Look, There’s a Hippopotamus in the Playground Eating Cake

Deborah Niland is the daughter of Australian writers, Ruth Park and D'Arcy Niland. From an early age she developed an interest in art, and particularly illustration.Deborah studied art at the Julian Ashton Art School in Sydney. While in London, Deborah and her sister Kilmeny began their art careers by illustrating a book for Transworld Publishers. Other books for this publisher followed over the years.Mulga Bill's Bicycle was the illustrated book that became a classic. Published in 1973 in Sydney, it is still in print. In 2007, a new edition of this title was issued by HarperCollins Australia.Deborah has illustrated many popular books including When the Wind Changed by Ruth Park and There's a Hippopotamus on our Roof eating Cake by Hazel Edwards. In 2005 Deborah wrote and illustrated Annie's Chair, This book, won the CBCA Book of the Year: Early Childhood in 2006. 

Best known for There's a Hippopotamus on Our Roof Eating Cake, which was recently translated into Chinese, Hazel writes across media, for adults & children.A literary ambassador, Hazel is involved with the 2012 National Year of Reading and the Victorian Premier's Reading Challenge. She holds 'webinars', mentors and is a director on the Australian Society of Authors' committee. She is the recipient of the 2009 ASA Medal awarded by her writing peers.Hazel Edwards is one of Australia's nominees for The Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award. This is the third time Hazel has been nominated. The Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award (ALMA) is the world's largest prize for children's and young adult literature.Hazel is married with two adult children and two grandsons for whom she writes stories each birthday.