An Afternoon with Kelly Canby and Karleah Olson was a most enjoyable event attended by 16 people on a wintery day.
Both authors have books shortlisted in the CBCA Book of the Year Awards. Kelly’s A Leaf Called Greaf is on the Picture Book of the Year Short List, while Karleah’s debut novel, A Wreck of Seabirds, is on the Book of the Year: Older Readers Short List. It’s no surprise that both books are also shortlisted for the Premier’s Book Awards.

The inaugural Peppermint Grove Retreat ended on 14 June with a celebratory afternoon tea and a relaxed presentation from the writers, Renee Treml, Maria Alessandrino, Renae Hayward and Louisa Mitchell. From Louisa’s Acknowledgement of Country to the presentation of my beautiful flowers from the writers, it was a heartwarming afternoon with 27 people in attendance.
Here are some comments from the writers about their experiences:

The mission of the CBCA is . . . to connect, communicate, celebrate, and advocate for the value of stories. (The Children’s Book Council of Australia).
​Those who attended this presentation were able to listen to in depth discussions of the books in each category by four of the Book of the Year Award Judges - Nola Allen (2024-2025) Early Childhood, Sophie Helfgott (2025-2026) Younger Readers, Maria Alessandrino (2024-2025) Older Readers and Annika Kononen (2025-2026) Older Readers. The venue was the delightful Mel Maria Catholic Primary School Library in Attadale, which was perfect for such an event. Lots of the participants were thrilled to see a beautifully maintained library with many commenting that they had an idea or two to take back to their own school or public library.
Entries in the 2025 Book of the Year Awards totalled 730
💛 Older Readers 58
💛Younger Readers 150
💛Early Childhood 153
💛Picture Book 232
💛Eve Pownall 81
💛New Illustrator 47
Each judge discussed aspects of the judging process including criteria and working in a team of judges to read, report on and collaborate to identify their Notable Lists, select 6 titles for Shortlists and make their final selections: the winning and honour books to be announced on Friday 15th August. Books were thoroughly examined and aspects such as language, characterisation, setting, plot, theme, illustration, design elements and age appropriateness were discussed. Audience members received a booklet containing judges’ summaries and details of shortlisted books in each of the categories.
Following the presentations, a delicious afternoon tea was served, and participants had the opportunity to speak with the judges, take a thorough look at the books on display and network with like-minded colleagues.
Thank you to CBCA WA committee member and coordinator Tracey Willis who planned and managed the event. Thank you also to committee member Charmaine Faulkner who organised the venue at her school Mel Maria and to the library staff who supported her. A huge thank you to Nola, Sophie, Maria and Annika for sharing their expertise, commitment and passion. The event provided the audience with an opportunity to learn a little more about the judging process, thoroughly engage with this year’s shortlist titles via the knowledge and empathy of the judges and connect with CBCA WA, as it continues to promote quality literature for children and young adults.
Liz Allen
CBCA WA committee

Teacher Librarian Jan Pocock and her staff welcomed guests, both presenters and participants to this inaugural CBCA WA regional event at Lishman Library, Bunbury Cathedral Grammar School (BCGS).

Our stars were fourteen WA literary creatives; authors and illustrators of children’s and young adult stories who introduced themselves, presented current titles and shared insights into their writing worlds.

The audience was educated and entertained in a variety of ways – from Gabriel Evans drawings to Jasmine Berry’s Q & A chart, to Ash Harrier’s Ghostlings’ dolls, to the strong link between the setting of south West WA in nearly all of Deb Fitzpatrick’s books, to Dianne Wolfer’s whip (you had to be there!), to Sally Murphy’s analogy between brussels sprouts and poetry (yes, she displayed a bag of brussels sprouts purchased on the way to the event!) and even Cristy Burne’s op shop outfit which she had purchased due to washing, ironing and then leaving her clothes in Perth!

Some of the presenters were new to this type of event and all of them presented with a genuine love of their craft and were thankful for the opportunity to present to an audience represented by teachers, librarians, library technicians, primary and secondary students and interested literary folk.

Renée Treml, who recently moved to WA was presenting at her first event here. What we did learn from her was her erudite explanation of What is a thylacine? One of the new presenters commented that she loved watching and learning from the more experienced presenters. Quite a few had not met each other before. Jasmine Berry and Sally Barton were pleased to meet and share ideas and a signing table.

WA Branch President, Kris Williams made closing remarks, and the raffle prizes were drawn. The Branch thanks James Foley for two limited edition prints from his award-winning book Stellarphant. James shared a secret about nonfiction and fiction follow ups to this amazing work.​

​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. 

CBCA WA's event at SLWA in honour of Margaret Hamilton was a huge success thanks to the excellent organisation of Jenny Botje and her team, the thoughtful brilliance of guest speaker Meg McKinlay and the support of many CBCA WA committee members.

Thanks to Paper Bird Children's Books and Arts for the pop-up bookshop which did a roaring trade and to everyone who attended.

What a stimulating way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

Remember when Max “wore his wolf suit and made mischief of one kind and another”?
Of course you do!
Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are is a classic of children’s literature, but would it be written today? In this lively and wide-ranging presentation, children’s writer and academic Meg McKinlay considers the increasing influence of concerns about danger and safety on contemporary children’s literature. Which much-loved books might never have been published had they been subject to this particular form of scrutiny, or altered beyond recognition, to their detriment?
​In considering these questions, and more, Meg will draw on examples and experiences from her own much-loved work, as well as those of other contemporary children’s authors.
Join us and let the wild rumpus start!
Special door prizes too!