AustLit

'Written from a place of deep understanding and love, this beautiful book explores and explains for young children what it means to be gender diverse.

'There are so many ways to be a girl, a boy, both - or neither.

'Created by writer Romy Ash and illustrator Blue Jaryn, this beautiful picture book shows us that there is no right way to be any gender.

'You can just be yourself.

'Perfect for young children, As Bright As a Rainbow explores gender identity in a warm-hearted and gentle way.'  (Publication summary)

'A timeless message of hope - of love lost and found again - this story is a stunning debut that will warm your heart.

'I am a lucky shack.
I spend my days watching boats bob gently
under puffy clouds, on a sparkling sea.

'Surrounded by natural beauty, a seaside shack is lovingly cared for by a fisherman, until one day everything changes.

'The Lucky Shack is a heartfelt and uplifting journey through the seasons, the cycle of life, and the beauty and power of nature. If you are brave enough to let the light in, love and gratitude will triumph.' (Publication summary)

'Mrs Koala runs the most popular beauty parlour in town, but she's so busy with her clients, she doesn't even know how many she has!

'From talented duo Catherine Jinks and Tania McCartney comes a delightful book that takes us on a fun-filled journey as we count down to the end of a crazy day in Mrs Koala's beauty parlour.'

Source : publication summary

'Xiao Xin believes he is a red fire warrior but his family are always telling him to be careful. They believe the world is a dangerous place. Too dangerous for a little boy on his own.

'They don't understand what I can do!

'They don't understand what I can be!

'Renowned storytellers Alice Pung and Sher Rill Ng bring to life a beautiful and tender story about learning to conquer your own fears - as a child, and as an adult.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'A wonderfully inclusive book to celebrate the anticipated birth of a child.

'Before you were born
and while you grew,
there was a party
just for you.

'Created by talented duo Katrina Germein and Helène Magisson, this heartwarming picture book captures the excitement and anticipation of the arrival of a baby. Filled with love, hope and happiness, Before You Were Born celebrates the universal joy of new babies in all kinds of families.'

Source : publisher's blurb

'Pink was born to stand out

'Pink is a small dinosaur who stands out from the crowd. Hide-and-seek is her favourite game, but her colour means she's always the first one to be found. She doesn't want to be pink anymore ... until her difference helps her friends find their way home again.

'An adorable new picture book about accepting yourself and finding your strengths, from award-winning author Margaret Wild and award-winning illustrator Judith Rossell.' (Publication summary)

'A joyous and exuberant picture book about life in a remote community

'Tell 'em how us kids like to play.
We got bikes and give each other rides.
Tell 'em about the dancing and singing,
And all the stories the old people know.

'In this book, written in conjunction with children from Manyallaluk School in the Roper River region in the NT, the voices of Indigenous children sing out across the land to tell us about their life in a remote community.' (Publication summary)

'Ozzie lives with his dad in a shipping container by the sea in the Top End of Australia.

'Ozzie isn't afraid of much. Not the cool dark of the container when the door is closed at night. Not snakes. Not even of the crocodiles that he and his dad watch out for on the beach during the day.

'But there is something Ozzie is afraid of ...' (Publication summary)

'In this companion to the award-winning, My Gallipoli, many voices will recall the day the Great War ended and the monthsthat followed before peace rang out around the world.

'On 11 November 1918, after four years of fighting, the Allied powers signed an agreement with Germany to end the Great War and to begin peace negotiations. The armistice, as it was known, took effect on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. But it would take more than seven months before peace would finally be declared at Versailles on 28 June 1919. The Great War was over. But the world as it had been known was changed forever.

'In this book, many voices recall the day the war ended,and the months that followed before peace rang out around the world. Armistice will bring these stories to life and is published to commemorate the 100th anniversary since the fighting stopped.' (Publication Summary)

'In 2012 a Southern right whale gave birth to a calf in Sydney Harbour. It was the third time in recorded history that a Southern right whale had been born in the harbour. The mother and calf stayed in the sheltered waters of the city’s inlets and bays for several months before heading south to the Antarctic waters. The people of Sydney were entranced by the presence of these whales so close to the city. Since then there have been numerous other sightings of whale calves in Sydney waters, including one which was found nestling next to a boat after being separated from its mother. '

'The story of Fluke is based on these events. '  (Publication Summary)

'The brown dog often visits Henry on rainy, grey afternoons. Usually he doesn’t hang around for long. But this time the brown dog decides to stay and Henry needs to find a way to make him leave.' (Synopsis)

'Every day Gus Dog goes to work in the back of the Ute with his owner, Tom the shearer. But one morning Gus wakes up to find Tom and the Ute gone. So Gus Dog decides to go to work on his own.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Five little Flutter Fairies going off to bed. Fairy Blue, Fairy Green, Fairy Gold, and Red. But one of them is missing. Which fairy do you think? Could it be the smallest one. Is it Fairy Pink? You'll have to wait and see. Lesley Gibbes' and Sara Acton's delightful bedtime book is guaranteed to make every toddler jump into bed as quick as a wink to have this story read to them.' (Publication summary)

'When a grieving brother sets out to find his lost sibling, his quest takes him on an ethereal journey across land and sea - to fantastic, floating cities, and mediaeval towns full of dark alleyways and winding staircases - to vast open grasslands and eerie, silent forests - until eventually he arrives in place of timeless beauty and light.

'My Brother is a metaphorical picture book story for older children that looks at loss and grief from a sibling's perspective.' (Publication summary)

Nannie lives on a farm with rolling hills, a muddy creek, and lots of animals. But what Nannie loves most is when her family comes to stay. (Publisher)

'Seagull loves to fly. It makes her heart sing. But when she gets caught in a tangle of fishing line on the beach, Seagull can only watch as other birds fly effortlessly above. What can she do? Who will help her?

'Written and illustrated by Danny Snell, Seagull is a gentle, positive story with a strong environmental message about the value of caring for our land and our wildlife.' (Publication summary)

'From the shores of Anzac Cove to the heights of Chunuk Bair, from Cape Helles to Gurkha Bluff, the Gallipoli Peninsula was the place where thousands of men from sixteen nations fought, suffered, endured or died during the eight months of occupation in 1915. For each of them, their families and their nurses, Gallipoli meant something different. Their voices emerge from the landscape and across the decades with stories of courage, valour, despair and loss. Winner of the 2015 NSW Premier's Young People's History Prize Shortlisted for the 2015 Asher Literary Award and the 2016 Children's Book Council of Australia Crichton Award A 2016 Children's Book Council of Australia Notable Book' (Publication summary 2016 edition)

'Some babies have a mum and a dad. Some babies have a mum, and a dad who lives elsewhere. Some babies have two mums. Or two dads. Our baby has a mum and a dad and a big sister – me!

'Babies come in all shapes and sizes, and from all sorts of families. Some babies have milky mouths, snotty noses, tufty hair, or no hair at all. Some babies like going to cafes or to the park. Some like playing at home. Every baby is different, and every one of them is special.' (Publication summary)

'Ian Abdulla's paintings and text offer a snapshot of an Aboriginal family living on a small stretch of the Murray River in South Australia in the 1950s and 1960s. This was a time of immense and profound environmental and social change when the assimilation policy still existed and there were few employment opportunities for Aborigines.

'Ian's personal story of survival affirms the culture of rural Aborigines who despite being dispossessed have been determined to stay on the land.' (Publication summary)

'Every week Lucas' mum visits Great Grandpop at the nursing home. And every week Lucas waits for her outside. Waiting is boring! Until Lucas meets Jack.

'Jack is tricky and Jack is fun, and he is a great storyteller.

'Lucas & Jack is a great book for introducing young children to the idea that old people can be fun and that deep down we have more in common than we think. More importantly Lucas & Jack encourages children to ask questions, be curious, imaginative and empathetic.' (Publication summary)