Cirrus@Austlit

''Find your voice', emerging writers are told. Or even, 'Find your voice and your story will write itself' - a precept which seems like just one more way to feed a writer's sense of inadequacy. Some books may be easier to write than others, but I've never met one that didn't insist on my sitting down and working on it.' (Introduction)

'Great picture books are rare. For good reason. To define their qualities, perhaps one could start with what they are not. They are not fashionable, because, while fashions come and go, their appeal remains constant. They are not imitative. They are not literal or prosaic. They are not cynical or clever. Their precise meanings are not easily grasped, but they are always meaningful. They are not easily forgotten.' (Tohby Riddle, 2019)

'The picture book Wilam: A Birrarung Story is lovingly crafted by the two women who created Welcome to Country in 2016. Joy Murphy Wandin AO, Senior Aboriginal Elder of the Wurundjeri People and illustrator, Lisa Kennedy, a descendant of the Trawlwoolway People of Tasmania. Their collaborator is Andrew Kelly, the Yarra Riverkeeper who advocates for the Yarra on behalf of the community.' (Introduction)

'Everyone was dazzled wen author Phil Cummings returned to his home town of Peterborough when his first book, Goodness Gracious, was published in 1989. The kids responded enthusiastically to stories he told of places they knew: places they had ridden their bikes, don a 'Mainie' and ridden down the notorious Devils Hill. After his visit his books were always out on loan.' (Introduction)

'There is an effortless cohesion in Aaron Blabey's work, because of the synergy between his illustrations and text that produces a real energy.' (Introduction)

'Redfern Street, Redfern Sydney on a hot mid-autumn day is quiet. A few people wander the footpaths drifting in and out of fast food shops from noodles to pastries but on ship is unique and alluring - the Story Factory. Its bright appealing doorway leads into a secret space portal - the Martian Embassy which sails into an open and inviting tuition space. There to greet me at the door is Cath Keenan Executive Director of Story Factory.' (Introduction)

'An international trend from the publishing industry is to partner the traditional children's picture book format with factual, meticulously researched information. The resulting text can be described as an Informational Picture Book (IPB) (Isaacs, 2013). This genre, providing both desirable information learning and age appropriate features such as fictional characters and supporting illustrations, was first acknowledged in the initial years of awards for Australian children's book publishing. The presence of significant numbers of IPB titles in the 2018 Children's Book Council of Australia (CBCA) Shortlist indicates a return to popularity for this style of children's book.' (Introduction)