Tuesday 29 April 2014

CBCA Book of the Year Awards Shortlist 2014

The shortlists and Notable Books for the Children's Book Council of Australia Book of the Year Awards were released recently.

Every year I tell myself I should try and read a whole shortlist before the winner is announced, and every year I don't manage to do it- not even the picture book category! Seriously, this is the year I really should try.

Book of the Year: Older Readers Shortlist

The Incredible Here and Now - Felicity Castagna (see my review)
Life in Outer Space - Melissa Keil
The First Third - Will Kostakis (see my review)
Fairytales for Wilde Girls - Allyse Near
Wildlife - Fiona Wood
The Sky so Heavy - Claire Zorn (see my review)


Older Readers Notable Books

Refuge - Jackie French
The Sultan's Eyes - Kelly Gardiner
Pureheart - Cassandra Golds
You Don't Even Know - Sue Lawson
Flora's War - Pamela Rushby
Run - Tim Sinclair
The Vanishing Moment - Margaret Wild


Book of the Year: Younger Readers Shortlist

Violet Mackerel's Possible Friend - Anna Branford, Sarah Davis (illustrator)
Song for a Scarlet Runner - Julie Hunt
A Very Unusual Pursuit - Catherine Jinks
My Life as an Alphabet - Barry Jonsberg (read my review)
Light Horse Boy - Dianne Wolfer, Brian Simmonds (illustrator)



Younger Readers Notable Books

Eric Vale: Super Male - Michael Gerard Bauer
That Boy, Jack - Brian Janeen
View from the 32nd Floor - Emma Cameron
Through My Eyes: Shahana - Rosanne Hawke
The Year My Life Broke - John Marsden
To Brave the Seas: A Boy at War - David McRobbie
The Girl Who Brought Mischief - Katrina Nannestad
An ANZAC Tale - Ruth Starke, Greg Holfeld (illustrator) (see my review)
Truly Tan Jinxed! - Jen Storer, Claire Robertson (illustrator)
Stay Well Soon - Penny Tangey
The Hidden Series Book 1: Ice Breaker - Lian Tanner
The Wishbird - Gabrielle Wang

Book of the Year: Early Childhood Shortlist

I'm a Dirty Dinosaur - Janeen Brian, Ann James (illustrator)
Baby Bedtime - Mem Fox, Emma Quay (illustrator)
Banjo and Ruby Red - Libby Gleeson, Freya Blackwood (illustrator)
Kissed by the Moon - Alison Lester (see my review)
The Swap - Jan Ormerod, Andrew Joyner (illustrator)
Granny Grommet and Me - Dianne Wolfer, Karen Blair (illustrator)


Early Childhood Notable Books

Little Big - Jonathan Bentley
Noah Dreary - Aaron Blabey
The Short Giraffe - Neil Flory, Mark Cleary (illustrator)
Starting School - Jane Goodwin, Anna Walker (illustrator)
Bird and Bear - Ann James
Where are you, Banana? Sofie Laguna, Craig Smith (illustrator)
I Love You Too - Stephen Michael King
Daisy and the Puppy - Lisa Shanahan, Sara Acton (illustrator)
Davy and the Duckling - Margaret Wild, Julie Vivas (illustrator)
On the Day you were Born - Margaret Wild, Ron Brooks (illustrator)

Picture Book of the Year Shortlist

The Treasure Box -  Freya Blackwood (illustrator), Margaret Wild (text) (see my review)
King Pig - Nick Bland (see my review)
Silver Buttons - Bob Graham (see my review)
Parachute -  Matt Ottley (illustrator), Danny Parker (text) (see my review)
The Windy Farm -  Craig Smith (illustrator), Doug MacLeod (text) (see my review)
Rules of Summer - Shaun Tan (see my review)




Picture Book Notable Books

Esther's Rainbow - Sara Acton (illustrator), Kim Kane (text)
Noah Dreary - Aaron Blabey
On the Day You Were Born - Ron Brooks (illustrator), Margaret Wild (text)
An ANZAC Tale - Greg Holfeld (illustrator), Ruth Starke (text) (see my review)
The Fearsome, Frightening, Ferocious Box - David Legge (illustrator), Frances Watts (text)
Scarlett and the Scratchy Moon - Chris McKimmie
Ted - Leila Rudge
Anzac Biscuits - Owen Swan (illustrator), Phil Cummings (text)
Davy and the Duckling - Julie Vivas (illustrator), Margaret Wild (text)
Vietnam Diary - Mark Wilson


Eve Pownall Award for Information Books Shortlist

Welcome to My Country - Laklak Burarrwanga and family
Jeremy - Christopher Faille, Danny Snell (illustrator)
Ice, Wind, Rock - Peter Gouldthorpe
Jandamarra - Mark Greenwood, Terry Denton (illustrator)
Yoko's Diary: The Life of a Young Girl in Hiroshima (ed by Paul Ham)
Meet… Captain Cook - Rae Murdie, Chris Nixon (illustrator)




Eve Pownall Award Notable Books

Let's Paint - Gabriel Alborozo
Welcome Little Scrub Fowl - Sandra Kendall
The Big Book of Australian History - Peter Macinnes
Big Red Kangaroo - Claire Saxby, Graham Byrne (illustrator)
Devotion: Stories of Australia's Wartime Nurses - Robyn Siers, Brett Hatherly (illustrator)
An ANZAC Tale - Ruth Starke, Greg Holfeld (see my review)

Crichton Award for New Illustrators

Big Red Kangaroo - Graham Byrne, text by Claire Saxby
The Bloodhound Boys Book 1: The Great Blood Bank Robbery - Andrew Cranna
I've an Uncle Ivan - Ben Sanders
The Nerdy Birdy - David Snowdon, text by Danielle Wheeldon



I've read a few already- I need to get blogging, and reading more.

I've picked my winners by the covers. I wonder how I'll go? The real winners will be announced at noon on August 15, to mark the start of Children's Book Week. See my winners post here.



2 comments:

Deb Nance at Readerbuzz said...

I really like the Violet Mackerel series. Violet seems so real.

But that is the only book from this entire list I've seen here in the US. Hard to believe.

Louise said...

I haven't read any of the Violet Mackerel series yet. I've seen them around, and given some as presents to a friends daughter. These are all recentish releases (2013 calendar year I think)- I hope you do get to come across some at least.