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Authors & Illustrators - C

C
USA     Eric Carle  
            Author & Illustrator
EC
Australian flag  Brian Caswell EC, MC, EA, LA
NZ      Ken Catran EA, LA, ADULT
UK       Aidan Chambers EA, LA, ADULT
Australian flag  Anna Ciddor
            Author & Illustrator
MC, EA, ADULT
Australian flag  Margaret Clark MC, EA
Australian flag  Sherryl Clark EC, MC, EA
Australian flag  Judith Clarke EA, LA, ADULT
Ireland Eoin Colfer EC, MC, EA
Australian flag  Paul Collins MC, EA, LA, ADULT
Australian flag  Bill Condon MC, EA, LA
Australian flag  Meredith Costain MC, EA
USA    Susan Cooper EC, MC, EA, LA, ADULT
USA    Robert Cormier EA, LA
Australian flag Tania Cox EC
USA    Sharon Creech MC, EA, ADULT
Australian flag  Gary Crew MC, EA, LA
Australian flag Cath Crowley EA
Australian flag  Phil Cummings EC, MC, EA
Australian flag  Neil Curtis
            Illustrator
n.a

Australian flag indicates Australian authors/illustrators
WA indicates Western Australian authors/illustrators
Key indicates readership levels for author's fiction works:
  • EC   Early Childhood = Kindergarten - Yr 3
  • MC  Middle Childhood = Yrs 3 - 7
  • EA   Early Adolescence = Yrs 7 - 10
  • YA   Late Adolescence/Young Adulthood = Yrs 10 - 12
  • ADULT

NOTE: No levels are assigned to illustrators.
Illustrations can be appreciated at all levels.




Eric Carle [USA]

  Eric Carle

Eric Carle, author of the immensely popular The Very Hungry Caterpillar and other well-known picture books, was born in 1929, in Syracuse, New York, USA. As a child he moved to Germany, where he was educated, but returned to America in 1952.

For more details about his life and work, visit the official Eric Carle website listed above. It is clear, colourful and with teacher assistance is suitable for younger students who are capable readers. It contains information about Eric Carle, a list of his books, a bulletin board, answers to frequently asked questions, some reviews of his work, upcoming events (world-wide) and new publications.


For secondary students and teachers interested in Carle's artwork The Art of Eric Carle is a valuable and accessible reference book.

Picture Books (A selection)

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Brian Caswell [Australian]
Brian Caswell was born in Wales and emigrated to Australia when he was twelve. He has been a singer and songwriter and taught in secondary schools before becoming a full-time writer.

He is known for the innovative plot structure and narrative technique of his books and for writing about outsiders. His time teaching adolescents and later talking to them during author visits, encouraged Brian to reconsider the narrative style of his writing. As noted on the
Penguin website:

Listening to them (students) helped him to develop his theory that narrative structure needed to change in order to appeal to teenagers brought up in the current visually orientated world. He quite consciously set about changing his narrative style. ... he is still experimenting.

Young Adult Novels (A Selection)
  • Merryll of the Stones, 1989. CBCA Book of the Year: Older Readers, 1990 Honour Book.
  • A Cage of Butterflies, 1992. CBCA Children's Book Award: Older Readers Shortlist.
  • Mike, 1993. Australian Multicultural Children's Literature Award, 1994 Shortlist.
  • Dreamslip, 1994. CBCA Notable Book.
  • Lisdalia, 1994. Australian Multicultural Children's Literature Award, 1995
  • Maddie, 1995. CBCA Notable Book
  • Deucalion, 1995. Joint Winner Aurealis Award for Science Fiction: YA Category, 1995; Children's Peace Award.
  • Asturias, 1996. CBCA Notable Book
  • Only the Heart, 1997. Brian Caswell and David Phu An Chiem. Children's Peace Literature Award 1998 Shortlist.
  • The View from Ararat, 1998. CBCA Notable Book
  • The Full Story, 2002. Brian Caswell and David Phu An Chiem.
  • Double Exposure, 2005. NSW Premier's Literary Awards: Ethel Turner Prize for Young People at Secondary School Level, 2003 Shortlist; CBCA Book of the Year: Older Readers 2006 Shortlist.
  • Loop, 2006
    Notable Book, CBCA Book of the Year: Older Readers, 2007
Younger Readers
  • Relax Max, 1997
  • Tee Dee and theCollectors: Or How It All Began, 1996
    (Alien Zones; 1) CBCA Notable Book
  • Messengers of the Great Orff, 1998. (Alien Zones; 2)
  • Gladiators in the Holo-Colosseum, 1998. (Alien Zones; 3)
  • Gargantua, 1998. (Alien Zones; 4)
  • What were the Gremholzs' Dimensions Again? 1998 (Alien Zones; 5)
  • Whispers from the Shibboleth, 1998. (Alien Zones; 6)
Picture Books
Information Sources
 Spotlight on Brian Caswell
Article from Fiction Focus Vol. 19 No. 3 2006, p. 7-10, available in printable PDF format.

 Penguin - Author Profiles - Brian Caswell
Biographical information and selected book list.

 UQP - Author Profile
Author Profile and book list. The University of Queensland Press site also has Teacher's Notes for some Caswell titles.

 NSW Department of Education and Training
'Interview with Brian Caswell about his novel, Only the Heart written with David Phu An Chiem' on the NSW DET site in the School Libraries teaching ideas section.
  Lu Rees Archives
Biographical information and list of Brian’s papers housed in the Lu Rees Archives of Australian Children's Literature.

  YARA -Older Readers
Student reviews of Cage of Butterflies, Austurias, Dreamslip, Maddie, Merryll of the Stones, Only the Heart, The Full Story, Double Exposure.

 CASWELL, Brian. 'Making the Connection: Writing for the Post Speilberg Generation', in The Written World : Youth and Literature. Edited by Agnes Nieuwenhuizen. Port Melbourne : Thorpe, 1994. p 273-284

 'Brian Caswell' in MATTHEWS, Stephen. The Eye of the Soul:Interviews With Seventeen of the Younger Generation of Australians Writing for Children and Young Adults. Grange, Qld. : Magpies, 1998. p. 39-54
ISBN 1 875249 02 8


 'Brian Caswell: Cartographer of the Future' in Nimon, Maureen & Foster, John. The Adolescent Novel: Australian Perspectives. Wagga Wagga, N.S.W. : Centre for Information Studies, Charles Sturt University, 1997. p. 127-133
ISBN 0 949060 41 0

 COLLINS, Paul. Meet Australia's Authors and Illustrators. Book 1 A-C. South Yarra, Vic : Macmillan Education Australlia, 2002. (Book People) p. 33-34.
ISBN 0 7329 6754 6
Includes and author interview.

  WATSON, Victor. The Cambridge Guide to Children's Books in English. Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 2001. p. 130
ISBN 0 521 55064 5

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Ken Catran [NZ]
New Zealander, Ken Catran is a television scriptwriter and an author for young adults and pre-teens, who is popular and applauded both in his homeland and Australia. He has written science fiction, crime, historical fiction and humour as well as stories based on mythology.

Young Adult Novels (A Selection)
Younger Readers
Information Sources
  Christchurch City Libraries - NZ Children's Authors  Interviews
Interview with Ken Catran, which provides answers to questions commonly asked by children.

 NZ Book Council - Writers
Information about Catran's books.

  Storylines - Profiles
Brief biography, booklist

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Aidan Chambers [UK]

  Aidan Chambers Official Website

Winner of the Carnegie Medal 1999, Hans Christian Andersen Award 2002 and Michael Printz Award 2003, Aidan Chambers is a highly acclaimed British novelist, dramatist, critic, editor and publisher, whose work for children and adults is published in numerous languages.

Aidan 's writing began to be published when he was 30. In the 1960's Aidan wrote plays about adolescence for the students he taught. Breaktime, his first novel was published in 1978 .

Aidan's official website contains a detailed biography, news, information about his writing and awards. Of particular interest to teachers and senior students is the suggested reading for young adults in the Personal Column section under the title Ten Books Every Eighteen Year Old Should Read, also the Readers Write, section, which includes samples of students' work on Aidan Chambers.

Young Adult Novels
Younger Readers
  • Seal Secret, 1980
  • The Present Takers, 1983
Teachers & Librarians
  • Booktalk, 1985
  • The Reading Environment, 1991
  • Tell Me: Children, Reading and Talk, 1993

Top


Anna Ciddor [Australian]

  Anna Ciddor website

Anna Ciddor, author and illustrator of nonfiction and fiction has always been interested in how people lived in the past. Runestone and Wolfspell are her first fiction titles. They are part of the Viking Magic series, which combine adventure and fantasy in a historically accurate Viking world. Runestone is a 2003 CBCA Notable Book and has been shortlisted in numerous Children's Choice Awards across Australia. Find out more about Anna and her books from her official websites above and the links below.

Novels
  • Runestone, 2002 (Viking Magic 1)
    2003 CBCA Notable Book
  • Wolfspell, 2003 (Viking Magic 2)
  • Storm Riders, 2004 (Viking Magic 3)
  • Prisoner of Quentaris, 2006
Information Sources
  Viking Magic
Anna's Viking Magic website, aimed at young readers, to support her fantasy/adventure books Runestone and Wolfspell will entertain and inform students about Viking times and the process of book creation. Students will enjoy finding out about runes, writing secret messages and solving puzzles. They can find out more about the characters, Vikings, Norway, the writing of the novels and the process of designing the covers and preparing the illustrations. As well they can read excerpts from the books and link to the author profile on the Allen and Unwin site.

  Booked Out - Author Profile
Brief information about Anna, mainly concentrating on her value as a school speaker.

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Margaret Clark [Australian]

  Margaret Clark's Website

Margaret Clark is a popular Australian author for children and young teenagers. Her website contains a wealth of information about this prolific writer including a biography, photograph, list of her books, news, FAQs, and contact.

Margaret Clark also writes under the name Lee Stryker.


Novels (A selection)
  • Ghost on Toast
  • Living with Leanne
  • Fat Chance
  • Hot or What
  • Care Factor Zero
  • Love on the Net
  • On Ya Sonya
  • Calvin the Clutterbuster
As Lee Stryker (A selection)
  • Evil at Camp Star
  • Revenge of the Vampire Librarian
  • Humans For Breakfast
  • Teacher Torture
  • Curse of the Mummy
  • Deadly Friends
Mango Street Series (A selection)
  • Weird Warren
  • Wally the Whiz Kid
  • Wacky Mac
  • Copy Cat

 NOTE: Reviews of a selection of Margaret Clark's books can be found on the CMIS Resource Bank.

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Sherryl Clark [Australian]

  Sherryl Clark's Website

Sherryl Clark is a children's and young adult author. She also writes poetry for adults and has recently begun writing poetry for children. Students will best recognise Sherryl for her popular books in the Aussie Nibbles, Bites and Chomps series. Her website contains a biography, information about her books, answers to questions kids ask and very useful writing activities to get young writers started. Older students who aspire to be published should refer to the Make Your Own Books section.

Aussie series
(A selection)
Young Novel
Teenage Novel
  • Shooting Through

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Judith Clarke [Australian]
Australian author Judith Clarke writes novels and short stories for teenagers and has also written poetry and short stories for adults. Her work has won critical acclaim both in Australia and overseas, especially in the USA.

Judith was born and educated in Sydney and has worked as a teacher and librarian. She now lives in Melbourne
.
Short Stories(A selection)
  • The Boy on the Lake - Stories of the Supernatural, 1989
  • Panic Stations, 1995
Novels (A Selection)
  • The Heroic Life of Al Capsella, 1988
  • Al Capsella and the Watchdogs, 1990
  • Al Capsella on Holidays, 1992
  • Friend of My Heart, 1994 CBCA Book of the Year: Older Readers 1995 Shortlist
  • Big Night Out, 1995 (novella)
  • The Lost Day, 1997
  • Starry Nights, 2001
  • Nighttrain, 1998  CBCA Book of the Year: Older Readers 1999, Honour Book
  • Wolf on the Fold, 2000 (Linked stories)
  • Kalpana's Dream, 2004
    Honour Book Boston Globe-Horn Book Award 2005; CBCA Notable: Younger Readers 2005
  • One Whole and Perfect Day, 2006
    Shortlist: CBCA Book of the Year: Older Readers, 2007
Information Sources
 COLLINS, Paul. Meet Australia's Authors and Illustrators. Book 1 A-C. South Yarra, Vic : Macmillan Education Australlia, 2002. (Book People) p. 38.

 WATSON, Victor. The Cambridge Guide to Children's Books in English
. Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 2001. p. 155
ISBN 0 521 55064 5
SCIS No: 1068751


  Allen & Unwin
Information about Kalpana's Deam, Starry Nights and Wolf on the Fold plus awards and short biography of the author available on the Allen & Unwin site. Click on each title.

 Front Street Books - Judith Clarke
Short biographical details about Judith Clarke, list of books and awards, plus email Judith Clarke available on the Front Street Books, a publisher of books for children and young adults.

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Eoin Colfer [Ireland]

 Eoin Colfer's Official Website 

Irish author Eoin Colfer is best known in Australia for his Artemis Fowl Books. Before becoming a full-time writer Eoin was a primary school teacher. He wrote his first books while teaching. Eoin's website provides answers to frequently asked questions, includes biographical information supported by photographs and details about his books.

Younger Readers (Early Childhood) (A selection)
  • Going Potty, 1999
  • Ed's Funny Feet, 2000
  • Ed's Bed, 2001
Older Readers (A selection)

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Paul Collins [Australian]

  Paul Collins' Official Website

Paul Collins has had a varied career as a writer, publisher and editor of novels, anthologies, short stories, magazines and nonfiction for both adults and children. His main focus is science fiction and fantasy but he has recently published a seven volume set of books about Australian children's authors and illustrators.

Paul was born in England, grew up in New Zealand and moved to Australia in 1972. From the mid 1970s Paul wrote for adults. He became interested in writing for young adults and children in the early 1990s. For a detailed biography, booklist, awards and interviews go to Paul's homesite above.


Younger Readers (A selection)
  • Wizard's Torment
  • Wizard's Trouble
  • The Great Ferret Race
  • The Dog King
  • Out of this World
  • The Wish Bug, 2004 [Start-ups]
Older Readers (A selection)

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Bill Condon [Australian]


Bill Condon is the author of more than fifty books for children and adults, including plays, poetry, short stories, novels and non-fiction. Before taking up full time writing for children he worked in a variety of jobs from greyhound training to journalism. He lives in NSW with his wife Dianne Bates who is also a popular children's author. Unlike his novels for teenagers most of Bill's books for children are humorous.

Younger Readers (A selection)
  • Chunderella, illustrated by Terry Denton
  • Jack and the Magic Baked Beans, illustrated by Terry Denton
  • A Waste of Space
  • Poor Jason
  • Bonkers Conquers

Older Readers
  • Dogs, 2000
    Honour Book CBCA Book of the Year: Older Readers, 2001
  • No Worries, 2005
    CBCA Book of the Year: Older Readers 2006 Honour Book
Information Sources
For a complete list of Bill Condon's books, a biography, photograph, samples of his writing and email contact go to his website above.

 UQP website - Author Profile
Brief author information and information about his books.

 COLLINS, Paul. Meet Australia's Authors and Illustrators. Book 1 A-C. South Yarra, Vic : Macmillan Education Australlia, 2002. (Book People) p. 40-41. [Includes an interview]

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Meredith Costain [Australian]

  Meredith Costain: Australian Author

Meredith grew up in rural Victoria and even as a child her main interest was reading and writing stories and poems. After graduating from university Meredith taught English but now is a full-time writer and a magazine editor. She writes fiction and nonfiction for children and younger teenagers and books for teachers.

Meredith's website above contains an interesting author profile, a list of her books, information about writing workshops and an email contact.


Younger Readers (A selection)
  • My Brother the Spy, 1997 (Supa Doopers)
  • The Mummy's Curse, 1998 (Supa Doopers)
  • Spaced Out, with Paul Collins, 1997 (Crackers)
  • Musical Harriet, illustrated by Craig Smith, 1995   CBCA Notable Book 1996
  • Freeing Billy, 2000 (Aussie Nibbles)
  • The Sandpit War, 2002 (Aussie Nibbles)
  • Doodledum Dancing [poetry], illustrated by Pamela Allen. Honour Book CBCA Book of the Year : Younger Readers, 2007
Older Readers (A selection)
  • Heartbreak High series
  • The Nannies series
  • Dolly Fiction