Meet the author

Heidi McKinnon.

Writer & illustrator · Australia

Heidi McKinnon: an Australian author-illustrator with a gift for deadpan, macabre humour — spare, glowing picture books that are exactly the right kind of naughty for small children.

Heidi McKinnon is an Australian author-illustrator based in Melbourne, whose picture books are bright, deadpan and just the right kind of naughty. Born and raised in Tamworth, New South Wales, she studied art and design at RMIT and worked as a graphic designer before making books of her own. Her debut, I Just Ate My Friend, is a masterclass in dry wit — a little monster eats his only friend, then goes looking for a replacement, with hilariously macabre results and a twist that lands perfectly. It was shortlisted for the CBCA Book of the Year and the Crichton Award for New Illustrators. McKinnon pairs spare, understated text with bold, glowing illustrations against inky backgrounds, and has a real feel for the subversive humour small children adore. A treat for readers who like their laughs a little bit dark.