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First Grade

  • Corduroy by Don Freeman

  • The Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown

  • The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf 

  • Make Way for Duckling by Robert McCloskey

  • Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson

  • Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans

  • The Little House by Virginia Burton 

  • Old Hat, New Hat by Berenstain 

  • The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats 

  • Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina

  • Frog and Toad Together by Arnold Lobel

  • The Story About Ping by Marjorie Flack

  • The Tales of Peter Rabbit

  • Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown

  • Cyclone by Jackie French

  • Fire by Jackie French

  • Flood by Jackie French

  • The Tomorrow Book by Jackie French

  • Diary of a Wombat by Jackie French

  • The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

  • Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See? by Eric Carle

  • Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear? by Eric Carle

  • One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish by Dr Seuss

  • Green Eggs and Ham by Dr Seuss

  • The Cat in the Hat by Dr Seuss

Award winners

2020s

  • 2022 Tiger Daught by Rebecca Lim

  • 2021 The End of the World is Bigger than Love by David Bell

  • 2020This Is How We Change the Ending by Vikki Wakefield

2010s

2000s[edit]

YearAuthorTitlePublisher

2009Shaun TanTales from Outer SuburbiaAllen and Unwin

2008Sonya HartnettThe Ghost's ChildViking Books

2007Margo LanaganRed SpikesAllen and Unwin

2006J. C. BurkeThe Story of Tom BrennanRandom House

2005Michael Gerard BauerThe Running ManOmnibus Books

2004Melina MarchettaSaving FrancescaViking Books

2003Markus ZusakThe MessengerMacmillan Publishers

2002Sonya HartnettForestViking Books

2001Judith ClarkeWolf on the FoldAllen and Unwin

2000Nick Earls48 Shades of BrownPenguin Books

1990s[edit]

YearAuthorTitlePublisher

1999Phillip GwynneDeadly, Unna?Penguin Books

1998Catherine JinksEye to EyePuffin Books

1997James MoloneyA Bridge to Wiseman's CoveUniversity of Queensland Press

1996Catherine JinksPagan's VowsOmnibus Books

1995Gillian RubinsteinFoxspellHyland House

1994Isobelle Carmody (joint)The GatheringPenguin Books

Gary Crew (joint)Angel's GateHeinemann

1993Melina MarchettaLooking for AlibrandiPuffin Books

1992Eleanor NilssonThe House GuestViking Books

1991[8]Gary CrewStrange ObjectsHeinemann

1990Robin KleinCame Back to Show You I Could FlyViking Books

1980s[edit]

YearAuthorTitlePublisher

1989Gillian RubinsteinBeyond the LabyrinthHyland House

1988John MarsdenSo Much to Tell YouJoy Street Books

1987Simon FrenchAll We KnowAngus and Robertson

1986Thurley FowlerThe Green WindRigby

1985James AldridgeThe True Story of Lilli StubeckHyland House

1984Patricia WrightsonA Little FearHutchinson

1983Victor KelleherMaster of the GroveKestrel Books

1982Colin ThieleThe Valley BetweenOpal Books

1981Ruth ParkPlaying Beatie BowNelson Books

1980Lee HardingDisplaced PersonHyland House

1970s[edit]

YearAuthorTitlePublisher

1979Ruth Manley, illustrated by Marianne YamaguchiThe Plum-Rain ScrollHodder and Stoughton

1978