ABOUT
MY STORYAmie is a WA based writer and sheep enthusiast.
Her PhD project explored the representation of sheep in contemporary, Australia children’s literature through a framework of empathy.
Amie’s sheep focused project involved creative writing and children’s literature, with literary animal studies informing the theoretical perspective and methodology. Through a combination of research-led practice and practice-led research, the final thesis encompassed a literature review, an analysis of existing texts, the writing of a creative work (YA manuscript), and a Sheepodology (methodology).
Throughout her PhD, Amie presented papers at academic conferences, including ACLAR 2022, IRSCL 2023, AIP2024, and will present a paper at the upcoming AASA conference in late 2025.
Amie previously explored Young Adult equine literature for her Honours thesis, which included a novella and accompanying exegesis.
Publications and Presentations
Johnstone, Amie. More than a Flock: Writing for and about Sheep with Empathy in Contemporary Australian Children’s Literature. 2025. Edith Cowan University, PhD Thesis. Research Online Institutional Repository, https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/2972/.
Johnstone, Amie. “To Sheep or Not to Sheep: Encouraging Empathy for Ovis aries Through Storytelling.” Anthrozoology as International Practice (AIP) Conference 2024, Anthrozoology as International Practice (AIP), 17-19 November 2024, Virtual, Conference Presentation.
Johnstone, Amie. “Where is the Real Sheep? Exploring the Baahd and Good Sheep Voices in Five Australian Picturebooks.” Papers: Explorations into Children’s Literature, vol. 28, no. 1, 2024, pp. 69-88, doi:10.21153/pecl2024vol28no1art1662.
Johnstone, Amie. “Best Buddies or Forced Friendships? Adolescent-Sheep Relationships and Identities in Contemporary, Australian Junior Fiction.” IRSCL 2023 Congress: Ecologies of Childhood, International Research Society for Children’s Literature (IRSCL), 12-17 August 2023, Online and University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, Conference Presentation.
Johnstone, Amie. “Where is the Real Sheep? Exploring the Baahd and Good Sheep Voices in Australian Picture Books.” Owning Our Voices: Authenticity, Legitimacy, and Agency in Children’s and Young Adult Literature, Australasian Children’s Literature Association for Research (ACLAR), 1-3 July 2022, Online and Perth, Western Australia, Conference Presentation.
Johnstone, Amie. Unstable Ground: A novella - and - Riding Through Moratorium: Marcia’s Theory of Identity Formation and Young Adult Equine Literature: An exegesis. 2017. Edith Cowan University, Honours thesis. Research Online Institutional Repository, https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses_hons/1505/.
