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History

Picture Book of the Year was first offered as an award in 1955, the first time that the Children's Book Council of Australia offered more than a single award.

The award was not given in 1957, 1959-1963 inclusive, 1966-1968 inclusive, 1972-1973 inclusive, 1977, or 1981 (although there were commended books in some of these years).

Notes

  • 1955 -

Latest Winners / Recipients

Year: 2023

winner y separately published work icon Frank's Red Hat Sean E. Avery , Sean E. Avery (illustrator), Newtown : Walker Books Australia , 2022 24825665 2022 single work picture book children's

'A story about never giving up on your talents, because even though what you do may not be appreciated right now, it may be in time. Possibly by someone you’d least expect.

'Frank is a penguin with ideas. Mostly terrible ones. That’s why his fellow penguins are nervous when he shows them his strange new creation. Something they’d never seen or expected to see in their cold and colourless Antarctic world — a red hat.' (Publication summary)

Shadow Judging Book of the Year Awards
winner y separately published work icon My Strange Shrinking Parents Zeno Sworder , Port Melbourne : Thames and Hudson , 2022 25006620 2022 single work children's fiction children's

'It goes without saying that all children believe their parents to be strange.
Mine were unusual for a different reason…

'One boy’s parents travel from far-off lands to improve their son’s life. But what happens next is unexpected. What does it mean when your parents are different? What shape does love take? And what happens when your parents sacrifice a part of themselves for you?

'In this heartbreaking and heart-warming story, CBCA award-winner Zeno Sworder reflects on his own migrant parents’ sacrifices to create a universal story about what it means to give to those you love. Drawing from the sacrifices his Chinese mother made to raise her young family in a small country town, Sworder’s drawings are full of beautiful detail and fairytale settings that explore his own journey from child to parent.

'With humour and pathos, Sworder reflects on the strange nature of giving and receiving love and celebrates those parents who embrace a hard life for themselves in the hope of a better life from their children. Full of depth and generosity as well as insight and candour, Sworder brings this gorgeous fable to life.'  (Publication summary)

Year: 2022

winner y separately published work icon Iceberg Claire Saxby , Jess Racklyeft (illustrator), Crows Nest : Allen and Unwin , 2021 20849014 2021 single work picture book children's

'An iceberg is born into spring and travels through the seasons before dying in a new spring. A stunning, lyrical story for our times, from renowned picture book creators Claire Saxby and Jess Racklyeft.

'In the final freeze of an Antarctic winter, green tails wave across a star-full sky, as if to farewell endless nights. If this world looks empty, look closer ... Penguins trek across the ice to their winter homes. As the temperature warms, birds fly above on their long migrations. And with the advent of summer, beneath an iceberg, the sea is teeming with life.

'Ocean, sky, snow and ice - minute greens and giant blues - dance a delicate dance in this evocative portrayal of the life cycle of an iceberg.' (Publication summary)

winner (Shadowers' Choice Award) y separately published work icon Stellarphant James Foley , James Foley (illustrator), 2019 single work picture book children's

'Heroes come in all shapes, sizes and species. Stella wants to be an astronaut. There is only one problem: Stella is an elephant. Every time she applies to Space Command, they come up with a new reason she can’t join. But where there’s a will, there’s a way and Stella is determined to reach for the stars. Does she have the right stuff?'

Source : publisher's blurb

Year: 2021

winner y separately published work icon How to Make a Bird Megan McKinlay , Matt Ottley (illustrator), Newtown : Walker Books Australia , 2020 19897910 2020 single work picture book

'Extraordinary imagery and rich language spark the reader's imagination as they enter the creative world of a young girl.

'From award-winning author Meg McKinlay and celebrated artist Matt Ottley comes a moving and visually stunning picture book that celebrates the transformative power of the creative process from inception through recognition to celebration and releasing into the world. We shadow the protagonist as she contemplates the blue print of an idea, collects the things that inspire from the natural world to shape a bird. And breathes life into it before letting it fly free. It shows how small things, combined with a little imagination and a steady heart, can transform into works of magic.'

(Source: publisher's blurb)

Year: 2020

winner y separately published work icon I Need a Parrot Christopher McKimmie , Christopher McKimmie (illustrator), Ormond : Ford Street , 2019 17360547 2019 single work picture book children's

'But what does a parrot need?

'A book about wanting and needing: what a child wants and what a wild bird needs.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

Year: 2019

winner y separately published work icon Cicada Shaun Tan , Shaun Tan (illustrator), Melbourne : Lothian , 2018 13514146 2018 single work picture book children's fantasy

'Cicada work in tall building.

'Data entry clerk. Seventeen year.

'No sick day. No mistake.

'Tok Tok Tok!

'Cicada works in an office, dutifully toiling day after day for unappreciative bosses and being bullied by his coworkers. But one day, Cicada goes to the roof of the building, and something truly extraordinary happens ...'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

Works About this Award

For Kids or Not for Kids - That Is the Question Carolyn Webb , 2011 single work column
— Appears in: The Saturday Age , 20 August 2011; (p. 7)
Colourful Threads of a Friendship Deborah Bogle , 2009 single work column
— Appears in: The Advertiser , 22 August 2009; (p. 30-31)
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