Books

We Feature Children’s Books Aligned with the Australian Curriculum

Browse our collection of thoughtfully selected children’s books that align with the Australian Curriculum across key learning areas: Science, Mathematics, Design and Technologies, English (Literacy and Literature), Humanities and Social Sciences (HaSS), and Health and Physical Education. These books are perfect for junior primary students in Foundation (age 5), Year 1 (age 6), and Year 2 (age 7).

Explore a wide range of engaging topics, from the natural world and problem-solving to social understanding and emotional wellbeing. Each book supports deeper classroom discussion and helps bring curriculum content to life through stories that children love.

Ideal for educators, librarians and parents looking for curriculum-aligned picture books that inspire learning and curiosity.

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Written by Steve Jenkins
Illustrated by Robin Page
Published by Houghton Mifflin Children
Theme/topic: External features and Habitats

Suggested learning area: AC9S1U01 (Science – Year 1) AC9SFU01 (Science – Foundation)

I See a Kookaburra! by Steve Jenkins & Robin Page is an engaging exploration of animal habitats around the world. Through detailed illustrations and informative text, children are invited to observe and identify different animals in their natural environments, from the Australian bush to the desert and jungle around the world.

This book supports young learners in recognising that living things have different external features and needs that help them survive (AC9SFU01 – Foundation Year, Science). It also encourages children to explore how different places provide the resources animals need to live and grow (AC9S1U01 – Year 1, Science).

With its interactive “seek-and-find” style and rich factual content, I See a Kookaburra! fosters curiosity and a deeper understanding of biodiversity and ecosystems.

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Written by Bill Martin and John Archambault
Illustrated by Ted Rand
Published by Square Fish
Theme/topic: External features

Suggested learning area: AC9SFU01 (Science – Foundation)

Here Are My Hands by Bill Martin and John Archambault is a rhythmic and engaging picture book that celebrates the different parts of the human body and their functions. Through simple, repetitive text and vibrant illustrations, young readers are encouraged to recognise their own external features and explore their purposes, such as hands for clapping, feet for running, and eyes for seeing (AC9SFU01 – Foundation Year, Science).

This book fosters body awareness, supports early language development, and provides opportunities for interactive learning, making it a wonderful resource for exploring how our bodies help us engage with the world around us.

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Written by Rebecca Hirsh
Illustrated by Mia Posada
Published by Millbrook Picture Books
Theme/topic: Basic needs and External features

Suggested learning area: AC9S1U01 (Science – Year 1) AC9SFU01 (Science – Foundation)

Plants Can’t Sit Still is a fascinating and poetic exploration of the many ways plants move, grow, and respond to their environment. Through engaging text and vivid illustrations, the book challenges the common perception that plants are motionless, showcasing how they creep, climb, curl, and reach toward the sun. It helps young readers observe and understand the external features of plants and how they help them survive (AC9SFU01 – Foundation Year, Science). The book also supports learning about how plants, like other living things, have basic needs, such as water, sunshine, and room to grow (AC9S1U01 – Year 1, Science). With its dynamic storytelling and rich scientific concepts, Plants Can’t Sit Still encourages curiosity about the natural world and inspires children to observe plants in action.

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Written by Steven Huynh
Illustrated by Gehenna Pham
Published by Steven De GC
Theme/topic: Emotional regulation, Emotions, Inclusion, Poem, and Producing

Suggested learning area: AC9E1LA04 (English Language and Literacy – Year 1) AC9E2LE03 (English Language and Literacy – Year 2) AC9E2LE04 (English Language and Literacy – Year 2) AC9HP2P01 (Health and Physical Education – Year 1,Year 2) AC9HP2P02 (Health and Physical Education – Year 1,Year 2) AC9HP2P03 (Health and Physical Education – Year 1,Year 2) AC9HP2P05 (Health and Physical Education – Year 1,Year 2) AC9HPFP02 (Health and Physical Education – Foundation) AC9HPFP03 (Health and Physical Education – Foundation) AC9TDE2K01 (Design and Technologies – Year 1,Year 2) AC9TDEFK01 (Design and Technologies – Foundation)

The poem follows a young girl who struggles to express herself calmly, often shouting when she feels frustrated or unheard. Through her journey, she learns to recognise and understand her emotions (AC9HPFP03, AC9HP2P03 – Foundation to Year 2, Health and Physical Education) and works to develop positive strategies for expressing her thoughts and feelings in respectful ways (AC9HPFP02, AC9HP2P02 – Foundation to Year 2, Health and Physical Education).

The story also encourages children to explore characters’ perspectives and emotional responses, fostering empathy (AC9HP2P01 – Health and Physical Education, Years 1 and 2). It helps them define safe and unsafe environments through interactions with friends in a classroom, establishing help-seeking strategies in such situations (AC9HP2P05 – Health and Physical Education, Years 1 and 2). Additionally, the book highlights how environments, such as a calm corner or designated green boxes, can be designed to support emotional regulation and meet classroom needs (AC9TDEFK01, AC9TDE2K01 – Foundation to Year 2, Design and Technologies).

With its poetic language and engaging illustrations, The Shouting Girl helps students understand how rhyme and rhythm create cohesion in poems. It also explores how words and images shape settings and characters, along with other literary features such as lists of three and similes.

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Written & illustrated by Ellen Stoll Walsh
Published by HMH Books
Theme/topic: Counting and Narrative

Suggested learning area: AC9EFLE02 (English Language and Literacy – Foundation) AC9EFLE05 (English Language and Literacy – Foundation) AC9MFN01 (Mathematics – Foundation)

This charming story supports early maths and literacy development. As a hungry snake finds and counts ten mice one by one, children are invited to practise counting forward and backward, reinforcing the concept of matching quantities with numbers (AC9MFN01 – Foundation Year, Mathematics).

The story has clear features of a narrative, which create opportunities for children to share ideas about events, such as the problem and its resolution, and the characters in the text (AC9EFLE02 – Foundation Year, English). Children can also retell the story through drawing, role-playing, or sequencing events, building their comprehension and creative expression (AC9EFLE05 – Foundation Year, English).

With its simple text, bold illustrations, and engaging plot, Mouse Count is an ideal resource for integrating numeracy and literacy in early childhood learning.

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Written by Phyllis Root
Illustrated by Jane Chapman
Published by CWP
Theme/topic: Counting, Repetition, and Rhyme

Suggested learning area: AC9EFLE04 (English Language and Literacy – Foundation) AC9MFN01 (Mathematics – Foundation)

This picture book invites children to count along as various animals come to help a duck who’s stuck in the muck. The repetitive, rhyming text supports early literacy development by exposing children to rhymes and predictable sentence patterns (AC9EFLE04 – Foundation Year, English).

At the same time, the book reinforces key mathematical concepts by encouraging children to recognise numerals, match quantities, and practise sequencing numbers up to ten (AC9MFN01 – Foundation Year, Mathematics). With its engaging rhythm, vibrant illustrations, and opportunities for counting and number sequence, One Duck Stuck is an excellent resource for developing both early language and numeracy skills in an enjoyable and memorable way.

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Written & illustrated by Mitsumasa Anno
Published by HarperCollins AU
Theme/topic: Counting

Suggested learning area: AC9MFN01 (Mathematics – Foundation)

Anno’s Counting Book by Mitsumasa Anno is a beautifully illustrated and engaging book that introduces young children to the concept of numbers and counting. As the story unfolds, readers are invited to follow a journey through various landscapes, counting objects and animals along the way. This simple yet captivating narrative allows children to practise recognising numerals and matching them with corresponding quantities (AC9MFN01 – Foundation Year, Mathematics).

The book’s enchanting illustrations and gentle pacing make it a perfect resource for young learners to develop early number sense, visualising quantities, and building a strong foundation for understanding numbers in a real-world context. By combining storytelling with mathematical concepts, Anno’s Counting Book encourages curiosity and exploration, fostering a love for both reading and maths.

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Written by Andrea Rowe
Illustrated by Hannah Sommerville
Published by Little Hare Books
Theme/topic: Counting, Habitats, and Ocean

Suggested learning area: AC9MFN01 (Mathematics – Foundation) AC9S1U01 (Science – Year 1)

The book invites young readers on a sensory exploration of the creatures and treasures found in coastal rockpools. The story encourages children to observe and describe the natural features of seaside habitats, including the plants and animals that live there, supporting understanding of animal needs and environments (AC9S1U01 – Year 1, Science).

As children engage with the rhythmic text and detailed illustrations, they also practise early number skills, such as counting shells, crabs, and other seaside items, reinforcing concepts of matching quantities with numerals and naming numbers in sequence (AC9MFN01 – Foundation Year, Mathematics).

This book is a rich cross-curricular resource, perfect for supporting science and maths learning through storytelling, observation, and wonder.

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Written by Kirli Saunders
Illustrated by Freya Blackwood
Published by Little Hare Books
Theme/topic: Culture, First Nations Culture, Identity, Producing, Sustainability, and Weaving

Suggested learning area: AC9HP2P01 (Health and Physical Education – Year 1,Year 2) AC9TDE2K01 (Design and Technologies – Year 1,Year 2) AC9TDE2K03 (Design and Technologies – Year 1,Year 2)

The book is a poetic and reflective story that gently explores connection to Country, identity, and community through the metaphor of water and weaving. Rooted in Aboriginal perspectives, the text provides a meaningful opportunity to learn about weaving as a cultural practice that strengthens identity and builds unity within community (AC9HP2P01 – Years 1 and 2, Health and Physical Education).

The story also opens conversations around sustainability and traditional knowledge, showing how weaving products are crafted from native plants found in local environments (AC9TDE2K01, AC9TDE2K03 – Years 1 and 2, Design and Technologies). By recognising the environmental sources and cultural significance of materials, Afloat supports an appreciation for First Nations practices and their role in caring for Country.

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