Australian literature: Children's literature

How to find information about children's books

Start with the Library Catalogue

  • choose subject from the drop-down list
  • Type your keywords [for example 'juvenile literature'] in the search bar

Selected works

A series of three volumes by Henry Maurice Saxby:

Australian Children's Books: A Bibliography, in three volumes, authored first by Marcie Muir and then Kerry White.

It aims to list every work published, and each entry has a Notes field with mention of special prizes etc. for that publication:

  • Vol. 1 contains items published between 1774 and 1972
  • Vol. 2 items from 1973 to 1988
  • Vol. 3 items from 1989 to 2000

For 20th century authors see the seven volume set:

Australian children's fiction : the subject guide by Kerry White (1993) - on open access in the Main Reading Room Reference Collection at RFq A 823.3099282 W585. The 1996 update is also available.

Finding australian literature Childrens literature

Fairfax Corporation, Editor Constance Robertson's daughters reading in garden, Sydney, 1 July 1932nla.cat-vn6300482

Fairfax Corporation, Editor Constance Robertson's daughters reading in garden, Sydney, 1 July 1932nla.cat-vn6300482

Where to find information in our online databases

Find these databases in the National Library's eResources.

AustLit: the resource for Australian literature is a key resource for information about Australian writers and writing covering the 1780s to the present. You can find AustLit by visiting our eResources portal and searching for this database under the Browse eResources tab.

  • Select the Research tab at the top of the page
  • Scroll down and under 'More projects' find Children's

These pages cover topics including children's literature digital resources, the Lu Rees Collection and reading in the Victorian classroom.

The Encyclopedia of Children and Childhood: in History and Society: articles on education, parenting, child labor, economics, images of childhood, children's literature, play, toys and games, health, physiology, law, the criminal justice system and social welfare. Search for this database via our eResources portal under the Browse eResources tab.

Registered members of the National Library can access the above databases from home.

The Source a guide by subject to children's literature, poetry and short stories: Available in the National Library Reading Rooms via eResources. The Source is a searchable bibliographic database to children's literature by subject from around the world with an emphasis on Australian and New Zealand books.

Case study: Information about a favourite author

My parents met Graeme Clifford when I was a young child of about two - circa 1950. He gave me a signed copy of the book The Oyster and the Snail. How can I find out more about the author?

  1. Starting with the National Library of Australia Catalogue, we find two copies of The Oyster and the Snail by Graeme Clifford. There are no other books by this author; it may be that this is the only book he ever published.
  2. Graeme Clifford appears in the AustLit database, but it doesn't list any biographical information, and only lists one work produced by him, The Oyster and the Snail.
  3. The reference work Australian children's books : a bibliography has Graeme Clifford listed, but again only that one work has been attributed to him. The book was self published, and the illustrator, J. A. Guerin illustrated several other children's books. The book was printed by Morris & Walker in Melbourne.
  4. One book review for The Oyster and the Snail appeared in the Argus on 16 Dec 1947. You can read it online here
  5. The Australian Electoral Rolls for Victoriaand other states have no reference to Graeme Clifford in the late 1940 or early 1950s, so there is no indication that he had another occupation. It may be that 'Graeme Clifford' was a pen name.

National Library collections

Marcie Muir Collection

Use the link in the 'Related records' field of this record. Each book has its own record, and in each record there is a link in the 'Related records' field so you can go back to the list.

Kerry White collection of Australian children's books

Search these in the same way noted above.

O’Neill Collection

The books in this Collection have been integrated into the Australian Collection, however there is a bibliography available: Australian children's books to 1980 : a select bibliography of the collection held in the National Library of Australia.

Online lists

The Children's Book Council of Australia has a section on Children's Book of the Year Awards. Winners are listed back to 1946.

Inside a dog - Managed by the State Library of Victoria, this is a place to find great reads and share your thoughts via reviews, blogs and book clubs

Use Trove to find the title you want in a library near you.

Featured resource

Finding australian literature Book for kids

Dennis, C. J & Gye, Hal. (1921). A book for kids, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-1047813

Dennis, C. J. (Clarence James), 1876-1938, A Book for Kids Sydney : Angus & Robertson, [1921]

Where can you read children's books online?

Early editions of two classic Australian children's books have been digitised by the National Library of Australia, and are available online:

Blinky Bill, the Quaint Little Australian (1933) by Dorothy Wall

Dot and the Kangaroo (1920) by Ethel C. Pedley

You can also find more digitised children's books on the International Children's Digital Library website. Search under 'Books by Country' to find Australian material.

Related link

National Centre for Australian Children's Literature - a comprehensive collection of books and other resources about authors, illustrators, publishers and their creative works, housed at the University of Canberra

In this guide

Two men, one on a ladder, looking at books on large bookshelf at the State Library of Victoria

Mark Strizic, Searching for books at the State Library of Victoria, January 1967, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-140508667

Australian literature research guide

A guide to finding Australian literature resources.

Research guide
black and white photo of two men shaking hands while two schoolboys look on

Fairfax Corporation, Two men shaking hands in front of a schoolboy holding two trophies and another with three books at Sydney Boys' High School, Sydney, 28 December 1931, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-161791200

Australian literature: Awards

How to find information about Australian literature awards.

Research guide
Finding australian literature The Burning

Williamson, Geordie, The burning library : our great novelists lost and found. Melbourne : Text Publishing, 2012

Australian literature: Book reviews

Book reviews appear in newspapers and scholarly journals. To locate these you can use a title search of a particular periodical, such as Australian Book Review.

Research guide
Findng australian literature Drama

Aitken, A., photographer, On the set of the film Two minutes silence, New South Wales, 12 May 1932, nla.obj-162472775

Australian literature: Drama

How to find Australian drama

Research guide
Finding australian literature - sams bush journey

Morgan, Sally and Kwaymullina, Ezekiel, Sam's Bush Journey, Surry Hills, N.S.W. : Little Hare Books, 2009

Australian literature: Indigenous

How to find information about Indigenous literature

First Australians
Australian poetry Banjo Paterson
Australian literature: Poetry

A guide to finding Australian poetry

Research guide
Australian literature Short stories

Fairfax Corporation, Four young boys reading books on top of a stone wall during health week at school, New South Wales, ca. 1930,nla.obj-162139840

Australian literature: Short stories

How to find Australian short stories

Research guide
cover of book 'The Cambridge history of Australian literature'

Peter Pierce, (2009), The Cambridge history of Australian literature, https://nla.gov.au/nla.cat-vn4557384

Australian literature: FAQs

Browse example questions received by the Library. Answers were provided by Reader Services staff using the resources in this guide.

Research guide
Page published: 12 Dec 2023

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