Description

NOTABLES, 2021 CHILDREN’S BOOK COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARDS, PICTURE BOOK

As the bushfire swallowed up the world they knew, a wombat shared her burrow with other animals.

As the flames of a bushfire approach, one small wombat shelters with other animals in her burrow. But that is just the beginning of their journey to safety.

Based on events witnessed by Australian Children’s Laureate Jackie French during the 2020 fires, and co-created with award-winning illustrator Danny Snell, this is a story of courage, compassion and survival, which saw people across Australia come together to save our wildlife from devastation.

About the Author

Jackie French AM is an award-winning writer, wombat negotiator, the 2014–2015 Australian Children’s Laureate and the 2015 Senior Australian of the Year. In 2016 Jackie became a Member of the Order of Australia for her contribution to children’s literature and her advocacy for youth literacy. She is regarded as one of Australia’s most popular children’s authors and writes across all genres — from picture books, history, fantasy, ecology and sci-fi to her much loved historical fiction for a variety of age groups. ‘Share a Story’ was the primary philosophy behind Jackie’s two-year term as Laureate.

About the Illustrator

Danny Snell has been working as an illustrator for over 20 years and in that time has illustrated over a dozen children’s picture books. Working in a variety of media and with a focus on simple compositions, he brings a gentle whimsy to his book characters and settings. Danny’s books have won a number of awards over the years including the 2014 CBCA Eve Pownall Award for Jeremy. His first book as both author and illustrator was Seagull, which in 2016 won the Wilderness Society Environment Award for Children’s Literature. And more recently, Little Chicken Chickabee, was a 2017 CBCA Notable. Danny’s most recent book with Working Title Press is Ozzie Goes to School by Jocelyn Crabb. He lives in Adelaide with his partner and two daughters. Learn more at dannysnell.com.