I always wait in anticipation for this day in August when the illustrious CBCA Book of the Year winners are announced.

It must have been a difficult decision for judges. The other short-listed books in our opinion would all have been worthy winners.  When judging the books, here are some of the criteria that the books are judged upon:

• Artistic style and graphic excellence (including typography)

• Effective use of media and technique;

• Colour, line, shape, texture;

• Relationship between illustration and text;

• Consistency of style, characterisation, information and setting;

• Clarity, appropriateness and aesthetic appeal of illustrations;

• Quality of book design, production, printing and binding

My Little Bookcase would like to congratulate all the winning authors, illustrators and publishers. We’re particularly pleased to see some of our friends on this list: Nick Bland finally wins a CBCA award, and Freya Blackwood adds another notch to her belt.

Early Childhood Book of the Year 2012

(Intended for children in the pre-reading to early reading stages)

WINNER

The Runaway Hug (Read review)

Author: Nick Bland

Illustrator: Freya Blackwood

ISBN: 978-1741698909

Format: Paperback

Publisher: Scholastic, July 2011

RRP: $24.99 (aud)

Suitable for ages 3+

HONOUR

Come Down, Cat! (Read review)

Author: Sonya Hartnett

Illustrator: Lucia Mascuillo

ISBN: 978-0670074754

Format: Hardback

Publisher: Viking Australia (Imprint of Penguin), August 2011

RRP: $24.95 (aud)

Suitable for ages: 5+

HONOUR

That’s Not a Daffodil! (Read review)

Author/Illustrator: Elizabeth Honey

ISBN: 978-1742372488

Format: Hardcover

Publisher: Allen & Unwin, May 2011

RRP: $24.99

Suitable for ages: 3+

Picture Book of the Year 2012

(Intended for an audience ranging from birth to 18 years. Some books may be for mature readers)

WINNER

A Bus called Heaven (Read review)

Author and Illustrator: Bob Graham

ISBN: 978-1-4063-3419-7

Format: Hardback

Publisher: Walker Books, October 2011

RRP: $27.95 (aud)

Suitable for ages: 3+

HONOUR

The Dream of the Thylacine

Author: Margaret Wild

Illustrator: Ron Brooks

ISBN : 978-1742373836

Format: Hardback

Publisher: Allen & Unwin,  April 2011

HONOUR

Flood

Author: Jackie French

Illustrator: Bruce Whately

ISBN : 978-1742830728

Format: Paperback

Publisher: Scholastic Australia,  August 2011

Eve Pownall Book of the Year 2012

(Information books intended for an audience ranging from birth to 18 years. Some books may be for mature readers)

WINNER

One Small island: The Story of Macquarie Island

Alison Lester and Coral Tulloch

ISBN: 978-0670072361

Format: Hardback

Publisher: Viking Australia,  August 2011

HONOUR

The Little Refugee (Read review)

Authors: Anh and Suzanne Do

Illustrator: Bruce Whatley

ISBN :978-1742378329

Format : Hardback

Publisher : Allen & Unwin, September 2011

RRP: $24.99

HONOUR

Surrealism for Kids

By Queensland Art Gallery/Gallery of Modern Art

ISBN: 978-1921503344

Format: Hardback

Publisher: Queensland Art Gallery,  August 2011

Younger Readers Book of the Year 2012

(These books are intended for independent younger readers)

WINNER

Crow Country, by Kate Constable and Published by Allen & Unwin

HONOUR

Nanberry: Black Brother White, by Jackie French & published by Angus & Robertson/Harper Collins Publishers

HONOUR

The Truth about Verity Sparks, by Susan Green & published by  Walker Books

Older Readers Book of the Year 2012

(These books may be for mature readers)

WINNER

The Dead I Know, by Scot Gardiner & published by Penguin Group Australia

HONOUR

A Straight Line to my Heart, by Bill Condon & published by Allen & Unwin

HONOUR

When We were Two, by Robert Newton & published by Penguin Books