SHORT Biography

Lucinda Gifford is the author and illustrator of many well-loved books for kids. In the 90s, Lucinda studied architecture in Scotland, where she learned to draw fancy buildings and moody scenery. Many years later, she put some of her best drawings in a folio and started looking for work illustrating children’s books.

Lucinda Gifford has since illustrated over 30 books, eight of which she has also written. She works from her studio in Melbourne’s north and especially enjoys making books about chickens, wolves, castles and magical creatures. Lucinda loves her new job and plans to write and draw for the rest of her life, or until her hand drops off, or both. 

www.lucindagiffordbooks.com

Publicity PhotoS

Click to download larger version. For variations, contact author via contact form.

Credit @pennylanephotographer

Credit @pennylanephotographer

Credit @pennylanephotographer

Longer Biography

Lucinda Gifford was brought up in Scotland and originally intended to become an architect, studying Architecture at Edinburgh and Bath Universities. She then worked in advertising and graphic design for many years, before finally moving into her dream job - writing and illustrating children’s books.

In 2014, Lucinda won the inaugural Five Mile Press Illustrator Prize, resulting in her first picture book as author and illustrator - ‘Arthur and the Curiosity’. Since then, she has worked on over thirty books, including the ‘Monty’s Island’ series, written by Emily Rodda, the popular ‘The Cat Wants Custard’ series by P Crumble, the ‘Princess Peony’ series by Nette Hilton and the ‘Chook Doolan’ series by James Roy.

She has also created ‘The Wolves of Greycoat Hall’, an early Middle Grade series based on a family of sophisticated wolves, who like to travel abroad.

Her 2020 picture book ‘Whitney and Britney Chicken Divas’ was chosen for the 2020 Australia Library and Information Association's (ALIA) National Simultaneous Storytime (NSS).

She is published with Walker Books, Hardie Grant Egmont, Little Book Press, Five Mile Press, Affirm Press, Scholastic Australia and UK, Lothian Books, Allen and Unwin Books and ABC HarperCollins. These days, Lucinda lives with her family in Melbourne’s northern suburbs - and works as an author and illustrator from a studio nearby.

Visit Lucinda’s website lucindagifford.com and Facebook https://www.facebook.com/lucindagiffordbooks/ page for more information on her books, illustration and process.

You can use this one too (chicken puppets by Drew Harding)

Bibliography

2023

This Book is a Time Machine, written by Tracey Dembo and published by Affirm Press, September 2023

Who Took My Nuts, written by Tommy Little and published by Scholastic Australia, September 2023

Big Dog is a Big Help, written by Sally Rippin and published by Hardie Grant, August 2023

Neil the Amazing Sea Cucumber, written by Amelia McInerey and published by Affirm Press, May 2023

Hair!, written by Mike Dumbleton and published by Little Book Press, May 2023

Boris In Switzerland - The Wolves of Greycoat Hall Two, written and illustrated by Lucinda Gifford and published by Walker Books Australia, January 2023

2022

Too Many Cats, written by Maura Finn and published by Affirm Press, April 2022

2021

Big Dog Little Dog, written by Sally Rippin and published by Little Hare, Hardie Grant Egmont, September 2021 

Goal!!!, written by Lydia Williams and published by Allen and Unwin, June 2021 

The Cat Wants a Castle, written by P Crumble and published by Scholastic Australia, June 2021

Monty’s Island: Elvis Eager and the Golden Egg, written by Emily Rodda and published by Allen and Unwin, January 2021

2020

Whitney and Britney Chicken Detectives, written and illustrated by Lucinda Gifford and published by Scholastic Australia, November 2020 

Monty’s Island: Beady Bold and the Yum Yams, written by Emily Rodda and published by Allen and Unwin, August 2020 

The Wolves of Greycoat Hall, written and illustrated by Lucinda Gifford and published by Walker Books, July 2020

Monty’s Island: Scary Mary and the Stripe Spell, written by Emily Rodda and published by Allen and Unwin, April 2020

2019

Whitney and Britney Chicken Divas, written and illustrated by Lucinda Gifford and published by Scholastic Australia, November 2019

The Second Adventures of Princess Peony: Written by Nette Hilton. Illustrated by Lucinda Gifford. Published by Walker Books Australia.

Duck Duck Moose: Written and illustrated by Lucinda Gifford. Published by Allen and Unwin.

Saved!!! Written by Lydia Williams. Illustrated by Lucinda Gifford. Published by Allen and Unwin.

2018

The First Adventures of Princess Peony: Written by Nette Hilton. Illustrated by Lucinda Gifford. Published by Walker Books Australia.

The Cat Wants Kittens: Written by P Crumble. Illustrated by Lucinda Gifford. Scholastic Australia.

Dogasaurus: Written and illustrated by Lucinda Gifford. Published by Scholastic Australia.
** Notable Book, 2019 Children's Book Council Book of the Year Awards

Four Fairytales for Feisty Girls: Written by Susannah McFarlane featuring illustrations by Lucinda Gifford, Beth Norling, Clare Robertson and Sher Rill Ng. Published by Allen and Unwin.
** Notable Book, 2019 Children's Book Council Book of the Year Awards

2017

The Cat Wants Cuddles: Written by P Crumble. Illustrated by Lucinda Gifford. Scholastic Australia.
** Notable Book, 2018 Children's Book Council Book of the Year Awards

2016

The Chook Doolan Series (Saves the Day, The Tiny Guitar, Rules are Rules, Let's Do Diwali, The Newest Pet, On the Road, Up and Away, Unhappy Camper): Written by James Roy. Illustrated by Lucinda Gifford. Published by Walker Books Australia.

The Cat Wants Custard: Written by P Crumble. Illustrated by Lucinda Gifford. Published by Scholastic Australia. ** Notable Book, 2017 Children's Book Council Book of the Year Awards,
** Shortlisted, 2017 West Australian Young Readers' Book Award for Picture Books

Space Alien at Planet Dad: Written and illustrated by Lucinda Gifford. Published by Scholastic Australia. ** Recommended, 2017 Australian Family Therapists' Award for Children's Literature for Picture Book and Younger Readers

Arthur and the Curiosity: Written and illustrated by Lucinda Gifford. Published by Five Mile Press.

One More Friend: Written by Bill Condon. Illustrated by Lucinda Gifford. Published by Omnibus.

2015

Frankie and Finn: Written by Klay and Mark Lamprell. Illustrated by Lucinda Gifford. Published by Lothian Books.

The Witch’s Britches: Written by P Crumble. Illustrated by Lucinda Gifford. Published by Scholastic Australia

The Fourteenth Summer of Angus Jack: Written by Jen Storer. Illustrated by Lucinda Gifford. Published by ABC Harper Collins Australia.
** Notable Book, 2016 Children's Book Council Book of the Year Awards

Recent book covers: click on image to download.