Allison Colpoys

Allison Colpoys, illustrator of the children’s picture book If All the World Were…, which was written by the award‑winning British poet and children’s author Joseph Coelho. She is widely recognised for her expressive, emotion-rich illustrations that bring the story to life. Colpoys grew up in the Northern Territory of Australia and now lives in Naarm, Melbourne on Wurundjeri land. She originally studied multimedia, later focusing on illustration and design for children’s books and commercial publications. Her illustration style in If All the World Were… uses expressive colour and pattern to depict the diverse emotions portrayed in the story from joyful shared moments between a child and her grandfather through to themes of memory and loss. She has received recognition including the CBCA Crichton Award for Best New Talent and multiple Australian Book Industry Awards for illustration and cover design of the book If All the World Were… a moving, lyrical picture book that gently introduces children to the themes of love, memory, and coping with the death of a grandparent through both poetic text and vivid illustrations. The story follows a young girl and her grandad through the seasons; after his death, she keeps his memory alive by writing and drawing in a notebook he once made for her. Allison Colpoys is best described as the talented illustrator whose evocative artwork beautifully complements Joseph Coelho’s text in If All the World Were… and helps convey its emotional depth to young readers.