Western Australian Premier's Book Awards - Children's Books Category Winners

2006

The Arrival - Shaun Tan
Hachette Livre Australia
Through his intriguing and elegant artwork in this ground-breaking 128-page wordless picture book/graphic novel, Tan captures both intimate personal moments (note his studies of hands) and the vast scale of human movement across time, space and cultures. Travelling from his family in a city overshadowed by some nameless threat to a foreign land, the un-named protagonist encounters many strange customs as well as other new arrivals, each with compelling reasons for starting a new life. The journey unfolds through varied illustrations in sepia tones, drawing the viewer deeply into the immigrant experience. The storytelling is both simple and complex, with close views of small, familiar details of daily life set in a wide and surreal landscape. Between its endpapers with their sixty ‘passport portraits’ of immigrants from many cultures, this beautifully designed book conveys a universal message of hope and humanity.

2005

Where’s Stripey? - Wendy Binks
(Stunned Emu Press)
This delightful picture book combines very amusing illustrations with a deceptively simple text. There is plenty of action and interest in the simple plot as father Crikey searches for his lost chick. Encounters with other animals and their babies demonstrate Binks’s painterly skills while giving the opportunity for repetition, so much appreciated by young listeners. Vivid illustrations make strong use of turquoise and black for adult emus and the bright orange, cross-eyed gaze of the boldly striped emu chicks, as well as a broader palette for other animals and their habitats. Design and layout are varied, with clear text set in white space, strong use of colour, shape and placement of illustrations – culminating in the final story page which presents the curves of sunset, hilltop and the sweeping S of the 30 chicks with Stripey staring quizzically at the viewer. With hilarious expressions of the emus, a lively text begging to be read aloud, and two concluding pages of “interesting emu facts,” this book is both informative and highly entertaining.

2004

A Home for Bilby - Joanne Crawford & Grace Fielding
Magabala Books
Judges' Comments
A Home for Bilby is in many ways the archetypal children’s book. In a simple, straightforward writing style, the tale unfolds of a timid bilby who, with the help of some delightful Australian animals, finds the perfect home (and some new friends). There is an underlying tension for the young reader, wondering whether Bilby will find a home, something so basic to happy existence that the relief when the ideal shelter is found is palpable for everyone. The work is instructional on habitat, endangered animals and the value of collaboration. Grace Fielding’s illustrations, an attractive blend of Aboriginal motifs and European figurative traditions, in ochres and browns with splashes of yellows and blues, are redolent of the Australian bush. The attention to production detail and the small drawings included on each page make this book a joy.

2003

The Legend of Lasseter's Reef - Mark Greenwood
Cygnet Books (University of Western Australia Press)
Judges' Comments
This work is a wonderful retelling of a fascinating and tragic chapter in our history. Lasseter's ill-fated expedition to locate an alleged gold-bearing reef in Central Australia is recounted simply. Greenwood intertwines a wide variety of primary sources: maps, newspaper cuttings, letters, diaries, photographs and art works to bring the many threads of this story together in an exciting and accessible way. Ultimately, this is a mystery story that tantalizes the reader with the question of whether the gold deposit ever existed. The author takes the events of the episode with all its tragedy, courage, foolhardiness and endeavour and presents it directly and without censure. The history, mythology, grandeur and drama of the outback are realized in this attractive hardback book.

2002

The Legend of Moondyne Joe - Mark Greenwood and Frané Lessac
Cygnet Books (University of Western Australia Press)
Judges' Comments
This work detailing the life of one of Western Australia's antiheroes, the bushranger Moondyne Joe, is told with directness and is beautifully illustrated by the immensely inventive Frané Lessac. The gouache paintings are a delight, the bright, strong colours and 'naïve' figures complementing perfectly the straightforward text. Mark Greenwood creates a narrative with pace, does not seek to judge his subject and conveys a great deal of factual information about the convict system in Western Australia, the way justice was dispensed and life generally in the early days of the colony. The glossary and the endpapers add to the appeal of this book and underscore the attention to detail in the publishing. The work is a strong testament to making our history fun and accessible to young people.

2001

The Yankee Whaler - Deborah Lisson
Scholastic Press
Judges' Comments
Lisson gives us a wonderful re-enactment of historical events during the latter part of the 19th century in Bunbury. The great strength of the book lies in the way in which real historical events are presented from a child's point of view. Apart from the self-evident strength of the plot, Lisson's book makes an invaluable contribution to the power of history itself as both narrative and a frame for fictional re-creation.

2000

Zarconi's Magic Flying Fish - Kirsty Murray
Allen & Unwin
Judges' Comments
Gus's mother is seriously ill so she sends him off to his grandparents where he finds that they have strange, foreign names and run a circus. Gus gradually becomes part of the circus and realises his destiny as the circus moves slowly up the coast from Esperance to Broome. The narrative moves at a great pace as Gus's genealogical past is gradually revealed. The relationships between the characters, particularly Gus and Effie, are well drawn, as are the Western Australian settings. Full of magic, mystery, and a delightful elephant, the story is meant for wide-eyed older children.

1999

Showtime: Over 75 Ways to Put on a Show - Reg Bolton
Dorling Kindersley
Judges' Comments
Packed with inspiring ideas and tips for creating interesting, exciting performances, this large-size, full-colour Dorling Kindersley book will delight children, especially those throughout Western Australia who have participated in educational programs with Reg Bolton's 'Suitcase Circus'. Adults helping children to create a polished public performance will also welcome the range of suggestions for acts, costumes and staging ideas. Well set out, the ideas are easy to follow and generally simple to create using readily available materials. Children portrayed in the book exemplify the United Kingdom racial mix, but this does not detract from its value for an Australian audience.

Prior to 1998 the Children's Books Award and the Young Adults Award were combined.

1998

Desert Dog - Pat Lowe and Jimmy Pike
Magabala Books
Judges' Comments
Lowe's engrossing biography of Spinifex is based on a true story told to her by Jimmy Pike, and her own experiences with dingoes during the years she lived in the desert. The third person narrative involves the reader intimately in the pup's life from the time she is captured and reared by Mala, an Aboriginal woman living a nomadic life, until her return years later, as a mature dingo. Between times both dingo and Aboriginals alternate between living traditionally and the white man's world of cattle station employment. This is an exceptional book in which the well paced narrative and convincing characters are set against the detailed backdrop of The Great Sandy Desert in the late 1940's and early '50s.

1997

A Place of Safety - Deborah Lisson
Mammoth (Reed Books)
Judges' Comments
Deborah Lisson's A Place of Safety is a most welcome addition to the small collection of quality historical fiction accessible to 10-14 year olds. Impeccably researched, historically and geographically, this well-crafted book combines a strong plot line and convincing characterisation to invite young Australians to explore an important and sometimes unpalatable part of our history. Set during World War II, it traces the developing maturity of London evacuee, Sally Armitage, as she struggles to understand and accept life in a tiny rural town in the south-west of Western Australia. Her adjustment is skilfully juxtaposed with that of her aunt and uncle, who had migrated almost twenty years earlier as Group Settlers, and with that of the Italian community, long-term and respected residents who became objects of suspicion overnight and were interned on Rottnest Island. As Sally is experiencing this complex society, she revels in her discovery of a secret hideaway, and struggles with the harsh reality of a stranger on the run. Nevertheless, it is her endearing and utterly persuasive personality which dominates this splendid novel.

1996

Idjhil - Helen Bell
University of Western Australia Press
Judges' Comments
In Idjhil, Helen Bell's poetic prose and disturbingly haunting pastels combine to produce a powerful portrayal of Idjhil's life among the Nyungar people of the Swan Valley until, at the age of 9, he is taken away by the white authorities. The gentle pace and calm voice of the narrative, together with a potent refrain about the people and the land, are most distinctive. This is a strong yet understated and timely book.

1995

Radical Take-offs - Glyn Parry
Allen & Unwin
Judges' Comments
Glyn Parry's Radical Take-offs is a versatile collection of short stories whose range of storylines will absorb young adults. The deft control of idiom and structured prose admirably captures the tone of adolescent bravado and half-acknowledged anxieties.

1994

Rosa's Famous Elbow - Mike Lefroy & Peter Kendall
Fremantle Arts Centre Press
Judges' Comments
Rosa's Famous Elbow is a book for reading aloud to young children. Mike Lefroy's simple story line has real strength and point, and is wonderfully complemented by Peter Kendall's vibrant illustrations which make immediate overall impact and are full of clear detail and humorous touches.

1993

Tjarany/Roughtail - Gracie Greene, Joe Tramacchi and Lucille Gill
Magabala Books

1992

Dear Mr Sprouts - Errol Broome
Allen & Unwin

1991 (Joint Winners)

The Devil's Own - Deborah Lisson
Walter McVitty
Locki Leonard, Human Torpedo - Tim Winton
McPhee Gribble

1990

Jesse - Tim Winton
McPhee Gribble