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Children connect with songs and rhymes. This innate quality allows young readers and listeners the ability to play and experiment with sounds with ease. Not only do these lyrical stories lend themselves to a range of engaging and interactive experiences, but their audience is also given opportunities to learn the mechanics of language, sequences and […]

It was so much SCBWI news at The Hughenden for the SCBWI and excellent sandwiches too – even glutten-free!

Liz Anelli  intrepid explorer made it back after her Outback on a sketch trek for her new book. She crahsed and ended up on crutches.

I think she tripped over a wild dog in the Outback.

Luckily she made it to the SCBWI event at The Hughenden- all the way from Newcastle!

Deb Abela’s celebrating her brand new book – a companion book to the best selling dystopian novel Grimsden. It’s the brilliant NEW CITY (Random house) – a must read if you want to save the environment and the world.

Mark Thomason arrived from his many trips abroad – he’s having too much of a good time – hey but he’s back and writing again.

It was wonderful that Jennifer Reid President of the CBCA Western Sydney branch – so good to see her and she has her first book out!!!  Kooky Pants.

Marjorie Crosby-Fairall slipped the news that she’s illustrating for the iconic School Magazine!!!!  Well, what would you expect from this talented illustrator. Next week we hang her artwork from Croc and the Platypus in the Hughenden Illustrator Gallery.

Margaret Roc, Deb Abela and Marjorie Crosby-Fairall had spent the afternoon on plans – BIG announcement – bookmark 17-20th July 2016 for the next International SCBWI Conference at The Hughenden!

The post SCBWI Alive with Deb Abela, Marjorie Crosby-Fairall, Liz, Anelli, Jennifer Reid more appeared first on Susanne Gervay's Blog.

Zac the YAK from  Room to Read romps in for CBCA’s BIG BOOK DAY OUT with so many wonderful authors, illustrators, storytelling, SCBWI, jumping castle, barbecue and more … what a brilliant day!

The SCBWI stand was buzzing with Ben Johnston’s hands-on workshop Engibear Series

Margaret Roc’s BIG JELLYBEAN competition.

Lesley Gibbs launch to the very scary very funny picture book SCARY NIGHT.

The hilarious Mike Lefroy entertaining kids with talented illustrator Liz Anelli – HOWZAT!

Wilderness Fairies flapping through the Fair – Jodie Wells-Slowgrove!

Sue Whiting’s Firefighters with kids in firemen raincoats!  Kids loved it.

Marjorie Crosby-Fairall’s workshop with The Croc and The Platypus – so creative!

Wendy Blaxland brilliant play about Blaxland’s Crossing” …. and much more … authors  Sandy Fussell, Deborah Abela, Kate Forsyth, Belinda Murrell, Oliver

Phommavanh ….. a feast of creators.

Even more fun with the CBCA Newcastle and Sydney West regions with Jennifer Trad Reid and Katrina McKelvey.

What a day!

The post ZAC the YAK at SCBWI at CBCA BIG BOOK DAY OUT appeared first on Susanne Gervay's Blog.

Kids’s authors and illustrators, publishers and editors rock and rolled at the Society of Children’s Writers & Illustrators’ Conference at The Hughenden in Sydney – with the BEATNICKERS – the SCBWI band of James Foley, Mark Greenwood, Meredith Costain, Scott Chambers and the fabulous ring in on guitar and drums and … Wolfgang!

Best ever -amazing, wild, hilarious, brilliant night of the craziest dancing and partying!

Go kids’ authors and illustrators!!!!!!!

The post SCBWI Australia New Zealand ROCK and ROLL!!!!! appeared first on Susanne Gervay's Blog.

I commented recently on the Further Adventures of the The Owl and the Pussy Cat by Julia Donaldson and Charlotte Voake. Donaldson’s ineffable lyrical style does indeed take Edward Lear’s nonsense tale one step further and is a jolly expedition for the reader to navigate through. As you’d expect, it’s a very good picture book. Then I found an even better one.

With ute-fulls of respect to Donaldson and Voake, Jackie Hosking’s and Marjorie Crosby-Fairall’s debut creation of The Croc and The Platypus is a very, very good picture book.

Fans of Lear’s will relish the lilting musical quality of Hosking’s verse as she transports us as effortlessly as Julia Donaldson through the Australian outback with as an incongruous couple as the Owl and Pussycat; Croc and Platypus.

Hosking is spot on with this ingenious retelling of a childhood classic however, somehow makes it feel much more loose and flowing and bizarrely, even easier to read than the original. Her narrative sings with a down-to-earth gritty realism but is delivered with Lear’s same congenial, nonsensical joie de vive. Hub caps ring and didgeridoos blow as Platypus and Croc ‘play up a hullabaloo…baloo.’

I love Hosking’s incorporation of recognisable Aussie icons; Uluru, tea and damper and lamingtons to name a few as Croc and Platypus trundle across the plains eventually camping under the Southern Cross after cleverly procuring their tent. For those not so familiar with ‘click go the shears’ terminology, there’s even a neat little glossary.

Extra applause must go to Marjorie Crosby-Fairall for her truly epic acrylic and pencilled illustrations. The outback is vast and engulfing as are the illustrations of this picture book with gorgeously generous helpings of full colour, movement and sparkle on every single page.

Hosking’s appreciation of, commitment to and finesse with the rhyming word are self-evident. She works them all to perfection in this richly Aussie-flavoured celebration about embracing unlikely friendships and sharing stellar moments with those closest to you whilst enjoying a good old Aussie road trip.

The Croc and the Platypus has every reason to glow proudly alongside The Owl and the Pussycat, and dare I suggest outshine it.

Discover and rediscover all three books here. For those in Sydney around early July, make sure you don’t miss Jackie’s launch of The Croc and the Platypus.

Walker Books Australia June 2014

Cool, cool, cool – they danced, joked, wore fluffy hats, made the audiences laugh and cry and go … awwww …

SCBWI authors & illustrators were fantastic wowing the crowds at Black Cat Book Café Brisbane; The Little Bookroom Melbourne; and The Children’s Bookshop Beecroft in Sydney.

It’s INSIDE STORY and on the 1st weekend of every November from now on!

The School Magazine NSW is cool, cool, cool too – caught with the creative team in Sydney -bringing the best stories, fiction and non fiction and art to the kids of Australia since 1916!

Loved dropping in on Alan Edwards the editor, Sue Murray the deputy editor who’s also a writer and playwrite and the team.

The post Inside Story to School Magazine ~How Cool R Kids writers & Illustrators? appeared first on Susanne Gervay's Blog.

SCBWI stars, stars, stars!!!!!!!

Starting with the Three Wise Writers – Nathan Luff, Deborah Abela, Wendy Blaxland – who came with ‘incense’ and song to the SCBWI Xmas Theatre sports.

It was a fabulous night of good food, good wine, good company of children’s writers and illustrators and publishers at The Hughenden Woollahra – and brilliant performances by Theatre Sports’ stars including:-

Sarah Foster publisher Walker Books

Sarah Davis illustrator

Marjorie Fairall-Crosby and more, more, more!

The SCBWI Conference has the best committee with lots of brilliant authors and illustrators contributing – some of the team at the committee meeting at The Hughenden in Sydney include:-

Wendy Blaxland – doing media;

Mark Thomason and Nathan Luff – stars organising the critiques which are really hard to do.

Margaret Roc – organising the masterclasses thank goodness.

Toni Brisland – delegate bags – a lot coming in with thanks.

The Illustrator committee – stars led by Frane Lessac, Sarah Davis, Lesley Vamos, Serena Geddes, Andrea Edmunds with a hand from Marjorie Crosby-Fairall