Meet Jodie

Jodie Barton is a children’s author, teacher and passionate advocate for helping young children discover the joy of reading, writing and storytelling. Based in sunny Perth, Western Australia, Jodie shares her home with her son, Hamish, George the lovable Labrador and Maggie the cat. 

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Jodie has spent the past eight years working as a primary school teacher, specialising in Early Childhood Education. She currently teaches Year 1 and 2 EAL/D students in an Intensive English Centre, supporting children who are newly learning English. It is a role she considers both a privilege and one of the great joys of her career.

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With a Graduate Diploma of Education and a Bachelor of Arts in Communications (Media Analysis and Production), including sub-majors in Television, Photographic and Radio Journalism, Jodie’s fascination with words, stories and communication began long before she started writing children’s books. A background in debating and public speaking has also shaped her love of connecting with audiences and bringing stories to life.

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At the heart of both her teaching and writing is a belief that every child deserves the opportunity to find their voice. Jodie is particularly passionate about building children’s confidence through literacy, imagination and storytelling, and loves nothing more than watching a child discover that their ideas are worth sharing.

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Before swapping the corporate world for classrooms and picture books, Jodie worked across executive management, academic recruitment, sales, coaching and consulting. These days, she is much happier surrounded by children’s books, story ideas and the wide-eyed wonder of her early learners.

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When she isn’t teaching or writing, Jodie can usually be found cheering from the sidelines of one of Hamish’s sporting events, curled up with a good streaming series, or “procrasta-baking” enormous quantities of cookies, muffins, slices and cakes while accomplishing very little of whatever she was actually supposed to be doing.

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She wouldn’t have it any other way!