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Kyla May Children’s Book Creator and Illustrator

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Melbourne, VIC
Kyla May Children’s Book Creator and Illustrator

I am an International children’s book Creator and Illustrator, based in Melbourne Australia.

10/10/2024

If you are a new follower, have you discovered my book series ’Paris Takes Over The World’?

It was in the top 4 finalists for Best Designed Children’s Fiction Book at the esteemed Australian Book Design Awards.

I came up with the idea because I wanted to take kids on an adventure to my favourite cities of the world - Paris, New York and Tokyo. In each city a girl named Paris, who is a really excellent sleuth, goes on an adventure where she has to find something lost.

The inspiration for the book came firstly from my dad. He taught me how to always workout my surroundings in a new environment so I would never get lost. He knew this because he was a scout. Firstly, get an overall lay of the land - use a map. Then always turn around after a while and look backwards when you travel forwards, so then you’ll always know the way back home.

My mum was also my inspiration because she taught me to love puzzles. I love problem solving, I never give up until I’ve worked out the answer.

Then I combined these two concepts with my favourite cities of the world. Kids get a taste of Paris, New York and Tokyo as Paris uses her detective skills to work her way through the sites of famous landmarks, weaving her way through the cities, meeting a new best friend, adorable animals, while eating local delicious food and having a taste of culture as well along the way.

I wish I could show you all the work I have been doing since October. I haven’t stopped working. I have completed four books since then. And now I have six books in front of me. But everything is sworn to top secrecy. 🤫 From the time I come up with a book idea, or a publisher approaches me to do a book, to the time a book is published, it’s approximately two years!!! That is such a long time to not share with you what has been swirling around in my imagination! And I am the most impatient person in the whole wide world!!! But this is the world I work in. I must be patient. NEXT YEAR IS GOING TO BE A VERY EXCITING YEAR! Lots of new books will be released. I just can’t wait. 🤩🥳🤗🎊🎉

23/09/2024

A very big and exciting ANNOUNCEMENT!!!!!
Over the past 6 months I have been working on a new book series with the uber talented writing team Maddy Mara, of the successful international series ’Dragon Girls’. I can announce this now because it is already on the internet. Harper Collins, the publisher in Australia matched us up to create this really fun, over-the-top glamorous series called ‘JET SET PETS’.

I can’t reveal a cover yet, but here is the blurb:

“Three stories in one book! A brand-new illustrated fiction series from the authors of bestselling series Dragon Girls and illustrator of Diary of a Pug!
Violet Voom has three pets, one jet, and an itch to travel.
Wherever Violet goes in her fabulous purple jet, her fabulous (but not purple) pets go too. The pets – a sleek cat, a goofy poodle, and a parrot with a terrible case of beak leak – are called the Jet Set Pets. And the jet? It’s called the Pet Jet. Of course.
From Hawaii to the Swiss Alps – via a movie set – Violet and the Jet Set Pets jet all around the world. The Jet Set Pets are good at many things, but the thing they are best at is FINDING stuff.
Strap in for this ridiculously fun new series by bestselling author Maddy Mara and beloved illustrator Kyla May.
Three stories in one book!”

To say I have had fun illustrating this first instalment in the series is an understatement. I have loved every second. The first book, with 3 stories in one book, won’t be released until early next year, but I feel so good about this series. Maddy Mara are so incredibly talented. I have enjoyed so much illustrating their words. I can’t wait for this book to be released. I believe it’s going to be a winner!!! 🎉🙌🏼🎈📖

23/09/2024

A ‘Diary of a Pug’ collector! 📚📕📗📘📙

In two days I start drawing book #14. I can’t wait to start the next book in the series. I love the story for ‘Super Pug’. I’m sure you will love it too. 🔥🧯🚒🧑‍🚒🪵🍿🎥🎞️📽️📒

19/09/2024

A bookstore in Michigan has the latest Diary of a Pug release.

I love seeing the entire collection displayed in that shelf. That is such a wonderful feeling of accomplishment for me, who used to spend hours every week in bookstores in the kid’s section when I was in my twenties, dreaming one day of creating children’s books when I was working as an art director in advertising. In Australia, I only ever see a few of my books. I’ve never ever seen this before in a bookstore!!! My entire Diary of a Pug series displayed in order!! 💖🎉🤩🥰🥹🥲 Oh my goodness…such JOY!!! I don’t even have my entire series displayed on my bookshelf at home in order. This gives me goosebumps. 💗💗💗

Thank you so much . You have filled my heart with so much happiness!! My bucket is full. 🩷❤️🧡💛💚🩵💙💜

19/09/2024

A very excited Diary of a Pug collector. At last she received the latest book in the series. Number 11 - ‘Pug the Sports Star’. 🏀

Thank you so much mom for sending me the photo. My heart is full of joy! 💖💖💖

Seeing a reader actually holding my book is the most wonderful feeling ever. As I draw every illustration, I try and think of my readers and how they will connect to the drawings. I hope the artwork will capture their imaginations and take them on an adventure with Bub the Pug.

Reading books is so important for children, to keep their imaginations alive and active. To give them an escape from the everyday and whisk them away into another world with beloved characters. That’s what I hope to achieve.

I also hope to inspire children to use their imaginations as well. I love receiving fan mail and emails from young readers where they have created their own Diary of a Pug books, using their own imaginations to create their version of my books, with their own storylines and illustrations. Please, if you want your reader to do this, I would love to see their Diary of a Pug book. I can post it on my socials. [email protected]

I also receive letters and emails from readers parents, and teachers where they tell me that I have inspired the reader to be a writer or an illustrator themselves when they grow up. That is just incredible. 🥰🥰🥰 I am blown away that my stories have ignited their own imaginations so much and brought inspiration for their future.

I just want to bring joy to children. That is my passion.

📘🏀🐾📘🏀🐾📘🏀🐾📘🏀🐾📘🏀🐾

17/09/2024

HAPPY BOOK BIRTHDAY TO ‘PUG THE SPORTS STAR’!!! 📘🐾🏀🌟

Diary of a Pug Book #11
📘📗📕📙📘📗📕📙📗📕📘🎉

Please send me photos of you or your reader with their copy?!! I love seeing my book out there in the world. 🌎🌏🌍😊

Bub is a star with a basketball and a pug level hoop—but now Bella wants him to teach the other dogs the same trick, and Bub is not sure he wants to be in the spotlight.

🏀🌟🏀🌟🏀🌟🏀🌟🏀🌟🏀🌟🏀🌟🏀

I can’t wait to hear what you think of the latest ‘Diary of a Pug’ instalment. I know there will be some very excited children in the world today! 🥳

Enjoy my favourite readers. 😘🤩🥰

17/09/2024

A Diary of a Pug reader deep into the story of ‘Pug’s New Puppy’. Bub the pug and his human, Bella, are taking care of Nana’s new puppy, Harlow. They can’t wait to teach Harlow some new tricks! But training a puppy isn’t an easy job. Will they be able to teach Harlow anything before Nana comes home?

Have you read Book #8 yet? Harlow is based on my own golden retriever and how cheeky she was as a puppy.

You can read Diary of a Pug books in any order. Speaking of order, tomorrow Book #11 will be released!!!! Hooray! ‘Pug the Sports Star.’ I’m super excited.
🤩🏀🏀🏀🏀🏀🏀🏀🏀🤩

Please send me your photos with your books?!!! I know so many of you are so excited. I have received lots of messages from you. Not long now…..🐾🐾🐾🐾📘🏀

ENJOY!!! 😘🎉

17/09/2024

I must share what I received today! How adorable is this poster to Adaline’s Diary of a Pug’s Birthday Sleepover for this weekend!!! 🌟🌙💤🛏️🎉🥳🎈🎁🎂💝
I wish I was invited 😍 Thank you to Adaline’s mom for sharing 🥰😊. Have the most wonderful birthday Adaline. 💖💖💖💖💖💖
Happy Birthday from me. 😘

16/09/2024

Thank you always to .kids.booked. You always support me here in Australia. 🇦🇺 😍🙏🏼🥰❤️🤍💙

Diary of a Pug books started in the US, on October 1st 2019, and gradually they are making their way around the world and the following is getting bigger and bigger.

Australia decided to publish them in September, 2022. They were always available online in Australia, but now they are available in bookstores in Australia which warms my heart, being an Australian. 🇦🇺 🦘🐨💖. I love meeting children locally and they tell me they have Diary of a Pug at home on their bookshelves. 📚There’s not a better feeling. 🥰🥰🥰

So thank you so much .kids.booked for promoting Diary of a Pug in Australia because I know how many people - mum’s, teachers, readers and people in the publishing industry follow you on Instagram. I am very grateful ☺️🙏🏼 You are the BEST!!!

16/09/2024

COVER REVEAL DAY!!!!

Diary of a Pug Book #13 “Super Pug”! Not yet out for while but you can still preorder now. I just had a very excited mom contact me who said she has already preordered, who alerted me that the cover had been dropped! Woo hoo! 🙌🏼 I’m so excited, even though I did design it! I never know when it’s actually going to be released for preorder.

So what is ‘Super Pug’ about you ask?
The local firefighters have asked Bub to star as the pet superhero in their new fire safety commercial. Bub and Bella are thrilled! But when it’s time to film, Nutz is a real nuisance, and Bub’s performance isn’t so super. Then there’s a real problem on the set. Will Bub save the day after all?

I haven’t even started illustrating this book yet. I start next week. I can’t wait. The story is wonderful. Lots of Bub action and humour to keep you turning the pages.

And then onto Book #14! It feels like yesterday when my amazing publisher Debra said “why don’t you create a book series about your pug and your daughter?” My daughter turned 16 years old last week! And the rest is history.

Thank you Debra so much. 💞And thank you Katie, Brian, AnnMarie, Katie, Beth and everyone else behind Diary of a Pug. All the creative team who help me create such wonderful books that make so many children and their parents and grandparents and carers and teachers so happy. I’m so grateful.

07/09/2024

Parents, Scholastic have a Reading Challenge. Go to their Instagram Story for the link.

06/09/2024

This Diary of a Pug collector is eagerly awaiting ‘Pug the Sports Star’ which she will be receiving for her birthday. Happy Birthday gorgeous girl! 💚📗🏀💚📗🏀📗

Her mom says she loves the Diary of a Pug series so much, and she can’t wait for book #11 to be released. Neither can I!!!

I wish my books could be released every week. It takes soooooooo long from coming up with a book idea to the day a book is released. Usually 1-2 years. So book Birthdays are very special days for a book creator. 🎉🥳🎊🎈Not long now……

11 days to go!!!!!
🏀🏀🏀🏀🏀🏀🏀🏀🏀🏀🏀

05/09/2024

12 days until the next Diary of a Pug’ book is released! This time is ‘Pug the Sports Star’.
🏀🐾🏀📘🏀🐾🏀📘🏀🐾🏀📘🏀🐾
Here are some illustrations from the book.

Have you ordered your copy?

30/08/2024

A lion character design.

29/08/2024

A Paris Book Week reader from last week. How adorable!! 🥰 😍❤️🇫🇷🥖🥐🐩 She is a huge fan of the ‘Paris Takes Over The World’ book series. So am I. 😉

22/08/2024

SOOOOOOO very excited about the package that arrived on my doorstep!!! ‘Diary of a Pug’ book #11 ‘Pug the Sports Star’. Even though I have published over 50 books, it’s still such a joy to receive my creation in actual printed form, to touch and feel and turn pages, as a child would. To put myself in the shoes of a young reader is a beautiful moment for me as a children’s book creator. I love when my books arrive from my publisher. It’s like Christmas Day for me! 🎁📚📖🥰

Make sure you have ordered your copy now. Send my a photo of your reader with their copy of ‘Pug the Sports Star’ pretty please 🙏🏼📘🏀🐾🏀🐾

🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡

21/08/2024

I love this post so much for Book Week. Especially the three brown dots on the cheeks!! Just adorable 🥰 🤎🤎🤎🟤🟤🟤

Thank you ❤️

15/08/2024

A fresh new illustration today. An underwater scene. It started as some mercats, then I kept on adding more creatures. I’ve always wanted to draw an axolotl and a puffer fish. Of course I needed a sleeping mermaid with a precious pearl.

07/08/2024

This is the second message I received today from young adults who have recently reread their treasured copies of ‘Lotus Lane’ books with such fond childhood memories, and have passed them on to their daughters or little sisters. This means the world to me. It means that my books are timeless. And that they have remained in a beautiful place in these readers childhood memories and imaginations.

I receive many messages now days about the ‘Lotus Lane’ series with the same sentiment as these messages. It’s so lovely my book series is part of so many little girl’s childhood. And that grown adults search me up to tell me my books meant so much to them in their childhood. ❤️💞👯‍♀️👧🧍‍♀️💖🧁🐶🐱💭☺️❤️

Lotus Lane was based on my childhood street where I grew up. I lived in a the most friendly cul de sac where there were so many kids as my neighbours. We all met after school. We had all different clubs. My best friend neighbour and I would write letters to each other daily as pen pals and I kept a diary. We had schedules for all our clubs. Someone was President, someone was Secretary, someone was even Treasurer, not that we exchanged money!! It just sounded important 😂. We played with our pets and had pet play dates at each other’s houses on allocated days according to the schedule. We played in a band made out of household items. We played dress ups, had fashion parades, put on plays and musical recitals. And endless hours and hours and trampolining and roller skating. And cricket and footy (Australian Football). It was the best street to grow up in. So Lotus Lane is based on 4 girls, neighbours, belonging to the Lotus Lane Club. They have different clubs and different houses. Each book is told from a different character’s perspective. Each character has a different family cultural background and jest for life. She also has a different pet or sidekick that she is obsessed about. The Lotus Lane girls do EVERYTHING with their pets. And do EVERYTHING together. They are the bestest of friends. 👯‍♀️👯‍♀️💕💕

07/08/2024

As well as the animated children’s tv series ‘Kuu Kuu Harajuku’ where I was the Animation Art Director and Lead Background, Character and Prop Designer, I also got to design with Mattel in Los Angeles the Kuu Kuu Harajuku toy range with Gwen Stefani. This was a dream come true because I loved playing with Barbie as a child, I was quite obsessed, and I showered my three daughters with so much Barbie dolls and accessories. I also collected dolls from Japan. And I had been to Japan 9 times before I designed these dolls. So designing Harajuku fashion dolls was a bucket list moment for me. Understanding Gwen’s aesthetic was vital as well. She has a distinct colour palette and pattern style. It was the best project to work on. I loved it so much!! 🥰💖😍

07/08/2024

Wow…has time flown! Almost 10 years ago I was the animation art director and I oversaw the design of the background artwork and emoji art design for Gwen Stefani’s music video “Spark The Fire”. A song she wrote and performed with Pharrell Williams. This was such a fun project to work on. It was such a buzz.

29/07/2024

Here’s the latest Diary of a Pug book, ‘Get Well Pug’. Book #12 in the series.

I loved creating this book. It’s available for preorders. Everyone seems to love this cover art. It’s one of my favourite covers.

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A scruffy brown dog I drew recently with some friends in the garden. By Kyla May. #kylamay #illustrator #childrensbookillustrator #kidsbookillustrator #kidlit #kidlitartist #kidsbookart #kidsbookdrawing #digitalartist #characterdesign #characterart #australianillustrator #australianchildrensbookillustrator

As well as a children’s book creator and illustrator, I used to be an animation creative director, art director and designer. The last animated TV series I art directed and designed was Kuu Kuu Harajuku for Gwen Stefani, Channel Ten in Australia and Nickelodeon in the US. Here are the backgrounds I created with my team of animation artist. My inspiration was my love of Tokyo and kawaii design. Elements of the background were actual objects I took photos of in Tokyo. I love mixed-media. #kylamay #KuuKuuHarajuku #animation #cartoon #nickelodeon #australianillustrator #illustrator #illustrationartists #digitalart #digitalartist #kawaii #gwenstefani #kylamayillustrator #cartoonseries #kidstvshow #animationbackground #illustration #childrensbookillustration #childrensbookartist