Big Sky Publishing
Allison grew up on a farm in a small Victorian town, fostering her love of animals, collecting vegetables and shearing the sheep. Now based in Queensland, Allison is the author of Anzac Sons: The Story of Five Brothers in the War to End All Wars and the children’s version, Anzac Sons: Five Brothers on the Western Front, which made the 2016 Australian Book Industry Awards longlist and was a CBCA notable book as well. Her interest in the service of her ancestors began when she was studying to become a teacher. She used a selection of the letters which her grandfather and his four brothers sent from the Western Front to complete an assignment. The dream to honour their courage and sacrifice was ignited.
Allison is a proud 2017 recipient of a May Gibbs Children’s Literature Trust Creative Time Fellowship, which resulted in the securing of a contract for her first historical novel for young adults, Follow After Me – released in 2019.
Allison has created a series of information books for children called Australia Remembers. The first of these – Australia Remembers: Anzac Day, Remembrance Day and War Memorials was released in October 2018. The second title, Customs and Traditions of the Australian Defence Force, was recently published in March 2021.
She has written other children’s books, Granny’s Place and Shearing Time, with another; I Wonder, being released in August 2021.
Allison now works full-time as a writer and presenter in schools.
Cameron Macintosh is an author and editor based in his home town of Melbourne. He studied Psychology and Italian at Melbourne University, and Professional Writing at RMIT. He has worked in educational publishing since 2001, editing hundreds of primary literacy books and teaching materials for teachers and students.
Cameron has now written more than 80 books for primary and early secondary students. In 2017 he crossed over into trade publishing with the release of the first book in his Max Booth Future Sleuth series – a humour-filled sci-fi series for 7 to 10-year-olds. Titles in the series include Tape Escape, Selfie Search, and Stamp Safari, which was released in August 2018 (illustrated by Dave Atze, published by Big Sky Publishing).
In the few minutes per week that he isn’t wrestling with words on the laptop, Cameron loves playing the guitar, reading music biographies and drawing angry-looking owls.
South Australian-born Catherine Bauer is a journalist and awarded children’s writer who grew up in the suburbs of Adelaide. She has worked as a news and political journalist and features writer for various newspapers and publications, as a media and communications adviser and is now working with the State Theatre Company South Australia.
While she has written and published children’s plays and had two picture books published in 2018, Catherine lists her three sons as her life’s greatest work.
She grew up reading the classics that lined her parents’ well-stocked home library. She wrote, illustrated and submitted her first picture book at the age of eight and received a gently worded rejection letter – thus igniting her love for writing and determination to one day see her creative work in print.
Apart from joy and delight, Catherine aims for her stories to spark all or one of the following three reactions in readers: ‘that’s me’; ‘I wish that was me’ or ‘I’m glad that’s not me’.
Her parents were both great story tellers and among her favourites were the ones in which her father recounted wonderful stories about finding joy in small things, his enthralling adventures and often hardships of a childhood growing up in WWII Germany.
Following the first two titles in the series, Australia Remembers (Australia Remembers 1 with Allison Paterson, Australia Remembers 2 with Allison Paterson), Australia Remembers 3: Len Waters, Boundless and Born to Fly, has been released in 2021, and published by Big Sky Publishing.
Elizabeth Mary Cummings is a British author and poet based in Sydney, Australia. She is a member of the American Psychology Association and studied psychology and business studies at The University of Edinburgh in Scotland before training to be a Primary School teacher (with a Masters of Education) and travelling around the world with her family. Her work has taken her to many schools across the UK, New Zealand and Australia.
Elizabeth’s stories often take a child’s perspective to explain the world and reflect on important life experiences. Her picture books and junior fiction titles include themes on resilience, grief, empowerment, anti-bullying, and she writes, advocates and speaks on storytelling and health matters for families and youth.
The topics within Elizabeth’s books are of both local and global significance. She travels globally to talk about family and mental health matters as well as creative writing.
Her first book ‘The Disappearing Sister’ has gained attention for its simple explanation of eating disorders aimed at siblings and families of sufferers. Elizabeth also enjoys writing poetry and won the HARP Writers’ Prize in 2015 for a poem about gender and identity.
The series was selected by the Finnish Educational Org., HundrED as one of a hundred most innovative educational programs across 37 countries for 2019.
The books were also selected as a recommended resource by the Victorian Dept. of Education and Training for 2020.
Series Overview:
A delightful series featuring Ginnie & Pinney and their friends. Their daily social interactions, concerns and decisions pose dilemmas that model positive self-identity and behaviours: selflessness, persistence, sharing, inclusiveness, responsibility, accepting difference and learning to say sorry.
Ginnie & Pinney ‘Learn & Grow’ is an innovative, award winning series helping young children develop social and emotional wellbeing, empathy and ethical thinking. It includes eight animated videos and a teacher resource. Questions online assist in stimulating dialectic reading and lively discussion between adult and child.
‘We will be donating 5% of our 2020 net sales at the end of the year, December 2020 to Animals Australia and WIRES. We feel strongly that supporting organisations in time of extraordinary need demonstrates that we put into practice empathy and ethical behaviour. We will post the receipts on our social media at the time we make the donations.’
With their delightful characters, engaging stories and whimsical approach, the Ginnie & Pinney Learn & Grow series of books and videos will encourage ethical thinking, empathy and emotional intelligence in young children.
Ginnie & Pinney is:
An engaging and award-winning series comprising an 8-book set, free animated videos accessible by QR Code, and an extensive teacher resource. Each title is also available separately.
Designed to stimulate lively discussion & deep thinking about social and emotional themes suitable for all levels of readiness.
Developed by an award-winning writer and animator, in consultation with Australian experts in education, linguistics and psychology. Trialled in schools.
Awarded as a HundrED 2019 innovator. Selected from across 39 countries by HundrED’s international panel of educators, academics and young people as one in 100 innovative educational programs.
Features nine characters whose ethical dilemmas replicate those daily decisions children face across the world and will stimulate lively discussion, ethical thinking and emotional development between adult and child.
Based on learning outcomes from Australian Government Frameworks aligning with Social and Emotional Learning (which are relevant across the globe).
Developed to support the Australian Curriculum – Ethical Understanding and Personal and Social Capabilities including Health and Wellbeing and Being Healthy, Safe and Active (F-2).
Developed within the Principles of, and to support the Learning Outcomes of the Early Years Learning Framework for Australia.
Simulates dialectic reading.
About the Author:
Penny Harris is a multi-national and international award-winning animator, author and multi-media developer. She has worked with the Australian Children’s Television Foundation, Film Victoria as well as a number of Australian universities and institutions.
About the Illustrator and digital media designer:
Winnie Zhou has a Masters of Multimedia Design from Monash University and is a talented illustrator and multimedia developer. Winnie lives in Melbourne and has worked closely with Penny to develop the series.
Grace Nolan holds a Graduate Diploma of Education in Children’s Literature and a Master of Philosophy. She is an experienced Primary and Secondary teacher and winner of numerous poetry competitions including the Dante Aligheiri Italian Poetry Competition and the Italian-Australian Writers’ Literary Association for original poem. She was also awarded first prize in the International Festival of Italian Song for an original composition. Grace was also a script writer, composer and performer as well as being a reviewer for the Children’s Book Council of Australia. Grace’s love of nature and Australian wildlife have provided the inspiration for the One to Ten and Back Again series. Drawing on her extensive educational background and her enthusiasm for children’s literature, Grace is now dedicating her time to writing.
Please follow Grace at her website:
www.gracenolanauthor.com
Robyn Osborne is a teacher and author based in Queensland. As a child she was always surrounded by pets and quickly turned into an animal fanatic.
As an adult, she has worked in the public service with the Commonwealth Employment Service. While the dream of becoming a writer still burnt, the office routine dried up her creative juices. During 18 long uncreative years in the public service, Robyn completed an Arts degree, Graduate Diploma in Women’s Studies, got married and had a child. A career change saw her complete a Dip Ed in Early Childhood, and she began teaching and rediscovered her love of writing. Not surprisingly, her interests are writing and dogs!
Robyn has seven books published, including picture books Bruno the Boisterous Blue Dog from the Bush, Going Fishing, Going Camping and My Dog Socks; a 2018 CBCA Notable Book and shortlisted in the Speech Pathology Australia Book of the Year. Robyn has won a number of writing awards and been published in national journals, newspapers, anthologies and magazines.
Sonia Bestulic is a creative, energised woman, wife, and mother of three young children. She was born in Sydney, Australia, and enjoyed a childhood filled with wonderful books and a passion for writing. Musically entwined, she played the violin until her late teens, including performances at the Sydney Opera House. Sonia is Founder of Talking Heads Speech Pathology, the well-known, reputable Sydney based clinics established in 2006. A long term advocate for children’s learning and literacy, Sonia continues to write and speak when it comes to all things children.
Sonia has written numerous articles and delivered countless education events nationally and internationally, to empower parents, educators and business owners to learn more, grow more and enjoy what life has to offer.
As a Children’s Author, she has the privilege of sharing her creative expression, which entwines her extensive knowledge as a Speech & Language Pathologist, and her personal motherhood experiences.
Contact Sonia at sonia@talkingheads.net.au