David Elliot is an award-winning children’s illustrator and author. Born and raised in Ashburton he has had a varied career, working as a zoo gatekeeper, a dishwasher in Antarctica, an interior designer, and a teacher, before becoming a full-time illustrator and writer in 1998.
David has illustrated for many New Zealand children’s authors, including Jack Lasenby, Joy Cowley and Janet Frame. He has also written and illustrated eight picture books, including the Sydney Penguin books, the Henry Pig books, Pigtails the Pirate (winner of the 2003 NZ Post Children’s Picture Book Award) and in 2018 he published Oink. In 2017, his book for older readers, Snark, Being A True History Of The Expedition That Discovered The Snark And The Jabberwock…And Its Tragic Aftermath won multiple awards including the Russell Clark Award for illustration, The Margaret Mahy Book of the Year, a White Raven Award from the International Youth Library, and was included in the 2018 IBBY Honour List.
In 2009, David illustrated The Word Witch, by the internationally acclaimed Margaret Mahy; this won the Honour Award in the NZ Post Picture Book category. In 2010, he and Margaret again worked together, on The Moon and Farmer McPhee, which won the NZ Post Children’s Book of the Year Award for 2011. The same year David also received the inaugural Arts Foundation Mallinson Rendel Award. In 2014 David was awarded the Storylines Margaret Mahy Medal for his lifetime contribution to children’s literature in New Zealand.
Internationally, David has provided illustrations for Brian Jacques’ Redwall and Castaways series, John Flanagan’s bestselling Ranger’s Apprentice series and also for US authors T.A. Barron and Jeffrey Kluger. His own picture book, Henry’s Map, published New York publisher Philomel Books, was chosen by the American School Library Journal for its Best Books List in 2013.
Since 2008, the Ashburton Art Gallery has been curating and regularly exhibiting David’s work. His illustrations can be viewed on his website and selected artwork can be purchased in his own ‘Flying Whale Gallery’. He lives in Port Chalmers, near Dunedin with his wife Gillian. He has two adult daughters, Mhairi and Jess and in 2018 he dedicated Oink to his first grandchild.
