HUGE congrats to Mina and the Whole Wide World by Sherryl Clark, illustrated by our own Briony Stewart which has won the Prime Minister’s Literary Awards, in the 2022 children’s category!

A powerful story about a young girl, Mina, and how she copes when her family take in a refugee boy and give away what was meant to be her first very-own bedroom.

Here’s what the PM Lit Awards judges had to say:

“Mina’s voice is poetic and well-pitched and Briony Stewart’s illustrations are a highlight, using marvelously expressive body language and unusual perspectives to eloquently express an important theme of this book: that pictures can be a profound form of communication when words are too hard to find. This is an outstanding example of a verse novel for younger readers; a slim yet satisfying story that opens up a world of ideas with plenty of space for children to imagine, empathise and ponder complex issues and feelings.”

AMAZING! And congratulations to Sherryl, Briony and publisher University of Queensland Press (UQP)

You can read more about the awards in this ABC News article too.