City of Light is a Children’s Book Council Award Notable Book (after posting this video and all – but I mean everything I said)!

The judges said:

A highly original re-telling of the actions of the residents of Perth who created ‘The City of
light’ for astronaut John Glenn who was the first American to orbit the Earth. The evocative
illustrations provide a historical snapshot of 1962 through the furniture, fashion, vehicles
and media sources. The delightfully retro-feel of the text is skilfully designed including
clever newspaper-style endpapers and a highly engaging cover image. The simple, lyrical
text conveys the story beautifully and complements and enhances the visual elements
of the narrative. Likewise, the representation of setting through both text and visuals,
contributes significantly to the storyline, providing a very strong sense of time and place.

I’m honoured, and grateful to Wild Dog Books, who paired me with the magical illustrator team of Heather Potter and Mark Jackson.