Amy Calautti – illustratör

It is mid-autumn festival time again and Mr Ming is busy in his shop baking the most delicious mooncakes you have ever tasted. Everyone wants to know the ingredients in Mr Ming’s mooncakes, but he won’t tell them, as the recipe is an old family secret. He won’t even let anyone into his kitchen. That’s because he has another secret, a secret even bigger than his secret mooncake recipe. Mr Ming has… a dragon! Madame Moneybag doesn’t know that though, and she is determined to steal Mr Ming’s prize-winning mooncake recipe for herself. When she breaks into Mr Ming’s shop, the dragon hears her and goes to investigate. When he sees the thief reading the recipe book, he becomes so angry that hot flames shot from his mouth! Then a fireball bounces out and shoots up into the sky, taking Madame Moneybag with it. It doesn’t stop until it hits the moon. Boom! The next evening, little Ah Beng comes to help his grandfather in the shop after school, and when they look up at the mid-autumn moon together, they discover something rather unusual indeed. A charming, playful story about the beauty of the mid-autumn festival, based on the 3,000-year-old Chinese legend of the lady in the moon.

An Australian chicken breeder, Mr McFowler, fails to win competitions with his prized chicken, Hector, mainly because Hector had a nose pecking habit and an inability to remain still when being judged. Mr McFowler was downcast as he felt Hector was the best bird he had ever bred and his greatest chance of winning Champion Bird of the Show.Mr McFowler, of Scottish descent loves to play old Scottish songs in his shed and sometimes dance to them. One day Hector starts dancing with him to his records. Mr McFowler sees an opportunity and he and Hector train the other chickens to become Highland Dancers. Mr McFowler is a resourceful man and makes things to aid with training. He dusts off his bagpipes and provides the music for the troupe.It was a difficult task for Hector to mould the sometimes-reluctant individual chickens into a precision team. He eventually succeeds and they perform at local agricultural shows, the the Sydney Royal and finally get an invitation to perform at the famous Edinburgh Tattoo in Scotland, where they woo audiences with their amazing precision performance. They are feted and Mr McFowler is very proud that his prized chicken, which failed to become a champion show bird, was now a champion leader of a successful highland dance troupe. Mr McFowler, a romantically naïve bachelor, even makes a surprising romantic connection!

A humorous jungle adventure about a troop of mischievous monkeys who while helping a lost and rather noisy baby elephant named Peanut, to find his mamma, discover that elephants can climb up trees. Even more surprising, they discover that enormous hungry crocodiles can shimmy up a tree even faster than a baby elephant. The monkeys reunite a very emotional Peanut with his joyous mamma and the elephant herd, while a terrified crocodile wonders how on earth he’s ever going to get down from the rather tall tree he’s just climbed up.

Captivated by the glamour of elegant hats and high-heeled shoes, a spirited racehorse named Lucky, who is the fastest horse in the stable, becomes determined to emulate race-day fashion in the quest to win the cup, only to discover that the best shoes to wear in order to win the race are her own lucky horse shoes—an amusing and light-hearted story of the pros and cons of impractical footwear.

Find out how reading just one book can lead to a brand-new library in this lively chain-reaction story about actions and their consequences – however unintended they may be! Violet has searched her room high and low, but just can’t find a book she hasn’t read before. She wishes her town had a library; a magical place full of adventure where she would never run out of stories to discover. But alas, on this particular rainy day, the only unfamiliar book she can find is the one propping up the kitchen table. Dad won’t miss it, right?... .With a CLATTER and a CRASH, Violet’s actions set in motion an unstoppable chain of events that soon has the whole town in chaos! Young readers will delight at the playful, colourful illustrations, while learning an important lesson about how actions lead to consequences. The story also introduces children to the wonder of libraries, while highlighting their vital role in fostering literacy. .One Book Was All it Took is the perfect tongue-in-cheek adventure story to share with budding bookworms. From the hilarity of the chaos that Violet causes, to the heart-warming reminder of the important role libraries have played in many of our lives, readers of all ages will find joy in this vibrant book. It is also an excellent introduction to the concept of how our actions can affect others, an important lesson for all young ones – especially Violet! .

A fun, engaging story, perfect for children learning how to do something for the first time.Easy Peasy follows Ruby, who has just received her first pair of roller skates as a present from her dad. She’s convinced it will be easy peasy to learn how to roller skate and dismisses her dad when he offers to help her. But after a few tumbles, Ruby realises it isn’t as easy as she thinks and she might need her dad’s help after all. Author Ky Garvey was initially inspired by her son, who as a little boy loved his skateboard so much that he took it to bed with him every night like a teddy bear. But as she began to write, she remembered the joy of roller skating with her dad at the local rink every Saturday morning. As Ky puts it, ‘It was treasured time together and I wanted to reflect that relationship in my book.’Easy Peasy will delight skating-mad girls and patient parents while providing a lesson in independence and perseverance. And the hilarious, relatable illustrations by Amy Calautti add an extra dash of shiny, sparkly fun!

In a world where the days of the week come to life, Monday learns to let go of negativity and accept herself for who she is.Its pretty tough being Monday – youre not named after a god like Thursday, and youre certainly not a two-day party like Saturday and Sunday. Instead, youre the start of the week, when people have to wake up early and head back to school and work. Monday even has a pile of complaint letters to prove that nobody likes her but wait, whats in that sparkly envelope?Nobody Likes Monday is a story about the impact of peoples perceptions of ourselves, and the fact that we all have value we just need to learn to see it. When Monday is feeling down, she tries to change, but only meets more dissatisfaction. It is only when she begins to see her own strengths and gifts that she finds joy in her role and in her life.Told with vibrant illustrations and light-hearted humour, Nobody Likes Monday highlights the importance of self-acceptance and individuality. It emphasizes that everyone, no matter how they perceive themselves, has a unique value to offer, gently encouraging children to see beyond the negatives and to recognize their own talents and strengths