Australian Living Books: An Annotated List

Australian Books

Australian Living Books:
An Annotated List

Please note: This list is very much a work in progress. If you have more titles you would like to see added, or if you have reviews of these or other books you would be happy for me to include here, please contact me at wonder@riverwillow.com.au

Author	Title	Publication Details	Notes
	The Oxford Book of Australian Verse		Online at http://www.bartleby.com/249/
Adams, K.M.	Seeing History series		See below for individual titles.
Adams, K.M.	The First Australians, Prehistory – 1810		Book 1 in the Seeing History series. Age suitability: roughly 10-14.
Adams, K.M.	Australia: Gaol to Colony, 1810-1850		Book 2 in the Seeing History series. Age suitability: roughly 10-14.
Adams, K.M.	Australia: Colonies to Commonwealth, 1850-1900		Book 3 in the Seeing History series. Age suitability: roughly 10-14.
Adams, K.M.	Twentieth Century Australia, 1900-1960		Book 4 in the Seeing History series. Age suitability: roughly 10-14.
Adam-Smith, Patsy	Outback Heroes	Lansdowne Press, 1981	A large, coffee-table book. Quite fascinating. One chapter contains photographs of many of the characters in We of the Never-Never: the Maluka, the Missus, the Fizzer, Mine Host, the Sanguine Scot, the Dandy, the Quiet Stockman, and others. Age suitability: all ages (younger children enjoy the pictures; older children and adults will enjoy the accounts of the different "outback heroes".
Adam-Smith, Patsy	The Anzacs
Alexander, Goldie	My Story: Surviving Sydney Cove: The Diary of Elizabeth Harvey		I'm sorry, but despite the enthusiasm of other reviewers, I didn't like this book. Yes, there was some interesting information in it, including some that was new to me, but I found it snippety, and there are parts that I am sure the author got wrong. Surely Sunday was held in some kind of regard in the early days of the settlement, even if only lip service was paid to it? In this book it is just an ordinary working day. And I cannot believe that a girl of Elizabeth's class would never have seen a cockroach before arriving in New South Wales! One interesting question comes up, having read both this and John and Nanbaree. What was the weather like in the days leading up to the arrival of the Second Fleet? According to this book it was fine (and even hot), while according to John and Nanbaree it poured with rain. Which is right? Surviving Sydney Cove is part of the My Story series. I have not yet read any others in the series, so please note that the comments above apply only to this book and not to the series as a whole.
Baillie, Arthur	Our Sunburnt Country: An Illustrated History of Australia	Universal Books Pty. Ltd., Sydney, 1964.	Age recommendation: roughly 10-12. Available to purchase from http://www.homeschoolingdownunder.com
Blainey, Geoffrey	A Shorter History of Australia
Bligh, William	Mutiny on the Bounty		Primary source, written by one of the early governors of NSW.
Boardman, Alan	The First Fleet		Picture book.
Boldrewood, Rolf	Robbery Under Arms		Fiction (bushrangers) Available online at Project Gutenberg. Suitable for ages 12 and up.
Brigginshaw, Jim	Shimpu-San: Healer of Hate	Published by the Marist Fathers' Province of Australia. ISBN: 0 646 27658 1	The Life of Father Tony Glynn, S.M. It seems that Tony Glynn was – if not single-handedly responsible, then certainly very influential – in the reversal of the White Australia policy. Certainly he worked tirelessly, in the years following the Second World War, for reconciliation between Australia and Japan. An interesting book, but despite having been written by a journalist, not the easiest to read. Age suitability: teens and adults.
Brinsmead, Hesba	Longtime Passing		Historical fiction, based on the author's own family, who lived in the lower Blue Mountains, near Kurrajong. Very interesting, but rather sad reading – not so much for the nostalgia of a lost time and place, with a way of life which has gone forever, but for the loss of faith and ideals, and the giving up of cherished dreams. Not a book I would give to younger children, but older ones might find it interesting with its account of local history. Hesba Brinsmead also wrote other titles, including Listen to the Wind, Pastures of the Blue Crane, and The Honey Forest.
Bruce, Mary Grant	Billabong series		Many titles, beginning with A Little Bush Maid. Some titles are available online.
Bruce, Mary Grant	Karalta	Published 1941	Mary Grant Bruce wrote other books besides the Billabong series. Karalta is one I particularly enjoyed. Thirteen-year-old Jan is evacuated to Australia on a Children's Ship, during the Second World War. She is billeted at Karalta, a property on the Victorian coast, where she makes friends and finds adventure. There seem to be very few Australian children's books set during the Second World War, so Karalta helps to fill a gap. Having been published during the war, it has an authenticity that some other titles lack, as well as being an exciting read. Age suitability: 10-12 and up.
Bruce, Mary Grant	The Happy Traveller	Published 1934	The story of 12-year-old Teddy who runs away from an orphanage, and his various adventures. Some of Teddy's experiences are truly terrible, but all ends well, and he finds a new home. Apart from the story itself, and the glimpse we receive of a cross-section of Australian society in the 1930's, this is a book about character and what makes a man a man. Mary Grant Bruce dedicated it to her two sons, and it is very much a "boy" book, though girls would enjoy it, too. Age suitability: 10-12 and up.
Bruce, Mary Grant (ed. Prue McKay)	The Peculiar Honeymoon: and Other Writings by Mary Grant Bruce		A collection of essays and short stories, many of them autobiographical or about the history of Mary Grant Bruce's family. There are some gems among this collection. Age suitability: 14 and up, though some of the stories would be enjoyed by younger children as read-alouds.
Burton, Hester	No Beat of Drum		Fiction. Convicts and transportation.
Chadwick, Doris	John of the Sirius		A children's novel about the First Fleet. I originally acquired this because I had met the author as an old lady in a nursing home, but the book itself soon became one of our family favourites. See my review of the book.
Chadwick, Doris	John of Sydney Cove		Sequel to John of the Sirius.
Chadwick, Doris	John and Nanbaree		Book 3 in the series.
Chauncy, Nan	They Found a Cave		Children's fiction, set in Tasmania. This is one of many titles written by Nan Chauncy. Others include Tangara, Half a World Away, Tiger in the Bush, and The Lighthouse Keeper's Son. Further information about Nan Chauncy may be found here.
Clarke, Manning	A Short History of Australia
Clarke, Manning & Hooper, Meredith,	History of Australia
Clarke, Marcus	For the Term of His Natural Life		Parents would be advised to preview this book before deciding whether to pass it on to their (older) teens to read. It is an Australian classic, based on records from Port Arthur and Norfolk Island; but it is a very grim, hopeless story, full of injustice and brutality. There are scenes in this book that, quite frankly, gave me nightmares!
Clune, Frank	The Adventures of Burke and Wills		Large picture book.
Clune, Frank	Ned Kelly		Large picture book.
Colwell, Max	Voyages of Matthew Flinders	Paul Hamlyn, 1970	Large picture book
Davey, Thyrza	Waiting for May		An Australian picture book. It tells the story of an 82-year-old man, who lives alone on a houseboat on Bribie island, and who is resisting the attempts of the welfare people to put him in a home. The artwork is beautiful, and each illustration has a Bible reference accompanying it. As for the story…I'm not quite sure what to think: it's certainly well told, but it's one of those books which leaves me with the same kind of bleak and hopeless feeling I get after reading Scott O'Dell and others.
Dennis, C.J	A Book for Kids		Poetry for children. Available online. Includes one of our favourites: "The Triantiwontigongolope".
Dennis, C.J.	Poetry		"Green Walls" (scroll down the page for this one); and other poems available online.
Donkin, Nance	Margaret Catchpole		Biography One of the Australians in History series: This series is very highly recommended. Age recommendation: 10-12 (independent reading).
Durrell, Gerald	Two in the Bush		An account of a visit to New Zealand, Australia, and Malaya by Gerald Durrell, his wife Jacquie, and two camera men. There are parts of this book that are fascinating, and Durrell certainly has a wonderful gift for painting word pictures, but I don't think this is one of his best books. Age suitability: 12 and up.
Edwards, Ian	Papa and the Olden Days		Picture book.
Facey, A.B.	A Fortunate Life		Autobiography.
Finkel, George	Matthew Flinders		Biography One of the Australians in History series: This series is very highly recommended. Age recommendation: 10-12 (independent reading).
Flinders, Matthew	Trim		In print, or available online This is Matthew Flinders' own account of a favourite ship's cat, from his birth "on board His Majesty's ship the Roundabout in 1799 during a passage from the Cape of Good Hope to Botany Bay", to his untimely demise on the island of Mauritius while Flinders was a prisoner there. Our family thoroughly enjoyed this.
Franklin, Miles	Childhood at Brindabella: My First Ten Years	Sydney, Angus & Robertson, 1963	Autobiographical account from the author of My Brilliant Career. Beautifully written.
Franklin, Miles	My Brilliant Career	First published 1902; republished in various editions since	Miles Franklin's best known work, written when she was 19 years old. For more information about Miles Franklin, see here.
Gibbs, May	Snugglepot and Cuddlepie		An Australian classic. The illustrations are beautiful, but younger children may find the Banksia men rather terrifying, so be sure to pre-read this before handing it to your children.
Gillies, William, & Hall, Robert	Nature Studies in Australia	Published by Whitcombe & Tombs Limited. 1st edition 1903.	From the Introduction: "This book makes no pretence to outline any systematic course of Nature study. It is a reader designed to interest the senior boys and girls of elementary schools..." Forty chapters. Titles include: The Earth Worm; The Snail; What We See at the Beach; The Story of the Mosquito; How Birds Talk and Sing; The Birds of the Town; The Songs of the Town Birds; The Mammals of Australia;) and more).
Gunn, Jeannie (Mrs Aeneas)	We of the Never Never	In print; also available online at Project Gutenberg	Autobiographical account of life on a remote cattle station at the beginning of the 20^th century.
Gunn, Jeannie (Mrs Aeneas)	A Little Black Princess		Biographical account of an Aboriginal girl.
Hannay-Foote, Mary	Poetry		"Where the Pelican Builds Her Nest", "The Australiad", and others. Available online.
Hill, Anthony	Soldier Boy: True Story of Jim Martin Youngest Anzac
Hogg, Gary	The Overlanders
Idriess, Ion	The Cattle King		The biography of Sir Sidney Kidman. This is a great "living" geography book, with some wonderful descriptions of outback Australia, and explanations of problems such as erosion (and others), which continue to be cause for concern even ninety years later. Further information about Ion Idriess and his books may be found here.
Idriess, Ion L.	Flynn of the Inland		Biography of the founder of the Flying Doctor Service.
Idriess, Ion L.	My Mate Dick
Idriess, Ion L.	The Silent Service		The Australian Navy during World War II.
Keesing, Nancy	The Golden Dream		The Australian Gold Rush One of the Australians in History series: This series is very highly recommended. Age recommendation: 10-12 (independent reading).
Knight, Frank	The Young Captain Cook		Biography. From the book: "As with most famous men of the past, we know so few details. We have to fill them in from what we do know and what might have happened". Suit ages 9-12 (or as a read-aloud for younger children).
Lawson, Henry	Short stories		"The Drover's Wife", "The Loaded Dog" and others. Available online.
Lawson, Henry	Poetry		"Andy's Gone with Cattle" & others. Available online.
Lawson, Henry	Mary Called Him Mister	Australian Picturemac ISBN: 0 7329 1266 0	A selection of poems written by Henry Lawson and beautifully illustrated by John Anthony King.
Lester, Alison	Are We There Yet?	Penguin / Viking ISBN 0 670 88067 1	Wonderful picture book describing one family's journey around Australia. It can be read and enjoyed as it stands, or it can be used as the basis for a study of Australian geography. Teachers' notes for this book may be found online here and here. This book won the Children's Book Council of Australia Picture Book of the Year Award for 2005.
Lewis, Gary; & McNab, Nan,	A-Z of Australian Wildlife		Photographs and poems for every letter of the alphabet. Approximate ages: 2-6.
Leyland, Mal & Mike	Great Ugly River: A Modern Adventure in Australia's Outback	Lansdowne Press, Melbourne, 1965 (Out of print)	In March 1963, the Leyland brothers and a friend set off in an open boat to travel down the Darling River, from Mungindi, on the Queensland border, to the River Murray in northern Victoria. This book is the fascinating account of that trip.
Leyland, Mike and Mal	Untamed Coast: Darwin to Sydney in an 18ft. Boat
Leyland, Mike and Mal	Where Dead Men Lie: An Adventurous Journey that Spanned a Continent
Lindsay, Norman	The Magic Pudding		Another Australian classic. Available online.
Low, Jim	Crossing the Blue Mountains	Jacaranda Press ISBN: 0 7016 2689 5	From the Jacaranda Young Inquirers series.
Mack, Amy	A Bush Calendar	First published 1909 by Angus & Robertson; republished 1987 ISBN: 0 207 14278 5	Amy Mack's nature journal is a sheer delight. She writes about one nature ramble a month over the course of a year. This is the kind of book I would love to follow through month by month, with guides to Australian bird-life and flora close at hand.
Mackellar, Dorothea	My Country		One of Australia's best loved poems. The text may be found online; but it has also been produced as an illustrated book (in more than one edition).
Marshall, Alan	I Can Jump Puddles		Autobiography – early 20^th century.
Marshall, Henrietta	Australasia's Story		Out of print, but available online at www.mainlesson.com First published 1908. Australasia's Story is one part in Our Empire Story, though it has also been published as a title in its own right. Age recommendation: Independent reading: 10-12 (and up); read aloud: 7 & up.
Marshall, Henrietta			Our Empire Story: Stories of India and the Greater Colonies Told to Children Available online at www.mainlesson.com.
Marshall, James Vance	Walkabout		Fiction. Two children are the only survivors from an air crash in the Outback. A young Aboriginal boy helps them survive in the desert and guides them back to civilisation. A story of survival, but also a spiritual quest (not Christian). This title used to be on the Sonlight Curriculum list, but there are plenty of better books for introducing young readers to Australian life and culture. Age suitability: 12-14 & up, but I suggest parents vet it first to see whether they are happy for their children to read it.
Mass, Nuri	The Wonderland of Nature		An Australian nature study book, published in 1964. Our family thoroughly enjoyed this, and learned a lot from its pages. Chapter headings include "What makes an Insect an Insect", "The Kindly Cicada", "Caterpillars That Decorate Their Homes", and many more, in which the author and her children share their discovery of the natural world, and their wonder at the marvels it contains. One thing I particularly like about this book is the pen-and-ink drawings, rather than photographs, none of which are too daunting for a child to copy. Age suitability: 5 and up (as a read-aloud); 10 and up (independent reading).
Mass, Nuri	Australian Wildflower Magic
Mass, Nuri	The Little Grammar People
McKay Prue	The Peculiar Honeymoon: and Other Writings by Mary Grant Bruce		[See above, under Bruce]
Monypenny, Kathleen	The Children Went Too: Horse and Waggon Days		True stories from Australian history, seen through the eyes of the children who were there.
Morgan, Sally	My Place		Family history and autobiography combined. My Place is the story of three generations of an Aboriginal family living in Western Australia. It's not always easy reading of some of the injustices that were perpetrated against the Aborigines by the white men; but it's an important – if largely neglected – part of Australian history. Age suitability: ages 12-13 and up for the abridged version. (I haven't yet completed the adult version, but would be hesitant to pass it on to a younger teen).
Morgan, Sally	Sally's Story		My Place for Young Readers – Part 1 I know these books are supposed to be "for younger readers", but I don't consider them suitable for young children to read. For teenagers, though, I think it would be valuable for them to read these books for an understanding of 20^th century Australian history, and also to begin to understand why many Aborigines are so bitter towards the white men today. Age suitability: 12-13 and up.
Morgan, Sally	Arthur Corunna's Story		My Place for Young Readers – Part 2 Age suitability: 12-13 and up.
Morgan, Sally	Mother and Daughter		My Place for Young Readers – Part 3 Age suitability: 12-13 and up.
Morris, Jill	Bobuck the Mountain Possum		An Australian Golden Book – suit younger children as a read aloud.
Morris, Jill	Rufus the Red Kangaroo		An Australian Golden Book – suit younger children as a read aloud.
Mudie, Ian	River Rivals		Paddle steamers on the Murray River. One of the Australians in History series: This series is very highly recommended. Age recommendation: 10-12 (independent reading).
Murray, Iain	Australian Christian Life from 1788	Banner of Truth Trust, 1988 ISBN: 0 85151 524 X	Subtitle: An Introduction and an Anthology.
Nicholson, John	The Mighty Murray	Allen & Unwin, 2002 ISBN: 1 86508 564 2 (or 1 86508 565 0 for the paperback)
Park, Ruth	The Muddle-headed Wombat		Fiction. There are several titles in this series: delightfully funny stories that younger children enjoy as a read-aloud, and slightly older ones will like to read for themselves.
Parker, Katherine. Langloh	Australian Legendary Tales		Online at Project Gutenberg.
Pastorelli, John (ed.)	Urban Wildlife of New South Wales	Angus and Robertson, 1990	One day our son found a beautiful, iridescent green beetle in the back yard. We had never seen anything like it, and didn't have the faintest idea what it might be. This book came to our rescue, as it has done on various other occasions. Apart from the life-sized, full-colour photographs of the Sydney funnel-web, and the huntsman, which seem to leap out at me whenever I open the book, it is a fascinating, and very useful guide to the kinds of wildlife we are likely to see. This book also lists different reserves, botanic gardens, state forests, etc., in and around a number of NSW cities, which are particularly good places for observing local wildlife.
Patchett, Mary Elwyn	Ajax the Warrior	Puffin Books, 1953, reprinted 1974	The author's account of her childhood on a cattle station in northern NSW. Very funny in places, and quite exciting in others.
Patchett, Mary Elwyn	The Mysterious Pool	Hamish Hamilton "Antelope Book"	Fiction for younger children.
Paterson, A.B. "Banjo"	Poetry		"The Man from Snowy River", "Mulga Bill's Bicycle", "The Man from Ironbark", Clancy of the Overflow", "Pioneers", & more online
Paterson, A.B. "Banjo"	Illalong Children		Autobiography of his childhood. This title is also included in Singer of the Bush
Paterson, A.B. "Banjo"	Singer of the Bush		The collected works of Banjo Paterson, including both poetry and prose. The first of two volumes.
Paterson, A.B. "Banjo"	Song of the Pen		The collected works of Banjo Paterson, including both poetry and prose. The second of two volumes.
Pedley, Ethel	Dot and the Kangaroo		Ethel Pedley (1860-1898) wrote this Australian classic about a small girl lost in the bush who is befriended by a kangaroo and many other bush animals. Available online.
Petersen, Diana	Brushtail the Rock Wallaby		An Australian Golden Book – suit younger children as a read aloud.
Phipson, Joan	Bennelong		Biography. One of the Australians in History series: This series is very highly recommended. Age recommendation: 10-12 (independent reading).
Plowman, R. Bruce (ed. Jean Whitla)	The Man from Oodnadatta: Stories by the First Patrol Padre to the Australian Inland Mission, 1912-1917
Pownall, Eve	Australia From the Beginning	Collins, 1980 ISBN: 0 00 195038 X	History of Australia, illustrated by Walter Cunningham. Age suitability: 10-12 and up.
Pownall, Eve	Cousins-Come-Lately:		Fiction, set in Sydney in 1832.
Pownall, Eve	The Australia Book	Available from black dog books ISBN 9781742030418	Illustrated by Margaret Senior (who also illustrated Doris Chadwick's John of the Sirius). This is an Usborne-style book, with lots of pictures, and interesting text, obviously intended as an introduction to Australian history for younger children. It was Australian Children's Book of the Year in 1952. Age suitability: This is my pick for an Australian history "spine" for 6 and 7 year-olds, though older children will also enjoy it. Note: A set of teacher's notes is also available as a free .pdf file from black dog books.
Pownall, Eve	The Singing Wire		Story of the Overland Telegraph. One of the Australians in History series: This series is very highly recommended. Age recommendation: 10-12 (independent reading).
Price, Pat Peatfield	The Hills of the Black Cockatoo	Penguin Books	Set in the early years of white settlement in Tasmania, this is the story of three Aboriginal children who return home from an expedition to find their tribe has gone, leaving only a toddler behind them. It's a fascinating account of Aboriginal life, as well as being a good example of a book which deals with a very painful subject (the wiping out of almost the entire population of Tasmanian Aborigines) in a way which shelters children from the grimmest realities – while at the same time providing background for future understanding of the issues involved.
Rees, Leslie	The Story of Aroora the Red Kangaroo		Australian nature titles. Look out for other books by the same author. Age recommendation: 5 and up as a read-aloud; 7-10 as independent reading.
Rees, Leslie	Shy the Platypus		Australian nature titles. Look out for other books by the same author. Age recommendation: 5 and up as a read-aloud; 7-10 as independent reading.
Rees, Leslie	Sarli the Barrier Reef Turtle		Australian nature titles. Look out for other books by the same author. Age recommendation: 5 and up as a read-aloud; 7-10 as independent reading.
Rees, Leslie	Quokka Island		Fiction. Adventure story set on an island off the Western Australian coast. Suit ages 10-14 (especially boys).
Rooke, Daphne	The Australian Twins
Rudd, Steele	On Our Selection
Sampson, Alf and Shirley	Discoverers of Australia
Samuel, H.J.	A Saddle at Bontharambo	Puffin Books, 1950 (Out of print) ISBN 0140309462	True story of a pioneering family in northern Victoria.
Scott, Ernest	A Short History of Australia		Available online at Project Gutenberg – other historical titles by the same author are also available online.
Shute, Nevil	A Town Like Alice		Fiction – story set during and after World War 2. Age recommendation: teens and adults. (Note: Parents may prefer either to pre-read this, or to read it aloud and edit slightly as they go).
Thiele, Colin	Farmer Schultz's Ducks	Collins, 1988	Picture book set in South Australia. A wonderful read-aloud. Colin Thiele's descriptions can be almost poetical at times, and even younger children enjoy the humour. Ages 5 and up.
Thiele, Colin	February Dragon		Fiction – story of a bush fire. This is one of many titles written by Colin Thiele. For further information see here.
Thiele, Colin	Jodie's Journey		Fiction. Story of a young girl and her experience with horses, chronic disease (rheumatoid arthritis), and the Ash Wednesday bush fires. Highly recommended.
Thiele, Colin	River Murray Mary		Fiction. Story of a family who lived in a fruit-growing area during the Depression. A wonderful read-aloud title for ages 5-12, or read independently for ages 8 and up.
Thiele, Colin	Sun on the Stubble		Fiction, set in South Australia.
Thiele, Colin	Storm Boy		Fiction, set in South Australia.
Tierney, James	Bush Boys: An Outdoor Adventure and The ABCs of Camping		Our boys loved this book! It gives a wealth of detailed, practical advice for boys planning a camping expedition. All of the factual material is woven into an exciting story complete with villains who get their come-uppance at the end. The author of the book is a Catholic priest, and one of the two main families is Catholic, though the other is Anglican. The boys' religion does play a part in the book, but it is not overdone. Age suitability – 7 or 8 and up. For further information about the books, and activities to accompany them (a crossword, unit study ideas, and more), see here.
Tierney, James	Cuthbert Joins the Bush Boys		Sequel to the former book. The Bush Boys come face to face with kidnappers.
Tierney, James	Bush Boys and Bush Rangers		Another sequel, this one to do with finding hidden gold. One set of cousins is home educated, and there are some interesting descriptions of their school day. I'm curious to learn more about the work expected of the children: they had to choose an indoor and outdoor project to do each term, and I wonder what the criteria were for selecting those?
Tierney, James	Bush Boys on the Move		The fourth book in the series. The author of the Bush Boys series is obviously extremely impressed with home education, because by the end of this book, all of the main juvenile characters are taught at home. There are a number of appendices at the end of the book, including the complete ABCs of camping, and information about homeschooling in Australia.
Tingwell, Charles (narrator)	Banjo's Australia – The Poems of A.B. Paterson		Not a book, but a video. This includes beautiful Australian scenery (some of it shot at Sovereign Hill), archival film footage, and readings of half-a-dozen of Paterson's poems, with them acted out as they are read: Mulga Bill is one of these, and is great fun.
Turner, Ethel	Seven Little Australians		Fiction – An Australian "classic", set in the late 19^th century, and written when the author was only 21.
Turner, Ethel	Judy and Punch		Sequel to Seven Little Australians.
Turner, Ethel	The Family at Misrule		Sequel to Seven Little Australians.
Turner, Ethel	Little Mother Meg		Sequel to Seven Little Australians.
Turner, Ethel	The Little Larrikin
Turner, Ethel	The Cub		Fiction – set during World War 1 – A good title for learning about Australia's involvement in, and the attitudes of ordinary Australians to the war. There are two sequels to this book: Captain Cub, and Brigid and the Cub.
Various	Australian primary documents		Project Gutenberg of Australia includes links to a timeline of Australian explorers, a chronology of Australian history, and more.
Venn, Susan	Roy and Matilda: The Gallery Mice	ISBN: 0 646 05108 3	A book for preschoolers about some of the paintings in the National Gallery of Victoria. Highly recommended. For further information about the Roy and Matilda books, see here.
Venn, Susan	Roy and Matilda: The Golden Locket	ISBN: 0 646 18788 0	A book for preschoolers about some of the paintings in the Art Gallery of New South Wales. Highly recommended. For further information about the Roy and Matilda books, see here.
Venn, Susan	Roy and Matilda: The Mysterious Music	ISBN: 0 646 24084 6	A book for preschoolers about some of the paintings in the Queensland Art Gallery. Highly recommended. For further information about the Roy and Matilda books, see here.
Wall, Dorothy	Blinky Bill		Fiction. There are several titles in this series about a rather naughty small boy koala.
Wheatley, Nadia & Rawlins, Donna	My Place		A fascinating picture book, which once you have read, you immediately want to re-read, backwards. Though the actual place does not exist, it is possible to find the area of the story on a street map of Sydney, to within a couple of streets. Suitable for ages 4-94 (Some of the pages may well bring back memories which grandchildren will love to hear).
Williams, Ruth C	Verity of Sydney Town		We all enjoyed this story. It's historical fiction, set in the time of Governor Macquarie. Our seven-year-old found some of it a bit scary (where the bushrangers came), but it's good fun for the most part. Everything ends happily ever after, both for Verity and her friends, and all the baddies get their come-uppance. This book is set in (what is today) western Sydney, around the Windsor area.
Wright, Judith	The Generations of Man		The story of the poet Judith Wright's pioneering forebears in NSW and Queensland.

The following websites also provide lists of Australian living books:

A list of Australasian Children's authors: http://www.collectingbooksandmagazines.com/oznz.html (lists titles by Mary Grant Bruce, Ethel & Lilian Turner, & others)

CM&Friends-ANZ provides an "Australian History in Chronological Order" list http://cmandfriends.bravehost.com/aust_history.html

Erin at Aussie Book Threads has a wonderful list of Australian books. Categories include Topic, Author, Picture Books, History (a chronological listing): https://sites.google.com/site/aussiebookthreadssite/Home

Many out of print books may be found for purchase through http://www.abebooks.com/

[Page last updated 21 April, 2010]

Australian Living Books: An Annotated List

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Australian Living Books:
An Annotated List