Meet 15 of South Australia’s top children’s book authors and illustrators
From a teen author to a former child psychologist turned best-selling author, you may not know these homegrown storytellers but there’s a good chance your kids do.
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South Australia is bursting with creatives and the literary world is no exception with many talented storytellers calling the state home.
From internationally best-selling authors to emerging stars crafting compelling words and stunning illustrations, you may not be familiar with their work but there’s a good chance your kids already are.
Meet 15 of SA’s best children’s storytellers inspiring children to pick up books.
Mia Speed
Suburb: Queenstown
Book: Where’s My Minya Marlu?
When Wirangu teen Mia Speed couldn’t find a book written in her traditional language to read to her nieces and nephews, she decided to write one herself.
At 16, she began writing Minya Marlu as part of a school research project, telling the story of a marlu (kangaroo), who is looking for her minya marlu (little kangaroo/joey).
Two years on, she returned to her former Lincoln Gardens Primary School in Port Lincoln to launch her book in October.
“I launched the book at the primary school that I grew up in which meant this school was very close to my heart,” the now 18-year-old said.
“Knowing that there is a strong cohort of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders at that school made it extra special.
“I had a lot of family and friends come along to the launch that made the experience that extra bit special.
“Being able to share my story with the Community brings me joy and pride.”
Written and illustrated by Speed, Minya Marlu is the first book to emerge from the Indigenous Literacy Foundation’s partnership with the Far West Language Centre.
Traditionally spoken by the Wirangu people living on SA’s west coast, there are few language resources available which she hopes to change.
“At the beginning of my project, I found it extremely hard to gather all the language I needed, as it is limited and there are very few people and resources that have the language at hand,” Speed said.
“My research had to dive deep into connecting with family, people in the Community and the Far West Language Centre to recover certain words and names of the animals.
“I also had to make sure that the language was spelt correctly and that I was pronouncing it right by double checking with my sources.
“This was my biggest challenge but was one that I was willing to put effort into (...) because there is so much strength in knowing your language.”
For the young writer, learning her language was a key factor in understanding her cultural identity which is why she “wanted to make sure that my nieces and nephews have the opportunity to discover this knowledge”.
Minya Marlu has English translations and has also been recorded as an audiobook to make it as accessible as possible.
Currently studying a Bachelor of Arts at the University of Adelaide, Speed is proud to be the first in her family to attend university.
Majoring in Indigenous Knowledges, she hopes to make more resources like Minya Marlu for the next generation “to learn and grow their understanding in language and culture”.
You can find Minya Marlu online via the Indigenous Literacy Foundation Shop.
Tania Ingram
Town: Crafers
Books: 12
Former child psychologist Tania Ingram has always had a passion for children’s stories but it was reading to her daughter as a toddler that kickstarted her writing career.
“Even as an adult, I’m still drawn to the magic, humour and wonder that children’s stories offer. I’m also a sucker for the beautiful illustrations in a picture book,” the 53-year-old said.
“When my daughter was a toddler, I used to play around with ways to teach her phonics and rhyme, and this eventually became my first picture book, Dog on Log.”
Twelve years later and the Crafers local has “never looked back” and is now a best-selling author with numerous works published, including her acclaimed Aggie Flea series, whose title character is inspired by her childhood self.
“I was the kind of kid who had an overactive imagination growing up, and like Aggie Flea, it often got me into trouble,” she said.
“In fact, one of my teachers told me that with such a ‘vivid’ imagination, I’d either be a writer or a master criminal when I grew up!”
Ingram has also drawn inspiration from her previous work as a child psychologist to write her recent novel, The Other Shadow, which is about a boy who’s haunted by a disembodied shadow after his father dies.
When she’s not brainstorming new story ideas, she enjoys visiting schools to encourage children to embrace the magic of storytelling.
The best part is hearing that her stories “have encouraged children to read or write, or somehow think differently about their world”.
Mike Lucas
Suburb: Happy Valley
Book: One By One They Disappear, What We All Saw, Where is Cheeky Monster?
Hailing from England, engineer by day, children’s author by night Mike Lucas, 56, now calls Happy Valley home.
Inspired by the likes of master storyteller Stephen King, he began writing in his early teens, later writing poetry for his kids while living overseas.
“My family and I used to live in Switzerland. My children returned to the UK a few months before me with my wife, and because I missed reading them bedtime stories, I began to write funny poetry to send to them,” Lucas said.
“Eventually I had enough to put into a book, which I self-published, with all proceeds going to UNICEF.”
From there, he went on to continue writing picture books and young adult stories, publishing his first young adult horror novel, What We All Saw, in 2022, set in 1970s England, the same time as his childhood.
“I was losing the sight in one of my eyes whilst writing the manuscript, and one of the characters, 11-year-old Shell, is blind,” Lucas said.
“I put a lot of my worries and fears into creating Shell.”
Lucas said the biggest highlight of his writing career so far was having the story short-listed for the 2023 Prime Minister Award for Young Adult literature.
He has a new YA novel and two picture books “out with publishers at the moment” and is also working on a new novel about Victorian graverobbers.
Lucas also owns Blackwood bookshop, Shakespeare’s which is run by his wife Becky.
Linley Moyle
Region: South East
Book: Archie Parchie
A nurse by trade, Linley Moyle has just penned her first children’s book, Archie Parchie, marking her debut as an author.
Inspired by her adorable yet mischievous dachshund Archie, she decided to pick up the pen while on maternity leave with her daughter.
“He adores his little sister Daisy, his humans, snacks, cuddles and walkies,” Moyle said about the book.
“This book is not a work of fiction, but absolute truths about our ‘very looooong boy’.
She’s currently working on its sequel, Dainty Daisy, with the spotlight now on Archie’s “loveable little sister” Daisy.
Susan Betts
Town: Port Lincoln
Books: Warna-Manda Baby Earth Walk, Lullabies for Bedtime, It’s Bed Time
Hailing from Port Lincoln, Susan Betts is a talented artist, illustrator and cultural advisor with family ties to the Kokatha, Wirangu and Mirning groups from the Far-Western Nullarbor Plains.
Her latest book, Warna-Manda Baby Earth Walk, is an “ode to earth, sea and sky’ telling the story of Allurru as she is guided across the land on a journey to discover her connection to Mother Earth and find her way home.
It’s also Betts first stand-alone picture-book developed from her lullaby, Warna-Manda Baby featured in ‘It’s Bedtime’ and ‘Lullabies for Bedtime’, and was among seven short-listed for the inaugural Karajia Award for Children’s Literature in 2022.
She is also a highly accomplished artist, designing Qantas’ iconic Boeing 747 jet (Nalanji Dreaming) and the “Sweet Water” design for Coca Cola’s 2m Coke bottle statue for the Sydney Olympic Committee.
Larissa Ferenchuk
Suburb/Town: Vale Park
Book: Two Rabbits
A lover of “all things magical and whimsical,” Vale Park writer Larissa Ferenchuk has been writing stories since she was a child, making her debut as a children’s book author earlier this year.
After completing a picture book writing course in 2021, she got her first picture book contract in 2022 before publishing, Two Rabbits.
“I have always loved picture books. I often have a lot of story ideas swirling around my mind,” Ferenchuk said.
“I had a few children’s stories that I wanted to write, but wasn’t quite sure how to write them in a picture book format.
“So, I decided to do a Picture Book writing course with the Australian Writers Centre, and loved learning everything I could about them.”
Short-listed on the Speech Pathology Book of the Year Awards List this year, Two Rabbits was inspired by her own pet grey rabbit, Masha.
When she’s not writing, the mother-of-three works as a preschool SSO educator where she’s often inspired by her students.
“I draw inspiration from everywhere – from conversations, things I see around me, memories, strong emotions, and things that make me feel hopeful,” Ferenchuk said.
“I also work in a preschool, so I get a lot of inspiration from spending time with the 3 and 4-year-old children there.
“My second picture book, Hidden, which will be released in 2025 by EK Books, was inspired by my children when they were younger, and their love of climbing trees.”
Janeen Brian
Suburb: Glenelg East
Books: 50+
Thirty-four years ago, Janeen Brian took a leap of faith and left her teaching job to become a full-time author.
Since then the Glenelg East local has gone on to become an award-winning children’s author and poet with several of her works recognised as CBCA Notable or Honour Books, including I’m a Dirty Dinosur and I’m a Hungry Dinosaur.
“I began writing, but not necessarily as an author, in my 30s. Before that, I’d never previously written with any purpose,” Brian said.
“I left teaching in 1990 to become a full-time author, a move I didn’t take lightly even though I’d had a number of titles both published both in educational publishing and trade publishing.
“I think both having children and working in the field of teaching were inspirations, but perhaps, naively, I thought because I loved reading, I’d investigate what it was like on the other side of the coin. I began at base level!”
When it comes to finding inspiration, Brian said the most important thing was to take notice of the world around you.
“To be an author you have to be, or become two things: a noticer and a wonderer,” she said.
“First you have to notice all the big things and little things that go on around you, using all your senses, and then you have to wonder about them.
“So my inspirations might come from an overheard comment from a little girl who wondered if Father Christmas wore pyjamas. Or an old sepia photo showing pickey boys sorting copper ore at Moonta. Or from my own daughter who, when six, wondered where time went.”
Katrina Germein
City: Adelaide
Books: 20+
Adelaide born and raised, Katrina Germein, is a best-selling picture book author whose works have been published worldwide.
She’s most know for her first book, Big Rain Coming, which tells the story of a remote Aboriginal community waiting for rain, and has remained in print since it was first published 25 years ago.
“Writing has always been a creative outlet for me since primary school. When I penned Big Rain Coming (illustrated by Bronwyn Bancroft), I was teaching in a remote Aboriginal community, and I wrote about the children at school,” Germein said.
“I wanted to understand their lives better and so created a story I could share with them.
“Publication wasn’t my initial goal, but I was fortunate to see the story go on to become a beautifully illustrated picture book. I just kept going after that. It’s who I am.”
As an author, Germein loves collaborating with fellow SA creatives to bring her stories to life.
“Highlights have been collaborating with friends, and fellow South Aussies, and then receiving recognition together,” she said.
“In 2024 One Little Duck (illustrated by Danny Snell) was short-listed for the CBCA (Children’s Book Council of Australia) Early Childhood Book of the Year Award and in 2023 Bev and Kev (illustrated by Mandy Foot) was short-listed for the same award and also named an Honour Book.
“It was such a joy to celebrate these special achievements with local friends. Bev and Kev was also published by a South Australian Team at Little Book Press so it felt like a win for our state.”
Always working on something new, Germein is currently writing about a pair of little pigs and also, a mixed-up train with her next picture book, Another Year Around the Sun (illustrated by SA’s Alice Lindstrom), set for release next year.
Allayne L Webster
City: Adelaide
Books: 10+
Award-winning writer, Allayne L Webster has been a published children’s and young adult author for 17 years.
Growing up on the Limestone Coast, she fell in love with storytelling after reading American author Judy Blume’s books as a teen.
“Judy Blume inspired me to write for teenagers. I read her books in high school and I fell madly in love with everything about storytelling,” Webster said.
When her first novel, Our Little Secret was launched by then-Senator Nick Xenophon in 2007, her idol sent signed copies of her books to celebrate which she described as the “best moment ever”.
The former Premier’s Reading Challenge Ambassador has won several awards over the years, including the International Board of Books for Young People award last year for her novel, Sensitive, which is based on her lived experience with eczema and life-threatening anaphylaxis.
Webster’s career highlights include having a novel published in Sweden, having her novel Paper Planes included in Australia’s Untapped Collection and recognised by the Australian Research Council as a culturally important book, and being short-listed in the prestigious NSW Premier’s Awards.
She said the “best advice” she could give an aspiring writer was “to read, read, read and read some more, especially your Australian contemporaries. Everything you need to know about writing and storytelling is in the books sitting on your shelves!”
Margaret Spurling
City: Adelaide
Books: Hush Say the Stars, Seadragon Sea, Bilby Moon
Margaret Spurling is the author behind the beloved, award-winning picture book Bilby Moon.
The former junior primary teacher who grew up in Adelaide, published the title – her first book – in 2000 and has gone on to sell 50,000 copies worldwide.
Noticing a lack of Australian picture books, Spurling decided to write her own after being inspired by the likes of Rod Trinca and Kerry Argent’s One Woolly Wombat and Mem Fox’s iconic Possum Magic.
Her most recent book, Hush Say the Stars, was short-listed for Speech Pathology Australia’s Book of the Year in 2019.
Kelly Hibbert
Suburb: Southern suburbs
Books: Fancy Pants, Sebastian and the Special Stack of Stories
SA mum-of-two and teacher Kelly Hibbert is the author of Fancy Pants (2016) and Sebastian and the Special Stack of Stories (2018).
IT was while studying her teaching degree at Flinders University during the 90s that she first discovered her “love of language,” under the mentorship of beloved Possum Magic author, Mem Fox.
Hibbert’s first picture book, Fancy Pants, tells the heartwarming story of a dingo trying to find something to wear to the Outback Dance who finds a fancy solution with help from friends.
Sebastian and the Special Stack of Stories follows a little boy who loves stories as he sets out on an adventure to find the perfect spot to hear a story.
Carrie Gallasch
Region: The Murraylands
Books: Stitches and Stuffing, Garden Stew, Cherries, Market Day, and Wild and Free
Carrie Gallasch is an early childhood teacher and award-winning picture book author from the Murraylands.
Her passion for children’s literacy began in the classroom after reading aloud to her students for the first time.
“I love that I get to see them learn, inspire and grow,” Gallasch said.
“Books are so important in early childhood and reading aloud has so many positive outcomes.”
As a teacher and mother, Gallasch also finds inspiration in the “mischief” little ones get up to.
A lover of the great outdoors, she enjoys spending time in her garden which also serves as a source of inspiration.
“I love being in my garden and nature inspires me every day. I write a lot about the things I see and experience,” she said.
Her first story, Stitches and Stuffing received a Notable award by the Children’s Book Council of Australia in 2018 with her latest book, Market Day Short-listed by the CBCA in last year.
Phil Cummings
Town: Port Broughton
Books: 60+
Award-winning children’s author Phil Cummings discovered his love for storytelling while working as a teacher.
Deciding he’d write his own, he soon discovered that it wasn’t easy, and after “seven years of rejection”, finally had his first book, Goodness Gracious!, published in 1989.
Cummings would go on to collaborate with fellow authors Katrina Germein, Susan Betts, Tania Cox, and Sue Hill.
Together they published It’s Bedtime, the now-beloved picture book featuring lullabies, plus bed time tips and reading lists, published in 2009.
Fast forward to 2024 and Cummings, who hails from Port Broughton, has written over 60 books for children with his most recent work including Footprint, The Hidden Hat, and The Garden on Red Gum Road.
Mandy Foot
Town: Echunga
Books: 25
Mandy Foot, 53, started out illustrating children’s books before deciding to start writing her own stories too six years ago.
“I had been illustrating for the Adelaide Zoo Education Service for 12 years and some of those projects were posters sent out to school libraries,” the Echunga local said.
“It got back to me that people really loved the characters I was creating for these and I was looking for another avenue to draw more and share my creations with others.
“This is when a fellow illustrator mentioned children’s books to me. Now, it is about so much more, and I started writing so I could share my own stories.”
Now almost 30 books later, Foot still loves illustrating books by other authors and has had her “busiest year ever this year,” conducting over 100 sessions with thousands of students who drew with her.
“To be able to share that passion and inspire children, nothing compares,” she said.
A “recent magical moment” was when Bev and Kev, which she illustrated and was written by fellow author Katrina Germein, won Honours in the Children’s Book Council of Australia Book of the Year Awards last year.
It was also selected as the winner of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators Crystal Kite Award.
“It felt like the whole of South Australia was behind Katrina Germein and I, cheering this book on. It had been created by two SA creators, published in Adelaide by Little Book Press and was a huge win for SA,” Foot said.
“The love this book received was incredible and like nothing I had ever experienced before.”
While making being an author a financially stable career is “forever an uphill battle,” she said it was important to “keep going when you doubt yourself.”
“Don’t give up. A ‘no’ is simply one person’s opinion. The first publisher I met with told me my work wasn’t suitable for children’s books … and here I am, almost 30 books later,” she said.
Danny Snell
Suburb: Kensington
Books: 20+
54-year-old Danny Snell is an award-winning picture book illustrator and “occasional” author.
The Black Friars old scholar has been working as an illustrator for about 25 years with his books winning a number of awards including the CBCA Eve Pownall Award, the Environment Award for Children’s Literature, and The Speech Pathology Australia Book of the Year Award.
When he first started working as an illustrator, he mostly did small, freelance jobs for advertising and design studios, working on the occasional picture book here and there but started taking on more after becoming a dad.
“Most of the time I illustrate stories that someone else has written,” Snell said.
“However, I have written and illustrated a couple of my own stories.
“One of them is called Seagull, and was inspired by a seagull that we encountered on a beach that had got tangled up in some fishing line – so it was inspired by an actual event, and it has a strong environmental theme.”
He’s currently working on a few projects at the moment and says the best part about the job is contributing to a child’s love of books and reading while also getting to be creative everyday.
“I have a few books that I’m working on at the moment so I’m lucky to be busy, but there have been times when work has been quiet, which is always challenging. Most creatives have a second job to help pay the bills,” Snell said.
“I’m illustrating a couple of books, both written by Jackie French. I’m not sure how much I’m allowed to say about them at this stage – but I’m drawing lots of native animals at the moment.
“And I’ll have a new book coming out in January 2025 call Saturday, Sunday (Busy Day, Fun Day). This is a fun story about a family’s busy weekend and was written by Natalie Forbes and will be published with Affirm Press.”
Last month, The Truck Cat, which was illustrated by Snell and written by Melbourne author Deborah Frenkel, was chosen as the 2025 National Simultaneous Storytime book.
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