Alison Lester (1952) is an Australian author and illustrator of children’s books. She grew up on a farm by the sea in Victoria, and later trained as a secondary arts teacher at Melbourne Teachers’ College. She started illustrating in 1979, initially working on other authors’ texts, and a few years later published her first self-written picture book, Clive Eats Alligators.
Lester is best known for her richly imaginative picture books that blend fantasy with everyday life, encouraging children to embrace their individuality and find joy in what makes them different. In 2005 she won the Children’s Book Council of Australia’s Picture Book of the Year Award for Are We There Yet?: A Journey Around Australia. She has published more than 40 books over her career.
Today, she lives in rural Victoria and runs a gallery and bookshop in Fish Creek, South Gippsland. She visits schools and libraries regularly, sharing her creative process and inspiring young readers to tell their own stories.
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Alison Lester began illustrating books in 1986, and just four years later her Imagine broke all sales records in Australia, becoming the number-one children’s bestseller. And I can completely understand why. To my taste, this is exactly how an educational, illustrated children’s book should be. Lester seamlessly combines several techniques […]
