James Foley makes children’s books for children who read books. If you’re a child and you’re eating his books, you’re doing it wrong. He is the author and illustrator of many picture books and graphic novels, including Stellarphant, Happy Barry Capybara, Secret Agent Mole, Bigfoot vs Yeti: A Love Story, Dungzilla, Brobot, Gastronauts and Chickensaurus. A bunch of his books have won awards from the Children’s Book Council of Australia and the International Youth Library; more importantly they also have some pretty funny fart jokes in them. James has four books out in 2026: Happy Barry Capybara: Gone Bananas, Fuzzball, Oh No! and Amazing Astro Animals. Legend says James can grow a beard in an afternoon. He is a massive Marvel movie nerd and comes from a long line of queuing enthusiasts. He lives near Fremantle/Walyalup with his wife Renae Hayward (also an author), their two kids (wannabe authors), and a labrador called Frankie (not an author). His latest book, Stellarphant (November 2021), has been shortlisted for the 2022 Children’s Book Council of Australia’s (CBCA) Picture Book of the Year, shortlisted for the 2021 Aurealis Award for Best Children’s Fiction, shortlisted for the 2021 WA Premier’s Book Awards and the 2022 Speech Pathology Australia Book of the Year Awards.
James is an ambassador for Books In Homes and Room To Read. He is a massive Marvel movie nerd. He comes from a long line of queuing enthusiasts.
