The Mediterranean by Armin Greder

Inside the CBCA Shortlist The Mediterranean (Allen & Unwin) is a picture book for mature readers. It is not for reading pleasure. It is deliberately confronting, aiming to shock the reader with the terrible issue of dead refugees. The quote at the end of the book tells us that the story is based on the […]

Rainbow Bear by Stephen Michael King

Inside the CBCA Shortlist Rainbow Bear (Scholastic Australia) overflows with family love, especially the love between a father and his children. It is full of gentle humour, founded in the natural rhythms of day and night, night and day; watched over by the celestial bodies of the sun, moon and stars – Stephen Michael King […]

Cicada by Shaun Tan

Inside the CBCA Shortlist Shaun Tan has won major Australian and international awards, including the Astrid Lindgren Award and an Academy Award for The Lost Thing. Australian authors and illustrators are breaking ground on the world stage in their portrayal of refugees and the displaced. (I have written about some of these books in Raising […]

The Dress-Up Box by Patrick Guest & Nathaniel Eckstrom

Inside the CBCA Shortlist The Dress-Up Box (Hardie Grant Egmont) is a story about home, family, friends and using your imagination. The Frolleys rent the house next door to their best friends, the Choong family. They have a frog pond, bird bath, bamboo forest, haunted shed and a dress-up box. When the Frolleys have to […]

The Feather by Margaret Wild & Freya Blackwood

Inside the CBCA Shortlist The Feather (Hardie Grant Egmont) is written and illustrated by two of Australia’s most eminent picture book creators, Margaret Wild and Freya Blackwood. The Feather is an allegorical, allusive tale. It begins, “In the darkness of day, the feather falls. It used to be part of a wing that was serene […]

Tricky’s Bad Day by Alison Lester

Inside the CBCA Shortlist Tricky’s Bad Day by Alison Lester (Affirm Press) is shortlisted in the Early Childhood category of the CBCA 2019 awards. It is engaging whilst being full of observations and wise understanding about the life of a young child and his or her family. Tricky is a young cat/child; still young enough […]

Noni the Pony Rescues a Joey by Alison Lester

Inside the CBCA Shortlist Noni the Pony Rescues a Joey (Allen & Unwin) is set in the Australian bush and is aimed at toddlers and children in pre-school and junior primary. It is told in simple rhyming text and its major themes are helping others and Australian native animals. Noni the Pony lives near the […]

Girl on Wire by Lucy Estela & Elise Hurst

Inside the CBCA Shortlist Girl on Wire (Penguin Random House) is a highly metaphorical picture book, for older children, where a wire resembles a tightrope. It is a stunning work painted in oils, and the book cover resembles a painting canvas. In the story an unnamed girl seems to be in a difficult or even […]

Chalk Boy by Margaret Wild & Mandy Ord

During the next few months leading up to Book Week in August I will be writing about the 30 CBCA shortlisted books. Congratulations to all the authors, illustrators and publishers who have been shortlisted. A thought-provoking picture book is Chalk Boy by Margaret Wild, illustrated by Mandy Ord (Allen & Unwin). Barnaby is a pavement […]