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2021, you rapscallion. The sturm und drang of 2020 just blustered right into this year, and I think it’s safe to say that we are all pretty over it. Maybe none more over it than our kids, for whom the turmoil of lockdowns, cancellations, stressed adults, and general uncertainty have disrupted too much of their young lives. Just like last year, we often turned to books for connection, escape, wisdom, and comfort.
This is the fourth year that I have compiled a list of some of the Australian picture books that we have adored this year. (Find previous years here: 2020 / 2019 / 2018 ). A lot of book creators missed out on their usual opportunities to have book launches, signing tours, school visits, and other merriment that children’s book authors get up to. For that reason, I especially encourage you to check some of these out, either by purchasing them or borrowing them from the library, because most of them have not gotten out in the world in the same way they typically would have.
I want to quickly note that, for this list, I did not include any of the incredible illustrated information books that are being published in the children’s book realm. That could be a separate list on its own, but I would be remiss to not at least mention this category, and at least a couple of the absolute works of art in that came out this year, including The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Peculiar Pairs (Sami Bayly), The Book for Happy Hearts (Maggie Hutchings, illustrated by Jess Racklyeft), Masters of Disguise (Marc Martin), and The Australian Climate Change Book (Polly Marsden, illustrated by Chris Nixon).
I think we have something very special in our Australian children’s book industry. Here are some of the gorgeous creations they have given us in 2021!
The Curiosities
by Zana Fraillon, Illustrated by Phil Lesnie
My favorite thing about picture books is that they are a hybrid of literature and visual art that come together to make a completely unique form. Every once in a while, we find a picture book that is true art, exemplifying how majestic the form can be.
The Curiosities is one of these books. In the author’s notes, Fraillon explains that she wrote the book based on her son’s experience with Tourette’s syndrome. Through this lens, the metaphor of “The Curiosities” becomes clear. They are ethereal beings that are ever-present in young boy Miro’s life, sometimes pleasant, sometimes overpowering. They might represent any neurodiversity, disability, or feeling of difference. Lesnie’s illustrations are inspired by folklore of the Phillipines. They are bold, expressive, and so beautiful. Miro, The Curiosities, and his whole world have so much personality in his images. This is the sort of book that you could gift to a child, teen or adult. It’s a book about the rewards and challenges of differences, and an invocation for a society where diversities are welcome. (We received a review copy of The Curiosities from Hachette Australia)
The Katha Chest
by Radhiah Chowdhury, illustrated by Lavanya Naidu
Asiya loves to visit her Nanu’s house. Her favorite thing there is the katha chest, where Nanu keeps the quilts she made from the saris that Asiya’s mum, aunties, and nanu no longer wear. Each quilt holds a story, which is told in a few words, but even more deeply in several wordless panels in which we see the sari being worn over time by women with rich, emotional, and varied life experiences. Naidu’s illustrations are so detailed and colorful. There is no question why Asiya finds these quilts so alluring. This is a portrait of the importance of the preservation of culture and stories, and the strength of women to persevere and give to the next generation. (Allen and Unwin)
Common Wealth
by Gregg Driese
We live in a Commonwealth, but Gregg Driese would like us to focus more on our common wealth. This book is a slam poetry call to all Australians to do the work of including, respecting, and lifting up the history and culture of our First Nations people. “They say that we are young and free, but it’s easy to see; from the oldest cultures in the world – that line doesn’t include me.” Driese breaks down lines from the Australian anthem, showing how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders are excluded from the European settler version of Australia. His vision is working together to build a community – from things like changing the flag and date of Australia Day to improving school curriculum and embracing cultural traditions that will build a stronger community together. Driese is both author and illustrator, and the art in this book is some of the most striking I’ve seen this year. Common Wealth is a picture book for older readers, most suitable for upper primary and above. It’s a manifesto for every Australian. (Scholastic)
The Boy Who Tried to Shrink His Name
by Sandhya Parappukkaran, illustrated by Michelle Pereira
Zimdalamishkermishkada has a problem when he starts his school – his long name. It seems like it’s too much trouble for everyone. His mum says that they just need practice, but he thinks shortening to “Zim” will make it easier. Zim, however, is not his name – a name that his parents chose carefully for him. He’s stuck between two worlds, which is something that so many children with strong ties to other cultures feel. Just when you think that this book is going to be one of those “so he told them to call him by his name, and they all just magically did” books, it takes such a playful turn. His mother is right that the kids need practice with his name. Zimdalamishkermishkada’s friend also needs practice – at her skateboard. So, they combine the two, breaking down the pieces of his name as she learns the skateboard. I love that the kids have to put some effort in.
Living in such a multi-cultural country as Australia (30% of the population was born overseas), there is a very good chance that most children will, at some point, be in class with a child with a “tricky” name. We honor them for who they are by putting in the effort to learn to say their name properly, rather than asking them to make it easier for us. (Hardie Grant)
Blue Flower
by Sonya Hartnett, illustrated by Gabriel Evans
Some kids fit in naturally. Other kids struggle to make a place for themselves, socially and academically. It’s really hard for kids who are shy and operate on the outskirts, trying to figure out how the other kids can make friends and participate in the classroom with such ease. The little girl in Blue Flower tries to get out of going to school every day because it is such an alienating experience for her. She’s only comfortable at home with her mum and cat.
I get this little girl so much. I was her. As an adult, I know that there are many children who felt invisible and perplexed, but as a child, I didn’t. This book would have been a treasure to me: To know that I wasn’t alone, and to gain some reassurance that there is great value in the people who aren’t exactly like the crowd. I would have loved for the kids who weren’t shy to read a book like this, as well – for them to know to look out for those nearly invisible kids on the fringes, and get to know them and their quiet gifts. (Penguin)
Backyard Birdies
by Andy Geppert
I said in the introduction that I did not include information books in this roundup, so what is this book about Australian birds doing here? It has a Table of Contents, a Glossary, illustrations, maps, and scientific names. Sounds pretty factual, right? Well, with descriptions like, “You’ll sometimes see a white pigeon. That’s because it’s just had a bath.” or that chickens say, “bok, bok, bok. It means I love you,” I think you’ll agree that it’s not clear exactly what category to put Backyard Birdies in. What I know is that it made my kids and me laugh and laugh at the tongue-in-cheek descriptions and delightfully cheeky illustrations. … Maybe we learned a thing or two, as well. (We received a review copy of Backyard Birdies from Hachette)
Tomorrow is a Brand New Day
by Davina Bell, illustrated by Allison Colpoys
The dream team is back! Every time Davina Bell and Allison Colpoys collaborate, something magical happens. Their previous books, The Underwater Fancy Dress Parade, Under the Love Umbrella and All the Ways to be Smart, have all dealt with children’s feelings in uniquely honest and reassuring ways. Tomorrow is a Brand New Day builds on that tradition, focusing on looking forward when bad things happen. Today may not have gone well, but mistakes will be forgiven, bad feelings will improve, and love is a constant. Colpoy’s illustrations are the brightest palette she’s used in any of these books, which is a big splash of joy. After the couple of years we’ve all had, I dare say that kids and adults, alike, can use a reminder that we can look forward to better days ahead. (Scribble)
Bear and Rat
by Christopher Cheng, illustrated by Stephen Michael King
Bear and Rat have a very special friendship. They do everything together and always support each other. Over the course of the book, Rat asks Bear questions, looking for reassurance about their friendship – “Will we always hold hands like this, even when we are old and wrinkly and tottering up this hill?” “Will you hold my hand as you read spooky, scary stories?” and so forth. Bear’s answers are imbued with loved and support. Eventually, the questions turn to “what ifs” about if they become ill or must separate. Bear offers reassurances about the forever nature of their friendship, and how they will always be in each other’s minds and hearts.
Cheng wrote this book for his wife, as he was caring for her during cancer treatment, and decided to publish it after her death. Knowing the backstory makes it quite to emotional read, and if your children or any in your life are facing separation or death of a loved one, this is a simple, earnest, reassuring tale. (Penguin)
Born to Run
by Cathy Freeman, illustrated by Charmaine Leddin-Lewis
Cathy Freeman is one of Australia’s most beloved citizens, the first Aboriginal athlete to win an Olympic gold medalist. She is an inspiration to a nation. Now our kids, who are too young to have seen her light the Olympic torch, can read her story – in her own words – in picture book format. From her childhood love of running, her hard work and supportive family, the heartbreaking death of her sister, and the racism she faced as an Indigenous athlete, this story follows through to her Olympic achievements, and how that felt. Born to Run is illustrated by the talented Charmaine Leddin-Lewis, who has put so much emotion into each image.
This biography is text heavy, so probably best suited to primary aged readers (though, younger readers would also love the illustrations). Freeman’s story is important to Australia, and one that all Australian children should know. (Penguin)
I’m Fabulous Crab
by Nicki Greenberg
Do you know a kid who just needs to shine, whether it’s through their fantastically flashy dress or big personality? I’m Fabulous Crab is for them. The story is about book is about a hermit crab who just can’t help how fabulously decorative he wants to be, despite warnings from the other crabs. It’s his flair for flair ends up saving the day. This book practically jumps off the shelf at you, with it’s gorgeously foiled cover. In a year of heaviness, I’m Fabulous Crab radiates joy and fun more than any other I’ve seen this year. Every page is bright and delicious. Some people – and crabs – are just born to be “extra” – and thank goodness for that! (Affirm)
Rajah Street
by Myo Yim
Do you stop to consider at the world outside your window? It’s fascinating out there!
Rajah Street is a child’s eye view of life on a city street. Junya lives on Rajah Street with his family. Seeing the garbage truck is one of his very favorite things. He knows the garbage truck comes on Wednesday, though he’s not sure when, exactly, Wednesday is. He passes his time at the window waiting for the garbage truck in the most wonderful state of imagination: What are the kookaburras talking about? Would some tea and toast help the concrete mixer truck wake up? Is the school bus really on the way to the zoo? The collage-style illustrations in Rajah Street are a feast, a map of the real and imaginary that make Junya’s street. I love that when the garbage truck arrives, Junya knows it’s Wednesday, and he is so pleased with knowing where he is in time and space. Yim hits on such special, quiet parts of the way children place themselves in the world.
When you’re little, your very own street can be the whole universe.
(We received a copy of Rajah Street for review from Walker Books.)
The Bird in the Herd
by Kathryn Apel, illustrated by Renee Treml
Fantastic read aloud books don’t come along every day. The Bird in the Herd may be the most fun books to read out loud that we had this year. This rhyming picture book about a cow farm with some fun Australiana, builds on itself, and is full of fantastic words like stalks/walks, nods/plods, coot/ute. This would be a perfect one for pre-school storytime or a great one for early readers to work on (We received a review copy of The Bird in the Herd from University of Queensland Press)
The Bark Book
by Victoria Mackinlay, illustrated by Beth Harvey
It must be so much fun inside Victoria Mackinlay’s mind. Following up last year’s absolutely delightful Ribbit Rabbit Robot, Mackinlay brought more wonderful wordplay to life with The Bark Book. This story of a dog’s afternoon is told entirely through homonyms: for instance, the dog woofs as it stares sadly out the window (“blue bark”), then we can see it’s looking at a yard with a tree with blue bark. This book offers a look our funny English language, excellent for word discovery for pre-school and up. Illustrator Beth Harvey is the Animation Director on Bluey, so you can be sure that she knows a thing or two about creating illustrated dogs with big personalities. This is a rollicking adventure with an adorable dog in just a few, perfect words. (We received a copy of The Bark Book from Harper Collins for review.)
March of the Ants
by Ursula Dubosarsky, illustrated by Tohby Riddle
A colony of ants is heading off “on a very important expedition.” Ants, being sensible as they are, each bring one thing along – food, water, map, tools, and so forth. However, when the littlest ant declares that she would be bringing a book, it causes a real kerfuffle. It is well into the long, tiring, frightening journey that the littlest ant brings out her book to read the story aloud to the colony. That book gives them the spiritual uplift that they need to keep going. And, can’t we all relate to that?! (Book Trail Press)
Arno and His Horse
by Jane Godwin, illustrated by Felicita Sala
Perhaps Jane Godwin had the profundity of lost toys on the mind this year, as both this book and her book Little One (Affirm, illustrated by Gabriel Evans) deal with the topic. They are very different, and both beautiful, books, and I had a hard time choosing which one to include in this list.
Arno and His Horse is just a spectacular book. It starts with the simple premise of Arno losing his toy horse, and then it gets deeper and deeper. He tries to find it, retracing his steps with some other kids, but to no avail. Eventually, we learn that the horse was a handmade gift from his grandfather, who has died. Arno appeals to his grandfather in his dreams, and their connection is strong enough to bring the horse back to him. Felicita Sala’s illustrations contribute such a strong and specific feeling to this book. The earthy colors are a feast, and she has somehow created a look that is recognizably Australian, but with a hint of, perhaps, Surrealism. The text and illustrations work so thoughtfully together. It’s incredibly moving. (Scribble)
Enough Love?
by Maggie Hutchings, illustrated by Evie Barrow
Willa lives in a comfortable little family, just her mum, dad, a bird, and her. But then her parents split, and her family changes. And, it keeps changing, as her parents meet new partners, add siblings, and even more pets. With so many new people, is there enough love to go around? Any child with a blended family will likely relate to this story. It centers Willa’s feelings, honoring how changes in her family structure can be both happy and unsettling at the same time. Evie Barrow’s illustrations are, as always, picture book perfection (it seems I can’t have a best-of list without some Evie Barrow illustrations included!).
Families may be complicated, but in good ones, there is definitely no shortage of love to go around. Sometimes kids can use that reminder. (Affirm)
Rhyme Hungry
by Anotonia Pesenti
Antonia Pesenti has done it again! Rhyme Hungry is the follow up to the divine Rhyme Cordial, which was on my 2018 best-of list. Its brilliance is almost deceptively simple: Each page features an image of something food related with a two or three word description (i.e. – “Cheese Toastie”). Flip over the page to find an unexpected play on the words (“Cheese Ghostie”). We giggle our way through every page. Bright, bold, marvelously chunky, interactive, and funny-as, Rhyme Hungry is board book brilliance. (Scribble)
The Imagineer
by Christopher Cheng, illustrated by Lucia Masciullo
This book brought back such vivid memories, for me, of my grandparents’ amazing attic and all of the treasures it held – clothes, toys, books, and gadgets from a bygone era. Entering that space, as a child, was like stepping into a fantasy world. In The Imagineer, Penny is a girl who loves to dream up and build new creations. While her imagination is big, she is limited by the size of her apartment. She gets to unleash her “imagineer” spirit when she visits her grandfather’s big house, which is full of his old “fangled contraptions.” There is a lot of joy in their joint creating, with grandpa as the keeper of the memories, and Penny envisioning a new life for them. This book is a feast for any kid who love tinkering, building, and creating. (National Library of Australia)
Albert Namatjira
by Vincent Namatjira
Albert Namatjira is one of Australia’s most significant artists, and was also the first Indigenous person to be recognized as an Australian citizen. Do you and your children know his story? His great grandson, Vincent Namatjira, is an acclaimed artist in his own right. He was the first Indigenous artist to win the Archibald Prize (2020). He tells and illustrates the story of his great grandfather in this biographical picture book. His language is simple and direct, and he shares both the triumphs of the elder Namatjira’s life, as well as his significant hardships. This book is best suited to primary aged students, and should be a resource in every Australian school library. (Magabala Books)
Down the Road, Little Bee
by Sarah Jane Lightfoot
Down the Road, Little Bee is the perfect example of why Australian kids need Australian books. In this divinely illustrated book, a little bee is searching for pollen in an Australian suburb. Each page is a new month, with new things flowering for the bee to discover. The thing that struck me right away is that the months are seasonally appropriate for Australia, the street scenes are full of little details that will be familiar to Aussie kids, and the plants are all ones that we commonly see here. This is Sarah Jane Lightfoot’s first picture book, and with illustrations as gorgeous as these, I can’t wait to see more from her! (Affirm)
Backyard Magic
by Wenda Shurety, illustrated by Harriet Hobday
I don’t know about you, but finding the right screen time balance has become an especially tricky challenge in this pandemic era. Tilly gets pulled away from her interest in TV watching by the sounds of a bird calling her name. She needs to find that bird. Off she goes into the garden on a marvelous, imaginative backyard adventure. I find this so reflective of how my kids are, as well. They are tough to get away from screens, but once they are outdoors, time just wiles away, and their playful natures are in their finest form.
You can probably see from the front cover image just how lush the illustrations in Backyard Magic are. They really transform the backyard into the exciting wonderland of Tilly’s imagination. Keep an eye out for that bird! (Affirm)
The Boy and the Elephant
by Freya Blackwood
There is a special place in my heart for wordless picture books. I find them such a personally satisfying experience, piecing a story together from the images, and knowing that every reader may interpret it a little differently. I know they’re not everyone’s cup of tea, but I just adore wordless picture books when they’re done right. The Boy and the Elephant is done right. Freya Blackwood is a master illustrator, and she has packed so much story and emotion into a book without words. In this story, a little boy who lives in the city, has a secret friend elephant in an overgrown lot next to his apartment. When the “woods” are going to be torn down to make something new, he has to save his friend.
As a city parent, I relate so much to the imaginative and healing power that nature holds for urban kids. There’s an important message about resilience in here, as well. Things do not stay the same, but not all change is bad; and we can adapt to hold on to what matters, as we also grow. (Harper Collins)
Hello World
by Lisa Shanahan, illustrated by Leila Rudge
Sometimes my kids tip me off to how special a book is long before my grown-up mind is savvy enough to clue in. Such was the case with Hello World. Miss 4 kept crawling into my lap, this book in hand, asking for it to be read to her over and over.
Hello World carries us through the day of a happy toddler who greets each new adventure with a hello. “Hello world. Hello sun. Hello day just begun.” She rises for the day, has breakfast with her family, play and crafts, helps mum with the laundry, picks up her brothers from school, play, dinner, bath, and bed. It’s a perfectly average day, but the little girl seems to love every familiar bit of routine, the tiny wonders of finding a lizard, the joy of seeing her brothers at the school gate. The cadence of the text, with its repeated “hello”s becomes melodic and soothing, just like the comfortable rhythm of a day. The illustrations are full of the most divine little domestic details on every page.
This would be such a beautiful book for a new baby gift or toddler birthday. Or, for yourself, if you need a lovely reminder of how many delights a regular day can hold. (We received a review copy of Hello World from Harper Collins)
The Silly Seabed Song
by Aura Parker
There may be no Australian picture book illustrator that I adore more than Aura Parker. Animals, insects, and now sea life take on energetic, distinct, bright, beautiful personalities in Parker’s hands. The Silly Seabed Song is a fun read aloud about an underwater rock oyster band, their enthusiastic marine fans, and the little turtle who just wants to get to sleep. The illustrations are such that you just want to spend time with every page – the fish, the coral, the octopus, sharks, and on and on are a joyous visual feast. A fun feature that Parker often includes in her books is turning the endpapers into a search-and-find, which gives you and your kids even more reason to spend time with her underwater wonderland. (Penguin)
Big Love
by Megan Jacobson, illustrated by Beck Feiner
Things that are really, really big: a house … a city … the universe. But, none of those things are “as big as my love for you.” In the spirit of books like Guess How Much I Love You and The Runaway Bunny, this book shows increasingly big things to show the impossibility of measuring a parent’s (or any beloved relative’s) love for a child. Beck Feiner’s distinctive graphic illustrations make Big Love a visual feast, and the images are full of little touches that are distinctly Australian. This is the perfect baby shower/new baby gift, or one to read cuddled up with your kids of any age. (We received a review copy of Big Love from Walker Books)
I hope you’ll bring this list with you on your next visit to the library or bookshop. We can never put too many quality Australian books in our kids’ hands!
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