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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.

NEW RELEASE: Kathryn’s younger reader verse novel ‘Too Many Friends’ was released in May 2017 with UQP.

Information and images on this website are copyright Kathryn Apel.

Cheesy Mac

I was all set to roll with a horsepower post today… but then my tweet stream started to fill with… (Oh no! I forgot!!) CheesyMac! Here’s the quickest-ever batch of Mac&Cheese that I have every whipped up! When you’re wanting a tasty, quick snack that won’t line your washing up rack, grab some pasta and … Continue reading →

Hairy Huntsman Spider – Repost

This week I’m cheating and linking back to one of my earlier bush poetry posts. I don’t feel like I’m cheating readers though, because Hairy Huntsman Spider is one of my better bush poems – and overseas readers will get a glimpse of an iconic Australian creature. And there are pictures. Big, scary pics… (Well – … Continue reading →

The Bowerbird – a poem

I was scrolling through the Instagram feed yesterday when this brightly colourful post by imagination.mama caught my eye; Cue the memories! Because I might know a think about that… In fact, I may have even written a poem or two when my boys were in preschool. For my international Poetry Friday friends, bowerbirds are endemic … Continue reading →

Great Goal! Marvellous Mark! Wonderful Wordplay!

Poetry is about word play – and I am loving the playful words that roll around (and bounce and soar) in this picture book about Aussie Rules, written by Katrina Germein and illustrated by Janine Dawson. AFL is not the game of choice in Queensland, where ‘real men play Rugby League’* – so I’m not … Continue reading →

Seasonal Rewind

For Poetry Friday, I’m revisiting a post from 2015. My week in Melbourne has had me thinking a lot about Autumn. We only have two seasons where I live in Queensland; Summer and Winter – and for a few weeks they wrangle back and forth; summer/winter/hot/cold… But Melbourne… It was all gorgeous warm tones, brisk … Continue reading →

KidLitVic – Chapter / Middle Grade / Young Adult

Sharing notes on Chapter, Middle Grade and Young Adult, taken at KidLitVic 2017. Chapter & Middle Grade Panel Panel:  Paul Collins (Ford St), Jane Pearson (Text), Clare Forster (Agent – Curtis Brown), Suzanne O’Sullivan (Lothian Hachette) Write with passion first. Then think about the age of your main character/protagonist. Consensus seems to be that once the reader reaches … Continue reading →

KidLitVic – Illustration & Picture Books

Sharing notes on Illustration and Picture Books, taken at KidLitVic 2017. Illustration Panel Panel: Melissa Keil (Five Mile Press), Michelle Madden (Penguin), Sarah Mummé (Lake Press), Christina Pase (Windy Hollow) Postcards (at conferences, etc) are lovely. But a link is always a good thing to forward on to others. Need to be able to show it around – at … Continue reading →