Exploring the 2014 CBCA Short List

Every year, PETAA creates quality units of work on all primary-age books that are shortlisted for the prestigious Children’s Book Council of Australia Awards. These units are created by literacy experts, using evidence-based pedagogies and are designed with a busy classroom teacher in mind. They incorporate highlighted examples for close reading activities, as well as word recognition, phonic knowledge and spelling, plus a plethora of ways to use the book with your students for speaking, writing and creating. All activities are linked to the Australian Curriculum: English.

*Note that PETAA felt that only one title in Older Readers was suitable for Primary use, resulting in just one classroom unit, which also comes with a note on strong language and the need for teacher discretion. More units for older readers can be found in Literature Singles.

Book of the Year: Younger Readers

Book cover for Light Horse Boy
Light Horse Boy
Dianne Wolfer and Brian Simmonds
Years 6–8
Unit

Book cover showing a girl with red hair and a cat

Song for a Scarlet Runner
Julie Hunt
Years 6–8 Unit

Book cover featuring title and protagonist (Violet Mackerel)

Violet Mackerel’s Possible Friend
Anna Branford and Sarah Davis
  Years 2–4
Unit

Book cover showing a girl with sunglasses

My Life as an Alphabet
Barry Jonsberg
Years 6–8
Unit

A Very Unusual Pursuit book cover linked to unit of work

City of Orphans: A Very Unusual Pursuit
Catherine Jinks
Years 6–8
Unit

Activities in units from Foundation to Year 8 with links to content descriptions from the Australian Curriculum: English, Art, Geography, History, Mathematics and Science.

Book of the Year: Early Childhood


Granny Grommet and Me
Dianne Wolfer & Karen Blair
Years F–2
Unit

Book cover with a mother and child looking out to a purple night sky and yellow full moon
Kissed by the Moon
Alison Lester
Years F and 1
 Unit

The Swap book cover depicting a street scene, linked to unit of work

The Swap
Jan Ormerond and Andrew Joyner
Years F–1
 Unit

Cover with an elephant and baby
Baby Bedtime
Mem Fox and Emma Quay
Foundation
Unit

Book cover with a dog (Banjo) and a hen (Ruby) looking at one another
Banjo and Ruby Red
Libby Gleeson and Freya Blackwood
Years F–1
Unit

Cover featuring Dinosaur on the ground getting dirty under title
I'm a Dirty Dinosaur
Janeen Brian and Ann James
Foundation
Unit

Picture Book of the Year



Silver Buttons
Bob Graham
Years 3–5
Unit

Rules of Summer cover linked to unit of work for members

Rules of Summer
Shaun Tan
Years 5–6
 Unit

Book cover showing a seated figure under a tree in wind

The Treasure Box
Freya Blackwood and Margaret Wild
Years 4–6
Unit

Book cover depicting a Royal pig

King Pig
Nick Bland
  Years 1–2
Unit

Book cover showing a platform in a tall tree

Parachute
Matt Ottley and Danny Parker
Years 4–5
Unit

Book cover with animals amidst a wind storm

The Windy Farm
Doug MacLeod and Craig Smith
Years 2–3
 Unit

Eve Pownall Award for Information Books

Book cover with a young girl and cherry blossom

Yoko's Diary
Editor Paul Ham
Years 5–6
Unit



Welcome to My Country
Laklak and Family
Year
5–6 Unit

Book cover featuring a young man on horseback

Jandamarra
Mark Greenwood and Terry Denton
Years 5–6
Unit

eremy book cover linked to unit of work

Jeremy
Christopher Faille and  Danny Snell
Years F–2
Unit

Book cover depicting a man in the Antarctic
Ice, Wind, Rock: Douglas Mawson in the Antarctic
Peter Gouldthorpe
Years 5–6
Unit

Book cover with cartoon depiction of Captain Cook looking through a telescope
Meet Captain Cook
Rae Murdie and Chris Nixon
Years 3–4
Unit

Book of The Year: Older readers

The Sky so Heavy
Book cover with a group of four people under a dark cloudy sky

Claire Zorn
Years 7–8 Unit

Crichton Award for New Illustrators

Note that a number of units in the Younger Readers category above are suitable for older readers. Also find more units for older readers in PETAA’s Literature Singles

Big Red Kangaroo book cover linked to unit of work
Big Red Kangaroo
Graham Byrne and Claire Saxby
Years 2–4
Unit

Book cover with a group of characters on the run and blood drips
The Bloodhound Boys
Andrew Cranna
Years 5–6
Unit

Book cover with a van with signage: 'Ivan's Pies

I've an Uncle Ivan
Ben Sanders
Years F–1
Unit

Nerdy Birdy book cover featuring a bespectacled canary
The Nerdy Birdy
David Snowdon and Danielle Wheeldon
Years 2–3 Unit

The PETAA Teachers’ Guide to the CBCA Book of the Year Awards


About the Writers of the units of work      |      Acknowledgments and credits       |      2014 CBCA Guide Terms and conditions

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