Isobel To Aho-White
Location: Wellington
Preferred audience: Years 0-8
Isobel is an illustrator of Ngāi Tahu, Ngāti Kahungunu and Pākehā decent, who lives and works in Te Whanganui-a-Tara.
Since graduating with a Bachelor of Design (hons) from Massey University in 2016, Isobel has illustrated over 30 books and is a regular contributer to School Journal, cementing herself as one of Aotearoa’s most prolific children’s illustrators.
With a wide range of styles to draw from, Isobel’s versatility stems from her technical training and appetite for experimentation. A self-described perpetual seeker, her many influences include botanical illustrations, folk art, mythology, and māori design.
TOPICS COVERED
Te Taiao/Nature, Te Reo Māori, Matariki, Whānau, Native Plants and Animals, New Zealand History
Website: https://www.izzyjoyart.com/
2024
Ngā Kupenga a Nanny Rina / Nanny Rina’s Amazing Nets by Qiane Matata-Sipu (PRH)
Bat Kiwi and the Big Wet by Melinda Szymanik (Sholastic)
What’s in a Name? / He Aha To Te Ingoa? By Renisa Viraj Maki (Oratia)
Ten Nosey Weka by Kate Preece (Bateman Books)
2023
My Matariki Colouring and Activity Book (Scholastic)
Sunshower by Melinda Szymanik (Scholastic)
Stranded by Linda Jane Keegan (Bateman Books)
Tōku Whānau Rerehua by Rauhina Cooper (Oratia)
Ariā and the Kūmara God / ā Ariā me te Atua o te Kūmara by Witi Ihimaera (PRH)
2022
Pipi & Pou, book series by Tim Tipene (Onetree House)
Batkiwi: There are no Moa, E Hoa by Melinda Szymanik (Scholastic)
Lost in the Museum by Victoria Cleal (Te Papa Press)
Maratiki: A Cluster of Stars, A Cluster of Stories by Miriama Kamo and Rangi Matāmua (Scholastic)
The Astromancer / Te Kōkōrangi by Witi Ihimaera (PRH)
The Māori Picture Dictionary (with Josh Morgan) (PRH)
2021
Batkiwi by Melinda Szymanik (Scholastic)
Kia Kaha by Jeremy Sherlock and Stacey Morrison (PRH)
Takahē Maths by Linda Ellis (Onetree House)
2020
Whiti: Colossal Squid of the Deep by Victoria Cleal (Te Papa Press)
2019
Santa’s Worst Christmas / Te Kirihimete I Whakakorea (Huia Publishers)
He Paki Taonga I a Māui / Māui’s Taonga Tales (Te Papa Press)
2018
How Kiwi Saved the Forest by Andre Ngāpō (Ready-to-Read, Ministry of Education)