Looking for something new to excite and inspire the littlest loves in your life? Then you’re in for a treat with this handful of titles we’ve come across – all from a new crop of Australian talent no less! First up, following on from a successful short film of the same name, Hailey Bartholomew’s self-published Ruby Who? (which launches at Brisbane’s Avid Reader this Friday) follows the adventures of a little girl who tries to be like everyone else until she realises, actually, ‘I like to be me‘! Illustrated by Little Jane Street‘s Alarna Zinn, it teaches the little misses in our lives important lessons about individuality and DIY personal style – a leaf out of our book if ever there was one!

Also for younger readers is Tai Snaith’s beautiful The Family Hour (Thames & Hudson). With magical watercolour illustrations throughout, the book introduces little ones to 15 Australian animals and their families, representing and normalising real-world diversity by including single mums and dads, same sex parents, extended families and more. (And for us non-kidlets, the inclusion of mid-century furniture design elements is a whole other category of excellent).

Meanwhile, for slightly older readers, Anna Barnes’ GIRL!: The Ultimate Guide to Being You (Puffin) gives tween girls a very valuable 360 degree view of the world via a sassy guidebook that covers everything from DIY and conscious consumption to asylum seekers and climate change – with Catherine Campbell‘s delightful illustrations only complimenting its sweet-but-smart style.

We’d love to know which other titles are exciting you and your little ones at the moment – please do let us know in the comments section below!