Milo, an anthropomorphised dog, lives in a large city. His suburb is OK, his kennel comfortable, his job fulfilling and his friends entertaining. His life is predictable, but good. Then, one night, Milo has a disturbing dream. He wakes up in a foul mood, which unfortunately he takes out on his friend Snombo.

Life then gets unpredictable. An almighty gale hits the city, strange objects hurtle through the sky, and Milo and his kennel end up in a precarious position on the roof of a skyscraper. A passing peripatetic bird saves the day, and Milo and his kennel return home, where he and his friend Snombo are reconciled.

Riddle's illustrations are as quirky and engaging as his carefully crafted text. Using a limited palette, he creates visually interesting images by combining illustrations, photographs, speech balloons and variations in font size and design. This excellent example of sophisticated visual and verbal storytelling will appeal to children and adults.

There is also great child appeal in the exotic and visually stunning New Year Surprise! (NLA Publishing. $24.99) by Christopher Cheng and Di Wu. Preparations are under way in a traditional Chinese village for the Spring Festival and Little Brother is eager to play a part in the festivities. Sister and Mother have made dumplings, Father has put up the red banners and hung the lanterns, and Big Brother is flying the celebratory kites.

Little Brother already knows how to pour ceremonial tea and light firecrackers, but he's too small to hold the heavy dragon poles, so what can he do? Redolent of folk tales, with its mellifluous language and stirring refrain, Cheng's text invites children to identify with Little Brother, his hopes and fears, and his ultimate delight when he finally has an important job to do.

Wu's accompanying illustrations expertly bring to life the Chinese village. There is an understated melding of the old and the new, as children in jeans and baseball caps play amongst old-fashioned houses. Painted in vibrant colours on textured rice paper, Wu's images exude the warmth of family life, while also celebrating Chinese traditions, including the magnificent dragon that prances exuberantly across a number of double-page spreads.

Complemented by a closing section featuring information and images from the National Library of Australia's Chinese Collection, this is a beautifully produced book that gives children a sense of just how familiar the experiences of other children can be, even when they live far away in an exotic location.

My Gallipoli (Working Title Press. $29.99) by Ruth Starke and Robert Hannaford brings readers closer to home, as it explores the Anzac legend. Starke has taken a personal approach, telling the story of Gallipoli from the viewpoint of 23 different people who were involved in or touched by it. This includes everyone from Turkish, Australian and New Zealand soldiers, to nurses, stretcher-bearers, snipers, war correspondents, war artists and the relatives of those who served. All have their stories to tell and all are represented here with compassion, insight and understanding.

Starke's testimonials are sympathetically animated by Hannaford's charcoal, watercolour and gouache portraits, which humanise the characters whilst capturing the horrors of war. Bullets whiz past, the wounded are lifted aboard hospital ships, the dead are buried in the mud, desperate soldiers dash through no-man's-land, while others endure the ennui and despair of life in the trenches and the devastating results of war.

My Gallipoli is a sensitive and emotive evocation for older readers of a seminal moment in Australia's history, given added power and potency through its even-handed attempt to tell the full story of Gallipoli through the eyes of a range of people who were touched by it.

Also definitely for older readers is the thought-provoking, hard-hitting picture book Australia to Z (Allen & Unwin. $29.99). Armin Greder's uncompromising and rather bleak view of Australia and its values is sure to spark controversy and, hopefully, deep introspection in older children and adults alike.

While Australians often espouse the values of a fair go, a healthy lifestyle, egalitarianism and democracy as being quintessentially Australian, Greder prompts readers to consider whether this is just a veneer, with racism, hedonism, addiction and aggressive behaviour lying not too far below the surface.

Presented like a traditional alphabet book for small children, Greder's subdued palette, vibrant charcoal outlining and minimalist use of imagery on the page is often stark and at times disturbing. For example, the dramatic "Footy" image exudes overt aggression, while the blank-eyed head of Rupert Murdoch is particularly confronting and unsettling.

While Greder includes Australian icons such as an esky, a kangaroo, a meat pie, a ute and vegemite, he puts his own unique spin on each image, packing a visual punch full of social commentary that often evokes a visceral response, but then demands a more considered appraisal. The image for "Zoo" is particularly telling.

The final double-page spread returns to the letter A, featuring the first and third verses of the national anthem, Advance Australia Fair, surrounded by small images that  provide commentary on some key phrases. For example, "For those who've come across the sea/We've boundless plains to share" is accompanied by the image of a boatload of refugees confronted by a sign reading "Go Back: We're Full".

Greder's Australia to Z is heart-felt and emotive, and it is sure to create debate. This watershed of a picture book will encourage young people to react, question, think and hopefully come up with answers to some big questions about who Australians are and what they stand for.

Dr Reeder is a Canberra author, illustrator, editor and reviewer whose latest book, Lennie the Legend (NLA Publishing), was short-listed in the NSW Premier's History Awards 2015 and is a Notable Book in the CBCA Book of the Year Awards 2016.