Michael Williams and Mem Fox, in conversation at the Wheeler Centre

Mem Fox is a legend of Australian children's literature. More than 35 years after her first book, Possum Magic, was published, it is still printed in hardback, with its iconic original illustrations by Julie Vivas.

In the intervening years, Fox has somehow managed an academic career as a literacy expert, while writing 40 more books. She’s charmed generations of readers with stories of Australian children and animals, including Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes, Baby Bedtime, Wombat Divine and Where is the Green Sheep?

Through her books, Fox has also helped young readers grapple with difficult topics – perhaps most famously with Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge. Her new book, too, broaches a difficult topic with great wisdom and sensitivity. The Tiny Star is about life and death, and it's told in an unmistakably tender and lyrical voice – the singular voice of Mem Fox – with illustrations by the award-winning Freya Blackwood.

At this very special event hosted by Michael Williams, Fox discusses her stories and her career. She shares, too, why encouraging us all to read aloud has been such an important part of her work.

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