How Australia's children's authors create magic on a page

Abstract

For a prime example of Australia's innovation economy in action, look no further than the humble picture book. Staple of bedtime reading, offering textual delights beyond the verbal, picture books are a hidden treasure. Australian picture books sell around the world, and are translated into many languages - take for instance, Jackie French's iconic 'Diary of a Wombat' (2002), which appears in French, German, Korean, and many more. But though the words need translating, the images, (in French's book by Bruce Whatley), communicate across language barriers. The interplay between words and images is one of the magic ingredients in a show-stopping picture book. Achieving that magic requires serious innovation. Writers, illustrators and editors work hard to balance word with image, and to carry the story or message through both. It takes time, dedication, and care to make a picture book, and though some may be flipped through in minutes, others repay repeated reading and looking. Next time you pick one up in a bookshop or library, look at its design, the way the pictures engage with character, or setting, or contribute to mood, theme, and the controlling idea.