Deborah Niland facts for kids

Deborah Mary Niland (born in 1950) is a talented artist from Australia, originally from New Zealand. She is well-known for writing and illustrating many popular children's books. Some of her most famous works include Annie's Chair, When The Wind Changed, Mulga Bill's Bicycle, and Chatterbox. In 2006, her book Annie's Chair won the prestigious Children's Book of the Year – Early Childhood award.

About Deborah Niland

Deborah Niland and her twin sister, Kilmeny, are the youngest of five children. Their parents were the famous Australian authors D'Arcy Niland and Ruth Park. Deborah was born in Auckland, New Zealand, but grew up in Sydney, Australia.

Her Art Education

Deborah and Kilmeny both studied art at the Julian Ashton Art School in The Rocks, Sydney. There, they learned traditional drawing and painting techniques from their teacher, J Richard Ashton. This training helped them start their careers as artists.

Starting Her Career

Both sisters began their art careers by working as freelancers, meaning they took on different projects for various companies. While in London, they got their first illustration job from Transworld Publishers. Their first full-length picture book, The Little Goat, was published in 1971.

Deborah and Kilmeny worked together on thirteen books. Their most famous joint project is an illustrated version of Mulga Bill's Bicycle. This book is based on a classic poem by A. B. (Banjo) Paterson. It was first published in 1973 and has been so popular that it has never stopped being printed. The newest edition is published by HarperCollins Australia.

Deborah's Books

Early in her career, Deborah Niland illustrated books for other authors. She worked with her mother, Ruth Park, on books like When The Wind Changed (1980) and The Gigantic Balloon (1975). She also collaborated with author Jean Chapman on titles such as Velvet Paws and Whiskers (1979).

Deborah has also written and illustrated many of her own children's books. These include Annie's Chair (2005), The Big Green Thing (2008), and Let's Play (2007). Throughout her career, she has illustrated more than 50 books!

Other Art Projects

Besides illustrating books, Deborah Niland also worked as a freelance artist for The Australian Women's Weekly magazine for over ten years. She mainly created funny illustrations for articles and stories. She also contributed her artwork to other magazines like Cleo and Reader's Digest.

When she creates her illustrations or paintings, Deborah uses many different materials. These include pen and ink, colored pencils, acrylic paint, watercolors, and even digital tools.

Deborah also creates fine art paintings for exhibitions and galleries. She has won several awards for her artwork, including The Robert le Gay Brereton Prize for Drawing from the Art Gallery of NSW. Her art can be found in both private and public collections.

Books by Deborah Niland

As Author and Illustrator

These are books Deborah Niland both wrote and drew the pictures for:

• My Spaghetti ABC (2021)
• It's Bedtime William! (2010)
• When Coco was a Kitten (2009)
• Double Trouble (2008)
• The Big Green Thing (2008)
• Annie to the Rescue (2007)
• Let's Play! (2007)
• When I was a Baby (2006)
• Annie's Chair (2005)
• Old MacDonald had an Emu (1986)
• ABC of Monsters (1975)
• Birds on a Bough (1975, with Kilmeny Niland)

As Illustrator Only

These are books where Deborah Niland created the illustrations for another author's story:

• Ho Ho Ho There's a Hippopotamus on our Roof Eating Christmas Cake (2018)
• This Little Piggy Went Singing (2014)
• This Little Piggy Went Dancing (2013)
• The Tall Man and the Twelve Babies (2010)
• Hooray! There's a Hippopotamus on Our Roof Having a Birthday Party (2010)
• Grandpa Baby (2009)
• Chatterbox (2006)
• Guess What? There's A Hippopotamus on the Hospital Roof Eating Cake (1997, 2007)
• Look, There's A Hippopotamus in the Playground Eating Cake (1994, 2006)
• Hey Hippopotamus, Do Babies Eat Cake Too? (1992, 2007)
• James (1991)
• Families Are Funny (1990)
• My Hippopotamus Is On Our Caravan Roof Getting Sunburnt (1989, 2006)
• The Very Sniffy Dog (1989)
• All Australian Funny and Frightful Verse (1987)
• The Tall Book of Tall Tales (1985)
• Haunts and Taunts (1983)
• The Jacky Dandy Song Book (1982)
• Kneedeep (1981)
• The Zoo Alphabet (1980, with Kilmeny Niland)
• Fairy Strike (1980)
• When The Wind Changed (1980)
• There's a Hippopotamus On Our Roof Eating Cake (1980, 2005)
• The Drover's Dream (1979)
• Velvet Paws and Whiskers (1979)
• Tell Us Tales (1978, with Kilmeny Niland)
• Miss Strawberry Verses (1978)
• Roger Bandy (1977, 1987, with Kilmeny Niland)
• The Sugar Plum Songbook (1977)
• The Sugar Plum Christmas Book (1977)
• Tell Me Another Tale (1976, with Kilmeny Niland)
• Tumbling Jack and Other Rhymes (1976)
• The Gigantic Balloon (1975, with Kilmeny Niland)
• Stuff & Nonsense (1974)
• What Am I ? (1974, with Kilmeny Niland)
• Animal Tales (1974)
• Tell Me A Tale (1974, with Kilmeny Niland)
• Mulga Bill's Bicycle (1973, 2007, with Kilmeny Niland)
• The Farm Alphabet (1973, with Kilmeny Niland)
• Riverview Kids (1971, with Kilmeny Niland)
• The Little Goat (1971, with Kilmeny Niland)
• Travelling Songs of Old Australia (1966, with Kilmeny Niland, uncredited)

Awards and Recognition

Deborah Niland received the Order of Australia Medal in the 2020 Australia Day Honours. This award recognized her important contributions to children's literature.

She has also won many awards for her picture books:

Annie's Chair

(Written and Illustrated by Deborah Niland)

• 2008 Winner KOALA Children's Choice Awards, Picture Storybooks
• 2008 Short Listed YABBA Children's Choice Awards, Picture Storybooks
• 2007 Short Listed BILBY Children's Choice Awards, Early Readers
• 2007 Short Listed YABBA Children's Choice Awards, Picture Storybooks
• 2007 Winner COOL Children's Choice Awards, Picture Storybooks
• 2007 Short Listed KOALA Children's Choice Awards, Picture Storybooks
• 2007 Koala Top 10 KOALA Children's Choice Awards, Picture Storybooks
• 2006 Winner Speech Pathology Australia, Best Book for Language Development: Young Children
• 2006 Winner CBCA Book of The Year: Early Childhood

Chatterbox

(Written by Margaret Wild, Illustrated by Deborah Niland)

• 2007 Shortlist CBCA Book of The Year: Early Childhood
• 2007 Honour Book CBCA Book of The Year: Early Childhood
• 2007 Winner CBCA Junior Judges Project: Early Childhood
• 2007 Winner YABBA Children's Choice Awards: Picture Storybooks
• 2007 Winner KOALA Children's Choice Awards: Picture Storybooks

When The Wind Changed

(Written by Ruth Park, Illustrated by Deborah Niland)

• 1996 Winner BILBY Award
• 1986 Winner YABBA Award
• 1981 Winner NSW Premier's Literary Award, Ethel Turner's Prize

Mulga Bill's Bicycle

(Written by A. B. Paterson, Illustrated by Deborah and Kilmeny Niland)

• 1976 IBBY Certificate of Honour
• 1974 Winner Visual Arts Board Award
• 1973 Winner ABPA Book Design Award