Tom Champion is a terrific new talent in the world of picture books, from a famous Australian literary family.

He is the grandson of Ruth Park and D'Arcy Niland, and the son of Kilmeny Niland, with whom he originally collaborated to create The Tall Man and the Twelve Babies, now illustrated by his aunt, Deborah.

His first book, Cindy-Ella, was an Australian adaptation of Cinderella.

Deborah Niland has been drawing and painting all her life. She has painted for art exhibitions and galleries, and illustrated for newspapers and magazines. Most of all, she has built a successful career illustrating children's books.

Some well-known and popular titles include Mulga Bill's Bicycle, When The Wind Changed and There's a Hippopotamus On Our Roof Eating Cake and Chatterbox.

Deborah now enjoys writing and illustrating her own stories. She has had great success with Annie's Chair. This picture book, first published in 2005, has won many awards, including the 2006 Children's Book of the Year- Early Childhood, and several Children's Choice awards. Annie to the Rescue, a follow-up tale of the intrepid little girl, was published in 2007.

Now that her own children have grown up, Deborah has enjoyed spending time widening her knowledge of different illustration techniques, both traditional and digital. Other interests include doodling, fine art painting, photography, and playing with the grandchildren.