Children’s Laureate for 2022-2023 at the State Library of Victoria on Tuesday. The Australian Children’s Laureate Foundation and I have been working very hard over the past year preparing the program for the next 2 years. Thank you to the board especially to the incredible program manager Kris Darrell and graphic designer/illustrator extraordinaire Lee Burgemeestre. I am so looking forward to beginning this exciting Follow the Dragon adventure. Thank you also to Penguin Random House Australia for the incredible support they have provided over the 20 years of my writing career. My first stop will be the Immigration Museum in Melbourne on March 29 for a children’s writing and drawing workshop. I hope to see some of you there!

Photos by James Braund at the State Library of Victoria

I am still getting over the thrill of being announced the new Australian