Hachette), AU$29.99RRPMy Last Duchess takes as its theme the late 19th-century market in American heiresses, married off to the sons of the impoverished British aristocracy. Beautiful, vivacious Cora Cash, the wealthiest debutante in America, is spirited away from the glamour and comfort of her Park Avenue mansion and suddenly finds herself Duchess of Wareham, mistress of Lulworth Castle, maried to Ivo, the most eligible bachelor in England. As Cora is soon to discover, nothing in this strange new world is quite as it seems. Her handsome new husband is withdrawn and secretive; the English social scene is stuffed with pitfalls and traps, and there are increasingly dangerous forces at work, people who wish she’d never met Ivo in the first place… You can buy this book online at: Emporium Books – AU$26.10* The Nile – AU$26.95* Angus and Robertson Online – AU$27.95* Fishpond.com.au – AU$29.99* * Prices subject to change by the retailer

Legend of Suicide by David Vann Penguin, AU$24.95RRPRoy is still young when his father, a failed dentist and hapless fisherman, puts a .44 magnum to his head and kills himself on the deck of his beloved boat. Throughout his life, Roy returns to that moment, gripped by its memory and the shadow it casts over his small-town boyhood, describing with poignant, mercurial wit his parents’ woeful marriage and inevitable divorce, their kindnesses and weaknesses, the absurd and comic turning-points of his past. Finally, in Legend of a Suicide, Roy lays his father’s ghost to rest. But not before he exacts a gruelling, exhilarating revenge. Revolving around a fatally misconceived adventure deep in the wilderness of Alaska, this is a remarkably tender story of loss, survival and disillusioned love. You can buy this book online at: Amazon.com – US$10.07* Kobo eBooks – AU$8.79* Angus and Robertson Online – AU$18.95* Fishpond.com.au – AU$18.95* Emporium Books – AU$20.05* The Nile – AU$22.49*

The Castle in the Pyrenees by Jostein Gaarder Orion, AU$29.99RRP hardbackFrom the bestselling author of Sophie’s World comes this new novel set in the 1970s. Through five intense years, Steinn and Solrunn had a happy life together. Then they suddenly parted ways, for reasons that are unclear to both. In the summer of 2007 they meet again on a balcony of an old wooden hotel by a fjord in western Norway. It is a place they both have fond memories from, and their meeting turns out to be fateful. But is it purely coincidental that they meet at that particular spot at that particular time? Over a couple of weeks that summer they write emails to each other, and it becomes clear that they have been living with very different interpretations of their shared past. The Castle in the Pyrenees is both a love story and a novel of ideas, exploring the place of human consciousness in the universe. Its main theme is of great current interest: can scinece explain everything, or does some invisible force influence our lives? You can buy this book online at: Emporium Books – AU$26.10* The Nile – AU$26.99* Angus and Robertson Online – AU$29.95* Fishpond.com.au – AU$29.99* * Prices subject to change by the retailer

Mr Rosenblum’s List by Natasha Solomons Hachette, AU$29.99RRP, hardbackJack Rosenblum is five foot three and a half inches of sheer tenacity. Through study and application he intends to become a Very English Gentleman. Jack is compiling a list, a comprehensive guide to the manners, customs and habits of his new home. And he never speaks German, apart from the occasional curse. Assimilation, he’s convinced, is the secret of success. But the war’s been over for eight years and despite his best efforts, his bid to blend in remains fraught with unexpected hurdles. Including his wife. Sadie finds his obsession baffling. She doesn’t want to forget who they are or where they come from. She’d rather bake cakes to remember the people they left behind than worry about how to play bridge. But Jack is convinced they can find a place to call home. In a final attempt to complete his list, he leads a reluctant Sadie into the English countryside. Here, in a land of woolly pigs, bluebells and jitterbug cider, they embark on an impossible task… You can buy this book online at: Angus and Robertson Online – AU$16.95* The Nile – AU$24.95* Fishpond.com.au – AU$26.95* * Prices subject to change by the retailer

Mini Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella Random House, AU$32.95RRPBecky Brandon (née Bloomwood) thought motherhood would be a breeze and that having a daughter was a dream come true – a shopping friend for life! But it’s trickier than she thought – two-year-old Minnie has a quite different approach to shopping. She can create havoc everywhere from Harrods to Harvey Nicks to her own christening. She hires taxis at random, her favourite word is ‘Mine‘, and she’s even started bidding for designer bags on ebay. On top of everything else, there’s a big financial crisis. People are having to Cut Back – including all of Becky’s personal shopping clients – and she and Luke are still living with Becky’s Mum and Dad. To cheer everyone up, Becky decides to throw a surprise birthday party – on a budget – but then things become really complicated. Who will end up on the naughty step, who will get a gold star and will Becky’s secret wishes come true? You can buy this book online at: Amazon.com – US$13.50* QBD The Bookshop – AU$19.99* The Nile – AU$29.49* Fishpond.com.au – AU$29.95* * Prices subject to change by the retailer

Somewhere Down a Crazy River by Robyn Catchlove Pan Macmillan, AU$34.99RRPRobyn Catchlove wasn’t destined for married life and two and half kids in the suburbs of Adelaide. So, in her early twenties, she walks away from a passionless marriage to seek out adventure and lead the life she always dreamed of. As a spunky 25-year-old, she meets her match, Les Coles, in balmy Cairns, and together they set about building the boat of their dreams. By the time the Jean King launches, Robyn and Les are fiercely in love and ready to take on the challenges of the professional fishing game. This is the start of a gripping eight-year sea journey set in the hallucinogenic tropics of Far North Queensland. It also takes Robyn deep into the heart of the exclusively male world of professional fishing. It is physical, tough, and often perilous, but Robyn won’t give up until she has not just silenced, but completely won over, even her toughest critics. Along the way, Robyn develops a remarkable bond with the environment, experiences a deep relationship with indigenous Australians, and collects a swag of colourful and gutsy fishing mates. But when her one true ally unexpectedly turns on her, Robyn is going to need more resilience and courage than she ever needed – even in the toughest storm at sea. Robyn’s is a quintessentially Australian story about passions: where they can take you, how to walk away from them if they threaten to destroy you, and what is left if you have the courage to do so. You can buy this book online at: Emporium Books – AU$30.45* SeekBooks.com.au – AU$31.49* Angus and Robertson Online – $34.95* QBD The Bookshop – AU$34.99* * Prices subject to change by the retailer

Heaven, Hell and Mademoiselle by Harold Carlton Orion, AU$32.99Four young fashion hopefuls arrive in Paris, 1968, determined to claw their way to the top of the ruthless world of the haute couture. Monique, a seamstress destined to become so much more, watches Chanel’s staff spray No 5 perfume in the street outside the famous maison de couture. Can her dreams of success and love come true in this magical place? Christopher, London born and bred, a handsome new designer, determined to make it in a world where sex-appeal and success go hand in hand – and heterosexual men are rare and prized. Samantha, an ultra-spoiled Daddy’s girl who always gets her way, has the gift of selling French perfume and fashion with sex, sex and yet more sex. But can a loud, brash American ever conquer the sophisticated ladies of Paris? And hauntingly beautiful Sophie, the top model who becomes Chanel’s ‘Face’ on a million billboards and magazine covers, yet has a terrible secret in her past that refuses to stay buried. Four young lives collide and entangle in the secretive world of French fashion as Harold Carlton weaves a spellbinding tale of passionate love, ambitious rivalry and exquisite clothes. This season’s must-have accessory – a delicious romp through Parisian haute couture. You can buy this book online at: Amazon.com – Kindle eBook US$11.99* Angus and Robertson Online – AU$23.95* Emporium Books – AU$28.70* Fishpond.com.au – AU$29.97* * Prices subject to change by the retailer

This is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper Orion, AU$32.99Poor Judd Foxman returns home early to find his wife in bed with his boss – in the act. He now faces the twin threats of both divorce and unemployment. His misery is compounded further with the sudden death of his father. He is then asked to come and ‘sit Shiva’ for his newly deceased parent with his angry, screwed up and somewhat estranged brothers and sisters in his childhood home. It is there he must confront who he really is and – more importantly – who he can become. Funny, moving, powerful and poignant. This is Where I Leave You is the fabulous follow up to How to Talk to a Widower, and is Jonathan Tropper at his best. You can buy this book online at: Amazon.com – US10.20* Kobo eBooks – AU$12.19* Emporium Books – AU$21.50* Angus and Robertson Online – AU$22.95* Fishpond.com.au – AU$22.95* * Prices subject to change by the retailer

Businesses of any size that operate mostly on the internet can benefit from using Google Alerts. This is another valuable service from the world’s leading search engine Google that is very easy to use.

What is Google Alerts?
Google Alerts is a notification or alert system that informs you every time Google finds a web page featuring your name, business name, your articles and relevant keywords. In fact, you can set an alert for any string of words you choose.

If you’re keen about monitoring where your business appears online or your articles are picked up by other sites in your specific niche, then it is worth your time to be using Google Alerts.

How to Set Up Google Alerts
All you need is to set up a Google account and once you have your username and password ready, you can start using this effective alert system.

You can decide which types of alert you’d like to receive. There are six categories available such as news, blogs, web, comprehensive, video and groups. You can freely set up an alert for each category if you want.

As to the frequency of notifications sent to your mailbox, you can choose to get alerts once daily, as it happens or once every week. There is also another option that pertains to email length. In other words, you can decide if you’d like to receive up to 20 results or up to 50 results.

Normally, you would use keywords specific to your business when setting up a Google alert. You can create as many as a thousand alerts if you like. However, you may have to first delete some existing alerts or you can request that the notifications be sent to a separate email address.

Alerts are usually sent in an HTML format. However, you can choose to receive notifications in plain text only except for the video alerts. All you need to do is to go to the Manage Your Alerts page and change the format of the emails from the default HTML to just plain text and you’re done.

As an example, I’ve set up a Google Alert for Savvy Web Women and chose the category blogs. What happens then is that every time my business name appears in another blog, I get an alert. Whether it’s the article I wrote or an event I did that was posted on that particular blog, I am able to track who is sharing my content, utilising my resources and adding links back to my site.

So by using Google Alerts, you are able to find relevant back links to your site that search engines value most when ranking websites and blogs. This should be reason enough to inspire you to consistently promote yourself and your business on the internet. Once you’re consistent and with your alert system all set up, you can just let Google Alerts do the monitoring for you.

About Wendy Moore:
Wendy is the founder of www.savvywebwomen.com and creator of the Web Secrets Success Club – the step-by-step program that shows business owners and entrepreneurs how to better understand the internet to build a highly responsive, targeted list fo clients specific to their business niche. To receive your FREE Special Report and weekly how-to articles to expand your online List Building toolkit, visit www.savvywebwomen.com.

On the internet, the written word needs to be clear as it is the only way you have to communicate, whether creating an article or blog post or writing sales copy on your website. Your message can be delivered with more impact based purely on how you choose to communicate to your readers and your unique choice of words.

In writing content or copy for your website, starting with a good title is a must. The title, also called the headline, needs to grab the attention of the reader and provide an insight into what your site or article is all about. The purpose of the headline is to be creative and catchy enough to encourage your visitor to continue reading the next line.

You have to keep in mind that most visitors will just scan a web page first. If you have not grabbed them “at hello”, chances are they will quickly lose interest, move on to the next article or click away from your website.

A headline needs to be specific but should not be too long. Avoid general titles. In other words, you have to have a target market in mind to ensure your headline is clear, concise and delivers your message. Write a great headline first and you will find it easier to write your article or website copy or content.

An ideal technique in creating a headline that stands out is to write out several of them first and see which one sounds the best. What feels right to you? Try going back to it several times to check your choice of words and how they are structured. Edit it a number of times to determine which one will have a greater impact on your readers and deliver the message you are looking to convey. Doing this ensures that your headline is crisp and clear.

Let’s take a few examples. The title “Writing Blogs is Fun”, for instance, is quite general. It says what you are trying to say, but if you look at another interesting angle for your topic, you can make a bigger impact.

If your target market is people looking for blogs that pay people to write, you might change the original title to something like “Writing Blogs Can Earn You Money” or “Earn Money Online by Writing Blogs or Blog Posts.”

When people, especially those who love to write, read this headline there is enough of a hook to encourage them to read on and find out how to earn money through blogs or posting on blogs. What type of “hook” can you include in your next headline to attract the attention of your target market?

So remember, creating a specific headline that will grab attention will take some time, a little effort and a dash of creativity. Continue to practice to hone your writing skills and you’re on your way to establishing a following of regular readers.

About Wendy Moore:
Wendy is the founder of www.savvywebwomen.com and creator of the Savvy List Building Blog – the information packed resource that shows business owners and entrepreneurs how to better understand the internet to build a highly responsive, targeted list of clients specific to their business niche. To receive your FREE Special Report and weekly how-to articles to expand your online List Building toolkit, visit www.wendymoore.net.

Now in its 11th year, Small Business September features an events program that offers a wide selection of informative workshops, seminars and webinars addressing a variety issues relevant to the small business sector.

Small Business September is the largest event for the small business sector, attracting more than 100 partners who will deliver more than 300 events to small business owners across all 14 regions of NSW.

The theme of Small Business September 2010, ‘Connect for Profit’ will focus on bringing businesses, industry, consumers and government together on a range of issues from financial planning to climate change.

“Small Business September is an opportunity for small business owners to meet fellow operators, potential clients, industry specialists and government representative to share experiences, make contacts and learn for the future,” Mr Terenzini said.

“With a month of focused events, we are continuing a commitment of giving NSW small business the best information possible to ensure their success.”

For more information visit the website: www.smallbusinessmonth.nsw.gov.au

Even if you don’t like cricket and you’re not sure if this book will appeal to you – stick with me here. I don’t care for the game, yet this book has managed to find a cosy little spot in my heart.

When it was delivered to my door, I looked at it curiously. What would I think of this one? I requested the book from its publishers, Fremantle Press, but I wasn’t quite sure why. I can’t stand cricket, yet there was something about this novel that made me ask for it to be sent through. There was something there, a little niggling feeling that this was a book I should read.

And I’m so glad I followed that feeling.

From the all-important first paragraph, I was hooked and my mystery was solved. This is not a cricket book; it is a beautiful story.

Spinner is the story of a young boy, David Donald. David’s grandfather, father and uncle were all cricket players, and he is set to follow in their footsteps, as an extraordinarily talented spin bowler.

Set in Western Australia post-World War I, a time when men were men and boys were expected to behave like men, we are taken along as David is transformed from a farm boy to a world-famous member of the Australian cricket team.

Growing up working on the family farm with his Grandad, David is taken by the mysterious Uncle Michael, himself an expert spinner – of tales, that is. A silver-tongued liar, gambler and ladies man from way back, Mike talks David’s way into the trials for the national cricket team, despite the fact he is just twelve years of age. When they see what this boy can do, his fate is sealed.

From there, we follow the trials and successes of David Donald’s first professional cricket matches. We read in disbelief as Uncle Mike gambles his way through test match cities and involves his young guardian in all sorts of trouble, cheer David on as he battles to be accepted by his team members and cry when the mysteries of his parents’ lives are unravelled.

Through the stories of these believable characters, the story shows life between the wars as a time when only the toughest survived. Although it is marketed as a young adult novel, it appeals to a wide audience: young adult men and women right through to not-so-young adult men and women. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves to read, anyone looking for a genuinely gripping and inspiring tale.

Whether you enjoy the game or not, you can’t deny that cricket has been a huge influence on Australian culture. And no one could explain that better than Spinner’s Uncle Mike: “It’s a sublime game from another era. A game that lasts days and days. That men dedicate their lives to. I like it because of its tricks. Its lies and contradictions. That it seems so slow, but can change in an instant. I love all the games within a game. The little stories within the grander one.”

How can you resist that? With the game used as a tool to narrate David’s life and his challenges as he is forced to become a man, even the details of the matches are too well written to skim over. Never before have I been so intrigued at how a cricket ball is spun or cared for the ins and outs of the game – proof that Elliott can spin a great yarn if he can hook someone like me with this subject!

You can buy this book online at:

Seekbooks.com.au – AU$22.36*

Emporium Books – AU$24.35*

Booktopia.com.au – AU$24.95*

The Nile – AU$24.99*

Fishpond.com.au AU$26.98*

* Prices subject to change by the retailer

Title: Spinner
Author: Ron Elliott
Category: Young adult fiction
Publisher: Fremantle Press
ISBN: 9781921361937
RRP: AU$27.95
Publication Date: September 2010

I still remember the dog-eared copy of my mum’s Women’s Weekly Children’s Birthday Cake Book - resplendant with the hickory dickory clock and numbered cakes to careen over with delight. Well, get set post-Baby Boomers, because a whole new generation of super dooper cakes for kids is out in AWW’s glossy new More Cakes for Kids tome – with 70 new recipes guaranteed to delight every one in the party-throwing family.

The first thing you’ll notice about this scrumptious book is the styling and photography. Really, really gorgeous – all pastel delight, with beautiful settings, stunning photography and page design to die for. In keeping with the current trend to produce books that look more like a glamorous magazine, the pages are a true credit to the creative team behind More Cakes for Kids, with scalloped edges to photos, beautiful fonts and truly beautiful colouring, you’ll want to own this book just to look at, let alone cook from.

And what of the recipes? Well, let’s just say kids’ cakes have come a long way, baby. There’s some serious sophistication going on here. But before you get in a tizz and cover yourself with panicked poufs of sifted flour, there’s nothing pretentious nor difficult about the recipes in this book – just carefully crafted genius that any home cook, with the right tools (or even without them) can whip up on any average kitchen bench.

Starting with Perfectly Pretty, we’re treated to such luscious creations as a divine fairy cake, a quilted handbag, a strawberry patch to fossick through for sweet fruit, and a castle fit for a princess. There’s also cakes here for Big Girls, too – including a coconut cream layer cake, a high heel and heart tealight boxes to set the heart aflame.

In Fun and Games, the boys come up a treat with an astounding soccer ball, a haunted mountain, a classic fire engine, a super-cool piñata cake and the kookiest (and cutest!) alien you ever did see. There’s also a section for real little kids that include a cake that mimics a house drawing, a beautiful vegie patch and covered in Milo (yum!) and the most divine bubble bath, completely with rubber duckies, you ever did see.

Wait ’til you see the igloo ice cream cake. There’s no way a child can go through life without this one thrown somewhere in the mix (‘scuse the pun).

For bigger kids, there’s a gelato bouquet, a set of candles that appear to melt before your very eyes, a mini mud cake and a choc chip ice cream sandwich that should need no party, birthday nor other celebration to whip up instantaneously (I’m listing ingredients on my shopping list as we speak).

There are 70 new recipes in this book which should keep most bakers happy for quite a while, and yes – you will be thrilled and relieved to know that AWW have come through with a grand finalé of number cakes, from 1 to 9, all beautifully crafted and packed with creativity.

The end of the book features six different cake batter recipes including two that are gluten-free, and there’s also several icing recipes to choose from. An added bonus is the helpful pages on baking information, pans and equipment, creating cakes step-by-step, notes on decorations and a glossary. Finally, a fold out sheet containing templates makes cake creation a breeze.

Styled and photographed to a degree that rivals Martha and Donna combined, More Cakes for Kids may look a tad ambitious to many home cooks, but the creation of these cakes is simpler than meets the eye. A little bit of time and patience is all that’s needed, as the book very carefully explains its how-to processes and outlines the equipment needed to create a masterpiece.

You can buy this book online at:

Booktopia.com.au – AU$26.95* [Paperback]

The Nile – AU$26.99* [Paperback]

QBD The Bookshop – AU$29.95* [Paperback]

* Prices subject to change by the retailer

Title: More Cakes for Kids
Author: Australian Women’s Weekly
Category: Cookbooks
Publisher: acp Books
ISBN: 9781742450285
RRP: AU$29.95
Publication Date: 01/09/10

This month, UK celebrity chef and Carnation milk ambassador, Phil Vickery creates a fun twist on the classic lolly that is perfect for kids and adults alike.

Create this recipe alongside Phil with this simple step-by-step ‘pudcast’ and say with pride “I Made It”.

Phil’s tip: Add a little more fruit juice to this recipe and chill down for a luscious drinkable smoothie! Or, try your own combinations e.g. Cranberry juice with fresh raspberries and/or strawberries, or orange juice with fresh mango and pineapple.

Log on to www.carnation.co.uk where you can find a whole host of Phil’s tasty recipes to inspire any budding chef as well as all nutritional and GDA information.