The Australian Children’s Laureate, Sally Rippin, is a best-selling and beloved author for children. Her most popular series include Billie B Brown , Hey Jack! and School of Monsters , and she has over 10 million books in print worldwide. She is also the author of one book for adults, Wild Things: How We Learn to Read and What Can Happen If We Don’t . Sally loves to write stories with heart featuring characters that resonate with children and is passionate about literacy and access to stories. She travels across the world speaking with parents, teachers and librarians about how to engage struggling readers. In 2024, Sally was named the eighth Australian Children’s Laureate, a two-year appointment to promote the importance and transformational power of reading, creativity and story in the lives of young Australians. Chris Kennett has been drawing ever since he could hold a pencil (or so his mum says). But professionally, Chris has been creating quirky characters for just over 20 years. He's best known for drawing weird and wonderful creatures from the Star Wars universe, and his School of Monsters and Nerd Herd series.
Praise for School of Monsters: 'School of Monsters is a first step towards independent reading – with a trusted adult alongside... Rippin takes common vocab words, adds a dash of spooky, a cup of comedy and blends it all together with rhyme and striking illustrations by Chris Kennett. The result is a pretty darned special mix of instructional home reader and engaging recreational read.' –Children's Books Daily 'School of Monsters is just the sort of beautifully designed, well-constructed, fun-filled, colourful series of books that beginning readers have been crying out for! It’s part picture book, part chapter book, part activity book and all colour and fun. Ideal for budding readers and illustrators alike... but I recommend them all.' –Reading with a Chance of Tacos 'Sally Rippin’s new School of Monsters series [is] a marvellous treat for children just starting their reading journey. Each is composed of short, easy sentences with bold, brightly coloured words to aid word recognition, a playful Dr Seuss-type rhyme, and energetic, cartoon-like illustrations guaranteed to motivate any beginner reader! ...Highly recommended for ages 5+.' –Readings 'It's no secret that we are a little bit obsessed with the School of Monsters books in our household... These books beautifully bridge the sometimes tricky gap between picture books and chapter books, with large text font, rhyming words highlighted for emphasis, simple sentence structure, and vibrant engaging illustrations... I also love the themes of friendship, teamwork, resilience and kindness.' –Aussie Kids Books 'School of Monsters is a new dyslexia friendly series for beginner readers... Funny, silly and very accessible these books are a perfect starter series for children just starting out on their reading adventures. They have large font, repetition of key sounds and a lovely romping rhyme.' –Mary Martin Bookshop