Ballarat-inspired Australian picture e-books · $14.99 to own

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Picture e-books set close to home

Australian stories for ages 6 to 12 about speaking up, looking after each other and how decisions get made.

Illustration from The Mob: Indi, her border collie Porcha and a kangaroo with the signed petition in a paddock.
Cover of The Mob by Tom Laurie

Ages 6-10

Local council

The Mob

ISBN 978-1-7649764-0-4

When a young girl discovers that a proposed development could threaten the home of a local kangaroo mob, she sets out to protect both the animals and the environment they depend on.

Her journey takes her from writing to the Mayor to rallying her community and organising a petition, as she learns that sustainable choices require people to speak up for the places, habitats and wildlife they value. Full of heart, humour and determination, The Mob shows young readers that democracy and sustainability go hand in hand, and that caring for the future starts with having a voice in the decisions made today.

Buy the e-book

$14.99Add to cart

Your download link arrives by email once payment is confirmed. The book opens in Apple Books, Google Play Books and Kobo.

See education packages
Cover of Sam the Platypus Goes to Parliament by Tom Laurie

Ages 8-12

State Parliament

Sam the Platypus Goes to Parliament

ISBN 978-1-7649764-1-1

When pollution threatens the creek Sam the Platypus calls home, he decides that real change means stepping into the democratic process himself.

Sam nominates as a candidate, campaigns for the support of his community and, after winning the election, takes his place in State Parliament to represent the people who elected him and push for stronger protection of waterways. Sam the Platypus Goes to Parliament shows young readers how elections, representation and law-making can turn environmental concern into lasting change.

Buy the e-book

$14.99Add to cart

Your download link arrives by email once payment is confirmed. The book opens in Apple Books, Google Play Books and Kobo.

See education packages
Cover of Wally and Tilly's Canberra Adventure by Tom Laurie

Ages 8-12

Federal Parliament

Wally and Tilly’s Canberra Adventure

ISBN 978-1-7649764-2-8

When Wally and Tilly discover the devastating impact of soft-plastic pollution on their bushland home, their friend Jacob helps them understand the problem and inspires them to take action.

Their journey carries them all the way to Parliament House in Canberra, where they work with the Environment Minister and discover that passing a national law requires debate, negotiation and support in both houses of Parliament, as well as a determined community campaign that sends thousands of letters to Senators across Australia. Wally and Tilly’s Canberra Adventure shows young readers how persistence, public participation and the democratic process can turn concern for the environment into national change.

Buy the e-book

$14.99Add to cart

Your download link arrives by email once payment is confirmed. The book opens in Apple Books, Google Play Books and Kobo.

See education packages

Read the first pages

The opening pages of each story, straight from the e-book. Open any page to read it full size.

The Mob

The Mob, page one: kangaroos on the edge of Ballarat, with scenes of the area's past and present behind them.
Where The Mob lives
The Mob, page two: Boomer, Old Man Roo and Anthony introduced side by side.
Old Man Roo, Boomer and Anthony
The Mob, page three: the kangaroos stand at a building site where their bushland used to be, wondering where their joeys will live.
The bush becomes a building site

Sam the Platypus Goes to Parliament

Sam the Platypus Goes to Parliament, page one: the story opens on a clear creek in Victoria's Central Highlands where Sam lives.
A clear creek in the Central Highlands
Sam the Platypus Goes to Parliament, page two: Sam and his friends, among them platypuses, galahs, an echidna and a yabby, in the sparkling creek.
Sam and his friends
Sam the Platypus Goes to Parliament, page three: at night a pipe from a nearby factory begins emptying pollution into the creek.
Something is emptied into the creek at night

Wally and Tilly’s Canberra Adventure

Wally and Tilly's Canberra Adventure, page one: the story opens with two wattlebird chicks hatching among golden wattle.
Two chicks hatch in the wattle
Wally and Tilly's Canberra Adventure, page two: Wally and Tilly in the nest, still in their shells, being fed by a parent wattlebird.
Wally and Tilly in the nest
Wally and Tilly's Canberra Adventure, page three: the chicks learn to fly and start exploring further from the nest.
Learning to fly

Sample pages. Each story continues in the e-book edition.

Buying an e-book

  1. Add it to your cartPay by card at checkout. You don’t need an account.
  2. Check your emailThe download link arrives as soon as your payment goes through.
  3. Read it on any screenUse a tablet, laptop or phone, or put it up on a big screen for a read-aloud.

Can I print it?

Yes. Print it at home if your family would rather hold the pages.

Will there be printed books?

Yes. Print editions are planned, and you’ll also be able to buy through Amazon. They’ll appear on this page when they’re ready.

I’m a teacher. What should I buy?

Have a look at the classroom package on our schools page. It covers all three books, with a teacher guide and five worksheet lessons for each.

My download link hasn’t arrived

Check your junk or spam folder first. Still nothing? Email gumleafpublishing@gmail.com and we’ll sort it out.

Teaching civics this year?

Each book has a teacher guide and five worksheet lessons, linked to the Victorian Curriculum. Schools get all three in one classroom package.

See education packages