Australian Honours and Awards

Order of Australia Medal for Services to Children’s Literature, Australia Day 2026

ACT Literary Awards (MARION)

• Sensational Australian Animals (CSIRO Publishing), illustrated by Cher Hart, Highly Commended, Children’s Books for Younger Readers, ACT Literary Awards 2025
• Swifty: The Super-fast Parrot (CSIRO Publishing), illustrated by Astred Hicks, Highly Commended, Children’s Traditional Publishing Award, MARION ACT Notable Book Awards 2023
• Australia’s Wild Weird Wonderful Weather (NLA Publishing), illustrated by Tania McCartney, Highly Commended, Children’s 2020 Big Press Award, ACT Notable Awards 2022
• Will the Wonderkid: Treasure Hunter of the Australian Outback (NLA Publishing), Highly Commended, Children’s 2020 Big Press Award, ACT Notable Awards 2022
• Trouble in the Surf (NLA Publishing), illustrated by Briony Stewart, Shortlisted, Children’s Book Award 2020
  
• Lennie the Legend: Solo to Sydney by Pony (NLA Publishing), Highly Commended, Children’s Book Award 2016

Australian Book Designers Association (ABDA)

• Swifty: The Super-fast Parrot (CSIRO Publishing), illustrated by Astred Hicks, Longlisted, Best Designed Children’s Non-fiction Book, ABDA Book Design Awards 2023

Australian Book Review (ABR)

• ‘From Little Things Big Things Grow: Belonging by Jeannie Baker’, Winner, Australian Book Review Reviewing Competition 2005

Canberra Times and Manning Clark House

• ‘Quo Vadis Australia’, Winner, Manning Clark Footnotes to History Essay Competition 2001

Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA)

• Peculiar Parents (NLA Publishing), Notable Book, Eve Pownall Award for Information Books, CBCA Book of the Year Awards 2026
• Sensational Australian Animals (CSIRO Publishing), Notable Book, Eve Pownall Award for Information Books, CBCA Book of the Year Awards 2025
• Australia’s Wild, Weird, Wonderful Weather (NLA Publishing), illustrated by Tania McCartney, Notable Book, Eve Pownall Award for Information Books, CBCA Book of the Year Awards 2021
  Will the Wonderkid: Treasure Hunter of the Australian Outback
  (NLA Publishing), Notable Book, Eve Pownall Award for Information Books, CBCA Book of the Year Awards 2021
• Trouble in the Surf (NLA Publishing), illustrated by Briony Stewart, Notable Book, Eve Pownall Award for Information Books,
  CBCA Book of the Year Awards 2020
• Marvellous Miss May, Queen of the Circus (NLA Publishing), Notable Book, Eve Pownall Award for Information Books,
  CBCA Book of the Year Awards 2019
• CBCA Laurie Copping Award for Distinguished Service to Children’s Literature in the ACT 2019
• Lennie the Legend: Solo to Sydney by Pony (NLA Publishing), Winner, Eve Pownall Award for Information Books, CBCA Book of the Year Awards 2016
  
• Lost! A True Tale from the Bush (National Library of Australia), Shortlisted, Eve Pownall Award for Information Books, CBCA Book of the Year Awards 2010

International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY)

• I’ve Got a Feeling! (National Library of Australia), illustrated by Stephanie Owen Reeder, Outstanding Books for Young People with a Disability 2011

Museums Australasia Publishing and Design Awards (MAPDA)

• Australia’s Wild, Weird, Wonderful Weather (NLA Publishing), illustrated by Tania McCartney, Children’s Book Award 2021

New South Wales Premier’s History Awards

• Marvellous Miss May, Queen of the Circus (NLA Publishing), Shortlisted, Young People’s History Prize 2018
• Lennie the Legend: Solo to Sydney by Pony (NLA Publishing), Shortlisted, Young People’s History Prize 2015
• Amazing Grace: An Adventure at Sea (NLA Publishing), Winner, Young People’s History Prize 2012

Sydney Teachers College

• Distinguished Academic Record, Graduate Diploma in Education 1975
• Cheshire Publishing Prize for History, Graduate Diploma in Education 1975

Whitley Book Awards

• Sensational Australian Animals (CSIRO Publishing), illustrated by Cher Hart, Winner, Children’s Investigative Zoology, Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales 2024