Tohby Riddle is an Australian picture book creator – being both the writer and illustrator of many books. Tohby visits schools to talk with students about his work and the process of writing. He has been the editor of the School Magazine where some of his works have been published. He also talks about his books and the writer’s craft at writers’ festivals and conferences across Australia.
Tohby’s works are multilayered and have an appealing ‘silliness’, though dealing with deep social and interpersonal issues. Real events may inspire his stories but his plots often take a quirky, fictional turn and his characters are frequently animals.
As well as writing and illustrating his own books he illustrates the work of other authors, for example, The Word Spy, by Ursula Dubosarsky. Many of his books have received awards or have been shortlisted both in Australia and overseas. A Hollywood studio has bought the film rights to his book, The Great Escape from the City Zoo.