Kyla May lives in a beachside suburb of Melbourne. She has 3 daughters, 2 golden retrievers and 2 cats. They all live together in a happy house of laughter.
Kyla is an Australian illustrator, art director and graphic designer. She started her career as a photographer, and then went back to university to study graphic design and art direction, receiving a Bachelor of Arts Degree from R.M.I.T. in Visual Communication and Graphic Design / Art Direction.
After graduating from university, Kyla was picked up by Clemenger BBDO Melbourne and trained to be an art director by some of Australia’s top advertising creatives. At the time, Clemenger BBDO was most probably Australia’s top award-winning creative agency. By 27 years of age, Kyla had won or been nominated for many prestigious industry awards across print, radio and TV, including a nomination for the highest accolade in international advertising, a Gold Lion from the Cannes Advertising Festival.
Kyla then joined Clemenger’s interactive agency and trained as an internet art director, creating award-winning websites for Mercedes Benz and Mars at the start of the 'dot com' era.
In Kyla's “spare time,” she created a range of greeting cards. Serendipitously, this little range of 12 cards grew to 120 cards in 3 months, becoming one of Australia’s top selling card ranges, and winning many local and international awards, including 'Australian Greeting Card Range of the Year', and 'Australian Greeting Card of the Year’ in several categories.
Her greeting cards turned into licensed brands. Eventually Kyla left advertising to manage her licensing business, selling several product brands all over the world, living in New York for a short time, travelling frequently to LA, New York, London and Tokyo.
Her greeting cards caught the eye of a publisher at Penguin Publishing in New York, who offered her a four book children’s deal. Since then, she has illustrated, written and designed over 50 children’s books for Scholastic US, Penguin US, Harper Collins Australia, Scholastic Australia, Penguin Random House Australia, Hardie Grant Australia and Pan McMillan Australia.
One of these book series led to an Australian TV Executive Producer to commission her to create her first animated television series. She then creatively directed and designed six more animated children’s TV series including ‘SheZow', 'Flea-bitten', 'G2G: Got to Go’, 'Sumo Mouse', and 'The Day my Butt went Psycho' over ten years, while still creating children's books. During this time she travelled regularly to LA and Malaysia.
Also, in between television series, Kyla worked at Moose Toys, Australia's number one toy business as the Art Director for Girl's Products.
The last animated TV show Kyla worked on was the animated TV series 'Kuu Kuu Harajuku', created for Gwen Stefani. It was also owned by Moody Street Kids, Channel Ten Australia and Nickelodeon US.
Kyla worked as series art director, concept artist, character, background and prop designer, colour stylist, style guide designer and brand manager, which also included designing a fashion toy range with Mattel US in Los Angeles and Hong Kong - a dream come true, designing her own Barbie toy range!
Mattel Kuu Kuu Harajuku Toy Range, 2017
Kyla also got to art direct and design the background location, prop design and emoji's for Gwen Stefani's music video 'Spark the Fire' with Pharrell Williams.
Spark the Fire music video, Gwen Stefani and Pharrell Williams, 2014
Kyla's designs were also used as a backdrop design on stage on the US's 'The Voice' when Gwen Stefani was a judge and she premiered a new song.
This cartoon show was extremely successful, but unfortunately this came to an end at the beginning of Season 4 because Channel Ten, the Australian Broadcaster who had a majority ownership in the series, went into receivership, and had a blanket cease on all new content. It was a devastating blow for all the crew, and Gwen Stefani. Kyla then approached the New York publisher who "discovered her 25 years earlier and created a new children’s book series called ‘Diary of a Pug’ for Scholastic US. That was in 2018. It is now an international hit series. It was based on her relationship between her daughter and her daughter's pug.
Inspired by Kyla's pug and her daughter's relationship.
Diary of a Pug, Scholastic Chapter Book Series.
Books 1 - 20. First published 2019. Just signed new contract for book 17 - 20.
Books 1 - 20. First published 2019. Just signed new contract for book 17 - 20.
Kyla has just completed book #16 in the series and signed a contract to create books up to book #20. Book #8 made Publisher’s Weekly’s Top 20 in Children’s Fiction, coming in at #17. Now the books are released 6 months early as pre-order and are always on Amazon US and Amazon Canada’s Top 100 New Release Lists.
In the past 12 months of 2025, Kyla has created 11 new books, including 4 new book series with Scholastic US and Harper Collins Australia. Kyla has either conceived the book concept, "the big idea", then been matched with a writer to write the manuscript, as Kyla illustrates the story. Or Kyla has been commissioned by a publisher for a book or book series. Kyla has come from a creative background as a conceptualiser, so is more
than an illustrator. Kyla has many concepts in her imagination for children's
book ideas. Her imagination never stops thinking of new ideas.
than an illustrator. Kyla has many concepts in her imagination for children's
book ideas. Her imagination never stops thinking of new ideas.
BOOKS COMPLETED IN 2025
Kyla has just completed book #16 in the series and signed a contract to create books up to book #20. Book #8 made Publisher’s Weekly’s Top 20 in Children’s Fiction, coming in at #17. Now the books are released 6 months early as pre-order and are always on Amazon US and Amazon Canada’s Top 100 New Release Lists.
Folio piece that inspired Sea Pony Tales
Princess and Unicorn 2026
Princess and Unicorn 2026
Jet Set Pets 2025
Jet Set Pets 2025
Jet Set Pets 2025
Sea Pony Tales 2026
In the past 12 months of 2025, Kyla has created 11 new books, including 4 new book series with Scholastic US and Harper Collins Australia. Kyla has either conceived the book concept, "the big idea", then been matched with a writer to write the manuscript, as Kyla illustrates the story. Or Kyla has been commissioned by a publisher for a book or book series. Kyla has come from a creative background as a conceptualiser, so is more
than an illustrator. Kyla has many concepts in her imagination for children's
book ideas. Her imagination never stops thinking of new ideas.
than an illustrator. Kyla has many concepts in her imagination for children's
book ideas. Her imagination never stops thinking of new ideas.
Kyla is always excited to take on new projects, or collaborations. kyla@kylamay.net. You can check out her instagram at kylamayillustrator. Kyla's inner child is still so present in her imagination. For the past 25 years, whether it be advertising, licensing, toy design, animation or children's book creation, character design and illustration, Kyla has dedicated her career to creating products for children.
Kyla is so humbled by all the fan mail she receives from all over the world. Often entire classrooms send her letters, organised by the teacher.
One entire classroom has renamed themselves the "Paris" Class, after 'Paris Takes Over The World'.
One year in the U.S., and entire month was dedicated to Diary of a Pug, with Read-a-thons, actors coming in and playing the roles of the characters in the book, acting out what they imagined it might have been like the day when Bella adopted Bub. There was creative writing exercises and colouring competitions and dress-up competitions. Every child in the primary school, in every year level received a copy of Diary of a Pug.
How amazing is that!!!
One entire classroom has renamed themselves the "Paris" Class, after 'Paris Takes Over The World'.
One year in the U.S., and entire month was dedicated to Diary of a Pug, with Read-a-thons, actors coming in and playing the roles of the characters in the book, acting out what they imagined it might have been like the day when Bella adopted Bub. There was creative writing exercises and colouring competitions and dress-up competitions. Every child in the primary school, in every year level received a copy of Diary of a Pug.
How amazing is that!!!
So many pugs love Diary of a Pug!
Kyla loves seeing her books in the hands of her readers. That's what brings her the most joy, knowing kid's imaginations are in Kyla's imagination. They are experiencing the joy of reading.
These two girls did a school presentation on "their favourite author "Kyla May".
One dressed up as Paris, the other as Bub the Pug.
This is where it all began - Greeting Cards! Before that, Kyla was an art director in advertising. Kyla's greeting cart range was on display at the New York Licensing Show in 1999 and a Publisher from Penguin Publishing, New York approached her, introduced herself, and asked if she would be interested in creating a children's book series.
The rest is history!
The rest is history!
After Kyla's greeting card range pretty much became an over-night success and Australia's #1 greeting card range in a matter of months. This was 1999. Kyla created greeting cards and licensed brands from 1999-2010.
Since 'Paris Takes Over The World' is a travel adventure book about a character called Paris, some readers have taken their Paris book to the destinations in the book and sent Kyla a photo. This has made Kyla feel so happy!
Kyla's favourite day of the year is Book Character Dress up Day at school. Kyla is always flooded with photos from readers who dress up as her book's characters. Kyla loves her job so much!