BOOK OF THE YEAR
Speech Pathology Australia
BIRTH TO 3 YEARS
Hello World
Written by Lisa Shanahan
Illustrated by Leila Rudge
Hello World is a beautiful picture book that outlines a typical day
experienced by most toddlers. The story is instantly relatable and
identifiable, and the language is simple and has a lovely rhythmic flow.
It is all complemented by illustrations that allow for natural dialogue,
connection, and conversations with the child looking on. The font size
and shape changes match the story and vocabulary, and the repetitive
use of ‘hello’ is predictable and encourages young children to join in with
the greeting.
THREE TO 5 YEARS
A Pair of Pears and an Orange
Written and Illustrated by Anna McGregor
A Pair of Pairs and an Orange is a clever and original story. It explores
the important themes of friendship and belonging, and an understanding
of differences. It uses a simple context of fruit to share a social story,
and to bring the book to life. The story arouses emotions and provides
an opportunity for discussion with young children about their own
experiences. The illustrations are simple, modern, and appealing. The
book’s play on words and homophones provide a great opportunity to
explore figurative language.
FIVE TO 8 YEARS
The Incredibly Busy Mind of Bowen Bartholomew Crisp
Written by Paul Russell
Illustrated by Nicky Johnston
The Incredibly Busy Mind of Bowen Bartholomew Crisp is a celebration
of creativity and curiosity. It is written to encourage more of these,
while telling a fun and engaging story. The story makes for exciting
shared-reading times, and as a springboard for many learning activities
and adventures. Children in the early years of schooling will love the
permission this book gives them to let their imagination run free.
The book uses good vocabulary and a range of sentence structures.
Engaging illustrations and a clear sequencing of events will help light up
the imagination of the young reader.
THE BEST BOOKS
FOR LANGUAGE
AND LITERACY
DEVELOPMENT
The Speech Pathology Australia Book of the
Year Awards raise awareness of the role speech
pathologists play in assisting people of all ages to
develop their language and literacy skills.
www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au/books
EIGHT TO 10 YEARS
My Brother Ben
Written by Peter Carnavas
My Brother Ben is an engaging tale with a well-defined narrative
structure. The story has a clearly defined beginning, middle and end;
and is thought provoking and arouses emotion throughout. The narrative
captures a true sense of adventure, mystery, and sadness, while
the prose reads effortlessly. The book is written in age-appropriate
language, and the consistent use of similes and metaphors is a great
language feature. The text also encourages the development of
pragmatic language skills.
ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER AUTHORED
CHILDREN’S BOOK AWARD
Somebody’s Land
Written by Adam Goodes and Ellie Laing
Illustrated by David Hardy
Somebody’s Land is a beautifully illustrated and authored book. It
proudly showcases First Nations culture and language, encourages the
reader to dig deeper about the history of Australia, and introduces the
term ‘terra nullius’ to a general audience. The book is a great option for
all ages, easy to read, and highly engaging. The illustrations are detailed
and colourful, ensuring readers notice new details with each new
reading.
DECODABLE BOOKS
The MultiLit - InitiaLit Readers, Series 2 – The Wattle Series
(Levels 10-16)
Published by MultiLit
The MultiLit - InitiaLit Reader delivers a series of books that
demonstrate a systematic, cumulative synthetic phonics teaching
sequence. Each book in the series provides explicit, clear instructions on
how to use the book to maximise decoding and comprehension learning
opportunities. The series includes high repetition of phoneme-grapheme
(letter-sound) correspondences, in conjunction with a narrative style
and engaging pictures to add to the quality of the series. Finally, the
series is written for the instructional purposes of teaching reading
foundations in particular word order, fluency, and comprehension of
connected text, making it appropriate for supporting young children
learning to read.