My Place

Donna Rawlins is an illustrator, book designer and teacher who has specialised in making books for children for most of her working life. She has won many awards for her work and in 2003 was the recipient of the prestigious Lady Cutler Award, presented by the Children’s Book Council of New South Wales, for her outstanding contribution to the children’s book industry. Donna lives on acreage in the Lower Blue Mountains outside Sydney, New South Wales.

Nadia Wheatley began writing full-time in 1976, after completing postgraduate work in Australian history. Her published work includes fiction, history, biography and picture books. She writes for adults as well as for children and young adults.Seven of Nadia's books have been CBCA Honour books, and she has twice received the New South Wales Premier's Children's Book Prize. Her biography of Charmian Clift won the New South Wales Premier's Award for Australian History (2002).Since the beginning of her career, Nadia Wheatley's books have reflected her commitment to multiculturalism, social justice and the preservation of the natural environment.Over the period 1998-2001 Nadia Wheatley and artist Ken Searle were consultants at the school at Papunya, an Aboriginal community in the Western Desert. As part of their work, they helped Elders and students produce the multi-award-winning Papunya School Book of Country and History.In 2005 Nadia and Ken developed an innovative Harmony project with students from Muslim, Catholic and state schools in Sydney's south-west, culminating in the picture book Going Bush. This has received an Australian Award for Excellence in Educational Publishing (2007) and was shortlisted for the 2007 Human Rights Medal.