Lynley is New Zealand's bestselling children's author/artist, known worldwide as the creator of Hairy Maclary, canine rogue-hero. Hairy has been joined over the years by Bitzer Maloney all skinny and bony, Schnitzel von Krumm with a very low tum, Bottomley Potts covered in spots, Muffin McLay like a bundle of hay, Hercules Morse as big as a horse, and, every suburb's fiend, SCARFACE CLAW the toughest Tom in town

Hairy Maclary's Bone (1984), Hairy Maclary Scattercat (1985), Hairy Maclary's Caterwaul Caper (1987), Hairy Maclary's Rumpus at the Vet (1989) and Hairy Maclary's Showbusiness (1991) were all shortlisted for the Children's Picture Book of the Year Award, which Lynley won outright in 1984, 1986, 1988 and 1992.

Many other titles have also been shortlisted: Wake Up, Bear (1986), A Dragon in a Wagon (1988), Slinky Malinki (1990), Find Me a Tiger (1992), The Minister's Cat ABC (1992), Slinky Malinki Open the Door (1993), Schnitzel von Krumm's Basketwork (1994) and Sniff-Snuff-Snap! (1995), about a bossy warthog. Hairy Maclary and Slinky Malinki have each featured in stage musical versions by Paul Jenden and Jan Bolton.

Lynley graduated from the Elam School of Art in Auckland with a diploma in Fine Arts, majoring in sculpture. Taking a break from teaching to start a family, she began to work as a freelance illustrator. Following a collaboration with author Eve Sutton on My Cat Likes To Hide in Boxes she went on to write and illustrate her own books for children.

As a child, she adored Dr Seuss because of his "crazy sounds and the fact that he took such liberties with the English language." His influence is opvious in Lynley's exuberant artwork and bouncy rhymes, which make her works some of the most rewarding books for children and adults to read out loud.

Lynley says, "There's a great deal of pleasure in telling a child a story that has the fun of the language as well as the pictures. Some picture-book artists can get very arty and forget what they're setting out to do. They impress the art establishment like mad but not necessarily children."