Davina Bell is a writer from Western Australia. She is the author of the award-winning picture book The Underwater Fancy-Dress Parade (illustrated by Allison Colpoys), which won the 2016 Australian Book Industry Award for Best Children's Book from a Small Publisher, as well as the Alice books in the best-selling Our Australian Girl series. For six years she was a Senior Editor at Penguin Books in the Young Readers Division, where she worked with some of our country's most beloved children's book creators. Davina lives and works in Melbourne, where she still dreams about the Western Australian beaches while drinking a lot of very good Melbourne coffee.
`Every page of this book in joyous, imaginative and life-affirming ... All the Ways to be Smart is a celebration of what childhood can be, and it will likely become a classic.' -Louise Pfanner, bookseller and author/illustrator of the `Louise Builds ...' series, Books+Publishing `The book, All the Ways to Be Smart, aims to teach children that there is more to being smart than reading to maths and encourages the pursuit of the arts.' -The Leader `This book is funny and tender, exuberant and whimsical, and an absolute joy to pore over ... Colpoys' distinctive illustrations fizz with her trademark charm and vivacity; the colours burst out of the page with wild abandonment.' -Bronte Coates, Readings `Joyful and vibrant ... Allison Colpoys' illustrations shimmer with movement and vivacity, with her loose-line illustrations and selective colour palette exuding a nostalgic retro charm. Children will want to pore over each page, while the seamless read-out-loud rhyming pattern will ensure this is a favourite for years to come.' -Kids' Book Review `This collaboration between Davina Bell and Alison Colpoys is a celebration of what makes us us, of the strengths that we all have within ourselves - whether we're dreamers, adventurers, readers or artists ... The illustrations are whimsical and fun, with a beautiful colour palette.' -Noveltea Corner