Children's Book Council of Australia 2024 Winners

See the announcement here

Today the CBCA announced the winners in six categories for our prestigious Australian Children's book awards. SO how did I go with my choices?

• I did predict Scar Town to be a winner in Younger Readers - such a brilliant book and in my view 'streets ahead' of the others in that category.
• I did predict Hope is the thing would win New Illustrator - I loved the art from the moment I saw this one BUT I am sorry to say I think the cover lets this one down.
• I did not read all of the Older Readers shortlist as they are beyond the scope of this blog but by chance I did read Grace Notes and so I am very happy to see a prize given to a verse novel.
• Timeless is really good and certainly contains lots of things you can discuss with your readers but I thought Bowerbird Blues would win or at least gain an honour award and I was sure Every Night at Midnight would also gain an honour.
• I am disappointed to see Bob Graham (The Concrete Garden) did not make the official prize list It was the Shadow Judges choices. Shadow Judges are groups of children who focus on one category using an abridged set of judging criteria. I talked about this here. 
• I did talk in glowing terms about Australia Colour of Country - Eve Pownall honour book. It is a fabulous book and one I would happily gift to children who do not live here in Australia.  I did not get the chance to read other books in this category. 
• I did like Gymnastica Fantastica but the clever dual story lines (visual and in text) used in One Little Duck mean it surely was worthy of an honour. It is good to see heartwarming sentiment of Bear and Duck are Friends rewarded with an Early Childhood Honour. 

Here are the Shadow judges' choices.  

I am very happy that The Concrete Garden has some level of acknowledgement, but I do think the Shadow Judging should be announced separately - it is very confusing and to my mind (sorry for the unpopular opinion) this takes away from the serious work done by the adult judges. This is a literary award not a children's choice award - we have lots of those in our Australian states such as KOALA here in NSW. I think it was better when the shadow choices were announced about a week after the main awards announcement. I do hope the CBCA Awards committee reconsider this decision for the 2025 awards. 

I did the NCACL (National Centre for Australian Children's literature) notes for Every Night at Midnight. 

Here are the 2024 short lists. Pop each title into my side bar to read more about nearly all of these:

Younger Readers

Early Childhood

Picture Book of the Year

Eve Pownall (Non-Fiction)

New Illustrator

Here is a comment from winner Tristan Bancks for ABC News:

"I don't think kids bump into books perhaps as easily as they used to. It takes teacher librarians, educators and booksellers that work so hard to just make people aware [of books]. There's not as many column inches for books anymore. There's never been a more important time than for something like the CBCA (awards) to highlight books and to celebrate what reading can give you that perhaps other forms of entertainment can't."

365 How to Count a Year by Miranda Paul illustrated by Julien Chung

The front end paper shows all the numbers from one up to 365. The back end papers are filled with confetti! I think this means - we do not need to constrain our lives with numbers but they sure can be fun.

Yes, it does take 365 days for Earth to spin around the sun but it might easier to think of this as 365 "good mornings" and 365 "good nights" oh and "hopefully 365 clean pairs of underwear."

I love the tone of this counting book.

There are 52 weeks in the year but surely it is better to think of this as "52 Friday night movie popcorn spills."  There are 12 months in the year or "12 bulletin board ideas in Mr Winner's classroom." 

Of course, in one year we only have one birthday cake, one birthday wish, one birthday party. Be patient the next one is only 8,760 hours away. 

A bright, buoyant look at measurements, conventional and otherwise. Kirkus

This is a perfect book to add to your preschool collection or library. Hopefully you might also find it in your local school or public library so you can borrow this book to share with your own young reading companion. 

You can see other books by Miranda Paul here. I previously talked about this one:

Peace

There are so many brilliant counting books we can share with our youngest children. In your library go to [510] or for this book about the days in the year go to [529]:

One Fox

How to count to One

Lifetime

I am very keen to see this book illustrated by Julien Chung:

Read the Kirkus review

Simon Sort of Says by Erin Bow

"Who wouldn't want to live in a place with no internet and no cell phones and no TV or radio? Who wouldn't want to live surrounded by emu farms in a town that's half astrophysicists and half people who are afraid of their microwaves. I mean isn't that the American Dream? Hint: no."

I am only going to give brief details about the plot of this book because I do not want to spoil your reading experience. Erin Bow drops tiny hints (Betsy Bird calls them breadcrumbs) which gradually give you the details of what has happened to Simon back at his old school. Here are a few of them:

My father got fired - the hilarious reasons are outlined in chapter one. Simon's mother is an undertaker. Undertakers can work anywhere. "And that's why we came here. Anyway, that's what I tell people."

"I would have moved to Mars if it got me away from what happened in Omaha."

"I don't like the stiff and clearly brand-new backpack, but I never got the old one back ... "

"I was home-schooled all last year, and I asked my parents not to include the records from before that."

"The bell is loud - it's a real bell, being hit by a real hammer, sounding like a real emergency - and my body slams backwards into the chalkboard, the eraser tray jamming into my hip. But none of the other kids notice."

There are some terrific plot devices in this story - no internet means no one can Google Simon to find out about his past. The name of the town Grin and Bear It allows the author to create a small town in America with so many quirky shops and other businesses including the funeral home which is called Slaughter and Sons. I love the other fun towns Erin Bow "invents" (perhaps they are real) Truth or Consequences, New Mexico; Come by Chance, Newfoundland; and Intercourse, Pennsylvania. There are emus in this story which is funny to me because I am here in Australia - we never do find out why Agate's neighbour has an emu farm. I also adore the minor adult characters in this story - Simon's mum and dad just seem so real and Erin Bow describes them so well; Agate has a wonderful eclectic family and even though we don't meet her dad until the final chapters I just wanted to hug him and Mrs Van der Zwaan. Mum has a deep coffee addiction - so funny to me especially as a non-coffee person. Read this:

"I need a proper mocha ... seventy two percent dark Madagascar chocolate, microfoamed almond milk and two shots of espresso, Yirgicheff bean, lightly washed."

If you want to read more the Kirkus review contains the main plot spoiler.

Adroit, sensitive, horrifying, yet hilarious. Kirkus Star review

Betsy Bird sums up this idea too, of not spoiling the story:

I almost fear telling you too much about it, in case you don’t come to it with the same clean slate that I had. The fact of the matter is that Erin Bow has created a masterpiece of tone with this book. Combining a legitimately horrifying situation with humor, heart, and the occasional Jesus squirrel, this is both the funniest book you’ll read this year, and the best-written. Would that I were joking about that. In three words: I am not.

BUT Betsy does go on to say do not read her review if you want to avoid possible spoilers!

The book itself has this summary:

"Two years after a tragedy saddles him with viral fame, twelve-year-old Simon O'Keefe and his family move to Grin And Bear It, Nebraska, where the internet and cell phones are banned so (that) astrophysicists can scan the sky for signs of alien life, and where, with the help of two new friends, a puppy and a giant radio telescope, Simon plans to restart the narrative of his life."

I love the final words of Betsy Bird's review:

This is for the kid who likes their humor to be complicated, their writing to be scintillating, and to never, ever, know what an author is going to do next. One and all, please be so good as to meet the most memorable book of the year.

Here are some detailed discussion questions.

Some time ago I joined an online book discussion group. I don't read every book but this one intrigued me. I am about to do some traveling so I have bought a small Kindle and I added this book to my Kindle library. Over the last few days while I had a small mountain mini break I decided to test out reading on the Kindle and I picked this book as a perfect one to try. Simon sort of Says is such an engrossing story with a plot structure I really appreciate where the author gradually reveals past events and also where other kids, not by design or on purpose, gently help the main character recover from a trauma. I do like to highlight sections as I read and in the past with Kindle titles I previously easily did this on my ipad but it took me a few tries to master this on a different device. The highlighted notes give me access to text quotes and also jog my memory about plot details and also a way to join the online discussion questions posted earlier this year. 

Companion books:

The Probability of everything

The Midnight Children

Measuring me by Nicola Kent

This book is such a delight. It will help a child make sense of themselves through a series of easy to understand comparisons. This book should be added to all preschool and Kindergarten classrooms. Every child will also potentially see themselves in these pages too:

The children depicted are diverse: one uses a walking aid, for example, and the girl on the cover has a tracheostomy to aid her breathing. Kent has a tracheostomy herself, and knows how vital it is for children with physical differences to find themselves represented incidentally ‘as part of the rainbow of humanity’ in books and other media. It’s particularly welcome to see a book about the wonders of the human body quietly taking this approach. Books for Keeps

• I'm as tall as ten tin cans.
• My nose can detect 50,000 different scent and my tongue has thousands of taste buds.
• The biggest bone is my thigh bone. It's about the height of a cat.
• When I'm standing still my body gives off enough energy to power a light bulb.

Written from the perspective of a child and featuring bright, adorable illustrations of different children, the book captures the sense of curiosity and wonder that children have for the world around them. It introduces the concept of measuring in a personal and relatable way, making it easier for young learners to grasp – and to have fun with!  Book Trust

This book would make a wonderful gift for a young child aged 3-6. If you are reading this book to your class Kane Miller the US publisher have a set of discussion questions. 

A brilliant bonus at the back of the book is an equally ingenious, sturdy, height chart. This has the usual measuring tape along one side, but tins in the middle and animals beside them so you can compare them to your own height and to each other. Emperor penguins are much larger than I imagined! You are encouraged to find other things to measure yourself against too and I can see this provoking lots of excited activity. Love Reading 4Kids

You can see lots of other books by Nicola Kent here. They sure do look appealing.

The Pickpocket and the Gargoyle by Lindsay Eager

There are a host of very different characters in this splendid book. The setting feels like an ancient European city such as Paris or Rome and the unfinished cathedral, which has several gargoyles on the roof, is so well described I felt as though I was roaming right through the city and standing on the cathedral while I 'lived' through the whole year covered by this story. The descriptions of the sights, sounds and smells are so vivid. The derelict cathedral is at the centre of the story. It was built one hundred years ago in Odierne and is apply named Cathedral Sans Nom. A huge gargoyle observes the life of the city. He is not alone on the top of this building, but the other gargoyles are on the opposite side facing east and they shun him. Our alternate chapter narrator is the gargoyle facing west. One evening a young woman holding a tiny baby, climbs up to the roof of the ruined building in an attempt to escape the police. When she is finally cornered, she jumps into the river clutching her tiny baby. Eight years have now passed by the gargoyle still feels so much pain. His job is to protect but he failed to protect the mother and child. But what can he do. He is a gargoyle. He cannot move and he cannot talk, except to the pigeons who try to roost in his open mouth. He is powerless and deeply sad. 

Then we meet Duck. Duck is rescued as a tiny baby girl from the Saluire, the river that runs through the city. She is taken in by a gang of pickpockets and petty criminals all of whom are really children themselves. The gang call themselves Crowns. Duck does not know this yet but it is not a coincidence that the gang have moved into Odierne. The gang leader Gnat (this is the most perfect name for him) organises for Duck to work for Griselde as a baker's apprentice. His scheme is to have Duck steal bread and money to pass onto the Crowns each Saturday at the market. But Duck has a destiny. It is clear from the beginning she has a talent for baking and for creating delicious flavor combinations especially with her favourite herb - rosemary.

As I said at the beginning of this post, each of the characters in this book is so well drawn. Baker Griselde is a huge woman with enormous patience and good sense. Her journeyman Petrus is a thin suspicious figure who is always watching Duck. In the gang Ash, is both Duck's rescuer and her one true friend. Gnat, leader of the Crowns, revels in the power he wields over this group of young orphans but Duck has learnt to watch his face closely and from time to time she sees tiny hints of his true character and yearning to know about his own past and possible family. As for Duck, it is a joy to watch her transformation from a timid, almost silent child, into a young girl who learns to read, to bake and who gains enough confidence to question Gnat especially now he seems to be conspiring with the dangerous rival gang the Red Swords. 

Publisher blurb: Fished from the river as an infant and raised by a roving band of street urchins who call themselves the Crowns, eight-year-old Duck keeps her head down and her mouth shut. It’s a rollicking life, always thieving, always on the run – until the ragtag Crowns infiltrate an abandoned cathedral in the city of Odierne and decide to put down roots. It’s all part of the bold new plan hatched by the Crowns’ fearless leader, Gnat, to ensure the Crowns always have a steady supply of food and money. But no sooner is Duck apprenticed to the kindly local baker than her allegiances start to blur. Who is she really: a Crown or an apprentice baker? And who does she want to be? Meanwhile, high above the streets of Odierne, on the roof of the unfinished cathedral, an old and ugly gargoyle grows weary of waiting to fulfil his own destiny to watch and protect. Told in alternating viewpoints, this exquisite novel evokes a timeless tale of love, self-discovery, and what it means to be rescued.

I have had this book on my to read pile for many months. I picked it up a couple of times but the opening prelude to the story didn't quite grab me. This book has 448 pages and so I did keep pushing it to the bottom of the pile until this week. I did take the whole week to read this book but near the end I devoured the final chapters because they were so gripping. I was desperately hoping Duck would finally find her true place in the world even though Gnat had so horribly used and betrayed her.  After reading this book (or perhaps listening to an audio version if one is made) you will want to head off to your own local bakery so you can also devour some delicious breads in as many different forms and flavours as you can find. I recommend this book for keen readers who have good reading stamina aged 10+.

Here is an excellent review by Margot Hillel for Reading Time:

This is a book about loyalty and choices, particularly having one’s loyalty tested when required to choose sides. It is also about belonging and community; about what makes a home and what constitutes a family. It is a multi-layered book that will benefit from discussion in a class but is also a rich, individual reading experience.

"The craft of the baker is described in mouth-watering detail, and the reader gains some insight into how medieval guilds might have operated. ... Those interested in historical fiction (with a touch of magical realism) will enjoy this one." Reading Time Margaret McKay-Lowndes March, 2023.

Companion books:

The Threads of Magic

A Very Unusual Pursuit

Over and Over by MH Clark illustrated by Beya Rebai

"And all the while, we'll watch the clouds change, making rabbits and fish in the sky. 
They will never quite look this way again, and neither will you or I."

This is a beautifully illustrated book that falls into a category I previous discussed - Poetry with Pictures. There is no real plot just a series of slightly philosophical statements or homilies. The words are also a series of wisdoms shared by an adult to their child. I put one of my favourite lines under the cover above.

"Over and over, the sun will rise and touch the sky above. And over and over you'll open your eyes, good morning to you, my love."

"Over and over we'll put on our shoes and our coats and our warm wool hats. And I'll open the door to the world with you. And we'll greet the day like that."

From the publisher: In a world marked by uncertainty, this reassuring tale celebrates the gentle rituals that ground a child’s day. Over and Over follows a young girl and her father as they enjoy life’s simple everyday pleasures—from sitting down for breakfast to gazing at the clouds to counting the stars before lying down to sleep. With poetic storytelling and captivating imagery, each page honors the calming magic of togetherness and the comforts in routine. 

And we will leave angels and footprints and tracks in the field, all gone sparkling and white.

Near the end of the book the pages fold out to reveal all four seasons. 

Here is a very detailed interview with the author MH Clark and the illustrator Beya Rebai. Read more about MH Clark and see inside other books here. See more art by French illustrator Beta Rebai here. 

There are other books in this series by MH Clark:

And I found these too - I am keen to see more of her work:

April's Garden by Isla McGuckin illustrated by Catalina Echeverri

April and her Mamma have to move. The text does not say why but the illustration shows the desperation of this event as they run through the darkness, April drops her precious doll and mum bundles her into the car. Mamma says the new house will be good. 

It has a garden and lots of space, but all April can see is closed doors, no children and the rain-soaked garden is hidden because it is so late at night. Mamma suggest April might like to draw the garden of her dreams. 

Remember April lost her doll.  These lines from the text broke my heart:

"And then Mamma said, 'See what else is in those bags.' So, April looked. There was a doll with tangled hair. There were colouring books filled with somebody else's colouring. And there was a set of cups that stacked. April said, 'For a baby!'"

Then someone donates a few old magazines to the shelter and inside April finds packets of seeds. Those baby stacking cups are perfect, and the wet garden soil is easy to scoop. April plants and the seeds and then she waits and waits and waits. 

"Hope is a lovely, magical sort of thinking. It can help you to feel happy, no matter what."

"But nothing felt hopeful or lovely or magical or happy."

Eventually Mamma and April do move into a better place. Those little seeds eventually produce beautiful flowers and so the story closes with a sense of hope and happiness for their future. 

When you read this book with a group of older primary students make sure you talk about the way the illustrator gradually changes the colours used in this book from dull sepia tones and then tiny fragments of colour. Brightly coloured flowers are the focus of the final double spread. You could also talk about the two ladies in the final illustration - a social worker and a woman from the shelter. Take a look at this book trailer from the publisher Graffeg. 

Bookseller blurb: April and her mother have been housed in temporary accommodation. Promised a brighter future by her mother, April finds her life there to be filled with things that are old, broken and impersonal. She longs for her own things and for some beauty in her life but experiences only frustration and disappointment until one day she plants some seeds…

This stunning story about a mother and child starting again is very touching, and could possibly represent the experiences of mothers and children forced to flee abusive homes, or of refugees starting again in a new country. Echeverri’s illustration begins with dark, scribbled pages of rain and darkness, and gradually get lighter as the story progresses and as April’s hope returns. Beautiful and heartwarming. Book Trust

April's Garden was shortlisted for the Yoto Carnegies 2024. 

Companion books on the topic finding a new home:

A Place to Stay

The Colour of Home

The Invisible

Amira's Suitcase

It's a no money day

And I am keen to find these books also on the topic of homelessness and moving into a temporary shelter.

And on the topic of waiting for seeds to grow:

Oscar's tower of flowers

The Secret Sky garden