Picture Book of the Year Shortlist: Weekly sequence of activities 2025
Sometimes teachers do not wish to spend too long on an English unit or a particular text. For this reason, I have compiled a weekly sequence of activities for teachers, to introduce their students to the opulent and sumptuous shortlisted texts on the Picture Book of the Year list!
Picture book of the year shortlists 2025
Canby, K. (2024). A Leaf called Greaf
In this text, Greaf is a metaphor for grief. It is also a portmanteau- made up of the words green and leaf. Greaf is a text about loss, and it describes how Bear grieves for his lost siblings and the process he goes through to heal. English concepts: character and connotation, imagery, symbol.
Weekly sequence of teaching and learning activities
Saunders, K. & Blackwood, F. (2024). Afloat
Afloat introduces young children to themes of climate change, community, and First Nations wisdom. The story follows an Elder and a child who journey along waterways, gathering people and knowledge as they complete a community project- weaving a raft—a metaphor for working together towards a better world. English concepts: Connotation, Imagery and Symbol, and theme.
Weekly sequence of teaching and learning activities
Blackwood, F. (2024). The Garden of Broken Things
This text invites young children to explore notions of curiosity, compassion and awakening. The story follows a curious child who ventures into an overgrown garden behind an old, dilapidated house. There, she discovers a world of rusted, forgotten objects. Through the child’s joyful sharing of stories, the neglected garden becomes a place of connection and renewal. English concepts include character, narrative and connotation, imagery and symbol.
Weekly sequence of teaching and learning activities
Frenkel, D. & Snell, D. (2024). The Truck Cat
This text is about a a curious cat who travels in a truck with his companion Yacoub, who has recently arrived in Australia. When Tinka gets separated from Yacoub, he is rescued by a kind baker named Mari, who offers him a home. Their eventual reunion—sparked by the familiar scent of Mari’s bakery—leads to a new beginning for all three characters. English concepts: narrative, character; connotation, imagery and symbol.
Weekly sequence of teaching and learning activities
Pyke & Ghosh (2024). These long-loved things
A young man is lovingly caring for his elderly mother. The book time warps between when the child is small and his mother is caring for him, and when he is grown with a son of his own; and how they now both care for her. She finds it hard to remember. The text moves from present to past tense to show the movement between the past and present. Themes of the text include intergenerational love and empathy. English concepts theme, character.
Weekly sequence of teaching and learning activities
Petzold, D. (2024). We Live in a Bus
This text follows a family’s year-long road trip adventure around Australia, in their playfully named bus, Gracie Joy Rufus Bean, told through the eyes of a curious child. The family celebrates the wonders of nature. The book invites young readers to slow down, observe, and appreciate the small wonders around them. It is a perfect springboard for classroom discussions on travel, nature, and storytelling from different viewpoints. English concepts include connotation, imagery and symbol; character, and narrative.
