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Andrew McLean Andrew McLean i(A47224 works by)
Born: Established: 1946 Bairnsdale, Bairnsdale area, East Gippsland, Gippsland, Victoria, ;
Gender: Male
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BiographyHistory

Born in Bairnsdale, Victoria in 1946, Andrew McLean studied art at Prahran Technical School and the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology. After graduating, he taught art, painting and drawing and became a full-time artist and illustrator.

Andrew and his Melbourne-born wife, Janet McLean (q.v.) wrote The Riverboat Crew (1978), which was commended in the Children's Book Council of Australia (CBCA) awards. Hector and Maggie (1990) and Dog Tales (1993) were both CBCA Picture Book of the Year Honour Books. McLean and his wife travelled to Sarajevo to enable him to achieve a naturalistic feel for the illustrations for John Heffernan's story on the Bosnian conflict, My Dog (2001), the first book in which McLean uses charcoal to give a more subtle, less stylised line.

Most Referenced Works

Personal Awards

2020 inaugural winner Albert Ullin Award
2001 recipient Centenary Medal For service to Australian society and literature

Awards for Works

y separately published work icon The Happiness Box : A Wartime Book of Hope Glebe : Walker Books Australia , 2018 13959149 2018 single work picture book children's

'In 1942, Sergeant “Griff” Griffin was a prisoner of war. With Christmas approaching, he decided to make a book for the children cooped up in nearby Changi Prison. The book was said to contain the secrets to happiness. But the enemy was suspicious … With this picture book, award winners Mark Greenwood and Andrew McLean bring to life the inspirational true story of a book that became a National Treasure.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

2019 shortlisted CBCA Book of the Year Awards Eve Pownall Award for Information Books
2019 CBCA Book of the Year Awards Notable Book Eve Pownall Award
y separately published work icon Fabish : The Horse That Braved a Bushfire Crows Nest : Allen and Unwin , 2016 9508651 2016 single work picture book children's

'A powerful and beautifully illustrated picture book based on the true story of a heroic horse called Fabish, who saved a group of young horses during the Black Saturday bushfires.

'This is the true story of a brave horse called Fabish. In his racing days, he always tried his hardest. And when he retired, Fabish took care of the flighty young horses.

'One hot summer day, a wild wind blew up and the yearlings were restless. Then Fabish smelled smoke. Fire was coming, fast. The trainer threw open the gate and said, 'Go now!' Fabish neighed to the young ones and they galloped away. All through the night, the fire raged and the trainer battled to save the racehorses in the stables.

'But what would become of Fabish and the yearlings? Could he save them from the firestorm?' (Publication summary)

2017 shortlisted CBCA Book of the Year Awards Eve Pownall Award for Information Books
2017 CBCA Book of the Year Awards Notable Book Eve Pownall Award
y separately published work icon Bob, the Railway Dog Fitzroy : Black Dog Books , 2015 8722436 2015 single work picture book children's

'The true story of a little dog who had adventure in his heart and the rattle of the rails in his soul.

'In the early days of the railway, when shiny new tracks were opening vast areas of Australia, there was an adventurous dog who was part of it all. As the tracks were being laid he was there on the train - riding in his favourite spot on top of the Yankee engine. Everyone knew him. He was Bob the Railway Dog. ' (Publication summary)

2016 CBCA Book of the Year Awards Notable Book Picture Books
2016 shortlisted Speech Pathology Australia Book of the Year Awards Five to 8 Years
Last amended 27 Oct 2020 11:01:19
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