Some people grow up wanting to be artists.
Wendy Binks just never stopped being one.
The Emu Lady
She's been drawing Australian animals since she could hold a pencil – emus, mostly, because emus have opinions – and somewhere along the way, a lifelong obsession quietly became a career, a publishing house, a markets stall, and a whole lot of very happy walls. Wendy is the artist, author, and illustrator behind Stunned Emu Designs, based in Fremantle, Western Australia. She writes and illustrates children's books through her own imprint, Stunned Emu Press, paints Australian wildlife with the kind of warmth that only comes from genuinely knowing your subject, and produces a wide range of merchandise that's 95% designed and made right here in WA.
Meet Stripey
Her most famous creation is Stripey – the emu chick with attitude. Stripey made his debut in Where's Stripey?, which won the WA Premier's Literary Award for Children's Books in 2005 and has sold over 180,000 copies. He's since starred in two more picture books, a live theatre production that toured Australia's east coast, and he lives permanently on the walls of the Children's Ward at Fiona Stanley Hospital. (Not bad for a bird.) Wendy has also illustrated for Scholastic Australia, and a fourth Stripey adventure is in the works – landing in 2026 for Stripey's 21st birthday.
Artist, Author, Illustrator, Snake Catcher.
She's been drawing Australian animals since she could hold a pencil – emus, mostly, because emus have opinions – and somewhere along the way, a lifelong obsession quietly became a career, a publishing house, a markets stall, and a whole lot of very happy walls. Wendy is the artist, author, and illustrator behind Stunned Emu Designs, based in Fremantle, Western Australia. She writes and illustrates children's books through her own imprint, Stunned Emu Press, paints Australian wildlife with the kind of warmth that only comes from genuinely knowing your subject, and produces a wide range of merchandise that's 95% designed and made right here in WA.