We are delighted to present the 2026 Hardie Grant Children’s Publishing Christmas list –a joyful, emotionally rich and extremely special collection of books that capture the full breadth of what we do best. This Christmas we have standout new titles, beloved creators and powerful storytelling that will fly off your shelves and delight our readers.
You’re going to LOVE The Everywhere Train, a story of memory, imagination and the enduring bond between generations, which will quickly join The Truck Cat as a modern classic. We have major new picture books from some of Australia’s most trusted and bestselling creators - Davina Bell, Andrea Rowe, Scott Stuart and Jonathan Bentley - authors who consistently connect with families through warmth, humour and emotional honesty. We are also thrilled to publish new work from Heidi McKinnon, whose Little Wonders series will charm the very youngest readers. Claris is returning to The Ritz, the Real Pigeons are causing chaos, and Billie B Brown is leaping into graphic novel - a bestselling classic reinvented with bold, visual storytelling. And then … Hi Barbie! A perfectly conceived capsule of books, bold, joyful and unmistakable. Megan Hess brings her signature magic, Alex Aster adds some serious teen star power and, in collaboration with Barbie herself, we’re painting the town pink.
Whether you are completely taken by tutus or fire trucks, have a penchant for pigeons or pink, or are looking for a big warm hug, a giggle or an adventure at bedtime - we’ve got, as they say, something for everyone. Our stories are designed to be read, shared and loved, and we really, really loved making them. We hope you love selling them. Thank you for everything you do connecting Australian storytellers to their audience. Independent bookselling and publishing 4 eva!
Kate Brown, Managing Director, Hardie Grant Children's Publishing
BARBIE: DREAMSCAPE
Alex Aster
An immersive, pink-tastic, Barbie tale from the premier voice in teen fiction.
Barbie’s life is perfect. She lives in a pink-hued paradise called Heartland where everything is in order and everyone has a role to play, thanks to the mysterious and all-powerful beings who will soon assign her a Fate at graduation from the enchanted Swancrest Academy. She’s worked hard to earn a good one. Her years of endless studying and acing every challenge are about to pay off. But when the unthinkable happens and Barbie is left Fateless – the first in Heartland’s history – her carefully ordered world shatters.
A richly imagined coming-of-age tale from the premier voice in teen fiction, this is a story about defying expectations, rewriting the rules, and discovering that the greatest possibilities lie in stepping out of the box … and into the unexpected.
SEPTEMBER 2026
336 pages | 12-15 years
9781761219115 | $22.99
An iconic world, a #BookTok superstar, and storytelling that sparkles – Barbie Dreamscape has all the ingredients for standout success, with the kind of built-in buzz booksellers can feel confident backing.
Abbey Hough, Head of Brands and Product
THE WORLD OF BARBIE
Megan Hess
Discover the dazzling world of Barbie in this beautifully illustrated compendium by global bestselling fashion illustrator, Megan Hess.
Join Barbie on a stylish journey through her most iconic places, vehicles, careers, friends and unforgettable fashions through the decades.
Featuring Megan’s signature artwork inspired by real Barbie dolls and accessories, alongside fun facts and bite-sized tidbits, this is the ultimate encyclopedic keepsake for anyone who dreams in pink.
OCTOBER 2026
144 pages | 8-14 years
9781761218484| $39.99
This collaboration with Barbie would have been a dream to my five-year-old self. And it’s still a dream to me now! Barbie’s love of fashion is a big part of my creative journey as a fashion illustrator. I hope these books and the world of Barbie helps to inspire you on your own creative journey too!
Megan Hess, Author/Ilustrator
THE EVERYWHERE TRAIN
Deborah Frenkel & Danny Snell
From the beloved creators of The Truck Cat comes a story about trains and traditions, children and their grandparents, and the everlasting power of memory and imagination.
On Fridays, Scout goes riding on the train with Pop. They look at the world ribboning past, hello-goodbye-hello-goodbye …
When Pop moves into an aged care facility, it seems their train-riding tradition is over, but Scout and Pop make a plan …
They build a station by his bed, make the tickets and board a train that can take them anywhere – to yesterday and tomorrow, to here and there, and all the everywheres in between.
SEPTEMBER 2026
32 pages | 4-8 years
9781761213953 | $24.99
Publishing The Everywhere Train has meant so much to me. It’s meant watching Deb and Danny come together again to create magic. It’s meant seeing lightning strike twice. It’s meant giving my heart over once again to characters who are whole and real. I cannot wait for you to meet Scout, Pop and take a ride on the everywhere train.
Chren Byng, Senior Publisher
From the #1 bestselling creators of The Truck Cat.
Over 80,000 copies sold!
LITTLE BUG
LITTLE WONDERS #2
Heidi McKinnon
An irresistible board book series from the award-winning creator of Floof and I Just Ate My Friend.
With sweetly lyrical text and delightfully cosy illustrations, these ‘gentle peril’ stories have just enough drama to satisfy babies and toddlers without being too scary, and plenty of snuggles and sunshine at the end!
Delightfully surprising and endlessly re-readable, the Little Wonders series invites young readers and their grown-ups on big adventures, led by loveable little heroes who face big emotions with resilience and humour.
SEPTEMBER 2026
32 pages | 0-3 years
9781761215827 | 19.99
ON A BUSHWALK
Andrea Rowe & Hannah Sommerville
Yellow sunlight peeking through …
That’s how a bushwalk welcomes you.
Little people love to explore little worlds!
Discover the glimmering colours and hidden wonders of a bushwalk in this beautiful board book for our smallest nature-lovers, from the CBCA award–winning creators of In the Rockpool and Jetty Jumping. OCTOBER 2026 24 pages | 1-3 years
IT ’S A FIRE STATION CELEBRATION!
Davina Bell & Jenny Løvlie
From the bestselling creators of All of the Factors ofWhy I Love Tractors comes this gloriously funny picture book about a curious child’s special interest in his local fire station.
Fergus never misses his weekly visit to the place he loves most – the fire station! Though he has seen it a squillion times, he always has more questions to ask about the most fascinating place in the world, much to the exasperation of the adults around him. But it turns out no question is ever too silly to be asked – especially if it could save lives!
Written by the beloved and award-winning Davina Bell (All The Ways to be Smart) and Jenny Løvlie (The Girls), this riotously entertaining picture book is bursting with humour, charm, and enough insider fire station information to delight the whole family over and over!
OCTOBER 2026
32 pages | 3-6 years
9781760509781 | $24.99
Davina and Jenny's next picture book together is absolutely dazzling! Fergus McGee – our young fire-station enthusiast – is every bit as entertaining, relentlessly curious and sweetly funny as Frankie from All of the Factors of Why I Love Tractors (his older brother, in fact), and we wouldn’t want it any other way.
Marisa Pintado, Publishing Director
BESTSELLER! 50k books sold
The fire station!
I LOVE YOU ... AND I LIKE YOU!
Scott Stuart & Jess Racklyeft
You know I love you very much. I also like you too. There's just so much to like and love In everything you do ...
With its uplifting, heartfelt text and vivid, joyous art, I Love You … and I Like You! celebrates a parent’s unconditional love for their child, and takes a look at all the reasons why they like them so much too!
From the bestselling creators of Before You Close Your Eyes comes a warm hug of a book that will wrap around every family, and show kids why they are loved and liked for being exactly who they are.
NOVEMBER 2026
24 pages | 2-6 years 9781761217333 | $24.99
IN AND OUT: A BOOK OF CAT OPPOSITES
Kïa Hing Fay
In or out? Clean or dirty? Tame or wild?
Cats contain multitudes! Discover the world of opposites through the eyes of our enigmatic masters.
A hilarious and quirky board book for cat-lovers big and small.
DECEMBER 2026
12 pages | 1-5 years
9781761217784 | 19.99
THE EVERYDAY TUTU
Andrea Rowe & Tess Moh
Every day is a tutu day when you have a skip-stepping-swirling, just-right-fortwirling, everyday tutu!
From Monday to Sunday, come rain or come shine, at the dog park or the supermarket, a tutu is exactly what’s needed to bring joy, creativity and self-expression into the world.
Bestselling, award-winning author Andrea Rowe joins forces with Tess Moh, winner of the Little Hare Illustration Prize, to create The Everyday Tutu, a perfect read-aloud with a hilariously relatable character every family will love and adore.
NOVEMBER 2026
32 pages | 3-7 years
9781761214080 | $24.99
A few years ago, Andrea and I were gabbing and she said, ‘Oh, I do have this other idea … you know those kids who wear their tutus over their outfits every single day?’ My youngest was four at the time, so did I ever! Fast-forward to now and newcomer Tess Moh has brought this irresistible character to life with so much energy and charm, and I truly feel that this book has all the makings of a modern classic!
Chren Byng, Senior Publisher
WHAT JACK BROUGHT BACK
Jonathan Bentley
Dog-owners rejoice! From beloved Australian creator Jonathan Bentley comes What Jack Brought Back, a picture book that's so much more than a walk in the park.
I threw a stick for Jack?
But what did Jack bring back?
A rat and a cat wearing big fancy hats?
Silly Jack! Take them back!
With delicious rhymes and refrains, this hilarious picture book for young dog-lovers turns a simple game of fetch into a madcap adventure families will adore.
OCTOBER 2026
24 pages | 2-6 years
9781760506957 | $22.99
REAL PIGEONS
TRAP SNACKS
(#14)
Andrew McDonald & Ben Wood
The Real Pigeons are fighting crime and TRAPPING SNACKS in the hilarious fourteenth adventure of this blockbuster series!
Ever wonder why pigeons always act so weird? It's because they're out there solving mysteries, fighting crime and saving your butts! But when the Park Bench Park bench goes MISSING, some UNREAL pigeons show up, and fish start FLYING, the pigeons realise they might have underestimated their greatest crime-fighting asset …
With more than 630,000 books sold, Andrew McDonald and Ben Wood's wildly popular Real Pigeons series is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser. And for the very first time, readers will get a sneak peek at the first chapter of the brandnew blockbuster HOMEY series – coming in April 2027!
NOVEMBER 2026
240 pages | 6-10 years 9781761211577 | $16.99
CODE BREAKERS
THE GRAPHIC NOVEL
Sally Rippin & Aki Fukuoka
In this brand-new graphic novel adaptation, Billie B Brown and the Secret Mystery Club have a brand-new case to solve: who is sending them coded messages? And why? They'll have to crack the codes to find the answers!
When Billie and her friends find a note tied to the collar of Jack's dog, Scraps, they must put their code-breaking skills to the test. Mysteriously, the first code leads to a second, and then a third …
Filled with friendship, fun and neighbourhood adventures, this reimagining of the beloved and bestselling Billie B Mysteries series will surprise and delight readers aged 7+. Adapted by original creators Australian Children’s Laureate Sally Rippin and illustrator Aki Fukuoka, Billie B Brown’s Secret Mystery Club is bold, brilliant and better than ever!
NOVEMBER 2026
144 pages | 7-12 years
9781761216411 | $17.99
This brilliant new graphic novel series has everything young readers could ever want: best buddies, a secret club, and a neighbourhood bursting with exciting mysteries to solve. What does the B in Billie’s name stand for? BLOCKBUSTER, of course!
Marisa Pintado, Publishing Director
JAWS OF NIGHT
THE DRAGON SNARE #2
Rhiannon Williams
The second adventure in this enthralling series from beloved fantasy author Rhiannon Williams is perfect for fans of Legend of Zelda and How to Train Your Dragon.
Henry Haddow, an orphan of the great war between dragons and humans, has made a huge mistake: he accidentally used a magical sword to turn a dragon into a human.
Now that dragon, Snare, is a knight in the queen's army, while Henry is still a kennel boy. But when he's chosen alongside Snare to join a search party for the missing princess, he gets another chance to prove his worth. Henry just needs to survive the mystical Dreamwood first ... and the terrifying Nightmare Weaver lurking within.
In this exhilarating survivalist novel for middle-grade readers, 13-year-old Max is home alone when a tsunami warning hits his coastal town.
Max loves everything about living on an island, other than the tourists that swarm his local beaches every summer. But when a warning comes that an unexpected tsunami is about to hit, locals and tourists alike start speeding out of town – leaving Max on his own, scrambling to find his beloved dog, Ralph.
With precious minutes ticking away, Max is facing too many impossible choices, and time is running out to get to higher ground. Ultimately, he must choose between trying to survive a tsunami on his own, or banding together with whoever is left. And he’d better hurry, because the wave will hit any moment ...
A gripping read that explores courage, misplaced loyalty and resilience in the face of disaster.
AUGUST 2026
288 pages | 9-14 years
9781761217951 | $18.99
Expectations are already at fever pitch after Run’s extraordinary success and CBCA shortlisting – but The Wave is going to smash them all out of the water! I’m obsessed with Sarah’s ability to take readers to the very edge of survival while holding them safe throughout. She is masterful.
Marisa Pintado, Publishing Director
TAIL NOT INCLUDED
Michael Debenham
Winner of the Ampersand Prize!
A hilariously offbeat, mostly underwater adventure about a girl who finally meets her absent father – only to discover that he's not exactly human.
Aside from her school burning down (twice!), Becky's life is fairly predictable – and that's just how she likes it. So when her dad turns up out of the blue, she's not interested in meeting him. After all, he's a total stranger. And kind of strange. But Becky can't help wondering: what's the Ceremony of the Waves he insists on taking her to? Why did he leave her and her mum? Why is he so keen to get into the ocean? And … why does he smell like fish?
From Ampersand Prize-winning debut author Michael Debenham comes this brilliantly funny middle-grade novel, perfect for fans of Nat Amoore and Get Your Act Together, Doris Kozlowski by Jo Dabrowski.
SEPTEMBER 2026
240 pages | 9-14 years
9781761216794 | 18.99
FLAME
Lily Berlin Dodd
The thrilling sequel to 2025’s New York Times–bestselling middle-grade hit, The Last Ember.
The last aerimander is missing.
Hatching and hiding Rubi got Eva Alexander locked up, gave Myrnie Wilshins a bad reputation, and left Dusty St. Ichabod a fugitive. With Rubi gone, the trio must use all their smarts to find each other, get to the Northern Isles and save the last aerimander.
But with threats at every turn, and power-mad Eoin Parnassus’s sinister plan revealing itself, reaching the Northern Isles is the least of their problems …
A high-stakes adventure filled with humour and heart, danger and dark deeds, and bonds forged by friendship and by flame.
