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Vaughan Duck
Grade 3-6
South Australia

Vaughan has a Bachelor of Arts (Visual Communication) which means he is qualified to be an art director at an advertising agency, but he hates advertising and loves drawing pictures. As a child, he learned to draw by copying Peanuts characters. As a uni student, he was introduced to picture book illustration by Ron Brooks. Ron encouraged the class to enter an illustration competition. As a result, Vaughan’s first picture book The Ant Explorer was shortlisted for the Lothian Centenary Children’s Picture Book Award. That’s right! He didn’t win, so he can’t claim to be an award-winning illustrator. But he can claim to be a hugely successful illustrator.

Vaughan loves drawing pictures that make kids giggle. In 2020 he illustrated Big Beach BBQ, published by Larrikin House. Facing the Wave quickly followed in 2022. Without knowing it, kids throughout Australia have grown up with Vaughan’s illustrations because he’s illustrated over 300 textbooks and readers for educational publishers. He specializes in illustrating picture books, junior, and middle-grade readers.

Vaughan collaborates with authors and publishers worldwide. Recently, he partnered with The Barbara Bush Literary Foundation and his US publisher, MamaBear Books. As a result, his books, ‘The Day I Had a Bulldozer’ and ‘The Day I Had a Dinosaur,’ have been distributed to over 49,000 children across Texas.

2025 will see the release of ‘The Day I Had a Fire Truck.’ Before he became mega-famous, he designed toys (so much fun) and kids’ lunch boxes and backpacks.

Books by Vaughan Duck

Facing the Wave

Best Suited 3-7 Years
Trying new things can be scary. But, with a little push and a lot of paddling, even the biggest waves are possible. A story about facing fears and how a few words of encouragement can change someone’s day.

Big Beach BBQ

Best Suited 3-9 Years
G’day Mates! Let’s grab some plates. It’s time to start the party. Grab your tongs. Put on your thongs. Let’s have a beachside barbie.’

Throw on your swimmers and join these much-loved Aussie animals for a day at the beach. With cricket, snags, and stacks of slang. It’s fair dinkum fun for the whole family!

No Quit!

Best Suited 6-8 Years
Henry Raye is a young boy who hates the cold. While most of his friends are outside enjoying winter, Henry is stuck inside. Bored, with nothing to do, Henry’s dad decides to sign Henry up for wrestling. Henry, like most young wrestlers, struggles at first and is bullied by a boy on his team named, Tanner Gates.
Henry is ready to throw in the towel. However, Henry’s dad is determined to teach Henry a valuable life lesson. Together, Henry and his dad bond over technique to get Henry ready for the State Tournament and perhaps a match against, Tanner Gates. Can Henry, do it? Can he win the State Tournament and beat Tanner Gates? It’s all up to Henry, if he understands the meaning of, “No Quit!”

The Day I Had a Dinosaur

Best Suited 3-6 Years
When Luke and his friends have “real-life” dinosaurs for a day, there can only be one outcome, the
best-osaurus day ever! Join these kind-hearted friends as they adventure through their day, ensuring that no dinosaur is left out, and everyone has fun working together.

Help your child learn about friendship, encouragement, perseverance, and inclusion with this fun group of friends.

ENGAGING & FUN CHILDREN’S BOOK: Having your toys come alive is every kid’s dream. Build your child’s imagination with these kindhearted friends and their learning adventures.

The Day I Had a Bulldozer

Best Suited 3-5 Years
Luke can’t believe his eyes when he looks from his window and sees a bulldozer outside … with his name on it! He feels like the luckiest boy in the world vrooming around with his best buddy, his dog Bobo. But the fun is only getting started when his friends ride in on a dump truck, steamroller, and excavator. They are ready for an amazing day of construction adventure … come join them!

Even George: An uplifting story about a teacher engaging creatively with students

It’s the beginning of a new school year.
All the students in Miss Tansy’s class are excited.
Except George.
Everyone joins in.
Except George.
When George’s caring teacher, discovers that George is super at soccer she plans her lessons around George’s interest.
Find out what happens when even George joins in.

Freckles’ Best Ribbit

Freckles eagerly looked forward to the Spring Chorus auditions each year, a grand event where frogs from all over the forest gathered to showcase their unique ribbits. But Freckles faced one major obstacle. Freckles could not ribbit like the other frogs. No matter how hard he tried, Freckles either sneezed or hiccupped and sounded even worse! Even with the support of his well-meaning friends, Freckles’ ribbits only grew sillier, making him feel even more embarrassed.

“Hiccups?” moaned Freckles. “Well, that’s something new.”
He asked his friend Cece, “Oh, what can I do?”

It’s not until Freckles unexpectedly blurts out a sound, unlike the other frogs, that his friends encourage him to feel confident enough to sing with the others.

Freckles’ Best Ribbit is a humorous adventure that highlights persistence and self-acceptance. It will inspire young readers to be confident and embrace their own unique qualities.

Pretty Pages

Best Suited 3-8 Years
Pretty Pages is a library that is home to thousands of beautiful books with stunning covers. Little Ro gets bullied by the other books because his title is smudged, his cover is not as pretty as theirs, and he has never been read before by anyone! In fact, the first person to open him is a bully named Jade who only wants to make fun of him.

Best Dinosaur Ever

Best Suited 3-6 Years
This funny, read-aloud book will have kids practising with Milo on his quest to find his best dino-self. With humour and determination, Milo will prove his family wrong and discover that the best dinosaur will never be extinct!

The Clever Cat Chronicles Book 1: Trouble’s Tale

Best Suited 5-9 Years
My name is Trouble. This is the story of the misfits that wander into my life. There’s Mischief, a sweet lovable pup, Bonkers, the trash-talking parrot, and of course, Sheila.  How much room is there in one heart for cats, dogs, parrots, and people? I guess the more you love; the more your heart stretches; at least that’s what Sheila says.

The Clever Cat Chronicles Book 2: Whiskers in the Wild: The Luckiest Cat on Earth

Best Suited 5-9 Years
Whiskers in the Wild: Book Two in The Clever Cat Chronicles.

Join Trouble, the very clever cat, Mischief, the lovable pup, and Bonkers, the trash-talking parrot, as their adventures continue.

In Trouble’s Tale, the first book in The Clever Cat Chronicles, Sheila, a kindhearted animal shelter worker, rescues the gang and brings them home to a new and better life.

Just when everything seems purr-fect, Trouble’s whiskers buzz with a signal that hints unexpected events are coming. The gang would prefer things stay just the way they are, but change is coming whether they like it or not. Join them as they are about to be swept up in a whirlwind of surprises and new adventures in Whiskers in the Wild!

Silly Poems 1: One Little Voice

Best Suited 4-10 Years
Two volumes of silly poems guaranteed to make you smile! ‘Day Dreaming‘ describes the perfect day, where a limo is waiting to take you to school, and mom has prepared Pop-Tarts for dinner. ‘One Little Voice‘ celebrates how one little voice can make a big difference.

Silly Poems 2: Day Dreaming

Best Suited 4-10 Years
Two volumes of silly poems guaranteed to make you smile! ‘Day Dreaming‘ describes the perfect day, where a limo is waiting to take you to school, and mom has prepared Pop-Tarts for dinner. ‘One Little Voice‘ celebrates how one little voice can make a big difference.

Banjo Pickin’ Karate Kickin’ Banjo Pickin’ Grandmas

Best Suited 8-12 Years
When the strange, old lunch ladies surprise best friends Izzy, Hazel, and Scarlett with more than mystery meat and applesauce, their lives are changed forever! Are the girls destined for greatness? Will their friends find out their secret? Can they defeat the Feline Felon and her gang of ninjas? Find out as this zany trio of superheroes leaps into action!

Mute… Unmute… Oh Shoot!

Best Suited 5-7 Years
Virtual learning is a whole new world to navigate.
Join us as we follow the joys (and challenges) that children experience on a daily basis through remote learning.

Splish Splosh

Best Suited 4-7 Years
This is a simple story about a child washing their hands – and soaking the rest of the bathroom! The little boy starts off filthy and is sparkling at the end. Covid friendly.

Off to School in My Wheelie Chair

Best Suited 4-8 Years
Getting to school on time can be tough for any kid. But when you’re in a wheelchair, it can be double the trouble.Roll with this spunky youngster as he navigates obstacles on his way to the classroom.

Tortoise’s Home

Best Suited 0-5 Years
Tortoise’s home was cosy but small, and he was feeling quite cramped. ‘This just won’t do,’ he grumbled.

When Tortoise sets out to find something better, the only one who will help him is Fox. Can Fox be trusted, or has Tortoise risked losing more than his home?

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