Media Release - Hall of Fame Award and Book of the Year winners announced

Poster – Book of the Year award winners 2007

The Book of the Year concept was an idea proposed by a member of Speech Pathology Australia.  Speech Pathology Australia awarded the inaugural Book of the Year in 2003 and Council endorsed the award as an annual event.

The intention of Book of the Year is to:

• Enhance people’s awareness of the role speech pathologists play in literacy development.
• Gradually develop a nationally recognised pool of books that speech pathologists can recommend for the development of oral language and speech and/or sound awareness.
• Promote the Association with the Book of the Year award ceremony.

List of nominated books for 2007

The ceremony for the award winners, Monday 23 July in Melbourne, celebrates the authors, their books’ promotion of literacy development and the joy of reading.

And the winners are…

Hall of Fame –
Children’s Language and Literature Award 2007

Speech Pathology Australia annually presents an award to an Australian writer who has made a sustained and high quality commitment to the promotion of children’s language and literature.



Mem Fox exemplifies this strong commitment to Australian literature.  She has published thirty picture books for children, including the much-loved Possum Magic which is the highest selling Australian children’s picture book ever.  Her book, Time for Bed is on Oprah’s list of the twenty best children’s books of all time.  Mem has also written five non-fiction books for adults, including the best-selling Reading Magic, aimed at parents of very young children. 

An Associate Professor in Literacy Studies at Flinders University in Adelaide, Mem taught teachers for twenty-four years. She has received many civic awards, honours and accolades in Australia, including two honorary doctorates. 

She received an AM for services to the cultural life of Australia, was a finalist for Australian of the Year in 2003 and has been awarded the Dromkeen Medal for distinguished services to children’s literature.  She is an influential international consultant in literacy and is especially well-regarded in the United States.

Mem was born in Australia, but left for Africa with her parents at the age of six months.  She grew up in Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) where she “learned to write by drawing letters in the read earth, later graduating to writing squeakily on slates.”  She now uses a computer, but will use a pencil and paper “whenever she has a writing problem to solve.”
Speech Pathology Australia is honoured to celebrate the work and talents of Mem Fox.

Best Book for Language Development:
Young Children

Clancy the Courageous Cow written and illustrated by Lachie Hume (Omnibus Books)

Clancy is a Belted Galloway without a belt – he’s completely black. The other cows are mean to him. What good is a Belted Galloway without a belt?

Clancy the Courageous Cow has a quirky sense of fun, subtly highlighting universal themes of understanding, experienced through the eyes of a central character we can all relate and warm to.  Packed full of opportunities to grab a child’s attention and stretch their vocabulary and language skills before they realise that they are not just laughing and playing, but learning and growing.  The bold illustrations mean that this story can be enjoyed on many different levels.

Lachie Hume wrote and illustrated the first draft of this story for a school project when he was twelve years old.

Best Book for Language Development:
Lower Primary children

Uno’s Garden written & illustrated by Graeme Base (Penguin/Viking)

When Uno comes to live in the forest, there are many fascinating animals to greet him – and one entirely unexceptional Snortlepig… But as the village grows up around his house, the animals begin to disappear… A beautifully illustrated story, full of magical creatures.  Uno’s Garden can be read and interpreted on many levels.  Incorporating language used by children every day it stimulates discussion and explores the thought-provoking issue of balance of life on our planet. While addressing complex environmental issues, this book is also full of funny looking characters and creatures with interesting names to spot and count. Engaging, it encourages the development of imagination and curiosity.

Best Book for Language Development:
Upper Primary children

Doubting Thomas written by Morris Gleitzman (Penguin/Viking)

Thomas has an embarrassing secret… is it a rare and special gift or the worst thing that could happen to a boy? Combining lots of laughs and clever word-play, particularly using the French element in the story to play with vocabulary, readers feel a real empathy with Thomas and are enticed to keep turning the pages.  Doubting Thomas explores many issues that this age group would face including fear, joy, curiosity, working on a sense of belonging and confusion.

For further information about the Book of the Year awards, please contact Caroline Huze: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or phone
03 9642 4899.