INSIDE THE CBCA 2026 SHORTLIST
The Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) Shortlisted Books for 2026 have been announced from the Notables list.
Follow the links to those books I have already reviewed, or interviewed the author or illustrator, at PaperbarkWords blog. I will add to this list until the winners are announced in August.
Congratulations to those creators who have been shortlisted. Commiserations to those who have created great books but have missed out on these awards.
Book of the Year: OLDER READERS
Of Flame and Fury, Mikayla Bridge (Macmillan Australia)
Darkest Night, Brightest Star, Barry Jonsberg (Allen & Unwin) Review on the way
Golden, Jade Timms (Text Publishing)
This Stays Between Us, Margot McGovern (Penguin Random House Australia)
We Saw What You Started, Carla Salmon (Pan Australia)
Unhallowed Halls, Lili Wilkinson (Allen & Unwin)
Other books from this list to feature soon
Book of the Year: YOUNGER READERS
Run, Sarah Armstrong (Hardie Grant Children’s Publishing)
Something Terrible: Tim Tie-Your-Shoelaces, Sally Barton, illustrated by Christopher Nielsen (Walker Books Australia)
Little Bones, Sandy Bigna, illustrated by Tamlyn Teow (University of Queensland Press) Interview with Sandy Bigna
Spirit of the Crocodile, Aaron Fa’Aoso & Michelle Scott Tucker with Lyn White (Allen & Unwin) Interview with the authors
The Paperbark Tree Committee, Karys McEwen (Text Publishing)
Inked, Karen Wasson, illustrated by Jake A Minton (Figment Books)
Other books from this list to feature soon
Book of the Year: Early Childhood
The Thing About Christmas, Jo Dabrowski, illustrated by Briony Stewart (Little Book Press) Author interview on the way
Derek, Anne Donaldson, illustrated by Matt Shanks (Little Hare)
Frogs Are Our Friends, Toni D’Alia, Madeline White (Bright Light)
My Nonno Loves, Adelle Frittitta, illustrated by Claudia Frittitta (Little Hare)
The Colours of Home, Sally Soweol Han (Thames and Hudson Australia) Review on the way
The Emperor’s Egg, Rae Tan (Lothian Children’s Books) Review on the way
Other books from this list to feature soon
Picture Book of the Year
Bob and Dob, Sean E Avery (Walker Books Australia)
Tiwi in Paris, Glen Farmer Illortaminni (Thames and Hudson Australia)
Dear Broccoli, Cate James, text by Jo Dabrowski (Affirm Press) Author interview on the way
Dawn, Marc Martin (Walker Books Australia)
The Frog’s First Song, Jason Phu, text by Jazz Money (University of Queensland Press) Review on the way
Once I was a Giant, Zeno Sworder (Thames and Hudson Australia) Author/illustrator interview on the way
Other books from this list to feature soon
Eve Pownall Award
There’s a Prawn in Parliament House: The Kids’ Guide to Australia’s Amazing Democracy, Annabel Crabb, illustrated by First Dog on the Moon (Allen & Unwin) Review on the way
A Loo of One’s Own, Eleri Harris, Eleri Harris (Allen & Unwin)
Peculiar Parents, Stephanie Owen Reeder, illustrated by Ingrid Bartkowiak (NLA Publishing)
The Thylacine and the Time Machine, Renée Treml (Allen & Unwin) Author/illustration interview coming soon
Caution! This Book Contains Deadly Reptiles, Corey Tutt, Ben Williams (Allen & Unwin) Book review on the way
Ningaloo, Tim Winton, illustrated by Cindy Lane (Fremantle Press) Interview with Tim Winton
Other books from this list to feature soon
New Illustrator
Save the Gum Trees, Bees and Big Blue Seas, Luke John Matthew Arnold (Scholastic Press)
Beyond the Shore, Mark Chester Harding, text by Kirli Saunders (Scholastic Press)
A Loo of One’s Own, Eleri Harris (Allen & Unwin)
Prayer for a River, Uncle Glenn Loughrey, text by Andrew Kelly & Uncle Glenn Loughrey (Wild Dog Books)
A Farm by the Sea, Jillian Packer (Berbay Publishing)
Being Indy, Estee Sarsfield, text by Zoe Gaetjens (WestWords Children’s) Creator interview on the way
Other books from this list to feature soon
(Images credit CBCA Australia)
The 2026 CBCA winners will be announced in Book Week in August.
Thank you to the publishers who have kindly sent me review copies and to the authors and illustrators who have responded so generously by answering interview questions and writing about their books.
To the authors, illustrators and publishers – apologies if I don’t feature your book. It is most likely because I haven’t been able to access a copy.
paperbarkwords.blog 