Dawn McMillan

Dawn McMillan lives in a small coastal village on the western side of the Coromandel Peninsula in the North Island of New Zealand with her husband, Derek, and their cat, Jose. Dawn began writing as a child and several small stories and poems were published in a local newspaper and in the children's pages of a national magazine. The highlight of her early career was winning a story competition. When she became a teacher and a mother she wrote less and less, and it wasn't until in her late thirties that she began to write again. Dawn says, 'Poetry is my first love. For me it feels that fewer words give a stronger message. I believe that is why I enjoy writing picture books for children.' Raymond McGrath is an award-winning animation director, animator, illustrator, designer and writer. He has illustrated over 45 children's picture books, has worked on many animated television series and hundreds of television commercials. He was the presenter of a children's art activity show called Artoonz, and is the creator and director of the educational preschool television series, Puzzle Inc., which is now being aired internationally. Raymond lives in the country with his wife Deborah, two cats, and a Schnauzer whose legs are made out of springs.