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Notable Australian Children's Books 2004

Bookweek image 'Doorways' by Brian Harrison-Lever

The Judges of the 2004 Awards commend these titles as a source for individual reading and gift giving, and for inclusion in Australian and international public and school library collections.

Notable books are listed in FIVE sections:

Book of the Year: Older Readers
Awards will be made to outstanding books of fiction, drama or poetry which require of the reader a degree of maturity to appreciate the topics, themes and scope of emotional involvement. Generally, books in this category will be appropriate in style and content for readers in their secondary years of schooling.
Titles
Book of the Year: Younger Readers
Awards will be made to outstanding books of fiction, drama or poetry for readers who have developed independent reading skills but are still developing in literary appreciation. Generally, books in this category will be appropriate in style and content for readers from the middle to upper primary years.
Titles
Book of the Year: Early Childhood
Awards will be made to outstanding books of fiction, drama or poetry for children who are at pre-reading or early stages of reading. They may be picture books, picture story books, or texts in which illustrations play a substantial part in the storytelling or concept development.
20 Titles
Picture Book of the Year
Awards will be made to outstanding books of the Picture Book genre in which the author and illustrator achieve artistic and literary unity, or, in wordless picture books, where the story, theme or concept is unified through illustrations. As a general guideline, the judges may consider the relative success of a picture book in balancing and harmonising the following elements:
- artistic style and graphic excellence (including typography and its suitability for the implied readership);
- effective use of media and technique;
- colour, line, shape, texture;
- relationship between illustration and text;
- consistency of style, characterisation, information and setting;
- clarity, appropriateness and aesthetic appeal of illustrations;
- quality of book design, production, printing and binding;
- appeal to the child reader.

24 Titles

Eve Pownall Award for Information Books

Awards will be made to outstanding books which have the prime intention of documenting factual material with consideration given to imaginative presentation, interpretation and variation of style. As general guidelines, the judges may consider the relative success of the book in balancing and harmonising the following elements:
12 Titles

(Extract from, The Children's Book Council of Australia Awards Handbook 2003, pp 7-8.)