Kids’ Reading Guide

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Kids’ Reading Guide

Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Kids’ Reading Guide, 9/828 High Street, Kew East, Melbourne.

✂️ Maker of Australia’s leading children’s book guide
📝 Hand-picked and reviewed by booksellers
🦕 Previously BookPeopleKids
📚 Little sibling to

28/05/2026

Congratulations to the authors, illustrators and publishers of the ASLA DANZ Children's Book Award Shortlists for 2026!

Picture Books:
Bapa’s Last Canoe by Maree McCarthy Yoelu and Samantha Campbell (Nee Fry)(illus)(Magabala Books)
The Boab Tree by Helen Milroy (Fremantle Press)
The Colours of Home by Sally Soweol Han (Thames & Hudson Australia)

Chapter Books:
Ava Spark: Hello I'm Here by Alex Field and Joanna Bartel (illus)(New Frontier Publishing)
Sunny and Shadow by Helen Milroy (Fremantle Press)
Violet and the Velvets: The Case of the Angry Ghost by Rachael King and by Phoebe Morris (illus)(Allen & Unwin Aotearoa)

Middle Grade:
The Haunting of Hindmarsh Hall by Kate Gordon (Riveted Press)
Legend of the Lighthouse Moon by Helen Edwards (Riveted Press)
Wurrtoo by Tylissa Elisara and Dylan Finney (illus)(Hachette Australia)

The winners will be announced at the 2026 Awards Ceremony on Saturday 25th July. We can't wait!

26/05/2026

is a recipient of the Penguin Children's Booksellers Grant! 🎉⁠

Jeffreys Books has launched Jeffreys Junior Reading Challenge, a “reading passport” program designed to encourage children to keep reading, reviewing and returning to the bookshop.

When children join Jeffreys Junior, they receive a special bookmark with space to track their reading progress. After buying, reading and rating two books, participants receive a free erasable pen. After their fifth book and a review of their favourite read, they receive a $15 voucher.

The team says the program is helping children build momentum and confidence in their reading while also learning how to talk about the books they enjoy. “We feel that Jeffreys Junior is succeeding in its mission to encourage young readers to gain momentum with their reading, and learn how to communicate what they enjoy about a book so we can ultimately guide them to more fantastic reads.”

Jeffreys Books says the Penguin Children’s Booksellers Grant gave them the encouragement to trial new ways of engaging younger readers and they are confident the initiative is already having a positive long-term impact in their community.

Head in store for more details!

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The Penguin Children's Bookseller Grant has 41 bookstore recipients nationwide that have received a grant of up to $8,000, to help bring their unique and community-driven ideas for sharing the joy of reading to life in their stores and beyond.

20/05/2026

It's one week to go until National Simultaneous Storytime! 🕛️

On 27th May 2026 at 12:00pm AEST, millions of people across Australia will sit down and read 'Luna Roo: the Kangaroo Baller'!

You can head to ALIAs website to learn more and register.

PLUS Reading Australia has prepared curriculum-linked activities for primary teachers, as well as a special set for parents and caregivers.

Find resources here:
https://readingaustralia.com.au/2026/04/resource-nss-2026/

14/05/2026

A huge congratulations to the ABA 2026 Bookseller of the Year Award shortlists!

These awards recognise booksellers who demonstrate outstanding commitment to their craft, their customers and their communities. From experienced industry leaders, to emerging talent, and children’s specialists, the shortlisted booksellers represent the depth of passion, knowledge and care found across Australian bookshops.

ABA Hardie Grant Children’s Publishing 2026 Children’s Bookseller of the Year
Fiona Chamberlain, Paper Bird Children’s Books & Art
Kasey Chambers, Matilda Bookshop
Janine Larson, Readings Kids
Mischa Parkee, Bloomin Books

Head to for the other shortlists⁠

The winners will be announced at the 2026 ABA Conference Gala Dinner on Sunday 14 June, where we will also announce the inaugural recipient of the Lifetime Achievement in Bookselling Award.

09/05/2026

is a recipient of the Penguin Children's Booksellers Grant! 🎉⁠

The Leaf Bookshop used its Penguin Children’s Booksellers Grant to run not one but two School Holiday Reading Challenge programs designed to keep young readers engaged over the break.

The challenges encouraged children to read a set number of books from a curated selection spanning a range of genres, helping introduce them to stories outside their usual reading choices. Participants then returned to the bookshop for book club-style sessions where they discussed the books, shared their thoughts and took part in games and activities connected to their reading.

The program proved a strong success for the shop, not only encouraging reading and critical thinking during the holidays, but also helping young customers build friendships and connections through the shared experience of books.

Following the enthusiastic response from families and participants, The Leaf Bookshop is hoping to run more Reading Challenge programs in future school holidays! Talk to The Leaf Bookshop for info on how the young people in your life can join in.

🐧⁠
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The Penguin Children's Bookseller Grant has 41 bookstore recipients nationwide that have received a grant of up to $8,000, to help bring their unique and community-driven ideas for sharing the joy of reading to life in their stores and beyond.

05/05/2026

How do you do-stache? 🥸🫎

Perfect for fans of Nick Sharratt's Mullets, Mousestache Moosestache is a hilarious picture book with what we can only assume, is the most mustaches in a book, EVER!

Join Mouse and Moose in a mustache‑mania world packed with silly rhymes and playful illustrations―perfect for building early reading skills, nurturing a love of language, and keeping readers laughing along the way. Sit down and stay-stache!

Head to your local bookshop to pick up your copy to read this book right AWAY-stache! 🏃

03/05/2026

We couldn't be more excited by our ABA Kids' Reading Guide Children's Book of the Year 2026 Shortlist!⁠
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First Dog on the Moon, illustrator of There's a Prawn in Parliament House has said about being shortlisted,
"BOOKS! Everyone loves books! That is why it is such an honour to be considered for this fabulous award. Awards! Everyone loves awards especially this one because there is nobody bookier than the ABA they are simply the bookiest. Thank you so very much."⁠
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Want to know more about There's a Prawn in Parliament House?
Meet Shawn the Prawn, your hilarious guide to Australia's democracy! With Annabel Crabb's sharp wit and First Dog on the Moon's quirky cartoons, this book makes politics, fun, funny and totally fascinating. From elections to law-making, it's the perfect read for curious kids (and future voters!) who want to know how it all works.

Want to know more about the awards?
The shortlist and winners are chosen by vote, by booksellers around the country. They are the books that connected with readers and were championed by booksellers in the year prior. Winners will be announced 14th June, at the ABA Conference Gala Dinner and Awards Night.

30/04/2026

We couldn't be more excited by our ABA Kids' Reading Guide Children's Book of the Year 2026 Shortlist (say that 10x fast)!

Spanning funny and heartfelt picture books to adventurous middle fiction and fascinating and informative non-fiction, these are the books that connected with readers and were championed by booksellers across the country in 2025.

Annabel Crabb, author shortlisted for There's a Prawn in Parliament House has said,
"One of the greatest public services Australian booksellers do is to place books in the hands of children. So for me and my trusty canine friend First Dog, this is such an honour. Especially at a time when a frank, factual and crustacean-led understanding of civics feels more necessary than usual. Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!"

The ecosystem that works to get books into the hands of readers is vast and wide, and the passion and commitment that booksellers show to help local books thrive, cannot be understated. But it couldn't be done without the authors and illustrators who create the books that need to be shared. The love really goes both ways!

23/04/2026

We are pleased to announce the shortlists for the 2026 Australian Booksellers Association Awards!

Each year, we celebrate the books that have captured the hearts of Australian booksellers. These are the stories championed in bookshops and passionately recommended to readers. The awards recognise the books that have made a genuine impact, connecting authors and readers through the hands of booksellers.

Children's Book of the Year Shortlist—
There's a Prawn in Parliament House: The Kids' Guide to Australia's Amazing Democracy by Annabel Crabb & First Dog on the Moon (Allen & Unwin)
Dear Broccoli by Jo Dabrowski & Cate James (Affirm Kids)
Here Come the Cousins by Maggie Hutchings & Sarah Zweck (Thames & Hudson Australia)
Oceanforged 1: The Wicked Ship by Amelia Mellor (Affirm Kids)
Once I was a Giant by Zeno Sworder (Thames & Hudson Australia)
Ningaloo by Tim Winton & Cindy Lane (Fremantle Press)

The winners will be announced at the ABA Conference Gala Dinner and Awards Night on the 14th of June.

Find the Adult Fiction and Non-Fiction Shortlists on Love Your Bookshop

Address

9/828 High Street, Kew East
Melbourne, VIC

Telephone

(03) 9859 7322

Website

http://www.kidsreadingguide.com.au/

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