Narelle Oliver

Narelle Oliver
Born	(1960-02-25)25 February 1960 Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia
Died	5 October 2016(2016-10-05) (aged 56) Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Occupation	Author, illustrator, printmaker, educator
Genre	Children's literature
Years active	1989–2016
Notable works	The Hunt Sand Swimmers Home
Notable awards	CBCA Book of the Year (1996) NSW Premier’s Literary Award (2007) Queensland Literary Award (2013)

Narelle Oliver (1960 - 2016) was an Australian artist, print maker and award-winning children's author-illustrator.

Early life

Narelle Oliver was born on 25 February 1960 and grew up in Toowoomba in south east Queensland. ^[1]

Career

Oliver majored in design and printmaking while studying for a Bachelor of Education degree. ^[1] She began her career teaching at the Queensland School for the Deaf. ^[2]

Oliver was an educator and a committed environmentalist. ^[3] As an illustrator, Oliver combined linocut, watercolour, pastels, collage and digitally-enhanced photographs in her work. She used many environmental themes drawing on the flora and fauna of Australia. ^[4]

Oliver's first book, Leaf Tail, was published in 1989. ^[5]

Works

• Oliver, Narelle (1989), Leaf Tail, McCulloch Publishing, ISBN   978-0-949646-97-2
• — (1991), High above the sea, Jam Roll Press, ISBN   978-1-875491-04-9
• — (1993), The best beak in Boonaroo Bay, Lothian, ISBN   978-0-85091-671-3
• — (1995), The hunt, Lothian Books, ISBN   978-5-86793-139-1
• — (1996), The Well, Lothian Books, ISBN   0-85091-735-2
• — (1999), Sand swimmers : the secret life of Australia's dead heart, Lothian, ISBN   978-0-85091-768-0
• — (2001), Baby bilby, where do you sleep?, Lothian, ISBN   978-0-7344-0285-1
• — (2003), The very blue thingamajig, Norwood, S. Aust. An Omnibus Book from Scholastic Australia, ISBN   978-1-86291-527-5
• — (2006), Home, Scholastic Australia, ISBN   978-1-86291-668-5
• — (2009), Fox and fine feathers, Omnibus Books, ISBN   978-1-86291-806-1 ^[6]
• — (2013), Don't let a spoonbill in the kitchen!, Parkside, SA Omnibus Books, ISBN   978-1-86291-960-0

Honours and awards

• 1996 Children's Book Council of Australia Book of the Year Award Winner for The Hunt ^[1]
• 1999 Royal Zoological Society of NSW Whitley Award - Best Book for Older Readers for Sand Swimmers: The Secret Life of Australia's Dead Heart
• 2000 joint winner The Wilderness Society Environment Award for Children's Literature — Picture Book for Sand Swimmers: The Secret Life of Australia's Dead Heart ^[1]
• 2007 New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards — Patricia Wrightson Prize for Children's Books for Home ^[1]
• 2013 Queensland Literary Awards — Children's Book Award for Don't let a spoonbill in the kitchen ^[1]

Personal life

Oliver lived in Brisbane with her husband Greg and their children Jessie and Liam. ^[7] She died on 5 October 2016. ^[8]

References

1. "Narelle Oliver". AustLit. Retrieved 5 October 2016.
2. "Narelle Oliver". Lateral Learning. Retrieved 5 October 2016.
3. "Vale Narelle Oliver (1960-2016) - Reading Time". Reading Time. 18 October 2016. Retrieved 20 April 2017.
4. "In Memoriam: Narelle Oliver". Kids Book Review. Retrieved 20 January 2017.
5. Oliver, Narelle (1989), Leaf Tail, McCulloch Publishing, ISBN   978-0-949646-97-2
6. — (2009). "Oliver, Narelle: Fox and fine feathers". Reading Time. 53 (4): 25.
7. "Teachers' Notes "Home"" (PDF). Scholastic. Retrieved 5 October 2016.
8. "RiP Narelle Oliver". Books+Publishing. Retrieved 20 January 2017.

External links

• Professional website
• "Vale Narelle Oliver (1960-2016) - Reading Time". Reading Time. Children's Book Council of Australia. 18 October 2016. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
• Instructional video