Lisa Coutts is an illustrator based in Naarm, Melbourne, Australia. Her work has features in over 20 of varying genres, and her greatest love is picture books. Lisa loves creating charming characters and placing them in quirky and whimsical worlds. She is the illustrator of The Great Book Swapping Machine by Emma Allen and she designed the cover art on Tim Winton’s Blueback, with more books in production. Lisa’s art practice incorporates mixed media techniques including coloured pencil, dry pastel, acrylic and watercolour paints, and Procreate.

Her work has been described as charming, delicious, quirky, whimsical and that it hurts people’s hearts in a GOOD way! When not in her studio, you’ll find Lisa Continue reading Lisa Coutts →

Andrea Rowe is a best-selling, award-winning picture book author. Her picture book, Jetty Jumping (illustrated by Hannah Sommerville), was awarded the 2022 CBCA Picture Book of the Year – Early Childhood and the 2023 Australian Speech Pathology Picture Book of the Year. In the Rockpool and Amid the Sand Dunes (Hardie Grant) were both awarded the 2024 and 2025 CBCA Notable Picture Books of the Year – Early Childhood.

Andrea loves to write stories where characters explore the great outdoors, ponder big Continue reading Andrea Rowe →

Yvonne Low is a writer, illustrator and award-winning fine artist, creating picture books, poetry and junior fiction. While nature is her main inspiration, through her background in the performing arts as a dancer and choreographer, theatre, film, music and foreign cultures also feed her imagination. Her work is whimsical and often has a dash of humour and wordplay. Continue reading Yvonne Low →

Kate Talbot is an Australian-born, New Zealand-based children’s book writer and illustrator. Working digitally, she is passionate about instilling a love for stories and storytelling in little people and hopes to nurture life-long readers and artists through her quirky characters and Continue reading Kate Talbot →

Kristin Martin is an author, poet and primary school teacher. She draws inspiration from the natural world and from observing her young students’ imaginative play. Her books include Honey Possum’s Bush Café, Banjo Frog’s Concert Spectacular and To Rhyme or Not to Rhyme? Kristin lives in Adelaide, Continue reading Kristin Martin →

Nicky Johnston is an educator, speaker, and author/illustrator of children’s books. She enjoys every aspect of creating books for kids, especially illustration. Nicky’s illustration style is often described as whimsical, emotive, soft, and expressive. Her love of teaching sees her busy with school visits and Continue reading Nicky Johnston →

Gisela Ervin-Ward writes stuff for kids to read and teaches them how to read it. She grew up on a farm in Western Victoria and moved to South-East Asia to be an aid worker for many years before returning to Australia with her family to live in the Macedon Ranges. She’s now a writer of children’s tales and specialist literacy teacher, teaching neurodivergent children how to read. Continue reading Gisela Ervin-Ward →

Hélène Magisson is a critically acclaimed French-Australian illustrator of many books for children. Before Hélène turned to book illustration, she was a painting restorer in Paris, where she was also trained in the art of medieval illumination. Hélène’s children’s books are widely known and loved across the world. Her timeless style lends itself beautifully to classics, such as The Velveteen Rabbit (New Frontier, 2021), and also universal contemporary stories, such as Before You Were Born (HarperCollins, 2020).

Hélène is frequently recognised by the Children’s Book Council of Australia. Most recently, she was Continue reading Hélène Magisson →

Rochelle Siemienowicz is a writer, editor and arts journalist. Her first book was Fallen (Affirm Press, 2015), a memoir about sex, religion and marrying too young. Her debut novel, Double Happiness (MidnightSun, 2024) is a polyamorous love story. Rochelle’s work has been published widely, including in The Age, SBS, Kill Your Darlings, The Big Issue, Metro, ArtsHub and Kalliope X. She has a PhD in Australian cinema and was for many years a film and TV critic and columnist. She lives in Melbourne with her two partners, her son, and a beloved Continue reading Rochelle Siemienowicz →

Dr Lara Cain Gray is a writer, librarian and storytelling advocate based in Brisbane, Australia. Her professional past spans library and museum curatorship, academic research, and corporate and creative writing and editing. She is currently Head of Acquisitions at nonprofit publisher Library For All, delivering cross-cultural children’s books to remote and low-income communities. She reads every day and will NEVER Continue reading Dr Lara Cain Gray →

Deb Hudson is an Australian illustrator of children’s picture books and creator of other artistic works including pattern design and stationery. She loves colour and finds joy in creating illustrations that celebrate life, love, growth and wonder. Highlighting all the beauty around, even the tiny unnoticed details. Her work has been described as whimsical, carrying you off to fantastic places and worlds. She has illustrated a number of children’s books including The Golden Thread by Amelia Donnelly and the What Zola Did series by Continue reading Deb Hudson →

Coral Vass is an award-winning children’s author, presenter, editor and reviewer. With over 20 published children’s books, Coral’s books include Sorry Day (Speech Pathology Awards Book of the Year and CBCA Book of the Year – Eve Pownall Award), Grandma’s Treasured Shoes (Caleb Book of the Year), and Jørn’s Magnificent Imagination (CBCA Notable and shortlisted for Speech Pathology Book of the Year). Many of Coral’s books have appeared on ABC’s Playschool, UK’s Story Den on Milkshake TV, Storytime with Fergie and Friends, as well as Continue reading Coral Vass →

Michael Prewer has been writing plays and stories and developing board games for as long as he can remember. R.E.Generation is his debut novel, but he already has a number of others in the works. Michael holds a Bachelor of Science (majoring in Anatomy) and a Masters of Speech Pathology. He has worked as a paediatric speech pathologist for over 5 years. Michael and his wife are passionate about taking small steps to minimise the impact humans leave on our wonderful planet. Michael also has a keen interest in theatre, sports, mathematics, puzzles and Continue reading Michael Prewer →

Slade Carter was born in Bendigo, Australia, and currently lives in London with his wife and two children. By day, Slade works in government affairs in the health sector. Slade enjoys reading, travelling, the wonders of nature, music and Continue reading Slade Carter →

Amal Abou-Eid is a passionate educator, mother and author of multiple self-published books. Amal started writing children’s books when she realised she couldn’t find books for her children with characters and stories that related to their Muslim Lebanese Australian identity. She believes in the power of representation and inclusion in books and writes stories which depict characters and events her family and community can identify with and relate to. She hopes her stories can educate, entertain and Continue reading Amal Abou-Eid →