Text Prize 2019 shortlist announced
Wednesday, 8 May 2019
The shortlist has been announced for the 2019 Text Prize for Young Adult and Children’s Writing. The five shortlisted manuscripts are: ‘Tellurian Blue’ by Danielle Clode, a debut fantasy novel...
Class act: Facilitating in-school author visits
Wednesday, 8 May 2019
An inspiring in-school appearance from an author is often the key to getting kids interested in reading. Andrea Hanke spoke to four speakers’ agencies about facilitating these important interactions. For Victoria-based...
REAL Awards 2019 shortlists announced
Tuesday, 7 May 2019
The shortlists for the 2019 Reading & Enjoying Australian Literature (REAL) Awards—which act as shortlists for children’s choice book awards in New South Wales (KOALAs), Northern Territory (KROC Awards) and...
Hardie Grant Egmont sells two Sophie Beer titles to the US
Wednesday, 1 May 2019
Hardie Grant Egmont has sold North American rights to two books by illustrator Sophie Beer to Penguin imprint Dial Books for Young Readers. Beer’s book Love Makes a Family sold...
Screen Australia announces funding for ‘Zac Power the Movie’
Wednesday, 1 May 2019
Screen Australia has announced story development funding for Zac Power the Movie, an animated feature film based on the children’s book series of the same name published by Hardie Grant...
The Little Bookroom and Lost in Books collaborate on ‘All the Ways to be Smart’ giveaway
Monday, 29 April 2019
Melbourne specialist children’s bookshop The Little Bookroom and Sydney-based multilingual children’s bookshop and social enterprise Lost in Books are collaborating on a picture book giveaway. Based in the culturally diverse...
McConnochie wins Green Earth Book Award for Children’s Fiction
Wednesday, 24 April 2019
Australian author Mardi McConnochie’s book The Flooded Earth (Pajama Press) has won the Best Children’s Fiction category of the US-based Green Earth Book Awards. Each year, environmental nonprofit the Nature...
Middle-grade in demand at Bologna; kindness and environmental themes among new trends
Wednesday, 17 April 2019
Australian publishers have reported an ‘upbeat’ Bologna Children’s Book Fair (1-4 April), with middle-grade books continuing to dominate the market, and kindness and environmental themes emerging as new trends. Books...
A love letter to the Centre for Youth Literature: Zhana Maticevski-Shumack on the closure of CYL
Wednesday, 17 April 2019
State Library Victoria's controversial announcement in early March that it was 'retiring' the Centre for Youth Literature (CYL) was met with backlash from across the literary community. In this opinion...
Nugent wins Readings Children’s Book Prize 2019
Wednesday, 17 April 2019
Carly Nugent has won the 2019 Readings Children’s Book Prize for The Peacock Detectives (Text). Nugent’s title was chosen from a shortlist of six, announced in February. She receives $3000....
2019 Scribblers Festival full program announced
Friday, 12 April 2019
The line-up for the second annual Scribblers Festival, which celebrates children's literature and arts, has been announced. Running from 8–12 May in the Perth suburb of Claremont, Scribblers Festival will...
The prize is right: Authors on winning an unpublished manuscript prize
Wednesday, 10 April 2019
How does winning an unpublished manuscript prize affect the careers of debut authors? Jackie Tang talks to two recent winners. It’s difficult to ignore the sheer number of unpublished manuscript...
Hardie Grant Egmont to publish ‘period guide’ by Yumi Stynes, Melissa Kang
Wednesday, 10 April 2019
Hardie Grant Egmont has acquired world rights to a guide for pre-teens about getting their period, written by journalist Yumi Stynes and Melissa Kang, the longest-serving expert behind the ‘Dolly...
New database explores diversity in children’s books
Wednesday, 10 April 2019
The National Centre for Australian Children’s Literacy (NCACL) has launched a cultural diversity database designed to help librarians, teachers, parents and readers find books that ‘feature Australia’s culturally diverse population’....
New ambassadors, initiatives for 2019 Australian Reading Hour announced
Wednesday, 10 April 2019
Australian Reading Hour has announced its ambassadors and several new initiatives for this year’s event, which will be held on 19 September. Mick Elliott, Anthony Field, Karen Manbulloo, Sally Rippin...
Black Dog Books imprint to be absorbed into Walker’s flagship list
Wednesday, 3 April 2019
Walker Books Australia has announced that the Black Dog Books imprint will be absorbed into the flagship Walker Books Australia list from May 2019. Founded by Andrew Kelly and Maryann...
Flemish author Bart Moeyaert wins 2019 Astrid Lindgren Award
Wednesday, 3 April 2019
In Sweden, Flemish author Bart Moeyaert has been announced as the winner of the five million krona (A$760,000) Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award. Moeyaert is the author of more than 50...
Victorian high-school clarifies library ‘rebranded’ not abolished
Wednesday, 3 April 2019
A Victorian high-school has confirmed it has rebranded, not abolished, its school library, contrary to a highly publicised Age article that ‘misrepresented the reality of the situation’. Siena College principle...
SLNSW announces new children’s library
Wednesday, 3 April 2019
The State Library of NSW (SLNSW) is launching a fundraising appeal to help fund a new dedicated area for children and families to browse, sit down and read, reports the...
Scribble wins Bologna Prize for children’s publishing
Wednesday, 3 April 2019
Scribe’s picture-book list, Scribble, has won the Bologna Prize for Best Children’s Publisher of the Year in the Oceania category. Scribble was chosen from a shortlist of four, which included...
WAYRBA 2019 shortlists announced
Friday, 29 March 2019
The shortlists for the 2019 West Australian Young Readers’ Book Awards (WAYRBA) have been announced. The shortlisted titles in each category are: Picture books A Bag and a Bird (Pamela...
PRH to publish new McInerney novel, debut children’s book
Wednesday, 27 March 2019
Penguin Random House has acquired ANZ rights (including audio) to a new novel and debut children’s book by Monica McInerney. The two-book deal was struck by Fiona Inglis at Curtis...
Ledden-Lewis wins 2019 Kestin Indigenous Illustrator Award
Wednesday, 27 March 2019
Bundjalung artist Charmaine Ledden-Lewis has won Magabala Books’ 2019 Kestin Indigenous Illustrator Award. A freelance artist based in Blackheath, NSW, Ledden-Lewis receives $10,000, a mentorship and the opportunity to illustrate...
MidnightSun acquires debut picture book about pioneer aviator
Wednesday, 27 March 2019
MidnightSun Publishing has acquired world rights to Beverly McWilliams’ first picture book Born to Fly, illustrated by Timothy Ide. Born to Fly follows the life of Australian farmer Harry Butler,...
CBCA Awards 2019 shortlists announced
Tuesday, 26 March 2019
The shortlists for this year’s Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) Book of the Year Awards have been announced. The shortlisted titles are: Older readers Between Us (Clare Atkins, Black...
Scribble to begin publishing directly into North America
Tuesday, 26 March 2019
Scribe’s picture-book list Scribble will begin publishing titles directly into North America in September this year. Scribble will launch its North American publishing list with titles All the Ways to be...
Kozlowski wins Leila St John Award
Tuesday, 26 March 2019
Children’s book specialist Kathy Kozlowski has received the annual Leila St John Award, presented by Victorian branch of the Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA). Kozlowski has spent over 50...
‘The Boy at the Back of the Class’ wins Waterstones Children’s Book Prize 2019
Friday, 22 March 2019
In the UK, Onjali Q Raúf’s novel The Boy at the Back of the Class (Orion Children's Books) has won the £5000 (A$9230) Waterstones Children’s Book Prize, reports the Bookseller....
Local voices on the global stage: International rights sales of Indigenous-authored books
Tuesday, 19 March 2019
Are we entering a growth period for international rights sales of Indigenous-authored books for young people? Sarah Farquharson reports. Two recent international rights successes for children’s books by Indigenous authors—Ambelin...
No place like home: Kelly and Kennedy on ‘Wilam: A Birrarung Story’
Tuesday, 19 March 2019
Aunty Joy Murphy, Andrew Kelly and Lisa Kennedy’s picture book Wilam: A Birrarung Story (Black Dog, April) follows Bunjil (wedge-tailed eagle) as he travels along Birrarung (Yarra River) to the...
