By Shamsiya Hussainpoor
An Upper Ferntree Gully resident has made a name for herself in the Dandenong Ranges with her love for writing and illustrating children’s books.
On Tuesday 29 October, Belgrave Library was buzzing with excitement as the French award-winning author and illustrator, Amandine Thomas introduced her newly co-illustrated book, ‘Taronga: Big Book of Animals,’ to students from Tecoma Primary School.
‘Taronga Big Book of Animals’ was written by the Taronga Conservation Society Australia and illustrated by Amandine Thomas, Raquel Martin, Blithe Fielden, and Simone Fumagalli.
At the event, she shared the original sketches and watercolour paintings that are part of the book that came out on the day.
The students had plenty of questions for her, and shortly after, the children’s librarian, Chris gave the kids a tour of the library.
Ms Thomas has turned her love for storytelling into a successful career, delighting young readers with her charming tales and vibrant artwork.
“It was my first-time meeting some of my young readers locally, and it was such a lovely experience,” she said.
“I introduced them to my latest book, the ‘Taronga Big Book of Animals,’ it was exciting to see their fresh reactions on launch day – I spoke to a class of Grade 1 and 2 students about how the book was created.”
The TCS gathered over 200 facts about animals from around the world and discussed topics like conservation and endangered species, this fitted well with Ms Thomas’s work, as she often writes about these topics.
“It was a fantastic opportunity for me to be involved, the Society took care of all the content, while I worked with three other illustrators to create the pictures, becoming part of a small creative team,” she said.
At just four years old the-now author and illustrator told her family she wanted to be a children’s book illustrator, and since then, she has been creating stories and art that spark joy and curiosity for the young minds.
Ms Thomas’s work focuses on themes like the environment and connections with others and her reverberating watercolour illustrations have appeared in many children’s books and magazines both here and overseas.
“My first book was published in 2013, originally written in French called ‘Nobody’s Cat’ which told the story of a tomcat who thinks he’s taming a little girl, but she’s actually taming him,” she said.
“Moving to Australia opened my eyes to the amazing wildlife and nature here, which I didn’t experience growing up in Europe and this deepened my passion for protecting the environment.”
“Since around 2018, I’ve focused on these themes in my writing and love sharing them with children.”
So far, the 36-year-old has written and illustrated six books primarily in French, including ‘Les Aventuriers du Jardin’ (The Garden’s Adventurers), ‘Imagine ta Planète… en 2030 (Imagine Your Planet… in 2030), ‘Forêts et Comment les Préserver’ (Forests and How to Preserve Them), ‘Océans et Comment les Sauver’ (Oceans and How to Save Them), ‘Le chat qui n’était à personne’ (Nobody’s Cat), and ‘Belle’Ville’ (Pretty City).
There are five other books that include her illustrations, such as ‘Taronga Big Book of Animals,’ which was launched last week, as well as ‘The Sea in Me,’ ‘Poetic Portraits Anthology,’ ‘Les Émotions des Animaux’ (Animals’ Emotions), and ‘L’incroyable intelligence des animaux’ (The Incredible Intelligence of Animals).
Her books have been translated into Spanish, Korean, Russian, and Chinese, but they have yet to be translated into English, she is working hard to make it happen.
She is currently working on two books that are set to be released in August 2025.
In December and January, she plans to start on two more books, which will come out in late 2025 or early 2026.
The author and illustrator said working on a book can feel isolating, often taking up to a year without much direct feedback.
“I love teaching kids, I create my stories for them, and meeting them is always a highlight, I enjoy discussing what they liked and their favourite moments, as it gives me valuable feedback,” she said.
“I was also lucky to receive some awards in France for my French books, which offered great recognition from adults.”
She is a full-time author and illustrator, but since her last book was released in 2023, she has spent more time illustrating other people’s books rather than writing.
Apart from writing and illustrating books, Ms Thomas is a mother of one, and her passion for reading and painting has inspired her daughter, who also loves to read and paint.
“It’s lovely to share this with her, she likes painting with my art supplies and even makes little books, it feels like she’s on the same path—she’s pretty much a mini me,” she said.
With her passion for storytelling, Ms Thomas continues to inspire young readers with her unique approach to literature and art.
