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10.00 - 10.40am
Tony Wilson is a broadcaster, author and world traveler who has been to every continent on Earth other than Antarctica. He has been on TV, hosted The Breakfasters program on 3RRR, and written articles and opinion columns for The Age. In 2006, Tony was one of the SMH Australian Young Novelists of the Year for his first novel ‘Players’ (2005). He has written five picture books for children, ‘Grannysaurus Rex’ (2004), ‘The Thirsty Flowers’ (2006), ‘Harry Highpants’ (2007), ‘The Minister for Traffic Lights’ (2008) and ‘The Princess and the Packet of Frozen Peas’ (2009). On his airport customs form, he either puts ‘author’ or ‘showbiz’.
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10.50 - 11.30am
Andrew was born Andrew Dugald Daddo on February 18, 1967. For the whole of his childhood he wondered what he’d done to his parents to give him a middle name like Dugald. Then he thought about his twin brothers’ middle name - Beilby - and realised all he’d done was be born a twin and they would be both have to live with weird middle names as a kind of funishment. He has been a VJ, an actor and a television host, before giving in to the writing bug. It was whilst presenting 11AM that the writing bug got into Andrew’s system. It started badly with an unpublished book called The Big Green Smiling Wobbly. It was not a memoir if that’s what you’re wondering. Happily for Andrew, the blow of his first rejected ‘manuscript’ was not enough to make him stop. His second effort was eventually accepted and about a year and half after he started it, Sprung! was released. A book of stories about a boy called Fergus who could easily have been Andrew at the age of ten but no one is admitting to that.
Andrew is now described, amongst other things, as an ‘accomplished author.’ He has written books for all ages - picture books, chapter books, short story collections, young adult novels and adult non-fiction. His books include ‘Goodnight, Me’ (2005) which was selected as the 2006 National Simultaneous Storytime Book, ‘Cheeky Monkey’(2008), which was selected as one of the Early Childhood Australia’s Best Picture Books of the Year, 2008 ‘Letters to Santa’(2008) and most recently ‘Check on Me’(2009).
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11.40am - 12.20pm
Sally Rippin was born in Australia, but has lived in many other countries like England, Hong Kong, France and China. During her time overseas she studied at the Shanghai Institute of Art, and uses an adaptation of the Xie Yi method for many of her illustrations today. Her time overseas also inspired her first novel ‘Chenxi and the Foreigner’ (2008). Sally has written and illustrated many books for children, including titles from the ‘Go Girl’ and ‘Aussie Bites’ series, and the popular ‘Speak Chinese, Fang Fang!’ (1996), ‘Fang Fang’s Chinese New Year’ (1996) winner of the Crichton Award, and ‘What a Mess Fang Fang’ (1998) which was one of the Notable Books in the CBCA Awards in 1999. She is also the illustrator for many others, including the recent ‘Me, Oliver Bright’ (2009) by Megan de Kantzow and ‘Mannie and the Long Brave Day’ (2009) by Martine Murray.
Martine Murray left university to study art. After art school she studied more physical things like acrobatics and dance. Then she tried to join it all together in theatre. Meanwhile, she started writing just to keep track of what was going on. lives in Melbourne. She is the author of nine books for children, including the much loved ‘Henrietta’ series, ‘Slightly True Story of Cedar B. Hartley’ (2002) and its sequel in 2005, ‘How to Make a Bird’ (2003), winner of the Queensland Premier’s Literary Awards Young Adult award in 2004, and most recently the picture book ‘Mannie and the Long Brave Day’ (2009). She spends a lot of time walking with her dog, Bear, and thinking up ideas. She has never learnt practical skills except how to cook rice.
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Sally Rippin - www.sallyrippin.com
Martine Murray - Profile at Allen & Unwin
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12.30 - 1.10pm
Anna Walker graduated from Boxhill Tafe in 1989 with a Certificate of Art and Design. She then went on to complete a Bachelor of Design at the Swinburne School of Design before travelling as an illustrator in London. When she returned to Australia, she worked part time at The Age, and in printmaking, before becoming a freelance illustrator full time. Her book ‘Santa’s Aussie Holiday’ won the Crichton Award in 2008, and ‘Little Cat and the Big Red Bus’ (2008) written by Jane Godwin & illustrated by Anna Walker was chosen as the Notable Picture Book of the Year by the CBCA judges. Her books ‘I Love to Sing’(2008), ‘I Love to Dance’(2008), ‘I Love Holidays’ (2008) and ‘I Love Birthdays’ (2008) were also chosen as Notable Early Childhood Books by the CBCA judges the same year. ‘I Love to Dance’ (2008) won best Children’s Series Design in the 57th book design awards of Australia. Her books include ‘I Love to Dance’ (2008), ‘Little Cat & the Big Red Bus’ (2008), ‘I Love My Mum’ (2009) and ‘Yummy Ice-Cream’ (2009) written by Emma Quay & illustrated by Anna Walker.
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1.20 - 2.00pm
Come dressed as a fairy and join Anna in some fantastic fairy activities!
Award winning and best selling author and illustrator, Anna Pignataro has created over forty books for children. After studying fine art and design, Anna travelled extensively before settling into book illustration. Winner of the Crichton Award for book illustration in 1998, Anna has been shortlisted for picture book of the year with both the CBCA and YABBA and her books have been selected as CBCA Notable Books in 2001,2004, 2005, 2008, 2009.
Many of her picture books have sold rights throughout the world and her illustrations are exhibited widely and held in private collections in a number of different countries. Her first solo exhibition in 2003 was a sell out. Her critically acclaimed books, 'Always and Together' and her series, 'Princess and Fairy', with its make believe world of rabbits are enjoyed in many different languages and Anna loves touring with them each year, meeting and talking to hundreds of children. Princess and Fairy was included in the 2009 - The Kids Top 50 books voted by Australian children nationwide.
Anna lives in Melbourne, Australia, with her husband Mark, her daughter Isabella and a bunny called Nibbles.
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1.20 - 2.00pm
Come dressed as a pirate and join Captain Dan in some swashbuckling activites!
Ahoy there, matey!
As a fellow fan of the Dragon Blood Pirates, you may already be able to guess a bit about the author of this series, Dan Jerris, but as he is my very own nephew, I thought you might like me to share with you a little more about him…
Dan began writing the Dragon Blood Islands after he was shipwrecked on a deserted volcanic island. All he rescued from his boat was a box of corned beef, two fish lines, pen and paper and some of my homemade Anzacs. He made a hut from volcanic rocks, used the beef to bait his hooks and fed Blunderbuss on my Anzacs.
Dan is off sailing, but he emailed last week, and told me he’s writing another Dragon Blood series even more exciting and adventurous than the first. In these tales Al and Owen will be hunting for four black diamonds that exert an evil power over those who wear them. Al and Owen find deathless pirate kings, explore tombs, and are nearly killed by komodo dragons.
He’s an adventurous lad, that nephew of mine!
Cheerio then,
Aunty (snotty) El
PS re the pic Dan is ever so shy about having his photo taken, prefers to stay incognito, you see. He didn’t want other pirating scoundrel’s to know his likeness, in case they happened upon him on the high seas and attempt to take hold of his treasure! After much persuasion, Dan would only agree to having a silhouette image available for his fans by which to know him.
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Dragon Blood Pirates at Hachette
2.15 - 2.45pm
Learn the monkey, the king kong, and the stroll in this special FREE half hour go-go lesson with Anna’s go-go academy!
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3.00 - 3.45pm
Glenda has loved reading and being read to from early age. As a child, her more robust pursuits included billy-cart racing, tree-climbing and attempting to fly. She used to dream that she could fly and on windy days she could be found at the football oval with her arms outstretched, poised to be whisked away, or sometimes balanced precariously on the roof of her Nana's shed. Neither of these techniques worked. Even an impressive bandage around her wrist, a day home from school and a ride in the council grader was poor compensation for the spectacular failure of her launch attempt from the high-up swing at school.
She loves to share the story of how enrolling at TAFE with the expectation of acquiring marketing skills, led her to becoming an author of children's books. She likens the experience of commencing a new book to that of standing on the edge of her Nana's shed, heart a-flutter, mouth dry, before finally daring to step off the edge, then the gliding, swooping and soaring sensations of creating story. Glenda was short-listed for the NSW Premier's Literary Award 2004 as well as receiving the Honour Book Award for the CBC awards that same year for her book ‘The Naming of Tishkin Silk’ (2003). Her picture book ‘Kaito’s Cloth’ (2006) was short-listed for the Queensland Premier's Literary Award 2005 and ‘Layla, Queen of Hearts’(2006) was short-listed for the Younger Readers CBCA Award in 2007, and winner of the Queensland Premier's Literary Award also in 2007. Her most recent novel ‘A Small Free Kiss In The Dark’ (2009) is for lower secondary readers.
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4.00 - 5.00pm
Join Jen Storer, Michael Pryor and Lili Wilkinson as they discuss their books and writing fantasy novels with Bec from the Little Bookroom.
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Jen Storer is a Melbourne-based children’s author who has a studio at the Abbotsford Convent. She has written over forty titles for the education market, mostly under the name ‘Ellen Marcus’ and several ‘Aussie Nibbles’ books. In 2009 she was shortlisted for the Claytons Awards for Young Readers for ‘Tan Callahan’s Secret Spy Files’ (2008). Her most recent novel, ‘Tensy Farlow and the Home for Mislaid Children’ (2009), has been called ‘grand and vivid…a sheer delight’, by Australian Bookseller and Publisher magazine. When not at her desk, she can be found digging around in op shops and cafes trying on vintage clothing and drinking secondhand coffee.
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Michael Pryor was born in Swan Hill and grew up in country Victoria before moving to Geelong, and finally to Melbourne, where he went to university. He has worked as a drainer’s labourer, a truck driver, a bathroom accessories salesperson, an Internet consultant, an Electronic Publisher, in a scrap metal yard and as a secondary school teacher. He has been shortlisted three times for the Aurealis Award for Speculative Fiction, been nominated for a Ditmar award, and has had two books become CBC Notable Books. His titles include ‘Time of Trial’ (2009), the fourth volume in ‘The Laws of Magic’ series, ‘The Chronicles of Krangor’, the ‘Doorways’ trilogy, and is one of the creators of the ‘Quentaris Chronicles’. He has also written several stand alone novels.
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The story of a lili.
When I was six, my parents took me to China on holiday. I really wanted my mum* to read me Snugglepot & Cuddlepie, but she was understandably over the gumnut babies after the ten zillionth read, so she suggested that I might try reading it by myself. And that was the day I learnt to read in my head. Since then I’ve read many, many books, and written a few as well. I was first published when I was 12, in Voiceworks magazine. I studied Creative Arts at Melbourne Uni, and then went and taught English in Japan for a while. When I came back, I got a job at the Centre for Youth Literature, at the State Library of Victoria, where I now manage a website called insideadog.com.au, about books for teenagers. I work part-time at the Library, and spend the rest of my time writing. I live in Melbourne. I am an only child, but my parents have a very cute dog called Rita who they love more than me**. *You might have heard of her. Her name is Carole Wilkinson.** Mum has asked me to let you know that this is not true.
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Musical Activites with Alejandro Espino
Alejandro has been entartaining children the world over with his group Arbol Azul for many years, but you may recognise him more recently from his appearances at the Farmers Markets in Collingwood and Port Melbourne where he involves children in the music making process.