Leanne White
Leanne White grew up in the beautiful sea-side town of Albany. A very free range child, Leanne and her brothers roamed the bush or beach for hours. Wildlife encounters (feathered, furred or finned) were part of their common days play.
Later as a teacher, she moved to the far north of Western Australia, and lived on a little farm surrounded by bush. Here the wildlife was even more exciting with brighter colours and a cheekier nature. In fact, it seemed the wildlife did not understand how to stay in the bush.
Friendly inhabitants of her garden were a bower bird, whistling ducks, tawny frog mouth owls, frilled necked lizards, wallabies, bats, sugar gliders, frogs and dingoes (just to name a few!)
This was when Leanne began to paint and write stories about birds, animals, reptiles and insects.
Living once again in Albany with her husband, two children, two dogs, two galahs and twenty chooks, Leanne has written or illustrated numerous children’s picture books.
Leanne uses her art to promote Australian wildlife. The fragility of their existence in an ever-changing environment is her main concern. She endeavours to illustrate an ability to co-exist, thus maintaining Australian wildlife heritage.
Leanne has 25 years of teaching and 15 years of commercial art experience to draw on in her children’s book writing and illustrating. Her primary ethos in children’s books is to develop the child’s imagination and curiosity in an ever-changing world.