The moving tale of loss that won the 2026 ACT Book of the Year

Like a lot of kids, when I was younger I found one of the most exciting things to happen to you was to find the skull or some other bones of a long-dead animal or bird, the discovery both thrilling and unsettling.

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Whether it was the delicate little skull of a bird or a hulking great bone of a cow, the sight of it could literally stop me in my tracks. It was as if the bone was magnetic, pulling me to step forward and look a little closer. Irresistible, but repellent at the same time.

Even my Instagram memories recently brought up a photograph I'd taken about four years ago of an empty turtle shell, bleached in the sun, that I'd stumbled across near a dam at Michaelego. The turtle was long gone, the mysterious interior of the shell suddenly able to be viewed. Something usually hidden has revealed itself to you, and it's fascinating.

The author of the ACT Book of the Year understands that fascination.

Sandy Bigna with her award-winning book Little Bones. Picture by Karleen Minney

Little Bones by Ainslie author Sandy Bigna was this week named the 2026 ACT Book of the Year, after also being honoured this year by the Children's Book Council of Australia and shortlisted in the Prime Minister's Literary Awards.

"It's so amazing. It's such an honour," Sandy said.

"Just to be shortlisted with other Canberra authors whose books I have admired was enough."

Her debut children's book is a verse novel for readers aged nine to 12, fuelled by her own childhood love of poetry and music. While the book is pitched at younger readers, it can be enjoyed by all ages.

"It's a slightly quirky story, a little bit different, about a young girl who accidentally brings to life the skeleton of a young bird," Sandy said.

"She's coping with loss and other gritty themes like that and I think writing it in this format was probably the best way to explore those challenging topics for kids."

Little Bones is pitched as a children's book but can be enjoyed by all ages. Picture suppliued

Judges recognised Little Bones for its "tender, poetic and assured storytelling".

They praised the work as a "profound meditation on grief, friendship and healing that leaves a lasting emotional impression on readers".

Sandy said she grew up loving spooky stories and rhymes and always wanted to write a verse novel, using poetry rather than prose.

She was stuck until she had an image of her main character - "a girl in the dark digging in the dirt near some water".

That character is an 11-year-old girl called Bones who is reeling from the loss of her brother and who loves drawing animal skeletons and scavenging for dead things.

One night, Bones wishes on a full moon and unintentionally resurrects the skeleton of a baby bird. Bird wants to return to his natural (dead) state, so Bones agrees to reverse the curse - not that she knows how. As she and Bird work out the secrets of the magic, Bones remembers what it's like to have a friend. How can she let Bird go when she doesn't want to say goodbye?

The story is also inspired by the beauty of the Dickson wetlands, near Sandy's home, and her own "fascination with animal bones and the symbolism of them".

"Bones are usually under the skin, they're hidden and mysterious," she said.

Sandy is mum to three boys - Ari, 14; Max, 12; and Jay, nine.

Are they fans of Little Bones?

"I read it to my youngest and the other two took their own sweet time reading it," she said, with a laugh.

"They enjoyed it. My youngest said it was sad. It deals with loss and grief but they also liked that it had hope and friendship in it."

But the accolades don't end there.

Little Bones, published by UQP, is also shortlisted for the South Australian Literary Awards, to be announced on November 5.

Sandy joked she would be celebrating her ACT Book of the Year win this weekend "by the side of the soccer field" watching her boys.

Little Bones, Sandy Bigna

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Fire in the Head by Daniel Oakman

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