Publisher picks: Australian picture books

Australian publishers at Bologna name the picture books they have the highest hopes for at the fair.

Alexandra Yatomi-Clarke, founder, managing director and publishing director at Berbay Books, will be attending Bologna for the 12th time in 2025. The book she’s most excited about? ‘Sea, the new picture book by John Canty – an extraordinary visual journey through the wonders of the ocean.’ Canty’s Heads and Tails series has sold multiple international rights and received several accolades, including one title being named a Children’s Book Council of Australia Honour Book and another named Speech Pathology Australia’s Book of the Year (in the birth to three years age category) and the Best International Picture Book at the China Shanghai International Children’s Book Fair. ‘It has also been selected for the Victorian State Government’s Kinder Kit packs for 2024 and 2025,’ adds Yatomi-Clarke. ‘With such a strong track record, we’re thrilled to introduce Sea to international publishers.’

Miriam Rosenbloom, publisher and art director at Scribe’s children’s imprint Scribble, will attend Bologna for the fifth time for the 2025 fair. ‘It’s impossible to choose between two standouts we have this year!’ she tells Books+Publishing. ‘Internationally acclaimed illustrator Allison Colpoys has partnered with debut author Olivia Muscat for My Name Is Jemima, a day in the life of Olivia’s guide dog, brought to life with Allison’s trademark colour, humour and joy. Also generating excitement is Anna Walker’s second Scribble collaboration, the stunning Between – a poetic exploration of connection that uses innovative stencil techniques and three-Pantone printing to create a breathtaking visual journey between two unlikely companions.’

Hardie Grant rights manager Evie Green will be attending Bologna in person alongside Hardie Grant publisher Chren Byng. They have high hopes for Scotty and the Scotties (Gabriel Evans), which Hardie Grant publisher Marisa Pintado promises ‘will have the whole family poring over the pages to find the “real” Scotty in every scene’. ‘The kind-hearted and inclusive premise rings even sweeter once Scotty’s true identity is finally revealed,’ says Pintado. It’s ‘a hilarious story that celebrates acceptance and inclusivity within a family, no matter how alike or different we are,’ adds Green.

UQP rights and contracts manager Erin Sandiford and UQP children’s publisher Cathy Vallance are both attending Bologna in person this year. They are excited to pitch My Mum Is a Bird (Angie Cui, illus by Evie Barrow), ‘a delightfully absurd story about a child who doesn’t want their mum to come to the school’s Parents’ and Carers’ Day because she is a literal human-sized bird,’ says Vallance, adding that the book explores universal themes and celebrates diversity, ‘without ever being didactic’. ‘The universality of parents being “like, so embarrassing…” means significant overseas potential,’ says Sandiford, noting pre-fair sales to Turkey and Korea. ‘We’re taking over some postcards for our stand with an illustration from the final page and the words, “I love that my mum is a …”, which will help show our foreign co-agents and publishing friends that, as well as just being funny, silly and beautifully illustrated, My Mum Is a Bird is a helpful text to aid conversations about diversity at home or in classrooms around the world.’

Magabala Books will be represented at Bologna this year by editor Melena Cole-Manolis and rights manager Kate McCormack. Their overall pick of Magabala books they are hoping will attract interest at the fair is the picture book Goorramindi the Crocodile (Quinlan Jaffrey, illus by Jade Goodwin). ‘An exciting and universal story about a friendly crocodile that children will love, with appealing illustrations by Jade Goodwin, who will also be present at the fair […], Goorramindi the Crocodile will have a positive response from international publishers. It’s a fun and universal story about the strength and wisdom of Elders. And who in the world doesn’t love a cheeky crocodile tale?’

Tash Besliev, publishing director, children’s at Simon & Schuster Australia (S&S), with responsibility for both S&S and Affirm Press titles, will attend the 2025 fair with S&S managing director Dan Ruffino. In picture books, Besliev has high hopes for When the Mountain Wakes (Matt Shanks, September 2025). ‘After getting to know him better on another project, I discovered Matt had some solo projects in his desk drawer, and I asked if he might share something with me. He sent me When the Mountain Wakes on a Friday morning. It was the second last Friday of 2024. The minute I opened the file, I knew this book was beyond special. I was spellbound, I was teary, and by the end of the book, I felt an overwhelming sense of hope – rare in today’s times. I also knew that I had to publish this book. So, I spent the rest of my Friday galvanising our team for an impromptu acquisitions meeting. Everyone felt what I felt. I received photos from sales managers showing their teary reactions after reading it. Our marketing manager had goosebumps. By Monday morning, we had acquired When the Mountain Wakes. This is a sweeping, profound and ambitious picture book. It’s a powerful reflection on hope and healing, and it is a classic in the making. I just know that the response we have all had in-house will be echoed throughout the halls in Bologna this year (which Matt might hear himself, as he will be in Bologna for the fair and key meetings).’

In 2025, Windy Hollow Books children’s publisher Cristina Pase will be attending Bologna in person for the fifth time. She singles out the picture book The Letter Writer by Binny Talib as the title the publisher has the highest hopes for, in terms of international interest at the fair. ‘It is a book about connection and friendship and communication, so we feel it has a universal appeal. In addition, Binny has an international profile, which helps,’ says Pase.

Emma Dorph, rights, contracts and international sales manager at Hachette Australia, will be attending Bologna in person this year. ‘I’m excited to be pitching modern fairytale The Peach King (October 2025), a stunning, instant classic of a picture book from award-winning author Inga Simpson [pictured], with oil-painted internals by Tannya Harricks. The Peach King is a contemporary fable about the resilience of nature, one which we expect to resonate overseas, not just for its timely commentary on the impact of climate change, but also because of the broad appeal of both story and illustrations in markets looking for a more classic-style picture book.’

Carey Schroeter, rights and international sales manager, books for children and young adults at Allen & Unwin (A&U), will be attending Bologna in person alongside A&U publisher Anna McFarlane. McFarlane singles out The Enchantment of Golden Eagle (Margaret Wild, illus by Stephen Michael King, July 2025) among A&U’s picture books – this one for the 7–11 age range. ‘Margaret Wild and Stephen Michael King tap into something elemental and allegorical, whilst telling a fable-like story about a golden eagle who is cursed to fly for a year and a day. It’s a picture book that invites multiple readings to explore Stephen Michael King’s stunning visual landscape, into which fairytale characters are embedded, and to think about the idea of punishment and penance, and ultimately forgiveness.’

For HarperCollins Australia, head of international rights Airlie Lawson will be attending Bologna in person in 2025. HarperCollins singles out This Is an Elf (Books That Drive Kids Crazy, book #6) (Beck & Matt Stanton, September 2025), ‘a fabulous Christmas book with a difference, as well as a companion to This Is a Ball, the award-winning, bestselling book that launched the Books That Drive Kids Crazy series’. HarperCollins reports that the latter has sold over 100,000 copies worldwide, with rights licensed to Little, Brown, Younger Readers (English language, North America & UK), Baeckens Books (Dutch), and Nagaoka Shoten (Japanese). ‘Why was it such a success? And why will This Is an Elf be a hit, too? Because it lets young kids be right! Put it this way, the picture on the cover of This Is an Elf clearly shows a cute reindeer, not an elf. So there’s something wrong with the book, right? It’s a book that opens a conversation about the relationship between words and pictures – and makes everyone laugh. We have no doubt that the existing publishers of the Books That Drive Kids Crazy series will love this one – and that it will entrance new publishers, who’ll then wonder how they missed the series in the first place!’

Independent Western Australian publisher Fremantle Press will be represented by subagents at Bologna this year. Fremantle CEO Alex Allan singles out Bigfoot vs Yeti (James Foley) among the publisher’s picuture book offerings. ‘James Foley’s Stellarphant has been popular with overseas agents and publishers, and we can’t wait to sell in his new title, Bigfoot vs Yeti,’ says Allan. ‘This is a classic, albeit hirsute, Romeo and Juliet–style romance with a happy ending – or is it? James’s new picture book shows how some differences of opinion can be reconciled, but some rifts will always keep us apart. It’s timely, entertaining and characteristically thought-provoking.’

Recently acquired

Handbooks for Little Humans series (Zanni Louise, illus by Kim Drane, November 2025), ANZ rights to the six-book series acquired by Affirm Press in a deal between Simon & Schuster and Affirm children’s publishing director Tash Besliev and Lori Kilkelly at LK Literary Agency, in a three-house auction.

Inspired by Girl Guides and survival handbooks, the Handbooks for Little Humans series aims to ‘guide little humans through the complexities of life in a fun and sensitive way’, says Affirm. ‘This series takes a playful, guidebook approach to nuanced topics, giving readers practical tools for negotiating how to be human.’ Louise has written more than 40 children’s books. Her debut YA, A Guide to Falling Off the Map, is being simultaneously published by Scholastic US and Hachette Australia in September 2025.

Category: Think Australian feature