Ballarat, Victoria
Stories about councils and creeks, kangaroos and Parliament — the ordinary machinery of community life, told so a six-year-old leans in and asks a question.
Written by Tom Laurie
Aligned to the Victorian Curriculum F–10 v2.0
Ages 6-12 · picture books and teaching notes
Purchase orders and invoices welcome from schools
Printed and posted from regional Victoria
The books
Each title works as a read-aloud at home and as the spine of a five-lesson classroom unit.
Local democracy starts here
A mob of kangaroos is about to lose its home. One young girl decides she cannot simply stand by — and finds out what a council actually does.
Grades 3-6 · Civics and Citizenship, English, Sustainability
Bring Parliament to life
From a polluted creek, to an election campaign, to a Bill debated in Parliament — and finally a new law.
Grades 3-6 · Civics and Citizenship (Levels 5–6), English
Where would you like to start?
Hardback, paperback and digital picture books, posted anywhere in Australia. Signed copies available on request.
Class sets, education packages and free teaching notes. Order on a school purchase order and we will invoice you.
Why we publish
Civics, sustainability and community sound like adult words. Put them in a story about a creek, a kangaroo or a school gate and children already understand them.
How a decision gets made, who gets a say, and what happens when someone speaks up. Councils, elections and Parliament, explained through characters rather than diagrams.
Waterways, habitat and the animals that depend on both — sustainability as something you do, not a topic you cover.
The landscapes, wildlife and local issues of the Ballarat region and Central Highlands, by an author who lives there.
Every title arrives with learning intentions, success criteria, before/during/after reading prompts and five practical lessons — so a teacher can open the book on Monday and teach from it the same week.
For teachers & principals
Each education package turns a 32-page story into five practical lessons — discussion, inquiry, persuasive writing, role-play and a real-world task. Written for busy primary classrooms, not for a folder.
From classrooms and kitchen tables
Placeholder quote — two or three sentences from a teacher about how the unit ran in their classroom, and what the students did with it.
Placeholder quote — a parent on reading the book at home, and the question their child asked afterwards.
Placeholder quote — a principal or curriculum leader on why the school ordered a class set, and how it fits the year level plan.
The author
The waterways, landscapes and communities of the Ballarat and Central Highlands region turn up on every page — which gives teachers a local entry point and gives children somewhere they recognise.
Stories that inspire, values that last
Notes & resources
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Order a copy for home, or ask us about class sets, purchase orders and school pricing.
Gumleaf Publishing · Ballarat, Victoria · ABN 88 336 723 673
