Terry Denton

Terry Denton
Denton in August 2018
Born
Terence James Denton

(1950-07-26)26 July 1950
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Died21 September 2026(2026-09-21) (aged 76)
Mornington, Victoria, Australia[citation needed]
Occupations
  • Author
  • illustrator artist
Websitehttps://www.terrydenton.com.au/

Terence James Denton (26 July 1950 – 21 September 2026) was an Australian author, illustrator and artist. He wrote and illustrated more than 30 of his own books and illustrated numerous others for many notable Australian authors. His own books include the Gasp! series, which has been adapted into an animated TV series of the same name (and aired on Nine Network and ABC3). His art and designs contributed heavily to the style and stories of the children's TV series Lift Off. He is arguably best known for his illustrations of the “Just!” series written by Andy Griffiths.

Career

Denton originally studied architecture but became "unhappy with that course". His website says that he tried his hand at animation, painting, theatre, etching, sculpture and cartooning, humorously adding horse whispering, iceberg building, and pterodactyl counseling.

Denton's first major picture story book, Felix and Alexander, won the 1986 Children's Book Council of Australia Picture Book of the Year award. Denton was also known for his illustrations in the Just! series of books, written by Andy Griffiths. Denton is perhaps best known for his artwork on the Treehouse series, also written by Griffiths, which has sold over 10 million copies in Australia. The 78-Storey Treehouse became the fastest-selling book in Australian history on its first day of sales in 2016.

Along with Griffiths, Denton was a noted supporter of the September 2019 climate strikes.

Personal life and death

Denton was the second youngest of five boys and was born and grew up in Melbourne, Victoria. He was married and had three children.

Denton died in Mornington, Victoria,[citation needed] on 21 September 2026 at the age of 76.

Works

As author and illustrator

  • Felix and Alexander (1985)
  • Gasp!
    • Gasp! (1996)
    • Zapt! (1997)
    • Splat! (1998)
    • Squish! (2005)
    • Crash! (2006)
    • Chomp! (2007)
  • Storymaze
    1. The Ultimate Wave (2001)
    2. The Eye of Ulam (2001)
    3. The Wooden Cow (2002)
    4. The Golden Udder (2002)
    5. Minotaur's Maze (2003)
    6. The Obelisk of Eeeno (2003)
  • It's True! Pigs Do Fly (2004)
  • Squish! (2005)
  • Wombat & Fox
    • Wombat & Fox: Tales of the City (2006)
    • Wombat & Fox: Summer in the City (2007)
    • Wombat & Fox: Thrillseekers (2009)
  • Terry Denton's Really Truly Amazing Guide to Everything (2020)
  • Bumper Books
    • Terry Denton's Bumper Book of the Universe (2014)
    • Terry Denton's Bumper Book of Silly Stuff to Do! (2022)
    • Terry Denton's Bumper Book of Holiday Stuff to Do! (2022)

With Andy Griffiths

Denton collaborated with writer Andy Griffiths to produce:

  • The Day My Bum Went Psycho (2001)
  • The Bad Book (2004)
  • The Cat on the Mat Is Flat (2006)
  • What Bumosaur is That? (2007)
  • The Big Fat Cow That Goes Kapow (2008)
  • The Very Bad Book (2010)
  • What Body Part Is That? (2011)
  • Once Upon A Slime (2013)
  • The Cat, the Rat, and the Baseball Bat (2013)
  • Ed and Ted and Ted's Dog Fred (2015)
  • The Just! Books
  • The Treehouse Series
    • Main series
      • The 13-Storey Treehouse (2011)
      • The 26-Storey Treehouse (2012)
      • The 39-Storey Treehouse (2013)
      • The 52-Storey Treehouse (2014)
      • The 65-Storey Treehouse (2015)
      • The 78-Storey Treehouse (2016)
      • The 91-Storey Treehouse (2017)
      • The 104-Storey Treehouse (2018)
      • The 117-Storey Treehouse (2019)
      • The 130-Storey Treehouse (2020)
      • The 143-Storey Treehouse (2021)
      • The 156-Storey Treehouse (2022)
      • The 169-Storey Treehouse (2023)
    • Extras
      • The Treehouse Fun Book (2016)
      • The Treehouse Fun Book 2 (2017)
      • Terry's Dumb Dot Story (2018)
      • The Treehouse Fun Book 3 (2018)
      • The Treehouse Joke Book (2019)
      • Little Treehouse series (2020)
      • The Treehouse Joke Book 2 (2021)
      • The Bumper Treehouse Fun Book (2021)
      • Treehouse Tales (2022)
      • Who's Who and What's Where in the Treehouse (2023)

Illustration

Books by Mem Fox:

Books by Mark Greenwood:

  • Jandamarra (2013)
  • Boomerang & Bat (2016)
  • Moonwalkers (2020)

Books by Paul Jennings and Ted Greenwood:

  • Spooner or Later (1992)
  • Duck for Cover (1995)
  • Freeze a crowd (1996)

Books by Alison Lloyd:

  • Wicked Warriors and Evil Emperors (2010)
  • Dragons, Devils and Rebels (2017)
  • The Upside-Down History of Down Under (2019)

Books by Natalie Jane Prior:

  • The Paw (1993)
  • The Paw in Destination: Brazil (1995)
  • The Paw in The Purple Diamond (1998)

Books by Gillian Rubinstein:

  • Mr Plunkett's pool (1992)
  • Jake and Pete (1995)
  • Jake and Pete and the Stray Dogs (1997)
  • Ducky's Nest (1999)
  • Jake & Pete and the Catcrowbats (1999)
  • Jake and Pete and the Magpie's Wedding (2002)

Books by Pamela Shrapnel:

  • Meannie and the Min-Min (1987)
  • Freddie the Frightened and the Wondrous Ms. Wardrobe (1988)

Other books:

  • The Worm Who Knew Karate by Julie Lever (2015)

References

  1. 1 2 "Author Terry Denton". Puffin & Puffin Books Australia. Archived from the original on 29 June 2017. Retrieved 30 August 2007.
  2. ↑ "Beloved children's author and illustrator Terry Denton dies aged 76". Nine.com.au. 22 September 2026. Retrieved 16 October 2026.
  3. ↑ "About 1". Terry Denton. Retrieved 30 September 2026.
  4. ↑ "About 1". Terry Denton. Retrieved 30 September 2026.
  5. ↑ "Denton, Terry". Walker Books Australia. 17 April 2025. Archived from the original on 11 April 2026. Retrieved 22 September 2026.
  6. 1 2 "About Terry". Terry Denton. Archived from the original on 17 February 2022. Retrieved 17 February 2022.
  7. 1 2 "The creepy old children's books that still inspire author Andy Griffiths". ABC News. 1 April 2026. Retrieved 22 September 2026.
  8. 1 2 3 Studniarz, Lukasz. "The 78-Storey Treehouse becomes the fastest selling Australian title". Archived from the original on 16 May 2025. Retrieved 22 September 2026.
  9. 1 2 3 Low, Lenny Ann and Styles, Aja (10 August 2016). "The 78 Storey Treehouse, by Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton, is fastest-selling Australian book of all time". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 22 September 2026.
  10. 1 2 "Treehouse creators Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton back Global Climate Strike". 18 September 2019. Archived from the original on 21 September 2021. Retrieved 21 September 2021.
  11. ↑ "In loving memory of Terry Denton". Instagram. 22 September 2026.
  12. ↑ Dasey, Jason (22 September 2026). "Terry Denton, children's author and illustrator behind Treehouse series, dies aged 76". ABC News. Archived from the original on 22 September 2026. Retrieved 22 September 2026.
  13. ↑ "Gasp!". Terry Denton. Retrieved 17 February 2022.
  14. ↑ "Books". Andy Griffiths. 8 August 2015. Retrieved 17 February 2022.
  15. ↑ "The Treehouse Books". Terry Denton. Archived from the original on 17 February 2022. Retrieved 17 February 2022.
  16. ↑ Blau, Annika (16 September 2018). "Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton are putting the 'anarchy' back into childhood". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 29 October 2020. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
  17. 1 2 "Griffiths announced as Australian Children's Laureate". Books+Publishing. 11 February 2026. Archived from the original on 11 June 2026. Retrieved 23 February 2026.
  18. 1 2 3 Woodhead, Cameron (29 July 2020). "Rollicking slapstick as reluctant babysitters face sharks, whirlpool". Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 29 July 2020. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
  19. ↑ "Andy Griffiths appointed as national ambassador for Australian children's literature". 10 February 2026. Archived from the original on 26 March 2026. Retrieved 10 April 2026.
  20. ↑ Blake, Jason (23 September 2013). "Andy Griffith's 13-Story Treehouse goes to the edge of the ridiculous". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 12 July 2014.
  21. ↑ "2012 COOL Awards winners announced". Books+Publishing. 20 November 2012. Archived from the original on 1 October 2020. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
  22. ↑ Knight, Elaine E. (1 March 2014). "The 26-Storey Treehouse". School Library Journal. Vol. 60, no. 3. p. 140. EBSCOhost 94674623. Archived from the original on 5 September 2025. Retrieved 15 March 2026.
  23. ↑ "Andy Griffiths: from crafting outlandish lyrics to writing 'funny stuff for kids'". ABC listen. 20 October 2015. Archived from the original on 16 April 2026. Retrieved 10 April 2026.
  24. ↑ Griffiths, Andy (8 August 2016). "Andy Griffiths adds more layers to his beloved Treehouse". Stuff. Archived from the original on 11 April 2026. Retrieved 10 April 2026.
  25. 1 2 Croll, Vanessa (29 July 2020). "Coles announces world-first Little Treehouse collectables". The Australian. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
  26. ↑ "'Terry's Dumb Dot Story' raises over $140k for charity". Books+Publishing. 19 July 2018. Archived from the original on 16 October 2019. Retrieved 22 September 2026.
  27. ↑ "Jandamarra". Terry Denton. Archived from the original on 17 February 2022. Retrieved 17 February 2022.
  28. 1 2 3 "The Worm Who Knew Karate". Terry Denton. Archived from the original on 17 February 2022. Retrieved 17 February 2022.
  29. ↑ "Moonwalkers". Terry Denton. Archived from the original on 17 February 2022. Retrieved 17 February 2022.
  30. ↑ Duck For Cover: The World's Weirdest Quack-a-Joke Book. ASIN 0670837199.
  31. ↑ Jennings, Paul; Greenwood, Ted (19 May 1999). Freeze a Crowd: Riddles, Puns, Conundrums. Penguin Random House. ISBN 978-0-14-056489-1.
  32. ↑ Shrapnel, Pamela (1987). Meannie and the Min Min. Angus & Robertson. ISBN 978-0-207-15053-1.
  33. ↑ "Denton, Terry 1950– | Encyclopedia.com". www.encyclopedia.com. Archived from the original on 16 June 2026. Retrieved 22 September 2026.