Our Dance by Jacinta Daniher and Taylor Hampton, ill. Janelle Burger

Our Dance by Jacinta Daniher and Taylor Hampton, ill. Janelle Burger Lothian Books, Hachette Australia Finding Our Rhythm: The Journey of Writing ‘Our Dance’ Jacinta Daniher and Taylor Hampton write about creating their exuberant interactive picture book, Our Dance with Janelle Burger for PaperbarkWords blog: Taylor Hampton is a proud Ngiyampaa/Wiradjuri man and Jacinta Daniher is an early […]

Tilly in a Tangle by Margrete Lamond illustrated by Monty Lee

Tilly in a Tangle by Margrete Lamond illustrated by Monty Lee Dirt Lane Press, WestWords ‘Tilly’s boat tumbles and jumbles. It muddles and mangles. Before long, Tilly is tangled inside, all the way to who-knows-where. (Tilly in a Tangle) Tilly in a Tangle by Margrete Lamond, illustrated by Monty Lee is a 2025 CBCA Notable […]

The Paperbark Tree Committee & the Right Book for the Right Reader by Karys McEwen

2026 CBCA Shortlisted Book We welcome Karys McEwen and The Paperbark Tree Committee, her new middle-fiction novel to Paperbark Words. You can see that there’s a perfect synergy between the book’s title and setting and the blog. Karys’s protagonist is even called ‘Art’! Karys also shares her valuable expertise about the right book for the […]

The Garden of Broken Things by Freya Blackwood

The Garden of Broken Things by Freya Blackwood (HarperCollins Australia) Inside the 2025 CBCA Shortlist 2025 CBCA Shortlist 2025 CBCA Notable Books Freya Blackwood is one of our most accomplished and highly regarded picture book creators. Two of her books are shortlisted in the 2025 CBCA Picture Book of the Year category: The Garden of […]

Meg Rosoff and Almost Nothing Happened

Meg Rosoff and Almost Nothing Happened Published by Bloomsbury Author interview with Meg Rosoff ‘Eurostar was showing a twenty-minute delay, which was perfect because if I didn’t get something to eat before I boarded the train I’d have to eat my own liver. I joined the queue for a sandwich with my mate, Moe, and […]

Brightest Wild by Tania Crampton-Larking

Brightest Wild by Tania Crampton-Larking Published by Lothian Children’s Books, Hachette Australia “It’s so quiet here. Even though Art has a large yard, it feels better to be here in the bushland. Yellow, brown and green shades glow mysteriously. My heart skips a beat or three with overwhelming awe and wonder. This place is deeply […]

Marigold’s Magic Stars by Samantha Wills, ill. Emma Leonard

Marigold’s Magic Stars by Samantha Wills ill. Emma Leonard Marigold’s Magic Stars is Samantha Wills’s first book for children. The strength and core of the story is the message about creativity, encapsulated by the catch cry, ‘art in smart’. The book shows what a child, here a young girl, could possibly achieve if they keep […]

Still Moving with Emma Quay

Emma Quay talks about the way she captures movement in her illustrations. Images used are from Happy All Over, written & illustrated by Emma Quay Published by HarperCollins This is an exceptional piece by Emma. Students (and masters!) of art and illustration should use this as a ‘how-to-illustrate-movement’ guide and inspiration. Thank you for inviting […]

Grace Notes by Karen Comer

Grace Notes by Karen Comer (Lothian Children’s Books, Hachette Australia) Grace Notes by Karen Comer is the outstanding WINNER of the CBCA 2024 Book of the Year: Older Readers category. “This song has a grace note, a tiny note that’s there for embellishment but can easily be ignored, not played. Tonight, I add it in […]

Paper-flower Girl written by Margrete Lamond, illustrated by Mateja Jager

Paper-flower Girl written by Margrete Lamond, illustrated by Mateja Jager Published by Dirt Lane Press, WestWords Inside the CBCA Shortlist Inside the 2024 CBCA Shortlist Inside the 2024 Notable Books Paper-flower Girl is an HONOUR BOOK in the CBCA 2024 Picture Book of the Year category. “Up there the Paper-flower Girl. She speeds. She cuts. […]