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picture_book_of_the_year_2021

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Picture Book of the Year 2021

Entries in this category should be outstanding books of the Picture Book genre in which the author and illustrator achieve artistic and literary unity or, in wordless picture books, where the story, theme or concept is unified through illustrations. Ages 0-18 years (NB. Some of these books may be for mature readers).

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

Elizabeth Skorulis and Lauren's presentation from the Book Week Forum.

Freya Blackwood The Unwilling Twin HarperCollins Publishers 9781460757536

Philip Bunting Not Cute. Scholastic Australia 9781760972387

  • Themes: acceptance, self-identity, self-perception, cuteness, communication, dealing with aggression, anti-social behaviours, humour,; and Australian wildlife.
  • Philip Bunting's website https://philipbunting.com/books/not-cute/
  • The refrain “too cute” and response “not cute” could be used with a speech bubble to get audience participation while reading the story - perhaps split the group in half with each half calling out
  • uncommon Australian animals feature - could they be recreated in craft activities?
  • Reading Time review http://readingtime.com.au/not-cute/
  • Fun story about where over-confidence and stubbornness can lead you if you’re not careful
  • Quokka is very cute, but has no interest in being cute. He wants to be dangerous like a dingo, scary like a frill-neck, majestic like an eagle, deadly like a redback. He even tries to be ferocious like a crocodile, after which a passing crocodile decides not to chomp him, because he is so cute. So quokka chomps the crocodile instead, who is quite put out at this development. Snake arrives on the scene, also aware of the quokka’s cuteness, which is where the quokka makes his mistake. “Not cute,” he says, leaping. “Not cute,” says the snake, after eating him.
  • Consistent repetition of the title: “Too cute,” say the other animals. “Not cute,” responds the quokka.
  • Quote included at the end of the book on the publishing information page: “The stubborn listen to nobody’s advice and become a victim of their own delusions.” Aesop. Quokka puts himself in harm’s way, removing his natural defence against dangerous predators. The whole thing could have been avoided if not for his stubbornness and desire to be something he is not.
  • Always in the background, we see the length of the snake, which is not immediately evident. The endpapers also follow this pattern. Consistent danger that the quokka is not aware of, because he is so focused on not being cute.
  • Beautiful, textural illustrations in natural tones with simple, contrasting narration underneath. This lends itself to a great activity where kids could make a textural picture with nature elements they find outside, where they could then add pictures of Australian animals.
  • Scholastic teachers notes
  • “Too big for his boots” – activity where kids could create an artwork might showing someone who is too big for their boots, either literally or figuratively
  • Gorgeous costumes/masks/headbands that quokka wears to look like each of the animals. All the options in the world here: dress-up competition, headband making and mask-making activities of various types (find spider headband)
  • Really simply, a great research activity about quokkas, their habitat and their predators
  • The story lends itself to a fun reader’s theatre, especially in a preschool storytime setting, although the ending may be a little confronting! It would work well as a puppet show also, with great Australian animals to utilise.
  • Could also be included as part of a library scavenger hunt for primary-aged kids, where they have to locate pictures throughout the library, or locate books containing information about the animals
  • Animal ideas for storytime: matching real pictures of each of the animals with the illustrated versions, hidden game where a real picture of various Australian animals are gradually revealed and kids have to guess them, ‘Simon says’ activity where kids have to bark like a dingo, flap their wings like an eagle, snap like a crocodile, etc.

Gabriel Evans Norton and the Bear Berbay Publishing 9780648785132

Bob Graham Ellie’s Dragon Walker Books Australia 9781406387629

Matt Ottley (text by Meg McKinlay) How to Make a Bird Walker Books Australia 9781925381894

Felicita Sala (text by Maggie Hutchings) Your Birthday Was the Best! Affirm Press 9781925972535

Back to 2021 Book Week Forum

picture_book_of_the_year_2021.1625528669.txt.gz · Last modified: 2021/07/05 18:44 by mylee.joseph_sl.nsw.gov.au