Australian picture e-books · Ballarat, Victoria
Stories that inspire.
Values that last.
At Gumleaf Publishing, we create engaging Australian stories that help young readers understand the world around them, discover the value of democracy and community, and believe they can make a positive difference.
Out now
The Mob
Sam the Platypus Goes to Parliament
Wally and Tilly’s Canberra Adventure
How it works for families
From our shelf to your screen
No subscription and no waiting for the post. We email your download link once your payment is confirmed. Each title is a fixed-layout EPUB of 32 to 34 pages.
- Pick a titleThree books now and more on the way. Each one lists the ages it suits and the curriculum it lines up with.
- Pay $14.99One price for the book, yours to keep. No subscription, and you don’t need an account.
- It arrives by emailYour download link comes through as soon as the payment goes through.
- Read it at homeOn a phone, tablet or laptop, in Apple Books, Google Play Books or Kobo. Print pages at home if you’d rather hold it.
The e-books
Every story starts from the same idea: Our democracy empowers all of us to make positive change.
Each one works as a read-aloud at home, and as the spine of a five-lesson unit at school.
Local democracy starts here
The Mob
The Mob follows a young girl who discovers that a proposed development could threaten a local kangaroo mob’s habitat and learns that democracy gives ordinary people a voice, through writing to the Mayor, organising a petition and working with their community to influence council decisions.
Ages 6-10 · Civics and Citizenship, English, Sustainability
Bring Parliament to life
Sam the Platypus Goes to Parliament
Sam the Platypus Goes to Parliament follows Sam from his polluted creek all the way to State Parliament, where he decides to stand for election, win the support of his community and help turn concern for his home into action through the democratic process.
Ages 8-12 · Civics and Citizenship (Levels 5-6), English
All the way to Canberra
Wally and Tilly’s Canberra Adventure
Wally and Tilly’s Canberra Adventure follows two young wattlebirds from the Victorian bush to Parliament House in Canberra, where their campaign against soft-plastic pollution shows how ordinary voices, public pressure and the democratic process can help turn an idea for change into a national law.
Ages 8-12 · Civics and Citizenship (Levels 5-6), English, Sustainability
Reading at home, or teaching a class?
For families and readers
Every title is $14.99 and yours to keep, readable on whatever screen is already in the house. Buy it tonight and you can read it together before bed.
- Read-aloud stories for ages 6-12
- Written and set in Ballarat and Victoria’s Central Highlands
- EPUB download that opens in Apple Books, Google Play Books, Kobo and most reading apps
For teachers and principals
A Civics and Citizenship unit for Levels 3 to 6, built around a story the class has just read. Each education package has a teacher guide and five worksheet lessons.
- Five lessons per title, ready to teach
- Linked to the Victorian Curriculum F-10 Version 2.0
- All three books for $200 per classroom, per semester
Civics and Citizenship · Levels 3-6
A whole civics unit, built around a picture e-book.
Each education package turns a story into five ready-to-teach lessons: discussion, inquiry, persuasive writing, role-play and a real-world task. They’re written for busy primary classrooms, so a teacher can pick one up on Sunday night and teach it on Monday.
- Clear learning intentions and success criteria
- Before, during and after reading prompts
- Extension ideas for inquiry and media literacy
- Worksheets ready to print for the whole class
- Curriculum links listed for every activity
- Victorian Curriculum F-10 v2.0
- Civics and Citizenship
- English
- Sustainability
- Critical and Creative Thinking
- Ethical Capability
Five lessons per title
These are the five in The Mob package.
- Know the serviceDiscover what councils provide, and connect everyday community life with local government.
- Design your dream parkPlan an accessible, sustainable community space for people with different needs.
- Be a councillorDebate funding priorities, listen to other views, and make a decision as a group.
- Write to councilUse persuasive writing to prepare a formal letter to the Mayor about a real local issue.
- Start a petitionExplore how collective voices influence decisions and encourage community action.
Tom Laurie writes about the place he lives.
Tom draws on the waterways, landscapes and communities of Ballarat and the Central Highlands. Teachers get a local way into the topic, and children get somewhere they recognise.
Stories that inspire, values that last
How the illustrations were made
The illustrations were made with AI assistance, using creative direction, editing and photographs taken by Tom Laurie.
Find the one that suits your reader.
Every title is $14.99 AUD, arrives by email once your payment is confirmed, and the file is yours to keep. Teachers have a page of their own, with the education packages and lesson plans.