Peter Pavey

Peter Pavey created some of the most unique and innovative Australian picture books. After studying commercial art at Swinburne Institute, Peter shunned the idea of going into advertising. His passion for children’s books and his connection to renowned illustrator Ron Brooks led him to illustrate Olaf Ruhen’s The Day of the Diprotodon (1976). Peter’s next work, which took about three years to complete, was One Dragon’s Dream (1978), the first book he both wrote and illustrated. It was a huge success, winning him the CBCA Book of the Year (1980), and was published to worldwide acclaim in a number of countries, including Britain, America, Germany and Italy. He followed this with the highly-acclaimed book, I’m Taggerty Toad (1980), in which a Baron Munchausen-esque hero recounts his epic adventures which may (or may not) be true. Though no less fantastical, his next work, Battles in the Bath (1982), placed the imaginative adventure in a domestic setting and was a finalist in the 1983 CBCA Picture Book of the Year category. His 1987 book, Is Anyone Hungry?, about an admiral searching for the elusive ‘twittering grimbix’, was also his last. Peter has since retired from writing and illustrating and works on a walnut farm.