Chris Nixon is the illustrator of the internationally renowned Jake series and Crocodile Cake but he’s so much more than that. He’s building a CV that includes public art, video direction and commercial illustration. Here are some notes about how he approaches each project and a video of Chris at work.

The final cover is in! Catch the first glimpse of The Last Viking Returns by Norman Jorgensen, in this amazing time lapse video by illustrator James Foley.

Based on the book Light Horse Boy by Dianne Wolfer, and using historical sources and Brian Simmonds’ evocative charcoal images, this is the story of Jim and his experience of the first world war.

This book trailer was created for Fremantle Press by students at Curtin University.

Harmless might be an interesting resource to consider when exploring the cross-curriculum priority: Asia and Australia’s relationship with Asia. The free book club notes include an author interview and discussion questions. Or try this teaching activity for Year 10.

Renee Schipp is the co-curator of of Thonglines – an art installation to be launched at Voicebox on Monday 4 July. In this interview she describes the ‘Thonglines’ project and her work with mainstream students and refugees on Christmas Island.

Debut author Zoe Thurner discusses Dress Rehearsal her novel for young adults …

In which countries will the Jake series be published? As many as possible! So far it has appeared, or is scheduled to appear, in countries where French is spoken as well as India, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam. There’s also been interest from China, Germany, Greece, Philippines and Serbia.

A student poetry workshop organised by Fremantle Press and hosted by Fremantle Children’s Literature Centre has inspired students from Applecross Senior High School to keep writing.

Cheryl Kickett-Tucker’s slightly spooky children’s book Barlay! has an important message for young kids.

Sally Morgan edited the Waarda series and created the books’ distinctive front covers. Now she has written her own book for the series called The Magic Fair .

This is your second novel for young adults. What was easier, and what was harder this time around? I wish my second novel had been easier! Both were challenging and rewarding in different ways.

Award-winning author, Norman Jorgensen, and illustrator James Foley are exposing the pain and the triumph of creating and publishing a picture book on their new blog http://knutthelastviking.wordpress.com/ .

90 Packets of Instant Noodles author, Deb Fitzpatrick, was starstruck when Elizabeth Jolley marked her creative writing thesis. Years of hard writing and a stint living in a Costa Rican shack later, she’s releasing her first novel for young adults.

Students at Rosalie Primary School teamed up with illustrator Chris Nixon and Emerging Arts Professional Kiri Falls to create a series of book trailers based on Fremantle Press books.

Best selling young adult novelist Kate McCaffrey won over readers with her cyber bullying novel Destroying Avalon before reaching the North American market with her hard hitting second novel In Ecstasy. In Beautiful Monster she’s writing about eating disorders. Kate tells us why.

With foreign rights sales to Hachette in France and Scholastic in India, the popular Jake series is on the cusp of going global.

How far back does your interest in picture books stretch? I went to an exhibition of artwork from a picture book when I was in Year 2 at primary school. I loved seeing all of the artwork displayed. We spent a lot of time that year making our own picture books: planning them on huge […]

Where did the inspiration for your story come from? My inspiration for Beach Sports Car came from two sources – my childhood memories of Useless Loop and the inventiveness of my father.

Where did the inspiration for Shadow come from? Pat: We thought, if you were a young child who had moved towns and were lonely, wouldn’t it be good to have a secret creature to keep you company and protect you? Shadow is a friendly protective creature who loves Lilli and her mother and nanna. He […]

Five Fremantle Press picture books will feature in story time segments on national television in 2010.

Bawoo Stories author May O’Brien has won the 2009 Deadly Award for Outstanding Achievement in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island Education.

How did you become interested in becoming an illustrator? I was always interested. For as long as I can remember I’ve been into drawing. My mum enrolled me in art classes when I was five or six, and that was it, really. I did oil painting and went sketching outdoors, that kind of thing. When […]

Western Australian illustrator Moira Court was one of six artists shortlisted for the Crichton Award for First-time Illustrators on Tuesday 31 March.