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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 The Children's Book Council of Australia (WA Branch) is a volunteer-run organisation that seeks to engage the community with literature for young Australians and to support and promote local authors. As 2025 marks the 80th birthday of CBCA we are delighted to offer two pieces of original art from winning books in the 2024 CBCA BOTY awards. We are so proud of Briony Stewart and Kelly Canby and very grateful to these two WA creators for their generosity in donating original art pieces from their CBCA BOTY winning books to the WA Branch. Both pieces have been professionally framed and look exquisite. The photos are for illustration purposes only and do not do full justice to the work. The pieces will be offered for Silent Auction with the winning bidders announced at A Night with Our Stars (ANWOS) on Friday 14 March 2025. Bids start at $150 and will increase in $10 increments. Last bids must be placed by 7.00pm on Friday 14 March. Successful bidders do not need to be present at the event but will be responsible for all subsequent costs related to freight or delivery.
The twenty-first year of A Night with Our Stars was another out of this world experience. The room filled with educators, librarians, creatives, and passionate children’s literature advocates as drinks and delicious canapes were served and many raffle tickets were sold. Westbooks was on hand with a fabulous selection of books from the twenty stars about to take the stage. Part one of the evening saw each three-minute presentation speed by with tales of year 9s undertaking ballet, time machines, the importance of standing in your own differences and ensuring we provide diverse characters to give everyone the chance to see themselves represented. We heard the unpublished lyrics of One Song and saw a wolf appear before our eyes. The break gave everyone a chance to get their books signed and to buy last minute raffle tickets as the winners were drawn after the break. There were fierce calls for redraws if the winners weren't there and those who won were celebrated. Part two featured another ten fabulous stars who illuminated the fun side of maths. We heard the first poem about ANWOS, a magical song with crowd participation, and a cover reveal for an upcoming sequel complete with confetti cannons. The evening concluded with the game show 'I’d like to date stamp you,' where Briony Stewart, our final presenter, accompanied by her enthusiastic stagehands, invited the audience to select their favourite among her trio of published books, culminating in another shower of confetti. Kirsty Lightfoot Vice President  Our 19th ANWOS was held on Friday 18 March 2022 at the Bendat Centre in Dodd St, Wembley from 6.00-9.30pm. Attendance was capped at 150 seated guests (50% of venue capacity because of Level 2 covid restrictions imposed by the state government) and tickets sold out within a week of the event. Guests had to show proof of double vaccination before entry, sign in via QR code on Service
WA, wear masks and maintain social distance. MC Jan Nicholls welcomed everyone and acted as timekeeper coordinating the presentations. Fremantle Press sponsorship kindly covered the venue hire costs and they were represented on the night by publisher Cate Sutherland. Three out of the 18 presenters on the program were published by Fremantle Press. Westbooks, as always, was the official book supplier with Michelle Murphy and Julie Bumford ably taking care of book sales on the night. Of the 18 presenters originally invited two had to withdraw citing Covid concerns – Cindy Lane and James Foley. Seven were new to ANWOS and all presenters gave spectacular performances, entertaining the capacity audience with their wit, humour and originality. Catering was supplied by Butterfly Catering; the platters were beautifully presented as always, with the food varied, tasty and plentiful. All wine was donated from a variety of sources. A decision was made not to sell raffle tickets in the current Covid situation even though this represents a lost opportunity to raise funds for the Branch. Consideration will be given to incorporating the cost of raffle tickets into future ticket prices. Five raffle prizes of bags of books from various donors were given out including signed copies by many of the presenters. Briony Stewart generously donated her charcoal sketch of a character from Bedtime Sorted which will be framed and offered for Silent Auction at the CBCA Book Week Dinner in August 2022. Thanks to all committee members who combined in a magnificent team effort both in the lead-up and on the night. Thanks also to partners and family members who assisted. - Jan Nicholls, A Night with our Stars Convenor |
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AWARDS FOUNDATION
We dreamt of funding prizes for Winning and Honour Books in the Children’s Book of the Year Awards to reward their creators. Your generous donation was part of that dream. You can make our dream a reality. GIFT FUND Your donation to the CBCA Gift Fund will help fund programs that enrich young lives through Australian stories and create a thriving creative world. Support our mission to connect, communicate, celebrate and advocate stories across Australia. |
AWARDS FOUNDATION BENEFACTORS
Allen & Unwin • CBCA NSW Branch Inc • Eddie and Dina Coffey • Laurie Copping OAM • Margaret Hamilton AM • Maurice Saxby AM Scholastic Australia • Thyne Reid Trust No. 1
Major Donors
Australia Post • Jill B Bruce • Sandy Campbell • CBCA ACT Branch • CBCA SA Branch • CBCA QLD Branch • CBCA VIC Branch • CBCA WA Branch • Era Publications • Terry Fahy • Five Mile Press • Libby Gleeson AM • Bob Graham • Hachette Children’s Books • Hardie Grant Egmont • HarperCollins Publishers • Ipswich District Teacher-Librarians’ Network • The James N Kirby Foundation • Kinross-Wolaroi School • Koala Books • Library Board of Queensland • Dr Robin Moncrieff Morrow AM• Angela Namoi • Northern Territory Government • Parents & Boys of Sydney Grammar Edgecliff Prep School • Penguin Books • Random House • Emily Rodda (Jennifer Rowe) • Gillian Rubinstein • SA Dept of the Arts & Cultural Development • Gail Spiers • Myrtle Spiers • Cathie Tasker • University of Queensland Press • Julie Vivas • Walker Books • Margaret Wild • Sue Williams
Major Donors in Memoriam
Jean Chapman • Max Fatchen • Beryl Moncrieff Matthews • Christobel Mattingley • Jill Midolo • John Moffat • Narelle Oliver • Jan Ormerod • Eve Pownall • Marion E Robertson • Gregory Rogers • Sebastian Walker • Cassandra Weddell • Maisie Williams, Garah, NSW
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