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We respectfully acknowledge the Wurundjeri People of the Kulin Nation, who are the Traditional Owners of the land on which the ACTF is based and pay our respect to their Elders past and present.

We are honoured to have the opportunity to learn from the oldest cultural storytellers in the world and seek to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander practitioners to share their rich culture and perspectives with children in Australia and around the world via stories on screen.

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Discover Australian picture books for older readers

Teachers, if you are here, we already know that you love Australian stories. With this recently launched database, curated by the lovely team at the National Centre for Australian Children’s Literature, you can explore or revisit hundreds of engaging written texts to share with your students.

The National Centre for Australian Children’s Literature (NCACL) has produced a freely available resource to champion picture story books for students in Year 5 through to secondary school. Encompassing a wide range of literary and artistic styles, the collected titles in the Picture Books for Older Readers database will assist teachers in addressing many complex and contemporary topics in the classroom.

There are presently 258 books in this free database, and titles will continue to be added. These picture books were selected as they can be read on several levels and interpreted differently depending on the audience. They can also be suitable for more than one audience at once simultaneously and assist students in becoming competent in image analysis and identifying storytelling devices.

Each entry in the database includes an annotation, subjects, hyperlinked free resources to extend the book and relevant Australian Curriculum (Version 9) links. The NCACL has also provided suggestions for educators using these rich texts here.