Thirsty Flowers Audio

The Thirsty Flowers and Harry Highpants are both now out in paperback. To celebrate, the month of August has been designated by the federal government Water-the-flowers-while-wearing-your-pants-pulled-high’ month. Please send through your photos of watering the garden with high pants, and I will post them on this website.

I have also made available for download the two-part audio of The Thirsty Flowers, recorded at Triple R in 2006. The reading was made possible because of the brilliant work of Alex Papps, who donated his time to do the narration. Also, Triple R sound guru Archie Cuthbertson made the story hang together. A big thanks to the whole cast. Apologies for the lack of a ding when it’s time to turn the page.

Thirsty Flowers Audio - part 1 (mp3 file)
Thirsty Flowers Audio - part 2 (mp3 file)

Narrator - Alex Papps
Sunflower Sam - Sam Pang
Dr Hydrangea - Tony Wilson
Rose - Michelle Bennett
Daisy - Suzie Morris-Ashton
Cactus - Tony Biggs
Mad Jack McCann - Jon Von Goes
Jasmine, Pete the Dog - Fee B-Squared
Lily - Phillipa Overgaard
Production - Archie Cuthbertson 

Sam Pang and Alex Papps

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The Minister for Traffic Lights is my fourth picture book, a personal crusade to teach kids about the colour mauve and the way parliamentary bills enjoy passage into law. I had the idea for this book while waiting at the lights on the corner of Punt Rd and Swan St in Richmond. The thought entered my head — what if there was a fourth traffic light? I went home and wrote the bare bones of the story that night.

That was 2002, and even allowing for the unwieldy nature of the parliamentary process, even politics could have solved the road rage problem by now. Nevertheless the book has now been released, and the illustrations by Andrew McLean (Where to Hide Two Elephants, A Year on the Farm) are just gorgeous. The trial ‘Mauve Traffic Light Solution’ page is based around the intersection at Station Street and Heidelberg Rd, just near my house, and the traffic school picture is the traffic school that is at the end of my old street in Kew. It all feels very personal. Just like I would have done if I wasn’t limited to stick figures.

The first review of Minister for Traffic Lights appears here.

Harry Highpants

Harry Highpants was selected for the White Ravens stand at the 2008 Bologna Book Fair and as a notable book by the Children’s Book Council.