Juniper’s Painting by Catherine Bauer, illustrated by Jennifer Horn

Title: Juniper’s Painting

Author: Catherine Bauer, illustrated by Jennifer Horn

Genre:  Fiction

Publisher: NewSouth Books

Published: 1^st October 2025

Format: Hardcover

Pages: 32

Price: $26.99

Synopsis: Juniper is stuck in her beachside home. All she wants is to play on the sand, collect shells, and look for mermaids in the shallows. But it’s too wet and Mamma’s busy with work. Juniper tries to keep busy with indoor games – like a tea party with her dolls, and building a blanket cave with Teddy. Eventually, she runs out of things to do. Mamma suggests she paint a picture, so Juniper decides to paint her beloved beach. She starts with the sky that stretches down to the deep-sea green, then adds red sailboats and darting silverfish. By the time it’s complete, Juniper is surprised to see that something has changed! The storm has passed, and Mamma is ready to go to the beach. Did her painting change the world outside? Maybe her imagination is more powerful than she thought…

With captivating illustrations, Juniper’s Painting helps children patiently navigate disappointment, embrace their creativity, and find enjoyment in the present.

~*~

Being stuck at home is awful, even if you’re living by a lovely beach. Juniper wants to play in the sand, collect shells and look for mermaids.   But it’s wet and windy outside, and Mum is busy working. Juniper does her best to entertain herself with books and toys. But all she wants to do is go to the beach. And, she’s run out of things to do!

When Mamma suggests she can paint a picture, Juniper paints her beach, unaware of the magic going on behind her. Has her painting really made the storm pass?

Juniper’s Painting is about the power of imagination and making our own fun and entertainment without screens. In today’s world of constant connection, constant entertainment options and too many options, there’s something delightful about an offline story. By that I mean a story that doesn’t have everything revolving around technology. It’s present, but isn’t there to distract Juniper. It celebrates imagination and the power of imagination at a time when screens are affecting our ability to focus on things that aren’t bite sized, snappy or immediate.

What I liked about this is that it is a reminder that we all have the ability to make our own fun, and that it is okay to be bored, because being bored can help us find ways to have fun that don’t involve screens. Or it can show us how powerful our imagination can be. Because creativity is powerful. It can be driven by emotion, and it can be driven by what we wish we could see. What this book does is illustrate the power of these things, and the idea that of wishes and hopes, that maybe, we can wish what we want into reality.

It’s also a good story about learning to be patient and wait. We can’t always have what we want immediately. Even though in today’s world this tendency to desire this and get this is becoming very common, there are going to be times we have to wait. We can’t control everything in our lives. Things like the weather, waiting rooms, queues, or waiting for someone to respond to us. These are things we can’t demand change immediately to suit us. I felt like that’s what this book reminded me of, that we all need to take the time to learn to be patient. To wait, to take our time, and immerse ourselves in the moment we are in. Or the little things that can’t be immediate, that can’t be on demand.

Even just twenty years ago, switching off was much easier than it is today. Now, we are constantly connected. Constantly on and constantly available. There’s no real way of stepping away because everything is on our phones these days. Juniper’s Painting is a contemporary story but takes readers away from these demands to take time to reset. The beauty in this book is the reminder of how we can do this, that it is easier than we think it is. It’s a gorgeous story that treats imagination as the powerful thing it is. So go out there and create, be in the moment and step away from the screens wherever you can.