Meet the illustrator Mark Wilson

 

Image source: Kids' Book Review

Begin here with Mark Wilson's web page.

Mark Wilson generously donated a piece of original art for our recent IBBY Australian mini masterpiece art auction.  Moonlight over the Bay. And Mark has generously supported IBBY with other art pieces in the past for our member events. 

From the Booked out Speakers agency:

What are you passionate about?

I am determined to encourage young children to have confidence in telling and illustrating their own stories. I am also passionate about conservation and the environment, and deal with these subjects in my books and workshops.

Anything else you’d like to share with us?

Have confidence in your own writing and drawing. Like anything else, it just takes practice. Also look into your family history and record the stories you find there. You will find that truth can be stranger than fiction.

Today I will meet Mark Wilson in person! He has an exhibition at Dromkeen, Riddells Creek, Victoria. Read more about Dromkeen homestead here. His newest book is Caroline - see inside here. 

Subbie and his mate

Rachel's War

I mention Flapper VC in this post

A CBCA (Children's Book Council of Australia) Notable title 2023

A Day to Remember - the story of ANZAC Day

Awards:

2018 Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA)Book of the Year Award: Notable Picture Book

Flapper, VC

2018 Young Australian’s Best Book Award (YABBA): Shortlisted Picture Book

Flapper, VC

2016 Whitley Award for Children’s Literature

Migaloo: The White Whale

2015 Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) Eve Pownall Award: Notable Children’s Book

The Afghanistan Pup

2015 OLQP Picture Book of the Year Award

The Afghanistan Pup

2014 Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) Book of the Year Award: Notable Picture Book

Vietnam Diary

2014 West Australian Young Readers’ Award: Shortlisted Picture Book

Ben and Gracies Art Adventure 

2013 Whitley Award for Children’s Literature

Deepsea Whale Rescue 

2013 Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) Book of the Year Award: Notable Picture Book

A Day to Remember – with Jackie French

2013 Aurealis Award 2013 : Shortlisted

Inside The World of Tom Roberts 

2013 White Ravens Award

Trust Me Too  – Illustrated short story collection (Top 250 books from around the world, prepared by the International Youth Library).              

Various Authors & Illustrators, edited by Paul Collins, Ford Street

2011 Dromkeen Medal

Services to Children’s Literature

The Dromkeen Medal, initiated in 1982, is bestowed annually to an Australian resident for outstanding achievement in the creation of Australian children's and young adult literature. The Dromkeen Medal was designed by Robert Ingpen and depicts the Dromkeen Homestead, a sickle moon and boughs of wattle. Previous Medal recipients include celebrated children's book illustrators and authors such as Alison Lester, Shaun Tan, Bronwyn Bancroft, Ruth Park, Andy Griffiths, Ercia Wagner, John Marsden and Graeme Base. 

2011 Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) Book of the Year Award: Notable Picture Book

Angel of Kokoda

2011 Wilderness Society – Environment Award for Children’s Literature: Shortlisted Picture Book

Stranded with Jan Ramage

2010 Whitley Award for Children’s Literature

Journey of The Sea Turtle 

2010 Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) Book of the Year Award: Notable Picture Book

My Mother’s Eyes, The Story of a Boy Soldier 

2008 Wilderness Society – Environment Award for Children’s Literature: Shortlisted Picture Book

The Last Tree

2008 Whitley Award for Children’s Literature

The Last Tree

2006 Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) Book of the Year Award: Notable Picture Book

Young Murphy-A Boy’s Adventure with Gary Crew

2005 Western Australian Premier’s Book Awards: Shortlist

Rodeo Darcy with Alison Gregory

2005 Whiteley Award for Children’s Literature

I Said Nothing, The Extinction of the Paradise Parrot with Gary Crew

2004 Whitley Award for Children’s Literature 

I Saw Nothing, The Extinction of the Thylacine, with Gary Crew

2004 Wilderness Society – Environment Award for Children’s Literature

The extinction series – Mark Wilson and Gary Crew

     I Saw Nothing, The Extinction of the Thylacine

     I Said Nothing, The Extinction of the Paradise Parrot

     I Did Nothing, The Extinction of the Gastric Brooding Frog.                     

2004 Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) Book of the Year Award: Notable Picture Book

I Saw Nothing, The Extinction of the Thylacine, with Gary Crew

2003 Wilderness Society – Environment Award for Children’s Literature

Yellow-eye, with David Spillman

2003 Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) Book of the Year Award: Notable Picture Book

Yellow-eye, with David Spillman

1996 Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) Book of the Year Award: Notable Picture Book

The Penguin Shore, with Tim O’Brien

Dromkeen Medal recipients:

2018    John Marsden

2017    Erica Wagner

2016    Alison Lester

2015    Andy Griffiths

2014    Helen Chamberlin

2012    Patricia Mullins

2011    Libby Gleeson AM

2010    Shaun Tan

2009    Bronwyn Bancroft

2008    Ruth Park

2007    Dr Patricia Edgar

2006    Walter McVitty

2005    Roland Harvey

2004    Margaret Hamilton

2003    Ivan Southall

2002    Ann James

2001    Julie Watts

2000    Paul Jennings

1999    Barbara Ker Wilson

1998    Graeme Base

1997    Colin Thiele

1996    Dr Belle Alderman

1995    Jennifer Rowe

1994    Agnes Nieuwenhuizen

1993    Alf Mappin

1992    Julie Vivas

1991    Robin Klein

1990    Mem Fox

1989    Robert Ingpen

1988    Patricia Scott

1987    Joan Phipson

1986    Albert Ullin

1985    Anne Bower Ingram

1984    Patricia Wrightson

1983    Maurice Saxby

1982    Lu Rees

Never Let Go by Geraldine McCaughrean illustrated by Jason Cockroft

"In the whole of realm of Fairyland and in the all the sunlit world there was no man so handsome as Tamlin. He could have captured the heart of any princess with his golden hair and ready smile. So many wondered why he chose Janet for his sweetheart. Plain Janet."

Tamlin is seen by the Fairy Queen. She entices him into her world and takes away his freedom. Janet travels to the edge of fairyland determined to set her true love free. 

"What did she see that Hallowe'en? Bats and back cats, and a skeleton dancing in the wild. She saw gravestone heave and the moss crawl, heard banshee laughter drifting on the wind."

The Fairy Queen rides past with her entourage and among them she sees her Tamlin. 

"But when a milk-white mare, crossed the moonlit crossroads, she leapt at once from her hiding place and seized his fine wool cloak ..."

There is no way the queen will give up her prize and so she conjures up all sorts of horrors - Tamlin turns into a giant scaly lizard, a thick enormous snake, a violent raging bear, a lion, a horse that tosses her high into the air, then a wolf, a boar and an eagle. 

"But she did not loose her grip whether her fingers clung to tusks or antennae, pincers or curling horns."

The final transformation is possibly the most horrible of all. The Fairy Queen turns Tamlin into a red-hot iron bar but Janet does not let go. Finally, the night ends and Janet is left holding her handsome true love. 

This book was published in 1998 so it is long out of print but the copy I found in a school library is still in good condition and I think deserves a place on the library shelves. The illustrations are scrumptious and the bravery of Janet is simply amazing. I would read this book to a group of older students - they are sure to enjoy all the slightly scary elements and the wonderful happy ending along with the messages of perseverance, determination and courage. 

Bookseller blurb: On the eve of his wedding, handsome Tamlin is stolen away by the Fairy Queen into the cruel, enchanted land of the Fairies where the ground runs red with blood. Tamlin's brave love, Janet, determines to win him back - but first she must find him. Then she must never let him go, come what may, or Tamlin will be gone forever.

I found this book when I was helping my friend with her library stock take (inventory). The cover caught my eye and so did the author name. Here are some other books by Geraldine McCaughrean and books illustrated by Jason Cockcroft.

Room for a little one

Queenie in Seven Moves by Zanni Louise

Let's begin with the title of this book. I thought it would be a book about chess. Yes, that famous game is mentioned, but Queenie is actually the name of the main character and seven moves refers to the way Queenie and her mum keep having to move either to a new house, or a share house and even a run-down caravan.

Homelessness is a VERY serious topic. When we meet Queenie Jean Anderson and her mum we discover they have to leave the home they have rented for many years. Queenie has named this house Peachy but the owner, who is also their neighbour and a friend, has decided to sell it and move on. Mum works in an aged care village and luckily one of the small homes in the village, named Diamonds, will be empty for the next couple of weeks so they can move in there even though this cannot become their home for very long. Once the new owner arrives in the village the mother and daughter move again into a share house with the Elliots.

"The truth is, the Elliots aren't Sarah's friends as such. Sarah's friend's neighbour's cat heard there was a family looking to share for a bit because the dad lost his job during COVID. When I quizzed mum more, she didn't know anything about the Elliots, which seems like a very dicey living arrangement." page 70

The cat heard? I am a bit confused. Also, it turns out the son of the Elliot family is a boy in Queenie's class - why didn't she recognise the surname? It is the end of Year Six so I would expect her to know the names of every student in her class. Queenie is aged eleven or twelve and so is Dory so, sorry to be negative, but I did wonder why her mum would have no concerns about a boy and girl sharing a room? 

"So, I am going from never talking to a guy-who-is- vaguely-good-looking in my life to sharing a bedroom with him."

This arrangement comes to an end quickly when the adults see Dory and Queenie kissing! Next stop - an old run-down caravan.

"Mum jostles the door of Terry's caravan. It takes a few goes, but eventually comes unstuck. True to the description, the caravan is leaky. A stream of water trickles down one wall. A line of mould decorates one of the other walls. The kitchen bench is saggy with moisture ... the place smells of mould and rotting leaf litter."

Remember my comment homelessness is a very serious topic - well I was quite dismayed by the way mum just seemed to accept living in this dreadful caravan. I expected to get some sense of her despair. Especially when all of their possessions are destroyed after the caravan collapses in the wild weather. 

There are a couple more moves after the caravan is wrecked and then finally, we reach the happy ending. I won't spoil this except to say Queenie and her mum do find a proper place to live. Can you count seven moves? Diamonds; Elliots; Caravan; Ruthie's house (the owner of the Caravan); and Dimitri's place equals five. Briefly they move to a tent so Queenie can enter a singing contest - that is move six. Then the happy ending is move seven.

I had a small problem with the Christmas scene in this book. Queenie and her mum head to a market on Christmas Day and there are lots of other people there. Here in Australia Christmas is in the Summer so a market at the beach makes sense but I am fairly sure there are no towns where a market would be held on the 25th December. Yes, there are plenty of Christmas markets, but these happen over the days leading up to big day. I guess you just need to go with the flow - the market does sound like fun with food and rides and Santa. 

"The beachside Christmas market is every year on Christmas Day. It's like an orphans' Christmas, for people who don't have big families to spend Christmas with. There are lots of tourists and young people."

I am not sure I entirely agree with these four reviewers, but I suspect this book might be a CBCA (Children's Book Council of Australia) 2024 Younger Readers Notable title and so to balance my review comments I am sharing these links. I read Queenie in Seven Moves quite quickly and it did hold my attention, but I cannot give it five or even four stars.

Mother and daughter are enriched by the diversity of the characters they encounter with each of their moves. Their homelessness exposes them to the many definitions of homelessness. Both reassess their understanding of friendship. Queenie in Seven Moves is a compassionate tale filled with images of human kindness, and the acceptance and change that seems to surface frequently in times of crisis. Beautifully written. A great read! Kids' Book Review

Queenie in Seven Moves is such a gorgeous story and twelve-year-old Queenie is a treat with her moods and possessiveness of her mother. It's all so relatable! Little Squirrels Bookshelf

This is a book about resilience, family, friendships and self-belief. Readers will enjoy this modern-day tale of urban adventure and quiet heroism. Georgina Gye

This is a well-paced, engaging and emotionally satisfying book, that hits all the right notes (excuse the pun). But if Zanni ever gets bored with writing books, she could easily move on to song writing. The song lyrics included in the book are a clever reflection of Queenie’s experiences and emotions and add to the tenor of the story (sorry, another pun). Storylinks

Here are some other books that explore this complex topic of homelessness. You can pop each title into my side bar to read more or click this link to a post which refers to nearly all of these:

Here are some picture books about homelessness - I highly recommend you share some of these with your students:

If you are in Australia you are sure to know some of these picture books by Zanni Louise. 

And here is her new junior book series:

I read her website and a few interviews with this author and I had one question - is this her real name?  I now discover her first name is Suzannah but is Louise really her surname?  Here are some interviews with Zanni Louise - I was surprised no one asked her about the name Zanni?

Reading With a Chance of Tacos

Your Kid's Next Read episode 81

Australian Writers Centre episode 169

Positive Parenting

The Wall Between Us by Dan Smith

Anja and Monika are best friends. They live in Berlin and it only takes a few steps to cross the street to see each other ... until!  The year is 1961. It is August 13th.

1. How will I see Monika if there's barbed wire right along the middle of the road.

2. How will Otto get back home? (Papa says Ottos will be find. He says cats are cleverer than the devil and that they can find a way through anything.)

3. How will Uncle Konrad get to work?

4. What's going to happen now?

The answer to question four forms the content of this book. We read journal entries by Anja and letters from Monika although sadly these cannot be delivered.

"At midnight on 13th August, 1961, East German authorities built a barrier of barbed  wire and cinder blocks to stop their citizens from leaving. ... The Berlin wall was approximately 155 kilometres long and (it) was five metres high in some places. .... Approximately 200 people were killed trying to escape from East Berlin to West Berlin. At midnight on 9 November 1989, restrictions were ended and people were finally free to pass through the Berlin Wall."

Read an extract from the first chapter here. And here is a very detailed review with text quotes and images. 

This is a compulsive, nuanced and relevant tale, about an important period of recent European history.  Historical Novel society

From the beginning of the story, we are aware that Anja and Monika get arrested for their crimes. Each journal entry or letter is preceded by a Ministry for State Security case file note. These detail Anja and Monika’s arrest in the Autumn of 1961. What we are yet to discover is what the two get up to and how they get found out. Smith presents us with one great big jigsaw puzzle and piece by piece, we have to ascertain how the arrest will unfurl. Just Imagine

I was on the edge of my seat the whole way through this gripping first-hand account which relates the events between 13th August and 7th October - the date of Anja's arrest. I highly recommend this book for readers aged 10+. It was published in 2023 by Chicken House in the UK. This publisher always deliver splendid books for middle grade readers. 

Bookseller blurb: A stunning, exciting story from acclaimed author Dan Smith - author of the Carnegie Medal-nominated Nisha's War. BERLIN 1961 Anja and Monika live opposite each other. They play together every day, with Otto the cat. One night they wake up to bangs and shouts. Soldiers are building a huge barbed wire fence between them. A terrible forever wall that gets longer and higher until it divides the whole city. On the East side, Monika is scared - neighbours are becoming spies and there are secret police everywhere. It's Anja who spots that Otto has found a way across. If he can visit Monika, then perhaps she can too. But Anja gets trapped and there's no safe way back . . .

I also enjoyed this book by Dan Smith:

She Wolf

Meet the illustrator Freya Blackwood

 

The CBCA Judges said;

This wordless book is a deeply emotional, tender, poignant and quietly affecting story which sings on so many levels. Rereading will reward the reade. There is the need to stop destruction of the natural environment alongside themes of friendship, loneliness and displacement in a world where people are too busy to see beauty in the world. The characters, settings and transitions in time are engaging, emotive and worthwhile. There are many elements in this book; 

young and wistful protagonist, peacock and orange colour palette used to represent home life, 

delicately drawn figures and sensitive use of lighting.

2022 Picture Book of the Year short list

Freya Blackwood is one of our most talented Australian children's book illustrators. Her wordless book The Boy and the Elephant will go to Lampedusa to be part of the IBBY Silent Books project. This is a huge honour. 

The pathos of her characters is a joy to behold, and her work has deservedly captured international attention and a swag of awards and nominations. Penguin Australia

Freya has worked with some of the biggest names in Australian children's literature - Mem Fox; Libby Gleeson, Margaret Wild and the late Jan Ormerod. I especially love her two books which feature the poems of Banjo Patterson. Did you know the US version of Amy and Louis has a different title - Half a World away. 

Freya has illustrated over twenty-five books and has also done her own work as author and illustrator. My most favourite book illustrated by Freya is My Two Blankets. This book was featured by two Canadian academics at an IBBY (USBBY) conference in Seattle and I was pleased to include this book when I spoke at the Texas Book Festival in 2019.

In her hand-drawn illustrations, Blackwood uses colour and line to draw out the emotional complexity of growing up. It's the tender-sweet stories, those that make her "skin buzz and tingle" on first reading, that she accepts as book projects. The Sydney Morning Herald

In 2015 the CBCA listed three books illustrated by Freya Blackwood as their winners:

Winner Younger Readers: The Cleo Stories: The Necklace and The Present Libby Gleeson, Freya Blackwood

Winner Early Childhood: Go to Sleep, Jessie! Libby Gleeson, Freya Blackwood 

Winner Picture Book: My Two Blankets, Freya Blackwood, Text Irena Kobald 

In 2017 art by Freya was used for the CBCA slogan - Escape to Everywhere. If you have a school subscription or one through your public library here in Australia you can see some of Freya's books on The Storybox Library. Here is an interview with Freya Blackwood and The Art of the Picture Book. Here is a very comprehensive set of questions and answers.

My brother and I used to love visiting my grandparents because, among other things, they had a collection of picture books that was completely different from the collection we had at home. In amongst my grandparents’ books was a copy of Would You Rather by John Birmingham ... We loved Would You Rather because we had to interact with the story and think of our own answers. How fun (and horrible) is it to choose an answer for a question like this: "Would you rather eat spider stew or slug dumplings or mashed worms?" 

One of her most powerful books which shows the impact of drought here in Australia is My Two Summers and this is the title that won Freya Blackwood the CBCA (Children's Book Council of Australia) New Illustrator award in 2004 and perhaps set on the path to her illustration career:

My Two Blanket was also selected for the White Ravens list. In this interview with Reading Australia Freya Blackwood talks about My Two Blankets and also her book Amy and Louis. 

In 2010, she received the Kate Greenaway Medal for Harry & Hopper.

The Terrible Suitcase

The Treasure Box

Banjo and Ruby Red

El Deafo by Cece Bell

I am late coming to this book which was published in 2015. I really appreciated the raw honesty of this story but of course you might expect that from an autobiography. At times Cece's experiences were heartbreaking but the ending has a promise of better times to come. I experienced a huge roller coaster of emotions. I desperately wanted someone to talk to the other students at Cece's High school - why were they so awful to her just because she was wearing a large hearing device? And worst of all is that dreadful PE teacher who breaks her expensive equipment seemingly with no consequence for him but huge ramifications for Cece.  

In a talk Bell gave at the 2014 ALA Midwinter Conference about El Deafo, she said she chose rabbits rather than humans as characters because rabbits can hear really well and what's funnier than a rabbit with hearing aids? Bell's characters are drawn with cute, simplistic faces, yet they are very expressive and she does a phenomenal job, both with words and pictures, of conveying the experience of not being able to hear and understand the world around you. Books4YourKids

The dream sequences where Cece imagines her alternate life as a superhero were terrific and very easy to identify from the way the page designed changed.  Here are twelve facts about Cece Bell. 

Publisher Blurb: Starting at a new school is scary, especially with a giant hearing aid strapped to your chest! At her old school, everyone in Cece’s class was deaf. Here, she’s different. She’s sure the kids are staring at the Phonic Ear, the powerful aid that will help her hear her teacher. Too bad it also seems certain to repel potential friends. Then Cece makes a startling discovery. With the Phonic Ear she can hear her teacher not just in the classroom but anywhere her teacher is in the school—in the hallway . . . in the teacher’s lounge . . . in the bathroom! This is power. Maybe even superpower! Cece is on her way to becoming El Deafo, Listener for All. But the funny thing about being a superhero is that it’s just another way of feeling different . . . and lonely. Can Cece channel her powers into finding the thing she wants most, a true friend? Here is a sample from the audio version of El Deafo. And the Kirkus Star Review. 

The real reason I found the book as compelling as I did was due in large part to the way in which Bell tackles the illogical logic of childhood friendships. So many kids are friends thanks to geographical convenience. You’re my age and live within a certain radius of my home? We’re besties! And Bell’s hearing-impaired state is just a part of why she is or is not friends with one person or another. Really, the true arc of the story isn’t necessarily CeCe coming to terms with the Sonic Ear, but rather how she comes to terms with herself and, in doing so, gets the best possible friend. It’s like reading a real life Goldilocks story. This friend is too bossy. This friend is too fixated on Cece’s hearing. But this friend? She’s juuuuuust right. SlJ Betsy Bird

Through the portrayal of bunny characters (bunnies because they are known for their big ears and excellent hearing), Bell has managed to amplify the book’s whimsical feel providing readers with a remarkable story of a young girl living with hearing impairment. Children's Book Review

Awards for El Deafo:

• Cybils Award for Elementary and Middle Grade Graphic Novel Winner
• Goodreads Choice Award for Best Middle Grade and Children's Nominee
• Kirkus Prize for Young Readers' Literature Finalist
• Guardian Children's Fiction Prize Longlist
• ALSC Notable Children's Books Selection
• Charlotte Huck Award Honor
• Children's Choice Book Award for Debut Author Finalist
• Eisner Award for Best Publication for Kids Winner
• Eisner Award for Best Reality-Based Work Finalist
• Great Graphic Novels for Teens Selection
• Judy Lopez Memorial Award Winner
• Newbery Medal Honor

As you would expect El Deafo is also included in the IBBY Collection for Young People with Disabilities.

I have a plan this year to read more graphic novels. Luckily the libraries I visit each week have strong collections. The hospital library where I work as a volunteer has an interesting collection which comes from Scholastic Australia and their Standing Order service. Here are the books they offered in 2023:

Other books by Cece Bell:

I Yam a donkey    Rabbit and Robot The Sleepover

Focus on one Author or Illustrator

Bob Graham illustration from Let's get a Pup

A question was asked on a Facebook forum:

If you could purchase a complete set of one Australian Author books for a primary school library (picture or fiction) what author would you choose?

I was curious so I asked WHY? Here is the reply:

I would like to make author boxes so teacher can read specific author books in class or I can display in library. At my previous school we had these where the teachers and students loved them by reading the books from that author. I was getting author ideas to purchase.

I have a few concerns about this?

• I'm all for promoting our Australian authors and illustrators but if I did set out to do this in my library, I would want to include so many fabulous international names too. (Julia Donaldson; and Pamela Allen were suggested in the thread but there are so many more). Just off the top of my head I would list these international names (this list could be way longer) David McKee, Mick Inkpen, Suzy Lee, David Weisner, Pat Hutchins, Michael Foreman, The Fan Brothers, Janosch, Margaret Mahy.
• If books are popped into boxes does that take them out of circulation or does the library need to hold two copies of each book? Or are these collections just shelved in a different part of the library or just lent out once or twice each term as requested to classes?
• The question asked for one Australian author but clearly the plan is to collate quite a few sets so there will need to be more names?
• If the focus is an author who writes longer novels is there an expectation class teachers will read these books to their class? With the new NSW (Australia) curriculum requirements especially for English I cannot imagine how (sadly) any class teacher would have time for this? I think it might be better to make picture books the focus of this project. 

SO which authors and illustrators were mentioned? I will only focus on the picture book creators who others listed because their works can be shared easily with all grades.

From the Facebook post:

• Jackie French 
• Alison Lester
• Phil Bunting
• Matt Cosgrove
• Aaron Blabey
• Chris Cheng
• Nick Bland
• Mem Fox
• Aura Parker

Here are a few of the names I would suggest (Australian)

• Margaret Wild (you could expand a focus on Margaret Wild this to include many of the people who have illustrated her books such as Kerry Argent; Ann James, Donna Rawlins, Ron Brooks)

• Bob Graham
• Jeannie Baker
• Tohby Riddle
• Sophie Blackall
• Stephen Michael King

• Jess Racklyeft
• Gabriel Evans
• Jess McGeachin
• Jan Ormerod

• Anna Walker
• Kim Gamble
• Sara Acton
• Freya Blackwood
• Emma Quay
• Cheryl Orsini