Each year, The Children’s Book Council of Australia publishes a shortlist of what they believe to be the best children’s books of the year. Above are the nominees for the category of Early Childhood book and Picture Book ( there are also categories for Older Readers, Younger Readers and Eve Pownall Award for Information Books).

And this year’s winners were…
Early Childhood – Maudie & Bear by Jan Ormerod and Freya Blackwood
Picture Book – Joint winners Mirror by Jeannie Baker and Hamlet by Nicki Greenberg

Have you and your children read any of these books? What did you think? Are there any you believe the judges missed?