WALKER BOOKS AUSTRALIA January - June 2016
C ON T E N T S 02
Picture Books
10
Illustrated Fiction
14
Junior Fiction
18
Poetry
22
Novelty
32
Black Dog Books
34
Illustrated Fiction
38
Nonfiction
44
Information
P
ICTURE BOOKS
Apri l
PICT U R E B O O K
Reflection BY
REBECKA SHARPE SHELBERG
ILLUSTRATED BY
ROBIN COWCHER
This poignant picture book is about remembering those who serve in war.
Reflection is a powerful text that highlights the importance of remembering those who have served, and who currently do serve, in Australia’s and New Zealand’s armed forces. Each spread reflects one family’s pilgrimage to their local dawn service, set against the images from past military campaigns.
Rebecka Sharpe Shelberg is an author from western Sydney. Reflection is her first picture book. Robin Cowcher studied at RMIT and worked for many years at The Age as an art director, illustrator and designer. Little Dog and the Christmas Wish (written by Corinne Fenton) was her first title with Walker Books Australia and was published in 2014.
AU: $24.99 | NZ: $27.99 | ISBN: 9781922179050 | BINDING: HARDBACK | EXTENT: 32 pages | AGE: 5+ 6
7
Ma y
PICT U R E B O O K
Gary BY
LEILA RUDGE
Any bird can find adventure. Even Gary.
Gary the pigeon can’t fly. When his racing pigeon friends head off in their travel basket, Gary stays at home. He organises his scrapbook of travel mementos and dreams about the adventures the other pigeons are having. But when Gary accidentally ends up a very long way from home, he discovers that flying is not the only way to have adventures.
Leila Rudge was born in England. She moved to Australia after completing an Illustration Degree at Bath Spa University. In 2012, her book No Bears (written by Meg McKinlay) was short-listed for the CBCA Picture Book of the Year award in both the Picture Book and Early Childhood categories. Ted, her first picture book as both author and illustrator, was a CBCA Notable Book.
AU: $24.99 | NZ: $27.99 | ISBN: 9781925081695 | BINDING: HARDBACK | EXTENT: 32 pages | AGE: 3+ 8
9
Jun e
PICT U R E B O O K
NO NFICTIO N
Desert Lake:
The Story Of Kati Thanda– Lake Eyre BY
PAMELA FREEMAN
ILLUSTRATED BY
LIZ ANELLI
It’s raining up north and soon everything will change for the desert lake.
The dry salt bed of Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre shimmers in the desert heat. But far up north, the rains have come. Water is flooding into empty riverbeds and swirling down towards the lake. Soon everything will change.
Pamela Freeman is an award-winning author who is best known for her Floramonde series of fantasy novels. Her children’s novel, Victor’s Challenge won the 2009 Aurealis Award for Best Children’s Short Fiction/Illustrated Work/Picture Book and was a Notable Book in the Younger Readers Category, CBCA Awards, 2010. Our Stories: Mary’s Australia was shortlisted for the 2015 CBCA Eve Pownall Award. Liz Anelli has recently come to live in Newcastle, NSW, having previously lived and worked as an illustrator in England. Liz won an Australia Council grant to visit and research Kati ThandaLake Eyre.
AU: $24.99 | NZ: $27.99 | ISBN: 9781921529436 | BINDING: HARDBACK | EXTENT: 32 pages | AGE: 5+ 10
11
I
L L U S T R AT E D FICTION
Ma y
ILLUS TR ATED FICTIO N
Chook Doolan
BY
JAMES ROY
ILLUSTRATED BY
LUCINDA GIFFORD
Rules are Rules
The Newest Pet
ISBN: 9781922244932
ISBN: 9781922244949
My name is Simon Doolan. But you can call me Chook – almost everyone does. Chook Doolan is too much of a chicken to walk to school by himself! But then Dad tells him the special “Walking to School” rule. And RULES ARE RULES. What could go wrong?
It’s Pet Day at school but Joe doesn’t have a pet. Can Chook come up with a plan to help his friend? And will he be brave enough to carry it out?
James Roy lives in the Blue Mountains with his family and writes both fiction and non-fiction for children and young adults. His books have won many awards and is an advocate for boys’ literacy.
Lucinda Gifford lives with her family in Melbourne’s northern suburbs – and works as an illustrator, author-illustrator and graphic designer from her cosy, messy home studio.
AU: $7.99 | NZ: $9.99 | BINDING: PAPERBACK | EXTENT: 64 pages | AGE: 5+ 14
Funny, accessible and relatable – Chook Doolan focuses on the concerns and interests of kids (mainly boys) aged 5+.
15
J
UNIOR FICTION
Ma rch
JUN IO R FICTIO N
Magrit BY
LEE BATTERSBY
ILLUSTRATED BY
AMY DAOUD
A wonderfully strange yet poignant tale about accepting the truth about oneself.
Magrit lives in an abandoned cemetery. She is as forgotten as the tiny graveyard that surrounds her. One night a passing stork drops a strange bundle into the graveyard. Master Puppet, her friend and advisor, tells her it is an awful, ugly, terrible thing and that she should get rid of it. But Magrit has other ideas.
Lee Battersby is the author of several adult novels and over 70 short stories, published in Australia, the US and Europe. His work has been praised for its consistent attention to voice and narrative muscle, and has resulted in a number of awards, including the Aurealis, Australia Shadows and Australia SF “Ditmar� gongs. Amy Daoud spent time in a handful of design studios before accepting the role as Junior Designer at Walker Books Australia in 2011. Since then, she has worked across a diverse range of genres, creating covers and internal designs and now as Designer also art directs illustrators on picture book titles. Magrit is her first book.
AU: $19.99 | NZ: $22.99 | ISBN: 9781925081343 | BINDING: HARDBACK | EXTENT: 160 pages | AGE: 9+ 18
ONE R A IN Y SPR ING NIGHT W HEN
she was
nearly ten years old, a girl named Magrit climbed
onto the roof of the chapel at the centre of the octagonal cemetery that was her home. She nestled herself against a tall, skeletal figure that gazed out
across the grounds like an ancient guardian. Together, they bathed in the light that shimmered through the curtains of the surrounding buildings. 7
19
P
O E T RY
Ma y
POET RY
Our Home is Dirt by Sea BY
VARIOUS
SELECTED BY
DIANNE BATES
A great Australian anthology to get kids interested in poetry.
Dianne Bates has complied a fabulous collection of poetry written for Australian children by over thirty different Australian poets such as Elizabeth Honey, Robin Klein, Daisy Utemorrah, Sally Murphy, Max Fatchen, Doug MacLeod, Steven Herrick and many more. Topics include school, family, special events like birthdays and Christmas, animals and sports.
Dianne Bates is a full-time freelance author and has written over 130 books for young readers. She has worked as a newspaper and magazine editor and manuscript assessor. Di is a recipient of The Lady Cutler Award for distinguished services to children’s Literature. Her website is www.enterprisingwords.com.au
AU: $16.99 | NZ: $18.99 | ISBN: 9781925081190 | BINDING: PAPERBACK | EXTENT: 128 pages | AGE: 8+ 22
Lyrebird Sunset by Sophie Masson
Down in the sunset under the trees The lyrebird spreads his tail to tease. They call him the lyrebird Because he can sing to you. They call him the liar-bird Because he plays tricks on you! Listen! Now he’s an engine, Now he’s a dove, A cuckoo that calls, And waterfalls. Lyrebird, lyrebird, what is your own song? Sing to me lyrebird, all night long!
23
N
O V E LT Y
February
N OVELTY
Pocket Patterns
Happy Hearts
ISBN: 9781925381085
Faraway Forest
ISBN: 9781925381078
Starry Nights
ISBN: 9781925381054
Fantastic Flowers
ISBN: 9781925381061
Enter the calming and quoteful world of Pocket Patterns. Each book is filled with pictures for you to colour or doodle, and the pages are removable so you can use them to write notes for, or share quotes with, your friends.
AU: $14.99 | NZ: $16.99 | BINDING: PAPERBACK | EXTENT: 128 pages | AGE: 10+ 26
Pocket Patterns. Keep calm and colour on.
27
Ma rch
N OVELTY
Paper Craft Foldies
Best Friends
Fashion Friends
ISBN: 9781925381108
ISBN: 9781925381092
Forty fab foldies for you to pull out, fold and flip for lots of fortune-telling fun. They even include blank foldies for you to design and colour, plus you can customise them with cute stickers too!
AU: $12.99 | NZ: $13.99 | BINDING: PAPERBACK | EXTENT: 98 pages | AGE: 8+ 28
Make your own AMAZING paper craft foldies!
29
Apri l
N OVELTY
Busy Builders: Fire Station BY
CHRIS OXLADE
ILLUSTRATED BY
CARLES BALLESTEROS
A fun and interactive introduction to the world of firefighters.
Assemble your emergency vehicles, slot together your firefighters and accessories and race to the rescue! Featuring a 32page book bursting with exciting facts, Busy Builders: Fire Station also opens up to reveal a busy fire station interior, 92cm jigsaw track, helicopter, fire engine with lifting ladder and more! Perfect for budding firefighters everywhere.
Chris Oxlade is the author of nonfiction books for children and young adults. To date, he has written or co-written about two hundred titles. Carles Ballesteros lives in Chile, where he teaches illustration and works as a professional illustrator. He combines traditional drawing skills with digital techniques to create his work.
AU: $24.99 | NZ: $27.99 | ISBN: 9781925126976 | BINDING: HARDBACK | EXTENT: 32 pages | AGE: 5+ 30
31
Ma y
N OVELTY
Buildings, Bridges and Landmarks: A Complete History BY
TONY CHAPMAN
Unique 2-in-1 format combines a reference book with a modelmaking manual.
Travel through time and across the world visiting iconic buildings, bridges and monuments, from the ancient Greek Parthenon to the modern London Shard. The collector’s guide details each landmark’s place in architectural history and the detachable model compendium contains press-out pieces to make 25 ultra-stylish 3D models.
Tony Chapman (Hon FRIBA) is an internationally recognised writer, architecture critic and film-maker, as well as an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects. To date, he has written 16 books on architecture. He also speaks in many forums throughout the world, and is a frequent contributor to TV and radio.
AU: $24.99 | NZ: $27.99 | ISBN: 9781925126952 | BINDING: PAPERBACK | EXTENT: 118 pages | AGE: 10+ 32
33
BLACK DOG BOOKS A multi-award-winning imprint of Walker Books Australia, with a roster that includes some of Australia’s most highly-regarded authors and illustrators.
I
L L U S T R AT E D FICTION
Febru a ry
ILLUS TR ATED FICTIO N
Little Lunch: Triple the Treats BY
DANNY KATZ
ILLUSTRATED BY
MITCH VANE
This hilarious tie-in edition of the smash-hit television series Little Lunch has three bite-sized stories for young readers.
This is what happened during Little Lunch: Rory forgot his playlunch and did something that shocked everyone, Battie freaked out because he thought he’d ruined Grandparents Day and Melanie held a cake stall to help homeless puppies, but it didn’t really help anyone! A lot can happen in fifteen minutes.
Danny Katz is a newspaper columnist for The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald, and is famous for his larger-than-life characters. He is the author of The Modern Guru column in the Saturday magazine (he swears those letters are real and he does not make them up). Mitch Vane has illustrated many children’s books, including the Little Lunch series, A Little Election and The Patch. She hates to draw straight lines!
AU: $12.99 | NZ: $14.99 | ISBN: 9781925126907 | BINDING: PAPERBACK | EXTENT: 128 pages | AGE: 10+ 38
MEET
BATTIE
THE GANG!
gentle creative daydreamer
DEBRA-JO
ATTICUS
smart
sweet
ambitious organised
nerdy and always hungry
(though some might call it bossy)
RORY
naughty distracted and...
MELANIE stubborn courageous shy
very likeable
MRS GONSHA
extreme patience (with a tendency to nod off in class)
TAMARA
excellent at sport (and not afraid to remind everyone)
39
N
ONFICTION
Apri l
N ON FICTIO N
Our Stories: Protest in Australia BY
SUE LAWSON
This addition to the nonfiction picture book series Our Stories is about the history of protest in Australia.
Through protest, Australians have united to fight for change and have influenced the outcome of many causes. From human rights to the environment, this book traces Australia’s proud history of protest.
Sue Lawson writes books for children and young adults. In 2012, Pan’s Whisper was short-listed for the Prime Minister’s Literary Awards, was a Notable Book at the Children’s Book Council of Australia Book of the Year Awards and won the Australian Family Therapists’ Award for Children’s Literature. You Don’t Even Know was shortlisted for the Western Australian Premier’s Book Awards in 2014.
AU: $17.99 | NZ: $19.99 | ISBN: 9781922244543 | BINDING: PAPERBACK | EXTENT: 32 pages | AGE: 8+ 42
Student Action For Aborigines bus and protesters
The 1965 Freedom Ride
T
he 1960s were a time of enormous change in technology, industry and society. People began to question long-held beliefs and attitudes, especially when it came to civil rights. In 1964, Australian university students gathered outside the Embassy of the United States in Canberra to protest against racial discrimination in America. The students were surprised when they were criticised for protesting against racism overseas while Aboriginal people were being discriminated against in Australia. Soon after, Sydney University students formed a group called Student Action For Aborigines (SAFA) and elected Charles Perkins,
10
a man with Arrernte and Kalkadoon heritage, as president. With the help of Sydney pastor Reverend Ted Noffs, the SAFA raised funds and organised the Australian Freedom Ride. It was inspired by the American Freedom Ride, where students rode on interstate buses to protest segregation. SAFA wanted to highlight the poor health, education and living conditions of Indigenous Australians in rural NSW, and encourage them to fight for improvements. The Freedom Ride left Sydney on 12 February 1965. Over two weeks, it covered 3200 kilometres and visited 21 country towns in NSW. There were usually 33 people on the bus; 11 women and 22 men. One of the students, Darce Cassidy, was a part-time cadet reporter. His footage and reports attracted media attention, and soon other journalists were following the Freedom Ride. This ensured Australians discovered how Aboriginal Australians lived and were treated. At the first few towns, SAFA gathered information about the treatment and living conditions of Aboriginal people, from both 43
Jun e
N ON FICTIO N
Our Stories: Sportsmanship BY
NET BRENNAN
This new addition to the nonfiction picture book series Our Stories is about sports and sportsmanship in Australia.
Australia’s passion for sport defines us: our history, our tradition, our values, our identity. These are the stories of the sportsmen and women whose talent stopped the nation. These are the moments when we threw our arms in the air and cheered.
Net Brennan has 20 years’ experience as a feature writer, magazine editor and sports journalist, and is also a qualified English/ History teacher. Our Stories: Child Convicts was her first book with Walker.
AU: $17.99 | NZ: $19.99 | ISBN: 9781742032337 | BINDING: PAPERBACK | EXTENT: 32 pages | AGE: 8+ 44
Hosting the World
D
uring the 1956 Australian National Championship for the mile (1.6 kilometres), a runner named John Landy stopped mid-race to help a fallen rival. Landy had been behind Ron Clarke when Clarke clipped the heels of another competitor and fell to the ground. Landy tried to hurdle Clarke but the spikes of his shoes cut into the youngster’s shoulder and arm. Unselfishly, Landy stopped, ran back towards Clarke with an outstretched arm and apologised. “Get going,” Clarke yelled back, and that’s exactly what Landy did. There were fewer than two laps left in the race and the frontrunners had opened a gap of around 40 metres. Landy’s giant strides helped him to catch and overtake the leaders one by one. Then, urged on by the frenzied crowd, Landy unleashed a final sprint that won him the National Championship and created Australian folklore. At the time of this race, Landy was one of only two men in the world who had run a mile in under four minutes. This was a big, big deal. Previously people had wondered if it was even possible for the human body to be pushed fast enough for long enough to break the four-minute barrier. Some thought runners would die if they even tried. Landy’s fame around the world as a champion distance runner was used to promote the 1956 Melbourne Games, the first-ever Olympics held in the Southern Hemisphere. Landy was given the honour of taking the Olympic Oath on behalf of the 3300 athletes. Nineteen-year-old Clarke, who later set many world records, lit the Olympic Flame within the stadium.
John Landy, c. 1954
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I NFORM AT ION
WALKER BOOKS AUSTRALIA Walker Books Australia has been bringing the best of children’s publishing to Australia and New Zealand for over 20 years. The company is dedicated to publishing books of unwavering quality for children and young adults to read and treasure. Walker Books Australia is also passionate about the Australian Children’s book industry and is a haven for the most highly talented authors and illustrators, both emerging and award-winning. Walker Books Australia is proud to be the home of Black Dog Books, an award-winning imprint with a reputation for publishing some of Australia’s finest writers including Carole Wilkinson, Sue Lawson and Suzy Zail.
THE WALKER BOOKS GROUP Walker Books Australia is a part of the Walker Books Group, one of the world’s leading independent publishers of books and content for children. This vibrant international group also includes Walker Books UK, London; and Candlewick Press, Somerville, Massachusetts. Award-winning authors and illustrators for the group include Cassandra Clare, Kate DiCamillo, Patrick Ness, Anna Branford, Jeannie Baker, Sally Sutton, Bob Graham, Meg McKinlay, M.T Anderson, Sally Murphy and Jon Klassen, and major brands for the group are Maisy, Guess How Much I Love You, Tilly and Friends, the widely acclaimed Judy Moody and the bestselling Where’s Wally.
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I MAGE CREDIT S
Front cover, endpapers, pp 2–3 Illustrations from Desert Lake: The Story Of Kati Thanda – Lake Eyre by Pamela Freeman and illustrated by Liz Anelli pp 9–10 Illustration from Chook Doolan: Rules are Rules by James Roy and illustrated by Lucinda Gifford pp 13–14 Illustration from Magrit by Lee Battersby and illustrated by Amy Daoud pp 17–18 Illustration from Our Home is Dirt by Sea selected by Dianna Bates; Illustration © run4it/Shutterstock.com pp 21–22 Illustration from Pocket Patterns: Fantastic Flowers pp 34–35, 37 Photographs from ‘Little Lunch’, produced by Gristmill Pty Ltd, © Screen Australia, Film Victoria and Gristmill Pty Ltd pp 38–39 Photograph from Our Stories: Sportsmanship by Net Brennan; Photograph © Soldiers playing cricket, Green Shell, Gallipoli, Turkey, December 1915, SLV pp 46–47 Illustrations © 2011 Leila Rudge
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Free education resources written to the Australian curriculum.
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