Our 22nd year of ANWOS!

What better way to end the working week than with A Night with our Stars!
The presenters were phenomenal and showcased the breadth and depth of our West Australian Children’s lit community! ANWOS had it all from costumes, a rap, UV posters, a meditation to books about word play, learning about our wonderful natural world, concerns over the lack of education around the tooth fairy, filling gaps in the books kids read and then finishing off with quiet time – even a few Mills and Boon references!
Books were presented for all ages, from struggling readers with dyslexia, those learning the alphabet, graphic novels for YA, middle grade school stories, romance, murder, fairies, working dogs, whales and kids struggling with real world issues – I could go on. It just shows how talented our West Aussie creatives are and just how varied a 3-minute presentation can be.
I brought my cousin along for her first ANWOS and she marveled at how supportive and loving our little community is. As a pre-primary teacher and reader she turned to me and said at one point that she just wanted to buy all of the books to support every one of our creatives. I felt the same. She did end up buying three from the WestBooks pop-up shop and got them signed by the authors for her class. Those little readers are going to feel so special!
There were some absolutely stellar prizes to be won (including the Shaun Tan art, which neither of us won – unfortunately) and a copy of every book presented on the night (we didn’t win that either!). The food was great as always too. The committee put in a fantastic effort volunteering their time on the night to serve drinks, sell raffle tickets, take photos and generally make sure no-one felt left out. Jan as our host was an absolute star as always. I imagine hearing that little toy buzz saw terrifies presenters every time they hear it!
I will finish with something that our president Kris said in her introduction (paraphrased): it is up to us to make books more than about learning which symbol means what, to bring the fun to reading, to read to children of all ages. Based on what we saw at ANWOS, I think our kids are in safe hands.

Claire Kierath
CBCA WA Committee Member
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📸✨ Click here to view more magical ANWOS 2025 photos

ANWOS General Information & Booklists

Presenters appear at A Night with Our Stars by invitation — to be eligible, creators must reside in WA and have had a book published within the past year.
With the abundance of talent in WA, it's impossible to accommodate all eligible contenders in one evening. That's why we curate a booklist, distributed to all ANWOS attendees and uploaded, here on our website.
We hope it serves you as a valuable buying guide. ​
  • Will I be able to purchase books on the night?
  • Can I get my books signed?
  • Does ANWOS count as Professional Learning?
All your burning questions are answered in our F.A.Q.