From 8 June to mid July, Story Box Library will be releasing two CBCA shortlisted titles each week from the Early Childhood, Picture Book and New Illustrator categories. https://storyboxlibrary.com.au/blog/get-excited-for-cbca-book-week-2021?fbclid=IwAR14mvkE7MUg3E-52fk5tAD2rbxJNVxnvxdQ0M0XqOmXutYPNTrha3BXFWE

NB: Photocopying of book covers is covered by the 2016 agreement between ALIA and the Australian Publishers Association is in place see https://www.alia.org.au/copyright-and-book-covers (please note the following publishers are not members of the Australian Publishers Association: EK Books, Riveted Press, Scribble Kids’ Books, Starfish Bay Publishing).

• libraries could work with new illustrators for talks, workshops, book launches or design work.

Sofya Karmazina Ribbit Rabbit Robot Scholastic Australia 9781743834060

• This is a fun, quirky story with sparse, rhyming text. The illustrations are great for visual literacy.
• The main themes: Greed – friendship – kindness
• CBCA judges say: “The illustrator of this unusual and refreshing book creates a fun mood through the use of bright, layered colours and great expression that enhance the narrative tension maintained throughout this story about a frog, a rabbit and a robot. Karmazina has been able to elevate these mad, crazy characters to a whole new level. She demonstrates the ability to tell the story through all elements of the book including, the cover and the endpapers. Her characterisation is strong and she has used acrylic paint to great expressive effect. The economy of the text has been successfully taken up by the illustrator making this a hugely enjoyable book. Karmazina’s witty and clever illustrations make this a book that rewards on each subsequent reading.”
• Sofya Karmazina's website https://cargocollective.com/sofyakarmazina
• The author Victoria MacKinlay has teaching/homeschooling resources relating to the book on her website https://www.victoriamackinlay.com/homeschooling-resources
• Are you more ribbit, rabbit or robot character quiz?
• Spread by spread reading notes and questions
• Can you say “RIBBIT RABBIT ROBOT” fast 10 times? Time yourself. What’s your record? Video yourself and post your efforts on social media with #ribbitrabbitrobotchallenge (talk about alliteration and other tongue twister challenges)
• Draw your favourite character from the book (could follow along with illustrator’s tutorial video) and send to author challenge.
• Spot all the things in the book that begin with the letter “R”.
• Compare the end pages (before and after a reading), and chat about what these tell us about the story. Could ask kids to draw a beginning and end, then write what happens in the middle.
• Lends well to stem activities. E.g. If you have a robot, could introduce a coding challenge. Or if you have LEGO, you could split group up into three groups and do a ‘row it’, ‘ride it’ or ‘rev it’ challenge.
• Get the kids to take the first letter of their first or last name, and see if they can think a title of a picture book following the same alliteration template of Ribbit, Rabbit, Robot. And think about what would happen in that story. Or, draw all the things they can think of that start with that letter in one picture, just like the antique store spread in the book.
• Probably better in a small group. Split into 2 teams. Get kids to write down what they would wish for if they had a magic lamp on a piece of paper and put them into a hat. Read out the wish and kids take turns guessing whose wish it is, if they get it right, that is one point for their team (getting to know you game).

Mel Pearce No! Never! Hachette Australia 9780734418906

• Mel Pearce's SCBWI profile https://www.scbwi.org/illustrator-gallery/illustrator-detail/?illustrator_id=74253
• Could ask kids to draw a comic-style 2 or 3panels to depict a time they have said “No, never!” to their parents, and what happened afterwards.
• Could split the group up in pairs and get them to play the yes/no game (where you can’t say yes or no) to a series of questions.
• Or play a simple version of “Would you rather?”
• Activity ideas unrelated to nominees, but still relevant to book week and illustrating…can chat to kids about Children’s Laureate this year, Ursula Dubosarsky and challenge them to draw her Laureate mascot, the magpie. Instructions by Andrew Joyner here: https://www.childrenslaureate.org.au/how-to-draw-a-magpie
• Make up cards with the book covers on one side and plain or CBCA background on other, and play a group game of memory match (can make it simple with a couple of pairs, or harder with more pairs for older kids).

Dave Petzold Seven Seas of Fleas Starfish Bay Publishing 9781760360986

• Dave Petzold's website https://davepetzold.com.au/seven-seas-of-fleas
• A playful, rhyming story with fun alliteration.
• Bold, quirky (screen print style) illustrations.
• Main themes: Imagination – boredom - fantasy
• The CBCA judges say: “This fantastical journey across a backyard during a comical dog-washing session is full of action and colour and fun. Petzold’s artwork makes the book live and as a new illustrator he has done well using quickness in line and attitude to deliver a human character and a dog with personality. Using a limited colour palette of teal blues, yellows and the odd red splotches of colour, the digital illustrations reference a stylish use of printmaking to engage us in the boy's world of flea elimination. This wonderful print-maker feel of many objects, with their sharply defined edges contrasting to the shaggy, flea-ridden dog introduce us to a promising new talent.”
• Could encourage kids to write or draw the most bizarre scenario they can think of to escape doing a chore
• Rhythm and rhyme are an important feature of this story, so a poetry exercise could also work well
• The story is about an “escape” through imagination, so could do an escape room activity (either physical, paper, or digital).
• The artwork for the fleas reminds me of the fingerprint paint/draw activity, so this would also work well here. Kids can imagine and draw other types of bugs/animals. Here is an example for a template: https://www.diythought.com/how-to-make-fingerprint-birds/

Shirley Purdie Shirley Purdie: My Story, Ngaginybe Jarragbe Magabala Books 9781925936131

• Shirley Purdie's Museum of Contemporary Art profile https://www.mca.com.au/artists-works/artists/shirley-purdie/
• An important, accessible story.
• Earthy, textured illustrations.
• Inviting window into Shirley’s life
• Main themes: First Nations people – autobiography – home – community and culture
• The CBCA judges say: “There is strength in the simplicity of these illustrations that belie the profound nature of this autobiographical story. The dot work used as an outline is effective and complements the written text also surrounded by dots. The use of Indigenous language is paramount to telling a story that belongs to another culture. The art style falls into a naive-indigenous genre which is a whole new concept transcending the two cultures. Glorious earth colours convey meaning to the print text. The endpapers exemplify the sophistication of this artist’s design aesthetic and the extra text at the end of the book provides information which allows the reader to understand the author’s story at a deeper level.”
• Could do a geography-based activity based on Shirley’s town Warmun. “Previously known as Turkey Creek, Warmun has become the main road access point to the Bungle Bungles”.
• Look at the use of symbols in Shirley’s and all aboriginal art, could do an activity that involved the question: draw a rough outline map of your room, house or street - looking from the ceiling/sky down what would the symbols used to convey the important spots or people look like?
• Kids could draw or write a brief autobiography of the important moments in their lives. Or get kids to create their own autobiography map, a Mysland http://artteacher.yolasite.com/autobiography-maps.php

Zeno Sworder This Small Blue Dot Thames & Hudson Australia 9781760761110

• Zeno Sworder shares the story in this online storytime https://www.facebook.com/readingsbooks/videos/this-small-blue-dot-with-author-zeno-sworder/720021125391652/
• Insightful, imaginative story
• Creative, mixed-media illustrations
• Main themes: Siblings/new baby – Earth – celebration of life – individuality (likes/dislikes)
• The CBCA judges say: “This book is a visual and verbal celebration of the creativity of a child’s mind when welcoming a new sibling into the world. Sworder uses a surprising array of mixed-media images on each page to illustrate his often-abstract concepts about life, ecology and sustainability. The incorporation of chalk drawings by a child into the endpapers provide convincing representations of the world of children. This book is an example of an insightful, contemporary work of art with an understanding of how picture books work for child readers. The execution of design and colour demonstrate a pleasing confidence for a new illustrator.”
• Get kids to list their top 5 favourite things about Earth (and 5 Mother Nature’s mistakes e.g. broccoli), and then the top 5 lessons about living on Earth they would teach a baby sibling.
• Inspired by the art style of the book, get kids to do a collage project with magazine cut outs mixed with drawings (@ohcreativeday on Instagram has a good example).
• Any ‘Planets’ activities also go well. Could ask kids to pick a different ‘dot’ (e.g. This red dot) and imagine what their top 5 things about that planet would be.
• Older kids can play a fun “Taboo” team game with pre-prepared planet/space words.
• Teaching notes from Lamont Books: https://www.lamontbooks.com.au/media/172427/september-2020-ps-this-small-blue-dot.pdf “Movement activity: The narrator uses her imagination to create silly dances. Prior to the class, create some cue cards with various motion lines (see pg 12). Play some music for the children and hold up the different cue cards and have the children make up a dance move based on what they see.”

Robin Tatlow-Lord Go Away, Worry Monster! EK Books 9781925820393

• Relatable story of common mental barriers
• Richly textured, well-designed illustrations
• Main themes: Anxiety in children – bravery – problem-solving – first day of school
• The CBCA judges say: “Tatlow-Lord has used coloured pastel pencils on dark-coloured surfaces to create an evocative interpretation of night-time, to impressive effect. Her rich and textured drawings support the minimal text and create a colourful worry monster; a quirky version of a dragon with a sock on its head. The illustrations ‘grow’ and ‘diminish’ the ego/'worry monster' to reassure children about common night-time fears. The use of design to pace and heighten the atmosphere of the tale is to be commended in someone new to this narrative form. Tatlow-Lord's illustrations are confident and well considered and will help readers relate to this story.”
• Teaching notes from publisher including interview with author and illustrator: https://ekbooks.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Teachers-Notes__Go-Away-Worry-Monster.pdf
• A visual art activity using dark paper and pencils or pastels
• As a group brainstorm the things that might make you worried or anxious. Then practise some of the strategies that Archie employs, like the belly breathing. “Have children lie on the floor on their backs and place their hands on their belly. Guide students to take a deep, slow breath into their belly so it fills up like a balloon. Students should feel their tummy expand with their hands. Then tell them to slowly breathe out as though they are letting the air out of the balloon. Guide students to do five belly breaths.”
• Talk about the significance of the sock/socks (endpapers, 2 socks on title page, but only one on next page). Why do you think the illustrator has added the squiggly lines around the worry monster? – Could make sock puppets.
• How would you design a worry monster?
• A game of charades (kids act out different emotions)
• Robin Tatlow-Lord's website http://www.robintatlowlord.com/
• make monster hand puppets out of old socks
• try drawing with pastels on dark cardboard

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