In This Home
By Christopher Cheng

History is critical. It is essential to know who we are, to know where we came from, to inform us of what we are today and to suggest what we can be tomorrow. And with history we can imagine.

And in this HOME everything attached to those books will flourish. Here they can be touched and seen and referenced. Here they can stimulate the storytellers of tomorrow who might even exclaim so that’s how it was done. Here researchers and those who want to know how the works were put together can discover and say I knew that. And here many visitors will be amazed as they uncover where our writers and illustrators get their ideas from, how their thoughts developed and how the books were created and go WOW!

In this HOME will live the pages and the scribbles and the sketches and the notes and the messages and the letters and the encouragement and the pens and the pencils and the dolls and the puppets and other Objet d’art that provided the inspiration for the works from ALL our creators–authors, illustrators and publishers.

In this HOME will live the notebooks where the authors scribbled their first ideas and the very many drafts, complete with coffee stains and the sweat and the tears (and maybe a little blood too) from days and weeks and months of creation.

In this HOME will live the pages with words and scribbles and the art books where the illustrators sketched their first drawings with the tools, the pencils, paints and inks they used, and in this HOME the finished art will be displayed in all its magnificence.

In this HOME will live the efforts in all their forms from the publishers that became the books we adored growing up with yesterday, and the books we relax with today, and the books that will be heralded tomorrow.

In this HOME will live the history of our books created for young people.

And this place called HOME is not just for today. It will be for tomorrow and for the many tomorrows that will follow. It is a place for the history of our Australian stories for young people to live.

And this Australian HOME, our NATIONAL HOME is …

… NCACL.

Christopher Cheng is an Ambassador of the National Centre for Australian Children’s Literature Inc. His passion is Australian Children’s Literature and publishing children’s books to assist in understanding diverse cultures. He loves books for young people but also enjoys writing and collecting them. Christopher’s books are published in Australia and internationally. He believes that as a writer, he has the best job in the world. He is committed to ensuring that every child should be read to and that every child deserves to be able to read. Reading empowers!

Christopher is a member of the International Advisory Board for the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI).  He has been a recipient of the Lady Cutler Award for Children’s Literature and has awards including the Aurealis and the Wilderness Society awards. He has been shortlisted for the CBCA Eve Pownall award. Find more about Christopher here.

See also:
Not Just English – NCACL blog written by Christopher Cheng published 24 December 2023.
Christopher Cheng’s holdings in the NCACL catalogue
Christopher Cheng Ambassador – NCACL
Christopher Cheng says – NCACL
A Permanent Home – NCACL blog written by Blue Gum Community School Director, Jasmine Telfer published 25 January 2025
Publishers who donate their creators’ titles to the NCACL
Publishers’ files – NCACL

 

Posted by: NCACL | Published: 30 May 2025