The Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) was established in Sydney in 1945. The Second World War had two effects on children’s books in Australia: imports were restricted and a paper shortage curtailed local production, resulting in a groundswell among Australian educators to provide more and better locally produced books and to foster the growth of libraries for children and therefore improve literacy levels. During that time Mary Townes Nyland worked at the USA Information Library in Sydney. So when the US Children’s Book Council conceived the idea of sponsoring an international Children’s Book Week, she was the catalyst for an enthusiastic group who worked toward that goal. The US Information Library hosted a dinner for about twelve invited guests and were amazed at the response. Guests were authors, publishers, librarians, teachers and representatives from the Australian Broadcasting Commission. A committee was formed and the first Australian Children’s Book Week was held in November 1945. This is generally regarded as the birth of the Children’s Book Council of Australia.
The Children’s Book Council of Australia became a national organisation in 1958, with branches in every Australian state and territory. The national organisation is administered by the CBCA National Board, made up of representatives from every branch. Branches organise their own programs and events according to their members’ needs and the National Board organises the Children’s Book of the Year Awards and the Biennial National Conference. It is a not-for-profit organisation and all work done is voluntary.
The first annual Children’s Book of the Year Award was presented in 1946 and since then these awards have become the most respected and influential children’s book awards in Australia. In 1946 the winners were given a camellia if they were female and a handshake if they were male. However the CBCA Awards Foundation was established in 1995 and has now raised over A$1.5 million which is held in trust to fund monetary prizes for the awards. The awards have had a profound influence on the careers of countless Australian authors and illustrators and on the literacy levels of Australian children. Most schools in Australia eagerly await the announcement of the Awards Shortlist in April, then the presentation of the prizes in five categories during Book Week in August. In the months leading up to Book Week schools energetically read the shortlisted books and vote on their favourites. Awards categories are: Older Readers; Younger Readers; Early Childhood; Picture Book of the Year and the Eve Pownall Award for Information Books. There were 476 entries for the 2015 awards.
Throughout the year, the CBCA works in partnership with authors, illustrators, publishers, booksellers and other organisations to bring words, images and stories into the hearts and minds of children and adults. Australian children’s literature enriches our nation and through these efforts, the CBCA is nurturing a literate, educated and creative society. Its aims include:
- to promote quality literature to young Australians;
- to support Australian creators of children’s books;
- to promote the role of library and literature professionals in bringing children and books together;
- to celebrate outstanding contributions to Australian children’s literature through the CBCA Book of the Year Awards;
- to promote greater equity of access to reading through community projects;
- to pursue and implement these objects by the promotion of appropriate activities at a national and branch level;
- and to administer awards for outstanding contributions to children’s literature.
70th anniversary celebrations, which begin in August 2015, will culminate with the presentation of the 70th CBCA Book of the Year Awards in Sydney in 2016, where it all began. Working continually for seventy years is a major achievement, especially for a voluntary organisation. The CBCA Board receives no funding from government or the corporate sector. Its income is derived from sales of Book Week merchandise, the sale of stickers for winning books and the biennial National Conference. The 12th National Conference will be held in Sydney in May 2016, where the 70th anniversary celebrations will continue. The theme READ: myriad possibilities, will give visionary direction and will show how, after 70 years, there are myriad possibilities for the CBCA and the future of reading. This theme is based on the quote: Books may not change our suffering, books may not protect us from evil, books may not tell us what is good or what is beautiful, and they will certainly not shield us from the common fate of the grave. But books grant us myriad possibilities: the possibility of change, the possibility of illumination. Alberto Manguel
Margaret Hamilton AM
Deputy Chair, CBCA
