Children’s Rights Queensland is proud to share that I Am Me, which was co-created in partnership with Aunty Sharron mirii Bell and illustrated by Amanda Letcher, has been shortlisted in the Three to Five Years category of the 2025 Speech Pathology Australia Book of the Year Awards.
Published by Children’s Rights Queensland and supported by the Queensland Family and Child Commission, I Am Me is based on Aunty Sharron’s original song, which has been viewed more than 100,000 times on YouTube. Like the song, the book supports early language development and emotional wellbeing through a celebration of individuality, identity, and children’s rights.
The Speech Pathology Australia Book of the Year Awards recognise outstanding Australian children's books that support language and literacy development. Judged by Certified Practising Speech Pathologists, shortlisted titles are selected for their ability to engage children and support parents and educators in fostering communication skills.
Children’s Rights Queensland congratulates all the talented authors, illustrators, and publishers shortlisted in this year’s Three to Five Years category:
2025 Shortlist – Book of the Year Awards (Three to Five Years)
Title – Author – Publisher
• Don’t Worry Felix – Yohann Devezy and Katherine Alice – New Frontier Publishing
• My Body My Brain – Nicki Esler Gill – Scholastic Press
• Under the Sand – Millie Lewis – Five Mile
• Greg the Galah, Superstar – Patrick Guest – Scholastic Press
• I Am Me – Sharron mirii Bell – Children’s Rights Queensland
• It’s Okay to Just Be Yourself – Jules Elizabeth – Self-Published
• The Best Present Ever – Zoë Foster Blake – Penguin Random House Australia
• How to Be Invisible – Nick Bland – HarperCollins Publishers
• Bin Chicken Goes for Gold – Kate and Jol Temple – Scholastic Press
• The Space Between – Jess McGeachin – Penguin Random House Australia
• The Impatient Glacier – Shaun Micallef – Scholastic Press
Children’s Rights Queensland is honoured to see I Am Me recognised alongside such a strong and diverse collection of Australian children’s books. The organisation welcomes the growing recognition of stories that champion inclusion, cultural identity, and self-expression in early childhood.
Children’s Rights Queensland thanks everyone who has supported I Am Me—both the book and the song—and looks forward to continuing the conversation about children’s rights and representation through this work.
👉 Learn more about the awards and the full shortlist here.
👉 Purchase a copy of I Am Me here.