Shortlist, 2025 ABIA Small Publishers’ Children’s Book of the Year
Shortlist, 2025 Booksellers’ Choice BookPeople Children’s Book of the Year
Look who’s at the dog beach!
Strong dogs, long dogs,
Playing dogs, staying dogs,
Black dogs, brown dogs, go-to-town dogs,
Bit-of-a-clown dogs, upside-down dogs…
Going to the beach is a big part of Australian culture and, for many people, so are dogs! This book doubles the fun, celebrating all of the different types of dogs that Australians love.
With bright and dreamy illustrations by Annie White, this short, rhythmic story will capture the attention of all beach and dog loving children, and even their parents!
Educational backmatter includes images from the National Library of Australia’s collections.
DOG BEACH trailer by Annie White (1 min)
Patricia Newman’s LitLinks blog with student activities for DOG BEACH here.
It’s the Festival of Fish – the biggest party of the year! Everyone seems to be having a great time … except for Blobfish. The clownfish tells some funny gags, the sawfish does magic tricks and the dolphin swims loop-the-loops, but no-one can make Blobfish happy.
Or can they?
Featuring energetic rhyme, joyful illustrations and some fascinating blobfish facts, Cheer Up, Blobfish! is a celebration of difference that stars one VERY misunderstood sea creature.
Premier’s Reading Challenge lists: NSW (K-2), VIC (K-2)
Free classroom activities for this book are available on Sue Warren’s blog.
High in the Australian Alps, Possum needs to find enough food and shelter to survive the harsh alpine winter. She will spend months hibernating under a blanket of snow. Will she last through the year to successfully raise a new family?
The mountain pygmy-possum is small in size but huge in appeal! Once thought to be extinct, there are now around 2500 of these tiny survivors in the wild. They need snow and bogong moths to survive, and the support of great conservation work.
FREE to download Teacher Notes are available here.
Patricia Newman’s LitLinks blog with student activities for Tiny Possum here
Premier’s Reading Challenge lists: Queensland (2-3), South Australia (R-2), NSW (3-4)
Long snouts, bright-red lips, pointy heads . . . the animal kingdom is full of critters with unique features. Learn about the incredible adaptations that help these creatures―and their odd bods―survive and thrive all around the globe!
Student activities for Odd Bods are available on Patricia Newman’s LitLinks blog here
By Julie Murphy and Hannah Tolson (Amicus Ink, 2020)
Animals from around the world describe how their tails help them to survive. Discover adaptations to desert, ocean, forest, and arctic habitats in this narrative nonfiction picture book highlighting the diversity of the animal world.
Animals in varied habitats describe unique features of their eyes and how they are adapted for the jungle, the deep ocean, the desert, and even the dark. From bulging eyes to hiding eyes, handlebar eyes to double-decker eyes, young readers will learn about the diversity of the animal world in this nonfiction picture book.
Premier’s Reading Challenge lists: Queensland (1-3), NSW (K-2)
My Australia is a poetic journey across the Australian landscape. Celebrating both the ancient and modern Australia, this book invites readers to travel across the delights of our continent -from dry deserts to lush rainforests, high mountains to stormy seashores, and winding rivers to fertile swamplands – all the magical places that are my Australia. With colourful illustrations by Garry Fleming, this beautifully simple story is sure to excite young readers, encouraging a greater awareness and appreciation of our precious and irreplaceable natural places.
Animals around the world describe unique features of their feet and how they use them. From webbed feet to sticky feet, hooved feet to bright blue feet, young readers are introduced to animal adaptations in this nonfiction picture book.
Chinese edition (2020)
Korean edition (2021)
Gilly the seagull loves finding treasures – especially bright, shiny seashells. But will he miss the treasures already in his life? With beautiful illustrations and a story that’s fun to read aloud, this delightful picture book is perfect for children and parents alike.
What can we learn about the health of an ecosystem through coral reefs? This book takes readers into our warming oceans to learn why and how coral reefs are hurting, and why it’s a larger issue for the thousands of animals and humans who depend on its resources.