Kyle Mewburn

I've always loved writing. Unfortunately my handwriting has always been horrendous. No matter how hard I try it always comes out looking like a cockroach has stepped in some ink and crawled across the page. My English teacher used to get quite frustrated with me sometimes. She was always writing sarcastic comments at the bottom of my essays. Things like - "What language is this?" or "Isn't it about time you stopped writing with your feet?"

Lucky for me, some smartypants came along and invented the typewriter! There was no stopping me after that.

I've written loads of picture books. My latest include Melu (about a stubborn mule who dreams of visiting the glittering green sea), Seesaw Po (about a friendly hippo who wants to have fun onm the seeaw) and Blue Gnu (about a gnu called Boo who thinks he's special because he's blue). Previous books include Old Hu-hu, a poignant tale about coping with grief and losing someone dear, won the 2010 New Zealand Book of the Year. Kiss! Kiss! Yuck! Yuck! won the Best Picture Book and Children's Choice awards in 2007, plus the Flicker Tale award in North Dakota in 2010. And Hill & Hole which was shortlisted for the 2011 Book Awards. I've also branched out into junior chapter books with my Dinosaur Rescue (an action-packed, totally gross series for 6-8 year old boys!) and Pop Hooper's Perfect Pets series. My books have been published in eleven countries.

I live in Millers Flat in the far south of New Zealand with my wife Marion (a teapot artist), in a grass-roofed house I built myself. When I'm not writing I'm either in my garden singing to my vegies, in the creek swimming or off exploring the strange land I've discovered at the back of my wardrobe (though that last bit may not be completely true....).

For more info, visit my website - www.kylemewburn.com