Information Books

Honour Book 2024

With its vivid red dirt, big blue skies, wild green bushland and golden sandy beaches, Australia is a country of extraordinary colour. Here is a celebration of the stunning plants and animals of this colourful country, from vibrant pink Flame Peas to startling blue Fairy Wrens, electric yellow Billy Buttons, glossy black Tasmanian Devils, and many more.
Age 5+

Learn the foulest facts about space, Earth, humans, animals and science that have been tested by REAL SCIENTISTS, and even do your own gross experiments. Meet your guide, Slimon, who loves all things rotten, revolting, despicable and downright disgusting. Did you know ... There's poo on the moon? You will drool enough in your lifetime to fill two swimming pools? There's a wall covered in chewing gum that's over 30 years old? There's a robot designed to projectile vomit?
Age 6+

WINNER Eve Pownall Award for Information Books 2024

Happy times, sad times, boom times and gloom times! From the First Peoples' camp at the river crossing in the 1820s through to Carols by Candlelight at the showground in today's world, this is a decade by decade wonderfully illustrated story of a small country community.
Age 7+

This book features the profiles of more than 70 Blakfellas who are doing deadly things across sport, art, activism and science, through to politics, education and literature. It showcases the careers and Corey's personal stories of First Nations People who have done great things in their respective fields, including Professor Marcia Langton, Miranda Tapsell, Tony Armstrong, Dr Anita Heiss, Danzal Baker (Baker Boy), Adam Goodes and Blak Douglas.
Age 13+

Honour Book 2024

Our history is recorded in ancient rock art, in the flag flown at the Eureka Stockade, by Burke and Wills' tree. All around our coastline history unfolded in shipwrecks and ship arrivals. Sometimes tragic, often regrettable, always formative, history is commemorated from Tasmania and throughout the mainland at the sites of prisons and massacres. From the birthplace of a new federated nation at the beginning of the twentieth century in Sydney's Centennial Park to Eddie Mabo's struggle for acknowledgement of land rights in the 1990s, history happened all around Our Country.
Age 7+

Created as a collaboration between over 30 First Nations and non-Indigenous contributors, the story and artworks explore how termites and their mounds connect different parts of Country, from tiny Gurindji babies and their loving grandmothers, to spiky spinifex plants growing in the hot sun. Written in traditional Gurindji, Gurindji Kriol and English
Age 7 to 12

WINNER Eve Pownall Award for Information Books 2023

What hidden worlds lie beneath your feet? Or in the deepest parts of the ocean, where not even sunlight can reach? Come on a journey to meet glowing deep-sea creatures, zombie-making fungi and the trillions of tiny workers that live inside your own body. But be warned, things can get a little strange in the deep...
Audience: Ages 7 to 10

This is a story about Opal and Dart, a pair of swallows that migrate in spring from Queensland to Tasmania.They return to the nest where Dart was hatched, to raise a family of their own. Arriving safely, they have problems with new neighbours that have settled in the garden since Dart left last autumn.
Audience: Ages 5+

Honour Book 2023

Isaiah, a Yorta Yorta and Gunditjmara man, establishes a foundation of First Nations knowledge with 20 key topics. Alongside bright and contemporary illustrations by Mununjali and Fijian artist Jaelyn Biumaiwai, Isaiah connects us to each topic through his own personal story and culture, from the importance of Elders to the Dreaming.
Audience: Ages 5+

A beautifully illustrated title that focuses on 25 animal species from Australia and around the world with intriguing migration journeys. Did you know that Arctic terns have the longest migration of all birds, flying from the Arctic to Antarctica and back each year? Or that the wildebeest migration in east Africa is so vast it can be seen from outer space?
Audience: Ages 7+

Honour Book 2023

A celebration of the astounding diversity of Australia's animal kingdom. More than one million animal species make their homes in Australia - from the deepest oceans to the tops of mountains and the harshest deserts. But just how do they survive?
Audience: Ages 6 to 12

Along the coastline of Australia, underwater reefs are bustling with the most amazing sea creatures living on the planet! A deep dive into the biodiversity of Australia's remarkable coastline from sharks to octopuses to dolphins and manta rays and seahorses - and the most famous reef of all - the Great Barrier Reef.
Audience: Ages 5 to 8

WINNER Eve Pownall Award for Information Books 2022

This graphic novel documents the conditions, experiences and deprivations of Australia's system of mandatory and indefinite detention for asylum seekers and refugees.
Audience: General

In this book you'll find colourful feathers alongside peculiar beaks, beady eyes and funny-coloured feet. You'll read of dangerous birds, clever birds, fast birds, awkward birds, silly birds, massive birds and tiny birds.
Audience: Ages 3 to 6

Honour Book 2022

Discover 60 of the most peculiar pairs in nature and learn how plant and animal species rely on each other for their survival.
Audience: Ages 7+

Walk with us through one of the Top End's magnificent monsoon forests, in Kakadu National Park, learning about the plants, animals and Kundjeyhmi culture along the way. Language in English with some Kundjeyhmi words.
Audience: Ages 5 to 7

Honour Book 2022

Stories of seven incredible Indigenous Australians - such as Patyegarang, the young Darug woman who taught a First Fleet officer her language; Bungaree, the Kuring-gai nautical adventurer and Ngarrindjeri inventor and visionary David Unaipon.
Audience: Primary

Australia's First Peoples have the longest continuing cultures on Earth and their innovation will amaze you! From astronomy to engineering, chemistry to forensic science, bush medicine and more.
Audience: Ages 7 to 12

Lothian Children's Books, 2020

Honour Book 2021

Audience: Ages 7 to 12

Dangerous animals get a bad rap, but this beautifully illustrated encyclopaedia helps us appreciate the incredible features of some of our more hair-raising animal species with more than sixty of the most deadly and dangerous animals from across the world to explore.

Wild Dog Books, 2020

Audience: For children

Matthew Flinders was a country boy who wanted to be a sailor. He lived at a time when ocean voyages took months, sometimes years. His life at sea was full of adventure and danger. He was the first to sail all the way around Australia. He drew the first complete map of the continent. Sailing was a dangerous business in Matthew's time that could end in shipwreck, disease or death. He wanted to make it safer for sailors by making his map as accurate as possible.

Walker Books, 2020

WINNER Eve Pownall Award for Information Books 2021

Audience: Ages 5+

In the tropical wetlands and escarpments of Kakadu National Park, the seasons move from dry to wet to dry again. Those seasons have shaped the astonishing variety of plants, animals, birds, insects ... migratory birds by the thousands, grasshoppers and owls, lizards and turtles, fruit bats and spear grass. And, gliding past them all in the rivers and waterholes, the long, sinuous shapes of crocodiles.

Melbournestyle Books, 2020

Audience: Ages 7 to 9

What happens when the truth gets lost? Where wild animals and people meet, tragedy can strike, But when a tiny baby is stolen by a dingo, people simply cannot accept such a thing. Prejudice and gossip grip the nation, and the tragedy transforms into a fight for the truth. How did it all go so wrong? This is a true Australian story of innocence, ignorance, and the perils of 'mob thinking'.

NLA Publishing, 2020

Honour Book 2021

Audience: Ages 8+

The story of five white castaways or runaways who were found and cared for by Indigenous groups. There are five pairs of stories: each pair of stories has one written by an Indigenous author and one by a non-Indigenous author. After each story there is a non-fiction section that tells the true story from history.

Ebook available from ProQuest
CSIRO Publishing, 2020

Audience: Ages 6+

Have you ever seen a fish that could do a handstand? This is the story of a quirky and primitive little fish that is famous for two things: walking on its "hands" (pectoral fins), and being the first marine fish anywhere in the world to be listed on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The Spotted Handfish has survived since the time of the dinosaurs - until now. Invasive seastars, pollution and climate change mean that this unique Australian is in real trouble.

Ebook available from ProQuest Ebook Central
Magabala Books, 2019

WINNER Eve Pownall Award for Information Books 2020

Audience: Ages 10+

See Australia as it was before Europeans arrived - a land of cultivated farming areas, productive fisheries, permanent homes, and an understanding of the environment and its natural resources that supported thriving villages across the continent. Young dark emu : a truer history asks young readers to consider a different version of Australia's history pre-European colonisation.

Lothian Children's Books, 2019

Honour Book 2020

Audience: Ages 7+

With more than sixty ugly animals to explore, this compendium of the unusual celebrates the beauty in 'ugliness'. Children and adults alike will pore over the breathtaking scientific illustrations of unusual animals, debating their relative ugliness and merits, learning about science and nature along the way. Featuring illustrations and facts about the thorniest species the animal kingdom has to offer, from the naked mole rat to the goblin shark, aye-aye, sphinx cat, blobfish and many more 'ugly' beauties.

Walker Books Australia, 2019

Honour Book 2020

Audience: Ages 6+

Wilam: A Birrarung Story is one day on a vital, flourishing river. As ngua rises, Bunjil soars over mountain ash, flying higher and higher as the wind warms. Below, Birrarung begins its long winding path down to palem warreen. Wilam - home.Yarra Riverkeeper Andrew Kelly joins award-winning picture book duo Aunty Joy Murphy and Lisa Kennedy to tell the Indigenous and geographical story of Melbourne's beautiful Yarra River, from its source to its mouth; from its pre-history to the present day.

Walker Books Australia, 2019

Audience: Ages 5+

In the summertime, Grandpa and I go cicada-watching. We put our camping gear into my wagon and walk down to the local reserve. Last year we saw five Green Grocers, three Yellow Mondays and one Floury Baker. Can we find the rare Black Prince this year?

Ebook available from ProQuest Ebook Central
CSIRO Publishing, 2020

Audience: Ages 5+

Do you know what a tree hollow is? To you and me, a tree hollow is just a hole, cavity or tunnel in a tree or branch. But to an animal, that hollow may be a bedroom, hiding place, nursery or shelter. It is the ultimate tree house! Come and take a peek inside the amazing world of tree hollows and discover more than 340 species of incredible Australian animals that call hollows home. With color photos of glorious gliders, darting dunnarts, minute microbats and many more, this book is full of fun facts about animals that use tree hollows as places for resting, nesting or hiding. Find out how hollows are created, why they are threatened, and meet scientists who spend their time hollow-hunting. There are also plenty of tips on how you can spot hollows yourself, help to protect the environment and encourage habitat for hollow-dependent animals.

Allen & Unwin, 2019

Audience: Ages 7 to 11

Luminous images accompanied by newspaper extracts dating back to the early 1800s and words by Ngiyampaa Elder Peter Williams explore the ongoing mystery of yahoo encounters.

National Library of Australia, 2018

WINNER Eve Pownall Award for Information Books 2019

Audience: Ages 7+

Maggie holds tight to her mother as they await the long anticipated apology to show a willingness to reconcile the past for future generations. In the excitement of the crowd Maggie loses touch of her mother’s hand and is lost. As the Prime Minister’s speech unfolds Maggie is reunited with her mother. But the faces and memories of the stolen generation are all around them. Two stories entwine in this captivating retelling of the momentous day when the then Prime Minister of Australia, Kevin Rudd, acknowledged the sorrows of past and said ‘Sorry’ to the generation of children who were taken from their homes.

Walker Books Australia, 2018

Honour Book 2019

Audience: Ages 7+

In 1942, Sergeant “Griff” Griffin was a prisoner of war. With Christmas approaching, he decided to make a book for the children cooped up in nearby Changi Prison. The book was said to contain the secrets to happiness. But the enemy was suspicious … With this picture book, award winners Mark Greenwood and Andrew McLean bring to life the inspirational true story of a book that became a National Treasure.

National Gallery Victoria, 2018

Honour Book 2019

Ebook available from ProQuest Ebook Central
Clayton, Victoria : CSIRO Publishing, 2018

Audience: Ages 6 - 9

The Eastern Barred Bandicoot is one of Australia's most threatened species. When their existence came under extreme threat from habitat loss, predators and human development, Eastern Barred Bandicoots found refuge in the most unlikely of places - a rubbish tip. This captivating true story details the plight these small, nocturnal marsupials faced, and the outstanding efforts that ensured their survival.

Newtown, N.S.W. : Walker Books Australia, 2018

Every journey is perilous, every situation heartbreaking. Every refugee is a person forced by famine or war or fear to leave their home, their families, their friends and all they know. Children have travelled on the waves of migration to the shores of Australia for tens of thousands of years. This book tells some of their stories.Waves is a book about the waves of migration to the shores of Australia.

Broome: Magabala Books, 2018

A book of birds from around Yirrkala, which is Siena’s home in North East Arnhem Land. This beautiful little book includes the English and Yolngu names of the birds and their Yolngu moiety. In Yolngu culture, everything is divided into two moieties: Yirritja and Dhuwa – and as a result all things are classified, from a body of water to a specific type of tree and all our birds. Birds give themselves their Yolngu name by the sounds they make.

Crows Nest, N.S.W. : Allen & Unwin, 2017

WINNER Eve Pownall Award for Information Books 2018

Audience: Ages 4-8

Summary: Min is a microbe. She is small. Very small. In fact so small that you'd need to look through a microscope to see her. Or you can simply open this book and take Min on an adventure to amazing places she's never seen before--like the icy glaciers of your tooth or the twisted, tangled jungle that is your shirt. The perfect book for anyone who wants to take a closer look at the world.

Somerville, Massachusetts : Candlewick Press, 2017

Honour Book 2018

Audience: Ages 5+

Summary: When a young male koala outgrows his mother's pouch, it's time to find a new home for himself -- braving perils and adventures along the way. In a high tree fork, a gray ball unfurls. Koala seeks his mother's milk, but for the first time, she won't let him into her pouch. It's time for Koala to make his own way in the world. Rival koalas, fierce storms, and frightening snakes force Koala to keep moving -- until he finds a safe place to call his own. In this dramatic nonfiction account, two renowned Australian picture-book creators bring us a surprising and authentic look at the ever-popular koala. Fascinating facts about koalas are sprinkled throughout the compelling story.

Fitzroy, Vic. : Wild Dog Books, 2017

Honour Book 2018

Audience: For children

Summary: Left and right are all around us. From our hands and feet to our eyes and ears, the notion of left and right is inescapable. Left and right control how we travel and play sport, and even how we eat. The vast extent of how this deceptively simple subject shapes our lives is revealed in the Left And Right book.

Kew East, Victoria Berbay Publishing, 2017

Audience: Premier's Reading Challenge Years 5-6

Summary: A taste of the intriguing history of Australia and the many entry points for readers to explore further. In the late 18th century, ragtag groups of Europeans started to arrive in Australia. Most were convicts, some were soldiers, a few had just run out of choices. They blundered onto an ancient land that had been peopled for 60,000 years. They wanted to make it just like home. They cleared the land, they fenced it, they paved it, and they put buildings on it. All the while, the country's first peoples watched on, bewildered by these clumsy immigrants and their mysterious ways.

Fitzroy, Vic. : Wild Dog Books, 2017

Audience: For primary school age

Summary: Antarctica is the driest, coldest and wildest continent on Earth. Even though it is harsh and difficult place to live, Antarctica is home to more than a thousand plant and several hundred animal species. Antarctica has 90 per cent of Earth’s ice and plays a major role in our weather. Scientists from around the world live and work in Antarctica to better understand the future of our planet.

Newtown, N.S.W. : Walker Books Australia, 2017

Audience: For children

Summary:
Imagine what it was like to travel to far-off places before there were aeroplanes. For early 20th-century Australian, it could take days, weeks, or months just to get where they were going. Amazing Australians in Their Flying Machines tells the stories of ten brave Australians, including the youngest licensed woman pilot Nancy Bird, who took to the skies and changed the face of aviation forever.

Canberra, A.C.T. National Library of Australia, 2016

WINNER Eve Pownall Award for Information Books 2017

Audience: For children 8-12 years

Summary: This book brings together 55 national parks, selected across all Australian states and territories, and over 120 animals. It is divided into seven sections according to habitat, each including a number of national parks and a selection of the animals that inhabit them. The information is divided into the following sections: 'Fast Facts' gives you all the vital statistics, such as size, lifespan and number of young; 'Where Does It Live?' tells you where in Australia you can find the species and provides details about its home; 'What's Its Life Like?' tells you a bit about how the animal moves, behaves, eats and has young; and 'Interesting Info' has quirky and fascinating facts.

Sydney, N.S.W. : Hachette Australia, 2017

Honour Book 2017

Audience: Primary school age

Summary: This beautifully illustrated full-colour picture book is packed with interesting facts and is perfect for young conservationists and students alike with a keen interest in the world around us. On this journey through the alphabet, you will encounter some of the world's most beautiful, rare and endangered animals, from the majestic Amur tiger and the curious kakapo, to the misunderstood Tasmanian devil and the shy zebra duiker. Come on an illustrated expedition through the animal kingdom with Tasmanian artist Jennifer Cossins.

Clifton Hill, Vic. Louie & Ted, 2016

Honour Book 2017

Audience: Primary school age

Summary: Why do people in families look similar? How closely are you related to your cousins, a chimpanzee and a banana? Whose fault is it if you can?t roll your tongue? Find out in The Gigantic Book of Genes!

Crows Nest, N.S.W. : Allen & Unwin, 2016

Summary: A powerful, moving story based on a true story about one heroic horse who saved others during a bushfire. Fabish had once been a racehorse. Now he lived in a paddock with the frisky young horses and showed them how to behave. But one hot summer day, a wild wind blew up, and the horses were nervous and flighty. This was the day that became known as Black Saturday. When Fabish smelled smoke he knew that fire was coming. The trainer threw open the gate and told Fabish, "Go now! Take care of the boys." The horses galloped away. Where would Fabish lead them? And could he keep them safe?

South Melbourne, Victoria, Australia : Melbournestyle Books, 2016

Audience: For children

Summary: There are shapes all around us--shapes that look like the letters of the alphabet. Spellbound is 120 pages of unique typographic illustration known as "Letter Art." This introduction to typographic design is the first of its kind, and promotes and improves letter recognition, observation, spelling, and design skills.

Kew East, Victoria : Berbay Publishing, 2016

Audience: For children

Summary: William Bligh: a stormy story of tempestuous times unpeels the layers of some of the most incredible circumstances in Australia's colonial history. Some people may have heard of the famous mutiny on the Bounty; others may have heard of the Rum Rebellion coup; but the details in and around these events are largely unknown and truly extraordinary. This is precisely what the latest book reveals. Written by Michael Sedunary and complemented by the stunning artwork of Australia's most prominent ceramic artist, Bern Emmerichs.

Canberra, A.C.T. National Library of Australia, 2015

WINNER Eve Pownall Award for Information Books 2016

Audience: For primary school age. Age 7+

Summary: Based on a true story of nine-year-old Lennie Gwyther who, at the height of the Great Depression in 1932, rode his pony from his home town of Leongatha in rural Victoria to Sydney to witness the opening of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Lenniea s 1,000-kilometre solo journey captured the imagination of the nation, and his determination and courage provided hope to many at a difficult time in Australia's history.

Ebook available from ProQuest Ebook Central
Collingwood CSIRO Publishing 2015

Honour Book 2016

Summary: Phasmid presents the amazing true story of the Lord Howe Island Phasmid - aka Stick Insect. Once thought to be extinct, the phasmids were rediscovered on Balls Pyramid, a volcanic outcrop 23 kilometers off the coast of Lord Howe Island, Australia, prompting an extraordinary conservation effort to save this remarkable insect. With a captivating narrative by Rohan Cleave and stunning watercolor illustrations by renowned artist Coral Tulloch, Phasmid is a positive story about one species' incredible story of survival in a time of worldwide species decline. It will help to inspire young readers to think about the survival of all species, including insects.

Canberra, A.C.T. Department of Veterans' Affairs in association with the Australian War Memorial, 2015

Honour Book 2016

Audience: Upper primary & lower secondary

Summary: This book explores stories of individuals and families from different cultural backgrounds who served in Australian units during the First World War. The stories contain educational questions, historical facts, did you know questions and a glossary of terms used in the text.

[South Melbourne] : Macmillan Australia, 2013

Summary: Nancy Wake, nicknamed 'the white mouse' for her ability to evade capture, tells her own story. After living and working in Paris in the 1930's, Nancy married a wealthy Frenchman and settled in Marseilles. Her idyllic new life was ended by World War II and the invasion of France. Her life shattered, Nancy joined the French resistance and, later, began work with an escape-route network for allied soldiers. Eventually Nancy had to escape from France herself to avoid capture by the Gestapo. In London she trained with the Special Operations Executive as a secret agent and saboteur before parachuting back into France.

Sydney South, NSW, Australia HarperCollins Publishers, 2015

Audience: For children. Ages 7+

Summary: It is one of the most amazing stories ever told and it is true! Funny, frank and embarrassment-free, this book gives a fresh take on the incredible tale of where we all come from.

Ebook available from Axis360
Melbourne, Vic. Text Publishing Company, 2015

Audience: For secondary school age. Ages 10+

Summary: A study of the women who made the rebellion in an abridged edition for younger readers. There was . . . Poet ELLEN YOUNG, stirring up the miners with her letters to he paper; Newspaper editor CLARA DUVAL SEEKAMP, publishing them; Actor SARAH HANMER, raising money for the cause; Teacher ANASTASIA HAYES and the other women who sewed the Eureka flag . . . not to mention the unknown woman who was killed in the fighting, then completely forgotten for 150 years.

Melbourne, Victoria The Text Publishing Company, 2014

WINNER Eve Pownall Award for Information Books

Audience: For secondary school age

Summary: Convicts in Van Diemen's Land is a rich and compelling account of the lives of the men, women and children who were transported to Tasmania for crimes ranging from stealing bread to poisoning family members. Their sentences, punishments, achievements and suffering make for fascinating reading. And the spectacular illustrations, each one carefully drawn in meticulous detail from contemporary records, bring this extraordinary history to life.

Canberra, A : National Library of Australia, 2014

Honour Book

Audience: Ages 5+

Summary: The Tea and Sugar train only came once a week on a Thursday. But the special Christmas train only came once a year. Today was Sunday. Four more days without sugar. Four more days until the Christmas train. Please, please be on time. Please don't be late. Join Kathleen in the outback as she eagerly awaits the Christmas Tea and Sugar train.

Canberra Published by the Department of Veterans Affairs in association with the Australian War Memorial, 2014

Honour Book

Audience: Primary and lower secondary school students. Ages 7+

Summary: This book tells the stories of Australian men and women who have shown extraordinary boldness or courage during wartime.

Sydney : Allen & Unwin, 2014

Summary: In this refreshing and fascinating collection, twelve Muslim-Australians - some known names, some not - reveal their fascinating, funny, candid stories of growing up with a dual identity. These honest and heartfelt stories will resonate with all readers, providing different snapshots of Muslim life in Australia, dispelling myths and stereotypes, and above all celebrating diversity, achievement, courage and determination.

Newtown, A : Walker Books Australia Pty Ltd, 2014

Audience: Ages 5+

Summary: An exciting new addition to the narrative non-fiction series Nature Stories, about emus.

Newtown, NSW Black Dog, 2014

Audience: Ages 8+

Summary: Mary MacKillop watched Australia grow from a collection of small colonies into a nation - and she was proud of the country she had a part in creating. How did Australia change in her lifetime? And how much influence did Mary MacKillop have in shaping Australia?

Kingswood, A : Working Title Press (aust), 2013

WINNER Eve Pownall Award for Information Books

Audience: Juvenile/Primary

Tiny Jeremy is only a few days old when he falls out of his nest and is brought home by the family cat. Luckily, Jeremy is a fighter and he loves to eat. Little by little he grows stronger and stronger, until the time comes when he must say goodbye. This delightful story about raising and rearing a baby kookaburra is based on a true story.

Crows Nest, A : Allen & Unwin, 2013

Honour Book

Audience: Teenage/Secondary

A wonderfully engaging and heartening account of a successful Aboriginal community based at a beautiful beach site in Arnhem Land. Bawaka Country refers to the diverse land, water, animals, plants, rocks, thoughts, and songs that make up their Indigenous homeland of Bawaka. Theirs is a story of lives entwined and of new places of being and belonging. Welcome to My Country is also a collaborative narrative of unexpected transformations, embedded families, and the spirituality and agency of non-human elements in and of the landscape.

Sydney, A : Hachette Book Group, 2013

Honour Book

Audience: Juvenile/Primary

The extraordinary achievements of Australias own Antarctic hero. Douglas Mawson was the first man to reach the South Magnetic Pole, and led Australia s first Antarctic expedition. This is a story of adventure and survival, as Mawson faces enormous challenges and triumphs. Kids will be gripped by this extraordinary true story!

Crows Nest, N.S.W. Allen & Unwin, 2013

Audience: Ages 7 to 12

Summary: He emerged from the cave of bats with the name given to him by his people. He was Jandamarra - a man of power who could appear and disappear like a ghost. Set in the Kimberley region in north-west Australia, this is the story of a young warrior born to lead. To the settlers, he was an outlaw to be hunted. To the Bunuba, he was a courageous defender of his country. Mark Greenwood's text and Terry Denton's watercolour illustrations bring to life this story of conflict and divided loyalties - giving a unique insight into an extraordinary man and a tragic but important part of Australia's frontier history.

Milsons Point, A : Random House Australia, 2013

Audience: Juvenile/Primary

Captain Cook was the first European to discover the eastern coast of Australia. Along with his crew on the HMS Endeavor, Cook set out from England with royal orders to look for signs of the great southern land known as Terra Australis, which they chartered in 1788. From Ned Kelly to Saint Mary Mackillop, Captain Cook to Douglas Mawson, the Meet... series of picture books tells the exciting stories of the men and women who shaped Australian history.

Sydney, NSW : ABC Books, 2013

Audience: Ages 8+

The diary of Yoko, a 13-year-old Japanese girl who lived near Hiroshima during the war. With additions by Yokos relatives and fellow students, and an introduction by Paul Ham, Yokos Diary is a touching account of the consequences of the first nuclear bombing of a city.

Newtown, N.S.W. : Walker Books, 2012

Audience/Format: Ages 5+

Summary: Its morning in the bush. Python stirs and slithers out from her shelter. She warms her head and smells the air with her forked tongue. Python is a beautiful snake, but also dangerous and she is looking for a meal. Python is part of the Nature Storybook series, which was shortlisted for the 2012 CBCA Awards.

Melbourne : Museum Victoria, 2012

Audience/Format: Primary school age

Summary: When Edith met a cheeky young lyrebird on her garden path, she could not guess that he would one day be known as 'A Miracle of the Dandenongs.' Soon, James the lyrebird was singing and dancing for Edith, mimicking the birdsongs and other sounds that echoed through the bush. Word of their friendship spread and people travelled from near and far to film and record James. But with people came change...

National Library of Australia, c2012

Audience/Format: All ages

Summary: To the first Europeans who came to Australia, everything seemed topsy turvy. Christmas was in the summer and trees shed their bark but not their leaves. And the animals were bizarre. There was a bird that laughed like a donkey and a type of greyhound that bound along on its hind legs like a hare. There was an animal in Tasmania whose nocturnal screeches sounded like the devil and a river creature that had a ducks bill at one end and a beavers tail at the other. The Europeans had never seen anything like these animals before and gave them names similar to those of the European creatures they already knew. They drew and painted odd pictures of them, showing they did not understand the animals habits. In one illustration, a wombat is standing on its back legs and in another a Tasmanian tiger is wrestling with a platypus of the same size.

Sydney : Lothian Children's Books, 2012

Audience/Format: Primary school age

Summary: "Big Tom Kruse was a real Australian hero. He's pile his truck high with bags of mail, and furniture, and passengers, and would drive back and forth, across the outback, come rain or shine."

South Brisbane, Qld. : Queensland Art Gallery, Gallery of Modern Art, 2012

Audience/Format: Primary school

Summary: Portrait of Spain for Kids is the fourth childrens book published by QAGOMA and features full-page colour images, information about the artists, fun facts about Spanish history and culture, as well as instructions for at-home activities such as Spanish recipes.