Things you may not have known about Animalia creator Graeme Base.
- He has two Bengal Cats called Stella and Atticus. Stella is spotty like a leopard; Atticus is marbled like an ocelot.
- He has a secret way of crushing plastic milk cartons so they take up the least room possible in the recycling bin.
- He has a strange fascination with quantum physics and astronomy and puts himself to sleep at night by reading New Scientist magazine.
- He is a keen but so far unknown inventor of games, musical instruments and household appliances including a new kind of vacuum cleaner and a baby-stroller.
- He learnt clarinet in school and later played alto sax and keyboards in a band called Rikitikitavi. His now-wife Robyn was the lead singer.
- He has written several musicals based on his books including The Sign of the Seahorse, Gooligulch, The Worst Band in the Universe and Jungle Drums. They have all been performed but not nearly enough!
- He has a nifty way of winding guitar leads and garden hoses so they don't get tangled and curly when they are unwound.
- He has visited 40 of the 50 United States of America and all seven continents, and dislikes airport terminals more than he can adequately express.
- He has recently rediscovered several big boxes full of old sketches and drawings that have never been published and has decided to start an Instagram post with a new drawing every day – or maybe every second day... we shall see!
- He has sold over 4 million books in Australia.
Check out the Penguin Random House picture books that have been nominated by Guardian readers as Australia’s top 50 picture books.
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Celebrate 40 years of Graeme Base's beloved Animalia with our free downloadable activity pack!
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