Here are authors who write for the little kid still inside them, and also picture books for the very young. We can’t show you all the pictures so we have tried to pick two or three images to give you the flavour of the book.
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EMMA ALLEN - Grandma, the Baby and Me
Emma Allen ‘s picture book is perfect to read to those little people who may be feeling left out when there is a new addition to the family!
Illustrations by Hannah Sommerville.
Recorded at Sydney Writers Festival 2016
Sha'an d'Anthes- Zoom
This is a lovely picture book for under fives with a little bit of science as adventurer Scout Zooms about the solar system. Sha'an wrote and illustrated the book .
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FELICITY BANKS - Welcome to Australia
Felicity Banks has worked with new Australians and refugees for many years and has written a simple book for children to help them understand their new country. Good for adults too! This is an interview with Felicity where she also reads extracts from her book which is profusely illustrated.
Recorded at CONFLUX Canberra 2022
GRAEME BASE- Jungle Drums
A delightful story of trouble in the African jungle when the smallest warthog of all finds a magic drum which seems to grant all his wishes. But not everyone is happy!
Recorded at Somerset Storyfest 2019
Box ALISON BINKS - 'THE ARTIST'
The Artist is a beautiful picture book about a young boy who loves to paint the things he sees each day. He also plays piano, and he loves sailing. Alison Binks both writes and illustrates her books and her own son provides a lot of inspiration. ( There is an interview with Alison in the Narratives Posts page.)
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MEREDITH COSTAIN - Doodledum Dancing
Children love the rhythm of rhyming poetry. Here are a series of short ,fun poems they can have fun reciting. Illustrations by Pamela Allen.
Recorded at Storyfest 2022
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MANDY FOOT - Joey and Riley
The beautiful illustrations by the author herself bring this simple tale of a boy and a dog to life.
Recorded at Storyfest 2022
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SIMI GENZIUK - So She Did
A lovely way to introduce young children to the power of positive thinking-a simplified picture book story of May Worth, one of the greatest Circus performers in history , written by an insider- Simi herself being an aerialist.
Recorded at the Bellingen Readers and Writers Festival 2022
MARK GREENWOOD- Our Country, Ancient Wonders
Australia is full of ancient history, there's even been dinosaurs! A picture book for budding naturalists, geologists and archeologists! Mark talks here about what's in the book and how he works with his wife, illustrator Frane Lessac.
Recorded at Storyfest 2022
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LIBBY HATHORN - A Soldier, a Dog and a Boy
‘A Soldier, a Dog and a Boy' is a children’s picture book about a soldier finding and adopting a dog he finds on the battlefield in World War One. Libby based this story on a real incident she researched after seeing an old newspaper photograph.
LEIGH HOBBS - Mr. Chicken all over Australia
Leigh Hobbs has won every major Children’s Choice award and Children’s Literary Award .Here he reads from one of his ‘Mr.Chicken’ series and in our Post gives an insight into how and why he writes and illustrates his own books – particularly ‘Old Tom’ – about a grumpy cat.
Recorded at Storyfest 2023
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FIONA KATAUSKAS - The Amazing True Story of how Babies are Made
Cartoonist Fiona Katauskas went to the book shop to find a book for her children to explain how babies are made- and found there hadn’t been an literary update on this procedure for quite a while – so she wrote her own, thoroughly modern explanation for her own and all children and of course did all the funny illustrations .
Recorded at Sydney Writers Festival 2016
JON KLASSEN - I want my hat back
Jon writes simple tales for little children with delightfully whimsical drawings. In the video below he reads a description of his own illustration from the book.
Recorded at Sydney Writers Festival 2016
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FRANE LESSAC- Australian Baby Animals
Frane thinks we should all be more fascinated with the wonderful fauna of Australia - and she finds the baby ones especially cute. A lovely picture book to introduce children to a love of wildlife.
Recorded at Storyfest 2022
CAROLE LANDER - Basketball Tree and Wheels of Fire
Another in a series of children's books from Carole Lander about being 'different'. Here she reads from her children’s book ‘Basketball Tree’.
Can you play sport from a wheelchair - you bet! Carole Lander reads from 'Wheels of fire.'
ZANNI LOUISE - Archie and the Bear
Is Archie a boy in a bear suit? Is the bear a real boy or pretending? Either way, they both love honey sandwiches and warm quilts!
Recorded at Somerset Story Fest 2019
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SUSAN PERROW- An A-Z collection of Behaviour Tales
Susan Perrow writes Therapeutic Fiction - this book is a collection of stories for little children about behaviour – good and bad! Cranky Cockatoo bites everyone until wise Owl comes up with an ingenious solution.
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SCOTT RHEUBEN - Roses are not Red
This charming picture book was written to open up children to look more closely at the world around them.
Suitable for 2-10 years old
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SCOT STUART - My Shadow is Pink
A tale in rhyme about a little boy who liked pink, and dresses, and finding the courage to be different. The author wrote it for his own son.
Recorded at Storyfest 2022
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JESS WALTON– Introducing Teddy
This a lovely children’s book about being transgender which the author wrote for her own children after their ‘granpa’ became their ‘Nana’!
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This site is wholly designed and maintained by Fine Artist Karena Wynn-Moylan. View more of her paintings by clicking on the image here. Paintings, books, prints for sale and commissions accepted through her website .
(Image shown: 'The Finish Line' - Acrylic on canvas 40cms X 30cms )