Narelle Oliver

Narelle Oliver (1960 - 2016) was an Australian artist, print maker and award-winning children's author-illustrator.

Early life
Narelle Oliver was born on 25 February 1960 and grew up in Toowoomba in south east Queensland.

Career
Oliver majored in design and printmaking while studying for a Bachelor of Education degree. She began her career teaching at the Queensland School for the Deaf.

Oliver was an educator and a committed environmentalist. As an illustrator, Oliver combined linocut, watercolour, pastels, collage and digitally-enhanced photographs in her work. She used many environmental themes drawing on the flora and fauna of Australia.

Oliver's first book, Leaf Tail, was published in 1989.

Honours and awards

 * 1996 Children's Book Council of Australia Book of the Year Award Winner for The Hunt
 * 1999 Royal Zoological Society of NSW Whitley Award - Best Book for Older Readers for Sand Swimmers: The Secret Life of Australia's Dead Heart
 * 2000 joint winner The Wilderness Society Environment Award for Children's Literature — Picture Book for Sand Swimmers: The Secret Life of Australia's Dead Heart
 * 2007 New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards — Patricia Wrightson Prize for Children's Books for Home
 * 2013 Queensland Literary Awards — Children's Book Award for Don't let a spoonbill in the kitchen

Personal life
Oliver lived in Brisbane with her husband Greg and their children Jessie and Liam. She died on 5 October 2016.