The books
Three books about how a place gets decided.
Australian picture books for ages 6–12, written in Ballarat. Councils, creeks, kangaroos and Parliament — the ordinary machinery of community life, told so a child leans in and asks a question. Each one comes with five classroom lessons in the back.
Paperback or ebook · buy either, or both
Free shipping on Australian orders over $75
Ebooks arrive by email within a minute
Signed copies on request — just ask
At a glance
Which one is right for your reader?
The Mob
A girl, a mob of kangaroos and a council meeting. How local decisions get made, and who gets a say.
Sam the Platypus Goes to Parliament
A platypus with a polluted creek and a plan. Elections, Parliament, and how an idea becomes a law.
Third title
Placeholder blurb. One sentence on the character, the problem and the question the book leaves a reader with.
Book one · Years 3–4
The Mob
What happens when a mob of kangaroos is about to lose its home?
One young girl decides she cannot simply stand by. What starts as a walk past a fenced-off paddock turns into a letter, then a petition, then a night at a council meeting where a nine-year-old gets three minutes to speak.
Along the way she finds out what a council actually does, who gets to decide what happens to a shared piece of land, and how much difference a room full of neighbours can make. The kangaroos, for their part, are unimpressed by paperwork.
- Local government
- Community voice
- Sustainability
- Persuasive writing
- Ages
- 6–10
- Year levels
- 3–4
- Format
- Paperback, 250 × 250 mm
- Pages
- 32
- ISBN
- 978-0-0000000-0-0
- Published
- 2026
Buy The Mob
Posted from Ballarat. Free shipping on Australian orders over $75.
Add to cartPDF and ePub. The download link is emailed the moment payment clears.
Add to cart- Card payments secured by Stripe
- Australian owned and printed
- Five classroom lessons included
Five lessons in the back
Every copy includes a complete unit of work — learning intentions, success criteria and five practical activities. Teachers planning a class set can find curriculum mapping and licensing on the For Schools page.
- Know the serviceDiscover the services councils provide, and connect everyday community life with local government.
- Design your dream parkPlan an accessible, sustainable community space, thinking about users with different needs.
- Be a councillorDebate funding priorities, listen to other points of view, and make a decision as a group.
- Write to councilUse persuasive writing to prepare a formal letter to the Mayor about a real community issue.
- Start a petitionExplore how collective voices influence decision-making and encourage community action.
Book two · Years 5–6
Sam the Platypus Goes to Parliament
From a polluted creek, to an election campaign, to a Bill debated in Parliament — and finally, a new law.
Sam has lived in the same stretch of creek his whole life, and lately the water has been wrong. Nobody in the creek can fix it, so Sam does the only sensible thing a platypus can do: he runs for office.
The campaign trail leads to a chamber full of shouting, a Bill that nearly dies twice, and a slow lesson in how an idea becomes a law that everybody has to follow. Students see democracy as something they could understand, argue with and take part in — not just something they read about.
- Parliament
- Elections
- How laws are made
- Waterways
- Ages
- 8–12
- Year levels
- 5–6
- Format
- Paperback, 250 × 250 mm
- Pages
- 32
- ISBN
- 978-0-0000000-1-0
- Published
- 2026
Buy Sam the Platypus Goes to Parliament
Posted from Ballarat. Free shipping on Australian orders over $75.
Add to cartPDF and ePub. The download link is emailed the moment payment clears.
Add to cart- Card payments secured by Stripe
- Australian owned and printed
- Five classroom lessons included
Five lessons in the back
Every copy includes a complete unit of work — learning intentions, success criteria and five practical activities. Teachers planning a class set can find curriculum mapping and licensing on the For Schools page.
- Who does what?Match community issues and services to local, state or federal government, and explore why protecting a waterway can involve state law.
- Run for ParliamentCreate a mini election campaign: choose priorities, develop a slogan, deliver a speech and hold a class vote.
- From Bill to ActSequence the stages of a Victorian Bill, from an idea and drafting through Parliament to Royal Assent.
- Parliament in actionRole-play a debate on the Bill. Take parliamentary roles, make arguments, listen, respond and vote.
- Make your voice heardChoose an environmental issue and write to an MP, or create a media message advocating action.
Book three · coming soon
Third title Title TBC
One line that makes a browsing parent want to know what happens next.
Placeholder description. Two or three sentences setting up the character and the problem, in the voice you would use telling a friend about the book. Say what happens, not what it teaches — the lessons are listed further down.
A second paragraph for the turn in the story and what the reader comes away with. Keep it warm and specific; the curriculum language belongs on the For Schools page, not here.
- Theme one
- Theme two
- Theme three
- Theme four
- Ages
- 0–0
- Year levels
- 0–0
- Format
- Paperback, 000 × 000 mm
- Pages
- 00
- ISBN
- 978-0-0000000-2-0
- Published
- 2027
Buy Third title
Posted from Ballarat. Free shipping on Australian orders over $75.
Add to cartPDF and ePub. The download link is emailed the moment payment clears.
Add to cart- Card payments secured by Stripe
- Australian owned and printed
- Five classroom lessons included
Five lessons in the back
Every copy includes a complete unit of work — learning intentions, success criteria and five practical activities. Teachers planning a class set can find curriculum mapping and licensing on the For Schools page.
- Lesson oneOne sentence describing the activity and what students do.
- Lesson twoOne sentence describing the activity and what students do.
- Lesson threeOne sentence describing the activity and what students do.
- Lesson fourOne sentence describing the activity and what students do.
- Lesson fiveOne sentence describing the activity and what students do.
Paperback or ebook
Same story, two ways to hold it.
Both formats carry the same words, the same pictures and the same five lessons. Pick whichever suits how you read together — or take both and let the paperback live in the car.
A real book, posted to you
250 × 250 mm, 32 pages, matte cover. Printed in Australia on stock heavy enough to survive a four-year-old and a hundred readings.
- Free shipping on Australian orders over $75
- Dispatched from Ballarat within two business days
- Gift wrapping available at checkout
- Signed by the author on request — add a note to your order
- The five lessons are printed in the back
On the screen you already have
PDF and ePub together in one download, so it works on a tablet, a phone, an e-reader or the television in the lounge room.
- Emailed within a minute of payment clearing
- Read on any device you own, as many times as you like
- No app, no account, no expiry date
- The five lessons come as a separate printable PDF
- Re-download any time — just ask and we will resend the link
Buying for a class?
Schools order differently, so we made a different page.
Class sets on a purchase order with 30-day invoice terms, or a digital classroom licence covering the ebook, all five lesson plans, worksheets, rubrics and slide decks. Curriculum mapping for Years 3–6 is there too.
Before you buy
Shipping, returns and the rest
How long will my book take to arrive?
Paperbacks leave Ballarat within two business days and usually reach Australian addresses inside a week. Ebooks are emailed within a minute of payment clearing — if it has not appeared, check your junk folder before you email us, because that is where it usually is.
Is my card safe?
Payments run through Stripe. Your card details go straight to them and never touch our site, so there is nothing stored here for anyone to take. You will see "Gumleaf Publishing" on your statement.
Can I buy a paperback and an ebook together?
Yes. Add both to the cart and pay once. You will get the download link by email straight away and the paperback in the post, with one receipt covering both.
What if it arrives damaged, or is not what I expected?
Send us a photo and we will replace a damaged book, no argument and no return postage. If a book simply is not right for your reader, post it back within 30 days in resalable condition for a refund. Ebooks cannot be returned once downloaded, which is why there is a free sample lesson on the schools page.
Can I get it signed?
Tom signs copies when he can. Add a note at checkout with the name you would like it made out to. It adds a day or two, and occasionally he is away, in which case we will tell you rather than quietly hold your order.
Do you ship outside Australia?
We do, but freight varies enough that we quote it rather than guess. Email us with the titles and your address and we will come back with a real number.
Are these only for school use?
Not at all. They are picture books first — the lessons in the back are there for teachers, and plenty of families never open them. Read the story and ignore the rest if that suits you.
Can I use the ebook with my whole class?
A single ebook is licensed for one family. For a classroom, the twelve-month classroom licence on the For Schools page covers displaying the book and printing the worksheets for your students.
Not sure which one to start with?
Tell us the reader’s age and what they are curious about, and we will tell you honestly which book fits — including when the answer is none of them yet.
Gumleaf Publishing · Ballarat, Victoria · ABN 88 336 723 673