Bear and Rat

Christopher Cheng

Christopher Cheng dwells in an inner-city Sydney terrace and writes fiction and non-fiction for children full time. He is Co-Chair of the International Advisory Board for the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI). He has a Master of Arts in Children’s Literature and has been a Literacy Ambassador for the Federal Government’s Literacy and Numeracy Week initiative.

His picture book One Tree, illustrated by Bruce Whatley, was shortlisted in the 2020 NSW Premier’s Literary Awards, and is a CBCA Notable Book. One Child, illustrated by Steven Woolman, won the Wilderness Society Environment Award for Picture Books (Australia) and the Skipping Stones Honour Book (USA). Christopher also worked with Sarah Davis on the critically acclaimed picture book Sounds Spooky which won an Aurealis Award in the picture book category and is a CBCA Notable Book.

Photo by Daniel Woo, courtesy of Penguin Random House Australia

Stephen Michael King

Stephen Michael King has been described as an artist who ‘draws from the inside out’, and it is this gentle, intuitive truth that gives heart and playfulness to his work. Stephen Michael King is an internationally renowned, award-winning author and illustrator whose career has spanned over thirty years, producing more that one hundred titles. He has worked with a stable of Australia’s best children’s book authors including Glenda Millard, Margaret Wild, Nick Bland, Peter Carey and Tim Winton. Books that Stephen Michael King has written and illustrated include: Three; Rainbow Bear; Mutt Dog!; Leaf; and Milly, Jack and the Dancing Cat. His books have been translated into over twenty languages, and he is frequently honoured in children’s book award categories – including winning the CBCA Book of the year, and the Prime Minister’s Literary Award.

Photo by Trish Hayes, courtesy of Penguin Random House Australia