Kate Simpson
Children's author
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The true story of how at the beginning of the 20th century Jessie the elephant walked from Moore Park Zoo to her spacious new home in the Taronga Zoological Park.​
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NOTABLE BOOK: 2025 CBCA Book of the Year, Early Childhood
​It was still dark when Mr Miller opened the gates of the old zoo, but he wasn't scared because he wasn't alone. He was with Jessie the elephant and together they were going to walk from Moore Park, through the city streets, to the ferry at Fort Macquarie. Jessie was moving to her spacious new home in the soon-to-be-opened Taronga Zoological Park.
Jessie's surprising journey was unlike any other and it brought a little warmth to the city on that brisk September morning in 1916.​​
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Praise for How to Move a Zoo:
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This is an important book, well told, and one which should remain a classic. But also, one that tugs at the heart.
- Emily Ross, Good Reading Magazine
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Guess which of the weird and wonderful exhibits are real and which are fake in this sumptuous collection of extraordinary animals and plants.
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NOTABLE BOOK: 2025 CBCA Eve Pownall Award for Information Books
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There's been a mix-up at the Museum - some of the displays from the Myths and Legends exhibit have snuck into the Natural History wing. We have to sort it out, but how can we tell fact from fiction? Animal from apparition? Megafauna from monster?
Kids will have fun guessing which animals and plants are real and which are fake in this extraordinary exhibition of the strange and wonderful animals and plants that inhabit our world ... and our imaginations. And a brilliant guide to help us know what to look for when tracking down truths.
A funny story about gravity that explains why apples fall from trees, from an exciting new partnership in picture books.
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Isaac Newton was sitting under an apple tree when he got hit on the head by an apple.People might tell you this is the moment gravity was first discovered, but the truth is people had been discovering gravity long before Isaac.
You might have even discovered it yourself ... Ouch!
Have you ever wondered how gravity works? Or what life would be like without gravity? Find out in this fun introduction to the idea that what goes up must come down!​
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Priase for Ouch!:
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Ouch: Tales of Gravity does a great job of breaking down something sophisticated into smaller, digestible ideas that are well described and illustrated … A good school resource, it would be equally suitable on the shelf at home, where it will hold its own against narrative fiction.
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-Anica Boulanger-Mashberg, Books+Publishing
The true story of Anzac girl Sister Alice Ross-King, who sailed to war in December 1914 and became the most decorated woman in Australia.​
It was 1914 when Sister Alice Ross-King left Australia for the war. Nursing was her passion - all she had ever wanted to do. But Alice couldn't have imagined what she would see. She served four long years and was brave, humble and endlessly compassionate.
Using extracts from Alice's actual diaries kept in the Australian War Memorial, this story captures the danger, the heartache and the history of the young nurse who would one day become the most decorated woman in Australia. ​
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Praise for Anzac Girl:
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A wonderful portrayal of an incredibly brave young nurse, dealing with the horros and heartache of WW1. 5 stars.
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- Jan Kershaw, Glam Adelaide
A picture book about the special relationship between a boy and his grandfather who stay close even when they are separated by distance.​​
​Grandpa, did you know that if you rub a needle with a magnet, one end will point to the north and the other end to the south? In the south there's an apartment building 160 metres tall. From the balcony, you can see the entire city. There are cinemas and ice cream shops ... and me!
As Henry measures the distance between his new apartment and Grandpa's wooden house under the mango tree, Grandpa works out how close they really are. A moving story that celebrates the bond between a boy and his grandfather.​​
​Praise for Dear Grandpa:
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This delightful picture book celebrates the powerful bond between a child and their grandparent… Highly recommended for kids aged 4+ and perfect for reading with any grandparent.
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--Athina Clarke, Readings
Every two seconds, someone in the world suffers a stroke. In Finding Granny, that someone is Edie’s beloved grandmother. When Edie comes to the hospital, she is confronted by the physical changes in her grandmother: muddled words, a crooked face, a woman confined to bed. This isn’t the ‘playtime, bedtime, story-time pantomime Granny’ that Edie knows. But when her mother takes Edie to watch one of Granny’s art therapy sessions, Edie starts to understand that the Granny she loves is still there.
Finding Granny is a heart-warming story of changing relationships and the bond between children and grandparents. It’s also a sensitive exploration of coping with illness and disability that will offer children much-needed comfort.
Finding Granny was shortlisted for the Speech Pathology Australia Book of the Year Awards in 2019.
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​​Praise for Finding Granny:
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