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Vikki Conley
Author | Kinder- Grade 6
Victoria

Vikki is an award-winning author with multiple internationally published picture books. She is the winner of the 2023 CBCA Book of the Year (Where The Lyrebird Lives) and has Honour and Notable books including Amira’s Suitcase and Little Puggle’s Song. Her title, On The Way To School is shortlisted for the 2023 Speech Pathology Australia Book of the Year.

Vikki’s books explore other worlds and themes including refugees, rainforest habitat, mindfulness and finding lost moustaches! Vikki has worked as a journalist, photographer and professional writer, with diverse communities in Africa, Asia and Australia, for over 20 years.

Vikki loves creating multi-art form experiences for children from preschool to upper primary. She passionately brings the natural world, drama, body percussion, puppetry and innovative thinking into the classroom. Her sessions are fun, highly interactive and engaging for all ages.

Lower Primary/Early Learning
, Preschool to Grade 2 (Story-Art Sessions) Vikki’s immersive sessions combine story, art and interactive activities where students can make puppets and help tell the story. She includes music, song, costume play, movement, body percussion, nature, craft and fun quizzes to learn about habitat, other worlds, mindfulness and Australian animals.
Middle/Upper Primary, G3-6 (Narrative Writing Workshops) Become an ideas machine! What makes a good story/character? Vikki uses drama and idea generation techniques to help stimulate ideas and develop strong characters for narrative writing. Hear the inside workings of a real author, experience easy and fun editing, drafting and show don’t tell techniques, and learn how to story-build in a few quick steps.

“Vikki’s warm and passionate love of books is infectious for students of all ages! She engaged and energised our students leaving the lower grades enthused about reading and writing, while the upper-level students were inspired with practical tips to help make their writing more interesting.” 
Steve Sankovic, grade 6 teacher, Montmorency Primary School

“Vikki is engaging and inspirational. She filled the children with enthusiasm and wonder, helping them to think in new ways. She connected her own childhood with her writing, inspiring the children to use their personal experiences in creative ways.”
Kate Hocking, Teacher, Eltham North Primary School

Books by Vikki Conley

Where the Lyrebird Lives

Best Suited 3-7 Years
High in the mountains through the sleepy clouds. Deep in the forest past the chiming birds. Will we see the lyrebird? I don’t know. Tip-toe, tip-toe. The beauty of the Australian rainforest and the magic of family-time come together in this lyrical and delightful story of intergenerational connection, habitat and adventure.

Amira’s Suitcase

Best Suited 3-6 years
It begins with a tiny seed growing inside a suitcase. With Amira’s care, the tiny seed starts to sprout. Find out what happens when kindness flourishes . . . Amira’s Suitcase is a gentle, thought-provoking tale about friendship and hope.

Little Puggle’s Song

Best Suited 3+ Years
A lonely echidna searches for his voice. Every time Puggle tires to make sound nothing comes out. Can Puggle find his voice and join the bush choir?

On the Way to School

Best Suited 3-7 Years
Every day, children all over the world are travelling to school – by bus, by canoe, through valleys, over mountains and snow. How do you get to school?

With themes of diversity and culture, On the Way to School celebrates the joy and challenges of travelling to school.

Little Puggle’s Christmas

Best suited 3-6 Years
Christmas in the Australian bush is Puggle’s favourite time of year. All the animals return to decorate the oldest tree, and to prepare for the big day. Every year, Puggle tries to help. But even though Puggle tries hardest, none of the special Christmas jobs seem to suit him.

In despair, Puggle waddles off to his special place where he makes a Christmas wish on the first shooting star…but is it actually a shooting star? And what is stuck in the billabong?

Can Puggle save Christmas and make his Christmas wish come true?

 

Under the Red Shawl

Best Suite 3-6 Years
Starting out in a new place is tough, but friendship, kindness and imagination help Salim, Mama and Donkey discover their new world. In this stunning picture book, by award-winning creators – Vikki Conley and Martina Heiduczek – we journey with Salim as he grows up creating a new life around him.

This is a story about a journey, hope and creating fun with the little that you have.

 

Christmas Wonder Down Under

Best suited 3+ Years
A beautiful rhyming board book that captures the magic of an Australian Christmas.
Cracker bang!Stars above.
Christmas wonder.
Peace and love.

The unique magic of an Australian Christmas is perfectly captured in this joyful celebration of love, pavlova and precious family moments.

Milly and the Mulberry Tree

Best Suited 6 – 9 years
Milly’s mulberry tree is the centre of her world; the place where she plays with her Papa, learns about nature, and creates magical potions… until she grows up and finds herself in a faraway land, still dreaming of home. A delightful story about the importance of exploration, appreciating nature, and keeping home close to our hearts.

Ella and Mrs Gooseberry- Discovering What Love Looks Like

Best Suited 6+ Years
Grumpy old Mrs Gooseberry has lost her love. Ella wants to help her find it. A heart-warming book about love and giving.

Tomorrow girl: A Tale of Mindfulness

Best Suited for ages 6+Years
Catch up with a girl called Tomorrow as she rushes through life. But when Tomorrow meets Yesterday and trips over Today, her whole world begins to slow down. Tomorrow Girl is a quirky tale delivering a timely reminder of mindfulness and what can happen when we allow ourselves time to be in the moment.

The Lost Moustache

Best Suited 5+ years
When Frankie finds a moustache, she is completely baffled. Who loses a moustache?! Frankie launches an investigation, determined to return the moustache to its rightful owner. Engaging, amusing and delightfully quirky. Themes: creativity, imagination, curiosity, theatre, joy of dressing up, fun.

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