Mark Carthew

Author, Storyteller/Performer, Entertainer

Mark Carthew is an award winning editor and children’s author well known for his many books and series exploring wordplay, music, movement, drama, jokes, rhymes and riddles! Mark’s recent picture book The Gobbling Tree was a winner of the Speech Pathology Australia’s Book of the Year.

What other jobs have you had?

I have been a primary teacher most of all my adult life, but I also worked as a cabinetmaker for short while. I have also been an Arts Education Consultant for the Victorian Department of Education and currently work a sessional university lecturer and tutor.

What themes are recurring in your work?

I love playing with words, so there are a lot of options! I like making picture book stories that allow an illustrator to create a strong sense of visual narrative and fun. I’d have to say that a strong sense of silly wordplay seems to be one of the themes at the moment. I also love collecting rhymes, songs & stories and creating anthologies that bring works to life in interesting ways.

What have been the highlights of your career?

Winning the Best New Australian Publication award from Drama Victoria for my P-6 illustrated play script series VoiceWorks and Speech Pathology Australia’s Book of The Year 2009: Best book for language development (Lower primary) for The Gobbling Tree. In 2005 I was also honoured to receive the Highly Commended Dromkeen Librarian’s Award.