Congratulations to the 2018 Environment Award for Children’s Literature Winners!

Last night, at Younger Sun Bookshop in Yarraville, the Wilderness Society announced the 2018 winners for the Environment Award for Children’s Literature.

The Wilderness Society Victoria campaign manager, Amelia Young, described the importance of nature books, “Children’s books catalyse the imagination and cultivate empathy. Through stories, we can step into other people’s shoes, and gain insights into animals’ lived experiences.

“A good story captivates our hearts and minds, and invites us to explore complex feelings and situations from others that share our wonderful natural world.“The Environment Award for Children’s Literature celebrates stories that do just that. These books encourage children to discover, think about and feel into experiences and places they have not yet seen with their own eyes.”

Guest speaker and award winning author Michael Gerard Bauer also spoke. He said, “nature-themed children’s books not only stoke the innate curiosity and fascination with the natural world that every child already has, they help promote a greater knowledge and understanding of it, and instil a deeper awareness and sensitivity towards it.”

But without further ado, here are the winners for 2018:

Picture Fiction:
Florette by Anna Walker, published by Penguin Random House Australia

Non-Fiction:
Rock Pool Secrets by Narelle Oliver, published by Walker Books Australia
Coral Sea Dreaming by Kim Michelle Toft, published by Silkim Publishing

Fiction
Wombat Warriors by Samantha Wheeler, published by The University of Queensland Press

From right to left: Anna Walker, Samantha Wheeler, Kim Michelle Toft, and Jessie Oliver accepting the Award on behalf of Narelle Oliver