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AustLit

Best Designed Children's Illustrated Book
or Scholastic Australia Best Designed Children's Picture Book ; or Best Designed Children's Picture Book
Subcategory of Australian Publishers Association Awards APA Book Design Awards
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Notes

  • Previously known as the ABPA Ashton Scholastic Award for the Best Designed Illustrated Children's Book. This award is usually out of scope for AustLit.

Latest Winners / Recipients

Year: 2021

winner y separately published work icon This Small Blue Dot Zeno Sworder , Zeno Sworder (illustrator), Port Melbourne : Thames and Hudson , 2020 18853297 2020 single work picture book children's

'With a strong message of interconnectedness, hope and empowerment, This Small Blue Dot follows a little girl exploring the big and small things in life. From contemplating our place on this 'blue dot' to the best Italian, Chinese and Indian desserts, the book provides a broader, more inclusive view of who we are, where we come from and where our dreams may take us. Delivering big lessons with playful humour, the precocious young narrator shares her take on nature and the environment, wisdom from elders, broccoli, embracing difference and the power of imagination. This Small Blue Dot captures not only lessons on life but also the sense of fun and strangeness that comes with being a member of the human family on planet Earth.' (Publication summary)

designed by Zeno Sworde

Year: 2020

winner y separately published work icon Argh! There's a Skeleton Inside You! Idan Ben-Barak , Julian Frost (illustrator), Crows Nest : Allen and Unwin , 2019 16559724 2019 single work picture book children's

'Quog and Oort are on their way to Kevin's birthday party. Unfortunately, their spaceship has crashed. Pick up this book to lend them a hand!

'An interstellar exploration of hands and what's inside them, from the award-winning creators of the internationally successful Do Not Lick This Book.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

designed by Julian Frost.

Year: 2019

joint winner y separately published work icon All the Ways To Be Smart Davina Bell , Allison Colpoys (illustrator), Melbourne : Scribble , 2018 14571374 2018 single work picture book children's

'Smart is not just ticks and crosses,
smart is building boats from boxes.
Painting patterns, wheeling wagons,
being mermaids, riding dragons …'

‘Every page of this book in joyous, imaginative and life-affirming … All the Ways to be Smart is a celebration of what childhood can be, and it will likely become a classic.’

Source: Publisher's blurb. 

joint winner y separately published work icon Rhyme Cordial Antonia Pesenti , Antonia Pesenti (illustrator), Melbourne : Scribble , 2018 15749202 2018 single work picture book children's

'From Alarm Croc to Cheepy Head, you’ll enjoy Rhyme Cordial all day long! A fun, new take on wordplay from bestselling illustrator Antonia Pesenti. Open the pages to reveal unexpected rhymes and bold, bright illustrations.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

Year: 2018

winner y separately published work icon Under the Love Umbrella Davina Bell , Allison Colpoys (illustrator), Brunswick : Scribe , 2016 9189175 2016 single work picture book children's

Under the Love Umbrella is a celebration of the enduring love that surrounds our children, wherever they are in the world. Inspired by the rhythm of the New York subway's L-train, the gentle rhyming text - accompanied by beautiful, vintage inspired illustrations - draws out the small things that can loom large in a little person's life, from big dogs to lost teeth, and from forgotten hats to friends who won't share. Whatever the troubles, the comfort of our love umbrella is always there, and parents and children will delight in this visual representation of the bond they share. This is a perfect gift book for new parents and babies, as well as for children embarking on big changes and new adventures, who may benefit from this lovely reminder of the permanence of love.' (Publication summary)

(for 2017 edition)

Year: 2017

joint winner Bruno Herfst for Lots
joint winner Marc Martin for Lots
winner y separately published work icon Lots Marc Martin , Marc Martin (illustrator), Bruno Herfst (illustrator), Melbourne : Viking , 2016 9481090 2016 single work picture book children's

"From Hong Kong to the Amazon and Ulaanbaatar to Antarctica, come on a guided journey around the world and discover the many things that make each place unique. Sleepy sloths, colourful cows, prolific pastries, staggering skylines, terrible traffic, bustling bodies, burglarising baboons . . . you’ll be surprised by what you find along the way!" (Source: Publisher's website)

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