The I in the Island

Judith is an English teacher who has taught phonemic awareness to children in Europe, the Middle East, India and China. While researching a masters in phonology, Judith began to use visual language in stories, by colouring the different phonemes, so that children could make a holistic sense of the various spelling patterns. Judith published her first children’s book, The Oo in Uluru, in 2019 and it soon won a Book of the Year award from Speech Pathology Australia - more books have followed. When Judith is not writing children’s stories or plays, she teaches music therapy and meditation. She lives in Melbourne with her family and adorable Australian terriers, Nellie and Dusty.

Janie Frith attended art school and then became an art teacher. In 2006 Janie moved to Australia with her family and now lives in Foster, South Gippsland. Janie holds art classes in her studio, Art Blast. This is where Janie spends most of her time, usually with her naughty border collie Lucy snuggled under her feet.