Book of the Year 2021 shortlist - Children's Book Council of Australia

No friendship is imaginary. When Ellie is very little, she finds a newborn dragon fresh from the egg on a supermarket shelf, and calls him Scratch. He is quite the sweetest thing she has ever seen! From that day on, Ellie and Scratch do everything together. Ellie's mum and her teacher can't see h...

My mother shows me how to get bushtucker and she shows me how to paint. Now I'm a famous artist. My paintings are all over the world hanging in important places. Happy times. Told in English and Gija, this is the story of Shirley Purdie, famous Gija artist, as told through her paintings, as part ...

Sometimes it's good to be wild. Sometimes you have to be wild. When the Russian Army marches into East Prussia at the end of the war, the Wolf family must flee. Liesl, Otto and their baby sister Mia find themselves lost and alone, in a blizzard, in the middle of a war zone. Liesl has promised M...

Twig is all alone after his dad goes missing. But when he meets Flea, a cheerful pickpocket, the pair become fast friends. Together, Twig and Flea raise themselves on the crime-ridden streets, taking what they need and giving the rest to the even-poorer. Life is good, as long as they have each ot...

Meet 11-year-old Bindi. She's not really into maths but loves art class and playing hockey. Her absolute favourtie thing is adventuring outside with friends or her horse, Nell. A new year starts like normal -- school, family, hockey, dancing. But this year hasn't gone to plan! There's a big art a...

Have you ever seen a fish that could do a handstand? This is the story of a quirky and primitive little fish that is famous for two things: walking on its 'hands' (pectoral fins), and being the first marine fish anywhere in the word to be listed on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The Sp...

A moving and visually stunning picture book that celebrates the transformative power of the creative process from inception through recognition to celebration and releasing into the world. We shadow the protagonist as she contemplates the blue print of an idea, collects the things that inspire fr...

Lissa is home on her own after school one afternoon when a stranger turns up on the doorstep carrying a baby. Reed is on the run, surely people are looking for him? He's trying to find out who he really is and thinks Lissa's mum might have some answers. But how could he be connected to Lissa's fa...

The story of five white castaways or runaways who were found and cared for by Indigenous groups. There are five pairs of stories: each pair of stories has one written by an Indigenous author and one by a non-Indigenous author. After each story there is a non-fiction section that tells the true st...

"Elvi, which one is your mum?" "They're both my mums." "But which one's your real mum?" When Nicholas wants to know which of Elvi's two mums is her real mum, she gives him lots of clues. Her real mum is a circus performer, and a pirate, and she even teaches spiders the art of web. But Nicholas st...