TOHBY RIDDLE
Tohby Riddle is an illustrator and writer whose deceptively simple illustrations contain the most fascinating detail. His picture books charm children and all lovers of illustration.

Tohby was born and raised in Sydney and has a BA in Visual Arts and a BSc (Architecture) although he has spent his post-graduate years doing anything but architecture - with great success. Since 1989 he has been accountable for a number of picture books that have been published in Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States. These include Careful With That Ball, Eugene!, A Most Unusual Dog, Arnold Z Jones Could Really Play the Trumpet, The Royal Guest and The Tip at the End of the Street. The Great Escape from City Zoo, released in 1997, was shortlisted both for the 1998 Children's Book Council Picture Book of the Year Awards and the NSW Premier's Literary Awards. His most recent children's book title is The Singing Hat, which was reviewed extensively by Magpies in November 2000: 'Reading books like The Singing Hat and Riddle's equally remarkable The Tip at the End of the Street . . . places the reader's mind . . . in a position to find and receive the most beautiful and improbable things.'

As well as creating picture books, Tohby contributes cartoons to a number of publications and is regularly featured in the Sydney Morning Herald's Good Weekend Magazine. The popularity of Tohby's cartoons has lead to the 2003 release of a collection of his work entitled The Big Idea. He also enjoys visiting schools to talk about his work, in particular the development of an idea from a sketch in a notepad through to a finished book. He believes the picture book medium, being both visual and verbal, offers great potential for storytelling for people of all ages - children and adults alike. Tohby has also made recent appearances at both Sydney and Melbourne Writers' Festivals.

Click here for a list of Tohby's published books

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