Hélène Magisson is a critically acclaimed Australian illustrator of many books for children. Before Hélène turned to book illustration, she was a painting restorer in Paris, where she was also trained in the art of medieval illumination.
Hélène’s children’s books are widely known and loved across the world. Her timeless style lends itself naturally to classics, such as The Velveteen Rabbit (New Frontier, 2021), and also universal contemporary stories, such as Before You Were Born written by Katrina Germein (HarperCollins, 2020).
Hélène is frequently recognised by the Children’s Book Council of Australia. Most recently, she was awarded the CBCA 2025 Notable Picture Book Award for Willow’s Gumboots, written by Beverley McWilliams (MidNightSun Publishing).
Awards
2025
Speech Pathology Australia, Book of the Year
Best Book for Language and Literacy Development (5-8yrs)
Willow’s Gumboots, written by Beverley McWilliams (MidNightSun Publishing).
CBCA Notable Picture Book Award - Early Childhood
Willow’s Gumboots, written by Beverley McWilliams (MidNightSun Publishing).
2022
Speech Pathology Book Awards - Shortlist
Before You Were Born, written by Katrina Germein (Harper Collins)
2021
Australia Books Industry Awards
Small Publishers’ Children’s Book of the Year - Longlist
Claudette, written and illustrated by Helene Magisson (Red Paper Kite)
2020
CBCA Notable Book of the Year - Early Childhood
Little Puggle’s Song, written by Vikki Conley (New Frontier Publishing)
2018
CBCA Notable Picture Book of the Year
Slowly! Slowly!, written by T.M. Clark (Wombat Books)
Clients include:
Scholastic
Wild Dog Books
Little Book Press
Harper Collins
Little Hare (Hardie Grant Publishing)
Walker Books
Midnightsun Publishing
New Frontier Publishing
Dirt Lane Press
Red Paper Kite
Wombat Books
Dar Al Saqi
Beyond her illustration work, Hélène has recently made her literary debut as a writer in French, earning recognition in the prestigious Concours de la Nouvelle George Sand with her short story achievements in both 2022 and 2023.
