Intergalactic Heroes

James Moloney is one of Australia’s most respected and awarded children’s book authors. His novel Dougy was named an Honour Book in the Older Reader category of the CBC awards in 1994; Gracie was named an Honour Book in the Older Reader category of the CBC awards in 1995; while The House on River Terrace was shortlisted in the same category in the 1995 CBC awards. A Bridge to Wiseman’s Cove won the CBC award for Older Readers in 1997 and was shortlisted in the Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards in the same year; an award James later won for his novel Touch Me in 2001. He has also been awarded Family Awards for Children’s Literature, Children’s Peace Literature Awards, Multicultural Children’s Literature Awards and had titles selected for inclusion in the International Youth Library in Munich.

Craig Smith has an excellent track record as a children’s book illustrator. He first teamed with Gary Crew to provide a remarkable interpretation of Troy Thompson’s Excellent Peotry Book and Troy Thompson’s Radical Prose Folio. His more recent awards include CBC Honour Book: Younger Readers (1999) for Bob the Builder and the Elves, Shortlisted CBC Book of the Year: Younger Readers for Billy the Punk (1996) and Shortlisted CBC for Not Again, Dad by Thurley Fowler (1995). Craig has also recently illustrated the Paul Jennings titles: The Cabbage Patch Fib and The Cabbage Patch War, and Sniffy the Sniffer Dog (Lothian Books, 2003) in Lothian’s Start-Ups series.