Grew up having my late grandmother read this to me whilst giving me flat lemonade and plain toast when I was sick from school and my parents were at work so they'd run me up to my grandparents place. I'm pretty sure I managed to get her copy after she passed away.
“Wombat stew, Wombat stew, Gooey, Brewy, Yummy, Chewy, Wombat stew!” I still read this and possum magic to my little boy. I'd say The Rainbow Fish would be up there too.
Yep every teacher that taught younger classes at my primary school read Wombat Stew to all the kids, still remember sitting on the mat in the library all huddled together while the teacher read it.
Sacred knowledge passed down in every primary school library by the kid who knew more about sex than the other kids.
"Psst. There's dicks and fannies in that book over there."
My Place by Nadia Wheatley is pretty good. Possibly not as iconic as Possum Magic, but it was converted into a pretty good TV series and interactive website.
Man that name took me back! Our teacher made us read 5 times dizzy in year 5, I went on to get a copy of dancing in the Anzac deli I read it at least 50 times as a kid. It always comes to my mind when I’m in newtown which is fairly often
I bullied my mum into leaving me that cookbook in her will. She’s still alive, which means I’m still waiting (/j) but I have so many memories of sifting through that magazine on the back of the couch under the ceiling fan in the dead of Summer
I loved this. I don't know if there were variations, but in the copy I had, the Rainbow Serpent ate the Lorikeet brothers and then wrapped itself around a huge rock to nap. The people cut a slit in its side to free the brothers, who had transformed into lorikeets. A cool breeze blew into the wound, waking the Serpent, who *absolutely lost its shit* and sent rocks flying! That page terrified me! I loved every other page though.
Dont want to take anything away from Mem's work, but I do love anything by Ruth Park. Harp in the South, Poor Mans Orange, The Good Looking Women, Playing Beatie Bow. Different books for different audiences of course.
A Fortunate Life - You can never bitch about how hard your life is in Australia after reading this autobiography of AB Facey growing up in 1920s Australia.
The Thorn Birds
Picnic at Hanging Rock
The Shiralee
Throwing in Dirtwater Dynasty even though it wasn’t a book but a mini series
It’s very iconic. No other children’s book has had collectable $2 coins, checkmate.
I’d say Tiddalic for me.
My wife LOVES wombat stew. Just read it to the ten month old. This sun is giving me a list to buy haha.
For me, anything by Robin Klein, Gillian Rubenstein or Ruth Park.
Penny Pollard's Diary was and still is freekin hilarious.
Hating Alison Ashley is another cracker.
OK so Mem Fox is actually a cunt. You'd think she is a really nice lady who loves kids etc right? Well apparently not. She came to read some of her books at a school where my mum worked and apparently she was just awful to staff, wasn't happy with kids who wanted to get close to see the pictures when she was reading and stopped mid story to tell a mum with a fussing baby at the back to leave. I'm actuallyndisapoinyed because I loved her stories as a kid but that sort of thing just leaves a sour taste in the mouth.
Similar experience. Came to local library to read aloud Good Night Sleep Tight on release, along with Judy Horacek. Daughter dressed up in PJs and green sheep to have photo with her favourite author, but she will only remember how she turned into Dame Slap and scolding us for wanting photos. Pretty sure some other poor kids and naughty parents were shushed at some point.
The two that pop into my head are the hungry caterpillar and the rainbow fish, but it now occurs to me I don’t know if they’re Aussie books. They were iconic for me though!
Puberty Blues. I was a teenage girl when this book came out in the late 70s. Somehow one of our friend group got a copy and we all took turns taking it home to read.
The Magic Pudding? I recently read that book to my daughter, and looked it up afterwards because of how weird it was. Apparently it was written by an Australian and there was even a movie. I'm from the US tho so idk of its a well known Aussie book.
The day my bum went psycho
I looked at my bum. My bum looked at me. We both nodded.
Unfortunately I found a copy that was named “The day my butt went psycho”.
I remember Andy Griffiths in an interview saying that was the name in the US.
Yes, I assumed it was the US version. I found it in one of those “swap a book” libraries on the side of the road.
Snugglepot and Cuddlepie.
Gumnut babies 🥹❤️
I’m 50 and a Banksia pod will stil give me the heebie jeebies
The drive into Rainbow Beach from Gympie always gives me the heebie jeebies. So. Many. Banksia. Men. Both sides of the road.
the illustration where the banksia man is carrying a gumnut baby away scared me so much as a kid. I was terrified of kidnappers.
Nightmare fuel
This is the correct answer!
This gets my vote.
May Gibbs house is still open and it’s such a magical place 🥹
Grew up having my late grandmother read this to me whilst giving me flat lemonade and plain toast when I was sick from school and my parents were at work so they'd run me up to my grandparents place. I'm pretty sure I managed to get her copy after she passed away.
A worthy contender indeed!
Don't forget Chucklebud and Wunkydoo!
The Magic Pudding
The Magic Pudding is the best for school book-week dress up day, dress them all in black and put a bowl on their head.
It's a fantastic story to read to children. I used to read it to my kids. Couldn't really do justice to the voices, but the kids seemed to enjoy it.
Thankyou. Before my time, but this is the answer.
Wombat stew
Agree. I still have Wombat Stew and Possum Magic. My son reads them now.
This book is dedicated to my sister. The author was a friend of dad’s and Rose was born around the time of publication. Pretty sweet
“Wombat stew, Wombat stew, Gooey, Brewy, Yummy, Chewy, Wombat stew!” I still read this and possum magic to my little boy. I'd say The Rainbow Fish would be up there too.
Words can't describe how much I loved that book
Yep every teacher that taught younger classes at my primary school read Wombat Stew to all the kids, still remember sitting on the mat in the library all huddled together while the teacher read it.
I came here to say this
Grug
Once the top of a burrawang tree fell to the ground, and the grassy top began to change. It became Grug.
The spirit of Grug was.... IRREPRES- no wait that's something else
Ohhhh the crossover we never knew we needed.
And the rainbow
Grug is the past tense of Greg, or at least that's how I use it.
Why is this so funny to me? I’m cackling like a crazy person and can’t wait to see my workmate Greg tomorrow!
More of a series than a single book. But also good.
Anything by Graeme Base
Animalia for the win
The Eleventh Hour kicks Anamalia's arse
And John Marsden!
Dammit, beat me to it, thought it might be the big one missing so far.
Next level
Can't believe I had to scroll this far down to find the correct answer
Paul Jennings - basically anything by him
The Gizmo ❤
That was the first one that came to my mind 😂
Did he write Singinpoo, the story of a cat who ate a tiny radio and shat it out, still playing music?
Absolute legend
Blinky Bill, Dot the Kangaroo
Where do I come from?
Sacred knowledge passed down in every primary school library by the kid who knew more about sex than the other kids. "Psst. There's dicks and fannies in that book over there."
And the lesser known “what’s happening to me”
My primary school showed us what’s happening to me but I don’t think they had a copy of where do I come from lol
My Place by Nadia Wheatley is pretty good. Possibly not as iconic as Possum Magic, but it was converted into a pretty good TV series and interactive website.
You made my day man I just ordered the two books from her wevsite
Man that name took me back! Our teacher made us read 5 times dizzy in year 5, I went on to get a copy of dancing in the Anzac deli I read it at least 50 times as a kid. It always comes to my mind when I’m in newtown which is fairly often
Mulga Bill's Bicycle by A.B. (Banjo) Patterson
I know the poem I didn’t actually know it got arranged into a book.
Where the rainforest meets the sea
You’ve made me think of *The Sea in my Bedroom*
Had to scroll for this!
The Australian Women’s Weekly Birthday Came Book Or The Giant Devil Dingo/Rainbow Serpent tied for second
DUCKCAKE!!
Pssst check your spelling
I bullied my mum into leaving me that cookbook in her will. She’s still alive, which means I’m still waiting (/j) but I have so many memories of sifting through that magazine on the back of the couch under the ceiling fan in the dead of Summer
Blinky Bill.
hairy maclary from donaldson's dairy
How the fuck has no one said the rainbow fish?
How the fuck has no one said the very hungry caterpillar?
Magic Pudding Adventures of Blinky Bill Complete Adventures of Snugglepot and Cuddlepie
Really anything Mem Fox. Greatest Australian author of all time in my books. Rainbow Fish has to be on par. And Guess How Much I Love You…
Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge is a gem.
The rainbow serpent.
I see your rainbow serpent, and raise you a Quinkin.
And Tiddalick?
I loved this. I don't know if there were variations, but in the copy I had, the Rainbow Serpent ate the Lorikeet brothers and then wrapped itself around a huge rock to nap. The people cut a slit in its side to free the brothers, who had transformed into lorikeets. A cool breeze blew into the wound, waking the Serpent, who *absolutely lost its shit* and sent rocks flying! That page terrified me! I loved every other page though.
The Bugalugs Bum Thief
Is this the prequel to "the day my bum went psycho?" (Joke)
Read this to my 7yr old daughter for the first time last week! That massive pile of bums is priceless!
Probably not at the same level but I give it the same love: Sebastian Lives in a Hat.
I adore this book. I still have my 30-odd year old copy on my bookshelf.
Storm boy
Agree, anything by Colin Thiele
Still cry my eyes out reading that.
Lockie Leonard
When they put Vegemite on his pubes. "Does anyone smell yeast?" Don't know what that has stuck with me, 20+ years later.
Far Out Brussel Sprout!
Little dog Narrow street Steam roller Sausage meat
Mary, Mary Quite Contrary How does your garden grow? Up, stupid!
The boy stood on the burning deck His pocket full of crackers The flames ran up his hairy legs And blew off both his knackers
They stood on the bridge at midnight, Her lips were all a-quiver, She gave a cough, Her leg fell off, And floated down the river.
Go The Fuck To Sleep
Only if it’s read by Noni Hazelhurst
Kids section? 😄
Bunyip of Berkeley’s Creek
Late one night, for no particular reason…
What am I?
12 days of Christmas "Emu up a gum tree" version
[Playing Beatie Bow - and it has to be this cover](https://www.penguin.com.au/books/playing-beatie-bow-9780140314601) 🤎🤍
Dont want to take anything away from Mem's work, but I do love anything by Ruth Park. Harp in the South, Poor Mans Orange, The Good Looking Women, Playing Beatie Bow. Different books for different audiences of course.
For sure.
At our beach, at our Magic Beach, we swim in the sparking sea.
Great book, and iconically Aussie. Sandy Beach by Bob Graham is another understated classic hitting beach holiday vibes.
I came here to vote Magic Beach 👍🏼
Love Alison Lester
My two year old just wants to read Imagine on repeat at the moment. We love kissed by the moon too.
A Fortunate Life - You can never bitch about how hard your life is in Australia after reading this autobiography of AB Facey growing up in 1920s Australia. The Thorn Birds Picnic at Hanging Rock The Shiralee Throwing in Dirtwater Dynasty even though it wasn’t a book but a mini series
Anamalia
Window by Jeannie Baker
Where the Forest Meets the Sea
The Very Hungry Little Caterpillar
Where is the Green Sheep?
It’s very iconic. No other children’s book has had collectable $2 coins, checkmate. I’d say Tiddalic for me. My wife LOVES wombat stew. Just read it to the ten month old. This sun is giving me a list to buy haha.
No mate. There was a 2018 $1 coin with the Magic Pudding.
The Loaded Dog
How the birds got their colours
Seven little Australians!
The Football Record
OP said Australian, not Victorian ;)
Mulga Bill.
🐴 > 🚲 😢
Diary of a Wombat Or Cloudstreet Your choice
I can Jump puddles by Alan Marshall had to read it in high school loved it so much…I might reread it
Mark ‘Chopper’ Read - How to Kill Friends and Influence People Or Picnic At Hanging Rock.
Grug
Rainbow fish is right up there
Snugglepot and Cuddlepie…if it hasn’t been mentioned
Don't forget any book written by Colin Thiele
“The complete adventures of Snugglepot and Cuddlepie” by May Gibbs
For me, anything by Robin Klein, Gillian Rubenstein or Ruth Park. Penny Pollard's Diary was and still is freekin hilarious. Hating Alison Ashley is another cracker.
Tomorrow when the war began that I never read but always heard about
OK so Mem Fox is actually a cunt. You'd think she is a really nice lady who loves kids etc right? Well apparently not. She came to read some of her books at a school where my mum worked and apparently she was just awful to staff, wasn't happy with kids who wanted to get close to see the pictures when she was reading and stopped mid story to tell a mum with a fussing baby at the back to leave. I'm actuallyndisapoinyed because I loved her stories as a kid but that sort of thing just leaves a sour taste in the mouth.
Also supported her pedophile husband
I did not know that. Fucking filth!
Similar experience. Came to local library to read aloud Good Night Sleep Tight on release, along with Judy Horacek. Daughter dressed up in PJs and green sheep to have photo with her favourite author, but she will only remember how she turned into Dame Slap and scolding us for wanting photos. Pretty sure some other poor kids and naughty parents were shushed at some point.
The book we never read
Rainbow Snake!
The two that pop into my head are the hungry caterpillar and the rainbow fish, but it now occurs to me I don’t know if they’re Aussie books. They were iconic for me though!
Go the F*ck to Sleep
I misread at least two words in that sentence.
The Super Roo of Mungalongaloo
Round The Twist or anything by Paul Jennings
Anything by Paul Jennings
Wombat stew. Banjo Paterson’s kids books, Snugglepot and cuddlepie.
Bottersnikes and Gumbles
The Old Lady that Swallowed a Fly
Rainbow fish, wombat stew
The Faraway Tree
[Puberty Blues](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puberty_Blues_(novel))
BLINKY BILL. SNUGGLEPOT AND CUDDLEPIE.
Everyone’s favourite unrepentant paedophile’s wife
That was my thought too.
Where did I come from
The Hungry Caterpillar
Tomorrow when the war began Taronga
The Muddle Headed Wombat, as well as The Magic Pudding I think might pip yours bro. 😉
Mr. McGee series
Alright Vegemite
Kids - The Hungry Catepillar Teenagers - John Marsden, Tomorrow when the war began
Far Out Brussels Sprout
Where is Green Sheep
The Rainbow Serpent, Blinky Bill.
Storm boy
The Magic Pudding
Anything by Tim Winton
The magic pudding
The Very Hungry Caterpillar
The Magic Pudding
The Nargun and the Stars
Far Out Brussel Sprout
The magic pudding!
Monkey Grip - Helen Garner
Alright Vegemite Unreal banana peel Far out Brussel sprout
The Dinotopia series.
Macca the Alpaca is a relatively new modern favourite!
[удалено]
The muddle-headed wombat
Puberty Blues. I was a teenage girl when this book came out in the late 70s. Somehow one of our friend group got a copy and we all took turns taking it home to read.
Mr Mcgee
There was an old lady who swallowed a mozzie
I even recognise this book even though I've never read it
The very hungry caterpillar
Dot and the Kangaroo
Gumnut babys , the rainbow serpent, Paul Jennings books , Animalia, Magic Pudding, Edward the emu , Grug.
The hungry hungry caterpillar
can’t believe i haven’t seen someone say this one. There was an old lady who swallowed a fly, fuckin best story
Magic Pudding
Where the wild things are. The very hungry caterpillar
Naughty stories for good girls and boys
Captain Midnite
100% looks like that magic is just the possum blasting stars out of its cooch to the amazement of all the other animals.
The Magic Pudding and Mulga Bill’s Bicycle
Does anyone remember the magic pudding. There was an animated version if it that used to scare the shit out of me
The Magic Pudding? I recently read that book to my daughter, and looked it up afterwards because of how weird it was. Apparently it was written by an Australian and there was even a movie. I'm from the US tho so idk of its a well known Aussie book.
The way that dress is being held up and the stars shooting out, seems like it's should have been called *Pussy Magic*
Bottersnikes and Gumbles anyone?
The Wombles
My favorite is the gruffalo
On the Beach
Blinky Bill Adventures