As the festive season draws near, there's no better time to share the joy of reading and discovery amongst friends and loved ones.  If you’re looking for gift ideas you’ll be ‘wrapped’ with this Christmas gift guide. Jess from NLA Publishing shares her recommendations for the perfect gifts this holiday season.

For the creative spirit

J.W. Power: An Australian Avant-gardist by Ann Stephen and A.D.S. Donaldson

J.W. Power was Australia's most accomplished interwar avant-garde artist, and yet he is largely unknown by many Australians. This, the most comprehensive study of Power's remarkable career follows a journey from Australia to Britain and around the world. Explore the life and art of this extraordinary man and benefactor and discover his singular influence on Australian art in the 20th century this summer. This beautiful book is one to treasure. 

Buy J.W. Power: An Australian Avant-gardist

This is Us: Essential Australian Poems for Young People edited by Libby Hathorn and Jude Fell, illustrated by Tull Suwannakit

A coffee table book, a library book, a bedside book, a beach towel, riverside or city-side book. Most of all This is Us is a poetry book to savour and share. Filled with beautiful, interesting and funny poems from diverse Australians, and illustrated with dreamy, full-colour art, this collection will be a cherished Christmas gift for the budding poets and writers in your life.

Buy This is Us

For the adventure seekers

The Colt from Old Regret by Diane Wolfer, illustrated by Erica Wagner

Many of us know and love the story of The Man from Snowy River and his fearless ride through the mountains. But what about Colt’s story? What does Colt see, feel, and smell as he charges through the bush? Journey with Colt as he canters across the rugged landscape of the Snowy Mountains. An essential companion to the original poem, which is included in full at the end of the book. Dianne Wolfer’s lyrical masterpiece is an unmissable gift this Christmas.

Buy The Colt from Old Regret

The Legend of Jessie Hickman by Mark Greenwood, illustrated by Frane Lessac

This non-fiction picture book brings to life the story of the brave and formidable Jessie Hickman. Australia’s so-called ‘Lady Bushranger’. Gorgeously illustrated and expertly recounted, the story immerses young readers in the wilderness of Wollemi National Park and Jessie’s legendary life. The perfect summer read for all the daring, adventurous kids in your life.

Buy The Legend of Jessie Hickman

For the nature-obsessed

Peculiar Parents by Stephanie Owen Reeder, illustrated by Ingrid Bartkowiak

Australia is home to so many peculiar animals you could write a book! This is that book. Welcome to the charmingly funny and perfectly peculiar world of Aussie animal mums and dads and their awesome kids. With weird and wonderful words by award-winning author Stephanie Owen Reeder and rich Illustrations by Ingrid Bartkowiak, Peculiar Parents is the ideal gift for animal loving kids.

Buy Peculiar Parents

The Man Who Planted Canberra: Charles Weston and His Three Million Trees by Robert Macklin

This book is the book to gift Canberra gardeners, garden-enthusiasts, park-goers, bushwalkers and interstate visitors. It is lavishly illustrated with an array of historic and modern images that highlight the impact of Weston’s plantings on the Federal Capital. Join author Robert Macklin as he travels back through history to discover how Charles Weston created the horticultural wonder of Canberra.

Buy The Man Who Planted Canberra

For the armchair historian

Townsend of the Ranges by Peter Crowley

Surveyor Thomas Scott Townsend (1812–1869) is an elusive, almost legendary figure, closer to folklore than to history. His name is given to the country's second highest mountain, but the details of his career are obscure, and his personal identity has long remained a mystery. However, chances are if you live in southern NSW or Victoria, you have felt the influence and legacy of his work. Traverse the wild ranges of Australia with Townsend this year in this transportive narrative by Dr Peter Crowley.

Buy Townsend of the Ranges

Searching for Charlotte: The Fascinating Story of Australia's First Children's Author by Kate Forsyth and Belinda Murrell

The extraordinary, long-buried life story of Australia's earliest published children's author Charlotte Waring Atkinson, Searching for Charlotte is part-biography and part-rediscovery of family history. It is a sometimes confronting but heartwarming journey into the story of a family with writing in its blood. The perfect gift for fans of the authors and sisters Kate Forsyth and Belinda Murrell, this book will also resonate with family historians and social history lovers. 

Buy Searching for Charlotte

If you need more Christmas gifting inspiration or ideas, check our Bookshop for the best in Australian literature, unique gifts, and exclusive finds you won’t see anywhere else.