2007 Environment Award for Children's Literature winners

Uno’s Garden by Graeme Base (Viking)

Leaf Litter: Exploring the Mysteries of a Hidden World by Rachel Tonkin (Angus & Robertson)

The Environment Award for Children's Literature is intended to promote books which inspire a sense of wonder and a sense of caring for the natural world.

The annual Environment Award, inaugurated in 1994, is open to fiction and non-fiction children's books published in Australia. Award trophies and certificates are presented to authors and illustrators who best encourage an attitude of caring, wonder and understanding of the natural environment, or those that promote an awareness of environmental issues.

Understanding how nature works will be essential if we are to help all life on Earth survive the impacts of global warming. Childhood is a time when most attitudes are formed. A good story can help children become receptive to a book's inherent values. The Environment Award encourages writers and illustrators who create books with environmental values.

This year’s Environment Award winners share the fundamental theme of ecological interconnection – how every species’ survival depends on a myriad of other species. So, without further ado, here’s the low-down on some of the year’s most inspiring, fun and clever books, each with its own important message for kids. 

We are pleased to announce the winners for 2007:

Picture Book Award winner
Uno’s Garden by Graeme Base (Viking) Penguin Books

Uno’s Garden is a lively and lavishly detailed picture book about environmental sustainability. A whimsical imaginary landscape demonstrates the importance of learning from past mistakes to ensure a balanced and liveable future. The added puzzles and mathematical details make it a fascinating book for all ages.

Non-Fiction Award Winner
Leaf Litter: Exploring the Mysteries of a Hidden World by Rachel Tonkin (Angus & Robertson)

Imagine sitting under a gum tree and discovering an astonishing new world of interconnection and unexpected beauty. This outstanding book will provide readers with hours of entertainment searching for the things described, while giving a superb demonstration of the interdependence of all life.

The Short List:

Shortlisted Picture Books
Home by Narelle Oliver.  (Omnibus Books)
Narelle Oliver’s striking illustrations are always impressive, but in Home there is an added dimension of what the human environment looks like from a bird’s perspective. Home is a true story of pair of peregrine falcons forced to find a new habitat in a city.

Rainbirds by David Metzenthen, illustrations by Sally Rippin (Lothian)
In another beautifully illustrated book showing birds adapting to city life – Rainbirds – we meet a young boy who longs for the return of magnificent rainbirds each year; migrating down from the mountains to over-winter in a city park.

The Shy Mala by Liliana Stafford, illustrated by Sophia Zielinski (Windy Hollow Books)
Tells a tender story of an endangered Mala – totem of the Warlpiri people who help to rescue Malas, relocating them to a sanctuary safe from feral cats and foxes.

Argonauta: Octopus Navigator by Jill Morris, illustrated by Lynne Muir (Greater Glider)
Uses a blend of fiction, non-fiction and poetry to tell the remarkable life history of the tiny octopus which inhabits the nautilus shell.

Moonbear Rescue by Kim Dale (Lothian)
Is a moving story of a group of villagers who rescue a young bear instead of selling it for the fortune it would bring them.

When Elephants Lived in the Sea by Jane Godwin, illustrations by Vincent Agostina (Lothian)
Is a surprising and thought-provoking story which highlights the miracle of evolution.

A Sea of Words: An ABC of the Deep Blue Sea by Kim Michelle Toft (Silkin Books).
An alphabet of beautiful silk paintings which shows the incredible variety of life in the oceans.

Shortlisted Secondary Readers
Chemical Leak by Gillian Wadds (Lothian)
A school project on pollution leads to the discovery of illegal chemical dumping in this absorbing adventure novel.

Shortlisted Non-fiction
If the World Were A Village: A Book About the World’s People by David Smith, illustrations Shelagh Armstrong, (Allen & Unwin).
A very useful book for demonstrating the number of people on earth and the resources they use. If the world were a global village of 100 people, 32 would breathe polluted air, 24 have no electricity, 20 are undernourished. A good reminder that we are all in this world together.

Fire to Life by Pamela Freeman, illustrations by Philip Blythe (Koala Books).
Gives a striking geological perspective of time – erupting volcanoes eventually turn into the soil which supports all life in the earth and seas.

Junior Encyclopedia of Australian Sealife and Junior Encyclopedia of Australian Wildlife by Kylie Currey (Steve Parish)
Show the rich and amazing diversity of life in Australian seas and landscapes.

The Australia’s Changing Environment series by Anna Sheppard (Heinemann Library)
Explains the importance of Rainforests, Deserts, Freshwater and Marine environments and what needs to be done to protect them.

Australia’s Animals and Plants in Danger series by Jane Pearson (Echidna Books)
Explains what needs to be done to protect the flora and fauna in these habitats.

The Penguin Book: Birds in Suits by Mark Norman (Black Dog Books).
Contains everything you might want to know about the seventeen species of penguin which share our planet.

Scribbly Gum Nature Diary by Abigail Thomas (ABC Books).
Provides a calendar of what is happening when in the natural world. Eg. In June (World Environment Day is the 5th) you might be lucky enough to see ‘puffball fungi push up through the road’. Wow!