Giselle Clarkson is an award-winning author, illustrator and cartoonist living in South Wairarapa. In 2023 she was made an Arts Foundation Te Tumu Toi Laureate, receiving the Mallinson Rendel Illustrators Award for an outstanding contribution to New Zealand children’s books. Giselle blends humour with detailed observation to achieve her signature style. She is a regular contributor to the NZ School Journal, NZ Geographic magazine, children’s literature website The Sapling, and once experienced viral success with an illustrated poster of NZ baked goods. Her bestselling non-fiction book The Observologist: A Handbook for Mounting Very Small Scientific Expeditions is her first as both author and illustrator, and has been translated into over ten languages. Her follow-up, Omnibird: An Avian Investigator’s Handbook was published in 2025.
