Ursula Dubosarsky announced as new Australian Children’s Laureate

Acclaimed children’s author Ursula Dubosarsky has been announced as the new Australian Children’s Laureate, an honour awarded to an acclaimed Australian creator of children’s and youth literature who has made a significant contribution to the children’s literature canon of this country.

The Laureate’s role is to promote the importance of creativity, story and reading through a nominated project for their two year term while engaging with children across the country.

Ms Dubosarsky’s term, and that of other Laureates, is managed by The Australian Children’s Laureate Foundation (ACLF), an independent, national, not-for-profit organisation founded in 2008 to champion and promote the transformational power of reading in the lives of young Australians.

The ACLF runs the Laureate program with a particular focus on children in remote or poorly resourced areas, and is driven by research which shows that reading leads to a more vibrant imagination, better education, increased empathy and a greater understanding of people and how to navigate a path through life.

Since 2012, the Laureates have actively engaged with over 300,000 people of all ages, with each Laureate visiting all states and territories from metro to the most remote schools, and have celebrated many highlights including establishing One Loud Voice, a network of children’s literature bodies from Australia and New Zealand to work towards embedding a reading culture throughout both countries.

An ACLF spokesperson said the group was thrilled to announce the appointment of Ms Dubosarsky to the role for 2020–21. Her numerous accomplishments include writing more than 60 books for children, including novels, picture and illustrated books, non-fiction books and a play. Three of her books have been adapted into plays, and many of her titles have won or been shortlisted for numerous national literary awards.

“Thirty years after the publication of her first book, she will now embark on a two-year term as the Australian Children’s Laureate, travelling the country to raise awareness of the important role reading and storytelling should play in the lives of children,” the spokesperson said.