CBCA announce the 2018 short list

I was out and about when the short list was announced today and I cheered, in a public place, because How to Bee made it!  I am a huge fan of this book.

This year 444 books were submitted by publishers for our Children's Book Council of Australia Awards.  Over the past few months I have focused on the Younger Readers Category. Today the six titles in each of the five categories were announced.  Here are the Younger Readers books:

How To Bee
There are excellent teachers notes for this moving dystopian book but first off head to your library shelves Dewey 595.79 and pull out all of your books about bees. Bren's book has also been short listed for the NSW Premiers Literary Awards - The Patricia Wrightson Prize.

The Elephant
Go out now and buy a purple backpack and practice singing Side by side.  Peter's book has also been short listed for the NSW Premiers Literary Awards - The Patricia Wrightson Prize.

Henrietta and The Perfect Night
Head off into the library shelves and gather all four books in this series. Martine has two books on the Younger Readers short list. I imagine she will be jumping for joy tonight!

Marsh and Me
Here are some teaching notes and a video interview with Martin Murray.

The Shop At Hooper’s Bend
Emily Rodda returns to the short list. She has written over 90 books and many have been short listed. In 1985 her book Something Special won a CBCA Award. Both books look at connections we can make through objects.

The Grand, Genius Summer of Henry Hoobler
start collecting "My Little Pony" toys.  You could easily turn some scenes from this book into Readers Theatre and your class will enjoy hearing and using lots of new invented words.

If you click the colour links above they will take you to my reviews of five of these titles.  I am so happy to see three of my predictions made the cut. How to Bee, The Elephant and The shop at Hooper's Bend. 

I am also very pleased to see Henrietta and the Perfect Night because it is good to have a title we can share with our younger students.  I think The Grand, Genius Summer of Henry Hoobler would be an excellent one to read aloud to a class of Grade 4 or 5 students.  I am off now to pick up Marsh and Me so watch this space.