Monday, January 26, 2026

Australia Day Awards and Children's Literature


Graeme Base

Publications include: 

• Eye to Eye, Penguin Australia, 2015.  
• Little Bug Books, A series of six toddlers' books; Penguin Australia, 2014, 2016.  
• The Last King of Angkor Wat, Penguin Australia, 2014.  
• My First Animalia, Penguin Australia, 2013.  
• Co-Author, Breather, Penguin Australia, 2013. 
• Little Elephants, Penguin Australia, 2012.   
• The Jewel Fish of Karnak, Penguin Australia, 2011.  
• The Legend of the Golden Snail, Penguin Australia, 2010.  
• Enigma, Penguin Australia, 2008. 
• The Discovery of Dragons: New Research Revealed, Penguin Australia, 2007.  
• Uno's Garden, Penguin Australia, 2006.  
• The Waterhole, Penguin Australia, 2001.  
• The Discovery of Dragons, Penguin Australia, 1996.  
• The Sign of the Seahorse, Penguin Australia, 1992.  
• The Eleventh Hour, Penguin Australia, 1989. 
• Illustrator, Lewis Carroll's Jabberwocky, Penguin Australia, 1987. 
• Animalia, Penguin Australia, 1986. 
• My Grandma Lived in Gooligulch, Penguin Australia, 1983.  

Stephanie Owen Reeder









Sally Odgers - Sally Odgers is a Tasmanian author and manuscript assessor. She was born in Tasmania in 1957 and has written over 400 books.







Eliza Hull - Eliza Hull is an award-winning musician, writer, and disability advocate. She is the creator of the ABC podcast series We’ve Got This about parenting with a disability. She also edited and created the book with the same title We’ve Got This: Essays by disabled parents which features parents who identify as disabled, Deaf or Chronically Ill.  She is a contributor in the Growing up Disabled in Australia and Teacher Teacher anthologies, and her award-winning children’s book Come Over To My House, and its companion, The World We Can Build (co-authored by Sally Rippin and illustrated by Daniel Gray-Barnett), authentically represent various families with disability. A writer for the ABC, Eliza is also a regular television and radio guest, using her lived experience of disability to reduce stigma.



Patricia Pledger - for service to children's literature. Pat Pledger is a director of Pledger Consulting and editor of the ReadPlus blog. Previously, she has been a school library coordinator and English teacher. She is keenly interested in the promotion of reading and has presented conference papers about literature activities at national and international conferences. She also reviews for the South Australian English Teachers’ Association and the School Libraries Association of South Australia.


The Australia Day 2026 Honours List recognizes and celebrates 949 Australians, including awards in the Order of Australia (General and Military Divisions), meritorious awards, and recognition for distinguished and conspicuous service. This year's list includes 680 recipients of awards in the General Division of the Order of Australia, with 187 Meritorious awards, 10 AM and 12 OAM in the Military Division, and 60 distinguished and conspicuous awards. Notable recipients include Olympic legend Cathy Freeman, who has been appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia, and former premiers, community champions, and mental health trailblazers. The youngest recipient is Nicholas Alexander Pearce, a 32-year-old co-founder of HoMie Streetwear Store, which supports young people affected by homelessness and hardship. The eldest living recipients are Janina Archabuz and Derrick Hammon, both at age 99, recognized for their community service in Melbourne and Canberra, respectively.

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