Children’s Book Week | 22–28 August 2026

This year’s theme Symphony of Stories ties the exploratory aspirations of this year’s artist Briony Stewart.

In 2026, this theme celebrates the harmonious, diverse and imaginative world fo children's literature.  

CBCA Notables for 2026 are:

Book of the year: Older readers (13–18 years)

• Catch (Sarah Brill)
• Cruel Is the Light (Sophie Clark)
• Darkest Night, Brightest Star (Barry Jonsberg)
• Drift (Pip Harry)
• The Edge of Everything (Miranda Luby)
• Eleanor Jones Is Playing with Fire (Amy Doak)
• The Foal in the Wire (Robbie Coburn)
• Golden (Jade Timms)
• How to Be Normal (Ange Crawford)
• The Locked Room (Adam Cece)
• A Murder Is Going Down (Kate Emery)
• Never Thought I’d End Up Here (Ann Liang)
• Ngurra Home (Carl Merrison & Hakea Hustler)
• Of Flame and Fury (Mikayla Bridge)
• The Pull of the Moon (Pip Smith)
• The Set-Up Girl (Sasha Vey)
• Tenderly, I Am Devoured (Lyndall Clipstone)
• This Season’s Draft (Jason Gent)
• This Stays Between Us (Margot McGovern)
• Unhallowed Halls (Lili Wilkinson)
• We Saw What You Started (Carla Salmon)
• The Worst Perfect Moment (Shivaun Plozza)

Book of the Year: Younger Readers (7–12 years)

• Chickenpox (Remy Lai)
• Creature Clinic (Gavin Aung Than)
• Frances Bloom (Katrina Nannestad, illus by Marina Zlatanova)
• Ghost Guitar (TJ DOOM, illus by Nahum Ziersch)
• The Hits and Misses of Melody Moss (Helen Dallimore)
• How to Sail to Somewhere (Ashleigh Barton)
• Inked (Karen Wasson, illus by Jake A Minton)
• Into the Bewilderness (Gus Gordon)
• Jungle Escape (Nathan Luff)
• The Keeper of the Octopus (Neridah McMullin)
• Little Bones (Sandy Bigna, illus by Tamlyn Teow)
• The Making of Martha Mayfield (Jo Dabrowski)
• Moonboy (Anna Ciddor)
• The Paperbark Tree Committee (Karys McEwen)
• Promises and Other Lies (Sue Whiting)
• Run (Sarah Armstrong)
• Seriously Soccer (Matt Stanton)
• The Serpent Rider (Yxavel Magno Diño)
• The Silken Thread (Gabrielle Wang)
• Something Terrible: Tim Tie-Your-Shoelaces (Sally Barton, illus by Christopher Nielsen)
• Song of a Thousand Seas (Zana Fraillon, illus by Aviva Reed)
• Spirit of the Crocodile (Aaron Fa’Aoso & Michelle Scott Tucker with Lyn White)
• The Surface Trials (HM Waugh)
• Too Big to Be a Fairy (Kiah Thomas, illus by Bec Kitson)
• The Year We Escaped (Suzanne Leal, HarperCollins)

Book of the Year: Early Childhood (0–6 years)

• The Bin Monster (Annabelle Hale, illus by Annabelle Hale)
• Castle Crashing (Andrea Rowe, illus by Hannah Sommerville)
• The Colours of Home (Sally Soweol Han, illus by Sally Soweol Han)
• Counting Crocodiles (students from Bulla Camp School, illus by students from Bulla Camp School)
• Derek (Anne Donaldson, illus by Matt Shanks)
• Dropbear (Philip Bunting, illus by Philip Bunting)
• Earthspeak (Sean McCann, illus by Jade Goodwin)
• The Emperor’s Egg (Rae Tan, illus by Rae Tan)
• Fly, Mama, Fly! (Anna McGregor, illus by Anna McGregor)
• Frogs Are Our Friends (Toni D’Alia, illus by Madeline White)
• Going Fishing with Nana (Frances Haji-Ali & Lindsay Haji-Ali, illus by Karen Briggs)
• How to Help When You Really Want to Help (Davina Bell, illus by Hilary Jean Tapper)
• Laugh in the Bath (Rory H Mather, illus by Brent Wilson)
• Look, See, Find Me (Sandra Severgnini, illus by Sandra Severgnini)
• My Father’s Arms (Toni D’Alia, illus by Mimi Purnell)
• My Nonno Loves (Adelle Frittitta, illus by Claudia Frittitta)
• Now You Are a Chicken (Andrew McDonald, illus by Ben Wood)
• Our Beautiful World (Sarah Speedie, illus by Margeaux Davis)
• Potion Commotion (Rebecca Grant, illus by Niña Nill)
• Say Goodnight (Renae Hayward, illus by Rebecca Mills)
• Sidney of Sydney (Sue Whiting, illus by Liz Anelli)
• The Thing About Christmas (Jo Dabrowski, illus by Briony Stewart)
• The Train at the End of My Street (Tom Jellett, illus by Tom Jellett)
• What Is a Dot (Johanna Bell, illus by Amelia Luscombe)
• Where the River Runs Free (Vikki Conley, illus by Jedda Robaard)

Picture Book of the Year (0–18 years)

• A Is for … A Rabbit’s Tale (Lucinda Gifford, written by Jackie Hosking)
• Being Indy (Estee Sarsfield, written by Zoe Gaetjens)
• Between (Anna Walker, written by Anna Walker)
• Bigfoot vs Yeti (James Foley, written by James Foley)
• Bob and Dob (Sean E Avery, written by Sean E Avery)
• Bored (Felicita Sala, written by Felicita Sala)
• Dawn (Marc Martin, written by Marc Martin)
• Dear Broccoli (Cate James, written by Jo Dabrowski)
• Dropbear (Philip Bunting, written by Philip Bunting)
• The Frog’s First Song (Jason Phu, written by Jazz Money)
• Going for Pippies (Tori-Jay Mordey, written by Wilaaran Laurie)
• Gone (Michel Streich, illus by Michel Streich)
• Hello Cocky (Antonia Pesenti, written by Hilary Bell)
• Here Come the Cousins (Sarah Zweck, written by Maggie Hutchings)
• How My Family Says I Love You (Aurore McLeod, written by Yvonne Sewankambo)
• Jo and the No (Judy Watson, written by Kyle Mewburn)
• My Mum Is a Bird (Evie Barrow, written by Angie Cui)
• Neville’s Great Escape (Sean E Avery, written by Sean E Avery)
• Once I Was a Giant (Zeno Sworder, written by Zeno Sworder)
• One Day (Michael Speechley, written by Shirley Marr)
• One Word and a Bird (Stephen Michael King)
• Rain on the Rock (Valerie Brumby, written by Jodi Toering)
• Some Days You’ll Have Days Like These (Stephen Michael King, written by Josh Pyke)
• The Thing About Christmas (Briony Stewart, written by Jo Dabrowski)
• Tiwi in Paris (Glen Farmer Illortaminni, written by Glen Farmer Illortaminni)

Eve Pownall Award

• All About Antarctica (Marc Martin, illus by Marc Martin)
• The Bee Squad: Boosting Biodiversity in Your Neighbourhood (Judy Friedlander, illus by Josephine Pajor-Markus)
• Caring for Country: First Knowledges for Younger Readers (Bruce Pascoe, Bill Gammage & Jasmin McGaughey, illus by Savi Ross)
• Caution! This Book Contains Deadly Reptiles (Corey Tutt, illus by Ben Williams)
• Diary of a Marine Biologist (Anita Thomas, illus by Sarah Wilkins)
• Filling in the Map (Carole Wilkinson, illus by Carole Wilkinson)
• Flute: A Dolphin’s Wild Journey Home (Kasey Whitelaw, illus by Jenni Goodman)
• The Great Shark Egg Case Hunt (Kasey Whitelaw, illus by Sylvia Morris)
• Hello Cocky (Hilary Bell, illus by Antonia Pesenti)
• The Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Fast and Slow Animals (Sami Bayly, illus by Sami Bayly)
• A Loo of One’s Own (Eleri Harris, illus by Eleri Harris)
• Mind-controlling Bugs (Aidan Doyle, illus by Astred Hicks)
• Ningaloo (Tim Winton, illus by Cindy Lane)
• Old Days Imanka nurna laakinha nitjaarta (Marjorie ‘Nunga’ Williams, illus by Marjorie ‘Nunga’ Williams)
• Peculiar Parents (Stephanie Owen Reeder, illus by Ingrid Bartkowiak)
• Platypus Bend (Diane Jackson Hill, illus by Craig Smith)
• Quarks, Sparks and Quantum Mysteries (Lisa Harvey-Smith, illus by Aidan Ryan)
• There’s a Prawn in Parliament House: The Kids’ Guide to Australia’s Amazing Democracy (Annabel Crabb, illus by First Dog on the Moon)
• This Bird: Noticing Our Urban Birds (Astred Hicks & Holly Parsons, illus by Astred Hicks)
• The Thylacine and the Time Machine (Renée Treml, illus by Renée Treml)
• Tubowgule (Melissa-Jane Fogarty, illus by Dylan Finney)
• Volcano (Claire Saxby, illus by Jess Racklyeft)
• Weaving Country (Christine Joy & Aunty Kim Wandin, illus by Ashleigh Pugh)
• Weirdosaurus (Philip Bunting, illus by Philip Bunting)
• World of Colour (Jess Racklyeft, illus by Jess Racklyeft).

The shortlists for the 2026 CBCA Book of the Year Awards will be announced on 31 March. The winners will be announced on 21 August.