Contemporary children’s books reflect the diversity and values of a changing world – but getting new titles into small hands is harder than ever
The 1980s were a great time to write a classic Aussie picture book. From Possum Magic and Animalia to Who Sank the Boat? there was a voracious appetite to see Australia represented for kids in a way it hadn’t been before. Like everyone my age, I grew up with these books and I read them to my own children.
Forty years on, these books remain beloved – it’s no wonder they’re leading Guardian Australia’s reader poll of the best picture books of all time. But today the creation of new homegrown classics – which is increasingly important – has become increasingly difficult. The publishing landscape that created and nurtured the success of legacy titles has changed and the prospect of selling five million copies is now itself a thing of storybooks. As Graeme Base said when asked what would happen if you pitched Animalia today: “You’d fail – miserably, I suspect.”