Inside the 2021 CBCA Notable Books

The Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) Notable Books for 2021 have been announced.

Follow the links to those books I have already reviewed or interviewed the author or illustrator about on the blog. I will add to this list until the winners are announced in August.

See CBCA Shortlist post

Congratulations to those creators who have been longlisted. Sincere commiserations to those who have created great books but have missed out on these awards.

Older Readers

• The F Team (Rawah Arja, Giramondo) Author interview and one of my top 4 YA books of the year Weekend Australian
• Future Girl (Asphyxia, A&U) Author interview
• The End of the World is Bigger Than Love (Davina Bell, Text) Author interview, my top YA book of the year and reviewed in the Weekend Australian
• When It Drops (Alex Dyson, Hardie Grant Children’s Publishing)
• Deep Water (Sarah Epstein, A&U) Author interview and I reviewed in the Weekend Australian
• The Lost Soul Atlas (Zana Fraillon, Lothian)
• When Rain Turns to Snow (Jane Godwin, Lothian) Author interview
• Catch Me If I Fall (Barry Jonsberg, A&U) Author interview
• Please Don’t Hug Me (Kay Kerr, Text) Author interview
• Metal Fish, Falling Snow (Cath Moore, Text)
• Before the Beginning (Anna Morgan, Lothian)
• Where We Begin (Christie Nieman, Pan)
• The Left-Handed Booksellers of London (Garth Nix, A&U)
• Peta Lyre’s Rating Normal (Anna Whateley, A&U)
• Loner (Georgina Young, Text)

Younger Readers

• The Year the Maps Changed (Danielle Binks, Lothian) Reviewed for the Weekend Australian
• The January Stars (Kate Constable, A&U) Reviewed for Magpies Magazine
• Aster’s Good, Right Things (Kate Gordon, Riveted Press)
• The Heartsong of Wonder Quinn (Kate Gordon, UQP)
• Zoe, Max and the Bicycle Bus (Steven Herrick, UQP) Author interview
• Across the Risen Sea (Bren MacDibble, A&U) Author interview coming in Magpies magazine
• The Grandest Bookshop in the World (Amelia Mellor, Affirm) Author interview
• The Republic of Birds (Jessica Miller, Text)
• The Stolen Prince of Cloudburst (Jaclyn Moriarty, illus by Kelly Canby, A&U) Author interview
• Worse Things (Sally Murphy, illus by Sarah Davis, Walker) Author interview
• We Are Wolves (Katrina Nannestad, ABC Books) Author interview at Magpies Magazine
• The Secret Library of Hummingbird House (Julianne Negri, Affirm)
• When This Bell Rings (Allison Rushby, Walker)
• The Mummy Smugglers of Crumblin Castle (Allison Rushby, Walker)
• Bindi (Kirli Saunders, illus by Dub Leffler, Magabala) Illustrator interview
• Haywire (Claire Saxby, Scholastic)
• The Fire Star (A L Tait, Penguin)
• Beyond Belief (Dee White, Scholastic)
• The Book of Chance (Sue Whiting, Walker) Author interview and reviewed for The Weekend Australian
• Her Perilous Mansion (Sean Williams, A&U)

Early Childhood

• Bear in Space (Deborah Abela, illus by Marjorie Crosby-Fairall, Walker) Review
• Busy Beaks (Sarah Allen, Affirm) Author-illustrator interview
• Coming Home to Country (Bronwyn Bancroft, Hardie Grant Children’s Publishing)
• What Do You Call Your Grandpa? (Ashleigh Barton, illus by Martina Heiduczek, ABC Books)
• Shapes and Colours (John Canty, Berbay) Review
• Soon (Libby Gleeson, illus by Jedda Robaard, Hardie Grant Children’s Publishing)
• I’ll Always Be Older Than You (Jane Godwin, illus by Sara Acton, Hardie Grant Children’s Publishing)
• Who’s Your Real Mum? (Bernadette Green, illus by Anna Zobel, Scribble)
• Me and My Boots (Penny Harrison, illus by Evie Barrow Hardie Grant Children’s Publishing)
• No! Never! (Libby Hathorn & Lisa Hathorn-Jarman, illus by Mel Pearce, Lothian) Author interview
• Ruby Red Shoes: My Wonderful Grandmother (Kate Knapp, HarperCollins)
• Australia Under the Sea 1, 2, 3 (Frané Lessac, Walker)
• Anemone is not the Enemy (Anna McGregor, Scribble)
• There’s No Such Thing (Heidi McKinnon, A&U)
• Respect (Aunty Fay Muir & Sue Lawson, illus by Lisa Kennedy, Magabala) Review
• We Love You, Magoo (Briony Stewart, Puffin) Author-illustrator interview
• This Small Blue Dot (Zeno Sworder, Thames & Hudson Australia)
• Bin Chicken (Kate & Jol Temple, illus by Ronojoy Ghosh, Scholastic)
• Pink! (Margaret Wild, illus by Judith Rossell, HarperCollins)
• Ten Little Figs (Rhiân Williams Nathaniel Eckstrom, Walker) Review

Picture Books

• Sometimes Cake (Edwina Wyatt, illus by Tamsin Ainslie, Walker)
• The Biscuit Maker (Sue Lawson, illus by Liz Anelli, Walker) Review
• I Saw Pete and Pete Saw Me (Maggie Hutchings, illus by Evie Barrow, Affirm)
• The Unwilling Twin (Freya Blackwood, HarperCollins) Review and how to use the book
• Wolfred (Nick Bland, Hardie Grant Children’s Publishing)
• Give Me Some Space (Philip Bunting, Omnibus)
• Not Cute (Philip Bunting , Omnibus) Author-illustrator interview
• Who Am I? (Philip Bunting, Omnibus)Author-illustrator interview
• Wombat (Philip Bunting, Omnibus) Author-illustrator interview
• Littlelight (Kelly Canby, Fremantle Press)
• Norton and the Bear (Gabriel Evans, Berbay)
• Ellie’s Dragon (Bob Graham, Walker) Review and how to use the book
• Diamonds (Armin Greder, A&U)
• Sing Me the Summer (Jane Godwin, illus by Alison Lester, Affirm)
• Colin Cockroach Goes to Caloundra (Chris McKimmie, Ford Street Publishing)
• Jelly-Boy (Nicole Godwin, illus by Christopher Nielsen, Walker)
• How to Make a Bird (Meg McKinlay, illus by Matt Ottley, Walker) Review and how to use the book
• Your Birthday Was the Best! (Maggie Hutchings, illus by Felicita Sala, Affirm) Author interview.
• The Fire Wombat (Jackie French, illus by Danny Snell, HarperCollins)
• Anisa’s Alphabet (Mike Dumbleton, illus by Hannah Sommerville, MidnightSun)
• My Shadow is Pink (Scott Stuart, Larrikin House)
• Wild Girl from the Sea (Margaret Wild, illus by Jane Tanner, A&U)
• Hello Jimmy! (Anna Walker, Puffin)
• Good Question: A Tale Told Backwards (Sue Whiting, illus by Annie White, Walker)
• Who’s Your Real Mum? (Bernadette Green, illus by Anna Zobel, Scribble)

Eve Pownall Award for Information Books

• The Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Dangerous Animals (Sami Bayly, Lothian) The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Ugly Animals Review
• Azaria: A True History (Maree Coote, Melbournestyle Books) My in-depth interview with Maree Coote is in Magpies magazine May 2021.
• The Daddy Animal Book (Jennifer Cossins, Lothian) Author/illustrator interview at Magpies Magazine
• The Mummy Animal Book (Jennifer Cossins, Lothian) Author/illustrator interview at Magpies Magazine
• Dry to Dry: The Seasons of Kakadu (Pamela Freeman, illus by Liz Anelli, Walker) Review
• Strangers on Country (David Hartley & Kirsty Murray, illus by Dub Leffler, NLA)
• There’s a Zoo in my Poo (Felice Jacka, illus by Rob Craw, Macmillan) Author interview
• Little Lon (Andrew Kelly, illus by Mark Jackson & Heather Potter, Wild Dog Books) Author interview
• Saltie Mumma (Sandra Kendall, Windy Hollow Books)
• Hold On! Saving the Spotted Handfish (Gina M Newton, illus by Rachel Tribout, CSIRO Publishing)
• Australia’s Wild Weird Wonderful Weather (Stephanie Owen Reeder, illus by Tania McCartney, NLA)
• Will the Wonderkid: Treasure hunter of the Australian outback (Stephanie Owen Reeder, NLA)
• My Story, Ngaginybe Jarragbe (Shirley Purdie, Magabala)
• Kookaburra (Claire Saxby, illus by Tannya Harricks, Walker) Review
• Matthew Flinders: Adventures on leaky ships (Carole Wilkinson, illus by Prue Pittock, Wild Dog Books).

The 2021 CBCA shortlist will be announced on 30th March. The winners will be announced in Book Week on Friday, 20th August.

Notables at the CBCA website

Momotimetoread has incisive comments about the Notables list.

Thank you to the publishers who have kindly sent me review copies.