CBCA Book of the Year Shortlist 2026

Once again I was WRONG with my predictions in every category but especially for the Younger Readers category. In fact the book that I gave a five star review (Song of a Thousand Seas) didn't even make the list!  I am shocked. I have read and blogged only two of these: Little Bones; and Run. 

Here is the full list:

• Run, Sarah Armstrong (Hardie Grant Children’s Publishing) 
• Something Terrible: Tim Tie-Your-Shoelaces, Sally Barton, illus by Christopher Nielsen (Walker) Read more here
• Little Bones, Sandy Bigna (University of Queensland Press) 
• Spirit of the Crocodile, Aaron Fa’aoso & Michelle Scott Tucker with Lyn White (Allen & Unwin)  Read more here
• The Paperbark Tree Committee, Karys McEwen (Text Publishing) Read more here
• Inked, Karen Wasson, illustrated by Jake A Minton (Figment Books) Read more here

Thank goodness my top two contenders are here - Once I was a Giant and Dawn. I did enjoy Dear Broccoli and I did predict Bob and Dob. I have talked about The Frog's first song in a previous post.

Here is the full list:

• Bob and Dob, Sean E Avery (Walker Books Australia) 
• Tiwi in Paris, Glen Farmer Illortaminni (Thames and Hudson Australia) Read more here
• Dear Broccoli, Cate James, text by Jo Dabrowski (Affirm Press)  
• Dawn, Marc Martin (Walker Books Australia)  
• The Frog’s First Song, Jason Phu, text by Jazz Money (University of Queensland Press) 
• Once I was a Giant, Zeno Sworder (Thames and Hudson Australia) 

New Illustrator is a great category because in the past people who have won** this category have gone on to make some wonderful books. The only one here I previously talked about was Beyond the Shore but I am keen to see many of the others.

Here is the full list:

• There’s a Prawn in Parliament House: The Kids’ Guide to Australia’s Amazing Democracy, Annabel Crabb, illustrated by First Dog on the Moon (Allen & Unwin) 
• A Loo of One’s Own, Eleri Harris (Allen & Unwin) 
• Peculiar Parents, Stephanie Owen Reeder, illustrated by Ingrid Bartkowiak (NLA Publishing) 
• The Thylacine and the Time Machine, Renée Treml (Allen & Unwin) 
• Caution! This Book Contains Deadly Reptiles, Corey Tutt, Ben Williams (Allen & Unwin) 
• Ningaloo, Tim Winton, illustrated by Cindy Lane (Fremantle Press) 

I am very happy to see The Emperor's Egg, The Thing about Christmas; and Derek in this selection. I am very keen to see the other titles. I previously talked about Worms are our friends by Toni D'Alia.

Here is the full list:

• The Thing About Christmas, Jo Dabrowski, illustrated by Briony Stewart (Little Book Press)  
• Derek, Anne Donaldson, illustrated by Matt Shanks (Little Hare) 
• Frogs Are Our Friends, Toni D’Alia, Madeline White (Bright Light) 
• My Nonno Loves, Adelle Frittitta, illustrated by Claudia Frittitta (Little Hare) Read more here
• The Colours of Home, Sally Soweol Han (Thames and Hudson Australia) Read more here
• The Emperor’s Egg, Rae Tan (Lothian Children’s Books) 

You can see all 36 shortlisted titles here. I do not read many YA books (Older Readers) but I was surprised Drift and The Foal in the Wire didn't make the cut. 

**Here is a list of previous winners (famous names) who won the New Illustrator:

• Kim Gamble The Magnificent Nose & Other Marvels
• Anne Spudvilas The Race
• Shaun Tan The Viewer
• Anna Pignataro I’m in the Sky and I Can’t Come Back
• Freya Blackwood Two Summers
• Anna Walker Santa’s Aussie Holiday 
• Andy Geppert (Tim Brown) Little Big Tree
• Andrew Joyner (Ursula Dubosarsky) The Terrible Plop
• Marc Martin A Forest
• Zeno Sworder This Small Blue dot
• Sally Soweol Han Tiny Wonders

CBCA Short lists 2026 announced today - my predictions

If you are reading this before 12 noon on 31st March, then you might like to see if my predictions match yours and IF you are reading this after 12 noon on 31st March you might be saying ha ha I was right or ha ha you were so wrong!

Picture Book of the Year - my top six. Of the twenty-five notables I was able to read 17. I read a good report about Jo and the No but I wasn't able to find this book over the last month. 

Once I was a giant

Dawn

One Day

Bob and Dob

Gone

The Thing about Christmas

Younger Readers Book of the Year - my top six (I have ten on my list). Of the twenty-five notables I was able to read or skim through 15. 

Song of a Thousand Seas

Run

The Keeper of the Octopus

The Silken Thread

Promises and other lies

Into the Bewilderness

My other three choices are The Year we Escaped; How to sail to Somewhere; and The Making of Martha Mayfield. I am currently reading The Surface Trials and it might be another possible title on the short list. The other title from the Younger Readers that I wanted to read but didn't find was The Paperbark Tree Committee. 

Sydney and Taylor by Jacqueline Davies

"Sydney and Taylor live in a burrow under Miss Nancy's potting shed."

Bookseller blurb: Sydney is a skunk and Taylor is a hedgehog, but no matter how odd the pairing may seem, their friendship comes naturally. They live happily in their cozy burrow . . . until the day Taylor gets his Big Idea to go see the Whole Wide World. From mountains taller than a hundred hedgehogs, valleys wider than a thousand skunks, to the dangers that lie in the human world, Sydney and Taylor wanted to see it all. With a map and a dream, they bravely set off, soon discovering that the world is much bigger than they realized.

There are eleven chapters in this 79-page book which is published in a sightly larger format than the usual sized paperback. The first book (above) was published in 2021 but I think these books are still available. 

Blurb for Book 2 Take a Flying Leap: When Taylor decides he wants to be the World’s First Flying Hedgehog, there is little Sydney can do to stop him. Will Taylor realize his dream? Will he forgive Sydney for not believing in him? And can Sydney keep his spiny friend in one piece? This hilarious story, illustrated with expressive full-color art, highlights the importance of friendship and the need to reach for the sky.

Blurb for Book 3 ... and the Great Friend Expedition: Sydney and Taylor have been best friends since before they can remember. But how does one make new friends? Taylor wants to try, so Sydney does what any best friend would do: accompany him on his biggest adventure yet! When sincere compliments and gifts of friendship don't lead anywhere, Sydney and Taylor may need to look where they least expect . . .

One of the MOST important sections of a school library (and a bookshop) is the space set aside for easy chapter books - those with very satisfying stories - not readers or formulaic series. And these books work best if they have colour illustrations and are from a series with a small number of titles. There are not so many good examples of this that have been published here in Australia in recent years and we rarely do colour illustrations but there are so many terrific junior series and easy chapter books that do come our way from the US and UK and luckily because we speak English our readers can access and enjoy them. There are three books in the Sydney and Taylor series. I am so happy I have discovered these - the stories in books one and three made me smile:

Read more about Jacqueline Davies here.

It is fun that many of books that fall into this category contain unlikely friends such as our skunk and hedgehog from the series I mentioned today. Other fantastic junior each chapter books I recommend:

Bear and Bird by Jarvis

Our Friend Hedgehog

Sadly these are way too expensive here in Australia

Mouse and Spoon

Look for other series by Cynthia Rylant such as Mr Putter and The Lighthouse Family

Orris and Timble

Cornbread and Poppy

Mouse and Mole

Houndsley and Catina

These are newer junior chapter and easy chapter book series from here in Australia that I also highly recommend:

Bitza

Bravepaw

Spud and Snowball -there will be more books coming in this series

Companion books to read after the first installment of Sydney and Taylor; Explore the whole wide world:

The trip to Panama

Pigsticks and Harold

Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award

A total of 263 candidates from 74 countries and regions have been nominated for the 2026 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, including 78 candidates new from previous years. The list includes authors and illustrators, as well as storytellers and reading promoters. The laureate will be announced on 14 April 2026.

Here are some highlights and familiar names:

AUSTRALIA - Alison Lester; Ursula Dubosarsky 

NIGERIA/UK - Atinuke

GERMANY - Axel Scheffler

ITALY - Beatrice Alemagna

CHINA - Cao Wenxuan

IRELAND - Chris Haughton

UK - David Almond; Jackie Morris; Quentin Blake; Michael Rosen; Julia Donaldson; Nicola Davies; Philip Reeve

CANADA - Deborah Ellis; Elise Gravel; Isabelle Arsenault; Jon Klassen; Sydney Smith.

NEW ZEALAND - Gavin Bishop

COLOMBIA - Ivar Da Coll

POLAND - Iwona Chmielewska

USA - Jason Reynolds; Kate DiCamillo

BELGIUM - Leo Timmers

SWEDEN - Marit Törnqvist

IRELAND - Oliver Jeffers; Sarah Crossan

CHILE - Paloma Valdivia

BRAZIL - Roger Mello

SOUTH KOREA - Suzy Lee

FRANCE - Timothée de Fombelle

And some terrific Organisations:

ITALY - Silent books Lampedusa (IBBY) Here are the books from IBBY Australia

USA - A Book a Day; Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library

UK - Centre for Literacy in Primary Education; Empathy Lab.

These are titles from The Empathy Lab

A Little Bit Lola: Too Big to be a Fairy by Kiah Thomas illustrated by Bec Kitson

Lola needs money. She hits on the idea that the tooth fairy gives money - all she has to do is pull out a tooth - oh no that's not as easy as it might seem. (you could look for the book Andrew's Loose Tooth by Robert Munsch). Wait a minute Lola could become the Tooth Fairy. She tries to squish herself into her smallest clothes hoping she will instantly become smaller but sad to say that doesn't work. Lola does not give up - she thinks about fairies and their magic. Perhaps Lola can make some magic. She will need a magic wand (easy) and magic potion (are you worried about this?). Now the house is a big mess. Lola decides to clean up then dad comes home and he sees how clean everything is. Perhaps it is time for Lola to have some pocket money. Then she picks up an apple takes a big bite and ....  I'm sure you have made a connection back to that opening scene where she thought about the tooth fairy?

This story reminded me of a favourite Bluey episode - Season 1 episode 20 - Markets. 

Bookseller blurb: Everyone in Lola’s family has wheels except Lola. So, when she spots the perfect pair of roller skates, she has to have them! There’s just one problem: Lola doesn’t have any money. But the tooth fairy does … Can Lola figure out how to shrink down to the size of a fairy so she can be rich too? ... Youngest sibling Lola inspires and delights with her limitless imagination, inventive problem-solving and determination to prove she’s NOT as little as she looks. No matter the obstacle, Lola always finds a way to be whatever she dreams and to be herself.

This book is very pink and the illustrations do not really appeal to me but the story itself has some sweet moments. I think I might be tempted to read Too Big to be a Fairy without showing the pages - reading it more like a series of connected short stories. You can see many of the pages inside this book here. For a different perspective read the Reading Time review. You can see more art by Bec Kitson on her Instagram page. 

Too Big to be a Fairy is a CBCA 2026 Younger Readers Notable title. 

Here are other books from this series:

I loved a previous book for readers aged 10+ by Kiah Thomas - The Callers.

The Callers