Barbara Leonie Picard facts for kids

Barbara Leonie Picard (born December 17, 1917 – died December 15, 2011) was a British author. She was famous for writing children's books. Her books often told exciting historical stories. She also retold old myths and legends from around the world. Barbara Picard did a lot of research for her books. She also created her own original fairy tales. Three of her books were highly praised for the British Carnegie Medal, a special award for children's books.

About Barbara Picard

Barbara Picard was born in Richmond-upon-Thames, a part of London, England. For a while, she lived in a small cottage near Seaford, East Sussex with her mother. Her mother grew up in Venezuela before moving to Britain. Barbara's father was a French soldier. He was sent to London as a consul. Her parents' marriage ended early. Barbara saw her father only a few times when she was a child. Even so, her father supported the family and wrote to her throughout his life.

Early Life and Education

Barbara was taught at home by a governess until she was nine years old. She did not meet other children until she went to prep school. She had three happy years there. Then she went to a boarding school in Berkshire. She did not make any friends at this school.

As an older woman, she explained that she was always "unsociable." This means she preferred to be by herself rather than with groups of people. Even though she earned high academic honors, she left school at age 16. She decided to become a writer instead of going to university.

She trained to be a librarian in Eastbourne. During this time, she also taught herself Greek. During World War II, she volunteered as a fire-watcher. She spent her nights on top of the library roof. She used this time to write fairy tales for fun.

Becoming a Writer

Her stories were broadcast on British Radio's Children's Hour in 1947. Eventually, 50 of her original fairy tales were published. Most of these were published by Oxford University Press starting in 1949.

In the early 1950s, Barbara Picard moved from her mother's home to nearby Lewes. She continued working during the day. She spent her evenings writing. After publishing a second collection of her stories, Oxford University Press suggested she try retelling ancient Greek mythology for children.

She started with The Odyssey of Homer in 1952. Later, she heard that the famous expert on Greek myths, Robert Graves, liked her book. She then wrote Tales of the Norse Gods and Heroes (1953). She also wrote Stories of King Arthur and his Knights (1955). Another book was French Legends, Tales, and Fairy Stories (1955). Barbara Picard wrote in a clear style. Her stories stayed true to the exciting and sometimes fierce nature of the original myths.

About ten years later, she retold stories from South and West Asia. One review said her retellings used "resonant, almost ceremonial language." This means her words sounded grand and important. Her stories felt like they were told by ancient storytellers.

Awards and Historical Novels

The third and last Oxford book of her original stories was The Lady of the Linden Tree. It was published in 1954. For this book, she was one of six authors praised for the 1954 Carnegie Medal. This was a new honor the Library Association started that year.

Picard's first novel was Ransom for a Knight (1956). It was a historical fiction story set in the 14th century. The book is about a 10-year-old girl. She is a knight's daughter. She hears her father has died in Scotland. She leaves her home in Sussex to find out the truth. The book was popular with girl readers. They liked the brave main character. This book earned her second Carnegie commendation. The theme of a missing or distant parent appeared often in Picard's stories. This reflected her own childhood.

In 1965, seven more of her fairy tales from the 1940s were published. The last two were published in 1968. That same year, another historical novel, One is One (1965), earned her third Carnegie commendation. This book was also set in the 14th century.

Encyclopædia Britannica named Barbara Picard as one of the top ten writers in a "new English school" of children's historical fiction. This group of writers focused on careful research and realism. They aimed for honesty and social awareness in their stories. They did not just write simple adventure tales.

Later in her life, Barbara Picard became more private. She admitted she was a "recluse," meaning she lived mostly alone. Her work became less known. She had to raise money to publish her final novel, The Deceivers, in 1996.

Books by Barbara Leonie Picard

• The Mermaid and the Simpleton (Oxford, 1949) — 15 original fairy tales
• The Faun and the Woodcutter's Daughter (Oxford, 1951) — 14 original fairy tales
• The Odyssey of Homer (1952)
• Tales of the Norse Gods and Heroes (1953)
• The Lady of the Linden Tree (Oxford, 1954) — 12 original fairy tales
• Stories of King Arthur and his Knights (1955)
• French Legends, Tales, and Fairy Stories (1955)
• Ransom for a Knight (1956)
• German Hero-Sagas and Folk-Tales (1958)
• The Iliad of Homer (1960)
• Tales of the British People (1961)
• The Tower and the Traitors (1961)
• Lost John: A Young Outlaw in the Forest of Arden (1962)
• Hero-tales from the British Isles (1963)
• One is One (1965)
• The Goldfinch Garden: Seven Tales (Harrap & Co, 1965) — 7 original fairy tales
• Celtic tales: Legends of tall warriors & old enchantments (1965)
• The Young Pretenders (1966)
• Twice Seven Tales (Kaye & Ward Ltd, 1968) — The Lady of the Linden Tree plus two more original fairy tales
• The Story of the Pandavas, retold from the Mahøabhøarata (1968)
• Tales of Ancient Persia, retold from the Shah-Nama of Firdausi (1972)
• Three ancient Kings: Gilgamesh, Hrolf Kraki, Conary (1972)
• Selected Fairy Tales (1994) — 16 of her previously published original fairy tales
• The Deceivers (1997)
• The Midsummer Bride (Oxford, 1999) — a picture book version of one story from Selected Fairy Tales

Barbara Picard wrote 50 original fairy tales in the 1940s. These were published in five books by different publishers between 1949 and 1968. Later, Oxford published Selected Fairy Tales. This book included 16 of her favorite stories from her earlier Oxford collections.