Alison Uttley facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Alison Uttley
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|---|---|
| Born |
Alice Jane Taylor
17 December 1884 |
| Died | 7 May 1976 (aged 91) |
| Monuments | Blue plaque |
| Education |
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| Alma mater | Manchester University Hughes Hall, Cambridge |
| Occupation |
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Notable work
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Little Grey Rabbit |
| Spouse(s) |
James Uttley
(m. 1911; died 1930) |
| Children | 1 |
| Awards | Honorary Doctor of Letters, Manchester University |
Alison Uttley (born Alice Jane Taylor; December 17, 1884 – May 7, 1976) was a famous English writer. She wrote more than 100 books during her life. She is most famous for her children's stories about Little Grey Rabbit and Sam Pig. She also wrote a special kind of novel called a time slip story for kids, called A Traveller in Time. This book is about a girl who travels back in time to help Mary, Queen of Scots.
Contents
About Alison Uttley's Life
Alison Uttley grew up in the countryside of Derbyshire, England. She went to Lea School and then Lady Manners School. There, she discovered a love for science, especially physics. This led her to earn a scholarship to Manchester University. In 1906, she became one of the first women to graduate with honors in physics from the university.
After university, she trained to be a teacher in Cambridge. In 1908, she started teaching physics at a girls' school in London. In 1911, she married James Arthur Uttley. They had one son, John Corin Taylor, in 1914.
From 1924 to 1938, the Uttley family lived in Bowdon, Cheshire. Their house now has a special blue plaque to remember them. In 1938, Alison Uttley moved to Beaconsfield.
Her Writing Career
Alison Uttley began writing to support herself and her son. Her first book was published in 1929. One of her inspirations was a meeting with her old professor, Samuel Alexander, who encouraged her writing.
Her first books were animal stories. These included the popular series about Little Grey Rabbit, as well as tales about Little Red Fox, Sam Pig, and Hare. Later, she wrote for older children and adults. She often wrote about country life, like in her book The Country Child (1931). This book was based on her own childhood memories on her family farm.
One of her most loved books is A Traveller in Time (1939). This story mixes dreams with real history. It's about a girl from the 20th century who travels back to the 16th century. She gets involved in a plan to free Mary, Queen of Scots. Later, Alison Uttley named her own house "Thackers" after a house in this book. In 1978, the BBC made a five-part TV series based on A Traveller in Time.
In 1970, University of Manchester gave Alison Uttley an honorary Doctor of Letters degree. This was to celebrate her amazing writing. Her private diaries were published in 2009, and two books have been written about her life.
Her Books
Novels
- Moonshine and Magic (1932)
- The Adventures of Peter and Judy in Bunnyland (1935)
- Mustard, Pepper and Salt (1938)
- High Meadows (1938)
- A Traveller in Time (1939)
- Cuckoo Cherry-Tree (1943)
- Mrs Nimble and Mr Bumble (1944)
- When All is Done (1945)
- The Washerwoman's Child: A Play on the Life and Stories of Hans Christian Andersen (1946)
- John at the Old Farm (1960)
- The Mouse, the Rabbit and the Little White Hen (1966)
- Enchantment (1966)
Short story collections
- Candlelight Tales (1936)
- Nine Starlight Tales (1942)
- Ten Candlelight Tales (selections from "Candlelight Tales") (1942)
- The Spice Woman's Basket and Other Tales (1944)
- Some Moonshine Tales (1945)
- The Weather Cock and Other Stories (1945)
- John Barleycorn: Twelve Tales of Fairy and Magic (1948)
- The Cobbler's Shop and Other Tales (1950)
- Magic in My Pocket: A Selection of Tales (1957)
- The Little Knife Who Did All the Work: Twelve Tales of Magic (1962)
- Lavender Shoes: Eight Tales of Enchantment (1970)
Anthologies
- Fairy Tales (edited by Kathleen Lines, 1975)
- Stories for Christmas (chosen by Kathleen Lines, 1977)
- From Spring to Spring: Stories of the Four Seasons (edited by Kathleen Lines, 1978)
- Foxglove Tales (edited by Lucy Meredith, 1984)
Memoirs and essays
- The Country Child (1931)
- Ambush of Young Days (1937)
- The Farm on the Hill (1941)
- Country Hoard (1943)
- Country Things (1946)
- Carts and Candlesticks (1948)
- Macduff (1950)
- Plowmen's Clocks (1952)
- The Stuff of Dreams (1953)
- Here's a New Day (1956)
- A Year in the Country (1957)
- The Swans Fly Over (1959)
- Something for Nothing (1960)
- Wild Honey (1962)
- Cuckoo in June (1964)
- A Peck of Gold (1966)
- The Button-Box and Other Essays (1968)
- A Ten O'Clock Scholar and Other Essays (1970)
- Secret Places and Other Essays (1972)
- Country World: Memoirs of Childhood (Edited by Lucy Meredith; 1984)
Others
- Buckinghamshire (1950)
- Recipes From an Old Farmhouse (1966)
As editor
- In Praise of Country Life: An Anthology (1949)
"Sam Pig" books
- Tales of the Four Pigs and Brock the Badger (1939)
- The Adventures of Sam Pig (1940)
- Sam Pig Goes to Market (1941)
- Six Tales of Brock the Badger (1941)
- Six Tales of Sam Pig (1941)
- Six Tales of the Four Pigs (1941)
- Sam Pig and Sally (1942)
- Sam Pig at the Circus (1943)
- Sam Pig in Trouble (1948)
- Yours Ever, Sam Pig (1951)
- Sam Pig and the Singing Gate (1955)
- Sam Pig Goes to the Seaside (1960)
- The Sam Pig Storybook (1965)
"Tim Rabbit" books
- The Adventures of No Ordinary Rabbit (1937)
- Ten Tales of Tim Rabbit (1941)
- Adventures of Tim Rabbit (1945)
- Tim Rabbit and Company (1959)
- Tim Rabbit's Dozen (1964)
"Little Brown Mouse" books
- Snug and Serena Meet a Queen (1950)
- Snug and Serena Pick Cowslips (1950)
- Going to the Fair (1951)
- Toad's Castle (1951)
- Mrs Mouse Spring-Cleans (1952)
- Christmas at the Rose and Crown (1952)
- The Gypsy Hedgehogs (1953)
- Snug and the Chimney-Sweeper (1953)
- The Mouse Telegrams (1955)
- The Flower Show (1955)
- Snug and the Silver Spoon (1957)
- Mr Stoat Walks In (1957)
- Snug and Serena Count Twelve (1959)
- Snug and Serena Go to Town (1961)
- The Brown Mouse Book: Magical Tales of Two Little Mice (1971)
"Little Red Fox" books
- Little Red Fox and the Wicked Uncle (1954)
- Little Red Fox and Cinderella (1956)
- Little Red Fox and the Magic Moon (1958)
- Little Red Fox and the Unicorn (1962)
- The Little Red Fox and the Big Tree (1968)
"Grey Rabbit" books
- The Squirrel, the Hare and the Little Grey Rabbit (1929)
- How Little Grey Rabbit Got Back Her Tail (1930)
- The Great Adventure of Hare (1931)
- The Story of Fuzzypeg the Hedgehog (1932)
- Squirrel Goes Skating (1934)
- Wise Owl's Story (1935)
- Little Grey Rabbit's Party (1936)
- The Knot Squirrel Tied (1937)
- Fuzzypeg Goes to School (1938)
- Little Grey Rabbit's Christmas (1939)
- My Little Grey Rabbit Painting Book (1940)
- Moldy Warp the Mole (1940)
- Hare Joins the Home Guard (1942)
- Little Grey Rabbit's Washing-Day (1942)
- Water-Rat's Picnic (1943)
- Little Grey Rabbit's Birthday (1944)
- The Speckledy Hen (1945)
- Little Grey Rabbit to the Rescue (play; 1946)
- Little Grey Rabbit and the Weasels (1947)
- Little Grey Rabbit and the Wandering Hedgehog (1948)
- Little Grey Rabbit Makes Lace (1950)
- Hare and the Easter Eggs (1952)
- Little Grey Rabbit's Valentine (1953)
- Little Grey Rabbit Goes to the Sea (1954)
- Hare and Guy Fawkes (1956)
- Little Grey Rabbit's Paint-Box (1958)
- Little Grey Rabbit Finds a Shoe (1960)
- Little Grey Rabbit and the Circus (1961)
- Three Little Grey Rabbit Plays (The Grey Rabbit's Hospital, The Robber, and A Christmas Story; 1961)
- Grey Rabbit's May Day (1963)
- Hare Goes Shopping (1965)
- Little Grey Rabbit's Pancake Day (1967)
- Little Grey Rabbit Goes to the North Pole (1970)
- Fuzzypeg's Brother (1971)
- Little Grey Rabbit's Spring Cleaning Party (1972)
- Little Grey Rabbit and the Snow-Baby (1973)
- Hare and the Rainbow (1975)
