Award Winners
2021 Sisters in Crime Davitt Award Shortlist
The Fire Wombat (with Danny Snell)
2021 Australian Book of the Year, Picture Books, Longlist
2021 Children's Book Council of Australia Award, The Picture Book of the Year, Notable Book
2017 NSW Premier's Literary Awards, Ethel Turner Prize for Young Adult's Literature, Shortlist
Cyclone (with Bruce Whatley)
2017 Children's Book Council of Australia Award, The Picture Book of the Year Notable
2017 Australian Book Design Awards, Children's Illustrated, (Nicole Stofberg designer) Shortlisted,
2013 Chilidren's Book Council of Australia Awards Honour Book
The Tomorrow Book (Illustrated by Sue deGennaro)
2011 Wilderness Society Environment Award for Children's Literature Winner
2010 NSW Premier's History Awards Young People's History Award Winner
Baby Wombats Week (Illustrated by Bruce Whatley)
2010 Australian Book Industry Awards Book of the Year for Younger Readers Winner
Chilidren's Book Council of Australia
They Came on Viking Ships
2006 NSW Premier's History Awards, Young People's History Prize Shortlist
My Dad the Dragon Tom Appleby, Convict Boy
Chilidren's Book Council of Australia 2005, Younger Readers Shortlist
To the Moon and Back (with Bryan Sullivan)
Chilidren's Book Council Awards2005 Eve Pownall Award for Information Books, Winner
Pete the Sheep (illustrated by Bruce Whatley)
2005 KOALA (Kids Own Australian Literature Awards), Shortlist
Picture Book of the Year Shortlist
Hitler's Daughter,
2004 Aurealis Awards for Fantasy and Science Fiction, Best Young Adult Novel
Shortlist
2004, USA Benjamin Franklin Award,
2004 USA Lemmee Award
2003 Notable Children's Book by the American Library Association (ALA)
2003 Named a "Blue Ribbon" book by the Bulletin for the Center of Children's Books in the USA.
2002 KOALA, COOL and YABBA awards, Shortlisted
2002 Children's Choice Book Awards, Older Reader's, Shortlisted
2001 UK National Literacy Association WOW! Award
2001 Bilby Award, Older Reader's Category, Shortlist
2001 WAYBRA, Younger Reader's Category, Sortlist
2000 The Sanderson Young Adult Audio Book of the Year Awards: Vision Australia Library Shortlisted
2000 Children's Book Council of Australia Award, Younger Readers, Winner
Diary of a Wombat
2004 Bilby Award, Shortlist
2003 Cuffie Awards, USA voted Favourite Picture Book of the Year
2003 Cuffie Awards, USA voted Funniest Picture Book (Tied with Diary of a Worm)
2003 #2 on the 'Best 20 picture books for 2003' in the USA
Cool Award, for Best Picture Book, voted by the kids of the ACT
2003 Winner Young Australian Readers' Award
2003 Winner KOALA Award for Best Picture Book
2003 ABA/AA Neilson Book of the Year
2003 Children's Book Council of Australia Award, The Picture Book of the Year, Shortlist
2003 KOALA, COOL and YABBA awards, Shortlist
2004 Kind Award, Shortlist
2004 Australian Publisher's Association Book Design Awards for Best Designed Children's Picture Book, Shortlist and also for a Galley Club Award!
2003, Children's Choice Book Awards, Shortlist
Valley of Gold
2004 Children's Book Council of Australia Award, Notable Book
Ride the Wild Wind
2003 NSW Premier's Literary Awards, The Patricia Wrightson Award, Shortlist
2003 Children's Book Council of Australia Award, Notable Book
In the Blood
2002 ACT Book of the Year
Blood Will Tell
2004 Aurealis Award, Shortlist
Cafe on Callisto
2000 Aurealis Award, Winner
Lady Dance
2001 Children's Book Council of Australia Award, Notable Book
Stamp, Stomp, Whomp
2001 Children's Book Council of Australia Award, Notable Book
Missing You, Love Sara
2002 KOALAs (Kids' Own Australian Literature Award), Shortlist
2001 Young Australian's Best Book Award (YABBA), Older Reader's, Shortlist
2001 Children's Book Council of Australia Award, Notable Book
2001 West Australian Young Readers' Book Award (WAYRBA) Older Reader's, Shortlist
Too Many Pears
2004 Children's Book Council of Australia Award, Notable Book
2004 COOL and KOALA
How to Guzzle Your Garden
2000 Children's Book Council of Australia Award, Eve Pownall Award for Information, Shortlisted
Daughter of the Regiment
1999 Children's Book Council of Australia Award, Younger Readers, Shortlisted
Somewhere Around the Corner
1995 Children's Book Council of Australia Award, Younger Readers Honour Book
NSW Family Therapy Association & Victorian Association of Family Therapists, The Family Award for Children's Books, Highly Commended
Walking the Boundaries
1994
Notable Book, CBCA Book of the Year: Younger Readers
Shortlisted in the Junior Section of the Australian Multicultural Children's Literature Awards
Rain Stones
1993
Shortlisted in the Primary Age Group of the WAYRBAs
1992
Shortlisted, CBCA Book of the Year: Younger Readers
1991
Shortlisted, Children's Book Award in the NSW Premier's Literary Awards
The Roo that Won the Melbourne Cup
1992
Notable Book, CBCA Book of the Year: Younger Readers
And let's not forget the Half a Mars Bar Award!
This was awarded to Jackie by two boys, who thought her books were the best in the universe and saved up to buy her a Mars Bar. But they ate half of it on the bus as they thought she wouldn't mind sharing.
Previous web entries and comments from past awards:
December 2006
Too Many Pears was number three picture book in the kid's choice Koala Awards... and very many thanks to everyone who voted for it! And Hitler's Daughter was placed on the honour roll of the kid's choice Yabba Awards as it had been on the shortlist for the past five years. Again, many many thankyous!
September 2006
'They Came in Viking Ships' has just been short listed for the NSW Premier's History award. It's the story of Hekja Scottish slave, or thrall, and her dog Snarf, who are captured by Freydis Eriksdaughter and her Viking crew and taken to Greenland and then Vinland. It's based on the true stories in the Icelandic Sagas, and is about to be released in the USA, Canada and UK under the title 'Rover'. It's been picked up elsewhere too, in translation, but not sure under which name.
Hitler's Daughter and Too Many Pears were short listed last month for the kid's choice Yabba and Koala awards...and enormous thank yous to everyone who has voted for them! It means an incredible amount! Pete the Sheep has also been listed as one of the 50 Books Alive books too. Books Alive is an initiative of the Federal government and the Australia Council. Every time you buy one of the 50 books you get a free book too.
August 2006
Hitler's Daughter and Too Many Pears have been short listed for the kid's choice Yabba and Koala awards...and enormous thank yous to everyone who has voted for them! It means an incredible amount! Pete the Sheep has also been listed as one of the 50 Books Alive books too. Books Alive is an initiative of the Federal government and the Australia Council. Every time you buy one of the 50 books you get a free book too. And many many thanks to the kids of Gladysdale Primary School for voting Too many Pears the winner in their Best Picture Book Award!!! I hope you have many decades of wonderful reading ahead of you!
July 2006
Gladysdale Primary School has just awarded 'Too Many Pears' their G.A.B.B.A. (Gladysdale Australia Best Book Award). So from me and Bruce Whately and Pamela the Cow, thank you!!
May 2006
The Secret World of Wombats has just been short listed for one of the prizes in the NSW Literary Awards, and They Came on Viking Ships made a Notable Book by the CBC.
March 2006
Secret World of Wombats has just been shortlisted for the The Wilderness Society's non-fiction book award in the Environment Award for Children's Literature 2006. (It was shortlisted for the NSW Premier's Patricia Wrightson Award too.)
December 2005
'Hitler's Daughter' has been nominated for the Yabba Award so many times it has now been placed in the Yabba Hall of Fame ... and many, many thanks to everyone who voted for it! And Pete the Sheep is in the Koala Awards Top Ten ... and thank you everyone for that too!
September 2005
Calloo Callay and To the Moon and Back won the 2005 CBC Eve Pownall Award for Information books! Bryan is totally thrilled an so am I. (To the Moon and Back is the story of Honeysuckle Creek and the Apollo missions to the moon. Bryan worked there all the way through, including that day when Neil Armstrong was the first human to step onto the moon surface, and the day Apollo 13 exploded.
And Gladysdale Primary School has awarded Diary of a Wombat their GABBA (Gladysville Australia Best Book Awards) Best Picture Story Book Award!!! And many many thanks to everyone at Gladysville and Liz Burke too. (Also from Mothball!) Which leaves Pete the Sheep and Hitler's Daughter short listed for the Koala awards later this year, and again, enormous thanks to every who votes for them!
August 2005
Bryan and I head up to Sydney next week for the CBC Award Ð our 'To the Moon and Back' is short listed for the Eve Pownall Information Book Award. Keep your fingers crossed for us. It'll be my first trip away since I was ill Ð but a nice gentle one.
'Pete the Sheep' and 'Hitler's Daughter' have been short listed for the Koala Kid's Choice Awards too Ð thank you to everyone who voted for them!
July 2005
The Japanese version of HITLER'S DAUGHTER received the semi-grand prix of the SANKEI CHILDREN'S BOOK AWARD last month, and Pete the Sheep and Hitler's Daughter have been short listed for the Koala awards. This is the sixth time Hitler's Daughter has been short listed for Koala- thank you enormously to everyone who keeps voting for it!
To the Moon and Back (the story of Australia and the journey to the moon, with Bryan Sullivan, or He Who Argues with the Wombat) is still short listed for a CBC award. We won't find out till August if it's won or is an honour book.
April 2005
To the Moon and Back has just been shortlisted for a CBC award- Bryan is delighted! We wrote the book together. It's the story of Australia and man's journey to the moon. It was a labour of love for both of us, and the Harper Collins team who worked on it too - definitely worth it!
January 2005
'Flesh and Blood' has been shortlisted for an Aurealis Award Ð and many, many thanks to all who voted for it!!!!!
It's the third and last in the Outlands series, ('In the Blood', 'Blood Moon' and then 'Flesh and Blood'). The first looked at genetically-engineered vampires. Does vampirism have to be bad? Many cultures drink animals' blood rather than eat the flesh - after all, a cow has to die for you to have a steak to eat but if you drink its blood it can go on munching.
The second featured genetically-engineered werewolves - which is really the more savage contributor, the human or the wolf? And the third has a plague where the dead rise again.
October 2004
The only one this month was a certificate for a Benjamin Franklin Award but (I'll whisper it) I'm not sure what it's for . . . or even who awards them.
July 2004
Too Many Pears and Valley of Gold have been listed as CBC Notable books. Hitler's Daughter has been short listed again in the Children's choice awards in the Older Readers category, and Diary of a Wombat short listed for the Bilby Awards.
Hitler's Daughter and Too many Pears have been short listed for the Cool Awards too.
Thank you enormously for everyone who voted for them and nominated them! I wish I could kiss all your toes!
May 2004
DIARY OF A WOMBAT has been awarded a 'KIND' award in the USA by the equivalent of our RSPCA for its humour and for showing how humans can live peaceably with wildlife.
Bryan said they'd rather missed the point- living with wombats is anything BUT peaceful! But it's truly lovely to be given the award.
Too Many Pears and Hitler's Daughter have also been short listed for the YABBA awards- and a million zillion thanks to all who voted for them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And Valley of Gold was a Notable Book with this year's CBC Awards.
April 2004
Three US awards last month-
DIARY OF A WOMBAT has been chosen as a finalist for the 2004 Book Sense Book of the Year, and also named Picture Book of the Year and tied for Funniest book of the Year in the Cuffie Awards.
HITLER'S DAUGHTER has been named a "Blue Ribbon" book by the Bulletin for the Center of Children's Books.
March 2004
Diary of a Wombat was given the YARA Award last week - Young Australian Reader Awards. Kids from all over Australia vote online for their favourite book. Which I think is about seven awards for wombat Š or is it eight? Lost count! But it's a fabulous award to have, and thank you very very very VERY much for everyone who voted for it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It was a great day too- and enormous thanks to the kids from Palmerstone who organised it. You did a fabulous job! (And as always Barbara Braxton too!) And I LOVED the singing, and the wombat play! Hope no one got indigestion from the wombat droppings. (To anyone who wasn't there- they were pretty chocolaty wombat droppings).
February 2004
It's been a good month for awards in the USA! HITLER'S DAUGHTER has been named a "Blue Ribbon" book by the Bulletin for the Centre of Children's Books. In 'The Cuffies' in Publisher's Weekly Diary of a Wombat was awarded Best Picture Book, and tied with Funniest Picture Book , and has also been made an honour book- though I'm not quite sure what.
January 2004
Diary of a Wombat won something or was listed for something good in the USA, I think- I'm just not sure what it is! But whatever it was meant that the New York Times gave it a great review, and Time magazine listed it as one of the best books to give kids for Christmas. They described a wombat as a sort of Australian bear. Not sure if Mothball would like being called an Australian bear. On the other hand, Mothball's response to any magazine would be to chew it up.
September 2003
Diary of a Wombat has just won the ABA Book of the Year- which is fairly stunning as it's a kid's book (well, sort of; most grown ups think it is for them too) and the others in the shortlist were for adults- Recollections of a Bleeding Heart , Across the Nightingale Floor and Almost French. (When I have mentioned that list to anyone they have all said in a doubtful tone of voice 'I though 'Bleeding Heart' was absolutely brilliant...'..but anyway, and very, very glad we have won it! (and Bruce and I are in the thick of our next collaboration...heh heh heh...giggle every time I think of it. But it won't be out till next year. ) Wombat also won Honour Book for the CBC Picture Book of the Year, and is shortlisted for the kid's choice Koala, Cool and Yabba Awards. Hitler's Daughter is too.
May 2003
It's been a great month for shortlistings!
Both Hitler's Daughter and Diary of a Wombat have been shortlisted in the 2003 Children's Choice Awards. That's on top of Wombat's shortlisting for the Children's Book Council award for Best Picture Book. Diary of a Wombat has also been shortlisted in the Australian Publisher's Association Book Design Awards for Best-Designed Children's Picture Book, and also for a Galley Club Award!
And the NSW Premier's Awards will be announced later this month, and Ride the Wild Wind has been shortlisted for the Patricia Wrightson Award too.
Which leaves me a bit breathlesss... The UK rights to Diary of a wombat are being auctioned this month, and the US have doubled their Wombat print run for Christmas, and a host of other overseas countries are taking a horde of the other books. So it looks like Mothball wombat will have fresh doormats for a good while yet.
April 2003
And Ride the Wild Wind has just been shortlisted for the NSW Premier's Historical Fiction Award, which makes it sound very boring, but it isn't- it's' the histroy of the partnership between huamnsd and horses for the last 3,500 years- and that makes it sound REALLY boring. But they really are exciting horse stories, with everything from Ghengis Kahns armies sweeping across Asia (on horseback- 100,000 horses) to a kid who tames a wild horse that no one else could manage in the 1830's in Australia.
And Diary of a Wombat has just been shortlisted for the CBC awards- I still feel extraordinary delight every time I open that book. How could Bruce Whatley have known exactly what Mothball is like? Stroppy, bad tempered, totally self centred, and sometimes a bit smelly too- and enormous fun to live with.
December 2002
'In the Blood' (the first in the trilogy) has just been awarded ACT Book of the Year (Wacko!). The third volume will come out next year, packaged up with the first two. They're adult books but any teenagers who loved the first two can grab the third!
April 2002
Also an Aurealis Award a few weeks ago for Cafe on Callisto, and in the U. K. Hitler's Daughter has won a WOW! award, which is fantastic as it's only just come out there.
Jackie wrote her first children's book `Rainstones' in 1990 in a desperate attempt to earn $106.40 to register her car, while living in a shed with a wallaby called Fred, a black snake called Gladys and a wombat called Smudge. It was described by the editor at HarperCollins as the messiest, worst spelt manuscript they'd ever received.
The book was accepted (also shortlisted for the NSW Premier's Award and CBC Younger Reader's Book of the Year). In the same fortnight she was offered a regular column in a newspaper and a farming magazine and discovered that writing about flowers and fantasy was a heck of a lot easier than hauling manure in the old green truck to feed the peach trees. She has been a full time writer and wombat negotiator ever since.