Kyle Mewburn

ABOUT

In Brief

Born in Brisbane, Kyle Mewburn travelled in Europe and the Middle East before settling in New Zealand in 1990. He writes for children and has been a full-time writer since 1997. Mewburn won the Joy Cowley Award in 2005, presented by Storylines Children's Literature Foundation of New Zealand for the development of a picture book text. He has also won both the Picture Book Category and the Children's Choice Award at the 2007 New Zealand Post Book Awards for Children and Young Adults.

Hill & Hole won both the LIANZA Russell Clarke Illustration Award and the BPANZ Overall Best Book Design Award (August 2011).

In Detail

Kyle Mewburn (born in 1963) writes for children. He was born in Brisbane, Australia. He completed his Bachelor of Business Degree at the Queensland Institute of Technology. Mewburn travelled in Europe and the Middle East before settling in New Zealand in 1990.

Mewburn has been a full-time writer since 1997. Before that time, his resume includes time spent as journalist, EFL teacher, Environment Centre manager, dishwasher, interviewer, traffic surveyor, apple-picker, machine operator and Kibbutznik.

The Hoppleplop (2004), and The Bear in the Room Next Door (2006)  were published by Scholastic.

Kiss! Kiss! Yuck! Yuck! (Scholastic, 2006) is illustrated by Ali Teo and John O'Reilly. When Aunty Elsie comes to visit, she always gives Andy big sloppy kisses, so Andy always tries to hide from her. But one day Aunty Elsie doesn't come...and Andy finds he misses her - even her sloppy kisses... Kiss! Kiss! Yuck! Yuck! won Best Picture Book and the Children's Choice Award at the 2007 New Zealand Post Book Awards for Children and Young Adults. He also won the third Joy Cowley Award in 2005, presented by Storylines Children's Literature Foundation of New Zealand for the development of a picture book text. Kiss! Kiss! Yuck! Yuck! was also listed as a 2007 Storylines Notable Picture Book.

No Room for a Mouse (Scholastic, 2007) is illustrated by Freya Blackwood. Christopher lives with his Mum and his best friend Sneaky in a house with more rooms than he can count. But when Christopher starts inviting people home, the house soon begins to feel small. No Room for a Mouse was a Storylines Notable Picture Book in both Australia and New Zealand.

Duck's Stuck! (Scholastic, 2008) is a jaunty story about a greedy duck, illustrated by Ali Teo and John O'Reilly. It was nominated in the Picture Book category of the 2009 New Zealand Post Book Awards for Children and Young Adults.

Funny Little Dog and Scruffy Old Cat (HarperCollins NZ, 2009), form two parts of a new 'Perfect Pets' series published by Little Hare Books. Pop Hooper's Pet Express arrives in a time of crisis to help the kids in each story decide what their dream pet really is.

Mewburn is also the author of Old Hu-hu (Scholastic, 2009), which was illustrated by Rachel Driscoll. Old Hu-hu was listed as a 2010 Storylines Notable Book. The work is also nominated in the Picture Book Category for the 2010 New Zealand Post Book Awards for Children and Young Adults.

The third in the 'Perfect Pets' series was released in March 2010, called Slowcoach Turtle (HarperCollins NZ, 2009).

Kyle Mewburn lives in Central Otago.