Announcing the 2021 CBCA Notable Lists

Congratulations to the following authors, illustrators and publishers on being recognised on this year’s lists. Shortlists will be announced on March 30. Check local branch websites and social media for events discussing these lists, and join us to celebrate the diversity of books written for children and young adults. Links on titles are to reviews on Reading Time.

At the National CBCA website, there are links to PDFs of all books and categories.

Book of the Year: Older Readers

Entries in this category may be fiction, drama or poetry and should be appropriate in style and content for readers in their secondary years of schooling. Ages 13 – 18 years.

Note: Books in this category are for mature readers.

Book of the Year: Younger Readers

Entries in this category may be fiction, drama or poetry and should be appropriate in style and content for readers from the middle to upper primary years. 7 – 12 years.

Note: Some of the titles in this category may only be suitable for readers who are in the upper primary years as they may contain mature themes, including violence. Parental guidance is recommended.

Author & Illustrator	Book Title		Publisher	ISBN
Danielle Binks	The Year the Maps Changed		Hachette Australia	9780734419712
Kate Constable	The January Stars		Allen & Unwin	9781760525026
Kate Gordon	Aster’s Good and Right Things Maura Pierlot’s review		Riveted Press	9780648492573
Kate Gordon	The Heartsong of Wonder Quinn		University of Queensland Press	9780702262821
Steven Herrick	Zoe, Max and the Bicycle Bus		University of Queensland Press	9780702263002
Bren MacDibble	Across the Risen Sea		Allen & Unwin	9781760526054
Amelia Mellor	The Grandest Bookshop in the World		Affirm Press	9781925972955
Jessica Miller	The Republic of Birds		Text Publishing	9781922268044
Jaclyn Moriarty [illus]Kelly Canby	The Stolen Prince of Cloudburst		Allen & Unwin	9781925266641
Sally Murphy [illus]Sarah Davis	Worse Things		Walker Books Australia	9781760651657
Katrina Nannestad	We are Wolves		HarperCollins Publishers	9780733340888
Julianne Negri	The Secret Library of Hummingbird House		Affirm Press	9781925870497
Alison Rushby	When this Bell Rings		Walker Books Australia	9781760651947
Pam Rushby	The Mummy Smugglers of Crumblin Castle		Walker Books Australia	9781760651930
Kirli Saunders [illus]Dub Leffler	Bindi		Magabala Books	9781925936667
Claire Saxby	Haywire		Scholastic Australia	9781742769196
A L Tait	The Fire Star		Penguin Random House Australia	9781760897079
Dee White	Beyond Belief		Scholastic Australia	9781760662516
Sue Whiting	The Book of Chance		Walker Books Australia	9781760651367
Sean Williams	Her Perilous Mansion		Allen & Unwin	9781760877361

Book of the Year: Early Childhood

Entries in this category may be fiction, drama or poetry and should be appropriate in style and content for children who are at pre-reading or early stages of reading. Ages 0 – 6 years.

Author	Illustrator	Title	Publisher	ISBN
Deborah Abela	Marjorie Crosby-Fairall	Bear in Space	Walker Books Australia	9781760651510
Sarah Allen		Busy Beaks	Affirm Press	9781925972948
Bronwyn Bancroft		Coming Home to Country	Hardie Grant Children’s Publishing	9781760501921
Ashleigh Barton	Martina Heiduczek	What Do You Call Your Grandpa?	HarperCollins Publishers	9780733340864
John Canty		Shapes and Colours	Berbay Publishing	9780648529187
Libby Gleeson	Jedda Robaard	Soon	Hardie Grant Children’s Publishing	9781760501235
Jane Godwin	Sara Acton	I’ll Always Be Older Than You	Hardie Grant Children’s Publishing	9781760129781
Bernadette Green	Anna Zobel	Who’s Your Real Mum?	Scribble Kids’ Books	9781925849493
Penny Harrison	Evie Barrow	Me and My Boots	Hardie Grant Children’s Publishing	9781760502331
Libby Hathorn & Lisa Hathorn-Jarman	Mel Pearce	No! Never!	Hachette Australia	9780734418906
Kate Knapp		Ruby Red Shoes: My Wonderful Grandmother	HarperCollins Australia	9781460758885
Frané Lessac		Australia Under the Sea 1, 2, 3	Walker Books Australia	9781760652272
Anna McGregor		Anemone is Not the Enemy	Scribble Kids’ Books	9781922310118
Heidi McKinnon		There’s No Such Thing	Allen & Unwin	9781760877279
Aunty Fay Muir & Sue Lawson	Lisa Kennedy	Respect	Magabala Books	9781925936315
Briony Stewart		We Love You, Magoo	Penguin Random House Australia	9781760896904
Zeno Sworder		This Small Blue Dot	Thames & Hudson	9781760761110
Kate & Jol Temple	Ronojoy Ghosh	Bin Chicken	Scholastic Australia	9781743830048
Margaret Wild	Judith Rossell	Pink!	HarperCollins Australia	9781460757499
Rhian Williams	Nathaniel Eckstrom	Ten Little Figs	Walker Books Australia	9781921977312

The Picture Book of the Year. 

Entries in this category should be outstanding books of the Picture Book genre in which the author and illustrator achieve artistic and literary unity or, in wordless texts, where the story, theme or concept is unified through the illustrations. Ages 0 – 18. Note: Some books may be for mature readers).

Arranged by illustrator

Illustrator	Author	Title	Publisher	ISBN
Tamsin Ainslie	Edwina Wyatt	Sometimes Cake	Walker Books Australia	9781760650421
Liz Anelli	Sue Lawson	The Biscuit Maker	Walker Books Australia	9781760650438
Evie Barrow	Maggie Hutchings	I Saw Pete and Pete Saw Me	Affirm Press	9781925972825
Freya Blackwood		The Unwilling Twin	HarperCollins Australia	9781460757536
Nick Bland		Wolfred	Hardie Grant Children’s Books	9781760505660
Phil Bunting		Give Me Some Space	Scholastic Publishing	9781760972356
Phil Bunting		Not Cute.	Scholastic Publishing	9781760972387
Phil Bunting		Who Am I?	Scholastic Publishing	9781743835043
Phil Bunting		Wombat	Scholastic Publishing	9781760972370
Kelly Canby		Littlelight	Fremantle Press	9781925815764
Gabriel Evans		Norton and the Bear	Berbay Publishing	9780648785132
Bob Graham		Ellie’s Dragon	Walker Books Australia	9781406387629
Armin Greder		Diamonds	Allen & Unwin	9781760877040
Alison Lester	Jane Godwin	Sing Me the Summer	Affirm Press	9781925972924
Chris McKimmie		Colin Cockroach Goes to Caloundra	Ford Street Publishing	9781925804546
Christopher Nielson	Nicole Godwin	Jelly-Boy	Walker Books Australia	9781760651237
Matt Ottley	Meg McKinlay	How to Make a Bird	Walker Books Australia	9781925381894
Felicita Sala	Maggie Hutchings	Your Birthday Was the Best!	Affirm Press	9781925972535
Danny Snell	Jackie French	The Fire Wombat	HarperCollins Australia	9781460759332
Hannah Sommerville	Mike Dumbleton	Anisa’s Alphabet	Midnight Sun Publishing	9781925227574
Scott Stuart		My Shadow is Pink	Larrikin House	9780648728757
Jane Tanner	Margaret Wild	Girl From the Sea	Allen & Unwin	9781760524302
Anna Walker		Hello Jimmy!	Penguin Random House Australia	9781760893422
Annie White	Sue Whiting	Good Question: A Tale Told Backwards	Walker Books Australia	9781760650841
Anna Zobel	Bernadette Green	Who’s Your Real Mum?	Scribble Kids’ Books	9781925849493

The Eve Pownall Award for Information Books

Entries in this category should be books which have the prime intention of documenting factual material with consideration given to imaginative presentation, interpretation and variation of style. Ages 0 – 18 years.

Author	Illustrator	Title	Publisher	ISBN
Sami Bayly		The Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Dangerous Animals	Hachette Australia	9780734420015
Maree Coote		Azaria: A True History	Melbournestyle Books	9780648568407
Jennifer Cossins		The Daddy Animal Book	Hachette Australia	9780734419873
Jennifer Cossins		The Mummy Animal Book	Hachette Australia	9780734419897
Pamela Freeman	Liz Anelli	Dry to Dry: The Seasons of Kakadu	Walker Books Australia	9781760650285
David Hartley & Kirsty Murray	Dub Leffler	Strangers on Country	National Library of Australia	9780642279552
Felice Jacka	Rob Craw	There’s a Zoo in my Poo	Pan Macmillan Australia	9781760783044
Andrew Kelly	Mark Jackson & Heather Potter	Little Lon	Wild Dog Books	9781742035970
Sandra Kendall		Saltie Mumma	Windy Hollow Books	9781922081889
Gina M Newton	Rachel Tribout	Hold On! Saving the Spotted Handfish	CSIRO Publishing	9781486311842
Stephanie Owen Reeder	Tania McCartney	Australia’s Wild Weird Wonderful Weather	National Library of Australia	9780642279637
Stephanie Owen Reeder		Will the Wonderkid: Treasure Hunter of the Australian Outback	National Library of Australia	9780642279521
Shirley Purdie		Shirley Purdie: My Story, Ngaginybe Jarragbe	Magabala Books	9781925936131
Claire Saxby	Tannya Harricks	Kookaburra	Walker Books Australia	9781760651060
Carole Wilkinson	Prue Pittock	Matthew Flinders – Adventures on Leaky Ships	Wild Dog Books	9781742034935