January 2007
This list of books with a strong Australian theme should
be of special interest to Australian teachers teaching overseas or to teachers
wanting to further explore Australian themes. If you would like more
information about particular Australian authors or illustrators, or a wider
range of suggestions of Australian fiction, picture books, books about
Aborigines, or non-fiction about Australia, there are more comprehensive
lists of recommended books on our website www.australed.iinet.net.au or
contact me on kateshep@iinet.net.au
Please Note All prices are in Australian dollars
and include the new 10% GST tax. However this GST does not
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Recommended by Kate Shepherd
PICTURE BOOKS
Jeannie Baker
Jeannie Baker has an international reputation
because of her intricate collage work.
Where the Forest meets the Sea hardback $27.95 pb $15.95 Big
Book $39.95 is set in the Daintree rainforest in northern Queensland.
Graeme Base
My Grandma lived in Gooligulch pb $16.95 has stunning illustrations
of emus, lizards, galahs and others. Humorous verse text.
John Brennan
A is for Australia pb $10.95 A stunning photographic
alphabet book in which some of the best known Australian icons are shown
such as U for Uluru and V for Vegemite and B for billy tea. An excellent
introduction to Australia for elementary age children.
Thelma Catterwell
Sebastian lives in a Hat illus by Kerry Argent pb $13.95 The
true story of Sebastian, the baby wombat who was orphaned and lived the
first few months of his life in a woollen hat.
Mem Fox
Mem is extremely well known because of
the success of Possum Magic, illus by Julie Vivas hardback $30.00 pb $15.00, and she is
a wonderful storyteller. Also:
Wombat Divine illus by Kerry Argent pb $15.00 Wombat,
who is a most appealing creature, wanted desperately to take part in the
Christmas nativity play but for each part he was too big, or too small
or .... A marvellous text to read aloud with illustrations
that have charm and humour.
Jackie French
•Diary of a Wombat illustrated by Bruce Whatley hardback
$24.95
This is a very funny book, full of irony
and whimsical humour. Bruce Whatley's illustrations of this hefty,
very determined but endearing wombat are also a delight. The text
is very simple but because of the layers of irony children would perhaps
need to be about five years old before they could really appreciate the
humour.
Bob Graham
Through his own very idiosyncratic cartoon
style of illustration and gentle sense of humour, Bob Graham creates wonderful
stories about families.
Greetings from Sandy Beach pb $15.95 A superb portrait
of a family camping trip to the beach! Winner of the CBC Picture
Book of the Year Award 1991.
Gracie Greene
Tjarany/Roughtail (and Joe Tramacchi and Lucille Gill) pb $22.95
This is a beautiful and innovative book
from the Aboriginal publisher Magabala in Broome, Western Australia. Ostensibly
it's a picture book, but it also combines traditional stories with stunning
art in the traditional style with information on Aboriginal culture and
language. Winner of numerous awards, it is a book for all ages.
John Heffernan
• Two Summers illus by Freya Blackwood pb
$15.00 The difference between two summers on an Australian
farm is graphically illustrated but subtly told by a young boy pondering
the difference between the last year when Rick came to stay on the farm
and this year when the farm is stricken by drought.
Elsie Jones
The Story of the Falling Star pb $25.95 A
very different and wonderfully effective telling of a traditional Aboriginal
story. Through collage and speech balloons, photographs and illustrations,
the whole community gets involved in the telling of the story and we learn
about the community, where they live and their history at the same time
as we hear about the story of the falling star. (8
up)
Sheena Knowles
Edward the Emu illus by Rod Clement pb
$14.95 Edward is the most expressive emu imaginable as he shows
his boredom at being an emu and tries to imitate the other animals in the
zoo.
Alison Lester
Her illustration style has a charming
simplicity.
In Imagine pb $14.95 there are detailed scenes
of children at play among the animals of the jungle, ocean, farm, Australian
bush, dinosaur swamp etc. Bordering the page are the names of all the animals
shown in the illustrations. So there is lots of searching and learning.
Also Magic Beach pb $14.95 A
description of a beach so beautiful it is like magic.
My Farm pb $14.95 Life
on an Australian farm.
Clive eats Alligators, Tessa Snaps Snakes, Rosie Sips Spiders, When Frank was Four pb
$15.95 each. Simple picture
books showing the individuality, the likes and dislikes of seven children. The
latest in this series is Ernie Dances to the Didgeridoo pb
$15.95 A simple but vibrant introduction to Aboriginal life
and to the tropical seasons in the north of Australia.
• Are
We There Yet? A Journey around Australia hardback
$24.95 vividly depicts a family journey by campervan around Australia. Told
though the eyes of 8 year old Grace it describes the many adventures
and different landscapes of Australia.
Pamela Lofts ed
Dreamtime series pb $14.00 each
A collection of picture books of simply
told traditional Aboriginal stories illustrated and told by Aboriginal people. Very
appealing for younger readers. (5 - 9 years)
The Bat & the Crocodile Dunbi
the Owl
The Echidna & the Shade
Tree How
the Kangaroos
got their Tails
How the Birds got their
Colours The
Kangaroo & the Porpoise
Warnayarra - The Rainbow Snake When
the Snake bites the Sun
Jill McDougall
Anna the Goanna and other Poems illus by Jenny Taylor hb $27.95 A
vibrant collection of poems which have been inspired by the author's experiences
while teaching in remote Aboriginal communities. As well as lively
poems that children will enjoy, the book and its often humorous illustrations
offer an insight into the everyday life of children who live in remote
Aboriginal communities. (8
- 15 years)
John Marsden
The Rabbits illus by Shaun Tan hardback $27.95 pb
$15.95 A sophisticated picture books for middle & secondary
students. A powerful allegory which surveys, with the assistance
of extraordinarily innovative illustrations, the impact rabbits (and human
rabbits) have had on the Australian land. Winner of the CBC
Picture Book of the Year Award 1999.
Penny Matthews
A Year on Our Farm illus by Andrew McLean pb $15.00 This picture book is a vibrant detailed
account of a year on an Australian farm. The text is simple
but the illustrations add complex detail as we see the children helping
their parents in the many activities round a farm. The book
is a celebration of the seasons on an Australian farm in the country, not
in the harsh outback but a softer Australian countryside.
A B Paterson
Some of the most well known and popular
poems by Australia's most well loved poet who wrote at the turn of the
last century, beautifully illustrated by a variety of artists.
Waltzing Matilda illus Desmond Digby pb
$14.95
Mulga Bill's Bicycle illus by K & D Niland pb $14.95 IBBY
Illustration Diploma 1976
The Man from Snowy River illus by A Macarthur-Onslow pb
$14.95
Elaine Russell
A is for Aunty pb $14.95 Elaine Russell's
vibrant colourful illustrations show us the life she remembers as a child
living on a mission in northern New South Wales. With each
letter in this alphabet book there is a short text which gives us vivid
images of racing Billycarts, of being chased by Emus or of picking Quandongs. (7
- 12 years)
Daisy Utemorrah
Do Not Go Around the Edges hardbacb $16.95 Poetry,
illustration and prose are interwoven in this picture book. Daisy
Utemorrah give us an insight into the story of her life, through simple
prose, and her thoughts, through her poetry. Daisy comes from the
Kimberley area in the north of Western Australia.
Jenny Wagner
The Bunyip of Berkeley's Creek illus by Ron Brooks pb $14.95 A
classic with a marvellous text and illustrations. The bunyip stirs
from the billabong but doesn't know who he is and none of the animals or
people that he meets are much help. Winner of the CBC Picture Book
of the Year Award 1974.
John Brown, Rose and the Midnight
Cat illus by
Ron Brooks pb $14.95 A more subtle story about love
and possessiveness. One of those stories that younger children
love but there are depths that children in upper elementary will also
appreciate. Winner of CBC Picture Book of the Year Award 1977.
Nadia Wheatley
My Place illus by Donna Rawlins pb $19.95 Brilliant
in concept and in execution. By moving backwards in decades from
1989, the book shows how a particular neighbourhood in Sydney has changed
from an urban street to the first white settlement and earlier still to
the time when the Aborigines lived there. The story is told through the
eyes of the various children who lived there. Winner of CBC Book
of the Year Award Younger Readers 1989.
FICTION
Elaine Forrestal
Someone Like Me pb $14.95 Winner of the 1998
CBC Award for Younger Readers. Tas gets into a lot of trouble for
an ordinary kid living in the country. Why do certain kids pick on
him and why does he react so fiercely? An absorbing well written
story. (7 - 11)
Jackie French
Jackie French is a wonderful storyteller who has
written vividly on a wide range of topics.
Walking the Boundaries pb $14.95 An historical
time-slip novel which looks at the importance of the land. (10
- 14)
Daughter of the Regiment pb $14.95 A hole in the air
in the chook house enables Harry to have a glimpse back in time, to see
Cissie who lived more than 150 years ago near the farm where he lives. A
compelling historical time-slip story. (8 - 12 years)
Soldier on the Hill pb
$16.95 A vivid picture of life in a small
Australian country in 1942 as the Japanese were moving closer to Australian
shores.
May Gibbs
The Complete Adentures of Snugglepot and Cuddlepie hb
$34.95, pb $14.95
An Australian Classic. The story of the many
adventures of Snugglepot and Cuddlepie, gumnut babies, who are always under
threat from the wicked banksia men. Delightful illustrations, especially
in the hard back edition with a number of colour plates. (6
- 10 yrs)
Libby Gleeson
My Story: The Rum Rebellion The Diary of David Bellamy Sydney
Town, 1807 - 1809 pb $18.00
A well written absorbing story
of one year in the life of David Bellamy. (10 - 14 yrs)
Morris Gleitzman
In Misery Guts and Worry Warts pb $14.95
Keith persuades his parents to shift from dismal dreary England to Australia
but still finds there are problems
in the land of his dreams.
Belly Flop pb $14.95 Against a setting
of severe drought in a small country town, Gleitzman succeeds in writing a
very funny book
but the glimpses we get of the anger, bitterness and frustration that simmer
just beneath the surface layer of humour are all the more potent.
Toad Rage pb $14.95 This is a very
funny story about Limpy the cane toad who is determined to change humans' adverse
opinions of cane toads so he sets off on a dangerous and hilarious adventure. Toad
Heaven and Toad Away are
the sequels. pb $14.95 each (8 - 14 years)
Phillip Gwynne
Deadly Unna? pb $18.95 A perceptive and highly
entertaining book describing the growing friendship between Blacky, a white
teenager and Dumby Red an Aboriginal young man from out of town and how
it is affected by the narrowness and pervasive racism of a country town.
Winner of the 1999 CBC Book of the Year Award. The sequel
is Nukkin Ya pb $19.95 (13
years up)
Elizabeth Honey
Don't Pat the Wombat pb $14.95 A school camp
in the bush sets the scene for an absorbing portrayal of students and teachers. Funny
and believable. (7 - 12 years)
Paul Jennings
Paul Jennings is Australia's most popular author,
even outselling Roald Dahl. His stories are funny, quirky and often
have a strange twist to the ending.
The Cabbage Patch Fib, its sequels The Cabbage Patch War, The Cabbage
Patch Pong and The Cabbage Patch Curse pb $12.95 each have
large print and are ideal for those just beginning to read.
Robyn Klein
Hating Alison Ashley pb $17.95 is a very funny story
of two girls who take an instant dislike to each other and why. (8 - 12) Also
available as a play, pb $17.95
Penny Pollard's Diary pb $14.95 Penny
Pollard is horse crazy, very determined and very funny and one of Robin Klein's
most popular
creations now back in print.
Alison Lester
The Quicksand Pony pb $14.95 Set in the Australian
bush, this adventure story involves a young girl's search for her beloved
pony, a mustering trip and a mystery. (8 - 13 years)
Also The Snow Pony pb
$15.95 An adventure story
set in the Snowy Mountains. (9- 13 years)
Pat Lowe and Jimmy Pike
Desert Dog pb 16.95 A wonderful story which
gives a very detailed look at life in the Great Sandy Desert in north west
Australia. Spinifex is a dingo pup who is adopted by an Aboriginal
family and becomes a prized hunter and the story is told from her perspective. Pat
Lowe has taken Jimmy Pike's memories of his own childhood in the Great
Sandy Desert and woven them into a very informative, leisurely and fascinating
story. Vibrant illustrations by Jimmy Pike add to the distinctiveness
of this book. (9 - 14 years)
Meme McDonald and Boori Pryor
My Girragundji pb $13.95
A vivid story about a young Aboriginal boy growing
up between two worlds. His fears of the bad spirits about the house
at night and of the bullies at school are lessened when he finds a spirit
friend in a little tree frog. Inspired by the childhood memories
of Boori Pryor. (8
- 11 years)
The Binna Binna Man pb $13.95 A sequel to My Girragundji where
the narrator is now older. This very
moving story reveals some of the deep problems facing Aboriginal people
today as they struggle to gain strength from their traditions to withstand
the pressures of drugs and to be strong in the face of losing so many of
their young people. (9 - 14 years)
In Njunjul
the Sun pb $15.95 the young
boy is now sixteen years old and he leaves his close-knit Aboriginal family
up north to stay with his uncle Garth and his white girlfriend in the big
city of Sydney. He has been in some trouble and this is a chance to sort
himself out and to get rid of the feeling that he is no good. The
book has very amusing real life stories as well as drama and gives us an
insight into the views of a young Aboriginal. (12
years up)
Melina Marchetta
Looking for Alibrandi pb $22.00 Film Tie-in, pb
$22.95 It has been a bestseller with adolescents and adults
because of its vitality and exuberance. Josephine is an Australian,
of Italian background and this is the story of her final school year. Winner
of the CBC Award 1993. (13 years up)
• Saving Francesca pb $24.95 The most enjoyable
story of Francesca and the ups and downs of her year eleven at a Catholic
Boys school which is accepting girls into Year eleven for the first time. It
is fascinating look at the effect of girls on the culture of a boys school
and also the way the girls are changed. (13 years
up)
John Marsden
The Tomorrow when the War Began series is an extraordinarily
popular series about a group of teenagers who are forced to fend for themselves
and to fight for their country when Australia is invaded by a foreign power. It
is gripping, compulsive reading. By far the most popular books
ever written in Australia for young adults. Tomorrow when
the War Began pb $14.95, The Dead of the
Night pb $14.95, The Third Day the Frost pb $14.95, Darkness be my Friend pb
$14.95, Burning for Revenge pb $14.95, The Night is
for Hunting pb
$14.95 and the final title in the series The Other Side of Dawn pb $14.95. (12
- 18 years)
• While I Live: The Ellie Chronicles by John Marsden hardback 29.95 pb $14.95. A
continuation of the Tomorrow when the war began series
sees Ellie back on the farm and trying to take up her life again. However
there is a disaster and Ellie has to take on a role of responsibility,
ingenuity, and caring way beyond what should be expected of someone
her age. Sequels are Incurable hardback $29.95 pb $14.95 and Circle of Flight hardback $29.95
James Moloney
Dougy pb $18.95 is an uncompromising but
realistic story of an Aboriginal boy growing up in a small Queensland country
town where racial tensions are high. (12 - 16 years)
Ruth Park
Ruth Park is one of Australia's most well loved
authors for adults and children.
The delightful Adventures of the Muddle-Headed
Wombat illus
by Noela Young pb $12.95 hb $32.95 The adventures of
the muddle-headed wombat are a long time favourite with young children. (6
- 11 years)
Playing Beatie Bow pb $16.95 An excellent time-slip story in
which Abigail finds herself in the old Rocks area of Sydney in the 1870s. Winner
of the Book of the Year Award 1981. (10 - 15 years)
Randolph Stow
Midnite pb $14.95 A wonderful parody of the
early colonial and bushranging times in Western Australia. A story
for all ages, marvellous to read aloud.
Colin Thiele
Thiele's novels have been well known and loved for
some forty years. His stories have humour, adventure and a very strong
sense of place.
Uncle Gustav's Ghosts pb $12.95 My favourite. Set
in the Barossa Valley of South Australia amongst the German emigrants which
was Colin Thiele's own background, it is hilarious, exciting and features
a variety of ghosts, including poltergeists. (10 - 14)
Sun on the Stubble set
also in the Barossa Valley is based very much on stories from Colin Thiele's own childhood. pb
$12.95 (10 - 14 years)
Klontarf pb $12.95 Also features ghosts
in an adventure story in the Barossa valley.
Storm Boy illus by Robert
Ingpen pb $16.95 The well known story of the friendship between a boy and a
pelican Mr Percival. It
has been reprinted with the original illustrations capturing the beautiful
desolation of the sand dunes of this coastline. (6 - 12 years )
Ethel Turner
Seven Little Australians pb $16.95 The well loved
story of a family of 7 children, a little on the larrikin side. It
is still amazingly fresh and engaging even though it was written in 1894. Great
to read aloud. (7
years up)
Nadia Wheatley
Nadia Wheatley is one of the most accomplished Australian
children's book authors.
Five Times Dizzy is the delightful story of
how Mareka helps her grandmother, who is homesick for Greece, feel happy and
become
an important part of the neighbourhood in suburban Sydney. Winner
of the CBC Book of the Year Award 1983. This title and Dancing
in the Anzac Deli are
now combined in one volume pb $16.95 (8 - 13)
My Story: A
Banner Bold The Diary of Rosa
Aarons Ballarat Goldfield 1854 pb $18.00 A vivid description through the eyes
of Rosa Aarons of the dramatic events of the Eureka Stockade, the miners' uprising
against unfair treatment at the Goldfields. (11 - 16 years)
Tim Winton
Well known for his adult novels, Tim Winton's novels
for teenagers have been a runaway success. Lockie
Leonard Human Torpedo pb $17.95 Written in colloquial
language, this is a funny story of first love, of fitting into a new town
with a poetry reading police sergeant as a father, and of surfing. (11
- 15 years)
Blueback: A Fable for all Ages pb $14.95 Tim
Winton's love for the ocean and the creatures in it is reflected in this
beautifully written story of Abel and his mother whose lives revolve round
the ocean on the west Australian coast. (9 up)
NON-FICTION
Sarah Fitzherbert
My Dreaming is the Christmas Bird pb $12.95 Irene
Jimmy and her family live in a small settlement on the Victoria River in
the Northern Territory. Through excellent colour photos and a descriptive
text, we see how her family and friends combine the traditional ways of
finding bush foods, using bush medicines, and telling traditional stories
with school life, ice cream and disco music. (8
- 12 years)
Gisela Kaplan
• Famous Australian Birds hardback
24.95
This is an extraordinarily
informative and entertaining book. Kaplan is a recognised authority
on birds and she also runs a bird rescue centre at her home and so she
has many marvellous stories about true life birds that she has cared for. The
unique characteristics and habits of eight species of birds including the
emu, magpie, sulphur- crested cockatoo, kookaburra, lyrebird and wedge-tailed
eagle are described in lively detail. Excellent photographs, distribution
map, fact files and also glossary and index add to the detailed information
in this excellent book. (8 - 15 years)
Pat Lowe with Jimmy Pike
Jilji: Life in the Great Sandy Desert pb $32.95 "You
call it desert we used to live there." In a marvellous collaboration,
Pat Lowe's photographs interact with Jimmy Pike's striking paintings to
make us see the desert landscape with new insight. Pat Lowe describes
with great simplicity what Jimmy Pike has told her about the way his family
and community used to live in the Great Sandy Desert. (10 up)
Helen Manthorpe
Solo Bush babies: Kangaroo illus by Yvonne
Ashby pb $12.95
This small novel shaped book with colour
illustrations describes how Helen looks after a baby kangaroo called Wally
for a few months till he is old enough to go back to the wild. It
contains a lot of information on the habits of kangaroos. The
language is simple. Index, glossary and Did you Know section.
Also Solo
Bush Babies: Koala (7
- 11 years)
John Nicholson
The Mighty Murray hardback $29.95 pb $15.95 A
very detailed historical and environmental account of the River Murray
and its importance to Australia over its 2,500 km length from the Snowy
Mountains till it meets the sea in South Australia. Wonderfully
illustrated with maps and water colours and line drawings. (11 years
up)
Margaret Nicholson
The Little Aussie Fact Book paperback $26.95 Contains
a wealth of information on every aspect of Australia and its people, including
geography, flora, fauna, history, politics and "lingo". It even has
essential Aussie recipes such as pavlova or Anzac biscuits. Many
colour photos, maps and drawings. An excellent reference. (10
up)
Papunya School Book of
Country and History by Papunya School Publishing Committee
hardback $29.95 pb $16.95
This
book shows the history of the Papunya region in the centre of Australia
through the eyes of the staff and students. This is a wonderful account
from the Aboriginal viewpoint in an innovative collage format, vibrant
with drawings, paintings, maps and painted photographs.
Pat Slater
Encyclopedia of Australian Wildlife pb $29.95 This
encyclopedia contains an astonishing amount of information of Australian
birds, insects, reptiles, marine life and mammals. Appealing
with a huge number of photos, maps as well as a comprehensive glossary
and index. (10 up)
Deidre Stokes REPP
Desert Dreamings hardback $29.95 An
excellent introduction for younger students to Aboriginal desert art. Looks
at the various types of art, the stories that are told, some of the artists,
the influence of modern methods and how the artists work today. (9
- 14 years)
Australian Indigenous Art Pack $71.95 This
art pack contains 12 xA3 full colour prints of artworks from three contemporary
indigenous artists, Jack Wunuwun, Michael Nelson Jagamara and Lin Onus. Some
of the artworks are in the tradition design while are more modern. A
Teachers Manual giving background information on each of the artists and
on the 12 images is included.
Upside Down World Map paper $10.95 laminated
$24.95 Drawn from the perspective of those living in the southern
hemisphere, the Upside Down World Map is centred round the Pacific Ocean
and of course Australia. Promotes some interesting discussion about
cartography and gives students a different geographical perspective.
For
additional lists of recommended books and newsletters from Austral Ed,
visit our website www.australed.iinet.net.au
If you would like to
order any of the books listed above for yourself or for your overseas school,
you can send orders to Austral Ed by fax, post or email.
All prices are in Australian
dollars and include GST of 10% which is not applicable for overseas purchasers.
Books can be sent to an address within Australia or overseas.
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