Longer official bio
Kylie Howarth - Author & Illustrator
Author Bio
Kylie Howarth is an award-winning, internationally published children’s book author-illustrator from Western Australia.
She is also part fish! Kylie has swum with whale sharks, manta rays and humpback whales in Ningaloo, piranha and pink dolphins in the Amazon, braved scuba diving with lionfish in Egypt, marine iguanas and hammerhead sharks in the Galapagos Islands and encountered great white sharks in South Africa!
Kylie not only draws inspiration from her underwater travels but also her own two fish-kids who are ocean explorers too. The textures in Kylie’s book illustrations are created during their backyard art sessions.
Kylie recently won the Western Australian Premier’s Book Award - Writer’s Fellowship, the WAYRBA Hoffman award and KOALA Honour award. She has been shortlisted for the SCBWI Australian Picture Book Illustrators Award, CBCA Book of the year awards, WAYRBA and the YABBA awards.
PUBLIcations
2024: (COMING SOON!) KEV AND TREV - SNOT FUNNY SEA TALES. Written, illustrated and designed by Kylie Howarth, Published by Affirm Press
2023: CROCS STOLE MY SOCKS - Written & Illustrated by Kylie Howarth Published by Affirm Press
2022: KOALAS STOLE MY UNDIES - Written & Illustrated by Kylie Howarth Published by Affirm Press
2022: BUSH MAGIC - Written & Illustrated by Kylie Howarth
Published by Walker Books
2021: FISH KID AND THE TURTLE TORPEDO - Written & Illustrated by Kylie Howarth
Published by Walker Books Australia
2020: FISH KID AND THE MEGA MANTA RAY - Written & Illustrated by Kylie Howarth
Published by Walker Books Australia
2019: FISH KID AND THE LIZARD NINJA - Written & Illustrated by Kylie Howarth
Published by Walker Books Australia
2018: CHIP THE LIFEGUARD - Written & Illustrated by Kylie Howarth
Published by Little Hare Books (Hardie Grant Egmont)
Published in Korea by KIZM Education Group
Published in Turkey by Is Bankasi
2017: 1, 2, PIRATE STEW - Written & Illustrated by Kylie Howarth
Published in Australia by The Five Mile Press (Bonnier Publishing Group)
2016: CHIP - Written & Illustrated by Kylie Howarth
First Published in 2016 by Five Mile Press. Now published in 2018 by Little Hare Books (Hardie Grant Egmont)
2015: FISH JAM - Written & Illustrated by Kylie Howarth
Published in Australia by The Five Mile Press (Bonnier Publishing Group)
Published in The U.S. by Little Bee Books
LE POISSON JAZZ - Translated and Published in France by Piccolia
FISH ZAM - Translated and published in Korea by KIZM Education Group
AWARDS
2024 WINNER - Western Australian Premier’s Book Awards, Western Australian Writer’s Fellowship
2024 SHORTLISTING - West Australian Young Readers' Book Awards - Koala’s Stole My Undies!
2023 Better Reading’s Top 50 Kid’s Books - Koalas Stole My Undies
2023 SHORTLISTING - West Australian Young Readers' Book Awards - Bush Magic
2022 SECOND PLACE - SCBWI Australian Picture Book Illustrator Awards (2022) Established Illustrator Category
2022 SHORTLISTING - Environment Award for Children’s Literature - Fiction (2022)
Fish Kid and the Turtle Torpedo
2022 SHORTLISTING - West Australian Young Readers' Book Awards (2021)
Fish Kid and the Turtle Torpedo
2021 SHORTLISTING - SCBWI Australian Picture Book Illustrator Awards (2020)
Developing Illustrator Category
2021 SHORTLISTING - West Australian Young Readers' Book Awards (2020)
Chip The Lifeguard
2021 SHORTLISTING - West Australian Young Readers' Book Awards (2020)
Fish Kid and the Mega Manta Ray
2020 SHORTLISTING - West Australian Young Readers' Book Award (2019)
Fish Kid and the Lizard Ninja
2019 SHORTLISTING - Western Australian Premier’s Book Awards, (2018) Western Australian Writer’s Fellowship
2019 NOTABLE BOOK - Children’s Book Council of Australia
Chip The Lifeguard - For The Book of The Year: Early Childhood
2018 HOFFMAN AWARD WINNER - WAYRBA Awards
Chip
2018 HONOUR AWARD WINNER - KOALA Awards, Picture books
Chip
2018 NOTABLE BOOK - Children's Book Council of Australia
1, 2, Pirate Stew - For The Book of The Year: Early Childhood
2018 SHORTLISTING - YABBA (Young Australians Best Book Awards)
Chip
2018 SHORTLISTING - West Australian Young Readers' Book Award
Chip
2017 SHORTLISTING - Children's Book Council of Australia
Chip - For The Book of The Year: Early Childhood
2017 SHORTLISTING - West Australian Young Readers' Book Award
Fish Jam
2017 SHORTLISTING - Speech Pathology Australia Book of the Year
1, 2, Pirate Stew
2016 SHORTLISTING - Children's Book Council of Australia
Crichton Award for New Illustrators
Fish Jam - Written & illustrated by Kylie Howarth
2009 WINNER - BEST DESIGN & PACKAGING - WINE CATEGORY
DRINKS BUSINESS AWARDS - LONDON
Design studio: Barlow Doherty
2001 WINNER - Best Folio Graduation Award
2001 WINNER - Best Project Graduation Award
Curtin University - Western Australia
Qualifications
2001 Bachelor of Arts (Design & Illustration)
Curtin University - Western Australia
1998 Completed 1 Year - Secondary Teaching - Edith Cowan University
Major: English literature, Minor: Physical Education
1997 Certificate of Veterinary Nursing
Bentley Tafe - Western Australia
Professional Membership
2019 - Present: Writing WA Literati Member
2017 - 2018: Social Media Coordinator - SCBWI Australia West
2014 - Present: member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators
2015 - Present: member of the Children’s Book Council of Australia WA Branch
2015 - Present: member of the Australian Society of Authors
Festivals & EVENTS (SPEAKER)
2022
Scribblers Festival, Margaret River Readers & Writers Festival
2021
CBCA WA Online Author Talk series, Between the Lines Festival, AECL Symposium guest speaker, SCBWI Rottnest Retreat presenter, CBCA Book Week
2020
Scribblers Festival Online Video, Melbourne Dulux Colour It Campaign School Visits, CBCA Book Week
2019
Scribblers Festival, Margaret River Readers and Writers Festival, Australian Storytellers Festival - The Literature Centre, CBCA WA - A Night With Our Stars, Mandurah Readers and writers festival, CBCA Book Week, Awesome Arts Festival
2018
Guest speaker - West Australian Young Readers' Book Award AGM
Armadale Writers Festival, Western Australia
Hotdog Book Competition Judge - City of Armadale
CBCA Book Week - Perth schools and libraries
2017
Perth Writers’ Festival (Perth International Arts Festival) Western Australia
HeARTlines Children's Literature Festival, Mundaring, Western Australia
Armadale Writers Festival, Armadale, Western Australia
Little Feet Festival 2017 - City of Joondalup
2016
Asian Festival of Children's Content, Singapore
The Reading Hour, Cambridge Library, Western Australia
NANOWRIMO, Write Along the Highway, City of Kwinana Library, Western Australia
Children's Book Council of Australia - Book Week, Western Australia
Write-a-Book-in-a-Day competition - Judge, Western Australia
Bonjour Perth French Festival, Western Australia
2015
Children's Book Council of Australia - Book Week, Western Australia
HeARTlines Children’s Literature Festival, Mundaring, Western Australia
Write-a-Book-in-a-Day competition - Judge, Western Australia
EXHIBITIONS
2017
1, 2, Pirate Stew - An Exhibition. State Library of Western Australia
Chip - Kylie Howarth. The Literature Centre, Western Australia
HeARTlines Children's Literature Festival - Group exhibition. Western Australia
2016
Asian Festival of Children's Content, Book Illustrators Exhibition. Singapore
2010 - 2017 Artworks sold and exhibited in group exhibitions including: Cossack Art Award, Perth Royal Show Art Exhibition, Mosman Park Art Awards, Churchlands SHS Art Exhibition, City of Busselton Art Awards, Visual Arts Expo Perth.
Employment
2014 - CURRENT: Author-Illustrator of Children’s Books / Public Speaker / Artist
2010 - 2014: Artist & Graphic Designer / Own Business
Kylie Howarth - Western Australia
2008 - 2010: Freelance Designer & Illustrator
Barlow Doherty – London
2008 – 2009: Freelance Designer & Illustrator
Pearlfisher - London
2002 - 2007: Graphic Designer & Illustrator
Linear Design, Braincells & Turner Design - Western Australia
1998 - 2000: Veterinary Nurse & Receptionist
Riverton Rossmoyne Veterinary Clinic - Western Australia