New Australian Children’s Laureate announced
March 9, 2020
The Board of the Australian Children’s Laureate Foundation, comprising leading representatives from the children’s book industry, have appointed multi-award winning author Ursula Dubosarsky as the Australian Children’s Laureate for 2020–2021.
The Copyright Agency’s Cultural Fund has supported the Australian Children’s Laureate program since 2011, providing a stipend to support each laureate for two years. Ursula is a Reading Australia author and has been a Copyright Agency member since 2006, so we are very excited that she will be promoting the theme Read For Your Life throughout her term.
“My intention wherever I go as Laureate over the next two years is to make an inspiring call to children, parents, teachers – everyone – to encourage children to join their local library and get their own library card,” Ursula says. “To create a generation of readers – readers who will continue to read their whole life long – they need access to a lot of books, all kinds of books, more books than any one family or even school can ever provide.”
Ursula has written over sixty books for both children and young adults, scooping up prizes and nominations along the way. This impressive list includes winning the New South Wales, Victorian, South Australian and Queensland Premier’s Literary Awards, as well as being nominated several times for the Astrid Lindgren and Hans Christen Andersen awards. Her acclaimed works include picture books such as The Terrible Plop; novels for older children like The Blue Cat; and the non-fiction Word Spy books about the English language.
The Australian Children’s Laureate will appear at high profile literary, education, library and ideas events (nationally and internationally) to champion the essential role of stories in children’s lives and in our culture. The touring program will enable leading cultural and educational institutions to present one of Australia’s leading writers in targeted, high-profile events.
“Now, more than ever, we need to continue to promote the vital role of creativity and reading in children’s lives,” Ursula says. “I am thrilled to be appointed to such a significant role in the Australian literary landscape.”