The reviews are in! My new book Amazing Astro Animals has been out in Australia and NZ for almost three weeks now – big thanks to everyone who’s shared a review so far.
Amazing Astro Animals
Buy it here:
Amazing Astro Animals gets ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Category: books
Join the launch of Amazing Astro Animals across Australia!
My new book, Amazing Astro Animals, is coming to a bookshop near you very soon!
Join me for a book launch in Perth, Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane.
Each launch will include a short lecture by renowned astrozoologist Professor Vüpshe Dazchy.
PERTH, SEPT 29
DATE: Tuesday Sept 29th
WHEN: 2:00pm
WHERE: Heath Ledger Theatre, WA State Theatre Centre
TICKETS: $5 – get your tickets here
SYDNEY, OCT 24
DATE: Saturday October 24th
WHEN: 2pm
WHERE: Gleebooks, Glebe Point Rd, Glebe
RSVP: Rachel@gleebooks.com.au
MELBOURNE, OCT 25
DATE: Sunday October 25th
WHEN: 11am
WHERE: The Little Bookroom, 8 Village Ave, Brunswick East
RSVP: https://events.humanitix.com/amazing-astro-animals
BRISBANE, OCT 31
DATE: Saturday October 31st
WHEN: 10am
WHERE: Quick Brown Fox Bookshop, 5/33 Carberry Street, Grange
RSVP: https://www.trybooking.com/DPTQH
Amazing Astro Animals out in October
My first non-fiction, Amazing Astro Animals, is out this October!
Born out of my research for Stellarphant, this is a true history of animals involved in space travel.
Before humans ever left the planet, animals boldly went where no man had gone before. Even now, these unwitting test pilots and space travellers outnumber their human counterparts.
From microscopic tardigrades to a pregnant cockroach, from last-minute mutts to unhatched chicken eggs, these animals and their stories are weird, wacky and wonderful. Chock-full of extraordinary facts and fun, this is an absolute must read!
Pre-order now:
Bigfoot Vs Yeti shortlisted for WA Premier’s Awards
My picture book BIGFOOT VS YETI is on the WA Premier’s Book Awards shortlist!
Congrats to the other shortlistees in the Children’s Book of the Year category:
- Creature Clinic by Gavin Aung Than
- Everglade 1: Rise of the Witch by Kitty Black
- One Day by Shirley Marr and Michael Speechley
- The Surface Trials by H.M. Waugh
And congrats to all the other shortlistees! Western Australia is overflowing with local talent. Thank you to the judges and the State Library of WA for holding the awards.
Buy BIGFOOT VS YETI
OH NO! out now: rave reviews + free resources
OH NO! my new picture book is out now in bookshops across Australia and New Zealand.
Reviews are starting to come in … and Readings bookstores have made it their picture book of the month for May!
More rave reviews below.
FREE TEACHER RESOURCES
Here are three OH NO! colouring sheets for you to download and use at home or in the classroom.
Buy OH NO!
Bigfoot, Yeti and Capybara shortlisted in children’s choice awards
The shortlists for the NSW and Victoria children’s choice book awards – the KOALAS and YABBAS – were released today. I’m stoked to see that two of my books were shortlisted in the Picture Story Book category!
Bigfoot vs Yeti: A Love Story and Happy Barry Capybara: Gone Bananas were both shortlisted.
Big thanks to all the young readers who nominated my books for the awards, and to the teachers and librarians who organised voting in their schools!
And congrats to everyone with a shortlisted book. There are so many great ones on the list this year. You can see all the shortlisted books in the poster below.
Eagle-eyed viewers will notice that I got to do the artwork for this year’s poster; it was heaps of fun to have Stella from Stellarphant doing a spacewalk with the mascot of the YABBAs (a mouse) and the KOALAs (a koala of course). See below for the full art.
Buy the books:
Oh yes, book launches for OH NO!
Okay, I realise I just had a new book out on April 1st. That wasn’t an April Fools’ joke, it’s an actual book called Fuzzball and you can grab it in bookstores now!
But I have another book coming out in May, and I’m launching it in Fremantle, Melbourne and Brisbane! Details below.
Oh No! is a very silly picture book about ‘onomatopoeia’ (sound effects) – although in this book they are more appropriately called ‘oh-no-matopoiea’ (the sound of things going very badly).
It’s a super fun read-aloud that is sure to get kids giggling!
Join me to launch the book in April and May.
FREMANTLE launch: Sun April 26th
Join me in my hometown to launch my new picture book! We’ll be joined by author/illustrator extraordinaire Sean E Avery – get set for an epic illustrator duel.
DATE: Sunday April 26th
WHEN: 10:30am
WHERE: Paper Bird Books, 42 Henry St, Fremantle
TICKETS: Free!
RSVP: essential, via humanitix
MELBOURNE launch: Sat May 23rd
Melbourne, it feels like it’s been ages and I’ve missed you. We’ve got the hilarious Adrian Beck joining us for this one – and another epic illustrator duel (provided I survived the one with Sean back in Freo).
DATE: Saturday May 23rd
WHEN: 2:00pm
WHERE: The Little Bookroom, 8 Village Ave, Brunswick East
TICKETS: Free!
RSVP: essential, via humanitix
BRISBANE launch: Sun May 31st
Brizzy, you get a launch too! My bud Pete Carnavas will be joining us for the illustrator duel – but don’t let his calm, wise visage fool you. He is truly a lethal opponent. His pen is mightier than the sword, but that doesn’t change the fact he has a sword (who needs a sword?).
DATE: Sunday May 31st
WHEN: 2:00pm
WHERE: Where The Wild Things Are, 191 Boundary Street, West End, Brisbane
TICKETS: a family pass including the book is $25
RSVP: essential, via trybooking
Fuzzball is out today!
Fuzzball is the latest junior fiction novel in the Paw Prints series from Walker Books.
It’s written by the awesome Nathan Luff and illustrated by me.
Here’s the official blurb:
When Luca’s mum and dad give him a special present for his birthday, he hopes it’s the pet dog he’s been waiting for. Instead, he gets Fuzzball.
But a guinea pig can’t play fetch, go for walks or learn fun tricks like a dog can. Just when Luca is ready to give up on Fuzzball, he finds something that Fuzzball CAN do …
This was a dream to illustrate – it’s such a funny story from Mr Luff. I hope you enjoy it!
Available now from bookstores across Australia and NZ. Links below.
Buy a copy now:
Free capybara classroom activities
Hi teachers and parents!
Here are some free activities to go with my latest picture book Happy Barry Capybara: Gone Bananas.
Paper character finger puppets
These mouthy fellas are heaps of fun to make and play with!
There are little paper loops on the back so you can make their mouths open.
Free for non-commercial use (schools, libraries, homes).
Click on the pictures below to download the pages (pdf format).
[These are adapted from an awesome set of farmyard animal puppets found here and many more creature puppets found on twinkl.]
Colouring sheets
Free for non-commercial use (schools, libraries, homes).
Click on the pictures below to download the pages (pdf format).
MORE CAPYBARA ACTIVITIES
Buy Happy Barry Capybara: Gone Bananas
Stellarphant, the show: tickets on sale now!
The amazing team at Barking Gecko Arts have adapted my picture book Stelllarphant for the stage. I am so excited for everyone to see this … I’ve been checking out the rehearsals and it’s going to be epic!
From the official blurb:
Join Stella, an elephant who dreams of becoming an astronaut, as she builds her own spaceship and proves that anyone can reach for the stars … this uplifting 55-minute production for children aged 6-12 and their families is packed with heart, humour, and imagination. Perfect for the April school holidays.
The run opens with general public shows at Subiaco Arts Centre, followed by school group shows around the metro area and regional WA. Full dates below.
TOUR SCHEDULE
- 15–18 April 2026 | GENERAL PUBLIC SHOWS | Subiaco
- 21-24 April 2026 | SCHOOL SHOWS | Subiaco
- 29 April – 1 May 2026 | SCHOOL SHOWS | Kwinana
- 5-8 May 2026 | SCHOOL SHOWS | Thornlie
- 12-15 May 2026 | SCHOOL SHOWS | Kalamunda
- 20-21 May 2026 | SCHOOL SHOWS | Karratha
- 22 May 2026 | GENERAL PUBLIC SHOW | Port Hedland
- 29 May 2026 | SCHOOL SHOW | Esperance
Huge thanks to the cast and crew at Barking Gecko – you’re absolute superstars!
