Highly Recommended Archives

My Mum is a Bird

June 5, 2025

Angie Cui (text) and Evie Barrow (illustrator), My Mum is a Bird, University of Queensland Press, April 2025, 40 pp., […]

Diversity, embarrassment, inclusivity, Mums, picture book, Younger Readers

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CBCA Short Listed Highly Recommended Older Readers

Birdy

June 4, 2025

Sharon Kernot Birdy, Text Publishing, January 2024, 240 pp., RRP $22.99 (pbk), ISBN 9781922790606 Short listed for the Children’s Book

2025 BOTY, 2025 notable book, 2025 Short Lists, Bullying, family, free verse, friendships, grief and loss, intergenerational friendships, older readers, siblings, therapy, Trauma, trolling, Verse novel, young adult

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Young Dark Emu: A Truer History

June 4, 2025

Bruce Pascoe, Young Dark Emu: A Truer History, Magabala Books, February 2025, 80 pp., RRP $29.99 (hbk), ISBN 9781922777508 This

Aboriginal customs, aboriginal food, Aboriginal history, factual picture book, land management, non fiction book, primary sources, updated edition

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Invisible Boys

May 27, 2025

Holden Sheppard, Invisible Boys, Fremantle Press, January 2025, 344 pp., RRP $22.99 (pbk), ISBN 9781760994716 Invisible Boys by Holden Sheppard

absent parents, adapted for the screen, Bullying, friendships, homophobia, Identity, LGBTQIA+, mental health, older readers, sexual references, suicidal thoughts, young adult

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Early Childhood Books Highly Recommended Picture Books

Kittens DO NOT Care for Baths

May 24, 2025

Ali Rutstein (text) and Niña Nil (illustrator), Kittens DO NOT Care for Baths, Bright Lights, October 2024, 24 pp., RRP

2025 notable book, Bath time, bubblebath, early childhood book, father and daughter, humour, picture book

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CBCA Short Listed Early Childhood Books Highly Recommended Picture Books Reviews Younger Readers

The Garden of Broken Things

May 24, 2025

Freya Blackwood, The Garden of Broken Things, HarperCollins AU, May 2024, 32 pp., RRP $26.99 (hbk), ISBN 9781922539991 Freya Blackwood’s

2025 BOTY, 2025 notable book, 2025 Short Lists, companionship, curiousity, Gardens, grief and loss, intergenerational friendships, Memory, picture book, recycling, resilience, transformation, up-cycling

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CBCA Short Listed Highly Recommended Older Readers Reviews

A Wreck of Seabirds

May 7, 2025

Karleah Olson, A Wreck of Seabirds, Fremantle Press, March 2024, 320 pp., RRP $22.95 (pbk), ISBN 9781760996505 It seems more

2025 BOTY, 2025 Short Lists, coastal gothic, family, friendships, grief and loss, hope and healing, literary fiction, Missing Persons, older readers, romance, set in Western Australia, young adult

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Bigfoot vs Yeti: A Love Story

April 30, 2025

James Foley, Bigfoot vs Yeti: A Love Story, Fremantle Press, March 2025, 40 pp., RRP $24.99 (hbk), ISBN 9781760994983 The

conflict, Culture, Growth, History, humour, love story, nature of war, picture book, social issues, Tolerance, understanding

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awards CBCA Short Listed Early Childhood Books Highly Recommended Information Books Picture Books Reviews

I am a Magpie I am a Currawong

April 28, 2025

Bridget Farmer, I am a Magpie I am a Currawong, Bridget Farmer Books, August 2024, 24 pp., RRP $24.99 (hbk),

2025 Short Lists, Australian birds, bird watching, early childhood book, Eve Pownall shortlist, factual picture book, identifying birds, information book

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Early Childhood Books Great Read Alouds Highly Recommended Picture Books Reviews

Fly, Mama, Fly!

April 23, 2025

Anna McGregor, Fly, Mama, Fly!, Scribble, March 2025, 24 pp., RRP $19.99, (board), ISBN 9781761381539 The request of “Wake up,

Bats, bedtime story, board book, early childhood book, earth's cycles, ecosystems, Endangered species, environmental protection, mother child bond, nocturnal animals, picture book

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Hello my name is Ruby Philpott, my mother is Cath Pownall, Eve Pownall is my great grandmother. Thank you for…

This book is one of the best books I've ever read. Scarlett's story is heartbreaking yet heartwarming all at the…

I really like this book

i am reading this book for home work and it is so intriguing and i want to be like scoop…

It was a really good book I loved reading it