About

About the author

Yvonne Winer
Yvonne Winer

Yvonne Winer is an award winning children’s author, early childhood educator, academic and consultant. Yvonne’s first early childhood book ‘Finger plays and action rhymes’ was published in 1970. Another thirty six books have followed, some written for children and others for educators. A number of the books including ‘Mr Brown’s Magnificent Apple Tree’ and ‘Never Snap at a Bubble’ have had twenty year print runs. Sadly, ‘Mr Brown’ is no longer in print and unavailable on this site although his story has made a re-appearance as a puppet play in 2006’s ‘Dance Shaba Dance’.

At www.winercreative.com.au we have the largest selection of Yvonne Winer’s books available in one place including hard-to-get and out of print titles.

Biography

I was born in South Africa and grew up on a Highveld farm. It was here that I was introduced to the wealth of African music and story telling. This was indeed a culture rich in people from many different colourful backgrounds, each with its own music, stories and languages.

I moved to Australia in 1961 and it was here that I started writing when my children, Kari, Sydney and Michael were little.

Academic

In 1992 I returned to South Africa to complete my Doctor of Philosophy at Pretoria University and designed and implemented a literacy program for Ndebele children on South African farms. On my return in 1993 I received the Kath Dickson Award for Excellence in Teaching from The Darling Downs Chapter of the Australian College of Education.

In 1995 I worked in Fiji as a consultant to UNICEF on Emerging Literacy and Basic Education.

In 1997 I retired after 13 years as Head of Early Childhood Education at the University of Southern Queensland where my major focus had been emerging literacy and the arts in early childhood, especially aesthetics.

Publications

The Beaded Frog Books

Santa in a Billabong 2014
Written and Illustrated by Yvonne Winer

Dance Shaba Dance 2006
Photography by Don Hildred

Shadow Shadow 2008
Photography by Syd Winer

Smokey 2008
Written and Illustrated by Yvonne Winer

Era Publications

Once Upon A Time (traditional tales, teacher resource book) 2013
Yvonne Winer and Sue Wark

The Tortoise and the Birds (traditional Swazi Pourquoi tale retold by Yvonne Winer) 2013
Illustrated by Donna Gynell

The Jellyfish and the Monkey (traditional Japanese tale retold by Yvonne Winer) 2013
Illustrated by Susy Boyer

Why Giraffe has a Long Neck (traditional Ndebele Pourquoi tale retold by Yvonne Winer) 2012
Illustrated by Marsha Wajer

Tug of War (traditional trickster tale retold by Yvonne Winer) 2012
Illustrated by Connie Mavromatis

How Zebra Got His Stripes (traditional Zulu Pourquoi tale retold by Yvonne Winer) 2011
Illustrated by Marsha Wajer

How Hippo Lost His Hair (traditional Ndebele Pourquoi tale retold by Yvonne Winer) 2011
Illustrated by Deborah Baldassi

The Shawl 1991
Illustrated by Jim Tsinganos

Herbertia the vile 1990
Illustrated by David Kennett

Timothy toad 1988
Illustrated by Kikitsa Michalantos

Never snap at a bubble 1987
Illustrated by Allison Maclean-Carr

The Tiniest Hippo 1987
Illustrated by Donna Gynell

Little Brown Monkey 1987
Illustrated by Jim Tsinganos

ABC Books

Wild Cats Prowl 2005
Illustrated by Tony Oliver

Pademelon Press

Stories for Telling 2005, reprinted 2009
Photography by Don Hildred

Margaret Hamilton Books

Frogs Sing Songs 2002
Illustrated by Tony Oliver
A companion title to Birds Build Nests, Spiders Spin Webs and Butterflies Fly.

Birds Build Nests 2001
Illustrated by Tony Oliver
A companion title to Spiders Spin Webs and Butterflies Fly.

Butterflies Fly 2000
Illustrated by Karen Lloyd-Jones
A delightful companion title to Spiders Spin Webs.

Dream Dragon 1999
Illustrated by Stanley Wong

Spiders Spin Webs 1996, 1997
Illustrated by Karen Lloyd-Jones
Awarded the 1997 Wilderness Society Environment Award for Children’s Literature.

Nanangka 1996
Illustrated by Marianne Yamagutchi
Nanangka made the 1997 Children’s Literature Notable Books List

Moonshadow Fox 1994
Illustrated by Ilsa van Garderen

Longman Cheshire

Goanna and the old red sun
Teacher resource book

Nelson

Ssh don’t wake the baby 1990
Illustrated by Margaret Power

Sturt University Press

Twenty Magical Songs 1990
Music by Max Reeder

Scholastic

Mr Browns Magnificent Apple Tree 1985
Illustrated by Maya Winters

Renfro studios (Austin Texas, USA)

Pocket full of puppets (Stories for dramatisation) 1988
Illustrated by Nancy Renfro

Belair Publications

Of seasons and special days (finger plays and action rhymes) 1988
Illustrated by Lyndall Stewart

Of beetles and bugs (finger plays and action rhymes) 1980
Illustrated by Lyndall Stewart

Of frogs and snails (finger plays and action rhymes) 1979 Australia, 1986 Great Britain
Illustrated by Lyndall Stewart

Angus and Robertson

Finger plays and action rhymes 1970 reprinted 1972
Illustrated by Frank Knight

Busy Hands
Photographs by Ivan Fox