Minty Mae Gray and the Strangely Good Day

Minty Mae Gray is having a very bad day. A girl in her class made some rude remarks about how she looks, and poor Minty is crushed. But just as she’s sinking into the depths of despair, something odd happens … the unicorn picture on Minty’s wall COMES TO LIFE!

Led by her lovable, pink-spotted unicorn friend, Minty sets off on a magical journey through some of history’s greatest works of art. As she meets the subjects of these great paintings, and the artists behind them, Minty comes to realise that true beauty comes from the inside, and that she’s perfect just the way she is.

This warm, funny and incredibly empowering book from superstar creators Fifi Box and Freda Chiu will encourage young readers to feel comfortable in their own skin, and help spread the message that beauty isn’t skin-deep. Readers will cheer along with the irrepressible Minty as she learns how to let her sparkle shine!

About the Author

Fifi Box is one of the most popular radio and television personalities in Australia. She’s a host of Fox FM’s stellar breakfast show, Fifi, Fev and Nick, and a regular guest host on Network Ten’s prime-time show, The Project. Fifi also appears on Have You Been Paying Attention?, and she featured on Seven’s Dancing with the Stars in 2007. Fifi makes her return to the dance floor in 2021 as part of Dancing with the Stars All Stars. On top of her radio and TV work, Fifi has also shared experiences from her own life in a weekly opinion column for News Limited’s Sunday magazine.

When her daughter Beatrix Belle was born in April 2013, Fifi featured on the cover of a weekly magazine sans makeup. She has since gone on to become an advocate for women who want to challenge society’s extreme beauty standards and embrace their natural beauty. In 2019, Fifi gave birth to her second daughter, Daisy Belle Box. Fifi has won the admiration of women across Australia for speaking candidly about her experience conceiving via IVF and her struggles with Hyperemsis Gravidarum (HG) throughout her pregnancy, along with her experiences as a single mother.

Fifi lives in Melbourne with her two daughters and dog, Lizzie.

About the Illustrator

Freda Chiu is a Sydney-based freelance illustrator and educator at The University of Technology Sydney. She currently works across a range of applications, including book and editorial illustration, festival graphics and public art. Her clients include Allen and Unwin, Puffin Books UK, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Penguin Random House, Emerging Writers Festival, Google, Sony and Vice. Her illustrations have been featured in numerous solo and group exhibitions, and she runs regular illustration and comic workshops for kids.

She is inspired by her love of children’s picture books, indie comics, horror movies and funny stories. When Freda isn't scribbling away to meet deadlines, she enjoys reading news and books of all sorts to find inspiration. She also takes great pride in her ever-growing children's picture book collection.