Australian Kids through the Years is a breezy social history that will spark many conversations within families and classrooms. This picture book touches on changes in technology, food, fashion, work, lifestyle and more. The information is delivered with a light touch and feels quite playful. The book recognises the country’s Indigenous people then moves through decades and eras up to today. Joyner’s retro-styled illustrations are a natural fit for the subject (he also illustrated The Terrible Plop and Ed and Ted). Here’s a book that could just spark a lifetime of curiosity about who we are and where we came from. For readers aged 7 to 12.

Mike Shuttleworth