We’re joined by award-winning author and illustrator Jess McGeachin to talk about his latest picture book, Find Me on the Coast. The first in a new series, this beautifully illustrated journey takes readers through kelp forests, coral reefs, and tidal zones, showcasing the rich life found along our shores.
Jess shares the inspiration behind the book, his creative process, and how his love for nature and museum work fuels his storytelling.
Read our book review of
Find Me on the Coast
by Jess Mcgeachin
MEET JESS MCGEACHIN
Where did you grow up and what was it like? Can you paint us a picture? Pardon the pun!
I grew up in Castlemaine in regional Victoria where I spent lots of time in the local library pouring over well-loved DK eyewitness books. I remember that we used to go camping often, and even though we didn’t travel far from home it was wonderful to sleep in the bush under the stars.
I’ve actually just moved back to the area with my young family, and it’s only now that I realise what a wonderful, artistic community it is. There’s a fantastic bookshop, theatre and a few good coffee shops – what more could a writer want?
Do you remember what inspired you to begin drawing and creating art? Or was it just something you always did?
My mum encouraged my sister and I to draw from a young age – birthday and Christmas presents were always from the local art shop and we had a big, paint-splattered tablecloth that got a lot of use.
I think the best bit was that there was no pressure for our creations to be ‘good’, the pleasure was always in the making. I kept up art through school and then university (albeit as a graphic designer which is close enough).
Who has had the most influence upon you as an artist?
Growing up, my mum worked as a scientific illustrator for the Melbourne Museum. We often visited her in the basement of the old museum, surrounded by strange animals in glass jars. She’s still a very accomplished practising artist and printmaker and her love of nature has certainly had a big influence on me.
What started you on your journey creating picture books?
I moved to Oxford in the U.K with my partner for a few years and it was a wonderful opportunity to explore a new part of the world. It also gave me creative time to just play. I had time to explore a whole new genre of art, picture book illustration.
Trying to get a book published was the second part of the journey – there was a lot of rejection but also plenty of encouragement from loved ones. I’ve also found such an incredibly supportive community in fellow book makers.
Can you tell us a bit about your latest book and what inspired it?
Find me in the Coast is a walk around our world’s coasts, from rocky shores to swaying kelp forests and everything in between.
I was inspired by the idea of looking for clues in nature, like finding colourful shells on the beach and wondering about their origin. It’s such a simple act but one that I think is more important now than ever. I also wanted to write a non-fiction picture book that could be read aloud as a story, and take you on a journey around the world and back home again.
What sort of research did you do for this book? What sort of research have you done for previous books? Did you visit any exciting places?
For this book I made sure to visit the coast, of course. Exploring the rock-pools brought back memories of visiting the beach when I was little – turning over rocks and not knowing what you might find, and following the footprints in the sand and trying to work out who made them.
I spoke to marine biologists and looked through collections of shells and specimens. Chitons are my new favourite coast animal, they’re such wonderful weirdos.
What impact do you hope your books have on your young readers?
I hope my books show young readers the wonder of the natural world, and encourage them to get outside and explore. Not just the cute and furry natural world, but the strange and weird stuff too. I’m always reminded by experts that there’s so much we don’t know about our planet, so I hope that my books also ask more questions than they answer.
What other roles do you do apart from creating books?
My day job is as a graphic designer for the Melbourne Museum, where I’m lucky enough to help create exhibitions. Like books, I love that I never know what I’m going to work on next – one day it’s dinosaurs, the next microbes. My other new role is Dad, which is indescribably rewarding.
Do you have another book simmering?
Always! Find me on the Coast is the first in a series, and the second book – Find me in the Forest – is well underway. There’s always more ideas bubbling and I’d love to try my hand at some longer form fiction too.
Who are some of the authors/illustrators you’ve always looked up to – and why?
There are far, far too many writers and illustrators to mention but recently I’ve been revisiting some amazing picture book creators from the 1960s like Miroslav Šašek and Alice and Martin Provensen. Somehow their work looks as contemporary and fresh today as it did sixty years ago, and there’s a simplicity to the style that I adore.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jess McGeachin grew up in regional Victoria where he spent lots of time in the local library pouring over well-loved DK eyewitness books.
He has fond memories of visiting the old Melbourne Museum where his mum worked as a scientific illustrator, meticulously drawing strange sea-creatures in glass jars.
Jess studied Communication Design at RMIT and worked as a graphic designer before turning his hand to writing and illustrating picture books.
He loves telling stories about hidden places, like the underground world beneath your feet or a secret library waiting to be found. His books include Frankie and Fossil, The Lost Library, Deep and Fly.
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