Anna Ciddor

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Anna Ciddor (born January 1957) is an Australian author and illustrator.

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Ciddor is a patron of Oz Kids, an organisation to promote and support children's literary and artistic talents [1] and was an ambassador for Australia Reads 2021-2023. [2] In 2021 she won the Nance Donkin Award for Children's Literature. [3] In 2023 she was the judge for the Boroondara Literary Awards (Young Writers' Prose). [4]

Biography

Ciddor was born in January 1957 in Melbourne. [5] She was brought up in a house without television, and had an inventive and creative childhood. [6] She also had a strong interest in mathematics, and after finishing school, she obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in mathematics from the University of Melbourne and a Diploma of Education from Melbourne State College. [5] Her first career was as a senior school mathematics teacher, and it was only after marrying and having children that she began writing and illustrating. [6]

Her first book accepted for publication was a picture book,Take Me Back, published in 1988. [5] This book took the reader back in time to show how people lived in Australia in the past. [6] [7] For the next few years, Ciddor continued to write and illustrate non-fiction books, concentrating on bringing history to life for children. [7] In 2002 Allen and Unwin published her first historical fantasy, Runestone, book 1 of Viking Magic. This children's novel, and the other Viking Magic books that followed, use historical details and strong storylines. [6] [8]

In 2005 Ciddor was awarded a two-year grant by the Literature Board of the Australia Council. [9]

Ciddor based her fantasy books on global folk, fairy tale, and myth [10] as well as research into historic lifestyle and belief systems. [11] At the Melbourne Writers Festival in 2007 Ciddor appeared on a panel with Sophie Masson and Kate Forsyth discussing the historical truth behind their fantasy novels. [12] In a study of Canadian children's fantasy, author K.V. Johansen included a chapter on Ciddor's Viking Magic books because 'Although not by a Canadian author, the Viking Magic series is noteworthy' and 'does more towards realistic historical fiction than many "time-travel to learn history" novels'. [13]

In 2016 Ciddor changed to historical fiction with the release of The Family with Two Front Doors, published by Allen and Unwin. [14] It won a Notable Book Award from the Children's Book Council of Australia in March 2017. [15] The Family with Two Front Doors is based on interviews with the author's grandmother Nomi Rabinovitch, and tells the story of Nomi's childhood as the daughter of a rabbi in 1920s Lublin, Poland. [11] [16] [17] The writing style is inspired by Little House on the Prairie , presenting vignettes of the everyday life of a family. [11] The book combines historical fact and imagination but no fantasy elements. [16] According to a review by the Victorian Association for the Teaching of English, it is "an informative, gentle read' that "offers insight into how a Jewish household is run". [18] Unlike most books about the Jewish past, this one does not focus on the Holocaust and "there is... no violence and no hatred... but a charming reconstruction of daily routines". [19] Readings Bookstore, winners of the international Bookstore of the Year Award [20] described The Family with Two Front Doors as a modern counterpart to the classic book Little Women . [21] It was published in the US by Kar-Ben, a division of Lerner Books in 2018, [22] and chosen as a Junior Library Guild Selection. [23] In 2019 it was translated into Polish as Dwoje drzwi i dziewięcioro dzieci and published in Poland by Mamania .

Ciddor's book, 52 Mondays, published by Allen and Unwin in 2019, is a fictionalised account of Ciddor's own childhood, filled with memories of Melbourne in the 1960s. [24] It was shortlisted for the 2019 REAL Awards, [25] longlisted for the inaugural Book Links Award for Children's Historical Fiction. [26]

In Ciddor's most recent book, A Message Through Time, published by Allen and Unwin in 2023, ‘the relationships between the characters … provides some rich discussion and reflection for readers ... clear themes of gender roles, wealth and privilege, resilience, ingenuity, the issues of slavery and moral compass/conscience as well as rich historical details.' [27] It is a standalone companion to The Boy Who Stepped Through Time, published by Allen and Unwin in 2021. [28] The historical details for both novels were provided by Tamara Lewit who is an archaeologist and historian specialising in Ancient Rome. [29] The Boy Who Stepped Through Time was long listed for the ARA Historical Novel Prize in 2021 [30] and shortlisted for the Aurealis Awards for Best Children's Fiction in 2022. [31]

In 2021 Ciddor won the Nance Donkin award for Children's Literature. [32]

Ciddor has written and illustrated over fifty books. [16]

Awards

Books

Trade market books

Educational market books (a selection)

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References

  1. ↑ "OUR PATRONS". OzKids – Childrens Charity Network. Retrieved 31 May 2017.
  2. ↑ "Anna Ciddor - Authors". Australia Reads. Retrieved 13 May 2023.
  3. 1 2 "Nance Donkin Award for Children's Literature – Society of Women Writers Victoria" . Retrieved 17 November 2021.
  4. ↑ Boroondara, City of (30 June 2017). "Boroondara Literary Awards judges". City of Boroondara. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
  5. 1 2 3 Who's Who of Australian Writers. D.W. Thorpe. 1 January 1991. ISBN   9780909532819.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Cohen, John (2003). "Anna Ciddor, Into the Past". Reading Time. The Children's Book Council of Australia. 47– via Austlit.
  7. 1 2 Lavi, Tali (2016). "Know the author: Anna Ciddor" (PDF). Magpies. 31: 16–18. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 April 2017. Retrieved 19 March 2017.
  8. ↑ "Runestone/Wolfspell/Stormriders". La Trobe University. Retrieved 21 December 2015.
  9. 1 2 "Australia Council Annual Report 2005-6" (PDF).
  10. ↑ Masson, Sophie (2016). "Mosaic and Cornucopia: Fairy Tale and Myth in Contemporary Australian YA Fantasy". Bookbird. 54 (3): 44–53. doi:10.1353/bkb.2016.0085.
  11. 1 2 3 "Saturday March 19th - Book Families - 2SER - Real Radio 107.3 FM". Archived from the original on 21 April 2017. Retrieved 14 March 2017.
  12. ↑ Sullivan, Jane (29 August 2007). "Nix reveals there is a ring of truth to fantasy writing". The Age.
  13. ↑ Johansen, K.V. (2007). Beyond Window Dressing? Canadian Children's Fantasy at the Millennium. Sybertooth. pp. 80–83. ISBN   9780968802458.
  14. ↑ Koonse, Emma (2017). "Religion Book Deals". Publishers Weekly.
  15. 1 2 "Children's Book Council of Australia Notable list 2017".
  16. 1 2 3 "Emotional literary journey to Poland". The Australian Jewish News. 30 March 2016. Retrieved 14 March 2017.
  17. ↑ "Reviews: The Other Mrs Walker, The Family With Two Front Doors". Stuff. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 19 March 2017.
  18. ↑ "IDIOM – The Family with Two Front Doors". www.vate.org.au. Victorian Association of Teachers of English. Retrieved 14 March 2017.
  19. ↑ Lees, Stella (16 March 2016). "The Family with Two Front Doors". Reading Time. The Children's Book Council of Australia.
  20. ↑ Miller, Nick (13 April 2016). "Readings Carlton wins top bookstore prize at London Book Fair". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 25 March 2017.
  21. ↑ "Children's classics paired with their modern counterparts by Leanne Hall". www.readings.com.au. Retrieved 19 March 2017.
  22. ↑ The Family with Two Front Doors.
  23. ↑ "Junior Library Guild : The Family with Two Front Doors by Anna Ciddor". www.juniorlibraryguild.com. Retrieved 18 August 2019.
  24. ↑ McEwen. "Books and Publishing".
  25. 1 2 Mem: 34942848. "REAL Awards 2019 shortlists announced | Books+Publishing" . Retrieved 18 August 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  26. 1 2 book_admin. "Book Links Award for Children's Historical Fiction – Longlist 2021" . Retrieved 16 May 2021.
  27. ↑ Warren, Sue (23 April 2023). "A Message Through Time – Anna Ciddor". Just So Stories. Retrieved 13 May 2023.
  28. ↑ "Allen & Unwin - Australia". www.allenandunwin.com. Retrieved 13 May 2023.
  29. ↑ "A Message Through Time" . Retrieved 13 May 2023.
  30. 1 2 "2021 ARA HISTORICAL NOVEL PRIZE – CYA CATEGORY LONGLIST | HNSA" . Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  31. 1 2 aaconvenor (5 April 2022). "2021 Aurealis Awards Shortlist Announcement". Aurealis Awards. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
  32. ↑ "Nance Donkin Award for Children's Literature". Society of Women Writers Victoria. Retrieved 15 March 2022.
  33. ↑ "Junior Library Guild : The Family with Two Front Doors by Anna Ciddor". www.juniorlibraryguild.com. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  34. ↑ https://annauthor.files.wordpress.com/2018/09/notable-books-2008.pdf
  35. ↑ https://annauthor.files.wordpress.com/2018/09/notable-books-2003.pdf
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