Jenny was born in 1961, and grew up in Wellington, New Zealand and now lives in Christchurch where she works from her sunny studio at home.
After getting married she lived in Western Samoa for three years, where she taught at Samoa High School and had two children. When she was 26 she came back to New Zealand, with her two children, and enrolled at the local design school, where she studied for four years. Her first book was published while she was still a student. Her first job was at the Canterbury Museum where she wove flax kete, rain capes and piu piu. She began freelance illustration at that time and it has been her full-time occupation since.
In recent years Jenny has begun to focus more on illustrations for very young children and, in particular, Pacific Island children. She has continuing ties with the islands, which lend warmth and authenticity to her drawings of these children and their world. Jenny has a number of styles ranging from realistic through to cartoon, depending on the theme and genre of the book. Jenny has illustrated so many books she has lost count.
Jenny visits many primary schools and takes workshops on illustrating. She also tutors occasionally at Continuing Education at Canterbury University and at Christchurch Polytechnic. She was winner of the 1998 New Zealand Post Student Stamp Design award and Telecom New Zealand White Pages Art Award.
Selected bibliography:
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The Wooden Fish text by Tim Tipene (Reed 1999).
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Jellylegs text by Elizabeth Pulford (Scholastic 2000).
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A Day with Emily Emeryboard text by Ben Smith (Macmillan 2000).
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Goodbye, Adios, Sayonara and Ciao text by Rita Golden Gelman (Scholastic 2001).
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The Great Pavlova Coverup: New Zealand Stories for Children edited by Jo Noble (Whitcoulls 2001).
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The Pipi and the Mussels text by Dot Meharry (Reed 2001).
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The Mean Octopus text by Janet Slater Bottin (Murdoch Books 2001).
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Duck Walk text by Joy Cowley (Scholastic 2002).
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The Fiddle Maker text by Catherine Harold (Macmillan 2002).
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Shark Snacks text by Jill Eggleton (Reed 2003).
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When the Truck got Stuck! text by Joy Cowley (HarperCollins 2003).
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Down in the Forest text by Yvonne Morrison (Scholastic 2004).
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McGregor text by Rachel Hayward (Scholastic 2005).
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Shut the Gate text by Elizabeth Pulford (Scholastic 2006).
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The Littlest Llama text by Jane Buxton (Mallinson Rendel 2006).
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The Mad Tadpole Adventure text by Melanie Drewery (Scholastic 2007).
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Better Together text by Yvonne Morrison (Random House 2007).
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Illustrated Myths and Legends of the Pacific text by AW Reed (Reed 2007).
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‘ella and 'ob text by Sarah Johnson (Scholastic 2008) .
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The Reluctant Little Flowergirl text by Melanie Koster (Mallinson Rendel 2008) .
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Rugby for Rosie text by Frances Adlam (Mallinson Rendel 2008).
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Peter and the Pig text by Simon Grant (Scholastic 2008).
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On a Rabbit Hunt text by Elizabeth Pulford (Scholastic 2009).
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The 12 Days of Holidays text by Yvonne Morrison (Scholastic 2009).
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Stories from Our Night Sky text by Melanie Drewery (Puffin 2009).
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Ria the Reckless Wrybill text by Jane Buxton (Penguin 2010).
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Stranger Madness text by Melanie Drewery (Scholastic 2010).
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Pick & Mix: Assorted Kiwi Stories various authors (Scholastic 2010).
Awards:
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Storylines Notable Books 2000 Picture Books list for The Wooden Fish.
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Storylines Notable Books 2002 Junior Fiction list for The Great Pavlova Cover-up.
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Storylines Notable Books 2003 Picture Books list for Duck Walk.
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Storylines Notable Books 2008 Junior Fiction list for The Mad Tadpole Adventure.
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Storylines Notable Books 2008 Picture Books list Special Mention for The Illustrated Myths & Legends of the Pacific.
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Storylines Notable Books 2011 Picture Books list for Ria the Reckless Wrybill.
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