Terrie Chilvers introduces her superhero duo, Koalas in Capes!
About Author
Koalas in Capes - the newest and funniest superheroes in town - battle super villains and robot spiders! Author Terrie Chilvers tells us more.
Terrie Chilvers writes funny chapter books for young readers. She is the author of Snails of the Unexpected and Michael the Amazing Mind-Reading Sausage Dog, which was a Blue Peter Book Club pick. Terrie loves writing about animals with main character energy and is the doting aunt to the world's cutest long-haired sausage dog.
You can find Terrie on Instagram @cowfishdreams
Interview
July 2026
Terrie Chilvers' superhero duo, Koalas in Capes, battle super villains and robot spiders!
Superheroes Koalas in Capes return in a new adventure, The Robot Spiders, after battling The Zombie Chickens in their first fantastic adventure by Terrie Chilvers, illustrated by David O'Connell (Nosy Crow).
Bob and Archie might look like ordinary koalas, but when their home town of Pawtonia is threatened by arch villain Colossus, Bob and Archie must save the day - with superpowers, laughter and misadventures along the way! Supported with brilliant illustrations by David O'Connell, this is a great adventure series for young superhero fans aged 6+.
Review: "This is storytelling that will have readers in stitches!" Read a chapter from Koalas in Capes: The Robot Spiders
ReadingZone caught up with author Terrie Chilvers to find out what inspired her caped koala adventures, and what else she has planned for the duo. You can also follow her Creative Challenge, with tips for children to create their own animal supervillain!
Koalas in Capes: The Zombie Chickens (book 1) Koalas in Capes: The Robot Spiders (book 2)
Creative Challenge from Terrie Chilvers: Create your own superhero animal!
Think about an animal, what its superpower might be, and what their superhero name is. Then write about the first time they come face to face with their supervillain nemesis. What is the supervillain's evil plan and how will your hero save the day? You can write a chapter or draw it as a comic.
Q&A with Terrie Chilvers: Koalas, an evil ostrich and what makes Terrie laugh!
"I watched a lot of superhero films when I was a kid and loved the magic of someone being able to
save the day when it seems like all is lost."
1. What got you started in writing for children, and what kinds of stories do you enjoy creating?
I signed up to a course on writing for children at Citylit (a London adult education college) and found myself most interested in writing funny stories. And as a big animal fan, I actually found it came more naturally to me to think up personalities and storylines for animals rather than humans!
2. Can you give us a peek into your Koalas in Capes series and the superheroes' first adventures, The Zombie Chickens and The Robot Spiders?
The Koalas in Capes series takes place in the city of Pawtonia and follows the adventures of Bob and Archie, two superhero koalas trying to protect their fellow Pawtonians from a giant evil ostrich called Dr Colossus and his band of robber ducks.
Dr Colossus is full of dastardly plans - in the first book he's managed to get his hands on a flock of zombie chickens and is threatening to drop them all over the city using his Zombo-Copter. And in the second book, he's using robot spiders to hypnotise everyone into handing over their most precious belongings under the guise of a fake baby bunny orphanage. Fortunately, Bob and Archie are on hand (or on paw!) to save the day!
Spreads from the pages of Koalas in Capes: The Robot Spiders by Terrie Chilvers, illus David O'Connell
3. Have you always loved superheroes? Why did you decide that koalas would make the perfect superhero, and what powers do they have?
I watched a lot of superhero films when I was a kid and loved the magic of someone being able to save the day when it seems like all is lost. I also loved watching the re-runs of the old sixties Batman TV series and Koalas in Capes is definitely inspired by some of the harebrained, fast-paced action, with a lot of KAPOWS and BOOOMS throughout!
I've written books about a mind-reading sausage dog and shapeshifting snails, and with Koalas in Capes, I really fancied going all in on superpowers and creating a superhero animal series. For the superheroes I wanted unexpected (and cute!) animals so koalas felt perfect. Bob has superstrength and Archie has the power of invisibility. And of course, they can both fly - those capes are functional as well as stylish!
4. What are Bob and Archie like? How did their characters develop - and do you have a soft spot for either of them?
Bob is the more gung-ho, adventurous one and Archie is the sensible one. I think there's actually a bit of my personality in both koalas so I couldn't really choose between them - they both bring different skills so actually make a really good team! From the start I wanted Bob and Archie to be very different so gave them labels of 'gung-ho' and 'nervous' in my head - from there, the characters seem to know what they wanted to do on the page.
Ultimately, I wanted to write a funny superhero series with heroes that kids could relate to. Bob's gung-ho attitude often gets him into trouble and Archie is scared of trying new things, but it doesn't stop them from taking on a villainous giant ostrich together.
5. What would your perfect superpower be, if you could choose? What kinds of adventures would you like to have using it?
Probably flying or teleportation to make moving around much easier and cheaper (and with less of a carbon footprint!). Or the ability to turn any liquid into hot chocolate.
6. Why did you make the evil villain an ostrich, Dr Colossus?
I think ostriches have so much character and they have a comic-look about them (don't tell the ostriches!) despite being really big and imposing. Also, I wanted a supervillain that looked totally different from koalas, and ostriches were perfect for that.
7. There are lots of laughs in these books - what makes you giggle when writing your Koalas in Capes adventures?
Anything where Bob and Archie are getting into sticky situations! I also love writing scenes with Dr Colossus and the robber ducks- coming up with madcap plans for them is always fun.
8. Can you tell us about your superhero setting, Pawtonia, and who lives there?
I wanted to create a sprawling city with all kinds of animals living in it - from tiny mice to tall giraffes and everything in between. Pawtonia is actually inspired by places like San Francisco and Melbourne where the beach / coastline is a big part of the city.
9. What else do you have planned for your Koala superhero duo, and where do you prefer to write?
I've just finished writing the third book - Dr Colossus is back with another dastardly plan and this time he's got ninja penguins! I'm now writing something new and top secret…
I like to write at home mostly and sometimes in cafes when I need a change of scenery - and I always need a cup of tea or hot chocolate close at hand!
10. What kinds of adventures do you love to have in real life?
I'm fairly low key in real life! But I'm always on the lookout for micro superhero moments - I rescued an injured pigeon recently and on rainy days I'm always ready to move snails out of danger if they've slimed their way onto a busy pavement.
Terrie Chilvers' School Visits: With my events, schools can expect an assembly with superhero energy, which includes giving someone a superhero makeover ready to take on a mission to save the school. There's lots of interactivity with a superpower brainstorm and a quiz based on real-life superhero animals. In my workshops, we create a new superhero animal together, before the children get the chance to design their own book cover.
Schools can get in touch via my website here: www.terriechilvers.com/contact or via my Instagram: instagram.com/cowfishdreams
Find out more about Koalas in Capes: The Zombie Chickens (book 1)
Read a chapter from Koalas in Capes: The Zombie Chickens
Koalas in Capes: The Robot Spiders
Koalas in Capes: The Zombie Chickens
