Jules & PJ Ober

Author Visit - Jules and PJ Ober

The Grade 6 Book Week unit involved students writing and publishing a picture book for our Grade 1 students. To begin with, we read, analysed and discussed high-quality picture books by authors, including Jeannie Baker and Jules and PJ (Pierre-Jacques) Ober. 

Jules and PJ are a French-Australian couple with a unique style of illustrating their books. They build miniature sets and set up scenes with mini figures before taking photos to make a story. PJ makes many of the models, as he has always enjoyed making mini figures and Jules uses her love of photography to take emotive images. 

Jules and PJ were very interested in our stories. When they visited they taught us their techniques and gave us tips to improve our photographs, including the importance of lighting, planning strategic backgrounds and how to effectively lay out the pages. 

They also shared their family histories and how they often use these as inspiration for their books, including the story of Jacqueline, based on the life of PJs mother during WW2. 

The year level particularly enjoyed the visit and making their own picture books. 

Happy Book Week!

-Kendrick & Khushi