Author
Josie Montano and Kathy Hoopmann met in 1999 at the Ipswich Festival of Children’s Literature (now called StoryArts Festival Ipswich) and have been friends ever since. Both of them have written extensively on Autism Spectrum Disorders (Asperger Syndrome), plus they both write in other genres as well.
For years, they have dabbled with the idea of writing together, however nothing seemed to feel right. That all changed when Kathy moved back to Australia after a long stint in the Middle East and found that they now lived five minutes from each other. It had to be an omen!
So, over a coffee on the deck they came up with the concept of The Secret Science Society and were thrilled when it was snapped up by Wombat Books. Now they look forward to creating a bunch of quirky, lovable rascals who get up to all sorts of mischief, whether they mean to or not.
With their combined understanding of diagnoses that have lots of letters (ASD, GAD, ADHD, etc) the Secret Science Society is sure to delight, entertain (and dare we say, educate) our readers, young and old alike. Read more about our book here.
Resources
Secret Science Society's Spectacular Experiment background information and fun video
Secret Science Society teacher resources PDF
THE SECRET SCIENCE SOCIETY'S EXPERIMENT SERIES: BENDING WATER
THE SECRET SCIENCE SOCIETY'S EXPERIMENT SERIES: LAVA LAMPS
Author
Jane Smith is a Queensland author, librarian and freelance editor who firmly believes that history is really just a bunch of stories waiting to be told. Jane writes fiction and non-fiction, for both kids and adults. Her latest children’s adventure series, ‘Carly Mills, Pioneer Girl’, celebrates the achievements of remarkable women throughout history. In this historical fiction series, contemporary country girl Carly goes back in time to have adventures with trailblazing women like Caroline Chisholm, Dr Lilian Cooper and Dame Nellie Melba: women who changed the world.
Jane is also the author of the non-fiction ‘Australian bushrangers’ series for children and the ‘Tommy Bell, Bushranger Boy’ series. Three of her children’s books have been short- or long-listed for significant literary awards, including an Australian Book Industry Award.
Resources
Author
NAT AMOORE is a Sydney-based writer whose debut novel Secrets Of A Schoolyard Millionaire came out in 2019 with Penguin Random House. It had great success as both Dymocks and QBD’s ‘Kids Book of the Month’, becoming Australia’s #1 bestselling debut Aussie children’s fiction in 2019. It has now been sold into the UK, US, Italy, China, Estonia and Romania.
Her second book The Power Of Positive Pranking was released in 2020 and was shortlisted for the Readings Children’s Book Prize and REAL Children’s Choice Book Awards. It went on to win the 2021 Environment Award for Children’s Literature.
The Right Way To Rock came out in June 2021 and Nat is super excited to be celebrating her latest release We Run Tomorrow, a novel/graphic novel hybrid that hits stores in May 2022.
Resources
Music video for 'The Right Way To Rock' by Nat Amoore and Josh Pyke.
Spotify list for Right Way to Rock
Author
Tristan Bancks tells stories for the page and screen. His books for kids and teens include Two Wolves, The Fall, Detention, the Tom Weekly series and Nit Boy. His books have won and been shortlisted for many awards, including a Children’s Book Council of Australia Honour Book, the Prime Minister’s Literary Awards, ABIA, YABBA, KOALA, NSW Premier’s Literary Awards and Queensland Literary Awards. His new release for 2021 is Ginger Meggs, a 100th anniversary book of brand-new short stories based on characters created by his great-great uncle, Jimmy Bancks, in 1921.
Resources
Teachers Resources for many books
Ginger Meggs by Tristan Bancks and Jason Chatfield | Book trailer
Author and Illustrator
Renee Treml’s stories and illustrations are inspired by nature and influenced by her background in environmental science. She has written and illustrated several picture books for very young readers and the popular graphic novel series Sherlock Bones.
We asked our authors and illustrators to create some special ‘Tiny Books’ for you for the festival.
You can download and print as many as you need, then bring them along to your sessions at StoryArts Festival Ipswich to collect a ‘tiny autograph’.
Renee created The Spacey Adventures of Dino-Naut.
Here are the instructions for how to fold a tiny book. (Sometimes called Mini-Books).
Resources
Renee reads aloud Let's Go Little Roo
The Spacey Adventures of Dino-Naut (Tiny Book PDF)
Author
Kathryn Apel’s picture books are inspired by the misadventures of life on the land – and all feature cows. ‘The Bird in the Herd’ is her newest book, a cumulative rhyming story that might just tangle your tongue. Kathryn also writes verse novels including the popular ‘Bully on the Bus’.
We asked our authors and illustrators to create some special ‘Tiny Books’ for you for the festival.
You can download and print as many as you need, then bring them along to your sessions at StoryArts Festival Ipswich to collect a ‘tiny autograph’.
Kathryn Apel wrote and Renee Treml illustrated Ant Trail.
Here are the instructions for how to fold a tiny book. (Sometimes called Mini-Books).
Resources
Resources for Bird in the Herd
Author and Illustrator
Yvonne Mes is a children’s author and illustrator from Brisbane. Her latest picture books are Trouble in the Hen House and Little Bilby’s Aussie Bush Christmas.
We asked our authors and illustrators to create some special ‘Tiny Books’ for you for the festival.
You can download and print as many as you need, then bring them along to your sessions at StoryArts Festival Ipswich to collect a ‘tiny autograph’.
Yvonne wrote and illustrated Carrots.
Here are the instructions for how to fold a tiny book. (Sometimes called Mini-Books).
Resources
Author and Illustrator
Judith Rossell is a multi-award-winning author-illustrator.
We asked our authors and illustrators to create some special ‘Tiny Books’ for you for the festival.
You can download and print as many as you need, then bring them along to your sessions at StoryArts Festival Ipswich to collect a ‘tiny autograph’.
Judith wrote and illustrated The Little Book of Fancy Manners.
Here are the instructions for how to fold a tiny book. (Sometimes called Mini-Books).
Resources
Art challenges, including making tiny houses
Video - Judith's illustration tips for Write a Book in a Day competition
The Little Book of Fancy Manners (Tiny Book PDF)
Author and Illustrator
Megan Forward has illustrated books wrtten by Dannika Paterson and for the festival they have ceated a Tiny Book.
We asked our authors and illustrators to create some special ‘Tiny Books’ for you for the festival.
You can download and print as many as you need, then bring them along to your sessions at StoryArts Festival Ipswich to collect a ‘tiny autograph’.
Dannika wrote the words and Megan created the illustrations for Nature Play Days.
Here are the instructions for how to fold a tiny book. (Sometimes called Mini-Books).
Resources
Nature Play Days (Tiny Book PDF)
Author
Dave Lowe writes and illustrates funny books and has even written an episode of Bluey.
We asked our authors and illustrators to create some special ‘Tiny Books’ for you for the festival.
You can download and print as many as you need, then bring them along to your sessions at StoryArts Festival Ipswich to collect a ‘tiny autograph’.
Dave wrote the words and Yvonne Mes created the illustrations for Brownbeard, The Unusually Polite Pirate.
Here are the instructions for how to fold a tiny book. (Sometimes called Mini-Books).
Resources
Brownbeard, The Unusually Polite Pirate (Tiny Book PDF)
Author and Illustrator
Remy Lai writes and draws stories for kids. She is the author and illustrator of Pie in the Sky and Fly on the Wall. Her latest book is the graphic novel PAWCASSO.
Resources
How to draw yourself - with video (Scribblers Festival)
Mac Kids Streaming Schoolhouse - Video first 16 mins