It’s the news #OzKidLit and #OzYaLit lovers have been waiting for. After a two-month-long coronavirus-fuelled delay, the Children’s Book Council of Australia has finally revealed its 2020 Book of the Year winners.
The CBCA Book of the Year winners are usually announced in August to coincide with Book Week celebrations. But coronavirus school shutdowns prompted the CBCA to postpone Book Week this year. Happily, schools are now back … and the results are in!
So, who are the Australian writers turning out must-read books for kids and teens? Read on to find out.
Book of the Year, Older Readers
This is How We Change the Ending by Vikki Wakefield (Text Publishing) was named the 2020 Book of the Year for Older Readers. It’s about a teenage boy, Nate, who lives with his twin brothers, step-mum and abusive, drug-dealing dad in a struggling neighbourhood where everything seems stacked against them.
What the judges said
“This is a raw, gritty story with plenty of compassion that will leave the reader with a sense of hope. The skillfully drawn setting, of a suburb in decline with locals suffering from acute poverty, adds another dimension to the initial apathy and hopelessness felt by the complex main character, Nate. Wakefield does not shy away from the realities of destitution and domestic abuse, both physical and emotional.
“Almost every character is flawed but Wakefield’s skill lies in creating empathy without resorting to sentimentality. Ultimately, it is a thought-provoking and uplifting read.”
Honour books, older readers.
Ghost Bird by Lisa Fuller, University of Queensland Press.
The Boy Who Steals Houses by C.G. Drews, Hachette Australia.
Book of the Year, Younger Readers
Pip Harry’s The Little Wave (University of Queensland Press) took out the CBCA 2020 Book of the Year prize for younger readers. It tells the story of three country kids – each with their own secret struggle – visiting the beach for the first time.
What the judges said
“Expertly written in verse form, the story revolves around three plausible, three-dimensional characters who alternate their narration. Primary school children, they have been given an assignment by their teachers to write to a pen pal and thus the two contrasting settings, a beautiful surfing beach and a remote outback town, serve to highlight the challenges which the children experience. The story flows smoothly with the three plots becoming increasingly interwoven, creating complex layers and parallels: Lottie is dealing with her father’s grief and consequent hoarding, Noah is being bullied by his ‘best friend’ and Jack is challenged by his family’s poverty and his mother’s addiction.
There are themes of grief, family, bullying and poverty which are explored with an overarching theme of supporting each other through connection.
Honour books, younger readers
The Glimme by Emily Rodda, Scholastic Australia.
The Secrets of Magnolia Moon by Edwina Wyatt, Walker Books Australia.
Book of the Year, Early Childhood
The gong for best early childhood book went to Frances Watt’s incredibly charming book My Friend Fred (Allen & Unwin). It’s about an energetic dachshund named Fred and his neat-freak cart friend.
What the judges said
“This book is full of energy and movement while exploring themes of friendship, tolerance, and difference. The strong message of positive reinforcement that we can be very different in how we act, what we eat, how we behave, how we look and yet still be best friends, provides a highly satisfying ending. The short, engaging sentences, with some repetition, keep the pages turning. Together, the text and illustrations combine beautifully to present fully rounded characters.
“The writing mimics the cheeky nature of felines, while the illustrations allow the reader to visualise Fred’s boundless energy and enthusiasm, highlighting the personality and differences between the two friends.”
Honour books, early childhood
When Billy Was a Dog by Kirsty Murray, Allen & Unwin.
Goodbye House, Hello House by Margaret Wild, Allen & Unwin.
Picture Book of the Year
Chris McKimmie wrote and illustrated I Need a Parrot, CBCA’s 2020 Picture Book of the Year from Ford Street Publishing. A quirky, witty and worthy winner. You might not need a parrot, but your bookshelf most definitely needs this book.
What the judges said
“McKimmie is a very assured illustrator who is both skilled and witty in execution. McKimmie’s bizarre and humorous print text is well suited to the insightful illustrations showing the problems of our desire to keep and cage pets. With very few words and deceptively simple drawings, this book gives readers lots to ponder and discuss. Vivid colours, first-person narrative and various media combine to communicate the understated final message. Child-like and sophisticated at the same time, the story opens with an opening cage to set the tone. The blank double-page spread with the ‘aha’ moment, which simply says ‘Oh.’, is genius.
This book exploits economy in its exemplification of ‘less is more’—so much more!
Honour picture books
Nop by Caroline Magerl, Walker Books Australia.
Three by Stephen Michael King, Scholastic Australia.
Eve Pownall Award for fact books
Bruce Pascoe’s Dark Emu created quite a stir with its very different take on the idea that Aboriginal Australians existed only as hunter-gatherers before Europeans arrived. His version for junior readers, Young Dark Emu: A Truer History (Magabala Books) won the 2020 Eve Pownall Award for its imaginative and engaging presentation of facts.
What the judges said
“This book argues that for 80,000 years, Aboriginal people were living in established agricultural societies in managed landscapes, reliant on Aboriginal astronomy. Farming and food supplies were determined by Emu Dreaming, the spaces between the stars of the Milky Way, where the Spirit Emu resides. Citing colonial diaries and artworks describing organised villages and regulated food supplies, Pascoe shows how the decimation of Aboriginal people and culture ensured that after 1860 all evidence of any prior complex civilisation was eradicated. A passionate environmentalist, Pascoe advocates the cultivation of indigenous plant species, needing no extra water or pesticides, are potentially capable of meeting our carbon emission targets.
“This beautifully produced book presents a powerful argument that debunks the notion of terra nullius that positions Aboriginal people as nomadic hunter gatherers through an engaging discussion accessible to primary school and young adult readers.”
Honour fact books
The Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Ugly Animals by Sami Bayly, Hachette Australia.
Wilam: A Birrarung Story by Aunty Joy Murphy and Andrew Kelly, Walker Books Australia.
CBCA Award for New Illustrator
Baby Business by Jasmine Seymour (Magabala Books) uses gentle illustrations to tell the story of a traditional smoking ceremony to welcome baby to country. A beautiful story that talks about connections to the land and why it’s so important to take care of it.
What the judges said
“Jasmine Seymour’s visual style feels primal and sophisticated at the same time. The scribbled white lines provide atmospheric effects. The suggestion of smoke is truly a delightful method … Although the artworks are digital, they show excellence in the illusion of different art types. There is a lovely connection between traditional and ethereal realism. The simple two-dimensional colour of the women draws them out of the background.
“This is how we come to understand culture, through line, texture and colour, as well as through language.”
Congratulations to all the CBCA 2020 Book of the Year winners. Want to browse more award-winning books from Australian authors? Check out the entire CBCA 2020 Book of the Year shortlist and take another look at the CBCA 2019 winners.
I Think the Cover Was Red ... 