Dry to Dry: The Seasons of Kakadu

by Pamela Freeman and Liz Anelli

• Suitable for Years F-1
• WINNER: 2021 CBCA Eve Pownall Award for Information Books
• Read the unit

• This book explores the changing seasons of Kakadu National Park, NT.
• Offering parallel texts of narrative and factual information, the book is poetic and engaging.
• The language used transports readers to Kakadu and keeps them engaged through the change in font, size and direction of text.
• Additional information at the end of the book highlights the importance of Kakadu to traditional owners.

• Cyclical nature of the seasons
• Living things and their habitats
• Responses of living things to changes in seasons
• The wonder of nature
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures

The Swap

by Jan Omerod and Andrew Joyner

• Suitable for Years F-1
• WINNER: 2014 CBCA Early Childhood Book of the Year
• Read the unit

• Caroline Crocodile is jealous when her baby brother arrives.
• What if she could swap her dribbly brother for a different one at the Baby Shop? 
• This book uses warmth and humour to describe big family and sibling emotions
• Andrew Joyner's retro styled illustrations are vivid and expressive, providing multiple opportunities for exploring visual literacy and storytelling

• Family
• Sibling rivalry

All I Want for Christmas is Rain

by Cori Brooke and Megan Forward

• Suitable for Years F-2
• SHORTLISTED: 2017 CBCA Early Childhood Book of the Year
• Read the unit

• An Australian Christmas is threatened when drought takes hold. 
• A little girl has only one wish — for rain. Will her wish come true?
• This unit provides opportunities for students to explore the celebrations and commemorations of significant events shared with their families and others.

• Weather
• Drought
• Christmas
• Australia

Wilam: A Birrarung Story

by Aunty Joy Murphy, Andrew Kelly, and Lisa Kennedy

• Suitable for Years 2-3
• WINNER: Kirkus Reviews Best Children's Books 2020
• Read the unit

• In this stunning picture book by Indigenous artist Lisa Kennedy, respected Elder Aunty Joy Murphy and Yarra Riverkeeper Andrew Kelly, the story is told of one day in the life of the vital, flourishing Birrarung (Yarra River).
• Explore, with your students, the Indigenous and geographical story of Melbourne’s beautiful Yarra River, from its source to its mouth; from its pre-history to the present day.
• The book demonstrates the relationship between history and culture, and flora and fauna, and this unit provides opportunities to make those connections in the classroom.

• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Culture and Histories
• Environment
• Australian Aboriginal heritage and language
• Biodiversity
• Ecosystems

The Simple Things

by Bill Condon and Beth Norling

• Suitable for Years 3-4
• SHORTLISTED: 2015 CBCA Younger Readers Book of the Year
• Read the unit

• Stephen has never met his Aunty Lola. His family travel to visit her for her eightieth birthday and Stephen discovers she’s grumpy, scary and really old. 
• During the visit, Stephen learns about the simple things in life and the value of family and friendship.
• This unit provides opportunities for exploring how communities have changed and developed over time.

• Family
• Friendship
• Memories
• Growing old

Tea and Sugar Christmas

by Jane Jolley and Robert Ingpen

• Suitable for Years 3-4
• WINNER: ABIA Small Publisher Children's Book of the Year, 2015
• Read the unit

• The Tea and Sugar train only came once a week on a Thursday, but the special Christmas train only came once a year. There is four days until the train. Will it be late? 
• This unit provides opportunities for students to explore the influence of purpose, distance and accessibility on the frequency with which people visit places. 
• It also creates opportunities for classes to discuss how communities have changed over time.

• Australia
• Remote communities
• Travel
• Technology
• Australian identity

Flight

by Nadia Wheatley and Armin Greder

• Suitable for Years 3-4
• WINNER: 2016 CBCA Picture Book of the Year
• Read the unit

• Apparently in biblical times, a small family sets off across a desert in search of refuge from persecution in their own country, and an ancient story becomes a fable.
• Their journey is beset by heat and thirst, threatening tanks and the loss of their donkey, but eventually they reach a refugee camp where they can wait in safety for asylum in another country.
• In this unit, students can explore the role of significant individuals of groups in the development of Australia.

• Refugees
• Journeys
• Overcoming obstacles
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures
• Asia and Australia's Engagement with Asia

Yahoo Creek: An Australian Mystery

by Tohby Riddle

• Suitable for Years 4-5
• SHORTLISTED: Aurealis Award for Best Graphic Novel/Illustrated Work, 2019
• Read the unit

• Throughout the first century or so of Australian settlement by Europeans, the pages of colonial newspapers were haunted by reports of a bewildering phenomenon: the mysterious yahoo or hairy man ... But what was it?
• This book breathes life into this little-known piece of Australian history — which, by many accounts, is a history still in the making.
• The teaching unit provides opportunities to explore the causes of the establishment of the first British colony in Australia, and the experiences those involved in it.

• Early colonial Australia
• Australian mystery
• Indigenous storytelling

Waves

by Donna Rawlins, Mark Jackson and Heather Potter

• Suitable for Years 4-6
• SHORTLISTED: 2019 CBCA Eve Pownall Award for Information Books
• Read the unit

• Every journey is perilous, every situation heartbreaking. Every refugee is a person forced by famine or war or fear to leave their home, their families, their friends and all they know. 
• Children have travelled on the waves of migration to the shores of Australia for tens of thousands of years. This book tells some of their stories. 
• This teaching unit, along with the narrative non-fiction book, provides opportunities to explore the waves of migration to the shores of Australia.

• Migration
• Refugees
• Australian history

 M is for Mutiny! History by Alphabet

by John Dickon and Bern Emmerichs

• Suitable for Years 5-6
• SHORTLISTED: 2018 CBCA Eve Pownall Award for Information Books
• Read the unit

• This book offers a taste of the intriguing history of Australia and the many entry points for children to explore further. 
• For example: Why did Sir Joseph Banks hate bananas? Did anyone like William Bligh?? Where is Yemmerrawanne?
• This teaching unit combines the subject matter of history and history learning outcomes with multiple opportunities to explore language, writing, comprehension and more.  

• Australian history

 A Glasshouse of Stars

by Shirley Marr

• Suitable for Years 5-6
• WINNER: 2022  CBCA Younger Readers Book of the Year
• Read the unit

• Meixing Lim and her family have arrived at the New House in the New Land. Everything is vast and unknown to Meixing – including the house she names Big Scary.
• When her fragile universe is rocked by tragedy, it will take all of Meixing’s bravery to find her place of belonging in this new world.
• This book deals with themes that are relevant to many young Australian readers, including migration to Australia.
• This teaching unit provides opportunities to explore stories of migration and the effects of migration on Australian society.  

• Migrant experience
• Fitting in
• Grief 
• Friendship
• Culture
• Belonging

 Sister Heart

by Sally Morgan

• Suitable for Years 5-6
• WINNER: 2016 Prime Minister's Literary Award
• Read the unit

• A young Aboriginal girl is taken from the north of Australia and sent to an institution in the distant south. 
• There, she slowly makes a new life for herself and, in the face of tragedy, finds strength in new friendships. 
• Told from the child’s perspective, this book affirms the power of family and kinship.
• This unit discusses how laws and systems impacted First Nations Australians, and the influence of people, including First Nations Australians, on the characteristics of a place. 

• The Stolen Generations
• Family
• Friendship
• Identity
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures

 Azaria: A True History

by Maree Coote

• Suitable for Years 6-8
• SHORTLISTED: 2021 CBCA Eve Pownall Award for Information Books
• Read the unit

• What happens when the truth gets lost? Where wild animals and people meet, tragedy can strike. But when a tiny baby is stolen by a dingo people simply cannot accept such a thing. 
• Prejudice and gossip grip the nation and the tragedy transforms into a fight for the truth. This is a true Australian story of innocence, ignorance and the perils of mob thinking. 
• This unit provides opportunities to explore the historical narrative form and to explore historical events, sources, and information.  

• Truth
• Justice
• Ignorance and prejudice
• Human resilience
• Grief
• The beauty and the danger of wild environments

 My Life as an Alphabet

by Barry Jonsberg

• Suitable for Year 7
• WINNER: Victorian Premier's Literary Award, 2014
• Read the unit

• Introducing Candice Phee: twelve years old, hilariously honest and a little … odd. She has a big heart, the very best of intentions and an unwavering determination to ensure everyone is happy. 
• She decides to ‘fix’ all the problems of all the people (and pets) in her life. 
• This book is about an unusual girl who goes to great lengths to bring love and laughter into the lives of everyone she cares about.
• This teaching unit provides an opportunity to explore significant beliefs, values and practices of ancient Egyptians. 

• Similarities and differences
• Friendship
• Relationships
• Grief and loss
• Truth

 Midnight Burial

by Pauline Deeves

• Suitable for Years 7-8
• WINNER: 2015 ACT Publishing and Writing Award, Children's Fiction
• Read the unit

• When older sister Lizzie dies of fever, her family says she should be buried immediately. Lizzie is buried the same night — no doctor, clergyman or neighbours are present. 
• In 1860s Australia, on a remote sheep station, no questions were asked. But, after Lizzie’s burial, the atmosphere at home changes. Things do not feel quite right...
• In this unit, students can explore the development of British colonies in Australia and its impacts on people and the environment.
• The unit will also prompt students to locate, collect and organise historical information and data from primary and secondary sources - and offer opportunities for students to present ideas and explanations while using relevant terms and conventions. 

• Australian colonial history
• Colonial attitudes to women and girls
• Convicts
• Family
• Friendship
• Letters and diaries