Recently the books industry was agog at the Federal announcement of an upcoming national Poet Laureate, but outside children’s literary circles, not many people know that the Australian Children’s Laureate initiative has existed since 2012, a program that has also been successfully implemented in the UK, Finland, Netherlands, Mexico, Sweden and Wales.
Administered by the Australian Children’s Laureate Foundation (ACLF), it’s a biennial appointment awarded to an Australian author and/or illustrator of children’s and/or youth literature who has made a significant contribution in the realm of reading and literacy for young Australians. Previous Laureates included Ursula Dubosarsky (2020-2021), Morris Gleitzman (2018-2019), Leigh Hobbs (2016-2017), Jackie French (2014-15), Alison Lester and Boori Monty Pryor (2012-13).
