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BILBY (Books I Love Best Yearly) Awards
Subcategory of Awards Australian Awards
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History

'The BILBY Awards were instituted in 1990. Each year since then the children of Queensland have been invited to select their favourite books which they have read in the previous year. Prior to 1997 there were three categories for primary students - Read Alone, Read Aloud and Read Australian - and one category for Secondary. In 1997 the current readership format was introduced, though the Early Readers category was first called the Picture Books category, then the Early Childhood category.

Latest Winners / Recipients

Year: 2021

winner (Picture Book) y separately published work icon Your Birthday was the BEST! Maggie Hutchings , Felicita Sala (illustrator), South Melbourne : Affirm Press , 2020 18575649 2020 single work picture book children's

'From the author of the best-selling Mermaid! and Unicorn! and one of the world’s hottest new picture-book illustrators comes the story of a plucky young cockroach who gate-crashes a birthday party – with hilarious results. Funny, silly and surprisingly cute, Your Birthday Was the BEST! is the perfect blend of downright gross and delightfully entertaining.' (Publication summary)

winner (Early Childhood) y separately published work icon Anemone is not the Enemy Anna McGregor , Anna McGregor (illustrator), London : Scribble , 2020 19695126 2020 single work picture book children's

'Anemone lives alone in the rock pool. The tide comes in and the tide goes out.

'All Anemone wants is a friend, but friends are hard to make when you accidentally sting everyone who comes near you.

'Perhaps Clownfish has a solution to the problem ...' (Publication summary)

winner (Younger Readers) y separately published work icon Worse Things Sally Murphy , Newtown : Walker Books Australia , 2020 18433917 2020 single work children's fiction children's

'Worse Things follows the lives of three main characters: Blake, an Aussie Rules football player who suffers a devastating injury; Jolene, a hockey player who hates the game and and is grieving over the recent death of her father; and Amed, a soccer-loving, non-English speaking orphan who feels like an outsider since arriving in Australia after being raised in a refugee camp. A touching and inspirational story about connections and the things that bind us all.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

winner (Older Readers) y separately published work icon Catch Me If I Fall Barry Jonsberg , Crows Nest : Allen and Unwin , 2020 19845869 2020 single work children's fiction children's

''We've been worried about Aiden too, Ash,' said Mum. 'He's always been such a ... predictable child. You're not the only one to have noticed the changes in his temperament.'

'Ash and Aiden Delatour are identical twins, living a privileged lifestyle with loving parents. In a world that has fallen apart at the seams, they want for nothing. All they have to do is be there for each other, no matter what.

'But after Aiden suffers a terrible injury, he isn't the same brother Ash always relied on. Something has changed, and it will lead to a discovery that will turn their whole world upside down.' (Publication summary)

winner y separately published work icon The Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Dangerous Animals Sami Bayly , Sami Bayly (illustrator), Sydney : Lothian , 2020 19678195 2020 single work information book children's

'Dangerous animals get a bad rap, but this beautifully illustrated encyclopaedia helps us appreciate the incredible features of some of our more hair-raising animal species.

'With more than sixty of the most deadly and dangerous animals from across the world to explore, every page of this beautifully illustrated volume is more eye-opening than the last. You will learn interesting facts about these fascinating species, (many of which you won't have even known were deadly) such as how they have adapted to survive and whether we should be threatened by these animals or appreciate them for their incredible features. Children and adults alike will pore over the breathtaking scientific illustrations of unusual animals from the geography cone snail to the wolverine, the Irukandji jellyfish to the slow loris, debating their relative dangerous features, learning about science and nature along the way. ' (Publication summary)

Year: 2017

winner (Early Childhood) y separately published work icon Pig the Pug Aaron Blabey , Aaron Blabey (illustrator), Lindfield : Scholastic Australia , 2014 6980675 2014 single work picture book children's

'Pig was a Pug and I'm sorry to say, he was greedy and selfish in most every way. Pig is the greediest Pug in the world. He is ill-tempered, rude and unreasonable. When Pig the Pug is asked to share his toys, something unexpected happens ... Hopefully Pig has learned a lesson!' (Publication summary)

winner (Younger Reader) y separately published work icon The 78-Storey Treehouse Andy Griffiths , Sydney : Pan Macmillan Australia , 2016 9652462 2016 single work children's fiction children's

'Join Andy and Terry in their spectacular new 78-storey treehouse. They've added 13 new levels including a drive-thru car wash, a combining machine, a scribbletorium, an ALL-BALL sports stadium, Andyland, Terrytown, a high-security potato chip storage facility and an open-air movie theatre. Well, what are you waiting for? Come on up!' (Publication summary)

Year: 2015

winner (Younger Reader) y separately published work icon The 52-Storey Treehouse The Fifty-Two-Storey Treehouse Andy Griffiths , Sydney : Pan Macmillan Australia , 2014 7711206 2014 single work children's fiction children's

'Andy and Terry's incredible, ever-expanding treehouse has 13 new storeys, including a watermelon-smashing level, a wave machine, a life-size snakes and ladders game (with real ladders and real snakes), a rocket-powered carrot-launcher, a Ninja Snail Training Academy and a high-tech detective agency with all the latest high-tech detective technology, which is lucky because they have a BIG mystery to solve - where is Mr Big Nose??? ' (Publication summary)

Year: 2014

winner (Younger Reader Award) y separately published work icon Epic Fail Michael Gerard Bauer , Parkside : Omnibus Books , 2012 Z1900574 2012 single work children's fiction children's

'Ever had a stupid nickname? A rotten run of bad luck? A best friend who just looks on the bright side even when the bright side looks black? Well Eric Vale's got all three, and they're pushing him towards the epic-est of all epic fails!'

Source: Libraries Australia.

Year: 2008

winner y separately published work icon Just Shocking! Andy Griffiths , Sydney : Pan Macmillan Australia , 2007 Z1377034 2007 selected work children's fiction children's humour

'Is this the right book for you?

'Take the SHOCKING TEST and find out.

  1. Do you wish you could drive around in a monster truck crushing everybody and everything that gets in your way?
  2. Do you love watching videos of people having painful accidents?
  3. Do you do any – or all – of the following: touch electric fences, play with loaded mousetraps or put buttons up your nose?
  4. Do you think stories about exploding pink butterflies are funny?
  5. Do you ever laugh so hard that you feel like you're going to throw up all over yourself... and then you actually do?

'SCORE: One point for each yes answer.
3-5: You are a shocking, shocking person! You will love this book.
1-2: You are quite shocking! You will love this book.
0: What a shocking score! You will love this book.' (Publication summary)
 
winner y separately published work icon Diary of a Wombat Jackie French , Bruce Whatley (illustrator), Pymble : Angus and Robertson , 2002 Z989492 2002 single work picture book children's She sleeps. She eats. She scratches. She is training humans to become better pets. She is Mothball, a wombat with attitude. Early Readers

Works About this Award

Students Book in for Bilby Awards Melissa Archer , 2013 single work column
— Appears in: The Courier-Mail , 10 May 2013; (p. 16)
Kids Pick their Year's Top Reads 2005 single work column
— Appears in: The Courier-Mail , 30 August 2005; (p. 1)
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