ALISON LESTER

Alison Lester was born on the 17/11/1952 at Foster in Victoria, Australia. She grew up on a farm overlooking the sea and first rode a horse as a baby in her father’s arms. She still lives in the country and rides her horse Woollyfoot, whenever she can. Her picture books mix imaginary worlds with everyday life, encouraging children to believe in themselves and celebrate the differences that make them special.

Alison spends part of every year traveling to schools in remote areas, using her books to help children and adults write and draw about their own lives. Alison began illustrating children’s books in her late twenties. After training as a secondary art teacher she found that although she loved teaching art, she didn't like the everyday routine of school.

When her first baby, Will was born, Alison knew that she wanted to work from home, so she looked up publishers in the Yellow Pages, found Oxford University Press, rang up and asked for a job. She was lucky to be interviewed by three lovely women who could see the potential in her scrappy folio and gave her a book to illustrate. After five years of illustrating other people’s stories she found herself getting picky with their texts and had a go at writing her own. “Clive Eats Alligators” was the result, and she has been writing and illustrating her own stories since then.

In 1997 Alison's first children’s novel, “The Quicksand Pony” was published and “The Snow Pony” followed in 1999. "I hope I can continue to write both “chapter books” and picture books,” she said at the time “My heart is always with the little kids, but as my own children get older I find myself more and more interested in novels".

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

1979, began illustrating children’s books

1985, wrote first book, 'Clive Eats Alligators

'1985 – 2004, writing and illustrating.
Exhibitions at Books Illustrated, Fremantle Children's Literature Centre, Des Bunyon Gallery, Dromkeen, Season’s Gallery, McClelland Gallery

1993, guest speaker at IBBY conference, Manila

1996, received Writers Project Grant from the Australia Council to research the Spanish Riding school in Vienna

1999, writer in residence at Tanglin Trust School, Singapore

2001, guest speaker at Story Lines Festival, Auckland

2002, visiting author at the Bologna Book Fair, Italy, sponsored by the Australia Council

2004, guest speaker, Simmons College, Boston, USA

2004, visiting author to Seoul, Korea for Children’s Book Week

2004, visiting author, schools in Tokyo

2005, traveled to Antarctica as an Australian Antarctic Arts Fellow for the Kids Antarctic Art project.

2005, workshops and exhibition of “Are We There Yet” in Japan as part of the Asialink literature touring program with the Aichi expo

2005, photographer on tourist ship to Ross Sea region of Antarctica

2006, 'Are We There Yet?' illustrations exhibited in Taipei

2006, first painting for the Kid’s Antarctic Art project exhibited at the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery

2007, visual artist on two voyages to Peninsula region of Antarctica.

2007, Kid’s Antarctic Art exhibition opens at Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery

2007, photographer and writer on voyage around Spitsbergen in the Arctic.

2008, Kids Antarctic Art exhibited at Melbournestyle, South Melbourne, featuring selected works as larger canvasses.