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Aki Fukuoka

Aki Fukuoka is a children’s book illustrator based in rural Whangārei. With over 80 published titles, her work includes popular series such as Billie B Brown (Hardie Grant Egmont), Sam Kerr (Simon & Schuster), Go Girl (Hardie Grant Egmont), and Lily the Littlest Angel (Scholastic).

Born in Japan and raised in New Zealand, Aki was encouraged by her parents to explore art from a young age. Alongside her four siblings, she spent her days adventuring their backyard, filled with bushes and wildlife, playing musical instruments, drawing, and inventing stories. This early immersion in imaginative play is a significant reason why Aki enjoys creating stories, characters, and whimsical scenes.

Aki’s commitment to art deepened after achieving the highest mark in New Zealand for her high school art studies. She earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Elam School of Fine Arts, University of Auckland, and later pursued postgraduate studies focused on sequential storytelling. Initially considering a career as a physicist, she decided in her final years of university to follow her passion for illustration.

Outside of publishing Aki has produced art for apparels, posters, galleries shows, murals and commercial projects. Aki has also taught tertiary level art at Media Design school.

Aki works full time as a illustrator/artist, drawing and creating everyday from her home studio located in rural Whangārei while juggling parenting her four young children with her husband and furry animals.

2011-Live-Drawing-School-Event-Australia

Selected bibliography:

BILLIE B BROWN SERIES:

Written by Sally Rippin, illustrated by Aki Fukuoka. Published by Hardie Grant Egmont

  • Billie B Brown: The Bad Butterfly (2010)
  • Billie B Brown: The Soccer Star (2010)
  • Billie B Brown: The Second Best Friend (2010)
  • Billie B Brown: The Midnight Feast (2010)
  • Billie B Brown: The Beautiful Haircut (2010)
  • Billie B Brown: The Extra-Special Helper (2010)
  • Billie B Brown: The Perfect Present (2010)
  • Billie B Brown: The Spotty Holiday (2011)
  • Billie B Brown: The Best Project (2011)
  • Billie B Brown: The Little Lie (2011)
  • Billie B Brown: The Birthday Mix-up (2011)
  • Billie B Brown: The Big Sister (2011)
  • Billie B Brown: The Secret Message (2011)
  • Billie B Brown: The Copycat Kid (2012)
  • Billie B Brown: The Pocket Money Blues (2012)
  • Billie B Brown: The Deep End (2012)
  • Billie B Brown: The Night Fright (2012)
  • Billie B Brown: The Cutest Pet Ever (2012)
  • Billie B Brown: The Missing Tooth (2012)
  • Billie B Brown: The Bully Buster  (2012)
  • Billie B Brown and Hey Jack! The Book Buddies (2019)
  • Billie B Brown: The Honey Bees (2020)
  • Billie B Brown: The Grumpy Neighbour (2020)
  • Billie B Brown: The Hat Parade (2020)
  • Billie B Brown : The Baby Bird (2021)
  • Billie B Brown: The Best Day Ever (2021)
  • Billie B Brown: The Snow Day (2024)
  • Billie B Brown: The Wonderful Wedding (2024)

SAM KERR SERIES:

Written by Sam Kerr & Fiona Harris Illustrated by Aki Fukuoka. Published by Simon & Schuster

  • Sam Kerr Kicking Goals: Flip Out (2021)
  • Sam Kerr Kicking Goals: A New Knight (2021)
  • Sam Kerr Kicking Goals: Sports Day (2022)
  • Sam Kerr Kicking Goals: Finals Fever (2022)
  • Sam Kerr Kicking Goals: Cup Countdown (2023)​​​

BILLIE MYSTERY SERIES:

Written by Sally Rippin. Illustrated by Aki Fukuoka. Published by Hardie Grant Egmont

  • Billie B Brown Mystery: The Spooky House (2013)
  • Billie B Brown Mystery: The Code Breaker (2013)
  • Billie B Brown Mystery: Playground Detectives (2014)
  • Billie B Brown Mystery: Strawberry Thief (2014)
  • Billie B Brown Mystery: Stolen Stash (2014)
  • Billie B Brown Mystery: Treasure Hunt (2014)​​

GO GIRL SERIES

Illustrated by Aki Fukuoka. Published by Hardie Grant Egmont

  • Go Girl: Sleep-over, written by Rowan McAuley (2011)
  • Go Girl: Surf’s Up, written by Chrissie Perry(2011)
  • Go Girl: Flower Girl, written by Chrissie Perry(2011)
  • Go Girl: Dancing Queen, written by Thalia Kalkipsakis (2011)
  • Go Girl: Boy Friend?, written by Meredith Badger(2011)
  • Go Girl: Camp Chaos, written by Meredith Badger(2011)
  • Go Girl: Sister Spirit, written by Thalia Kalkipsakis(2011)
  • Go Girl: Best Christmas Ever, written by Rowan McAuley (2011)
  • Go Girl: Back to School, written by Meredith Badger(2012)
  • Go Girl: Sink or Swim, written by Thalia Kalkipsakis(2012)
  • Go Girl: Birthday Girl, written by Meredith Badger(2012)
  • Go Girl: The Worst Gymnast, written by Thalia Kalkipsakis(2012)
  • Go Girl: Music Mad, written by Rowan McAuley (2012)
  • Go Girl: Class Captain, written by Rowan McAuley(2013)
  • Go Girl: The New Girl, written by Rowan McAuley(2013)
  • Go Girl: Karate Kicks, written by Chrissie Perry(2014)
  • Go Girl: Secrets Out, written by Chrissie Perry(2013)
  • Go Girl: Holiday, written by Rowan McAuley(2013)
  • Go Girl: Netball Dreams, written by Thalia Kalkipsakis (2013)
  • Go Girl: The Big Split, written by Rowan McAuley(2014)
  • Go Girl: Stage Fright, written by Rowan McAuley(2014)
  • Go Girl: Truth or Dare, written by Meredith Badger(2014)
  • Go Girl: Little Lies, written by Chrissie Perry(2015)
  • Go Girl: Twin Trouble, written by Sally Rippin(2014)
  • Go Girl:Track Stars, written by Kathy Castle(2014)

LILY THE LITTLEST ANGEL SERIES:
Written by Elizabeth Pulford. Illustrated by Aki Fukuoka. Published by Scholastic

  • Lily the Littlest Angel (2011)
  • Lily Gets Her Wings (2011)
  • Lily Has a Secret (2011)
  • Lily Goes Skitter Skating (2011)
  • Lily Lands in Bubble Trouble (2011)
  • Lily Chases Lost Dreams (2012)
  • Lily Gets in a Pink Pickle (2012)

CHILDREN’S PICTURE BOOKS:

  • Nobody Likes Me written by Cynthia Dekel , designed and illustrated by Aki Fukuoka (2010)
  • Witchy Goes Shopping written by Dianne Boles , designed and illustrated by Aki Fukuoka (Scholastic NZ 2011)
  • Giraffe Attack written by Chris Gurney , designed and illustrated by Aki Fukuoka (Scholastic 2011)

EDUCATIONAL BOOKS:

  • The Badger and the Fan, written by Janine Scott, illustrated by Aki Fukuoka (Learning Media 2011 )
  • Seeing Eye To Eye Or Not, written by Paul Mason, illustrated by Aki Fukuoka (Global Education Systems 2012)
  • Have You Ever…, written by Scot Gardner, illustrated by Aki Fukuoka (Pearson Education New Zealand 2012)
  • Mind Your Manners, written by Scot Gardner, illustrated by Aki Fukuoka (Pearson Education New Zealand 2012)
  • In My Opinion…, written by Melaina Faranda,  illustrated by Aki Fukuoka (Pearson Education New Zealand 2013)

Awards:

Billie B Brown Series:

  • WINNER KIDS’ BOOK CHOICE AWARD 2021 (Age 3-8 category)
  • YABBA Winner for Fiction for Younger Readers 2014
  • KOALA Winner for Fiction for Younger Readers 2015
  • Shortlisted for the Australian Speech Pathology Award for Children’s Literature (2012)
  • YABBA Shortlist for Fiction for Younger Readers 2022, 2021, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012
  • KOALA Shortlist for Fiction for Younger Readers 2022, 2021, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012

Sam Kerr Series:

  • YABBA Shortlist for Fiction for Younger Readers 2024
  • Finalist 2011 National Indie Excellence Award for Nobody Likes Me (US)

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