Author

Shane McGrath is a talented artist/illustrator from Melbourne. His mum says he was always talented (all mum’s say that) and one of the first artworks Shane made was when he bit his toast in the shape of a horse. He always loved drawing pictures and reading books, especially Where the Wild Things Are and Asterix comics. When at school, Shane would sometimes draw pictures of his teachers on the blackboard, which everyone found funny (except his teachers).

Shane enjoys drawing places and people from his childhood memories, and when a story is set before he was born, he likes learning the history of that time and its inhabitants. Shane’s incredible ability to capture the very essence of Australia is showcased in a number of spectacular picture books including Granny’s Place, Shearing Time, Stripes in the Forest, Dreaming Soldiers and The Land Belongs to Me.

On the writing of Dreaming Soldiers :

When I begin illustrating a new book, one of the things I enjoy most is the research that is involved. I enjoy learning new things about our history, both happy and sad, because it means I can fill the pages with information that is unique and a true reflection. Not everyone might notice the hundreds of intricate details that I include, but I know that if they do, they’re pretty accurate. Dreaming Soldiers is a story that is not often heard, so I am very pleased to be involved, in a small way, in its telling.