Pitching pictures at Bologna

Experiences in nature fill many of the picture books on offer from Australian publishers at Bologna this year. Thank you rain! (Sally Morgan & Johnny Warrkatja Malibirr, Magabala Books) is full of the plants and animals that welcome rain: raindrops in the treetops; birds singing in the rain; raindrops wetting the dry earth and filling creek beds; birds, and frogs all enjoying the rain. Also from Magabala, Silver Leaves (Gladys Milroy) tells the story of Owl and Night Parrot, who are both nocturnal. They have a lovely big tree well away from all the noisy birds, until one day they are woken up by the birds fighting over space in their tree–a story about conservation, working together and hope.

In Night Ride (Sally Soweol Han, UQP), a boy heads home with his mother after a busy day in the city. There’s so much noise! When they need to make a stop because the bus has a flat tyre, the boy follows a firefly and discovers a peaceful world of nature sounds and sweetness. In Cloudspotting (Samantha Tidy & Susannah Crispe, Windy Hollow Books), a father and daughter share a special time catching crabs but also treasuring being on the water and appreciating what is around them. And in The Garden at the End of the World (Cassy Polimeni & Briony Stewart, UQP), Isla finds a rare plant and her mother tells her about a vault hidden in a frozen mountain on the other side of the world. Soon the mother and daughter head off to deliver their precious parcel to the garden waiting at the ‘end of the world’.

Animals are a focus in Brilliant (Rosi Ngwenya & Sandy Flett, Riveted Press) which offers an insight into the life cycle of an ant ‘in a truly humorous and educational way’, according to Bold Type Agency, as well as in Little Shark Lulu is Sleeping (Interactive Publications) which is ‘a gentle introduction to the importance that sharks play in keeping our marine environment sustainable’, while in Alice the Kangaroo (Interactive Publications) Alice’s mob leave her in the dust, and she spends most of the book trying to catch up with them—with the help of a friendly galah.

Connection, friendship and culture are at the heart of several picture books on offer at Bologna. The Month That Makes the Year (Inda Ahmad Zahri) is a picture book exploring the month of Ramadan through the eyes of a Muslim child (A&U 2023; Annabel Barker Agency); from acclaimed author Lian Tanner comes When the Lights Went Out (illustrated by Jonathan Bentley, A&U), ‘a cosy, reassuring and beautifully illustrated picture book about finding warmth and connection in community‘; Knock Knock (Catherine Meatheringham & Deb Hudson,Windy Hollow Books) invites readers to knock on doors all over the world and see how people live, in ‘a wonderful exploration of language and culture’, while All in a Day (Berbay) Chihiro introduces kids to the concept of reading a clock in a celebration of community; it follows the comings and goings of everyone in the same apartment building and what happens at each hour of the day.

Gus (Berbay) is ‘a funny, heartfelt story about friendship and aging’ that is the perfect choice for fans of A Sick Day for Amos McGee. Friendship is also at the heart of Bertie and the Ginger Cat (Bex Parkin, Red Paper Kite), a classic story overflowing with exquisite flora and fauna (‘You will want to live in this book’ says Bold Type Agency).

‘Jon Klassen meets Carson Ellis’ in Bear and the Little Green Thing (Diandian, Berbay), about an unlikely friendship between a bear and a sapling by a Bologna Book Fair Illustrators Exhibition winner.