Alison Prince facts for kids

Alison Prince, a DLitt, was a talented British writer. She was born on March 26, 1931, and passed away on October 12, 2019. Alison was famous for writing books for children, creating scripts for TV shows, and writing biographies. She lived on the Isle of Arran in Scotland. Her books for young people won many awards. She is especially well-known for writing the scripts for the popular children's TV series Trumpton.

About Alison Prince

Alison Prince was born in Beckenham, Kent, England. Her mother was a nurse and later became the Mayor of Bromley. Her father managed a bank in London. Alison grew up in South London. She went to a girls' grammar school where she enjoyed learning grammar and Latin. She didn't like maths as much!

Her parents were from Scotland and Yorkshire. Alison's father loved playing the piano, and she played the clarinet. As a child, she often visited her relatives in Glasgow, Scotland.

Alison earned a scholarship and studied at the Slade School of Art. After art school, she worked in various jobs that weren't related to art. Later, she got a teaching diploma from Goldsmith's College. She then taught art at Elliott Comprehensive School in Putney.

She married a fellow teacher, Goronwy Parry, and they had three children. When she stopped teaching for a while, she started writing articles for newspapers and magazines. After her marriage ended, she lived on a small farm in Suffolk for eight years.

From TV to Books

Alison Prince started writing for children's television. She became famous for her scripts for Trumpton (1967). This was a stop-motion animated puppet show for young children. Gordon Murray produced the series. Alison also wrote the songs that Brian Cant performed in the show. She once said, "I didn’t have a television, but I had three kids to feed, so I said yes."

Her first book was Joe and a Horse and other stories about Joe from 'Watch with Mother'.

One of her notable books is The Sherwood Hero (1995). It's a modern Robin Hood story for young adults. It's about a girl who takes a credit card and tries to give money to people in need in Glasgow. The story explores how she deals with the guilt afterward. For this book, Alison Prince won the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize. She shared the award with Philip Pullman. This is a special award judged by other British children's writers.

Her exciting thriller book, Oranges and Murder, was named the Scottish Arts Council Children's Book of the Year in 2002. Alison's books have been translated into many languages. These include Danish, German, Japanese, and Welsh.

Alison also wrote biographies, mainly for adults. These included books about famous authors like Kenneth Grahame (who wrote The Wind in the Willows) and Hans Christian Andersen (who wrote fairy tales). She also wrote poetry and articles for a local newspaper.

In 2005, the University of Leicester gave Alison Prince an honorary doctorate. This was to recognize her great contributions to children's books.

In 2014, she released Forbidden Soldier. This children's book is about the second part of the English Civil War. She also published The Lost King: Richard III and the Princes in the Tower. This book is a biography of King Richard III.

Later Years

Alison Prince passed away on October 12, 2019, at the age of 88. She had been unwell for several years and had undergone major heart surgery.

Selected Works

Here are some of Alison Prince's books that have been available in the UK:

• Trumpton. Episode 6 – The Mayor's Birthday (part 1; part 2). YouTube. Retrieved 25 April 2012
• Alison Prince at British Council: Literature