A vivid, searching memoir of life, love and book-making by a master of the art of picture books.

Ron Brooks grew up in East Gippsland, a country boy with a yen for drawing and observation of the life around him. He became an acknowledged master of the picture-book form, winning acclaim both nationally and internationally for classics such as The Bunyip of Berkeley's Creek and John Brown, Rose and the Midnight Cat by Jenny Wagner - both in print continuously for over 30 years - and Old Pig and the multi-award-winning Fox by Margaret Wild. Yet success never came easy. In this searching memoir he recreates his life as an artist, husband, father, with all its twists and turns, its pain and joy. Along the way he offers rare insights into the 'secret' process of picture-making and story-shaping. Illustrated with roughs and finished art from his best-loved books, Drawn from the Heart is a classic in its own right.

Honour Book, 2011 Children's Book Council of Australia Book of the Year - Eve Pownall Award for Information Books.