Jeanne Willis | |
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Born | St. Albans, England | 5 November 1959
Notable works |
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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]
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]
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 ] |
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The Dr. Xargle books are illustrated by Tony Ross. They were published by Anderson in England and E. P. Dutton in the United States.
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