Picture Books to Help Teach Narrative Writing
The Boy Who Tried to Shrink His Name by Sandhya Parappukkaran and illustrated by Michelle Pereira received the CBCA Winner Award for New Illustrators in 2022 and is a 2022 CBCA Notable. This is an uplifting and beautiful story, told from the perspective of a young South East Asian boy and is about celebrating cultural […]
Sensational Australian Animals
Title: Sensational Australian Animals Author: Stephanie Owen Reeder Illustrator: Cher Hart Publisher: CSIRO Publishing Publication date: February 2024 Themes: The five senses, animal behaviour and physical animal features Comprehensive Teacher Notes are available on the CSIRO Publishing website. Sensational Australian Animals by Stephanie Owen Reeder, illustrated by Cher Hart and published by CSIRO Publishing, begins by asking […]
The Garden of Broken Things
The Garden of Broken Things invites the reader on a journey with Sadie; a journey of discovery, life, loss, the past, history. A journey sparked by insatiable curiosity, freedom and the innocence of a young girl, open minded and with a keen desire to connect and share without fear and judgement. This journey is evocatively […]
The Concrete Garden
Written during COVID times with clues in the illustrations to reflect this, The Concrete Garden by Bob Graham, celebrates the profound ripple effect one child’s creative actions can have on their community and further afield. After being inside for an extended period, an apartment block filled with children from diverse backgrounds, comes to life as […]
When the Lights Went Out
Title: When the Lights Went Out Author: Lian Tanner Illustrator: Jonathan Bentley Publisher: Allen and Unwin Publication date: 2 July 2024 Comprehensive teachers’ notes can be downloaded from the publisher’s website here When the Lights Went Out by Lian Tanner, illustrated by Jonathan Bentley and published by Allen and Unwin is a glowing story about community, connection, […]
The Kindness Project
Deborah Abela has cleverly positioned readers to walk in the shoes of the four protagonists in her debut verse novel, The Kindness Project. This story holds a mirror up to middle grade readers who may feel different to their peers and/or are navigating change and adversity in their lives. In this story, four seemingly very […]
Unreal – Can you tell fact from fake?
Title: Unreal – Can you tell fact from fake? Author: Kate Simpson Illustrator: Leila Rudge Publisher: Allen and Unwin Publication date: July 2024 Unreal – Can you tell fact from fake? Written by Kate Simpson, illustrated by Leila Rudge and published by Allen and Unwin is a highly absorbing, inventive non-fiction picture book that invites readers […]
Losing the Plot
Losing the Plot by Annaleise Byrd and published by Walker Books is such an inventive, clever, creative and humourous middle grade fantasy story. This fractured fairytale will have readers laughing out loud as they adventure with two polar opposite male protagonists, Basil Beedon and Terry Clegg, into a fairy tale world. Once plunged into this […]
Huda and Me
Huda and Me by H Hayeck and published by Allen and Unwin follows siblings Huda and Akeal on an action-packed adventure as they escape their nefarious, deceitful babysitter, Aunt Amel, in their home in Melbourne to travel to Beirut to reunite with their parents. This story is perfect for upper primary readers and explores identity, […]
The Apprentice Witnesser
Title: The Apprentice Witnesser Author and illustrator: Bren MacDibble Publisher: Allen and Unwin Publication date: April 2024 Themes: Power of human connection, family (whether it be biological or not), love, courage, loyalty, sacrifice, survival, the impossible decisions and consequences borne from a deep love, forgiveness and healing. A comprehensive teaching resource can be downloaded from the Allen […]