All of us here at Booked Out were thrilled by the announcement of Leigh Hobbs as the new Australian Children’s Laureate for 2016-2017. Leigh’s work has delighted readers for over 20 years, with his characters Old Tom, Horrible Harriet and Mr. Chicken well loved by children and adults alike. Congratulations Leigh!

We would also like to congratulate outgoing Australian Children’s Laureate, Jackie French for her wonderful work in 2015. Jackie, along with Australian Children’s Literature Alliance founding board member Ann James, and Victorian sub-committee member Ann Haddon have each received the Member of the Order of Australia for their dedicated work in children’s literature.

Leigh’s next official appearance as Children’s Laureate will be a special Meet the Laureate event with ABC Splash and the Centre for Youth Literature. You can watch the live stream of this event over the internet at 2pm (AEST) on Thursday 25th February.