Prince Lachlan

Nette spent her early childhood in a small country town in Victoria, moving to Sydney when she was 11. She didn’t adjust well to life in a city high school and her memories of this time are still with her and are reflected in her writing. After school, she ‘floundered around for several years trying to work in office situations’, but eventually gave up and went bush. For 12 months she worked on a sheep station, had another go at office work, and then decided to train as a teacher.

Ann James is one of Australia’s best-known illustrators, and many of her books have been successful internationally, including A Coat of Cats (by Jerri Kroll), the Midnight Babies books and the Penny Pollard Diaries (by Robin Klein). She works in a variety of media, from watercolours to vibrant pastels.