The Soldier's Gift

Jane Tanner completed an Associate Diploma of Fine Art in Printmaking and Painting and a Diploma of Education. She taught for several years in Victorian secondary schools before taking up full-time illustrating in 1984.

She is the acclaimed illustrator of the best-selling picture books There's a Sea in my Bedroom, Drac and the Gremlin, The Wolf, The Fisherman and the Theefyspray, Lucy's Cat and the Rainbow Birds and The Soldier's Gift.

She is the author and illustrator of Playmates, Isabella's Secret, Ride with Me, Just Jack, Love from Grandma and Lilly and the Fairy House.

She has won or been shortlisted for many prestigious awards, including the CBCA Book of the Year Awards in the categories of Picture Book of the Year, Younger Readers' and Early Childhood.

This much-loved author/illustrator is one of Australia's outstanding picture-book creators.

After graduating from Monash University in 1985 with an honours degree in Graphic Communication Tony Palmer has worked full-time as a book designer for various publishers. He has also been a part-time typography teacher at Victoria University and is currently undertaking a Masters in Art and Design at Monash University focusing on the aesthetics of typesetting in Mandarin. As a long-time enthusiast of Australian History Tony wrote his first novel for teenagers, Break of Day which was published in 2007. Following this he wrote The Valley of Blood and Gold, published in 2011.