Gumnut babies

English born May Gibbs was raised in Western Australia and with her artist's eye quickly grew to appreciate the beauty and uniqueness of the Australian bush and its flowers. Trained professionally as an artist in England she returned to Western Australia and found work as an artist and cartoonist for the Western Mail before returning to England for further art training. Her first commissioned work was as an illustrator for the publisher Harrap. Her own book About us was published in 1912: this had been re-written by May from her manuscript story of Mimie and Wog; their adventures in Australia. The strange Australian bush setting of this did not appeal to English publishers and their audience.

About us was not successful enough to warrant a sequel, and as May's health failed in the English climate and with her neglect of herself, she was whisked back to Australia by her family and established herself in Sydney. In 1913 she was commissioned to produce a bookmark; the long eucalyptus leaf with two gumnut babes peeping over the top was a success and the genesis of The Gumnut Babies which was published in 1916. Before this May had produced post cards for the Australian troops fighting in Europe during World War I. The kookaburras and kangaroos with their cheerful messages such as 'We'll keep the billy boiling, dear, till you come marching home' were popular and sold well; eventually the gumnuts too appeared in a series of colourful cards with cheery messages. After the success of The Gumnut Babies there followed in quick succession The Gum Blossom Babies, Boronia Babies, Flannel Flower Babies and Wattle Babies all slim booklets with only a slight text.

In 1918 Snugglepot and Cuddlepie was published and was an instant success. With its sequels Little Ragged Blossom and Little Obelia May was at last established as the author and illustrator of a uniquely Australian bush wonderland. These three books were combined in 1940 as The complete adventures of Snugglepot and Cuddlepie and have been in print ever since. Bernhardt writes in Wily violets... that May was the first to '... incorporate the natural history of Australian wildflowers within a fantasy framework.' Elsewhere in Gumnut Town he writes 'May Gibbs' contributions remain unique because they are such an unusually accurate vision of Australia's bush in bloom... both plant structure and ecology are so carefully interwoven...'

Marcie Muir in A history of Australian children's book illustration (p. 84) wrote Gibbs shows 'a sound technique, as well as having a decorative quality and humorous inventiveness.'

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