Cirrus@Austlit

'2018 ushers in the announcement of the fifth Australian Children's Laureate with tremendous fanfare. Morris Gleitzman follows four esteemed creators who have filled this prestigious and powerful position with immense skill and grace'. (Introduction)

'Your mission, Morris,' said Ron Gorman, chair of the Australian Children's Literature Alliance, 'if you choose to accept it, is to don the mantle of Australian Children's Laureate for the next two years and go into bat for stories.' (Introduction)

After her room-lighting smile and greeting, the first thing Isobelle Carmody says when we meet in Sydney for Oz ComicCon is , I love learning new things. This is evident from the vivacity and depth of her understanding and engagement with important philosophical questions. She is a whirlwind of enthusiasm and erudition. (Introduction)

We know dingoes have been around for a long time but it is still a little surprising to find that they have been on the Australian continent somewhere between 5,000 and 18,000. In the same paragraph the reader of Dingo will learn that they are top order predators [and] only humans are a danger to them. (Introduction) 

Martine Murray is poised on the brink of her next adventure, much like many of the heroes who populate her books. She is in the process of readying her home so that she can sell it. She plans on moving to an undeveloped land nearby and starting p a community based on principles of permaculture. This revelation stirs up simultaneous delight in her adventurous spirit and a feeling of sadness for the incumbent loss. Entering the Castlemaine property, whose location has inspired several of her books, one is struck by its unconventional beauty and how it appears attuned to its natural state. This then is the world of Martine's books. (Introduction)