The Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) has announced its Book of the Year Awards shortlists for 2020. Congratulations to all the authors, illustrators, editors and publishers!

Here are the shortlists for each category.

Older Readers (for ages 13-18 years)

• The Boy Who Steals Houses by C.G. Drews
• How it Feels to Float by Helena Fox
• Ghost Bird by Lisa Fuller
• When the Ground is Hard by Malla Nunn
• Four Dead Queens by Astrid Scholte
• This Is How We Change The Ending by Vikki Wakefield

Younger Readers (for ages 8-12 years)

• The Little Wave by Pip Harry
• The Thing about Oliver by Deborah Kelly
• The Dog Runner by Bren MacDibble
• Catch a Falling Star by Meg McKinlay
• The Glimme by Emily Rodda (illustrated by Marc McBride)
• The Secrets of Magnolia Moon by Edwina Wyatt (illustrated by Katherine Quinn)

Early Childhood (for ages 0-7 years)

• We’re Stuck! by Sue DeGennaro
• One Runaway Rabbit by David Metzenthen (illustrated by Mairead Murphy)
• Bat vs Poss by Alexa Moses (illustrated by Anil Tortop)
• When Billy Was a Dog by Kirsty Murray (illustrated by Karen Blair)
• My Friend Fred by Frances Watts (illustrated by A. Yi)
• Goodbye House, Hello House by Margaret Wild (illustrated by Ann James)

Picture Book of the Year (for ages 0-18 years)

• Hello Lighthouse by Sophie Blackall
• Nop by Caroline Magerl
• I Need a Parrot by Chris McKimmie
• Three by Stephen Michael King
• The Good Son by Pierre-Jacques Ober, Jules Ober & Felicity Coonan
• Tilly by Jane Godwin & Anna Walker

Eve Pownall Award for Information Books (for ages 0-18 years)

• The Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Ugly Animals by Sami Bayly
• Searching for Cicadas by Lesley Gibbes & Judy Watson
• A Hollow Is a Home by Abbie Mitchell & Astred Hicks
• Wilam: A Birrarung Story by Aunty Joy Murphy, Andrew Kelly & Lisa Kennedy
• Young Dark Emu: A Truer History by Bruce Pascoe
• Yahoo Creek: An Australian Mystery by Tohby Riddle

CBCA Award for New Illustrator (for ages 0-18 years)

• Louie and Snippy: Save the Sea, illustrated by Grant Cowan
• Paperboy by Bethany Macdonald
• Fly by Jess McGeachin
• Cooee Mittigar: A Story on Darug Songlines, illustrated by Leanne Mulgo Watson
• Baby Business by Jasmine Seymour
• Little Bird’s Day, illustrated by Johnny Warrkatja Malibirr

The winners for each category will be announced during Book Week later this year. Find out more about the CBCA Awards here.