 Hi everyone, it's Steph here from Kid Lit Joy, a channel where we celebrate all things, kids, middle grade, and young adult books. And today I'm really excited because we are going to be reviewing or having a look at and reacting to the 2024 CBCA shortlist. So if you are new to my channel and you have never seen one of these videos before, the CBCA is the Children's Book Council of Australia and they do an award series every year. So the long list is announced in February or at the end of February. The shortlist is announced in March and then the winners of the shortlist are announced in August during what we call here in Australia Book Week, which is amazing, or Children's Book Week. So yes, I thought we would jump in. I did film a reaction to the long list. I'll leave that linked on the screen for you if you would like to check it out. So for some reason, the website is not loading properly. Let's see if we can get it to properly load. Maybe not. All right. Anyway, this is the front page. The theme this year is reading is magic. And we now have the shortlist from 656 long list entries down to 36 Australian Children's Books across six categories. So we're going here to the shortlist. So you can watch the shortlist announcement. They've also, this year I think is the first time they've actually been putting together these guides, which is fantastic. And then we have our categories. So the first category is the Book of the Older Readers. And I'm so excited to see that Hunger of Thorns by Lily Wilkinson is on here. I do have a review for this book. It was a fantastic fantasy story with really strong female characters. It's really wonderful to see that it was on here. There's also Grace Notes by Karen Comer, which I haven't read, although I have read Karen Comer's books before. Ink Flower by Susie Zhao, which I have not heard of. So that could be an interesting one to explore. I don't tend to go through and try and read all of the older reader category books because these are the young adult titles. But you know, if I get a chance, maybe I'll look at some of these. If I haven't read the winner, maybe I'll read that later in the year. There's Let's Never Speak of This Again by Megan Williams, The Quiet and the Loud by Helena Fox, which I have read. This was on the Victorian Premier literary awards list this year as well. I can't remember. It may have won that actually. And also To Can Play That Game by Leanne Yong, I have read and reviewed this one as well. That one is a contemporary young adult romance between two gamers. Then we have the Book of the Younger Readers category, which is middle fiction. So books aimed at children from seven to 12 years old. There is Being Jimmy Baxter by Fiona Lloyd, which I don't know much about. Hoodo was here by H. Hayek, which I have read and absolutely loved. It is a really fun story about a pair of siblings who are trying everything to get their father back home. There is Real Pigeons Flap Out by Andrew McDonald and Illustrated by Ben Wood. Scar Town by Tristan Banks, which I've heard really good things about but haven't read myself yet. Scout and the Rescue Dogs by Diane Wolfer and Illustrated by Tony Flowers, which looks like a really cute book. I would suspect that that one's probably on the younger end of the Younger Readers category. And also the Sideways Orbit of Evie Hart by Samira Kamaladine. That one I'm really intrigued to read and pick up. I am going to try and read this entire category and review the books in it. Obviously, I've already read Hoodo was here, but I do have the other books either on hold at my library or on order. So stay tuned. I will be looking into some of these titles. All right. And then there is the Book of the Year Early Childhood category. So these ones are picture books that are aimed at ages zero to six years and they're sort of designed for children who are pre-reading or the early stages of reading. So there is Bear and Duck are Friends by Sue DiGinaro. I've read Sue DiGinaro before in the past. Her books are quite fun. I'm intrigued by this one. I haven't read it yet. I have read Can You Teach a Fish to Climate Tree by Jane Godwin and Illustrated by Terry Denton. This one isn't absolutely fun and interesting and intriguing little story about celebrating your own strengths and playing to them. There is Grace and Mr. Milligan by Kaz Godwin or Goodwin, sorry, and Illustrated by Pip Kruger. I've not heard of that one, except for when it was on the longest. So that one will be interesting to check out. There is also Gymnastica Fantastica by Brian E. Stewart who I have read before, but I haven't read this particular book by them. One Little Duck by Katrina Germain and Illustrated by Danny Snell. Again, Katrina Germain is an author I have read before, but I haven't seen this title around. And then a very, very, very famous children's author, Bob Graham, has the Concrete Garden, which I have still yet to read. I have access to it at my school library. I just have not had an opportunity to pick it up yet, so I need to prioritize that. Again, this will be a category that I read. In fact, I'll be reading the rest of these categories. So then we have the Picture Book of the Year Shortlist. So this is a category of picture book awards where the panel are looking at how the author and illustrator achieve artistic or literary unity and where it could be aimed at an audience from zero to 18 years. So quite often some of these books do feature mature themes and are for older readers. I have only read one book in this category so far. So I can't speak to most of them in terms of how mature they are. In the past we have had some quite mature themed books featured. So there is Bowerbird Blues by Aura Parker. This one is actually also the book pick for National Simultaneous Storytime that's happening in May as well. So I will be reading this one every night at midnight by Peter Chong, which I have not heard of this one, but I'm intrigued. The cover is really eye-catching, so I'm looking forward to picking this one up. If I was a horse by Sophie Blackall, this is really interesting because Sophie was in this category. So this category was in this category or another category last year for her book Farmhouse. In fact, I have it sitting right here next to me and her illustrative style is so intriguing. She has a lot of collage and her storytelling is really wonderful. So I'm intrigued to see if I was a horse is similar to Farmhouse in terms of the type of story that Sophie's telling but I've not seen it yet. There is Paper Flower Girl which is illustrated by Matea Yeager and the text is by Marguerite LeMond. This one I'm really intrigued by. I think this cover is absolutely stunning and gorgeous and I can't wait to read it. There is That Bird Has Arms that has been illustrated by Rona Drogosz and Nierika Huku and the text is by Kate Temple and Joel Temple. So it'll be a very fun reading experience and I'm very curious to see how the story plays out and what is going on with this book. And then the one book that I have read in this category is Timeless by Kelly Canby, which I'll actually be rereading next month for a little mini project for the channel and I'm so excited about it. This is one of my favourite picture books from last year because the entire book is told through time puns and wordplay and it is just so fun and Kelly Canby's illustrations in this are just stunning. It was one of the very few picture books for older readers that I've actually read to my niece just because I thought she'd really enjoy the colours on the page because it's got a very brightly coloured watercolour background style. And my niece, who was only a couple of months at the time, just stared at the pages because they're so brightly coloured and I can't wait till she's older and we'll read it again. But yeah, definitely one of my favourite picture books from last year. Then we have the Eve Poundall Award. So this is an information picture book and so it documents factual information and there is consideration given to the way that that information is presented and the visual style that is used within the books. So I've actually read three of the books in this category. So there is Australia Country of Colour by Jess Raklief, which is just gorgeous. I absolutely love this book. It explores nonfiction, Australian flora and fauna through colour. So everything is categorised by colour and that's how the information is organised and it's just a really gorgeous book. There is Countrytown that is by his old Martin and Robin Ridgway and illustrated by Louise Hogan. I haven't read this one yet but I'm excited to read it when my copy arrives. Boo Gross, Foul Facts and Putrid Pictures by Dan Marshall, which my copy of this has arrived and I'm excited to pick it up. This is a slightly longer picture book and I'm very curious to see how the information is organised and what's included in here. And I know this is a book that's going to be very popular in my classroom when I finally take it in. Then there is Our Country Where History Happened by Mark Greenwood and illustrated by Frane Lisak. This is a book that I've already received a copy of and I'm really looking forward to picking it up. Mark Greenwood does some really fantastic children's nonfiction books and I'm excited to see what information is included in here and how the information is presented. Damara, A Story of Termites on Goringy Country by Violet Quadrule, Topsy Dodd. Someone has decided to start banging in an apartment upstairs. Apologies for that. Topsy Dodd, Nyanyl, Leah Lehmann, Cecilia Edwards, Cassandra Elgi, Felicity Meekins, Brianne Barr and Gregory Crachetti. This book was such a fascinating look at the history of termites in Australia and how the indigenous population utilised them in understanding country. So I'm excited to see that one on here and I have been meaning to talk about this book on the channel for a while. So I can't wait till I actually review the EVE Poundall category because I'm very excited to talk about this book. And then another one that I've absolutely loved is This Book Thinks You're Deadly by Kari Tutt and illustrated by Molly Hunt. This is a collection of short biographies on incredible Australian First Nations individuals working across a variety of fields. And it is just a wonderful, wonderful book. Kari Tutt is doing some amazing work in children's nonfiction and this one is no exception. And then finally, the last category is the CBCA Award for New Illustrator. And I have read one book in this category. So, Eta in the Shadow Taboo by Jeremy Worrell, or sorry, Illustrated by Jeremy Worrell with text by Jared Field. I don't know anything about this book. So I'm looking forward to picking it up. The cover is very intriguing to me. Grace and Mr. Milligan is making a second appearance in here. So Pip Kruger is up for the New Illustrator Award. Again, the text here was by Kaz Goodwin. So for it to be in multiple categories is pretty good. I can't remember the last time we had something that was in multiple categories in the same year. Hope is the Thing, illustrated by Erica Wagner and written by Joanna Bell. It's a really gorgeous poem in the form of a storybook. It was just lovely. I did get a review copy of this early last year and just thoroughly enjoyed it. It's such a beautifully illustrated text and it just has such a wonderful meaning behind it. So it's exciting to see it in this category. Fonabet, illustrated by Kat Drain and written by Kathy Whedon, is one I'm excited to get to. My copy of it arrived and it's an exploration of sounds in the Australian English language. The phonics and literacy teacher in me is curious to see how this book could possibly be adapted for a classroom or used in a classroom. There is Raised by Moths, illustrated by Michelle Kahn with the text by Charlie Archbold. And this one, I want to know more about it. I have this thing about circus books and I can sort of see the circus tents and the ferris wheel and I want to know more. And in case you haven't noticed, what I am trying to do with all of these books is to go into them without much knowledge if I haven't read them before and just to sort of be immersed in the book and experience that for the first time. So most of my reaction is just have I heard of it and you know, does the cover grab my attention because I don't care what anyone says. Cover designers and illustrators exist for a reason and that purpose is to hook you into a book. So whenever someone says don't judge a book by cover, I think you do have a bit of a right to judge a book by its cover because there are people who put a lot of time and effort into designing books to draw people in. So this one, I'm intrigued by, I love the color palette of it. I'm intrigued by the title and I just want to know what's going on with it. And then finally, there is When You're a Boy by Blake Newton. This book I also know absolutely nothing about actually has my copy arrived or it has. Hold on. Here it is. I'm excited to get to this one and find out a little bit more about what it's about because I've not heard of it much like many of the other titles here and I get really excited when I get a chance to read all of these shortlisted books and see why maybe they've been shortlisted and also if that aligns with my own thinking. All right. So those are the shortlisted books for 2024. I'll leave a link to the CBCA website down below. So if you want to check it out and have a read through and get some more details about the books you are more than welcome to. And stay tuned over the next couple of months. I will be doing my review series where I go through and read each category and then review the books in each category. So thank you very much for watching. In the comments, let me know if you've read any of these books or if you feel like something was missed in the shortlist or if you have a prediction about what you think will win in each category. If you just want to let me know that you're here but you don't want to leave a comment for free to leave an award emoji down below, there's trophies or medals or whatever you feel like represents an award for free to leave it in the comments. Otherwise, I hope that wherever you're on the world, you're staying safe and healthy and I'll see you in my next video. Thanks so much for watching. Bye, everyone.