Teaching Units: CBCA Shortlist 2021

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.

Book of the Year: Younger Readers

Sillhouette of a girl and rabbit under a tree at dusk on book cover for Aster's Good, Right Things

Aster's Good, Right Things

Kate Gordon
Years 5–6 Unit

WINNER!

Botanical sketch with a single feather on the cover of Bindi

Bindi

Kirli Saunders and Dub Leffler
Years 4–6 Unit 

A sillhouette of a girl and dog on a lookout ledge on the cover of the Book of Chance

The Book of Chance

Sue Whiting
Year 5–6 Unit 

Phantasmagorical cover of the Stolen Prince of Cloudburst

The Stolen Prince of Cloudburst

Jaclyn Moriarty and Kelly Canby
Years 5 and 6 Unit

East Prussian snow scene between trees with a mother and children on cover of We Are Wolves

We Are Wolves

Katrina Nannestad
Years 5–6 Unit 

Phantasmagorical montage on book cover of Worse Things

Worse Things

Sally Murphy and Sarah Davis
OPEN UNIT - ACCESS NOW
Years 5–6 Unit

Book of the Year: Early Childhood

A pink anenome and three fish in a pond on the cover of Anemome is not the Enemy

Anemone is not the Enemy

Anna McGregor
Years 1– 2 Unit

A Range of Australian Birds on the cover of Busy Beaks

Busy Beaks

Sarah Allen
OPEN UNIT: Non-members
Years F–2 Unit

A worried family and mischievous child in the cover of No! Never! A Cautionary Tale

No! Never!

Libby Hathorn, Lisa Hathorn-Jarman, Mel Pearce
Years F–1 Unit

 WINNER!

Two bears on book cover

There's No Such Thing

Heidi McKinnon
Years F–1 Unit

Happy orange dog of blue book cover

We Love You, Magoo

Briony Stewart
Years F–1 Unit

Children on the cove of Who’s Your Real Mum?

Who’s Your Real Mum?

Bernadette Green and Anna Zobel
Years F–2 Unit 

Picture Book of the Year

Illustration of a girl following a small dragon on the cover of Ellie's Dragon

Ellie’s Dragon

Bob Graham
Years 2–3 Unit

Birds in the sky on the cover of How to Make a Bird

How to Make a Bird

Meg McKinlay and Matt Ottley
Years 5–6 unit

WINNER!

A man and a bear in a clohting store on cover of Norton and the Bear

Norton and the Bear

Gabriel Evans
Years 2–3 Unit

Rabbit in a fox costume on the cover of Not Cute

Not Cute.

Philip Bunting
OPEN UNIT - ACCESS NOW
Years 3–4 Unit

Snorkling pig and child in an ocean rockpool on the book cover of The Unwilling Twin

The Unwilling Twin

Freya Blackwood
Years 2–3 Unit

Birthday cake slice and grasshopper on cover of Your Birthday Was the Best!

Your Birthday was the Best!

Felicita Sala and Maggie Hutchings
Years F-2 Unit

Eve Pownall Award for Information Books

Image of Uluru at night on cover of Azaria: A True History

Azaria: A True History

Maree Coote
Years 6–8 Unit

Drawing of Kakadu Landscape of the cover of Dry to Dry

Dry to Dry: The Seasons of Kakadu

Pamela Freeman and Liz Anelli
Years F–4 Unit

 WINNER!

Spotted Handfish on cover of Hold On! Saving the spotted handfish

Hold On! Saving the Spotted Handfish

Gina M Newton and Rachel Tribout
Years 2–5 Unit

Mathew Flinders and his cat onshore on book cover

Matthew Flinders: Adventures on Leaky Ships

Carole Wilkinson and Prue Pittock
Years 4–5 Unit

Coastal imagry framing two boys, one black one white on cover of Strangers on Country

Strangers on Country

David Hartley, Kirsty Murray and Dub Leffler
Years 5–6 Unit

Dangerous animals on the cover of the Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dangerous Animals

The Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Dangerous Animals

Sami Bayly
Years 3–5 Unit

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