Jeanne Willis
Jeanne Willis | |
|---|---|
| Born | 5 November 1959 St Albans, England |
| Notable works |
|
| Spouse | Ian James Wilcock (m. 1989) |
| Children | 2 |
Jeanne Willis (born 5 November 1959)[1] is an English author of several children's books, including The Monster Bed (1986) and the Dr. Xargle's Book of... series (1988–2004). Willis was also a contributor to the authorised Winnie-the-Pooh sequel, The Best Bear in All the World.[2]
Biography
[edit]Willis was born 5 November 1959, in St Albans, England to David Alfred and Dorothy Hilda Celia Willis, both of whom were teachers.[1] She attended Watford College of Art, where she received a diploma in advertising writing in 1979.[1] She married Ian James Wilcock on 26 May 1989, and the couple has two children.[1]
As both a child and adult, Willis has had an active imagination, which has sometimes resulted in psychic distress. For instance, she remembers a time as a child when she would believe "wolves were following [her] home from school, so [she'd] arrive back sweating". As an adult, she ended up in Cromwell Hospital's psychiatric ward while she was working in a creative position at an advertising agency.[3] After her hospitalization, she began writing full-time.[3]
Awards and honours
[edit]In January 2004, The Guardian named Willis their Author of the Month.[3] In October 2011, they included Willis's Big Bad Bun on their list of recommended reading for children aged 5–7.[4]
| Year | Title | Award | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | The Rascally Cake | Red House Children's Book Award for Picture Book | Winner | [citation needed] |
| 2003 | Naked Without a Hat | Whitbread Award for Children's Book | Shortlist | [3] |
| 2003 | Tadpole's Promise | Nestlé Smarties Book Prize (0–5 years) | Silver | [3][5] |
| 2006 | Tadpole's Promise | "Off the Cuff" Award for Best Plot Twist | Winner | [6] |
| 2007 | Who's In The Loo? | Red House Children's Book Award for Younger Children | Winner | [citation needed] |
| 2007 | Grill Pan Eddy | Booktrust Early Years Award for Pre-School Book | Shortlist | [citation needed] |
| 2008 | The Bog Baby | Booktrust Early Years Award for Pre-School Book | Winner | [7] |
| 2008 | There's An Ouch in My Pouch! | Booktrust Early Years Award for Pre-School Book | Shortlist | [citation needed] |
| 2010 | Bottoms Up! | Red House Children's Book Award for Younger Children | Winner | [citation needed] |
Publications
[edit]Standalone books
[edit]- The Tale of Georgie Grub, Andersen Press, 1981, Holt, 1982.
- The Tale of Fearsome Fritz, Andersen Press, 1982, Holt, 1983.
- The Tale of Mucky Mabel, Andersen Press, 1984.
- The Monster Bed, illus. by Susan Varley, Andersen Press, 1986, Lothrop, 1987.
- The Long Blue Blazer, illus. by Susan Varley, Andersen Press, 1987, Dutton, 1988.
- Toffee Pockets, illus. by George Buchanan, Bodley Head, 1992.
- In Search of the Hidden Giant, illus. by Ruth Brown, Andersen Press, 1993,
- Republished as In Search of the Giant, Dutton, 1994.
- The Lion's Roar, illus. by Derek Collin, Ginn, 1994.
- The Rascally Cake, illus. by Paul Korky, Andersen Press, 1994.
- Two Sea Songs, Ginn, 1994.
- Tom's Lady of the Lamp, illus. by Amy Burch, Macdonald Young, 1995.
- The Princess and the Parlour Maid, illus. by Pauline Hazelwood, Macdonald Young, 1995.
- Wilbur and Orville Take Off, illus. by Roger Wade Walker, Macdonald Young, 1995.
- Dolly Dot, Ginn, 1995.
- Flower Pots and Forget-Me-Nots, Ginn, 1995.
- The Pet Person, illus. by Tony Ross, Andersen Press, 1996, Dial, 1996.
- The Pink Hare, illus. by Ken Brown, Andersen Press, 1996.
- What Do You Want to Be, Brian, illus. by Mary Rees, Andersen Press, 1996.
- Sloth's Shoes, illus. by Tony Ross, Andersen Press, 1997, Kane/Miller (Brooklyn, NY), 1998.
- The Wind in the Wallows, illus. by Tony Ross, Andersen Press, 1998.
- The Boy Who Lost His Belly Button, illus. by Tony Ross, Andersen Press, 1999, Dorling Kindersley, 2000.
- Susan Laughs, illus. by Tony Ross, Andersen Press, 1999, Henry, 2000.
- Tinkerbill, illus. by Paul Cox, Collins Publishers, 1999.
- Parrot Goes to Playschool, illus. by Mark Birchall, Andersen Press, 2000, published as Be Quiet, Parrot, Carolrhoda, 2000.
- What Did I Look Like When I Was a Baby, illus. by Tony Ross, Putnam Press, 2000.
- Take Turns, Penguin, illus. by Mark Birchall, Carolrhoda, 2000.
- Be Gentle, Python, illus. by Mark Birchall, Carolrhoda, 2001.
- No Biting, Panther, illus. by Mark Birchall, Carolrhoda, 2001.
- No Biting, Puma, illus. by Mark Birchall, Carolrhoda, 2001.
- Do Little Mermaids Wet Their Beds, illus. by Penelope Jossen, Albert Whitman, 2001.
- Don't Let Go, illus. by Tony Ross, Andersen Press, 2002, G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2003.
- The Truth or Something, Henry Holt & Co., 2002, originally published in England as The Hard Man of the Swings.
- The Boy Who Thought He Was a Teddy Bear: A Fairy Tale, illus. by Susan Varley, Peachtree, 2002.
- I Want to Be a Cowgirl, illus. by Tony Ross, Henry Holt & Co., 2002.
- Sleepover!: The Best Ever Party Kit, illus. by Lydia Monks, Candlewick Press, 2002.
- Rocket Science, Faber & Faber, 2002.
- Naked without a Hat, Faber & Faber, 2003, Delacorte
- When Stephanie Smiled, illus. by Penelope Jossen, Andersen Press, 2003.
- Adventures of Jimmy Scar, Andersen Press, 2003.
- New Shoes, Andersen Press, 2003.
- The Beast of Crowsfoot Cottage, Macmillan Children's Books, 2003.
- I Hate School, illus. by Tony Ross, Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2004.
- Shhh, illus. by Tony Ross, Hyperion Books for Children, 2004.
- The Magic Potty Show with Trubble and Trixie, illus. by Edward Eaves, Pan MacMillan, 2004.
- Bits, Boobs and Blobs, illus. by Lydia Monks, Walker Books, 2004.
- Snogs, Sex and Soulmates, illus. by Lydia Monks, Walker Books, 2004.
- Zitz, Glitz and Body Blitz, illus. by Lydia Monks, Walker Books, 2004.
- Manky Monkey, illustrated by Tony Ross, Andersen Press, 2004.
- Operation Itchy, illus. by Penny Dann, Candlewick Press, 2005.
- Secret Fairy Talent Show, illus. by Penny Dann, Orchard Books, 2005.
- Misery Moo, illus. by Tony Ross, Henry Holt & Co., 2005.
- Tadpole's Promise, illus. by Tony Ross, Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2005.
- Never Too Little to Love, illus. by Jan Fearnley, Candlewick Press, 2005.
- Dumb Creatures, illus. by Nicola Slater, Macmillan Children's Books, 2005.
- Daft Bat, illus. by Tony Ross, Andersen Press, 2006.
- Gorilla! Gorilla, illus. by Tony Ross, Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2006.
- Really Rude Rhino, illus. by Tony Ross, Andersen Press, 2006.
- Dozy Mare, Andersen Press, 2006.
- Mayfly Day, Andersen Press, 2006.
- Rat Heaven, Macmillan Children's Books, 2006.
- Grill Pan Eddy, illus. by Tony Ross, Andersen Press, 2007.
- Who's in the Bathroom, illus. by Adrian Reynolds, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2007.
- Delilah D. at the Library, illus. by Rosie Reeve, Clarion Books, 2007.
- Killer Gorilla, Andersen Press, 2007.
- The Monster Storm, illus. by Susan Varley, Andersen Press, Lothrop, 1995.
"Crazy Jobs" series
[edit]The "Crazy Jobs" books are illustrated by Paul Korky and published by Orchard Books.
- Annie the Gorilla Nanny, 2005.
- Gabby the Vampire Cabby, 2005.
- Jeff, the Witch's Chef, 2005.
- Lillibet, the Monster Vet, 2005.
- Norman the Demon Doorman, 2005.
- Vanessa, the Werewolf Hairdresser, 2005.
- Bert the Fairies' Fashion Expert, 2005.
- Iddy Bogey the Ogre Yogi, 2005.
Dr. Xargle series
[edit]The Dr. Xargle books are illustrated by Tony Ross. They were published by Anderson in England and E. P. Dutton in the United States.
- Dr. Xargle's Book of Earthlets, 1988 (England)
- Republished as Earthlets, as Explained by Professor Xargle, 1989 (USA)
- Dr. Xargle's Book of Earth Hounds, Translated into Human, 1989 (England)
- Republished as Earth Hounds, as Explained by Professor Xargle, 1990 (USA)
- Dr. Xargle's Book of Earth Tiggers, Translated into Human, 1990 (England)
- Republished as Earth Tigerlets, as Explained by Professor Xargle, 1991 (USA)
- Dr. Xargle's Book of Earth Mobiles, Translated into Human, 1991 (England)
- Republished as Earth Mobiles, as Explained by Professor Xargle, 1992 (USA)
- Dr. Xargle's Book of Earth Weather, Translated into Human, 1992 (England)
- Republished as Earth Weather, as Explained by Professor Xargle, 1993 (USA)
- Dr. Xargle's Book of Earth Relations, 1993 (England)
- Republished as Relativity, as Explained by Professor Xargle, 1994 (USA)
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d "Willis, Jeanne 1959–". Encyclopedia.com. Archived from the original on 18 April 2023. Retrieved 4 June 2023.
- ^ "Winnie-the-Pooh sequel details revealed". The Bookseller. Archived from the original on 2 April 2019. Retrieved 4 June 2023.
- ^ a b c d e Rabinovitch, Dina (7 January 2004). "Author of the month: Jeanne Willis". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 9 December 2022. Retrieved 4 June 2023.
- ^ Eccleshare, Julia (21 October 2011). "Recommended reads: ages 5–7". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 15 October 2021. Retrieved 4 June 2023.
- ^ Pauli, Michelle (3 December 2003). "Debut wins Smarties gold medal". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 8 June 2021. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
- ^ "The 2005 Cuffies". Publishers Weekly. 13 January 2006. Archived from the original on 31 March 2019. Retrieved 4 June 2023.
- ^ Flood, Alison (24 September 2008). "Bog Baby brings Willis another award". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 21 October 2019. Retrieved 4 June 2023.
