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There's a Prawn in Parliament House: The Kids' Guide to Australia's Amazing Democracy
A funny and informative account of how Australia's democracy works, written for kids by one of Australia's best-known and most entertaining political writers and documentary makers, Annabel Crabb - host of top-rating ABC series The House, Kitchen Cabinet and Back in Time for Dinner. Helpful and hilarious illustrations supplied by First Dog on the Moon, Australia's only marsupial Walkley award-winning cartoonist.
Hi! I'm Shawn the Prawn, a 350 million-year-old tiny coral fossil that lives in the floor of the grand Marble Foyer at Australia's Parliament House. Sharing a house with a democracy is awesome because Australia's democracy is unique and it totally rocks.
Every three years, Australians come together on a Saturday to elect a government. We do this because having a government is the best way for large groups of people to live in peace and enjoy things like roads and airports and hospitals and delicious food without having to personally arrange all the boring stuff. But how do we elect a government? How does the government make decisions? And what is so special about our system of democracy?
Perfect for kids in year 5 and 6 studying how Australia's government works, political writer and commentator Annabel Crabb explores, explains and examines Australia's unique democracy from the smallest shrimp to the largest coathanger with help from Guardian Australia cartoonist First Dog on the Moon.
Hi! I'm Shawn the Prawn, a 350 million-year-old tiny coral fossil that lives in the floor of the grand Marble Foyer at Australia's Parliament House. Sharing a house with a democracy is awesome because Australia's democracy is unique and it totally rocks.
Every three years, Australians come together on a Saturday to elect a government. We do this because having a government is the best way for large groups of people to live in peace and enjoy things like roads and airports and hospitals and delicious food without having to personally arrange all the boring stuff. But how do we elect a government? How does the government make decisions? And what is so special about our system of democracy?
Perfect for kids in year 5 and 6 studying how Australia's government works, political writer and commentator Annabel Crabb explores, explains and examines Australia's unique democracy from the smallest shrimp to the largest coathanger with help from Guardian Australia cartoonist First Dog on the Moon.
248 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 30, 2025
6 people are currently reading
57 people want to read
About the author
Annabel Crabb
15 books320 followersAnnabel Crabb has been a journalist since 1997, beginning her career at Adelaide’s Advertiser and moving on to cover politics first for the Age and then for the Sydney Morning Herald, where she was a columnist and sketch-writer. She is the author of Losing It: The Inside Story of the Labor Party in Opposition (2005) and the Quarterly Essay Stop at Nothing: The Life and Adventures of Malcolm Turnbull, which won a 2009 Walkley Award. She is presently the ABC’s chief online political writer.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
November 21, 2025
Annabel Crabb is an ABC journalist, political commentator and host of TV shows including Kitchen Cabinet and Back in Time for Dinner. First Dog on the Moon is the pseudonym of political cartoonist and illustrator Andrew Marlton. This dream pairing is what first caught my eye: if anyone could make politics interesting, funny and accessible for kids (and politically lacking adults), it’d be these two.
This entertaining middle grade non-fiction resource opens with an introductory note from Shawn the Prawn, a fossilized crustacean encased in the floor of the Marble Foyer in Parliament House. The subsequent text is interspersed with Shawn’s speech-bubbled opinions, along with fact boxes and small black and white illustrations of various creatures (including an anthropomorphic democracy sausage).
The first chapter provides a tour of Parliament House, complete with a full-page map of the building and intriguing subheadings like ‘Under the House’ and ‘Invading Insects’. The reader is regaled with details of secret underground rooms and annual influxes of migrating bogong moths, a clever strategy that minimises the risk of young readers becoming bored while learning about Parliamentary architecture, the House of Representatives and Hansard reporters.
There are also chapters on Australian history, the Constitution, how voting works, Ministers and Departments, the press, and making laws. There’s a list of every referendum ever held in Australia (45, for the record), along with their outcomes (eight succeeded); a sample ballot paper with humorous candidate names (e.g. Tina Notashark from the Let’s Go Swimming Party); and a 1.5-page cartoon showing the progression of a draft bill through Parliament. Back matter includes a glossary and a kid-friendly list of things to spot at Parliament House.
Crabb doesn’t shy away from acknowledging the darkest aspects of Australian political history, such as the White Australia policy and the violence inflicted on Indigenous people by colonisers. In her words, ‘... being honest about the past is important. As voters and citizens today, we can’t change the mistakes of the past. But we can do the very best we can – as a democracy – to learn from them, to correct them where that’s possible, and to ensure they aren’t repeated’.
This book would make a fantastic classroom resource, especially for those schools that do a Year 6 Canberra trip – or perhaps as a decent substitute for those that don’t! I also recommend it for anyone seeking a highly palatable refresher on how Australia’s political system works. Although Crabb mentioned on social media that this book is aimed at 12-year-olds, this middle-aged reader learnt a lot from it!
This review was first shared on StoryLinks Australia.
This entertaining middle grade non-fiction resource opens with an introductory note from Shawn the Prawn, a fossilized crustacean encased in the floor of the Marble Foyer in Parliament House. The subsequent text is interspersed with Shawn’s speech-bubbled opinions, along with fact boxes and small black and white illustrations of various creatures (including an anthropomorphic democracy sausage).
The first chapter provides a tour of Parliament House, complete with a full-page map of the building and intriguing subheadings like ‘Under the House’ and ‘Invading Insects’. The reader is regaled with details of secret underground rooms and annual influxes of migrating bogong moths, a clever strategy that minimises the risk of young readers becoming bored while learning about Parliamentary architecture, the House of Representatives and Hansard reporters.
There are also chapters on Australian history, the Constitution, how voting works, Ministers and Departments, the press, and making laws. There’s a list of every referendum ever held in Australia (45, for the record), along with their outcomes (eight succeeded); a sample ballot paper with humorous candidate names (e.g. Tina Notashark from the Let’s Go Swimming Party); and a 1.5-page cartoon showing the progression of a draft bill through Parliament. Back matter includes a glossary and a kid-friendly list of things to spot at Parliament House.
Crabb doesn’t shy away from acknowledging the darkest aspects of Australian political history, such as the White Australia policy and the violence inflicted on Indigenous people by colonisers. In her words, ‘... being honest about the past is important. As voters and citizens today, we can’t change the mistakes of the past. But we can do the very best we can – as a democracy – to learn from them, to correct them where that’s possible, and to ensure they aren’t repeated’.
This book would make a fantastic classroom resource, especially for those schools that do a Year 6 Canberra trip – or perhaps as a decent substitute for those that don’t! I also recommend it for anyone seeking a highly palatable refresher on how Australia’s political system works. Although Crabb mentioned on social media that this book is aimed at 12-year-olds, this middle-aged reader learnt a lot from it!
This review was first shared on StoryLinks Australia.
October 1, 2025
As a history teacher, as a parent, and as an Australian, I love this book. Well researched, well written and actually really quite funny.
January 5, 2026
This book is great. It's a good mix of fun facts about Parliament and useful basics for Australia's democracy. Plus amusing cartoons. I think it summarises information pretty well and serves as a great introduction for children and would definitely recommend every school library have a copy.
October 3, 2025
There’s a Prawn in Parliament House by Annabel Crabb (with illustrations by First Dog on the Moon) is such a clever and entertaining read! 🦐✨
Written for kids, this book breaks down how Australia’s democracy works in a way that’s funny, engaging, and super easy to understand. Honestly, I learned a few things myself that I probably should have already known 😅
Shawn the Prawn is the perfect guide through Parliament House, making what could be a boring subject into something light, informative, and genuinely fun. Between the quirky illustrations and Annabel Crabb’s witty writing, it’s such a great resource for kids (and adults, let’s be real) who want to understand how our government actually works.
A great mix of humour and facts, I can definitely see this being a favourite in classrooms and on bookshelves at home! 📚🇦🇺
Written for kids, this book breaks down how Australia’s democracy works in a way that’s funny, engaging, and super easy to understand. Honestly, I learned a few things myself that I probably should have already known 😅
Shawn the Prawn is the perfect guide through Parliament House, making what could be a boring subject into something light, informative, and genuinely fun. Between the quirky illustrations and Annabel Crabb’s witty writing, it’s such a great resource for kids (and adults, let’s be real) who want to understand how our government actually works.
A great mix of humour and facts, I can definitely see this being a favourite in classrooms and on bookshelves at home! 📚🇦🇺
December 29, 2025
My son received this for Christmas from a relative but I stole it from him and read it first.
It’s a guide designed for 12 year olds to Australian democracy and how our parliament works. It’s excellent, packed with funny historical anecdotes and understandable summaries. It’s really made me appreciate that our system is one of the best in the world, least able to be subverted with its preferential voting, secret ballots , independent electoral commission and high ministerial standards. Annabel has a light funny style perfect for middle schoolers.
It’s a guide designed for 12 year olds to Australian democracy and how our parliament works. It’s excellent, packed with funny historical anecdotes and understandable summaries. It’s really made me appreciate that our system is one of the best in the world, least able to be subverted with its preferential voting, secret ballots , independent electoral commission and high ministerial standards. Annabel has a light funny style perfect for middle schoolers.
January 1, 2026
Making civic and parliamentary studies entertaining and palatable.
From how laws are formed to the design of each of The Senate and The House of Representatives, all presented clearly and concisely.
As a primary school teacher librarian this book is perfect for teaching and sharing/teaching with students aged +8 years old (stages 2 and 3 NSW).
First Dog On The Moon’s illustrations are a treat too.
Annabelle Crabb slays.
From how laws are formed to the design of each of The Senate and The House of Representatives, all presented clearly and concisely.
As a primary school teacher librarian this book is perfect for teaching and sharing/teaching with students aged +8 years old (stages 2 and 3 NSW).
First Dog On The Moon’s illustrations are a treat too.
Annabelle Crabb slays.
December 19, 2025
A cute, easy to understand, book on what happens in the Australian Commonwealth Parliament. There's history, information about Parliament House itself, and information about the constitution, ministers, the press and how a law gets made. The writing is light-hearted, with illustrations by First Dog on the Moon, and I'd say it's aimed at mid-teens. Good read for an adult too though.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews