Donovan Bixley was born a stone’s throw from the golden beaches of Perth, Australia. Alas, his life as a bronzed, speedo-wearing, barbarqued-prawn-eating surf god was not to be. Instead his family returned to New Zealand where Donovan grew up in the geothermal wilds of Taupo.
From a young age Donovan showed a talent for drawing and his unmatched skill at depicting trucks was a great way to get the school bully on side. Books such as The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, Asterix and Footrot Flats were a huge influence on his creative development.
After studying Graphic Design at AUT in Auckland, Donovan worked as a storyboard and editorial illustrator. His first book, written and illustrated for his daughter, led to illustrating educational books and then children’s picture books, including the best-sellers Harry Hobnail and the Pungapeople by Barry Crump and The Wheels on the Bus. Donovan is also the author and illustrator of Faithfully Mozart which sold in eight countries and was a finalist in the 2006 Montana New Zealand Book Awards.
Donovan’s real passion is illustrated novels for YA and junior fiction readers, where he gets to combine his love of words and pictures. He is an admiring fan of Neil Gaiman and counts The Lorax as his most loved picture book. Favourite artists include Norman Rockwell, Edgar Degas, John Howe, Dave McKean, Edmund Dulac, Bill Peet, Mordillo, Shawn Tan and Chris Riddell.
Selected bibliography:
-
Harry Hobnail and the Pungapeople text by Barry Crump (Hodder Moa Beckett 2002).
-
Mr Tanglewood and the Pungapeople text by Barry Crump (Hodder Moa Beckett 2005).
-
Wacko Kakapo text by Yvonne Morrison (Scholastic 2007).
-
The Tuatara and the Skink text by Yvonne Morrison (Scholastic 2009).
-
A Right Royal Christmas text by Lucy Davey (Scholastic 2009).
-
The Wheels on the Bus (Hodder Moa 2010).
-
Phoebe and the Night Creatures text by Jenny Hessell (Scholastic 2011).
-
Dinosaur Rescue: T-Wreck-a-saurus text by Kyle Mewburn (Scholastic 2011).
-
Dinosaur Rescue: Stego-snotty-saurus text by Kyle Mewburn (Scholastic 2011).
-
Northwood text by Brian Falkner (Walker Books 2011).
Website:
Storylines thanks zeald.com for their ongoing support of the Storylines website.
