Cirrus@Austlit

'Emma Quay is a highly professional, multi-awarded artist-illustrator and author. She is thoughtful, creative and possibly a perfectionist who, nevertheless, has a free flowing, often humerous style, rendered with a light touch. Originally from the United Kingdom, Emma is now based in Sydney.' (Introduction)

'To make a living - and perhaps to ensure a rewarding and relevant creative life - authors often find themselves producing different kinds of books in various formats, and creating work in other fields of artistic endeavour. All this entails collaborations of one kind or another. When I decided to investigate this theme, I turned to Libby Hathorn, whose collaborations over the past 40 years are as varied as anyone's could be.' (Introduction)

'The book industry runs rampant during August : Book Week, author signings, tours, school visits, and the announcement of the winners of the annual Children's Book Council Book of the Year categories. For each author on the various shortlists, on equal footing to take home the Book of the Year prize, it is a breathless, flurrying time of excitement, nerves and crossed fingers. The shortlist has been made available for several months by the time August rolls around, so anticipation is high.' (Introduction)

'The ancient landscapes and vast, remote reaches of the Kimberley are the inspirational setting against which one of Australia's most successful literary partnerships has been created and nurtured. When two educators with a passion for children's literacy, a sense of adventure and a mutual enjoyment of 'having a good yarn' first met, neither had any inkling that their relationship would lead to a life-changing decision to simply write a story for the children of the outback. With no expectation of publication from the authors, that story became a multiple award-winning novel for young people across Australia. Its success ultimately led to a whirlwind of writing and publishing contracts including picture books and titles for young, middle and YA readers. With such a stunning swag of accomplishments within a few short years, I set out to discover how this writing partnership and remarkable chain of literary achievements came to be.' (Introduction) 
 

'Nedingar: Ancestors by Isobel Bevis and Leanne Zilm and Djinang Bonar: Seeing Seasons by Ebony Froome and Leanne Zilm, published by Fremantle Press, are just two from a series of dual language picture books in Noongar and English designed to combine relatable stories and beautiful artworks with increased cultural awareness and representation. The books also include QR codes linked to Noongar pronunciation guides and videos so that readers can hear the words spoken aloud. (Introduction) 
 

'Set against a backdrop of high educational accountability, literacy education in Australia appears to be increasingly focused on improving children's scores in reading and writing. Reading for pleasure; the act of simply reading for the joy it brings, in contrast, is declining.'