The Children's Books

Every one of my picture books started as a handful of words written down late at night, usually after a conversation about somebody's child, or a moment they wished had been captured.

Harry and the Twins came from watching a proud big brother meet his siblings on an Australian farm. It's about making room in your heart without losing your place in it.

Simon the Sad Seagull came from a day at the harbour, where kindness arrived from somewhere completely unexpected. It's a gentle story about friendship and the small moments that lift us.

Fred and Ted came from brothers, grandparents, and the quiet miracle of a new little sister arriving.

Axle and the Web of Safety is about a blonde little boy, his mum, and a family of gentle, funny, colourful spiders — a soft way into a big conversation about feeling safe.

Someone Always Sees You is Sam's book. It's about being noticed on the days you feel invisible, and about the teacher, the friend, the parent who kneels down and sees you.

Frankie's Search for Nannie is about missing someone and going looking for them anyway — the tenderest one I've written.

I illustrate them in soft watercolour and coloured pencil because that's how the stories feel to me: hand-washed, warm, a little imperfect. I want children to see warmth, not perfection, and I want parents to feel like they're holding something made by a person.

They're written for children, but they're really gifts for the adults too — the books you read at bedtime and then keep on the shelf long after the child has outgrown them. Made to be kept.