20 Gorgeous Australian Picture Books From 2018

Never mind the hard covers and pointy edges, I am of the opinion that books are the warmest, fuzziest gifts that you can give a kid. Picture books, in particular, are most children’s earliest exposure to art and literature, so I think a beautiful book is one step in the right direction of growing a lifelong arts lover. I have fallen in love with many Aussie picture books this year, so I’m rounding of 20 of the gorgeous Ausstralian picture books (in no particular order) that have made me starry eyed in 2018. Any of these would make a stunning gift for your children, grandchildren, cousins, neighbors, class birthday kids, childcare centre …basically,  if you know a kid, there’s a book on here for them!

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All the Ways to Be Smart
by Davina Bell, illustrated by Allison Colpoys

I’ve already waxed poetic on why this book is so special. Featuring boys and girls of all manner of appearance and types of interests, every child is bound to see themselves and their potential in this book about the many, many ways kids can be smart. (Scribe Publications)

Grandma Z
by Daniel Gray-Barnett

Every kid needs a little magic in their lives, and when poor Albert’s birthday looks like it’s going to be another dullsville day, up roars Grandma Z on her motorcycle, to whisk him off on the biggest adventure of his life. A testament to the imagination, Grandma Z‘s lively blue and orange illustrations are so eye-catching, and their adventures are full of wonder. It’s quite the ride. (We were gifted a review copy of Grandma Z by the author and Scribe Books).

Wren
by Katrina Lehman, illustrated by Sophie Beer

The introvert in me rejoiced when I heard about this book! Wren is a little boy who just wants some quiet, especially after the addition to his family of a noisy new baby. He runs away to the country to get a little peace, but then he realizes he misses his noisy family, and finds his own way to fit in. If you have a a pesky little sibling or an introverted kid, this is one that will surely find an understanding audience in your family. (Scribe Publications)

Rhyme Cordial
by Antonia Pesenti

A big, chunky picture book with beautifully stylish images by illustrator/architect/designer Antonia Pesenti. Each page is something “normal” (i.e. – “Alarm Clock”), but when you turn the flap, it reveals a twisted version (Alarm clock becomes “Alarm Croc” – a crocodile with a clock head). The plays on word and colorful pictures will appeal to kids from babies up to about 6+ (and their grown ups). (Scribe Publications)

Cicada
by Shaun Tan

Oh my goodness, the beauty of this book. Cicada is a suit-clad office worker who is ignored and unappreciated. It’s an awfully grey existence for Cicada until his profound transformation at the end. I feel all the feels every time I read this book: Empathy, sadness, anger, understanding, humor, and joy. Though this is a picture book, I would not recommend it for young children. Our Miss 5 was both fascinated and somewhat confused by this book (though, she has requested many readings of it. I think she likes the multitude of feelings it gives her), and I don’t think it’s right for a child any younger. This is one for older kids – maybe 7+ – and even adults. (Hatchette Australia)

Wide Big World
by Maxine Beneba Clarke, illustrated by Isobel Knowles

It can be such a challenge to know how to talk to young children about our differences. We’d love to think that little ones don’t even notice things like race or different abilities, but the truth is that they do, and if we adults don’t have active conversations about diversity, we don’t have control over the conclusions they will draw. Wide Big World takes on the differences that make up our world in a gentle, positive way. Children in a playground, with the help of their teacher, notice that their friends all have different features, and then they go on to notice that there are so many differences in the natural world that makes it wonderful. The pictures are lovely, and the message is simple, yet so important. It’s a great conversation opener that would be especially good for older toddlers and pre-schoolers. (Hatchette Australia)

Backyard
by Ananda Braxton-Smith, illustrated by Lizzy Newcomb

As a city-dweller, I sometimes feel a little badly that my kids don’t have more chance to connect with nature. Backyard is the perfect reminder that, even in a city, nature is all around us. As night begins to fall on a regular backyard, a little girl and her dog take time to observe the wildlife. Each page is a lushly illustrated and poetic introduction to Australian backyard animals like tawny frogmouths, orb weavers, water dragons, possums, and more. Any kid who reads this is going to want to spend some time outdoors to spot the inhabitants of their own backyard. (We were given a review copy of Backyard by Walker Books).

Claris, The Chicest Mouse in Paris
by Megan Hess

If you have a child who loves all things frilly, froufy, and fasion-y, they are going to want to prance right into the oh-so-luxe pages of Claris, The Chicest Mouse in Paris. Claris follows her dreams of going to Paris, and finds herself an inhabitant of a fancy Paris apartment. The only problem is the nasty little girl who lives there, and her menacing looking cat. It turns out that Claris has an unexpected ally, and a style-loving one, at that. Fashion illustrator Megan Hess puts her talents to the mini-glam with her Chanel-styled mouse heroine. This is the most perfectly pretty, high style book on this list – as sweet as glamorous as can be. (Hardie Grant Egmont)

Rainbow Menagerie
by Linda Jackson

Speaking of fashion … Australian fashion designer Linda Jackson turned her colorful creativity to a picture book this year, and the result is the perfectly titled Rainbow Menagerie. Silhouetted against a bold rainbow background is a collection of Australian animals, with a verse about them. It’s an eye-popping delight, great for babies on up. (Scribe Publications)

Hello, Australia
by Megan McKean

Following McKean’s Hello, Sydney and Hello, Melbourne, she’s now taking us all over the country in her distinctive style of illustration. It’s full of Australian animals and locations, and a lot of fun information about locales around our country. It’s a visual feast, and would be good for kids of any age. If you know any new Australian transplants or expats missing home, this would be a super stylish Aussie gift. (Thames & Hudson Ltd )

Blast Off!
by Shelley Unwin, illustrated by Ben Wood

Space lovers – this one is for you! Written in such clever verse, this book follows a couple of junior astronauts as they visit each planet. My kid is a bit of a 5 year old astronomy fanatic, and one thing I particularly appreciated about this book is that all of the facts at each planet aren’t necessarily the ones that you tend to hear over and over. Plus, the illustrations are darling. I think around 4 – 6 would be a great age for this out-of-this-world charmer. (Random House Australia)

When You’re Going to the Moon
by Sasha Beekman, illustrated by Vivienne To

Another one for the aspiring astronauts is the dreamy When You’re Going to the Moon. A determined little girl is going to the moon, and she needs to collect some important supplies before she goes – like her pet iguana, her yo-yo, and her dancing shoes. This book explores the childhood pull between wanting to have grand adventures, while still very much needing the safety of home. I adore the details all over the pictures of her room and beyond and the hints of emotions in the expressions on her face. A beauty for pre-school and early primary adventurers. (Affirm Press)

Girl on Wire
by Lucy Estela, illustrated by Elise Hurst

Another high-flying girl soars through the pages of the metaphorical Girl on Wire. The girl faces her fears to cross a tightrope across a windy storm. The illustrations, which have a dreamy, vintage look to them, show us the girl’s hair and skirt whipping in the breeze, as she perilously crosses the wire. A woman, I presume it’s her mother, tells her that she supports her, but she must do this challenge on her own. The message of this book, finding your own strength and bravery, will resonate strongly with primary aged girls, and even up to secondary. This would be a beautiful vote of confidence for a young girl facing any challenge in her life. (Puffin Books)

Mamie
by Tania McCartney

And, with Mamie, we have yet another clever heroine, this one imagined up from real life. “Mamie” is the nickname of Snugglepot & Cuddlepie author May Gibbs, and in this book, Tania McCartney imagines her as an artistic and creative little girl whose world is turned upside down when her family moves to Australia. It is the natural surrounds of her new home, though, that helps her come up with her famous characters. While Mamie’s story is historical, McCartney hasn’t gone for a particularly old-fashioned look to the illustrations. She could just as easily be a kid today as one from the 1880s, and I think that’s probably on purpose. Childhood dreams, their connection with nature, and creativity never changes. Mamie is good for pre-school through early primary, and will be a great tie-in if your child already knows her books, though, they won’t lose anything if they don’t. (Harper Collins)

Alpacas With Maracas
by Matt Cosgrove

The follow-up to the popular Macca the Alpaca, this book introduces us to Macca’s best friend Al, who is a dear heart, if a bit on the dim side. The alpaca pals decide to enter a talent contest, minus any discernible talent. But, with optimism like theirs, how can they lose? (Spoiler: they do. But, it’s all good.) These alpacas are huge favorites with my 5 year old, and I think it has a lot to do with their irresistibly endearing faces. You can’t help but cheer for the charming alpacas. It’s a light read with bold, bright illustrations, suitable for any age through early primary. (Scholastic Books)

Room on Our Rock
by Kate and Joel Temple, illustrated by Terri Rose Baynton

This is a seemingly simple book that has a nice message and packs an emotional punch. The text, about seals seeking refuge, is meant to be read first from front to back, in which there is no room on the rock. Then, you read the same text back to front, and the seals are welcomed. It’s not exactly a thinly veiled comment on refugee policy, but young kids won’t understand that. What I think they can take away is that there are at least a couple of sides to any story, and that if we think about a problem in a new way, maybe there’s a solution we didn’t see before. And, that it feels a lot nicer to be welcoming than not. (Scholastic Australia)

Waves
by Donna Rawlins, illustrated by Heather Potter and Mark Jackson

Most people who live in Australia today have come across an ocean, at some point in their family’s history. Waves tells snippets of sea-faring stories from the perspective of children across time and in a lot of different circumstances. The illustrations of the children and their vessels are in a muted sepia and blue color pallete, befitting the more or less sombre tone of these stories. It’s a narrative lesson in the complexities and history of migration that is most suitable to upper primary kids. Learning the facts of history is one thing, but putting names, faces and stories to those lessons makes it mean something. (We received a review copy of Waves from Walker Books)

How Did I Get Here
Philip Bunting

If you saw our review of Mopoke earlier this year, you’ll know that Philip Bunting is much appreciated in my family. This book, I have to say, takes the cake. In 32 pages, Bunting answers the question of “how did I get here” from the Big Bang to now. It’s obviously a pretty broad brush, but it actually gives kids a lot of useful information using such fun pictures. The tone brings to mind Oliver Jeffers’ Here We Are with the way in which huge concepts are distilled in a light-hearted way. If you have a kid with a lot of questions, this book is for them. (Scholastic Books)

Another Book About Bears 
by Laura Bunting, illustrated by Philip Bunting

I couldn’t stop at How Did I Get Here, when Philip Bunting has also teamed with his wife Laura for this funny one with one of the catchiest concepts: Books about bears. There are just too many of them. The bears are tired of being so overworked, and they go on strike. They try to come up with a solution by nominating another animal to appear in stories, but for a lot of cute reasons, nothing quite compares to bears. The compromise they come up with really made me laugh. This is a funny one that will tickle pre-school and early primary kids. (Scholastic Books)

Monster Party
by The Children From Rawa Community School, Alison Lester, and Jane Godwin

An explosion of color and fun, Monster party is a collaboration between children from the Rawa Community School in the Pilbara and authors Alison Lester and Jane Godwin. The bright and wild looking paper cut monsters live in the desert and come out for a loud “galumping,” “howling,” “slobbering,” chip and cake eating party. Great words, vibrant child-created pictures, and not-really-scary monsters make this one a joy for young children through early primary. (Magabala Books)

I hope you have a whole stack on your book buying wish list now! Are any of these beloved in your home? Did I miss a favorite Australian picture book from 2018? Let us know in the comments!

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