I’m still buzzing after a day of encouragement, empowerment and energy. A day filled with camaraderie, connections and reverence. KidLitVic Meet the Publishers Conference 2017 in Melbourne on May 20th certainly achieved its goals for attendees to network, showcase talents, and “kick-start, build, reinvigorate and strengthen” our creative journeys. Conference organisers, Alison Reynolds, Coral Vass, Jaquelyn […]
Title: Digby and the Yodelayhee Who? Author: Renee Price Illustrator: Anil Tortop Publisher: Create It Kids Genre: Picture book Age Group: 2-7 years Please tell us a bit of what your book is about. Digby Fixit and his friends follow their second adventure, in an attempt to solve the mystery of a noisy noise. Could […]
This is the third and final part of my interview with Penny Morrison, author of Captain Sneer the Buccaneer, the Hey! series and The Mighty Mighty King Christmas Book. In this installment Penny reveals the patience needed to be an author as she discusses the circuitous path to publication of Captain Sneer the Buccaneer. See part […]
The title of this article might seem a misnomer given the physical stature of both Margaret Wild and Julie Vivas, however there is no doubt about their giant status in the picture book world. It was an absolute pleasure to hear them speak in conversation with Belinda Murrell at the CBCA Northern Sydney sub-branch Christmas […]
Meet… Nellie Melba, Janeen Brian (author), Claire Murphy (illus.), Random House, 2016 Synopsis: Dame Nellie Melba was Australia’s first classical music star. The beauty of her singing was celebrated around the globe. She was appointed Dame Commander, OBE for her enormous fundraising efforts during World War One and today she is commemorated on Australia’s hundred […]
One Photo, Ross Watkins (author), Liz Anelli (illus.), Penguin Books, 2016 Dad came home one day with one of those old cameras, the kind that use film. But Dad didn’t take photos of the regular things people photograph… Created by Ross Watkins (who you may know as the illustrator of The Boy Who Grew Into […]
Oh, Albert! Davina Bell (author), Sara Acton (illus.), Penguin Books, 2016 Synopsis: Albert can’t help getting into mischief when no one is around. But one day he goes too far… Oh, Albert! A perfect story about a family and their not-so-perfect (but loveable!) dog. Oh, Albert! is an adorable picture book perfect for animal-loving families […]
One thing I love about the creative industries is that several people can have a similar idea yet express it in totally different ways. This was brought home to me the other evening when attending a talk by CBCA judge, Cathie Tasker. Cathie pointed out that two of the books shortlisted for awards this year […]
Are you an aspiring or emerging children’s book author? Not too sure of what you have to do? How do you write that opening sentence? What is a story board? Do I need one? How do I work with an illustrator? Do I need to find one? What are agents looking for? The answers to […]
I’ve just added this accumulated pile of books on my desk to my Goodreads profile. It got me thinking about the importance of reading for writers. One of the things I put on my Writers’ Action Matrix at the beginning of the year was “Read books in your genre – study their elements.” It’s something […]
