Children's Book Author

AlbyGreenwood

Stories that make you look twice at the world around you —
and the small, magnificent creatures within it.

✦   Dispatches from the edge of the world · Tasmania, Australia   ✦

Enter the Greenwood
Alby Greenwood

About Alby

Welcome to the Greenwood

I've always believed that the best stories find you when you least expect them — usually hiding under a leaf, or curled inside a particularly interesting creature.

For three decades I built a career helping families plan their futures — but all the while, I was scribbling poems on notepads and spinning tales for my two boys that were definitely more entertaining than they needed to be.

Inspired by the wild beauty of Tasmania, a lifelong love of rhyme, and a childhood spent with Dr Seuss, I write picture books that celebrate the small, overlooked wonders of the natural world.

I live on the edge of a great adventure — quite literally — and I believe every child deserves a story that makes them look twice at the world around them.

Miena Jewel Beetle painted by Alby Greenwood — Alby x
"
For the first time in his life,
he had absolutely nothing left to say.
— from The Most Marvellous Beetle by Alby Greenwood

The Books

Stories from the Greenwood

Picture books that ask children — and the grown-ups beside them — to pause, wonder, and look a little more closely at the extraordinary world hiding in plain sight.

01
Manuscript · In Submission

The Most Marvellous Beetle

Jimmy knows everything about beetles. Everything. His teacher, his family, and just about everyone at school knows this too — whether they want to or not. But when Jimmy spots something extraordinary on a bush in the school yard — a Miena Jewel Beetle, one of the rarest creatures on the planet — suddenly the boy everyone tried to escape becomes the hero nobody expected. A joyful, funny picture book about the superpower of knowing one thing really, really well, and the magnificent moment the world finally catches up with you.

Picture Book · Ages 3–7 · EK Books "Your Marvellous Mind" Competition
02
Manuscript · In Discussion

The Rock Face

Abdu has a secret place, well so he thought! Past sharp scratchy grass, black ants and flies… looms the Rock Face. When he climbs, the worry of being new to his school, and to his country falls away. But today he will find he is not alone. Junie talks too loudly, shouts about beetles, and says exactly what she thinks. Abdu isn't sure he wants to share his rock. A tender, funny story about two children who don't quite fit — and the unexpected friendship that blooms when they find each other at the top of the world.

Picture Book · Ages 4–8 · Themes of belonging & resilience

Alby's Shelves

What fills the Greenwood

Every author is shaped by the stories they loved first. These are the picture books that live on Alby's shelves, dog-eared and treasured — the ones that proved a few words and the right illustration can change how a child sees the world.

"A picture book is the first theatre a child ever sits in." — Mem Fox

From the Greenwood

Latest News

2025
Competition Entry

The Most Marvellous Beetle — EK Books

Jimmy has been submitted to EK Books' "Your Marvellous Mind" competition. Fingers crossed for this very particular, very marvellous little story.

2025
In Discussion

The Rock Face — Publisher Conversations

Exciting early conversations are underway with publishers about The Rock Face. A story about belonging that feels more important than ever.

2025
Welcome

Alby Greenwood enters the Greenwood

Welcome to Alby's corner of the internet — a place for stories, creatures, and the kind of wonder that hides under leaves. More to come.

Find Alby

Say Hello

Whether you're a publisher, educator, fellow book lover, or simply someone who once befriended a beetle — Alby would love to hear from you.

albygreenwoodauthor@gmail.com

Based in Tasmania, Australia · Available for school visits & events