The Children’s Book Council of Australia have announced their 2025 Book of the Year Notables list. Have any have found a place on your child’s bookshelf?
The Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) have announced the 2025 Book of the Year Notables list, showcasing the best Australian children’s literature published last year.
CBCA Board Chair Jo Panckridge said the Notable list, which includes first time authors, books by comedians, and titles by veteran authors and past winners, will ‘resonate with young readers everywhere’.
The CBCA theme this year is ‘Book an Adventure’. Ms Panckridge said Notables list was ‘the ideal map for navigators guiding young readers on thrilling voyages, helping them discover books that will delight and enthral them’.
With themes of identity, resilience and belonging, to exploration, creativity and discovery, our Notables list captures the richness of childhood experiences’, she said.
The longlist includes 122 books, drawn from 730 entries, divided into six categories:
- Older Readers: fiction, drama or poetry suitable for secondary students (13-18 years)
- Younger Readers: fiction, drama or poetry for readers in middle to upper primary school (7-12 years)
- Early Childhood: fiction, drama or for pre-readers and early readers (0-6 years).
- Picture Books: where the story, theme or concept is unified through illustrations (0-18 years)
- Eve Pownall Award: books that document factual material with imaginative presentation, interpretation and variation of style. (0-18 years).
CBCA will reveal its Books of the Year winners ahead of Children’s Book Week in August, but children can take part by becoming ‘shadow judges’ when the Books of the Year shortlist is announced in March.
You can explore the long list below or find out more on the CBCA website.
Older Readers
A Way Home, by Emily Brewin
A Wreck of Seabirds, by Karleah Olson Birdy, by Sharon Kernot
Comes the Night, by Isobelle Carmody
Deep is the Fen, by Lili Wilkinson
Eleanor Jones Can’t Keep a Secret, by Amy Doak
I Hope This Doesn’t Find You, by Ann Liang
I’m Not Really Here, by Gary Lonesborough
Into the Mouth of the Wolf, by Erin Gough
Kate Forsyth’s Long-Lost Fairy Tales, by Kate Forsyth, illustrated by Lorena Carrington
Liar’s Test, by Ambelin Kwaymullina
Look Me in the Eye, by Jane Godwin
Maria Petranelli is Prepared for Anything (Except This), by Elisa Chenoweth
My Brother, Finch, by Kate Gordon
My Family and Other Suspects, by Kate Emery
Return to Sender, by Lauren Draper
The Invocations, by Krystal Sutherland
The Skin I’m In, by Steph Tisdell
The Sweetness Between Us, by Sarah Winifred Searle
Thunderhead, by Sophie Beer White Noise, by Raelke Grimmer
Wrong Answers Only, by Tobias Madden
Younger Readers
Aggie Flea Steals the Show, by Tania Ingram. Illustrated by Anne Yi
Countdown to Yesterday, by Shirley Marr
Ella and the Amazing Frog Orchestra, by Cassy Polimeni. Illustrated by Hykie Breeze
Fluff: Mess Up!, written and illustrated by Matt Stanton.
How to Break a World Record and Survive Grade Five, by Carla Fitzgerald
Jy Goes for Gold, by Carl Merrison & Hakea Hustler. Illustrated by Samantha Campbell
Landovel, by Emily Rodda
Laughter is the Best Ending, by Maryam Master. Illustrated by Astred Hicks
Ming and Ada Spark the Digital Age, by Jackie French
Oscar vs the Grand Old Dude Named York, by Ross Curnow
Real Pigeons Power Up, by Andrew McDonald. Illustrated by Ben Wood
Saskia Spark-Lee: Fundraiser Fail, by Rebecka Sharpe Shelberg. Illustrated by Sofya Karmazina
Shower Land 1: Break the Curse, by Nat Amoore. Illustrated by James Hart
Six Summers of Tash and Leopold, by Danielle Binks
The Kindness Project, by Deborah Abela
The Midwatch, written and illustrated by Judith Rossell.
The Other Shadow, by Tania Ingram
Tigg and the Bandicoot Bushranger, by Jackie French
To and Fro, by Anton Clifford-Motopi
Tweet, by Morris Gleitzman
Twinning BFFs (NOT), by Alexa Moses. Illustrated by Sofya Karmazina
We Do Not Welcome Our Ten-Year-Old Overlord, by Garth Nix
Worst Week Ever Saturday, by Eva Amores. Illustrated by Matt Cosgrove
Early Childhood
Amid the Sand Dunes, by Andrea Rowe. Illustrated by Hannah Sommerville
Dinosaur in My Pocket, by Ashleigh Barton. Illustrated by Blithe Fielden
Don’t Worry, Felix, by Yohann Devezy & Katharine Alice. Illustrated by Zoe Bennett
Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About the Tooth Fairy (And Some Things You Didn’t), written and illustrated by Briony Stewart.
Good Hair, by Yvonne Sewankambo. Illustrated by Freda Chiu
Happy All Over, written and illustrated by Emma Quay.
How to Make a Bedtime, by Meg McKinlay. Illustrated by Karen Blair
How to Move a Zoo, by Kate Simpson. Illustrated by Owen Swan
I am Tree Rex!, written and illustrated by Mo Davey.
Just Like You, by Natashia Curtin. Illustrated by Natashia Curtin
Kittens Do Not Care for Baths, by Ali Rutstein. Illustrated by Niña Nill
Meerkat Mayhem, by Mem Fox. Illustrated by Judy Horacek
Night Watch, by Jodi Toering. Illustrated by Tannya Harricks
One Little Dung Beetle, by Rhian Williams. Illustrated by Heather Potter & Mark Jackson
Over or Under?, by Pip Harry. Illustrated by Hilary Jean Tapper
Reading to Baby, by Margaret Wild. Illustrated by Hannah Sommerville
Sky Country, by Aunty Patsy Cameron. Illustrated by Lisa Kennedy
Spiro, written and illustrated by Anna McGregor.
The Big Book of Australian Nursery Rhymes, written and illustrated by Frané Lessac.
The Most Amazing Thing, by Ian Hayward Robinson. Illustrated by Matt Shanks
The Wobbly Bike, by Darren McCallum. Illustrated by Craig Smith
To Stir With Love, by Kate Mildenhall. Illustrated by Jess Racklyeft
Two Turtles, by Kiah Thomas. Illustrated by Jake Minton
Willow’s Gumboots, by Beverly McWilliams. Illustrated by Hélène Magisson
Worms Are Our Friends, by Toni D’Alia. Illustrated by Mica Purnell
Picture Book
A Leaf Called Greaf, Illustrated and written by Kelly Canby
Afloat, Illustrated by Freya Blackwood. Written by Kirli Saunders
Bernie Thinks in Boxes, Illustrated by Zoe Bennett. Written by Jess Horn
Dragon Folding, Illustrated by Lucia Masciullo. Written by Christopher Cheng
Footprint, Illustrated by Sally Soweol Han. Written by Phil Cummings
For 60,000 Years, Illustrated by Rhys Paddick. Written by Marlee Silva
General Waste, Illustrated by Michel Streich. Written by Michel Streich
Grow Big, Little Seed, Illustrated by Sarah Capon. Written by Bec Nanayakkara
House, Illustrated by Charlotte Lane. Written by Dan Giovannoni
Listen, Hippo!, Illustrated and written by Gabriel Evans
Night Watch, Illustrated by Tannya Harricks. Written by Jodi Toering
Stickboy, Illustrated by Matt Ottley. Written by Rebecca Young
The Garden of Broken Things, Illustrated and written by Freya Blackwood
The Land Recalls You, Illustrated by David & Noni Cragg. Written by Kirli Saunders
The Space Between, Illustrated and written by Jess McGeachin
The Truck Cat, Illustrated by Danny Snell. Written by Deborah Frenkel
Then and Now, Illustrated and written by Datsun Tran
These Long-Loved Things, Illustrated by Ronojoy Ghosh. Written by Josh Pyke
Three Dresses, Illustrated and written by Wanda Gibson
Tilly in a Tangle, Illustrated by Monty Lee. Written by Margrete Lamond
Two Turtles, Illustrated by Jake Minton. Written by Kiah Thomas
Walking Together, Illustrated by Dub Leffler. Written by Coral Vass
We Live in a Bus, Illustrated and written by Dave Petzold
Why I Love Christmas, Illustrated by Tom Jellett. Written by Michael Wagner
Words That Taste Like Home, Illustrated by Michelle Pereira. Written by Sandhya Parappukkaran
Eve Pownall Award
All About the Brain, written and illustrated by Gabriel Dabscheck
Always Was, Always Will Be, by Aunty Fay Muir & Sue Lawson
Anti-Racism Kit, by Sabina Patawaran & Jinyoung Kim. Illustrated by Emma Ismawi
Australia’s Baby Animals, written and illustrated by Jess Racklyeft
Before the Mountain had a Name, written and illustrated by Fiona Levings
Come Together Again, by Isaiah Firebrace. Illustrated by Jaelyn Biumaiwai
Design & Building on Country, by Alison Page & Paul Memmott. Illustrated by Blak Douglas
Extreme Animal Facts, written and illustrated by Jennifer Cossins
Flora: Australia’s Most Curious Plants, written and illustrated by Tania McCartney
Follow Your Gut, by Ailsa Wild & Lisa Stinson, with Briony Barr & Gregory Crocetti. Illustrated by Ben Hutchings
I am a Magpie, I am a Currawong, written and illustrated by Bridget Farmer
Into the Ice: Reflections on Antarctica, written and illustrated by Alison Lester & Coral Tulloch
Making the Shrine: Stories From Victoria’s War Memorial, written and illustrated by Laura J Carroll
Now for the Good News, by Planet Ark Environmental Foundation. Illustrated by Sarah Wiecek
Plantabulous! More A to Z of Australian Plants, by Catherine Clowes. Illustrated by Rachel Gyan
Seed to Sky: Life in the Daintree, by Pamela Freeman. Illustrated by Liz Anelli
Sensational Australian Animals, by Stephanie Owen Reeder. Illustrated by Cher Hart
South With the Seabirds, written and illustrated by Jess McGeachin
Sunny Finds His Song, by Catherine Storey & Penny Watson. Illustrated by Sarah Matsuda
The Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Extinct Animals, written and illustrated by Sami Bayly
Too Many Tigers, written and illustrated by Monica Reeve
Unreal, by Kate Simpson. Illustrated by Leila Rudge
Walking the Rock Country in Kakadu, by Diane Lucas & Ben Tyler. Illustrated by Emma Long
Wedge-tailed Eagle, by Claire Saxby Christina Booth
When the World Was Soft, by Juluwarlu Group Aboriginal Corporation. Illustrated by Alex Mankiewicz
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