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Hi…
Jackie French AM is an Australian author, historian, ecologist and honourary wombat (part time); 2014–15 Australian Children' Laureate; and 2015 Senior Australian of the Year.
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Jackie was born in Sydney grew up on the outskirts of Brisbane, and is still not dead. She has lived for more than 40 years at the top of the gorge in the Araluen Valley, where her ancestors lived too. Only one school she attended burned down. This was not her fault.
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Some of Jackie’s books have sold millions of copies and won over 60 awards in Australia and internationally. Others were eaten by the wombats.
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Instead of hobbies she has: written over 200 books; built a house and power system; planted thousands of trees; eaten lunches with friends; read to her grandkids; tried to find her glasses; eaten dark chocolates, whatever fruit is in season and the odd feral species (some are very odd). She coined the term ‘moral ominvore’ to describe her diet. There is a dispensation for dark chocolate.
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Jackie has studied over 400 wombats and been the (almost) obedient slave to a dozen of them. She is an enthusiastic cook married to an enthusiastic eater. If you visit do not bring cake. It is the duty of a guest to eat. Lots. Then eat some more. If you are worried about calories hike up the mountain and look for endangered species. But you will find more on a bush mooch than a bush walk. Watch out for the eight species of snake. Don’t worry. They’ll also be watching out for you.
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Jackie writes for adults, young adults, and even younger humans, on history, ecology, and her award-winning historical fiction for all ages, but... write just one picture book about a wombat and no one lets you forget it. Ever. Please do not mention Diary of a Wombat or the word ‘prolific’. Or the story of how her first book was accepted because a wombat had left its droppings on her typewriter as, after 25 years of repeating it, she is bored.
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Jackie is also dyslexic and patron of literacy programmes across Australia with a wide and deep – if accidental – experience in learning differences and methods and their outcomes for students, as well as a passionate advocate for equal-opportunity education. She still can't spell.
The Rights of the Child Reader
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1. Every child has the right to learn to read, with the methods they need to do so
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2. Every child has the right to access the books they need; for pleasure, learning, empathy and to grow their brains
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3. Every child has the right to read books in their mother language, about their own culture
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4. Every child has the right to say, ‘This book is boring. May I have another?’
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5. Every child has the right to be given books that are free of racism and hatred
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6. Every child has the right to access the extraordinary heritage of the written knowledge of humanity
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Every adult has the right to know the children of this planet are being given the tools of literacy and the power of books to change the world and ensure our future.
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New Releases
March 2025
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Why does humanity cling to warfare when it destroys the land and people the armies try to claim?
Claverton Castle, 1940. Eagles and Spitfires fly in the skies of England as Lady Deanna, the aristocratic granddaughter of the Duke of Claverton, spends her days shovelling manure and her evenings in blue satin, attending dinner parties to gather intelligence from the many Nazi sympathisers among Britain's powerful upper classes.
She is an excellent spy: the information she gleans may prove vital in the months ahead. But when she becomes enmeshed in the German plot to restore the Duke of Windsor to the throne of England and ensure an alliance with Hitler, she must feign cooperation and risk her life for the sake of her country.
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You can order a copy here
Tigg and the Bandicoot Bushranger
Ages: 12+
The year is 1859 and the goldfields are filled with diggers – and danger!
Orphaned twelve-year-old Tigg is the Bandicoot Bushranger, the youngest bushranger on the Ballarat goldfields in 1859.
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When a robbery goes wrong, Tigg must flee in disguise as one of the tens of thousands of Chinese men and boys braving heat, thirst, starvation and murderous attacks on the long road from Robe in South Australia to the goldfields in Victoria.​
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To be safe, Tigg must solve the greatest mystery of all: who is Tigg?
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You can order a copy here.
Pete the Sheep 20th Anniversary Edition, with Bruce Whatley
Ages 3+
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A special anniversary edition of the popular modern classic. Celebrating twenty years of Australia's favourite sheep, Pete.
Shaun the shearer doesn't have a sheepdog.
He has Pete.
And Pete is no ordinary sheep.
From Jackie French and Bruce Whatley, the award-winning duo behind the bestselling Diary of a Wombat, comes a story about what can happen when you do things... a little differently.
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You can order a copy here
Books coming soon
Ming and Maria Explore The Universe
May 2025
Ages 8+
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In this final book in the Girls Who Changed the World series, Ming Qong discovers who she is, and how she, too, will change the world.
Ming has travelled through history to meet girls who have changed the world. However, this time is different as Herstory, History's sister, promises to reveal to Ming something of her own past: her long-lost mother.
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When Ming washes up on the icy shores of Nantucket Island in 1836 she is saved by the elderly Mrs Sloe and the wealthy Miss Reynolds, but there is no sign of a woman who might be her mother.
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The island is home to Maria Mitchell, who at seventeen has already published her first papers on astronomy and will go on to inspire scientists around the world for generations to come.
Maria's future holds extraordinary promise and fame. But what about Ming? And who is her mother?
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You can order a copy here
Get in touch
I love hearing from readers but can't answer all the emails immediately. If you need help with a school assignment, please check out my FAQ page. It may have the answers you seek. If that hasn't helped, have a browse here, here or here.
If you have publicity or media enquiries, please get in touch with Maraya Bell at maraya.bell@harpercollins.com.au
For more information on the terms of videos and virtual workshops, see the Bookings page.
Mail
I may take a few weeks to reply to mail. Please write to:
Jackie French
PO Box 63
Braidwood, NSW 2622
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I'm no longer able to send written replies to letters or enquiries – there are too many requests for me to manage. If you need a reply, please add a phone number or email address to your letter.
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Permission to Use or Copy Material
Under the conditions of publishing contracts, permission to use or adapt material must be sought from the publishers, not the author. Please contact the publishers rather than myself.
I'm also not able to give permission for any images to be used, as the artists and the designers who have worked on each book also hold the copyright for their work. They should be contacted directly, as well as the publishers.
If in doubt about whether you need permission to copy material, phone or email The Copyright Agency for free advice.
I do hold the rights for theatrical or film adaptations of my work, and so can give permission for those.
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Audio, eBook and Rare Book Editions
Audio and ebook editions are handled by Harper Collins. Check their web site, www.harpercollins.com.au for details. I usually don't know what editions are available, so can't help. I also don't keep a stock of my books, but buy them as needed, so am unable to help with rare editions either.
Stay in touch
Sign up! Expect a newsletter once a month, with news about the wombats, my books and latest recipes. For past editions of the newsletter, have a look here.
I acknowledge the dhurga People of Yuin Country, past, present and future, custodians of the land on which I live and write, in love and gratitude
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For details of the CAL licence for educational institutions contact:
Copyright Agency Limites
telephone 02 93947600
email info@copyright.com.au
Except as permitted under the Act (for example for the services of the crown or in reliance of one of the fair dealing exceptions ie fair dealing for purposes of research or study, no part of this website may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, communicated or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written permission. All inquiries should be made to the copyright holder.
