Judy Horacek

Judy Horacek (born 12 November 1961) is an Australian cartoonist, artist, writer and children's book creator. She is best known for her award winning children's picture book Where is the Green Sheep? with Mem Fox, and her cartoons which have been published all over the world. She has been a regular cartoonist for newspapers including The Age newspaper, The Canberra Times, The Australian and The Australia Institute Newsletter. Horacek's latest book is Now or Never, her tenth cartoon collection. She received the 2024 Stanley Award for Single Gag Cartoonist.

In 2005, a selection of her work was acquired by the National Library of Australia for its collection. She said at the time that "I really like being recognised for having done work that is part of the social discourse. And it's always nice to see cartoons get another lease on life – now they represent a particular time and context and become part of the portrait of who we [Australians] are".

Life

Horacek graduated with a BA from the University of Melbourne in 1991, majoring in Fine Arts and English. She then studied for a Diploma in Museum Studies at Victoria University. In 2007, she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (Visual) in Printmedia and Drawing from Australian National University.

She lives in Melbourne.

Writing

Horacek started her career as a writer, and was a member of a community writing group in North Melbourne. Words are an important part of her cartoons, and sometimes dominate the pictures. Accordingly, her cartoons can be found in newspapers and magazines, online, on various merchandise items and as limited edition prints.

It was her interest in feminism which "drove Horacek's early work and established her reputation as a cartoonist".

Horacek's first commissioned work for The Age newspaper was published on International Women's Day 1995, next to the obituary of Senator Olive Zakharov. This was her cartoon, Woman with Altitude, a work which has since appeared on fridge magnets greeting cards, tea-towels and T-shirts. In 2007, she said that "The woman with altitude ... represents who we could be". It was shortlisted for several book awards, and in 2005 won the Children's Book Council of Australia Book of the Year – Early Childhood Award and the 2005 Speech Pathology Australia Award. Fox and Horacek collaborated on five other picture books, Goodnight, Sleep Tight (2013), This & That (2015), Ducks Away (2016), Bonnie & Ben Rhyme Again (2018) and Meerkat Mayhem (2024). She written her own children's books, the first being The Story of GROWL (2007), followed by "These are My Hands" (2008), "These are My Feet" (2009) and "Yellow is my favourite colour", as well as a series of reimagined nursery rhymes including Hey Diddle Diddle (2024) and Hickory Dickory Dock (2025).

Children's books Where Is the Green Sheep?, with Mem Fox (2004, and ) The Story of GROWL (2007, ) These are My Feet (2007, ) These are My Hands (2008, ) Yellow is my favourite colour (2010, ) Good Night, Sleep Tight, Mem Fox, Illustrated by Judy Horacek (2012, ) Yellow is my colour star (2014, ) This & That with Mem Fox (2015, ) Ducks Away! with Mem Fox (2016, ) Bonnie and Ben Rhyme Again with Mem Fox (2018, ) Hey Diddle Diddle (2024, ) Meerkat Mayhem with Mem Fox (2024, ) Hickory Dickory Dock (2025, )

Cartoon collections

Life on the Edge, Introduced by Dale Spender (1992, and 2003, ) Unrequited Love: Nos. 1–100 (1994, ) Lost in Space (1997, ) Woman with Altitude (1997, and 1998, ) If the fruit fits (1999, ) I am woman, hear me draw / cartoons from the pen of Judy Horacek (2003, ) Make Cakes Not War, (2007, ) If you can't stand the heat (2010, ) Random Life (2017, ) Now or Never (2020, )

Exhibitions Horacek has regularly shown her prints and watercolour painting in commercial galleries in solo and group exhibitions.

She has had retrospectives at the National Gallery of Victoria, Laughter, the Universe and Everything, which toured regional Victoria, and at the National Museum of Australia, the exhibition I am woman hear me draw in 2002. This exhibition toured throughout Australia.

Other works

Mary Jane: living through anorexia and bulimia nervosa / Sancia Robinson with Foong Ling Kong and cartoons by Judy Horacek (1996, ) The women's power pocket book / Joan Kirner and Moira Rayner with illustrations by Judy Horacek (2000, ) Reading Magic: how your child can learn to read before school and other important things / Mem Fox with illustrations by Judy Horacek (2001, , , ; 2004, and 2005, ) The Night Before Mother's Day, Doug MacLeod, Illustrated by Judy Horacek (2012, ) Worked with Flying Fruit Flies circus to produce Girls with Altitude circus show using her cartoons. Horacek worked as Visual Art Director on Monkey Baa Theatre Company's theatre production of ‘‘Where is the Green Sheep?’’ which premiered in Brisbane in 2025, and is currently touring Australia with locations including the Sydney Opera House. Horacek created and performed her cartoon slide show, Everyone on the Bus Fell Down (Not Just Me) at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival 2026.