Book an Adventure

Adventures abound in this year’s CBCA Book Week activities and shortlist readings. Discover some exciting destinations in this post from Felicity Sly.

 

This year’s Children’s Book Week theme is Book an Adventure. Tasmania currently has six groups that are starting their adventure to Shadow Judge the 2025 Awards; across the Early Childhood, Younger Readers and Picture Book categories. Students will explore the six shortlisted titles in their category and vote for one, which they feel should win, after considering the titles against the same criteria that the elected judges use. More about this process can be accessed at CBCA Sun Project: Shadow Judging – Young voices welcome here.

2025 is also the 80^th year of CBCA, and 2026 will mark 80 years of the CBCA Awards; two very exciting years ahead for CBCA. Special merchandise has been produced to commemorate this milestone. A beautiful anniversary notebook, which features some previous Book of the Year (BOTY) artwork, and an Echo the Emu soft toy as homage to the inaugural BOTY winner, Karrawingi the Emu by Leslie Rees. The merchandise range can be found at Children's Book Council of Australia online store.

I have recently read the following ‘Adventure’ books (one from each of the shortlist categories minus New Illustrator).

South with the Seabirds by 2025 BOTY feature artist Jess McGeachin (Eve Pownall Information Shortlist), which I accessed using the Libraries Tasmania Libby app, tells the story of Mary Gillham, one of the first four women to join a research team to Macquarie Island in 1959. I love the panel cutout of the Thala Dan which features someone crouched over a toilet bowl in rough seas. A great discussion starter for conservation and the roles of women in the past and future.

We Live in a Bus (Dave Petzold/Picture Book of the Year Shortlist) accessed in hard copy, tells the tale of a family mum, dad, Suzy, Blob the bus spider and an unnamed narrator, who we assume is a boy, (based upon wearing swimming trunks in the waterhole - as Suzy wears a traditional bathing costume) who are travelling for a year exploring Australia. Some features are identifiable (Wave Rock/Termite mounds/Reef life) and others generic (sunflower fields/waterholes/emus). A gentle story about alternate ways of living. It’s interesting to see that all shortlisted titles in this category appear to be suitable for younger readers, which is not often the case.

How to Move a Zoo (Kate Simpson/Owen Swan/Early Childhood Shortlist) accessed via Sora (Sora in schools - Libraries Tasmania) – an ebook platform available to all government school students and staff –HowToMOveZoo is a lovely tale of how elephant Jessie walked from Moore Park and travelled via the Fort Macquarie Ferry to the new Taronga Zoological Park in September 1916. The author’s note says that a sugar glider travelled in a zookeeper’s pocket, but I couldn’t find it in the digital edition. The illustrations have a heart-warming feel. (View animation by illustrator, Owen Swan).

Tigg and the Bandicoot Bushranger (Jackie French/Younger Readers Shortlist) accessed via Sora, is the tale of a young girl, abandoned in the Victorian goldfields, who becomes a bushranger to survive and pay her way. The book, whilst telling the rags to riches fairytale-esque tale of Tigg, also explores the issues faced by the Chinese in Australia, the Long Walk many took to get from South Australia to the goldfields, racism and the struggle to survive in a harsh environment. Tigg’s survival is testament to her ability to learn from those around her, without prejudice. A title for readers at the upper age range of this category.

Comes the Night (Isobelle Carmody/Older Readers Shortlist) accessed via Sora, is a dystopian novel, set in an imminent Australian future, where many cities are domed to protect against the (real or potential) ravages of climate change and a toxic atmosphere. With the support of benevolent adults, the youths Will and (genetically engineered) twins Ender and Magda, battle scientists and political authorities with an agenda to dominate and control humanity.

Felicity Sly is a retired teacher-librarian, and CBCA Tas committee member.

  

Tasmanian Creators Uncover the Facts

We are so lucky in Tasmania to have such wonderfully talented children’s writers and illustrators. Discover the fascinating books included in the CBCA 2025 Eve Pownall Notable List several of which also explore local Tasmanian themes.

In defining submission requirements to the Eve Pownall Awards, the Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) states that “entries in this category should be books with the prime purpose of documenting factual material. Consideration should be given to imaginative presentation, interpretation and variation of style” (CBCA 2025, Eve Pownall Award). Tasmanian creators had great success this year with a total of five books nominated to the 2025 Notable List within this category. Congratulations to Christina Booth (in collaboration with Claire Saxby), Jennifer Cossins, Fiona Levings, Monica Reeve and Coral Tulloch (in collaboration with Alison Lester) for achieving this recognition. 

 

Christina Booth has partnered with Claire Saxby, well known for her literary nonfiction approach in the Nature Storybook series, in Wedge-tailed Eagle. Saxby writes with sensitivity and accuracy in this story of a mother eagle, her mate and the challenges of raising her two eaglets. Booth’s exquisite illustrations capture the majesty and beauty of these winged hunters and the care and gentleness evident when caring for their young. The placement of text within gloriously textured full colour spreads draws the eye to associated text as well as capturing the vastness of the distances the birds travel, their keenness of eye and the feathered details of both the adult birds and the eaglets.

Jennifer Cossins has had numerous successes with her animal information books, and Extreme Animal Facts lives up to her high standards. Stunning design and intriguing organisation has assured that this information book goes well beyond ‘the fastest, the biggest and the smallest’ with original and intriguing groupings from ‘bizarre defence mechanisms’ to ‘the strongest bite’. Including examples from all the classifications – mammals, fish, birds, reptiles, amphibians and other creatures including insects and invertebrates ensure variety and wide appeal. Each unique grouping of creatures is organised on carefully coloured pages with complementary heading colours in attractive stand out font. This ensures to a unified and cohesive package of fascinating and bizarre facts.

 

Fiona Levings is an author, illustrator and geologist and these three areas of expertise come together harmoniously in her latest book Before the Mountain had a Name. This fascinating and cleverly designed book tells the story of kunanyi/Wellington from its earliest creation to current times. Each double page opens up to show the geological changes from when the mountain first emerges from the Permian Sea to current times. The changing landscape is also illustrated showing the evolution of plants and animals and a cutaway perspective across the bottom pages reflects change over time, with the build-up of sedimentary layers with appropriate fossils nestled within the layers of rock as the mountain grows.

 

In Too Many Tigers, Monica Reeve harnesses simple repetitive text of “too many…” to present the effects of white settlement on Tasmanian shores in the 1800s through to the demise of the last thylacine. Her vibrant multi-media art work includes cut paper collage and rich pencil colouring to portray stunning landscapes and the inevitable impact of white settlement on natural habitats. Through carefully placed date stamps, the inclusion of simple signage and illustrated text for emphasis, the tragic history of the thylacine unfolds. The brevity of the text is amplified by the stunning art work in this quality addition to books about the thylacine and misplaced priorities. 

 

Renowned Tasmanian illustrator Coral Tulloch, join forces with Alison Lester to again share their love of the vast and beautiful Antarctica in Into the Ice: Reflections on Antarctica. This most recent reflection on their past expeditions is told in the first person by each creator as they share memories, experiences, knowledge and understanding gleaned from their frozen voyages. These personal recounts are also interspersed with historical and scientific information including quoted passages and images. This beautifully produced, lengthy picture book is superbly illustrated by Tulloch who has brought the ice, sea, animals, birds, and terrain to life with both detailed illustrations and imaginative interpretations that capture the cold (some pages may even illicit a shiver) and immensity of these icy land and seascapes. Complementary photographs and at times, playful illustrations, add variety to display and inform the reader about the abundant wildlife and changing environment.

 

Jennie Bales

CBCA Tasmania Social Media Coordinator, retired teacher librarian and academic… and a reader!