A huge congratulations to Dr Emily Gallagher whose book Playtime: A history of Australian childhood has been shortlisted in the Australian History category of the Prime Minister's Literary Awards. The judges wrote:

'This is a striking and often delighting work of cultural history. Playtime draws together a vast array of artefacts and sources, from stories and poems to sketches and letters, some published and some disinterred from farm sheds, school rooms and historic homesteads, to explore the imaginative worlds of children between the 1890s and late 1930s. Emily Gallagher extends to these sources a warm, empathetic attention that yields insights into how children liberated themselves from the humdrum and became heroes of whole worlds. 

Meticulous in its approach and elegant in expression, Playtime links its subjects seamlessly to broader fields, offering new ways of seeing familiar material and the influences at work on successive generations of young people. Studies of birds, children’s journalism, dolls, time travel, monsters and fairies are characterised by Gallagher’s eye for evocative detail, contradiction and contextual connection. This assured and often original work encourages readers to look anew at a formative stage of life too often overlooked or downplayed, and to reflect on its lingering power and resonances.'

This is a remarkable achievement, especially for a first-time author and we wish Em the very best of luck! The announcement will be made on 10 September at the National Library of Australia. 

Read more on the Creative Australia website.