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 80th 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.
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