PROFESSIONAL author and Sunshine Coast academic, Gary Crew has received one more international award for his latest children’s book .
Gary’s children’s picture book, Cat on the Island, is illustrated by WA artist Gillian Warden and has been cited as a ‘Notable Book’ in the Bologna International Children’s Book Fair.
Gary and Gillian’s book was born out of Gary’s research into the tiny Stephen’s Island, between the north and south islands of New Zealand. It was first sighted in the 1890s by bird collector, Henry Travers who described it as an ‘avian paradise’.
However, the introduction of feral cats soon wiped out the bird population, and the Stephens Island wren is the only instance in the world where a single species has been made extinct by another single species i.e. the domestic cat.
Cat on the Island is the sensitive story of the eradication of the wren by the feral cats. Conservation authorities eventually destroyed all the cats but it was too late.
Throughout his writing career Gary Crew has been concerned with environmental issues, particularly the extinction of native species. It also happens to be a topic that has international appeal for publishers.
Gary Crew has also just completed a novel for young adult readers, A Serpent’s Tale. The story is based on the mythological tale of the serpent eating its own tale and questions whether or not fate can be changed to stop the violence of man against his fellow man.
Gary Crew is Australia’s most awarded author for children and young adults having won the Children’s Book Council Book of the Year four times – twice for his young adult novels and twice for his illustrated books.
July 6th, 2010 at 6:15 pm
Congratulations to Gary and Gillian! Receiving an international award for “Cat and on the Island” is very exciting for an Australian author and illustrator. The‘Notable Book’ award in the Bologna International Children’s Book Fair is an outstanding achievement.