‘The books that caught my imagination as a young child were about things that had really happened, about exotic places that really existed … I’m aiming my books at kids who find the world of the imagination unconvincing, but can be drawn into reading by the drama of real life.’ John Nicholson, who now lives…
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Stephen Axelsen works as a full-time freelance illustrator for many children’s publishers and also for the School Magazine. His bibliography is large and varied, beginning with the Blinky Bill books he illustrated some time ago. He is well known for books such as Eucalyptus Christmas, I Findem P.I., Red Hot Jokes for Kool Kids and…
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Mike Zarb has been an illustrator and storyboard artist for over eighteen years, and has worked for various animation studios around the world. As well as co-creating and illustrating Belmont and the Dragon for Random House, he is the designer and illustrator of Wendy Harmer’s first four Pearlie the Park Fairy books. Mike lived and…
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Born in China, Di Wu was an editor and illustrator in one of the biggest Chinese fine arts publishing companies before coming to Australia. He won awards for the books he published in China and his first Australian picture book, Rebel (with Allan Baillie), was short-listed for CBC Picture Book of the Year. He has…
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Tohby Riddle is an illustrator and writer whose deceptively simple illustrations contain the most fascinating detail. His picture books charm children and all lovers of illustration. Tohby was born and raised in Sydney and has a BA in Visual Arts and a BSc (Architecture) although he has spent his post-graduate years doing anything but architecture…
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Ken Searle grew up around the Cooks River and the Wolli Creek, where he still lives. He always says that he like to walk into a painting. Whether he is doing a large oil painting or an illustration for a picture book, he begins by exploring the area and sketching on site. Ken demonstrates this…
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Gordon Fitchett’s wacky and unconventional re-tellings of fairy tales have captured the imagination of adults and children alike. First we had The Twelve Dancing Princesses as high-heeled dancing ducks, then the story of Cinderella where all the main characters are dogs – the ‘ugly sisters’ are two of the ugliest bulldogs you’ve ever seen. Each…
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Aaron Blabey lives in Sydney and is the creator of four picture books published by Penguin Australia. The first is Pearl Barley and Charlie Parsley (2007) which has achieved remarkable success. It won the 2008 Children’s Book Council Awards — Book of the Year (Early Childhood) and was short-listed for both the Crighton Award for…
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Michael was born in New Zealand and has been involved in Children’s literature, graphics, and Theatre since 1967. He started his career with surfing cartoons and exhibitions of his psychedelic art in the late sixties. He joined the famous marionette troupe ‘The Tintookies‘ as a trainee set designer/stage manager in 1968 (The Australian Elizabethan Theatre…
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Multi award-winning writer James Moloney is known for his thoughtful and challenging books for teenage readers and also for his more lighthearted novels for younger readers. Swashbuckler was winner of the CBC Book of the Year for Younger Readers in 1996 and Bridge to Wiseman’s Cove was winner of the CBC Book of the Year…
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Born in Port Pirie, South Australia, David grew up in country towns which became the inspiration for his Cliffhanger Series of adventure books for boys. Free to wander along beaches and into ranges, David often got lost, but never lost his love of exploration. He recently returned from China, where Discovery Network filmed his search…
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Archimede (‘Archie’) Fusillo was born in Melbourne in 1962 to an Italian immigrant family. He studied at Melbourne University and since then has worked as a secondary school English teacher in Victoria, where he was nominated by his students for the Victorian Teacher Excellence Awards. He also has an extensive writing background as a features…
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Paul Stafford is a literacy consultant (specialising in Stage 3-4 reluctant boy readers & writers) in schools across Australia. His latest series of books of comedy-horror, Horror High, are published by Random House Australia, and he’s the author of the teenage fiction novel Ned Kelly’s Helmet and eight books of short stories under the Pants…
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Richard is the author of fifteen published novels for teenagers, children and adults. He has given talks and conducted workshops at over a hundred schools in NSW, Victoria and Queensland. He has been a schoolteacher and (unconventionally enthusiastic) university lecturer and is famous for his highly dramatic readings from his own books. Richard’s Literary Path…
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The pages in Chris’ book are many and varied. He has been a primary school teacher, worked in education and public relations at Taronga Zoo, a national bookseller, Children’s Development Manager, and Education advisor for a CDROM science project from Purdue University (USA). Now he is a full time children’s author of more than 30…
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