The Australian Book Industry award, is hosted by the Australian Publishers Association to recognize excellent Australian writing, although of course with a bias towards sales rather than literary quality. The book that won the award is not a mystery or a autobiography, instead it was a children’s book.
The title of the book is Bluey: The Beach and it is published by Penguin Random Houses Australian imprint, Puffin. titles from the Bluey board book series were the 2nd, 3rd and 4th bestselling books in the country in 2019, and derive from the Emmy-winning Australian children’s TV series of the same name. Bluey being a dog, the antics of which have earned sales totaling over 1 million across 7 titles in the series.
Holly Toohey, Penguin Random House Australia head of brands partnerships and audio, said, ‘We knew the Bluey books needed to find ways to translate the sound, movement, humour and heart of the show into a static format—to deliver a reading experience that wasn’t a carbon copy of the episodes. We selected The Beach as it gave us the ability to dive deeper into Bluey’s journey of self-discovery.
‘And of course, The Beach was the perfect title to launch with as we headed into the Australian summer. It’s been an honour to be part of the Bluey phenomenon and see the books find their place, alongside the show, in the homes and hearts of so many children—and parents!’
Michael Kozlowski is the editor of the Good e-Reader News Publication and the Good e-Reader Bookstore. He has been chronicling the e-reader and publishing industry since 2007, the year the Kindle was first released. His stories have been picked up by the New York Times, Washington Post and various online news sites.