AustLit

‘Children's publishing after the war was influenced by Australia's accelerated cultural and economic growth, and by an increasing American influence. With the postwar baby boom came changing attitudes to children and the identification of children as a consumer group or market, resulting in unprecedented attention to children's books. As early as 1945, New South Wales established a Children's Book Week and associated awards, leading to the formation in 1958 of the Children's Book Council of Australia (CBC), which held its inaugural meeting in 1959. Library and educational growth in turn spearheaded the development of educational publishing by both local and inter- national publishers. In particular, British and US companies established local branches to take advantage of these new market opportunities, bringing with them valuable expertise.’(Introduction 278)