Illustrator & Author Profile
Jan Ormerod
15 Books
Jan Ormerod was an Australian-born children's author and illustrator known for tender picture books about babies, families, and everyday routines. She frequently wrote and illustrated stories that captured the quiet moments of domestic life, such as Moonlight and Sunshine. Her broader bibliography includes collaborative works like Maudie and Bear and Goodbye, Mousie. Through her realistic yet gentle artwork, she provided comforting and relatable narratives for early childhood reading.
Miss Mouse has a very busy day ahead. There are clothes to put on, crayons to use, blocks to build with, pictures to paint, and outdoor adventures waiting in the garden.
Told from the point of view of a stuffed mouse, this warm picture book turns a toddler’s ordinary day into something bright and special. Miss Mouse and her best friend move from breakfast to playtime, from mud and sand to cuddles and goodnight, finding fun in each small moment.
Cheerful and cozy, Miss Mouse’s Day is a gentle story about imagination, play, and the comfort of spending a whole day with a favorite toy.
6-8 Years
24 Pages
The tanks are empty, the creek has shrunk to muddy pools, and Dougie cannot remember the last real rain. On his family’s drought-stricken farm in Depression-era Australia, water is not just useful. It is hope.
When Dougie hears that his grandfather could find underground water with a forked stick, he wonders if the gift might be in him too. His sisters tease him, and his mother is doubtful, but Dougie keeps trying. In a place where every drop matters, believing in possibility becomes its own kind of courage.
Water Witcher blends historical fiction, family hardship, and the harsh beauty of the Australian landscape in a thoughtful story about determination during difficult times.
6-8 Years
9-12 Years
32 Pages
Moonlight turns an ordinary bedtime into a quiet little adventure. Dinner is finished, bath time bubbles by, toys are told good night, and one small girl is supposed to be settling down. But sleep is not quite ready to arrive.
Told without words, Jan Ormerod’s warm picture book lets you read the story through movement, faces, and tiny bedtime details. You can notice what the girl wants, how her tired parents try to help, and how familiar the whole evening feels.
Gentle, funny, and full of family closeness, this classic wordless bedtime story is perfect for readers who enjoy making up the words themselves.
6-8 Years
32 Pages
A new baby changes everything, but one older sister keeps finding things they can do together. Feeding, washing, dressing, playing, helping, waiting, laughing—there may be 101 possibilities in a single day.
This warm picture book follows a young girl as she discovers her place in a family with a baby brother. Some moments are sweet, some are messy, and some are a little tiring, especially when grown-ups are busy with the baby. Still, everyday care becomes a chance for games, imagination, and closeness.
Gentle and honest, 101 Things to Do with Baby is a reassuring story for children learning what it means to become an older sibling.
6-8 Years
29 Pages
Dad is asleep, but one baby has plans. A tickle, a pat, a nudge, a wiggle—surely something will get his attention.
Sleeping is a simple picture book about a baby trying, in every small way, to wake a sleeping father. The story’s charm comes from its everyday comedy: the baby is busy and determined, while Dad is very hard to rouse.
With a warm family setting and a clear visual story, this gentle book is easy for young readers to follow and fun to talk through aloud. It captures a familiar household moment with humor, patience, and affection.
6-8 Years
26 Pages
When Papa leaves with the sandalwood, the road to town is long and the little house in the Australian bush feels very far from everything. Lizzie is left with Mama and the baby, surrounded by hard work, heat, and silence.
But Lizzie has a powerful gift: pretending. A plain room can become beautiful, a bath can become the sea, and chores can turn into play. Mama calls it “Lizzie nonsense,” yet the story gently shows how imagination can help a family through lonely days.
Based on family history, Lizzie Nonsense is a tender historical picture book about pioneer life, a mother and daughter, and childhood creativity in a difficult place.
6-8 Years
9-12 Years
44 Pages
Molly talks about her dad all the time. At school, her stories make him sound amazing: an artist, an astronaut, a person who can do almost anything. But Molly’s real dad lives a plane ride away, and she mostly knows him from photographs.
When he finally comes to visit, Molly is not sure what to do with the real person in front of her. He is silly, surprising, and not exactly like the stories she invented. Still, little by little, Molly begins to notice something important: he may understand stories just as well as she does.
Warm and gently funny, Molly and Her Dad is a thoughtful picture book about separated families, belonging, and discovering a parent in real life.
6-8 Years
30 Pages
Maudie has ideas, rules, moods, and plans. Bear has patience. Whether Maudie wants a bike ride, a snack, a dance, or things done exactly her way, Bear stays steady beside her.
Maudie and Bear gathers five gentle stories about a small, spirited girl and the dependable bear who loves her. Maudie can be funny, bossy, demanding, and charming, often all at once. Bear’s quiet kindness gives the stories their warmth, showing the deep comfort of being loved even on difficult days.
Tender, humorous, and beautifully illustrated, this picture book is a reassuring read about friendship, caregiving, and unconditional affection.
6-8 Years
48 Pages
One bear hugs, two tigers tumble, three moles dig, and the counting keeps marching along. Over in the Clover turns numbers from one to ten into a lively animal rhyme.
Inspired by the traditional “Over in the Meadow” pattern, this picture book invites you to count, chant, and move with animal families from different places. Each page brings a new group and a new action, from hopping and flapping to wiggling and rolling.
Playful, rhythmic, and easy to join in with, it is a cheerful choice for children who like animal books, counting books, and read-aloud stories with plenty of motion.
6-8 Years
31 Pages
Morning begins with a stripe of sunshine across a little girl’s room. She wakes, stretches, pads through the house, and gently pulls her parents into the new day.
Sunshine is a wordless picture book, so the pictures do the storytelling. You can follow each moment closely: breakfast, teeth brushing, getting dressed, and all the small steps that turn a sleepy house into a family ready to go.
Clear, cozy, and wonderfully observant, this classic story invites children to compare the girl’s morning routine with their own. It is a quiet celebration of independence, family life, and the busy rhythm of an ordinary morning.
6-8 Years
32 Pages
One morning, a boy tickles Mousie’s tummy, but Mousie does not wake up. At first, the truth feels impossible: his beloved pet mouse has died.
Goodbye, Mousie tells a child’s grief in a direct, tender way. The boy feels disbelief, anger, and sadness, and his family helps him ask questions, remember Mousie, and say goodbye. The story does not rush those feelings or hide how confusing loss can be.
Gentle illustrations and clear language make this picture book especially useful for young readers facing the death of a pet. It offers comfort without pretending that saying goodbye is easy.
6-8 Years
32 Pages
A pizza shop is not where three boys expect a story to begin, but this one comes with food, music, movement, and a chef with plenty to share. When they meet an Aboriginal chef who speaks Italian and makes a memorable pizza, the boys are drawn into a celebration bigger than lunch.
Shake A Leg moves from everyday fun into story, dance, and cultural connection. Its joyful energy invites you to clap, stamp, listen, and join in as community and tradition come alive through movement.
Warm, lively, and distinctive, this picture book celebrates Aboriginal storytelling, cultural understanding, and the power of dance to bring people together.
6-8 Years
9-12 Years
39 Pages
Caroline Crocodile has a problem: her baby brother dribbles, and everyone still acts as if he is perfect.
Feeling jealous and fed up, Caroline marches off to the Baby Shop to trade him for someone better. But each new baby brings a different kind of trouble, and Caroline begins to discover that swapping a sibling may not be as simple as she hoped.
The Swap is a warm, funny picture book about a feeling many children know well: wanting attention when a new baby arrives. With crocodile characters, playful exaggeration, and a gentle family theme, it gives young readers a safe and silly way to explore jealousy, frustration, and love.
6-8 Years
32 Pages
Clapping hands is only the beginning. In this animal-filled version of If You’re Happy and You Know It!, every creature has its own way to show joy.
You can wag like a dog, snap like a crocodile, beat your chest like a gorilla, or bounce along with kangaroos. The familiar song becomes a playful picture-book romp full of movement, sound, and happy surprises.
Bright, energetic, and easy to join in with, this book is made for reading aloud, singing aloud, and acting out. It celebrates happiness in many forms, while giving young readers a funny way to move through the story.
6-8 Years
36 Pages
By
Jan Ormerod
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Pictures by
Lindsey Gardiner
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With
Berny Stringle, Julian Marc Stringle, and Dave Peto
Feathers bounce, snakes wriggle, monkeys jiggle, and elephants stomp along to the beat. Doing the Animal Bop is built for readers who cannot sit still for long.
This lively rhyming picture book invites you to move like a parade of noisy animals. You can waddle, slither, jump, stomp, and laugh your way through each page as the rhythm keeps pushing the fun forward.
Bright, playful, and full of action, it works especially well for read-aloud time, classroom movement breaks, or any child who likes stories with sound, rhythm, and a lot of cheerful silliness.
6-8 Years
32 Pages
