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Caz Goodwin
Author
Caz Goodwin is an Australian award-winning author who writes picture books, short stories and junior fiction. She is best known for her popular rhyming picture books, which have been published internationally. Her stories have been produced in braille for sight-impaired readers. They have also featured on Sarah Ferguson’s Fergie and Friends show, CBCA Storytime, podcasts, newspapers and radio.
Caz is an animal lover and often features Australian native animals in her stories. She includes fun facts about koalas, wombats and other creatures in her presentations for children and is accompanied by animal puppets and a giant Lazy Daisy koala or big Little Matilda kitten. Her entertaining talks can be tailored to suit the curriculum and different age groups. Caz heads the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) in Victoria and is on the Young Australian Best Book Awards (YABBA) council. She is also an Australia Reads ambassador.
Caz is known for her ability to engage and delight young children with her stories and puppets.
Where were you born?
I was born in Melbourne, but have also lived in Brisbane, Auckland, Singapore and Malaysia.
What other jobs jobs have you had?
I studied psychology at university and worked as a human resources manager for many years. I’ve also been a speech writer, a soldier in the army reserve and played drums in a band.
What themes are recurring in your work?
Acceptance and diversity are common themes in my work. But I find that no matter what I’m writing, gentle humour always finds its way in.
What is your writing style?
Irreverent and amusing, but also tender and heartfelt.
What are you passionate about?
I’m passionate about early childhood literacy and encouraging children’s love of books and reading. I’m also passionate about ice-cream.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
I have a koala puppet called Dora who has a habit of taking over my presentations. All the kids love her, and the younger ones often ask if she is real. A giant koala called Lazy Daisy and big Little Matilda kitten often come along as well.
Testimonials
Caz Goodwin gave a brilliant presentation on life as a writer at our First Tuesday Book club evening in July. She was entertaining and engaging and the packed audience was riveted to her story. We also sold out of her books immediately afterwards, and accrued plenty of special orders for it. I highly recommend her as an author and public speaker.
Caz visited our Prep, 1, and 2 classes and was just wonderful! She read her fabulous book Lazy Daisy, shared some interesting facts about Koalas and also some insights into the writing and publishing process. Caz kept everyone engaged with her warm and friendly manner. We can’t wait until her new book comes out, and her next visit.
Caz has spoken at our learning programs for seniors at the Neighbourhood House and at the Freedom Aged Care and Hedley Sutton retirement villages. Each time it was wonderful to see the way the audience responded to her stories and anecdotes. We learned so much about what it takes to be an author and Caz’s presentations are always inspiring and entertaining.
Caz Goodwin’s presentation was interactive and fun, using props, puppets and storytelling to entertain the kids. We’d love to have her come again.
Thanks for running such a fun story-time event for us. The kids loved your book, enjoyed hearing about koalas in the wild and Daisy the life-sized koala was a big hit.
Caz’s author talk kept the children engaged and focused and they left feeling excited about books and reading.