Life and Breath
Stories
by Ursula Dubosarsky
Age range: Upper middle-grade/YA
ISBN 9781764002103
140 pages
RRP $19.99
Published March 2026 by Eagle Books, an imprint of Christmas Press
In association with Roffo Court Press, UK
About the book:
It was a sunny, light-aired day, and we walked quickly down the street strewn with gumnuts. I remember taking several deep breaths, as if to reassure myself that whatever had happened to my strong, smiling uncle, I was still alive and was going to keep on living, and that life and breath were very good things.
Discoveries from the past, hopes for the future – and the decisions we make on a knife edge that clarify our own sense of self.
These elements inform Ursula Dubosarsky’s multi-award-winning novels and are in sharp, bright evidence in these eleven beautifully crafted short stories, by turns poignant, funny, reflective and joyful – nearly always mercurial – collected together for the first time.
The most graceful, most original writer for young people in Australia—probably the world (Sonya Hartnett).
About the author
Ursula Dubosarsky is one of Australia’s most beloved and acclaimed authors. She has written more than sixty books – picture books, non- fiction, play scripts, early readers, and novels for adolescents. Her books have been published widely throughout the English-speaking world and translated into fifteen languages.
Ursula was the Australian Children’s Laureate from 2020-2021. She has won nine state literary awards in Australia, the Children’s Book Council Book of the Year Award, and has been nominated internationally for both the Astrid Lindgren (multiple times) and Hans Christian Andersen awards.
Adelaide’s Windmill Theatre’s production, Plop!, based on Ursula’s picture book The Terrible Plop (illustrated by Andrew Joyner), toured Australia as well as New York, New Jersey and Pittsburgh in the United States. Her picture book The March of the Ants (illustrated by Tohby Riddle) provided a thematic thread for the State Library of New South Wales’ major exhibition, ‘Imagine… the Wonder of Picture Books’. And her reimagining of Oscar Wilde’s The Selfish Giant has been performed, to great acclaim, as The Giant’s Garden at the 2025 Adelaide Arts Festival.
Ursula’s previous titles with Christmas Press are Two Tales of Twins from Ancient Greece and Rome (illustrated by David Allan, 2014) and The Boy Who could Fly And Other Magical Plays for Children (illustrated by Amy Golbach, 2019)
Selected reviews:
Life and Breath: Stories brings together 13 short stories by Ursula Dubosarsky, offering a delightful showcase of her distinctive ability to inhabit the shifting borderlands between memory, imagination and self-discovery. Though each story stands alone, the collection feels unified by a common thread of moments – significant or fleeting – that prompt her characters to pause and reflect on themselves or their circumstances. Part of what makes Life and Breath so engaging is its tonal range. Some stories lean into whimsy and feel dreamlike, while others are more firmly rooted in reality. Dubosarsky explores friendships, family tensions and the seemingly small but life-shaping decisions that define growing up. By weaving together the everyday and the fantastical, the collection never falls into the predictable, and each short story leaves its own impression. Thoughtful, surprising and quietly insightful, Life and Breath is a warm exploration of how the past lingers, how the future compels us forward and how our decisions shape our sense of self. It is best suited for upper middle-grade to early young adult readers aged 10 to 15, and includes notes on each story at the back. The subtle emotional shifts and reflective tone of the stories will resonate most with readers ready for themes that sit just beyond childhood but who aren’t entirely in adult territory. It is perfect for readers who enjoy Shaun Tan’s blend of the surreal, the whimsical and the softly resonant. (Anneliese Gates, Books+Publishing)
Life and Breath, a collection of short stories brought together in one volume for the first time, was for me, a first taste of this author’s style and it has left me wanting more. I agree with Jon when he says this is an excellent place to start with Dubosarsky’s work. The stories included vary in content, sometimes containing a wry humour, often poignant and all make the reader pause and think. These are not neat children’s tales with ‘happy endings’ but wide ranging in theme and ideas with that element of surprise that leaves the reader pondering on meaning and hidden depths. Pitched for readers at the upper primary and lower secondary level they are stories with a relevance to young people and blend together friendship, fun and pets with life changing family events, loss and grief. The opening story, or prologue, only a couple of pages in length sets the tone for what to expect, describing a little green leaf which is a little different to the other leaves on the tree. From here we move on to the first part of the book with the heading Old Bones and then the second, Young Blood. The stories move on through pets, toys and parties and the loss of a beloved local horse to darker stories linked to war, the hidden challenges people may face and possible family trauma. Each of the stories is grounded in the every day life of families and are in the main set in the author’s native Australia. However, Duborsarsky has a knack for introducing the magical or fantastical into this seemingly mundane setting. This reminds me a little of Joan Aiken’s style, particularly in her short stories. Sometimes imaginative and occasionally surreal in their climax quite often I found myself rereading a particular story to gain further insight. I imagine that young readers will be tempted to do so at times too. (Library Lady blog, UK)
Life and Breath has the perfect balance of hope, comedy and tragedy, leaving no room for boredom. These stories come from many origins: anthologies Dubosarsky contributed to, pieces and elements of past novels, beginnings of abandoned ideas and sometimes ideas inspired by real life. At the back of the book, she includes notes explaining the background of each story, which adds an extra layer of insight for readers.My personal favourite was The Little Green Leaf, which appears right at the beginning of the book. It follows a single green leaf that is upset as it finds it difficult to change while all the others around it grow and turn orange. Although Dubosarsky says the meaning remains mysterious to her, I interpret it as a metaphor for people who feel pressured to change in order to fit in. Life and Breath: Stories is perfect for teenage readers looking for a compilation of short stories filled with strong emotions, thoughtful ideas and deep meaning. (Reading Time)
Short stories must encapsulate much in a bite sized piece of text. They must be succinct and powerful. Often they end with a jolt. Life and breath stories fits the bill. These stories are perfect to pick up and read in one sitting. The impact leaves something to mull over. For teachers, Life and breath: stories are ideal to pick up and read before break times or when a break is needed. For a short while, another intense world is visited. (Read Plus)
