The Boy and the Dog Tree by Fiona Wood illustrated by Judy Watson

"You desire to know why I have come to you. It is simply this: when called upon by a child in need I emerge from the tree ... Your sadness and fears called me. .... You await the return of your parents and fear for their safety. You are tormented daily by your enemy."

Begin with the title. The boy - his name is Mitch. The Dog Tree. There is a tree in the bushland behind gran's house that looks, well a little, like a dog. Mitch loves dogs. He has wanted one his whole life. He also loves this tree. Climbing the tree after he and his sister move in with Gran, he makes a wish that will change his life and help him adjust to the complex challenges and changes in his life.

Characters:

Mitch is unhappy about moving to a new city - Sydney to Melbourne. He is worried about fitting in at a new school. He desperately misses his parents who are overseas shooting a movie. And all he has ever wanted is a dog - a dog of his own. 

Mitch has a fantastic younger sister named Regi. I love the way her personality is totally the opposite of Mitch and yet he has no resentment about this. 

Gran is also wonderful. She is a scientist but I was entirely wrong about her reaction to Mitch's story about the arrival of his dog and I cheered over the scene where she meets Argos. Gran is also, and I love this discovery, a fantastic cook. 

Dido is a great friend. She understands the dynamics of the peer group and is also brave enough to help Mitch (spoiler alert) when he needs help to rescue Argos.

Argos has lived many lives. He has a delightful formal and old-fashioned way of speaking. He uses words like 'tarry not'; 'twas upon a platter'; and 'thus do I know'. He is also very wise and of course a truly loyal friend. "Mitch could name a hundred dog breeds, but he'd never seen anything quite like this wild, majestic creature. ... It was a bit like a wolfhound, but more solid. Fur as black as liquorice, tanged and long. Up on its hind legs it would tower over the tallest of men." Argos also makes a couple of very astute comments about adults and their use of mobile phones! He also smells wonderful. 

Seb Anders is the class bully. If you have encountered bullies in other books be warned Seb is among the worst. He takes every opportunity to taunt and hurt Mitch. There is an early scene in the book where Seb takes Mitch's lunch box and he tips everything into the dirt and then stomps on the food. 

Ms Zwerger their teacher has decided the class will live 'unplugged'. Such a terrific idea. You will enjoy reading about the activities she sets her class. 

I feel so very lucky to have read this book a few weeks before it is due to be released (3rd March). Huge thanks to Gleebooks Kids for entrusting me with an advance reader copy of The Boy and the Dog Tree. I know it is early in 2026 but I am going to predict this book will be devoured by young readers aged 9+ and it surely will be selected as a 2027 CBCA Younger Readers Notable title - YES it is THAT GOOD.

Bookseller blurb: Magical. Whimsical. Wild. This exceptional middle-grade novel about the special bond between a boy and his dog will set your heart free.

'So, are you my dog?' Mitch asked, in a whisper.

'No,' said Argos. 'But you are my boy. For a time.'

Mitch's life has been uprooted. Instead of the whole family moving to a new city, Mitch and his sister are staying with their gran, while their parents have been delayed working on other side of the world. He's struggling to fit in at school, with the resident Grade Five bully picking on him. The one thing that would make his life better is a dog, if only he could persuade his parents. Then Mitch discovers an old oak tree that seems to ... growl. And one night, a huge, strange dog-like creature emerges from the trunk. His name is Argos. He has been bound in the tree by 'history, mystery, magic and chance', and he is here, for a time, to help Mitch find his way. But being different can be dangerous, especially for a wild and wilful beast like Argos ... While at first Mitch looks to Argos for friendship and protection, there comes a time he must stand up for this magical creature who has changed him forever. A heart-lifting tale of friendship, courage and belonging by three-time CBCA Award-winning author Fiona Wood.

It was wonderful read that Mitch is a boy who is 'allowed' to express his emotions:

"When he was as high up as he could go and settled in a comfortable crook (of the tree) he let himself cry. This was quite the year of crying. He had honestly expected to be crying less as he got older not more. These days he cried because of how he felt ... In the categories of crying, today was a simple hold-it-together-all-day-then-let-it-out cry. It didn't last long and he felt much better afterwards."

UQP have some excellent teacher notes and discussion questions to use with The Boy and the Dog Tree including suggesting students could research the names Argos; Calliope; and Ceberus. 

The teachers notes list all these themes for The Boy and the Dog Tree: 

• Friendship 

• Belonging 

• Confidence 

• Courage 

• Compassion 

• Integrity  

• Loyalty  

• Perspective 

• Prejudice 

• Bullying 

• Magic 

• Dogs

I am not usually a fan of endorsements but Peter Carnavas is SO right when he says: ‘A beautiful book, filled with courage, magic and a huge ancient dog to wrap your arms – and your heart – around.’

I was interested to read an interview sent to me by UQP with the author Fiona Wood (she previously has won the Older Readers category in CBCA Book of the Year Awards for Wildlife; Cloudwish; and Take Three Girls). She says her inspiration for her middle grade book came from The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe by CS Lewis; Five Children and It by E Nesbitt; and her first encounter with a magical tree was The Enchanted Wood by Enid Blyton. As I read The Boy and the Dog tree I also thought of another classic - Tom's Midnight Garden by Philippa Pearce. 

"The genesis of this story was an old oak tree whose trunk was gnarled into a shape that reminded me of a dog. Every time I walked past it, I wondered when, how and why a dog - or the spirit of a dog - might be trapped within the tree."

Companion books:

One Dog and His Boy

The eyes and the Impossible

Elf Dog and Owl Head

A Different Dog

Talking to Alaska

The Hounds of Penhallow Hall

The Dream Dog

The issue of bullies looms large in this book. I appreciated the way Fiona Wood gives her readers a small glimpse into why Seb might behave like this in the scene where we witness the actions of his mother the Mayor but she doesn't 'reform' or 'redeem' him. Please note some of these books below contain confronting scenes of bullying and are intended for an older audience:

Swashbuckler

The Night Bus hero

The Truth as told to Mason Buttle

Running my own race

Chapter 39 has a tender scene where Mitch thinks about the time his dad helped him overcome his fear of the dark. I know this is a picture book for younger children but I immediately thought of this favourite:

Martin Waddell

And the scene (sorry another spoiler) when the family go to the dog home or rescue centre is sure to remind you of this classic Australian picture book:

Let's get a Pup

The Red Lemon by Bob Staake

"Over the hills and along the blue sea, 'The lemons are ready!' shouts Farmer McPhee."

The farmer loves his lemons. The people love these lemons. They make sherbet, drinks, cookies, cakes, muffins and shakes. But one day a rogue lemon appears - it is red!

"Who'd squeeze this red thing in their afternoon tea? Who'd buy a red lemon from Farmer McPhee?"

Famer McPhee throws the red lemon over to a nearby island but as you your reading companion or library group might predict lemons (no matter what colour) contain seeds and so if the conditions are right then ...

Does this book have a deeper message about acceptance of difference; trust; risk taking; perfection, consumerism (look closely at all the advertising banners) - probably, but it will also just be a fun book to read to your young preschooler. You could also talk about the way something that was discarded turned into something special and there is a whole discussion you could have with older students about the fate of the original orchard or island. Here are a few discussion questions. It would be fantastic to copy the double page spread of the futuristic red lemon town to read all the advertising signs. The one that says McPhee Memorial Building might give you a slight chill. Hopefully if you can find this book you will agree it is one of those picture books that will work equally well with young children and your older primary group.

"The Red Lemon" tells the tale of jolly Farmer McPhee, a perfectionist who one day finds a red lemon, a freak of nature, in his pristine orchard. He hurls the offending fruit onto a nearby deserted island. Little does McPhee know that he has just planted the seed that, long after his own orchard has gone to weed, will be the foundation for the thriving tourist destination Red Lemon Island. We see the island 200 years in the future, complete with its own Air Red airline and Bitter End discothèque. Bob Staake

A quirky city has evolved with an economy based on these fabulously sweet red lemons, attracting people from all over the world. Kirkus

Here is the publisher blurb: In this thought-provoking tale reminiscent of Seuss, Farmer McPhee finds a red lemon in his orchard and cries, "It's red as a stop sign! It's red as a rose! I can't have red lemons where yellow fruit grows! Imagine a world where lemonade's red? Where once-yellow cupcakes are crimson instead?" As he tosses the red lemon across the water, he can't imagine that it will land on a small island, sprout a seed, and someday bring forth an orchard of lemon trees...where people will travel to from all over, to try the red lemons that are "six times as sweet!"

Here are some more books about lemons. 

Companion book:

And if you want to talk about planting things try to find this vintage book:

The Lollipop Tree

Here is another Bob Staake book I really loved:

The Book of Gold

I did a search for other books by Bob Staake and now I have added his name to my library borrowing list for next week.

Bea, Bart and the Birds by Katrina Nannestad illustrated by Cheryl Orsini

Alliterative siblings Bea and Bart have a knack for attracting lost birds. Fortunately, they live in a mansion and so there is plenty of room for all these different creatures - Boo the owl; Polly the rhyming parrot; Doornail the peacock; Crumbs the sparrow; Squish the fairy wren; and Rosy the crow. Unfortunately having these creatures inside the house does lead to daily chaos. Mum keeps fainting; the butler keeps dropping plates of food and Nanny cannot get any sleep with the noisy parrot in the house. Oh, and I need to talk about Doornail. Doornail is a peacock and when the children find him, they think he is dead - dead as a doornail. In fact pretending to be dead is a clever defense mechanism for peacocks and the children soon discover this bird is actually alive. I have some country friends who have a peacock in their large back garden. He moved in about a year ago. I think they would like him to move on and no one really knows where he came from. The fun thing about having him living there is his almost daily feather show which delights the small children (and adults) who visit this house. 

Living in mansion might mean these children's parents are rich. They do have a nanny and a butler! A lady sees the kids with all their bird friends in the park, and she hatches a plan to kidnap the children and ask for a ransom. More chaos ensues and the children are rescued. 

This is a sweet story with an old-fashioned feel (think about having a butler and a nanny). It is easy to read with a good print size and plenty of illustrations along with short chapters. Bee, Bart and the Birds will also work as a family (very short) read aloud. The font changes will help readers identify words to emphasise such as in this sentence: "The birds bobbed and chirped. They loved walkies in the park."

This book, Bea, Bart and the Birds, comes from a new series from Affirm Press (Simon and Schuster). The three authors/commentators behind the Facebook and Podcast group "Your Kids Next Read" were asked, I think, or perhaps it was their idea, to develop some simple and hopefully appealing junior chapter books. The series name is taken from their group name. 

Katrina Nannestad talks about her book here.

Here are the blurbs of the first four titles which were released this week: 

The Lonely Lunch Club (Friends, School and Funny Stories) One lunchtime, Benji goes to the worst bench in the whole school instead of playing footy. There he meets a girl named Alice and a spider named Mabel. And Mabel needs their help! But can Benji and Alice do it alone? 

The Missing Pencil Case (Mystery, Family and Funny Stories) Lea has lost her pencil case. It's full of money she has collected for charity! Lea must search all over her apartment block for the missing pencil case. Where could it be?

Will Finn Win? (Animals, Sport and Friends) Fin never wins anything. On school sports day, a naughty puppy stops Fin from coming first in his race. Will Fin ever win? Or will he learn that there are more important things than medals? 

Bea, Bart and the Birds (Animals, Family and Surprising Stories) It all starts with Boo, the owl. Bea and Bart take her home and love her. Soon, they have a feathered family! But Bea and Bart are not the only ones interested in these unusual birds … 

In July last year Joy Lawn (Paperbark Words) interviewed the YKNR team about their book series plans. Allison Tait, Megan Daley and Allison Rushby have quite lofty goals for their series. I have only read one title so far so I will reserve my judgment as to whether their goals have been met: 

• ‘We are thrilled to be part of the development of this incredible series, which offers a wide reading experience for young readers from creators whose work we love and admire. Your Next Read will provide adults with a one-stop shop for quality books for junior readers, while offering young readers books that are fun, exciting and aimed at building a love of literature.’
• Alongside a phonics-based approach to learning the skills of reading comes the most critical part of a child’s reading journey: the desire to keep reading. That’s where Your Next Read comes in – a bold new series designed to ensure every child learns to love reading.

If you are looking for junior series that most certainly could 'build a love of literature' see if your library has Aussie Nibbles and the Solo series which are perfect for younger readers and most certainly do contain 'fun' and very satisfying stories. 

Quirky things to notice:

The shape - with rounded corners - this harks back to the wonderful series I just mentioned that we had here in Australia in the past called Aussie Nibbles, Aussie Bites and Aussie Chomps. The rounded corners are possibly intended to make the books stand out as different and I did read they are meant to look like collectors cards. There is spot varnish on the cover - silver for the first titles in the series.

Each book has a set of 'genre' labels on the cover - my book is listed as animals, family and surprising stories. I am not a fan of generifying school library collections but these little labels might help a young reader anticipate the plot of their book. 

I saw this promotional bookmark as part of the book display for this series

At the back of the book readers are invited to take a survey and this then tells them which book could be Your Next Read. 

There is a plan to have 36 titles for this series and they are coded silver and gold. These colours link with suggested ages Silver=ages 5-8 Gold=ages 7-9.

Of the four titles from this first batch it seems the creators have somewhat deliberately tried to have 2 "girl" title and two "boy" titles. 

You might recognise some of the author and illustrator names. I purchased Bea, Bart and the Birds (it's a fun alliterative title as I already noted) because I have read nearly every book (for older readers) by Katrina Nannestad and I do love art by Cheryl Orsini. I am so glad that each book will have a different authors and illustrators. Your young readers might then go on to explore other titles by these creators. 

I was pleased to see Affirm Press have kept the price at a lower level for the series at AUS$13 each.  I did spy them for just AUS$10 each in a chain store today. I do wish the paper was slightly higher quality but I guess you need to balance this against a lower price and also consider the intended audience is home ownership not library collections perhaps.

Here are some of the authors and illustrators who will contribute to this series: Peter Cheong, Jane Godwin, Jade Goodwin, Anita Heiss, Kylie Howarth, Tom Jellett, Maddy Mara, Jasmin McGaughey, Katrina Nannestad, Cheryl Orsini, A. L. Tait, Kate & Jol Temple, Amelia Mellor, Jess Racklyeft and Briony Stewart. In one bookshop today the four titles from 'Your Next Read' were all placed together and in a different shop they were scattered among the junior chapter titles in alphabetical order. If you do add these to your school library I would pop them all together in a series box or on a series display spinner. 

Jane Godwin was previously the author of several titles from the Aussie Nibbles and Aussie Bites series including one of my huge favourites Poor Fish. Here's a list of all her books. 

Here are the next two titles due out in June:

2026-2027 Texas Bluebonnet Award long list

 

This prestigious list is composed of titles from creative, talented, and diverse authors. The titles on the list offer students in third through sixth grades quality fiction and nonfiction literature to be read for pleasure. The TBA selection committee considered a whopping 1006 books for this year’s list. You can see past winners from 1981 till the present here. 

Each year, more than 63,000 third-through-sixth graders from across Texas vote for their favorite title from the list. “Read 5, then decide” is a slogan known by school librarians, public librarians, and homeschooling parents across the state. The TBA Award winner is announced in the spring and will be honored in April at the TLA 2027 Annual Conference in San Antonio.

I was excited to see a few familiar titles on this list (especially since I am in Australia and not Texas). Books with ** are on my own to read list. 

• Another by Paul Tremblay. 
• The Black Mambas by Kelly Crull. 
• Danilo Was Here by Tamika Burgess. 
• Fowl Play by Kristin O’Donnell Tubb. 
• Gabby Torres Gets a Billion Followers by Angela Dominguez. 
• Gracie under the Waves by Linda Sue Park. 
• I’m a Dumbo Octopus! by Anne Lambelet. 
• Introducing Sandwina by Vicki Conrad. 
• The Invisible Parade by Leigh Bardugo and John Picacio. 
• The Library of Unruly Treasures by Jeanne Birdsall.**
• Lola by Karla Arenas Valenti. 
• Mixed-Up by Kami Garcia. 
• Pocket Bear by Katherine Applegate. 
• Safe Crossing by Kari Percival. 
• Saved by the Smell by Jarrett Lerner. 
• Speak Up, Santiago! by Julio Anta. 
• A Strange Thing Happened in Cherry Hall by Jasmine Warga. 
• The Trouble with Heroes by Kate Messner. 
• Wanda Hears the Stars by Amy S. Hansen and Wanda Díaz Merced. 
• Will’s Race for Home by Jewell Parker Rhodes. Illustrated by O. Ivanov. **

The previous list had a couple of my book favourites:

Magnolia Wu Unfolds It All

Dogtown

The Argonaut Queen by LP Hansen illustrated by Marlo Garnsworthy

The subject of this book is a totally new discovery for me. I had no idea about this amazing creature.

This creature is sometimes called a ‘paper nautilus’ isn’t actually a nautilus. Also known as argonauts, these creatures derive their name from the paper-thin, spiralled shell that females produce to shield their eggs.  Argonauts are a type of octopus, while the nautilus is, well, a nautilus. Both species are cephalopods, the taxonomic class comprising all octopuses, cuttlefish, squid, and nautiluses. Argonauts happen to be the world’s only pelagic octopuses. Instead of living near a structure on the seafloor, like a rocky shoreline or coral reef, like most octopus species, argonauts spend their lives floating near the surface of the open ocean. The genus Argonauta derives its name from Greek mythology. The Argonauts were the famed sailors of the ship Argo, who helped Jason on his quest to recover the Golden Fleece. Early naturalists thought that argonauts ‘sailed’ around the ocean using two of their tentacles, hence the name… and a lot of weird anatomical postures in early drawings of argonauts. (In reality, argonauts scoot about by expelling water through their funnels.) Source

The Argonaut Queen opens with six huge shells on the end papers - these are the six species of Argonauts. 

"She's a Queen of the Ocean, bold and beautiful, around the size of a human hand. She travels the seas, carrying her shell like a Greek goddess's helmet. She's a pink coloured octopus called an argonaut and she makes this shell herself."

I laughed when I read that the male argonaut is the size of a peanut! The Queen starts making her shell when she is just twelve days old and when it is large enough it can hold up to 250,000 eggs at a time. When the babies are born they are smaller than a rice grain. If I was sharing this book with a group of students I would bring along a container of rice and hold up one grain. I was also fascinated to read that the argonaut can repair her own shell. 

How do we know anything about the argonaut? The first research was done by a French woman named Jeanne Villepreux-Power. She was a marine biologist and she worked out a way to study the argonaut in the ocean using her invention of an aquarium. Sadly, though, her large collection of shells, reports and drawings were lost when the cargo ship carrying them sank. Also, as with many women scientists of her time it took years for her research to be taken seriously. 

I found two more books about this remarkable woman who was born in 1794.

This book is why I visit school libraries, it's why I read kid's books, and it's why I wish I was back in my former school library. I would love to add this book to my library collection and then put it into the hands of readers and teachers. The Teacher-Librarian in the school where I work as a volunteer has such a good eye for book treasures. She found this one in a local bookstore.

Publisher blurb: Dive into the oceans — and into the depths of history — with the Argonaut Queen, an expertly-told story that weaves together the marine science of these fascinating creatures and the woman who we have to thank for it, Jeanne Villepreux-Power, one of the earliest studiers of this subspecies of octopus and the many features that make it so unique. Though Villepreux-Power’s scientific illustrations were lost to the seas in a shipwreck, this book pays homage to them through exquisitely-rendered, real-to-life drawings of the creature she dedicated her life to.

LP (Linda) Hansen is a New Zealand based author. Marlo Garnsworthy is an author, illustrator, editor, and Antarctic science communicator. When she’s not making books, you’ll find her paddling her kayak, hiking a trail, having adventures in far-flung places, or dreaming of Antarctica. She lives in a National Park on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, USA. Read more about Starfishbay Publishing here. There is a link from their page to a pdf of the Teachers Notes.

Further Reading:

• Museums Victoria
• Jeanne Villepreux-Power: Marine Biologist and Inventor of the Aquarium
• The Seamstress and the Secrets of the Argonaut Shell
• Wikipedia Argonaut (Animal)
• Natural History Museum
• Critter Science

Your school or local library are sure to have lots of books about the Octopus but not all will have information about the argonaut. I did discover this book which I am sure will be in the library:

The Copper Tree by Hilary Robinson illustrated by Mandy Stanley

This book is sad, very very sad - please read it yourself first to judge if it is the right book for your young child. This group of kids love their teacher Miss Evans but then she gets sick and cannot come to school. She manages to make one last visit to her class before she dies. In the illustrations you will see she has created a wonderful classroom for these preschool kids.

Their new and wise teacher suggests the children write their memories and these are then engraved on copper leaves and placed on a tree in the school foyer. I sobbed.  

This excellent picture book deals sensitively and truthfully with the subject of bereavement. When their teacher Miss Evans isn’t well and can’t come to school, her class maker her a get well card, even Alfie Tate who’s nearly always causing trouble. She comes to see their play and though she’s lost her hair and has to use a wheelchair, she smiles all the time. Not long after that, another teacher Mr Davis tells them that Miss Evans has died. It’s alright to feel sad, he says, or angry. The children make remember notes and transfer them onto copper leaves for a copper tree dedicated to Miss Evans. The leaves are bright and beautiful in the sunshine, just like she was. A gentle way of showing how memories remain to comfort and console. Love Reading 4Kids

I know I said this book is sad, and it is, but it is also very gently told with tiny touches of humour. Hopefully the children or child in your family will never have to experience the death of their teacher but this book might be one you could share long after that event. In my former school a very loved teacher did die - very suddenly. She was a reading specialist teacher and so she interacted with children from many different grades over many years. Perhaps the families of children who were deeply affected by this loss might have read this book - but possibly a few months after these events when the feelings were not so raw. 

Here is a trailer (for adults) from the publisher. I didn't recognise the name Hilary Robinson but I should have because she is the author of several books from the splendid Leapfrog and Hopscotch series.

Hilary Robinson is an award-winning radio producer and author of over 50 picture books. Awards include the 2016 Historical Young Quills Award for ‘Flo of the Somme.’

I had been inspired by the local hospice, St Gemma's, who had constructed a Tree Of Life on to which bereaved relatives could hang a copper leaf inscribed with the name of a loved one who'd died, and, motivated by the powerful effects of memory as means of healing, my book, The Copper Tree, was born.

AND Mandy Stanley is the illustrator and author of the Lettice series. 

The Copper Tree is one book from a series called The Copper Tree Class dealing with life topics. Tom's Sunflower deals with divorce; Christmas Surprise shows there is more to Christmas than presents; and Help a Hamster is about care of pets. Even though these books are from 2014 they are still available.

CBCA 2026 Notables

Last night I attended the CBCA NSW Night of the Notables. I will pen a separate blog post to share the three books that were 'launched' at this event and other CBCA happenings. For now, I need to show you the 125 Notables and give links to a few of my blog posts AND as usual I will share a few of the titles I think should have 'made the cut' - I can these THE MISSING. 

Since I no longer work in a school library I am not going to attempt to read the fifty plus titles from three of these lists that I have not yet seen or read mainly because there are only four weeks to do this before the shortlists are announced and my own to read pile is out of control. Instead, I have listed a few that I am keen to borrow from a library or perhaps buy. Blue links take you to my blog posts:

Picture Book

A is for… A Rabbit’s Tale, Lucinda Gifford, text by Jackie Hosking (Walker Books Australia) 

Being Indy, Estee Sarsfield, text by Zoe Gaetjens (WestWords Children’s) 

Between, Anna Walker (Scribble) 

Bigfoot vs Yeti, James Foley (Fremantle Press) 

Bob and Dob, Sean E Avery (Walker Books Australia) 

Bored, Felicita Sala (Little Hare) 

Dawn, Marc Martin (Walker Books Australia) 

Dear Broccoli, Cate James, text by Jo Dabrowski (Affirm Press) 

Dropbear, Philip Bunting (Walker Books Australia) 

The Frog’s First Song, Jason Phu, text by Jazz Money (University of Queensland Press) 

Going for Pippies, Tori-Jay Mordey, text by Wilaaran Laurie (Magabala Books) 

Gone, Michel Streich (Thames and Hudson Australia) 

Hello Cocky, Antonia Pesenti, text by Hilary Bell (Scribble) 

Here Come the Cousins, Sarah Zweck, text by Maggie Hutchings (Thames and Hudson Australia) 

How My Family Says I Love You, Aurore McLeod, text by Yvonne Sewankambo (Walker Books Australia) 

Jo and the No, Judy Watson, text by Kyle Mewburn (Dirt Lane Press) 

My Mum is a Bird, Evie Barrow, text by Angie Cui (University of Queensland Press) 

Neville’s Great Escape, Sean E Avery (Walker Books Australia) 

Once I was a Giant, Zeno Sworder (Thames and Hudson Australia) 

One Day, Michael Speechley, text by Shirley Marr (Walker Books Australia) 

One Word and a Bird, Stephen Michael King (Scholastic Press) 

Rain on the Rock, Valerie Brumby, text by Jodi Toering (Bright Light) 

Some Days You’ll have Days Like These, Stephen Michael King, text by Josh Pyke (Scholastic Press) 

The Thing About Christmas, Briony Stewart, text by Jo Dabrowski (Little Book Press) 

Tiwi in Paris, Glen Farmer Illortaminni (Thames and Hudson Australia) 

On my own to read list now the Picture Book Notables have been announced I have Bored; Gone; The Thing about Christmas; Rain on the Rock; and Hello Cocky. I made my predictions a couple of weeks ago. I am pleased my top three - One day; Dawn; and Once I was a Giant made the notables. BUT here are a couple of books that are 

THE MISSING:

The Fishmonger and the Pastry Chef

The enchantment of the Golden eagle

A Hatful of Dreams

Emmie builds something new

Younger Readers

Chickenpox, Remy Lai (Allen & Unwin) 

Creature Clinic, Gavin Aung Than (Figment Books) 

Frances Bloom, Katrina Nannestad, illustrated by Marina Zlatanova (ABC Books) 

Ghost Guitar, TJ DOOM, illustrated by Nahum Ziersch (Penguin Random House Australia) 

The Hits and Misses of Melody Moss, Helen Dallimore (Penguin Random House Australia) 

How to Sail to Somewhere, Ashleigh Barton (Lothian Children’s Books) 

Inked, Karen Wasson, illustrated by Jake A Minton (Figment Books) 

Into the Bewilderness, Gus Gordon (Figment Books) 

Jungle Escape, Nathan Luff (Walker Books Australia) 

The Keeper of the Octopus, Neridah McMullin (Walker Books Australia) 

Little Bones, Sandy Bigna, illustrated by Tamlyn Teow (University of Queensland Press) 

The Making of Martha Mayfield, Jo Dabrowski (Affirm Press) 

Moonboy, Anna Ciddor (Allen & Unwin) 

The Paperbark Tree Committee, Karys McEwen (Text Publishing) 

Promises and Other Lies, Sue Whiting (Walker Books Australia) 

Run, Sarah Armstrong (Hardie Grant Children’s Publishing) 

Seriously Soccer, Matt Stanton (ABC Books) 

The Serpent Rider, Yxavel Magno Diño (Bloomsbury Children’s Books) 

The Silken Thread, Gabrielle Wang (Penguin Random House Australia) 

Something Terrible: Tim Tie-Your-Shoelaces, Sally Barton, illustrated by Christopher Nielsen (Walker Books Australia) 

Song of a Thousand Seas, Zana Fraillon, illustrated by Aviva Reed (University of Queensland Press) 

Spirit of the Crocodile, Aaron Fa’Aoso & Michelle Scott Tucker with Lyn White (Allen & Unwin) 

The Surface Trials, H.M. Waugh (Allen & Unwin) 

Too Big to Be a Fairy, Kiah Thomas, Bec Kitson, Hardie Grant Children’s Publishing 

The Year We Escaped, Suzanne Leal (Angus & Robertson)

I am planning to read The Year we escaped; The Surface Trials; and The Paperbark Tree Committee.

THE MISSING:

Trapped

Oceanforged: The wicked Ship

Danger Road

The Wondrous Tale of Lavender Wolfe

Early Childhood

The Bin Monster, Annabelle Hale (Affirm Press) 

Castle Crashing, Andrea Rowe, illustrated by Hannah Sommerville (Little Hare) 

The Colours of Home, Sally Soweol Han (Thames and Hudson Australia) 

Counting Crocodiles, Students from Bulla Camp Primary School (Indigenous Literacy Foundation) 

Derek, Anne Donaldson, illustrated by Matt Shanks (Little Hare) 

Dropbear, Philip Bunting (Walker Books Australia) 

Earthspeak, Sean McCann, illustrated by Jade Goodwin (Allen & Unwin) 

The Emperor’s Egg, Rae Tan (Lothian Children’s Books) 

Fly Mama, Fly!, Anna McGregor (Scribble) 

Frogs Are Our Friends, Toni D’Alia, Madeline White (Bright Light) 

Going Fishing with Nana, Frances Haji-Ali & Lindsay Haji-Ali, illustrated by Karen Briggs (Magabala Books) 

How to Help When You Really Want to Help, Davina Bell, illustrated by Hilary Jean Tapper (Lothian Children’s Books) 

Laugh in the Bath, Rory H. Mather, illustrated by Brent Wilson (Little Book Press) 

Look, See, Find Me, Sandra Severgnini (CSIRO Publishing) 

My Father’s Arms, Toni D’Alia, illustrated by Mimi Purnell (Little Hare) 

My Nonno Loves, Adelle Frittitta, illustrated by Claudia Frittitta (Little Hare) 

Now You Are a Chicken, Andrew McDonald, illustrated by Ben Wood (Little Hare) 

Our Beautiful World, Sarah Speedie, illustrated by Margeaux Davis (New Frontier Publishing) 

Potion Commotion, Rebecca Grant, illustrated by Niña Nill (Affirm Press) 

Say Goodnight, Renae Hayward, illustrated by Rebecca Mills (Fremantle Press) 

Sidney of Sydney, Sue Whiting, illustrated by Liz Anelli (Walker Books Australia) 

The Thing About Christmas, Jo Dabrowski, illustrated by Briony Stewart (Little Book Press) 

The Train at the End of My Street, Tom Jellett (Affirm Press) 

What is a Dot?, Johanna Bell, illustrated by Amelia Luscombe (Thames and Hudson Australia) 

Where the River Runs Free, Vikki Conley, illustrated by Jedda Robaard (Windy Hollow Books) 

There are some important and possible familiar names on this list - people I have talked about previously such as Briony Stewart; Liz Anelli; Sue Whiting; Sally Soweol Han; Anna McGregor; Hilary Jean Tapper and Vikki Conley. 

You can see the Eve Pownall and Older Readers lists her. I previously talked about:

Foal in the wire (for ages 14+)

Drift

All About Antarctica

The Great Shark Egg Case Hunt

Platypus Bend

This Bird