Australian David Miller lives in rural Victoria where he writes and illustrates books for children. His first book, You Can Make Paper Sculptures was published in 1995. His first picture book Boo To A Goose by Mem Fox was published in 1996.

Has your interaction with fans, for example, at conventions, affected your work?

I spend a lot of time each year visiting schools and libraries where I meet thousands of children. When I read to them I can see what parts of my books they like most, what parts they find funny and what they don’t understand. I have learnt to be more careful with my visual vocabulary. For instance, in the opening illustration for REFUGEES, which is of a peaceful swamp, I included a theodolite, an instrument used in surveying, to give a hint of what was to come. I see theodolites all over the place and assumed everyone else did also, and that they would recognize them as an indicator that dramatic change was imminent.

Is there any particular incident (a letter, a meeting, a comment that stands out?

A letter from a large country school came recently and the child who wrote it told me that she had a sibling who could not talk and she had felt responsible for that. But after reading my book BIG AND ME she realized that it was not her fault.

Another letter responding to REFUGEES came from an inner city school. Each child in one class had written a paragraph in which they told me their journey to Australia. Each was either a refugee or the child of a refugee. Their stories are amazing.

A A Milne, “My spelling is Wobbly. It's good spelling but it Wobbles, and the letters get in the wrong places.

Who would you most like to be trapped in a lift with?

Dr Who

Who would you most DISlike to be trapped in a lift with?

A Dalek

What would you pack for space? (Is there a food, beverage, book, teddy bear, etc that you couldn't do without?)

Oh yes. Lots of food, and drink, all sorts. Music, most important. But instead of a teddy bear I would take paper and scissors and hot glue. It would be pretty good making paper sculptures without gravity

What is the most important thing you would like to get/achieve from your work?

I’m getting it. Doing what I like most, that is writing, drawing and making paper sculptures, traveling and meeting lots of people.

What is the special satisfaction of your work?

It is a very good feeling to think that each night many children are going to sleep having just had one of my books read to them. That is hard to beat.

submitted by David Miller
January, 2009

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