CBCA BOOK OF THE YEAR 2014 SHORTLIST ANNOUNCED

A few weeks ago, the Children's Book Council of Australia announced its shortlists for the CBCA Book of the Year awards. CBCA judges from each state of Australia read a year's worth of books and must decide on an agreed shortlist of 6 books for each category. The winners are announced at the start of Book Week celebrations. This year the winders will be announced on Friday 15th August at noon. I have recently purchased any picture books or books for younger readers and early childhood that we do not have in our library and they should arrive soon.

My favourite is Silver Buttons by Bob Graham. As soon as I saw it last year I knew it was going to be shortlisted. It is a cleverly written, illustrated and crafted picture book and is a fine example of the true meaning of a picture book. It may at first appear to be a simple tale, visually suited to very young children yet it takes a more sophisticated reader to understand what is actually going on - and like all good picture books, takes many readings and viewings to  really appreciate the story and the cleverness behind the book. Keep an eye out for that one.

For a full list of shortlisted books visit http://cbca.org.au/awards.htm