The umbrella.
Written by Niki Foreman.
Illustrated by Binny Talib.
Penguin Books, 2026.
Australian.
Picture book.
Neurodiversity / difference. Not fitting in, and deciding
whether you actually want to.
Possible read-alikes:
- Different by Eva Eland.
- Scotty and the Scotties by Gabriel Evans.
- The Rock family band by Robert Tregoning and Laura Brenlla.
- Wild for Winnie by Laura Marx Fitzgerald and Jenny Løvlie.
- Narwhal vs. kindergarten by Vanessa Roeder.
- The blue umbrella by Emily Ann Davison and Momoko Abe.
- Under the umbrella by Catherine Buquet and Marion Arbona, translated by Erin Woods.
Dear Acorn (Love, Oak): letter poems to friends.
Written by Joyce Sidman.
Illustrated by Melissa Sweet.
Clarion Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, 2025.
Illustrated poetry.
Conversations between big and little things in our
ecosystem.
Poetry of perspective and connection.
Possible read-alikes:
- Groovy fish and other poems by Paula Green.
- Our Earth is a poem: poetry about nature.
- The dirt book: poems about animals that live beneath our feet by David L. Harrison and Kate Cosgrove.
- The proper way to meet a hedgehog: and other how-to poems selected by Paul B. Janeczko, illustrated by Richard Jones.
- Earth verse: haiku from the ground up by Sally M. Walker and William Grill.
- Dear Earth... from your friends in room 5 by Erin Dealey and Luisa Uribe.
- Dear dragon by Josh Funk and Rodolfo Montalvo.
Nature knows.
Written by Yvette Farmer.
Illustrated by Chloe Jasmin Harris.
Thames & Hudson Australia, 2026.
Australian.
Picture book.
I was going to say that this is heading towards a bit
‘preachy’ and then I read the author’s biography, which says she “has worked
with the University of Western Sydney on research exploring how nature-based
interventions support children's wellbeing.” Well, that explains it. I’m not
saying the book is bad, just has a message and cause that is more prominent
than others.
Possible read-alikes:
- Earthspeak = Boodjar Wangkiny by Sean McCann and Jade Goodwin.
- Rush! rush! by Elena de Roo and Jenny Cooper.
- We are all one by Britta Teckentrup.
- A song full of sky by Ruth Doyle and Britta Teckentrup.
- The wild outside: explore the nature beyond your doorstep by Rachel Ip and Katie Hickey.
- Simple thanks by Deborah Wiles and Bao Luu.
Fearless.
Written and illustrated by Kelly Canby.
Fremantle Press, 2026.
Australian.
Picture book.
Punn-y names make the lesson-heavy message pretty blatant:
Bea Ware and Annie Venture. The characters are as cardboard stereotyped as
their names lead you to feel.
Possible read-alikes / instead-ofs:
- A little bit worried by Ciara Gavin, Tim Warnes.
- When I feel brave by Britta Teckentrup.
- Mabel and the big wide world by Paul Stewart and Jane Porter.
- Victor the wolf with worries by Catherine Rayner.
Little Hector and the big idea.
Written and illustrated by Ruth Paul.
Puffin, 2019.
Picture book.
Aotearoa.
An environmental message: ocean pollution.
Possible read-alikes:
- Clean up! by Nathan Bryon and Dapo Adeola.
- Fish by Brendan Kearney.
- Tiny crab is a tidy crab by Paula Bowles.
- The mess that we made by Michelle Lord and Julia Blattman.
- The lighthouse keeper's mystery by Ronda Armitage and David Armitage.
- Celia Seagull and the plastic sea by Nicole Miller and Lily Uivel.
You've got this, little pangolin.
Written by Tọlá
Okogwu.
Illustrated by Shirley Hottier.
Simon & Schuster, 2026.
Picture book.
A little pangolin is determined to be grown-up, but that
takes time.
Possible read-alikes:
- Sometimes we fall by Randall de Sève and Kate Gardiner.
- The magical yet by Angela DiTerlizzi and Lorena Alvarez.
- As strong as the river by Sarah Noble.
Bella the Storyteller.
Written and illustrated by Chris Naylor-Ballesteros.
Andersen Press, 2023.
Picture book.
I’m with the audience – I’m not sure I’d want Bella telling
my stories! Definitely over-the-top.
Possible read-alikes:
- This and that by Mem Fox and Judy Horacek.
- Help! We need a story by James Harris and Mariajo Ilustrajo.
- Shortest bedtime story ever by David Campbell and Samar Kabir.
- A delicious story by Barney Saltzberg.
- A unicorn, a dinosaur, and a shark walk into a book by Jonathan Fenske.
It's my bird-day!
Written and illustrated by Mo Willems.
Union Square Kids, 2026.
Picture book.
Welcome back, Pigeon! There’s a very surprising twist at the
end.
Possible read-alikes:
- I'm very busy: a (nearly forgotten) birthday book by Oliver Jeffers.
- Two birthdays: a Cedric and Boo book by Tim Hopgood.
- Bea's bad day by Tom Percival.
- Happy birthday, Dog! and Cat by Annabel Pitcher and Fabi Santiago.
- Happy birthday to me by Stacy Gregg and Ruth Paul.
The future book.
Written by Mac Barnett.
Illustrated by Shawn Harris.
Simon and Schuster, 2026.
Picture book.
Completely ridiculous – and perfect for reading aloud to
older children, ie school-aged.
Possible read-alikes:
- The book with no pictures by B.J. Novak.
- This is a ball by Beck and Matt Stanton.
- Duck! Rabbit! by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Tom Lichtenheld.
- I say ooh you say aah by John Kane.
Can I sit with you?
Written and illustrated by Sarah Jacoby.
Chronicle Books, 2021.
Picture book.
Rhyming text.
Stray dog looking for a home.
Possible read-alikes:
- Three and Mutt dog! by Stephen Michael King.
- Mr Scruff by Simon James.
- I am a wolf by Kelly Leigh Miller.
- A job for Penelope by Melanie Mikecz.
- My friend Andy by Emma Chinnery.
- Penny and the little lost puppy by Emily Sutton.
- Ginger finds a home by Charlotte Voake.
- Can I be your dog? by Troy Cummings.
ABC zoinks.
Written and illustrated by Claudia Rueda.
Candlewick Press, 2026.
Board book.
Silly book, but fun.
Possible read-alikes:
- The dangerous alphabet book by DK Ryland.
- Albert's ABCs: a sibling story by Henry Cole.
- Boing!: a very noisy ABC by Tim McCanna andJorge Martin.
- A is for apricat: learn your ABCs with these deliciously adorable food & critter mash-ups! by Mauro Gatti.
Love from The crayons.
Written by Drew Daywalt.
Illustrated by Oliver Jeffers.
HarperCollins Children's Books, 2019.
Picture book.
What colour are emotions? Love is every colour.
Possible read-alikes:
- Red is not angry, blue is not sad by Alicia Acosta, Luis Amavisca, and Anuska Allepuz.
- The colour of happy by Laura Baker and Angie Rozelaar.
- I feel teal by Lauren Rille and Aimée Sicuro.
- Colour my days by Ross Collins.
That's my daddy!
Written by Ruth Redford.
Illustrated by Dan Taylor.
Egmont, 2020.
Picture book.
All sorts of dads.
Possible read-alikes:
- Dadapalooza: a celebration of dads by Sarina Dickson and Ant Sang.
- Dads are incredible by Simon Philip and Dawn Lo.
- What do you call your dad? by Ashleigh Barton and Matina Heiduczek.
- Wild about dads by Philip Bunting.
- My Dad by Anthony Browne.
Monkeypig.
Written and illustrated by Huw Aaron.
Puffin, 2026.
Picture book.
Molly is hoping that she will not be outed by her fellow
monkeys.
Possible read-alikes:
- Luigi, the spider who wanted to be a kitten by Michelle Knudsen and Kevin Hawkes.
- Lulu is a rhinoceros by Jason Flom, Allison Flom, and Sophie Corrigan.
- Jet the cat: (is not a cat) by Phaea Crede and Terry Runyan.
- I am not a fox by Karina Wolf and Chuck Groenink.
- Tiny Jenny: little fairy, big trouble by Briony May Smith.
Stuck.
Written and illustrated by Oliver Jeffers.
HarperCollins Children's Books, 2011.
Picture book.
Outrageously ridiculous and so much fun! A laugh out loud
read aloud.
Possible read-alikes:
- I want my hat back by Jon Klassen.
- Shh! We have a plan by Chris Haughton.
- Blown away by Rob Biddulph.
- That is not a good idea! by Mo Willems.
The invisible alphabet.
Written by Joshua David Stein.
Illustrated by Ron Barrett.
Rise/Penguin Workshop, 2020.
Picture book.
A quirky alphabet book.
Simple line drawings with only one other colour – orange.
Possible read-alikes:
- One of these is not like the others by Barney Saltzberg.
- Alphabet under construction by Denise Fleming.
- What about X?: an alphabet adventure by Anne Marie Houppert and Daniel Wiseman.
- A is for Musk Ox by Erin Cabatingan and Matthew Myers.
The snow theatre.
Written and illustrated by Ryoji Arai.
Translated from Japanese by David Boyd.
Enchanted Lion Books, 2025.
Sophisticated picture book.
A tale of forgiveness and love – and imagination.
Possible read-alikes:
- 4 Yaks and a Yeti by Peter Hillary and Ant Sang.
- Camilla, cartographer by Julie Dillemuth, PhD and Laura Wood.
- Freya and the snake by Fredrik Sonck and Jenny Lucander, translated by B.J. Woodstein.
- Eyes that speak to the stars by Joanna Ho and Dung Ho.
- Snow by Cynthia Rylant and Lauren Stringer.
- Growing an artist: the story of a landscaper and his son by John Parra.
If I built a town.
Written and illustrated by Chris Van Dusen.
Rocky Pond Books, 2025.
Picture book. Rhyming text.
An increasingly ridiculous imaginative walk through a
child’s dream town – as he declaims it to the Mayor.
Possible read-alikes:
- The man from the land of Fandango by Margaret Mahy and Polly Dunbar.
- My best friend Tilly by Iris Samartzi, translated by Ikaros Publishing.
- Not-a-box city by Antoinette Portis.
- Your house is not just a house by Idris Goodwin and Lorraine Nam.
- Forts by Katie Venit and Kenard Pak.
- Where would you go? by Alison Lester, Jane Godwin and the children at Yalingbu Yiramboi - The Royal Children's Hospital School.
- We can play anything! by Marit Törnqvist, translated and adapted by Polly Lawson.
- If you were a city by Kyo Maclear and Francesca Sanna.
- The spaces in between by Jaspreet Kaur and Manjit Thapp.
Iguana miss you!
Written and illustrated by Sandra Boynton.
Little, Brown and Company, 2026.
Picture book.
Rhyming text.
A poetic farewell. A great gift for school leavers, leaving
home, moving away – anything, really.
Possible read-alikes:
- I send you a hug by Anne Booth and Åsa Gilland.
- How do dinosaurs say goodbye? by Jane Yolen and Mark Teague.
- Evelyn Del Rey is moving away by Meg Medina and Sonia Sánchez.
I'd rather be a shark.
Written by Laura Bunting.
Illustrated by Philip Bunting.
Scholastic Australia, 2026.
Australian.
Picture book.
Part of a series all about annoyed children imagining life
as something else.
Possible read-alikes:
- No, I'm a... shark! by Mike Henson, Ana Gomez.
- Butterflies do not ride their bikes by Ali Rutstein and Niña Nill.
- I don't want to be a frog by Dev Petty and Mike Boldt.
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