About the Author

Margaret Thornton was a scholar, intellectual, artist and poet, as well as a lover of nature and a fount of botanical wisdom. The daughter of an airforce pilot, she travelled the world during her youth, later marrying an architect, with whom she had three children. Unusually, she was born, lived and died in the same house - an unpretentious weatherboard in Melbourne, Australia. Elizabeth is one of Australia's leading animal artists. She has an amazing ability to capture the essence and personality of the animals she portrays. For many years an illustrator and author of childrens' books, she has her studio amongst the rolling hills of Gippsland in Victoria, Australia.Elizabeth's work is highly sought after and in collections around the world.