The Fantabulous Animal Orchestra

Donovan Bixley is one of New Zealand’s most acclaimed picture book creators, with books published in 31 countries, and awards as an illustrator, an author, and as a book designer. Among his many accolades, Donovan was the recipient of the Arts Foundation of New Zealand’s Mallinson Rendel Illustrator’s Laureate Award. His books have twice been selected for the International Youth Library’s White Raven Award, which annually lists the top 200 children’s books in the world, and in 2021 he was named an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for his services to New Zealand children’s books.

His work is nothing if not varied, spanning high–brow to low–brow and every brow in between — from illustrated biographies of Shakespeare, Mozart and Leonardo da Vinci to the hilarious hijinks of pussycats in planes in Paris in his Flying Furballs series, as well as more than 100 other books. He is most well-known for his bestselling pre-school books such as The Wheels on the Bus and The Great Kiwi ABC Book, as well as his colourful and humorous retellings of the legends of Māui.

Some of the funny things he has illustrated include Shelob making Kentucky Fried Frodo, Mozart telling fart jokes, and a veloci-rapping gangsta dinosaur. Donovan grew up in Taupō and still lives beside the great lake. When not immersed in the world of picture books, Donovan is involved in local theatre. He plays saxophone in several bands and is the frontman for “Hot Tub”, a 15-piece funk band.