Every year since 2009, members of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) have gathered on Rottnest Island in June for a winter retreat. We spend four days writing, drawing, working on stories and learning from guest speakers. It’s my favourite time of the year.
Continue reading “The Rottnest Island Retreat, & other SCBWI news”
Subscribers of my email newsletter The James Foley-O will know that I have a new book coming out in October. It’s about a pet rabbit that dies and comes back from the dead as a zombie; it’s called My Dead Bunny. It’s written by Sigi Cohen and published by Walker Books Australia. I’m busting to show you the cover! I’ll reveal more in the next couple of months. In the meantime, here’s some pictures of other zombie animals …
I’ve recently become a writer-ambassador for an NGO called Room To Read, who (along with kids’ author Tristan Bancks) is running a campaign called the World Change Challenge.
The aim is to raise money for school children in Nepal.
Continue reading “Room To Read’s World Change Challenge 2015”
The Perth Writers Festival is over for another year. The weekend goes by so quick! I was very happy to be back this year as a presenter on the schools’ day and family day, and this year I also got to work on something a bit different – a massive mural.
Continue reading “Making a mural at the Perth Writers Festival”
If you live in Perth in Western Australia, you couldn’t have missed the buzz about The Giants back in February. For three days, giant marionettes walked the streets of the city with over a million people turning up to welcome them. I was excited just to see the Giants, but even more excited for the Little Girl Giant to finally receive the enormous picture book I helped out with.
Continue reading “The Little Girl Giant and her giant picture book”
This year’s Perth International Arts Festival will see a 6 metre-tall girl walking down St George’s Terrace. She’s called ‘the Little Girl Giant’, and as part of her visit she’ll receive an enormous book from the children of the City of Perth. I helped schoolkids produce some art for the book. More details on the Giants and the book below.
Happy New Year! I hope you’re well-fed and rested after the holidays, and are feeling ready to tackle another year.
I’ve just had a two-week holiday at home, my first big break in a while. I read a pile of books, watched a stack of movies and played a heap of video games. It was heaven. I’m back at the desk now, but I wanted to take stock of 2014 before getting stuck into new jobs. It’s mostly for my benefit, but if you’re at all interested in how a full-time children’s illustrator spends his time, here’s a month-by-month summary of my 2014.
Bali … it’s an idyllic paradise filled with rice fields, temples and frangipanis … unless you’re in Kuta, and then it’s a place of digestive upsets and Bintang-singleted bogans.
Don’t go to Kuta. Go to Ubud. It’s a very special place an hour’s drive north of Denpasar, and I got the chance to go there for the Ubud Writers and Readers Festival in October. I ran a workshop for kids, I did a school session too, and I got to be on a panel with Mem Fox!
Details after the jump.
Continue reading “Meeting Mem: Ubud Writers and Readers Festival 2014”
This year, Mount Hawthorn Primary School invited myself and fellow author/illustrator Briony Stewart to collaborate on a 13-week residency project.
Our project was called ‘My Place’. The aim for each year four student (all 87 of them) was to complete a polished story and accompanying illustration based upon their favourite place in Mount Hawthorn. They also made the amazing map you see above!
Hit the link to see more work by the kids.
Continue reading ““My Place”: whimsical stories from Mount Hawthorn Primary students”
My new children’s book The Last Viking Returns is finally out!
Written by Norman Jorgensen, it’s the sequel to The Last Viking. Here’s the official synopsis:
Josh is still as brave as a Viking warrior, and not much can scare a Viking … but the two littlest Vikings have grown up a bit since the first book, and they’re going berserk. They think they’re invincible, and that spells trouble!
When Pop takes the family to Viking World, Josh finds out just how far he’ll go to keep them safe.
You can find The Last Viking Returns at your local bookstore and online.
Hit the link for more photos from the official launches!
James Foley 