IBBY Australia Mini Masterpiece Art Auction 2025

 

We have sent invitations to over 110 Australian children's book illustrators.  Did our invitation arrive? We have sent emails and filled in contact forms and sent Instagram messages.

We need your support. We were so delighted by the success of the inaugural 2023 Mini Masterpieces fundraiser that we’re going to run it again to raise funds for the Australian branch of the International Board on Books for Young People, IBBY Australia. 

We’re inviting celebrated Australian children’s book illustrators to donate post-card sized artworks for an online auction. 

Formed in 1966, IBBY Australia is one of 82 National sections of IBBY, and each year must pay a membership fee of over $10 000 to remain part of the international IBBY organisation.

IBBY was established following the Second World War and aims to build bridges to international understanding through children’s books. As you may be aware, IBBY Australia promotes Australian authors and illustrators by submitting their work for several IBBY administered international awards, including:

• The Hans Christian Andersen Award

• IBBY Honour Book List

• The Silent Books collection

• The Outstanding Books for Young People with Disabilities list 

You can read more about IBBY here and about IBBY Australia here and find out Gmail address.

The Mini Masterpieces auction will run from 14 November to 28 November, with the original artworks promoted as a unique Christmas gift. Hope you can participate!

Meet the illustrator Marc Martin

Begin with this video of the book A Forest by Marc Martin - the book is wonderful of course but this is also one of the best book videos I have ever seen. 

Just having my books published has been a highlight! A Forest was originally self-published, but I was lucky enough to get the attention of Penguin Australia who seemed to think it was worthy of a larger publishing deal! Reading the reviews for A Forest has been really exciting, and having the book compared to those by Jeannie Baker (one of my favourite picture book authors) is a real thrill.

Marc Martin is an illustrator and author based in Naarm/Melbourne. He works across a range of commercial projects, murals, editorial work, gallery shows and picture books. He is the author-illustrator of internationally award-winning books, including A Forest, A River, Everything & Everywhere and Masters of Disguise. He has twice been awarded Best Illustrated Picture Book by the New York Times, for A River (2017) and We Are Starlings (2023).

You can follow Marc Martin on Instagram. Perusing the webpages on his agent's site you will see Marc Martin has designed all sorts of things - cups for T2; Melbourne city brochures; wine bottle labels; covers for book catalogues; cushion covers; water bottles and keep cups; a huge city mural; and even a jigsaw (it is a circle and it has 1000 pieces!). You can also see his art and some of these extra things on his own webpage.  Here is a Q&A with Marc. 

Here on this blog I have previously talked about:

A River

Max 

(I own a limited edition print from this book - it is a piece of art I cherish)

A Stone is a Story

Here is the Kirkus review

Here are some other books illustrated by Marc Martin that you are sure to find in your local or school library:

Do not hide this book! Kirkus

Kirkus Star review: Captivating watercolor art immediately draws readers in. Before the title page, a blue-and-green map of Earth’s continents appears, superimposed with 12 circles; each circle contains a portrait of one of the upcoming subjects. Also preceding the title page, the author notes the importance of humans’ protecting habitat in order to save animals, “even when we can’t always see them!” Two double-page spreads are devoted to each animal, starting with chameleons. The first spread for each animal uses an ideal amount of negative space to set off short, titled paragraphs and art that perfectly complements the text. For example, “Sticky Situation” gives fascinating facts about a chameleon’s tongue as one whips across the top of the paragraph. The second double-page spread for each animal offers fun that will entice even 3-year-olds. A small amount of text lets readers know how many of the featured animal are hiding in each lushly painted environment—from eight mimic octopuses to 17 owl butterflies—as well as the names of other animals hidden there. The conversational text clearly defines words such as metamorphosis and opisthoglyphous (having fangs at the back of the upper jaw). Both art and text enhance scientific accuracy with beauty and playfulness—a rare feat. Sturdy pages, too.

If you love art by Sydney Smith from Canada you are certain to fall in love with all the books by our Australian illustrator Marc Martin. 

Here is the new book Dawn [9781529527346] from Marc Martin which will arrive here in September. I have put it at the top of my 'to buy' list.

You can see a few images from this book here. Blurb from author page: As the sun slowly rises, many things happen in a small window of time. The world comes alive with the actions of animals, plants, clouds, and sky. A deer drinks, an owl wakes, a dandelion shimmers in the light. A ladybug climbs, a fish jumps, birds call in a chorus. Geese fly away in formation. A flower blooms. Beautifully illustrated with glowing imagery and written with a charming simplicity holding appeal for new readers, Marc Martin’s ode to the slow-blooming beauty of a sunrise and the life that unfolds in its radiance narrows the lens to show the wonder of time passing. The Kirkus Star review said:

Truly stunning

His other new book is All About Antarctica due for release here in Australia in mid October 2025.

When I attended the USBBY conference in Austin Texas and I spoke at the Texas writer's festival I was keen to take a notebook because I knew there would be lots of great sessions. At the airport I was so delighted to find a notebook with a cover design by Marc Martin.  Here is the pattern on the cover.

Image source: Jacky Winter

IBBY Australia will be running our mini masterpiece art auction again this year as a way to raise funds for our IBBY international membership fee which is more than AUS$10,000. I am going to invite Marc Martin to participate and send us a small postcard sized piece of art for our auction. In 2023 we raised nearly AUS$9000 and we had art from some wonderful Australian illustrators - hopefully this event will be just as exciting in 2025. I hope he agrees to send us a tiny piece of his art as a part of our 2025 auction. Fingers Crossed!

Meet the illustrator Elise Hurst

Image Source: Penguin Books

Kirkus Star review comments for Trying: Hurst’s black, gray, and white drawings are heavily shaded, imparting a mysterious and ethereal quality. There are fleeting bits of color in the form of an orange studio cat and the sculptor’s green-tinged failures.

Elise Hurst is a Melbourne-based illustrator, fine artist and author, specialising in children's books. Elise is the daughter of a painter in a family brimming with keen amateur artists. She grew up doodling and drawing characters on anything she could find, announced her intention to become an artist in early primary school, and found classroom fame via a series of unflattering caricatures of teachers she hid in secret compartments in her folders. "People get paid money for them now," she says. "Big noses, big ears, strange expressions. From a fairly early age I drew to get a reaction from people around me. I love showing stuff if I think it's worked out alright. Otherwise, I quickly cover it up and don't let people see it until I've managed to fix it." (Source Just Something Sketchy)

I spied The Night Garden on the picture book shelves in a school library today. It was short listed by the CBCA in 2008 so this book could be or should be in your local or school library. The end papers are fabulous. Sally and her cat Strange wait until the moon rises and then they tiptoe into the Night Garden. Everyday things look so different - the garden is alive with magic and adventure. (The winning picture book in 2008 was Aaron Blabey - Pearl Barley and Charlie Parsley).

Blurb: "Sally and Strange watched the rain all day. Cobwebs sagged and bushes bowed and even the neat trees were tired of it." But everything is about to change as the moon rises and the garden outside is transformed into a magical place full of adventure. 

2019 CBCA Short listed

Publisher blurb: Girl on Wire is a simple yet brilliantly uplifting allegory of a young girl struggling to build her self-esteem and overcome the anxiety that many children feel as they grow – she walks the tightrope, afraid she will fall, but with the support of those she loves, her toes grip the wire and she walks forward, on her own, with a new confidence.

You can see art from this book here. 

Here are some other books with illustrations by Elise Hurst:

Kirkus Star review: Masterful artwork, streaked with breathtaking brush strokes and daubs of pigment, easily makes up for sometimes-unimaginative language. These portraits of animals struggling with human feelings startle with their emotional exactitude, empathy, and expert execution. Complex feelings articulated through heart-rending paintings that beg return visits.

Earlier books are The Flood by Nigel Gray, Tough Old Teddy by Bruce Atherton and Ali the Bold Heart by Jane Jolly.

Shaun Tan Limited Edition print of The Story Furnace for sale

Limited edition prints are available to purchase

The Story Furnace by Shaun Tan: Numbers 37, 47, 48, 49, 57, 58 and 59.

You can bid here

Are you looking for a special gift for a school library, a teacher, a Teacher-Librarian, an art collector - this could be the piece for you! 

This print could also be a feature piece for your 2025 Book Week display and the slogan:

 

BOOK AN ADVENTURE! 

ACT QUICKLY - this auction ends soon.

I am sure you are familiar with books by Shaun Tan. He was a previous winner of the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award along with heaps of other book awards here in Australia and beyond.

IBBY Australia was formed in 1966 and is one of 80+ National sections of the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY). IBBY is a non-profit organization which helps to build bridges to international understanding through children’s books. 

IBBY Australia submits authors and illustrators and their work for several IBBY administered international awards, including:

• The Hans Christian Andersen Award

• IBBY Honour Book List

• The Silent Books collection (Wordless Books)

• The Outstanding Books for Young People with Disabilities list

IBBY Australia pays an Annual International Membership fee which supports the work of IBBY International. Funds raised from our March 2025 auction will assist us to pay our 2025 fees.

When you click the auction link you will also see a wonderful artwork by Bob Graham! We have the original of this and only ONE limited edition print. 

Later in the year we will also hold our mini masterpiece art auction - here are some pieces from 2023. Please note these were all sold at our first art auction:

Gabriel Evans

Nicky Johnston

Lucia Masciullo

Listen, Hippo! by Gabriel Evans

"Billy was having a bad day. ... Billy wished there was someone he could talk to."

He tells his friend Hippo that he is feeling sad and that his brain is whirling like a pinwheel but Hippo is not listening properly. Hippo sees himself as the master of fun. He suggests dressing up, dancing, climbing a tree, sailing on the high seas or perhaps a magic carpet ride will help or a party with cake!

No no no. Billy just wants someone to listen. Finally, Hippo stops all this activity and he notices Billy is sad. He makes two mugs of hot chocolate with extra marshmallows and the pair of friends sit down on the comfy couch and Billy is able to talk. 

Here is an audio interview with Gabriel Evans. This interview is with Good Reading Magazine. Joy Lawn talks to Gabriel for her blog Paperbark Words. You can see more books by Gabriel Evans who lives in Western Australia on his own web page. 

Listen, Hippo is a special book that you could share side by side with your young reading companion. I think that would work better than sharing this book with a big group of children in a library. Then perhaps you might stop and listen to your own child and ask if they have feelings or fears that they need to share. I also suggest making a delicious hot chocolate to sip while you are reading. Oh, and I do hope you love the final page (no spoilers) - it certainly made me smile. 

Companion books:

The Rabbit Listened

Other books by Gabriel Evans - pop each title into my side bar for more details or click his name at the bottom of this post or read this post which I penned after meet Gabriel at Gleebooks here in Sydney.

Dee Huxley (1947-2024)

Illustrator, teacher and artist whose creative work 
will be forever enjoyed. SMH May 25th, 2024

Dee (Deirdre Ann Huxley) studied design and craft at the National Art School, East Sydney. After graduating she taught visual arts in secondary schools in Australia and London, and later worked as a graphic designer for television. A freelance illustrator since 1976, her work is displayed in galleries nationally and internationally. Three of her books, Mr. Nick's Knitting (1989), Rain Dance (2001), and You and Me Our Place (2008) were short-listed for the Children's Book Council of Australia Picture Book of the Year Award. She used a wide range of media and techniques and changed her style to suit the mood and subject of each picture book. Harper Collins

Her first illustrations were for Scan: The Adventures of Popcorn by Sandra Levy, Dee Huxley (illustrator), Australian Broadcasting Commission 1975.

You can view an exhibition of preliminary drawings for You and Me: Our Place which was previously held at the National Centre for Australian Children's Literature (NCACL). And also for Look see, Look at Me. 

Kirkus review of Chance: Huxley’s color scheme turns radiant, brimming with peach, yellow, and the freshest green, whenever Chance’s parents are on the scene.

Kirkus review of Look see Look at Me: Rich reds and browns dominate the dynamic illustrations created with pastels on colored paper. For the most part, the landscape is sparse, populated by only a few buildings and scattered trees in the background. Foregrounded is a community in which children actively explore an expansive natural world while supportive adults lend them an occasional hand and scoop them in for cuddles.

Here is an abridged list of her titles. Notice some of the 'big names' of Australian children's books - Margaret Wild, Glenda Millard, Sally Odgers, Jane Jolly, Garry Hurle, Nan Hunt and Jackie French. 

• My Brother Dee Huxley, Adelaide: Working Title Press, 2016 
• The Miracle of the Little Wooden Duck Margaret Wild, Dee Huxley (illustrator), Working Title Press, 2010 
• Look See, Look at Me Leonie Robin Norrington, Dee Huxley (illustrator), Allen and Unwin, 2010 
• Tom Tom Rosemary Sullivan, Dee Huxley (illustrator), Kingswood: Working Title Press, 2008 
• A Bush Christmas C. J. Dennis, Dee Huxley (illustrator), Fitzroy: Black Dog Books, 2008 
• Paraphernalia's Present Diana Lawrenson, Dee Huxley (illustrator), Sydney: ABC Books, 2008 
• You and Me: Our Place Leonie Robin Norrington, Dee Huxley (illustrator), Working Title Press, 2007 
• By Jingo! An Alphabet of AnimalsB Janeen Brian, Dee Huxley (illustrator), ABC Books, 2005 
• Angel Breath Glenda Millard, Dee Huxley (illustrator), ABC Books, 2005 
• Limpopo Lullaby Jane Jolly, Dee Huxley (illustrator), Limelight Press, 2004 
• The Long, Sticky Walk Edel Wignell, UWA Publishing, 2003 
• Cinderella's Wedding Sally Odgers, Dee Huxley (illustrator), Koala Books, 2001 
• Rain Dance Cathy Applegate, Dee Huxley (illustrator), Margaret Hamilton Books, 2000 
• Unplugged! Glenda Millard, Dee Huxley (illustrator), Margaret Hamilton Books, 1999 
• Taking a Chance Sally Odgers, Angus and Robertson, 1995 
• The Secret of Frosty Drop Garry Hurle ,Margaret Hamilton Books, 1995 
• Cheese Please Julie Hume, Dee Huxley (illustrator), Mammoth, 1994 
• Hairy Charlie and the Pumpkin Jackie French, Dee Huxley (illustrator), Moondrake 1994 
• You Can't See Me, I'm Invisible Nan Hunt, HarperCollins Australia, 1994 
• Light the Lamps Margaret Wild, Dee Huxley (illustrator), Margaret Hamilton Books, 1994 
• Hairy Charlie and the Frog Jackie French, Dee Huxley (illustrator), Moondrake, 1993 
• Morgan and the Tooth Fairies Dee Huxley, Dee Huxley (illustrator), Margaret Hamilton Books, 1992 
• Remember Me Margaret Wild, Dee Huxley (illustrator), Margaret Hamilton Books, 1990 
• Oinkabella Hazel Edwards, Dee Huxley (illustrator), Margaret Hamilton Books, 1990 
• Onion Tears Diana Kidd, Collins Anne Ingram Books, 1989 
• Mr Nick's Knitting Margaret Wild, Dee Huxley (illustrator), Hodder and Stoughton 1988 

This moving and profoundly affecting book is about the overwhelming sorrow, grief and sense of loss felt after the death of a loved one. The simple and expressive text, with carefully chosen words, highlights the loss of someone who was always there and suddenly is not anymore. It’s a feeling we all have some time in our lives when we lose someone very close and dear. The graphite and watercolour illustrations are exquisite and deeply involving. They invite repeat viewings as there are many details to find: references to nursery rhymes, fairy tales and favourite moments in a life well lived. The gradual transformation to colour in the final pages hints at hope for the future. The three creators of this book have achieved a seamless presentation full of integrity, love and ultimately hope, testament to this cooperative and deeply felt project. Strongly recommended, especially for anyone who has lost a loved one. Even young children will take comfort from this book.  Review by Margaret Hamilton for Reading Time.  Dee Huxley's son Morgan was sadly murdered in September, 2013 in the Sydney suburb of Neutral Bay. This makes her book Morgan and the Tooth Faires from 1992 even more poignant. 

Meet Gabriel Evans

Image source: State Library of Western Australia

I will be meeting Gabriel Evans (as Bluey would say - in real life!) on Saturday. I am usually quite shy at author/illustrator events (many years ago at the Sydney Writers Festival I really wanted to say thank you to Kate DiCamillo but sadly didn't; I did stammer something to Sophie Blackall at a Gleebooks event but not very coherently) so I hope I have the courage to actually say hello to Gabriel Evans. 

He is coming to Sydney from Perth to share his newest book:

IBBY Australia were so thrilled to have a piece of art from Gabriel for our Mini Masterpiece art auction last year. And this year A friend for George was shortlisted for our Ena Noël award. 

Here is an interview with Oz Lit Teacher. And a video interview from 2022 (11 Minutes). He mentions Isabelle Arsenault. 

Here are some books I have previously talked about:

Blue Flower

A Friend for George

Norton and the Borrow Bear

Count the Stars

You can follow Gabriel Evans on Facebook. That's where I first saw these sweet looking mice stories or perhaps it was on his Instagram page. 

These were written many years ago in 2014/15- I would love to see them. Take a look here. 

Interesting facts about Gabriel that I found on his webpage:

• I love growing oak trees – I’ve planted over fifteen varieties on our hill.
• I love drinking coffee from a Cornishware mug. These mugs have white and blue stripes and often make an appearance in my books.
• I spent several years illustrating before I wrote my first picture book, Ollie and Augustus.
• My books have been published in fifteen countries, shortlisted in several national awards including the CBCA Picture book of the Year, read on ABC’s Play School and reviewed in the New York Times.

I loved the first book in the series by Tor Seidler (A Rat's Tale).

Here are a couple of sweet images from Gabriel Evans - they make me sigh with happiness. Look at his page of thoughts and sketches. And look at his gallery here. 

Image source: Reddit