The Children's Book of the Year Award: Early Childhood is a special prize given every year in Australia. It celebrates the best books for young children who are just starting to read or are not reading yet. The Children's Book Council of Australia (CBCA) has been giving out this award since 2001.
This award looks for amazing books that are fiction, drama, poetry, or concept books. These books are perfect for kids who are pre-readers or in the early stages of reading. They can be picture books or storybooks where pictures are very important for telling the story or explaining ideas.
Award Winners
This award has been given to many wonderful books over the years. Here are the winners from different decades.
2000s Winners
Here are the books that won the Children's Book of the Year Award: Early Childhood during the 2000s.
| Year |
Author |
Title |
Publisher |
| 2001 |
Jinks, CatherineCatherine Jinks, illus. Andrew McLean |
You'll Wake the Baby! |
Penguin Books |
| 2002 |
Graham, BobBob Graham |
Let's Get a Pup! |
Walker Books |
| 2003 |
Matthews, PennyPenny Matthews, illus. Andrew McLean |
A Year on Our Farm |
Omnibus Books |
| 2004 |
Allen, PamelaPamela Allen |
Grandpa and Thomas |
Viking Books |
| 2005 |
Fox, MemMem Fox, illus. Judy Horacek |
Where Is the Green Sheep? |
Viking Books |
| 2006 |
Niland, DeborahDeborah Niland |
Annie's Chair |
Viking Books |
| 2007 |
Gleeson, LibbyLibby Gleeson, illus. Freya Blackwood |
Amy and Louis |
Scholastic Press |
| 2008 |
Blabey, AaronAaron Blabey |
Pearl Barley and Charlie Parsley |
Viking Books |
| 2009 |
Graham, BobBob Graham |
How to Heal a Broken Wing |
Walker Books |
2010s Winners
These are the books that won the award during the 2010s.
| Year |
Author |
Title |
Publisher |
| 2010 |
Shanahan, LisaLisa Shanahan, illus. Emma Quay |
Bear & Chook by the Sea |
Lothian Books |
| 2011 |
Ormerod, JanJan Ormerod, illus. Freya Blackwood |
Maudie and Bear |
Little Hare Books |
| 2012 |
Bland, NickNick Bland, illus. Freya Blackwood |
The Runaway Hug |
Scholastic Press, Scholastic Australia |
| 2013 |
Allen, EmmaEmma Allen, illus. Freya Blackwood |
The Terrible Suitcase |
Little Hare, Hardie Grant Egmont |
| 2014 |
Ormerod, JanJan Ormerod, illus. Andrew Joyner |
The Swap |
Scholastic Press, Scholastic Australia |
| 2015 |
Gleeson, LibbyLibby Gleeson, illus. Freya Blackwood |
Go to Sleep, Jessie! |
Little Hare, Hardie Grant Egmont |
| 2016 |
Walker, AnnaAnna Walker |
Mr Huff |
Penguin Random House |
| 2017 |
Bell, JohannaJohanna Bell, illus. Dion Beasley |
Go Home, Cheeky Animals! |
Allen & Unwin |
| 2018 |
Bauer, Michael GerardMichael Gerard Bauer, illus. Chrissie Krebs |
Rodney Loses It! |
Omnibus Books |
| 2019 |
Lester, AlisonAlison Lester |
Tricky's Bad Day |
Affirm |
2020s Winners
Here are the books that have won the award so far in the 2020s.
| Year |
Author |
Title |
Publisher |
| 2020 |
Watts, FrancesFrances Watts |
My Friend Fred |
Allen & Unwin |
| 2021 |
Hathorn, LibbyLibby Hathorn and Lisa Hathorn-Jarman, illus. Mel Pearce |
No! Never! |
Lothian |
| 2022 |
Rowe, AndreaAndrea Rowe, illus. Hannah Sommerville |
Jetty Jumping |
Hardie Grant |
| 2023 |
Conley, VikkiVikki Conley, illus. Max Hamilton |
Where the Lyrebird Lives |
Windy Hollow |
| 2024 |
Briony Stewart |
Gymnastica Fantastica! |
Lothian |
See also
