Yvonne Mes
Little Bilby' Aussie Bush Christmas
Little Lamb's Great New Zealand Easter Egg Hunt
Trouble in the Hen House
Little Bilby's Aussie Easter Egg Hunt
Short Story - Dancing Coins in 'Countdown - The Australian School Magazine'
Short Story - My Sister Ate my Science Project in 'Blast Off - the Australian School Magazine'
Oliver's Grumbles
Meet Sidney Nolan
Yvonne Mes is an author, illustrator, artist and presenter who writes stories for children and young people with curious minds.
As an early childhood professional with a Bachelor of Children’s Services with many years’ experience, she loves sharing books, stories and art with children in places big and small, of diverse cultures and abilities and of all ages.
She is passionate about sharing her love of story and creativity in person or online and willing to adapt the content to suit your needs.
Her books are published in Australia, China and New Zealand.
Yvonne is a frequent speaker at schools and literary festivals and events. She is the coordinator of Write Links, the Brisbane based group for children’s authors and illustrators.
Yvonne’s books:
Little Bilby’s Aussie Bush Christmas - Illustrated by Jody Pratt, Hachette Australia, November 2021
Trouble in the Hen House - Written by Susan O’Meara, Yellow Brick Books, October 2021
Little Lambs’ New Zealand Easter Egg Hunt - llustrated by Aleksandra Szmidt, Hachette New Zealand, March 2021
Little Bilby’s Aussie Easter Egg Hunt - Illustrated by Jody Pratt, Hachette Australia, March 2020
Oliver’s Grumbles - Illustrated by Giuseppe Poli, Yellow Brick Books, Nov 2017
Meet Sidney Nolan - Illustrated by Sandra Eterovic, Penguin Random House Australia, Picture Book, Non-Fiction, Oct 2015
Workshops
The length of the sessions and content can be adapted to suit students’ and curriculum needs.
Workshops for Children (in person or virtual):
Oliver’s Grumbles
Prep/ Lower Primary
You will find out what it is like to be a famous children’s author and illustrator and why you want to be one too! We will read Oliver’s Grumbles which has a focus on how to deal with bad moods and feelings/
The workshop includes:
- The glamourous life of a children’s author
- An overview of a basic picture book structure
- A reading of the story, Oliver’s Grumbles.
- Visualising your Grumpy feelings and what to do when you have them.
Illustrating a Picture Book
Lower Primary/Upper Primary
Creating Crafty Characters
Lower Primary
Write and Illustrate Your Own Mini Book – Prep and up
Prep, Lower Primary/ Upper Primary
Ride along the Story Arc Rollercoaster
Lower Primary
Meet Sidney Nolan
Upper Primary
Find out the secrets that aren’t in the book and why!
- Modernist Art in History
- Sidney Nolan’s connection with Ned Kelly
- Writing a biography
Testimonials
Yvonne is a delight to have in a school environment. She is easy to work with and has a vibrant personality. It was Yvonne's second year in a row at our school. This year, we put Yvonne in our art room, where she taught our students Sidney Nolan's painting technique. Yvonne made the students feel like successful painters for their session. All the boys now have a painting to show for their time with Yvonne.
Toowoomba Grammar School - August, 2023Yvonne is an engaging presenter who shares the magic of writing and illustrating stories. The high level of audience participation allowed students to remain engaged throughout. Yvonne finishes with a great activity demonstrating how to draw grumbles which is a great lead in for students to draw their own grumbles after Yvonne's presentation.
All Saints Primary School - June 2022Yvonne ran a wonderful session for our Year 3 students. She listened carefully to our requirements for the session and incorporated our wishes and the language we use at our school into an engaging and informative session. With all the interruptions to the year, we weren’t as prepared as usual with how to write a narrative before NAPLAN was upon our Year 3’s for the first time. Yvonne’s session really assisted with this preparation. She was extremely well prepared and the session was great value for the cost involved.
Bald Hills State School - May 2022Yvonne was a bubbly, fun and engaging speaker at Whitsunday Voices this year. The kids enjoyed her talks and we enjoyed her enthusiasm and beautiful smile, she really lit up the room for us. I would definitely have her back and recommend her to anyone seeking an engaging and enthusiastic presenter.
Whitsunday Voices Youth Literature Festival - July 2021Yvonne was an energetic and vibrant presenter. She created an open and positive atmosphere with our primary school guests, leaving many of them saying it was their "best day ever!" We loved having Yvonne at our guest and would recommend her to anyone looking for an entertaining and engaging presenter.
St John Fisher College - August, 2020