Sunday, December 8, 2024

These picture books make the perfect gifts – for adults (and their inner children)


CBCA Picture Book of the Year 2023
IBBY Australia Honour Book

I was surprised to see this opinion piece in The Guardian. The Journalist Angie Schiavone found a book she shared with a grieving friend -  A leaf Called Greaf - was so perfect it inspired her to dig deeper. At this point I recommend you read my post about books and grief



Read more here on the Fremantle Press web page

I am very glad Angie Schiavone interviewed Rachel Robson from Gleebooks Kids.  She adds some valuable insights into this important topic.

I totally agree with the idea of gifting picture books to adults. This piece in the Guardian is organised with headings - grief, love, feeling nostalgic, adults who love art and poetry, and of course special books for parents - that's why My Strange Shrinking Parents is the book I put at the top of this post. It is a picture book that is sure to surprise adults who are unfamiliar with the breadth and scope of picture books for all ages. You may know I was one of the CBCA judges who awarded the prize to this book in 2023. If you click the topic Senior Picture Book on my side bar you will find over one hundred other books which could be potential gift for adults. At the top of my own list would be Shelter by Céline Claire illustrated by Qin Leng and also several books by our wonderful Margaret Wild such as Fox, Tanglewood, and Old Pig along with Mirror by Jeannie Baker which is a masterpiece. Take a look at this post about Picture Books for Older Readers.

Lists are always fraught. There are some truly great books mentioned in this Guardian article and one that just makes me shake my head! You are sure to discover that I have not included that title here in my blog post. It is good to see there are titles from other English-speaking countries not just Australia.  We are so lucky to speak English and have access to the best books from USA, UK, Canada, and New Zealand. Sadly though, i do have to say some of the books listed here will now be out of print. 

The Arrival Shaun Tan
CBCA Picture book of the Year 2007
New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards Winner 
Western Australian Premier's Book Awards Premier's Prize in 2006


Accidentally Kelly Street by Briony Stewart


Cain Gray The Grown-Up’s Guide to Picture Books
Read my comments - a few things puzzle me about the audience for this book

Bear and Rat by Christopher Cheng and Stephen Michael King

The Heart and the Bottle by Oliver Jeffers

Happy All Over by Emma Quay 

Herman and Rosie by Gus Gordon

To Stir With Love by Kate Mildenhall and Jess Racklyeft 

How to Make a Bird by Meg McKinlay and Matt Ottley 


Oher books mentioned in the article:


No comments: