In July 2025, the Australian children’s literature community lost a dear friend and gifted storyteller, Josh Langley.
Josh’s story is one of triumph. After being told he would amount to nothing in life and failing high school (twice!), he became an award-winning author and illustrator. His unique philosophy, “KISS” (Keep it Simple and Silly), helped him turn his struggles into fuel for creativity.
As a multi-award-winning radio copywriter, Josh knew how to speak to people directly, and that skill shone through in his books. His debut children’s book, Being You is Enough, was a love letter to his 8-year-old self. Its powerful message of self-acceptance and love resonated with kids and parents worldwide, changing the trajectory of his life. He went on to publish nine more books, with his second book, It’s Ok to Feel the Way You Do, winning the Australian Book Industry Awards Small Publishers’ Children’s Book of the Year in 2018.
Josh’s work on self-acceptance, resilience, understanding emotions, and kindness has helped thousands of kids make friends with themselves. He was a champion for children’s well-being and a passionate advocate for providing support early on. As he said, “The more we support kids upstream, the less we’ll need to rescue them downstream.”
Josh lived in the Southwest of Western Australia with his husband and his favourite food was tortellini. He was also the ambassador for the Children’s Tumour Foundation and Camp Quality.
To honour his memory and ensure his wonderful books continue to reach children across the country, we will be keeping his profile on our website. Josh was a great bloke with a huge heart and a wickedly funny sense of humour. He will be dearly missed.
