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Kathryn Apel is an Aussie children’s author who writes too much. She paints pictures with words, because much as she’d love to, Kat can’t draw. Kat’s goal is to find the perfect word for every situation. Sometimes that’s a lot harder than you think!

Click the tabs above to find out more about The Kat’s Whiskers and her words. Read about Kat’s Books, with links to reviews & activities. Check out Kat’s Blog about life and writing – with emphasis on picture books & poetry. Under the Kid’s Stuff tab you’ll find activities to download for home & classroom use. Or you can Buy Books.

Kathryn presents poetry workshops for kids and adults – and staff professional development sessions across grades and curriculum areas. Book now for 2018!

Information and images on this website are copyright Kathryn Apel.

Melbourne … or Sydney?

I’m thinking about opening up a week, early September, for author talks in either Melbourne … or Sydney. Aside from talks about the stories behind my stories, I offer poetry workshops for kids and teens – also for educators and anyone who works with kids and wants to inspire them to be creative. Want to … Continue reading →

Recipe for a Winning Poem

With the Commonwealth Games fast approaching, I’m sharing a favourite recipe – for a Sport Star poem. You can’t fail to cook up some winning words! This recipe requires a mix of metaphors – so we probably should talk about how to choose a metaphor. A metaphor is a comparison between two things, based on … Continue reading →

Seeds of Hope

Even before I realised that today is World Poetry Day, I’d been working on a shape poem, my verse novel, a new poetry workshop activity and I’d been frustrated by the failure to write a quick (yet meaningful) golden shovel poem for Michelle Heidenrich Barnes’ little ditty challenge. I have recently fallen in love with the … Continue reading →

The Dragon

One of the reasons bullies have so much power is because their victims are often too scared to tell. It’s a struggle that Leroy faces in ‘Bully on the Bus’ – and it’s a huge and important step, for him to speak about it. This Friday, 16th March, is Bullying, No Way Day – a … Continue reading →

Singapore Surprise

The blog has been quiet, as I’ve had lots of time travelling, firstly to Brisbane, for school and bookshop visits, followed by an unexpected (short notice) trip to Singapore to catch up with our son (briefly!) and experience the richly diverse country that he is calling ‘home’. One morning in Singapore I was delighted to … Continue reading →

Unseasonable Winter Warmers

—– I am always getting caught out with Carol Varsalona’s Seasonal Poetry Collections – because I’m not ‘living’ in the season at the time poems are being collated. Last week I went trawling past photos taken during Winter in Australia (June/July/August). Here are a couple of poetry bites I’m happy with, for the current collection. … Continue reading →

Momentous Moon

This week, of course… The Moon. I’ve never actually set out to photograph the moon before – and will always see it differently, now. Last week Irene Latham shared some poems inspired by a prompt in the book, POEMCRAZY: Freeing Your Life with Words by Susan G. Wooldridge. Irene’s words, heart and wisdom were inspiring, and worthy of reading, here. The task … Continue reading →