Andy Griffiths takes the reins as 2026–2027 Australian Children’s Laureate
If there was ever a man to lead a literal “adventure” through the bookshelves of Australia, it’s the guy who once wrote a trilogy about runaway bums.
Yesterday, the Australian Children’s Laureate Foundation (ACLF) officially passed the baton to Andy Griffiths, naming him the 2026–2027 Australian Children’s Laureate.
Griffiths, the chaotic genius behind the Treehouse and JUST! series, is taking over from outgoing Laureate Sally Rippin.
His mission for the next two years? A simple, high-energy mantra: “Reading is an Adventure.”
Andy isn’t planning on spending his term sitting behind his typewriter. He’s promised to head “into the wild,” traveling across every state and territory to show kids – and their parents – that books are basically portals to other dimensions.
“I’m most looking forward to getting out there and leading children and their parents on wild imaginative adventures,” Griffiths said. “To show how a whole family can get involved in their child’s reading journey is a dream come true.”
To celebrate the launch, he’s dropping a new creative book called LET’S GO! on February 24 – an activity-filled “call to arms” for young writers and artists.
Andy will officially launch his Laureate program with a ceremony at the State Library of NSW on Tuesday, 24 February 2026 12 PM (which will also be livestreamed across the country) alongside illustrator Bill Hope.
With over 20 million books sold and a shelf-full of Children’s Choice Awards, Andy joins an elite club of past Laureates, including Morris Gleitzman, Jackie French, and Alison Lester.
For a guy who has built a career on flying cats and time-traveling trash cans, the next two years look set to be anything but boring.
